Before the ladybug could fly into the bedroom, Zhou Ziwei immediately began to read the ladybug's memories from that period of time through his soul.
That assassin was indeed very skilled at stealth. Before he even left the New Century Garden residential area, he jumped from a shadowy corner into the sewers, then crawled through the complex pipes for over a thousand meters before finally returning to the surface on a quiet street.
Then this guy changed his clothes twice more, completely changing his image, and even dressed up as a woman once before sneaking out of the city.
This guy is so cautious that even if someone were following him, he would have shaken them off long ago. However, the ladybug was an exception. No matter how careful he was, he didn't notice the ladybug's presence at all.
However, just as that guy left the city and arrived in the suburbs, a crisp gunshot rang out, and then his head instantly turned into a rotten watermelon, blown off.
The little ladybug landed on the guy's collar and was stunned by the sudden shot. When it recovered and flew up to look for the sniper hiding in the dark, it had vanished without a trace.
The ladybug searched around for a while longer, but couldn't find any useful clues. Finally, it had no choice but to fly back...
After reading this part of the ladybug's memories, Zhou Ziwei was stunned... What was this... Could it be that the other party's assassin organization was so meticulous that any member who made a mistake would be eliminated? Or did the other party discover the existence of the ladybug and know that if they didn't eliminate that assassin, he would expose their headquarters, so they were so ruthless in eliminating their own people?
Volume 1, Rebirth of a Prodigy, Chapter 183: Zhou's Largest Shareholder
Zhou Ziwei shook his head inwardly. If it were any other tracking method that the other party would be able to detect, it might be possible. But this ladybug was so secretive. If they could still find out about it, then that assassin organization must be too terrifying.
Zhou Ziwei pondered for a long time but couldn't figure it out. Helpless, he could only shake his head and temporarily put the matter aside.
The ladybug was left to continue guarding the outside, while Zhou Ziwei lay on the bed, lost in thought for a while, before falling into a deep sleep...
Just as dawn was breaking, Zhou Ziwei was woken up by a series of knocks on the door. He slipped on his slippers and opened it, finding Luan Yuqing standing there, neatly dressed. He frowned slightly and said, "Hey, what are you doing up so early... can't you let me get some sleep? Honestly..."
Luan Yuqing pursed her lips and said, "Your wife is about to run off with someone else, how can you still sleep?"
"Uh... what do you mean by that?" Zhou Ziwei was taken aback when he saw Luan Yuqing looking like she was standing up for someone in a bad situation.
Luan Yuqing quickly moved closer to Zhou Ziwei and whispered in his ear, "Downstairs... a very handsome guy came early this morning and is laughing and talking with your wife right now. If you don't get up and keep an eye on your wife, she might really run off with someone else."
"Are there guests coming downstairs?"
Zhou Ziwei paused for a moment, then smiled and shook his head. He hadn't slept well last night, so the instructions he gave to the ladybug were... unless there were more assassins or other dangers, don't wake him up.
So even though there were ladybugs guarding the outside, Zhou Ziwei had no idea that a guest had come to his house.
Upon hearing Luan Yuqing's words, Zhou Ziwei immediately used his soul power to scan downstairs and discovered that the person who came was not an outsider, but Zhou Ziwei... to be precise, it should be Zhou Ziwei's younger brother, Zhou Zixu.
Zhou Zixu is indeed very handsome. Although they are brothers, Zhou Ziwei finds that his own appearance is no match for Zhou Zixu's, and the two don't even look alike.
How did he grow up like that? So tall, so strong, yet his features possess a delicate charm amidst his masculinity—he's practically a handsome, idol-level heartthrob…
Fortunately, Zhou Ziwei had already died once, so this physical body seemed to him no different from a piece of clothing, and he didn't care much about his appearance.
Wang Xuewei was already dressed neatly and was downstairs talking to Zhou Zixu. Although the two seemed to be chatting and laughing, Wang Xuewei's cold expression didn't seem to change much even under Zhou Zixu's sunny and handsome demeanor.
Hearing Luan Yuqing still muttering in his ear, Zhou Ziwei smiled slightly and said, "Alright... I know, it's probably my brother who's here. Don't say anything out of line later!" After saying that, he closed the door and went back to his room to wash up.
Luan Yuqing stood at the door for a moment, then muttered to herself, "Brother... what's wrong with brother? If something really happens between brother and sister-in-law, it'll be even harder to guard against... Honestly, I was just trying to warn you, and you ignored me. You deserve to be cuckolded."
After Zhou Ziwei finished washing up and changing his clothes, he went downstairs. Luan Yuqing suddenly appeared again, following closely behind him without missing a step. At the same time, she whispered in Zhou Ziwei's ear, "I see your wife treats your brother much better than you... Aren't you jealous at all? Humph... I'll help you save face and make your wife feel a little threatened, how about that?"
Hearing this, Zhou Ziwei could only smile wryly, too lazy to pay her any attention. He thought to himself that Luan Yuqing's current appearance really did resemble a bodyguard protecting him. Seeing this scene, Wang Xuewei would probably only be more convinced of her previous thoughts, so why would she be jealous? Besides... would Wang Xuewei possibly be jealous for him?
As soon as Zhou Zixu saw Zhou Ziwei come downstairs, he immediately stood up, flashed a bright smile, and said, "Brother...you're back."
Zhou Ziwei nodded calmly, but he was secretly wondering. He had returned to Dangyang without telling anyone beforehand... Yet, on his very first night back, assassins came to his door, and Zhou Zixu found out the next morning. Could there be some hidden story behind this?
"How did you know I was back?" Zhou Ziwei asked casually as he walked downstairs and sat down on the sofa opposite Zhou Zixu.
The living room of this small villa was not particularly spacious. There were only two rows of sofas on the first floor. Zhou Zixu and Wang Xuewei were sitting on the same side, while Zhou Ziwei was sitting opposite them. Luan Yuqing, who followed closely behind, simply sat down right next to Zhou Ziwei.
This made the situation rather strange, as the male and female hosts were not sitting together, but were instead each sitting next to another man and woman.
Of course... Although Wang Xuewei and Zhou Zixu were sitting on the same side, they were still quite far apart. However, Luan Yuqing, perhaps to provoke Wang Xuewei, deliberately sat very close to Zhou Ziwei, with their thighs almost touching.
Zhou Zixu seemed slightly surprised by this, but Wang Xuewei showed no reaction whatsoever. It was impossible to tell whether she was jealous or not, nor did she show any sign of anger.
Zhou Zixu smiled slightly and said, "Of course I know... I knew that after you came back to Dangyang, you probably wouldn't go home for a while, so I told my sister-in-law to call me as soon as she saw you were back. So... I knew you were back last night."
"Oh... I see." Zhou Ziwei replied casually, while glancing at Wang Xuewei intentionally or unintentionally.
For some reason, Wang Xuewei felt a little flustered when Zhou Ziwei's gaze swept over her. She quickly lowered her head and explained, "Oh... Zixu said he had something very important to tell you when you came back, so... I told him as soon as I saw you were back..."
After saying this, Wang Xuewei suddenly felt something was strange. She was puzzled by her own reaction just now, and why she had explained herself to Zhou Ziwei. What was there to explain... She and that person weren't really husband and wife.
Zhou Ziwei nodded slightly upon hearing this, and did not dwell on the matter any further. He then turned to Zhou Zixu and asked, "Why are you in such a hurry to see me? Is there something you need?"
The sunny smile on Zhou Zixu's face vanished, and he sighed softly, saying, "I do have something to tell you, but... let's talk about it with Dad later! Hmm... Dad's health is getting worse every day, and he's been talking about you a lot lately, saying he's afraid... afraid he won't see you again before he passes away, brother... I know your relationship with Dad has always been strained, but... at a time like this, brother, don't hold it against Dad anymore, go see him!"
Zhou Ziwei did not refuse Zhou Zixu's request. After all, he was now Zhou Zixu's son. Zhou Ziwei didn't care how disharmonious his nominal father and his ex-father had been. In any case, they were father and son. His father was in poor health and could pass away at any time. It would be really inexcusable for a son not to go and see him.
“Okay! I’ll go see Dad, but… not now, this afternoon!” Zhou Ziwei hesitated for a moment and said, “I have some things to take care of, I’ll go to the hospital to see him this afternoon.”
"I see..." Zhou Zixu said hesitantly, "But I can't come out again in the afternoon... Sigh... The police don't let me move around freely now, and I feel bad about troubling them all the time. So... I just left home, and they have to send so many people to protect me..."
As Zhou Zixu spoke, he pointed outside, and Zhou Ziwei had already noticed the seven or eight police cars parked outside the door.
It seems the police have done a really good job protecting Zhou Zixu, while the eldest son of the Zhou family is rather poor. Back in Tengchong, they did send a luxurious protection team, but those people treated him as bait to lure out the big fish for them to hunt.
Apart from Sun Xiaoyu, who at the time still had some conscience and did her best to protect Zhou Ziwei, no one else cared about his life or death.
Later, when Sun Xiaoyu's other identity was exposed and she was driven away by Zhou Ziwei, the police didn't send anyone else. Although having no one around would make Zhou Ziwei feel more free, seeing the difference in treatment between himself and his nominal brother, he felt somewhat unbalanced for his ex.
“Oh…that’s true…” Zhou Ziwei said with a self-deprecating smile, “With so many people watching you, it’s really not good for you to wander around. You should go home and stay put! Hehe…Luckily, I don’t have so many people watching me, so I can go wherever I want…Don’t worry! I’ll go to see Dad this afternoon. If you have anything else to do, we can talk about it later.”
“Hmm…” Zhou Zixu could easily understand the meaning behind Zhou Ziwei’s words, so he deliberately turned his gaze to Luan Yuqing next to Zhou Ziwei and asked with a smile, “Brother… why don’t you introduce the lady next to you? She… should be the police officer who was specially sent to protect you?”
Before Zhou Ziwei could speak, Luan Yuqing rolled her eyes at him and said, "It would be great if I were really a policeman... But can a policeman be as dedicated as me? I'm Mr. Zhou's personal assistant... the kind that earns a million a year, hehe..."
"Oh, I see..."
When Zhou Zixu heard that Luan Yuqing was not a police officer, his eyebrows immediately furrowed, clearly not believing that Zhou Ziwei really had the ability to pay an annual salary of one million to hire some kind of "personal assistant".
Zhou Zixu is now the CEO of Zhou Group and has his own personal assistant. However, his personal assistant's annual salary is only a little over 300,000 yuan. Would his brother, who is always the most useless, possibly pay a million yuan to a woman who can only accompany him to eat, drink and have fun?
Zhou Zixu was completely unaware of Zhou Ziwei's investment in Xinda Daily Chemicals, and even less aware of Zhou Ziwei's development in Tengchong. Therefore, in his mind, his older brother was still the playboy who only knew how to indulge in debauchery, drinking, gambling, and whoring, and the degenerate older brother who would ask his younger brother for help to pay off his debts whenever he lost money at the casino... So, he could only treat Luan Yuqing's talk of a million-dollar annual salary as a joke.
Luan Yuqing doesn't look like an ordinary escort. She's probably just an ignorant woman who was lured to her side by her brother with the promise of a million-dollar annual salary.
Although Zhou Zixu was quite disgusted by Zhou Ziwei's actions, he didn't expose him directly. He stood up and said, "Since that's the case, I'll head back first. After you've seen Dad, if you don't have anything else to do, go home first! It's been a long time since we brothers got together, but it's not safe outside right now, so let's get together at home! Okay, I'll be going now..."
As Zhou Zixu spoke, he got up to say goodbye. As soon as he left the villa, the police in the police cars outside immediately became tense. More than a dozen police officers jumped out of the cars and surrounded Zhou Zixu from all sides. They then carefully escorted Zhou Ziwei into the car, and the others returned to their respective cars one after another. Then, they drove out of the community in a grand procession.
"Wow...look at their entourage, it's really...it's infuriating to compare yourself to others!"
Luan Yuqing now knew a bit about Zhou Ziwei's family situation and was quite resentful that he wasn't well-liked because of the Zhou family. Few people understood Zhou Ziwei better than her; only she knew he possessed many extraordinary abilities beyond ordinary comprehension. Therefore, in Luan Yuqing's view, Zhou Ziwei's abilities were at least a hundred or two hundred times stronger than that handsome Zhou Zixu! So why was Zhou Zixu the CEO of the Zhou Group, while Zhou Ziwei had to struggle on his own? And even the police were so powerful, assigning such a luxurious protection team to Zhou Zixu, while Zhou Ziwei had practically no one by his side.
Although Zhou Ziwei is so capable that he doesn't need anyone to protect him, the police's attitude is really disheartening.
Upon hearing this, Wang Xuewei glanced at Luan Yuqing, still unable to guess Luan Yuqing's true identity, but she didn't dwell on it. However, for some reason, she felt uneasy seeing the police's treatment of the Zhou brothers. She sighed softly, walked to Zhou Ziwei's side, and said gently, "Actually... you're no less capable than him. Really... he just inherited your Zhou family's business, while you... created everything you have entirely on your own. I believe... once the gasified laundry detergent is fully launched, it won't be long before Xinda Daily Chemicals develops rapidly, and one day, Xinda Daily Chemicals will surpass the Zhou Group. At that time... when you, the largest shareholder of Xinda Daily Chemicals, emerge, it will definitely surprise everyone."
Hearing Wang Xuewei's comforting words, Zhou Ziwei felt a warmth in his heart, but he still gave a bitter smile and said, "But it seems now... even if Xinda Daily Chemicals doesn't develop much, it will soon surpass the Zhou Group. I read in the newspaper at the airport... all the pharmaceutical factories under the Zhou Group have been ordered to cease operations. If this continues... they might really be in danger of bankruptcy. Hehe... Luckily, I'm not a shareholder of the Zhou Group, so even if the Zhou Group really goes bankrupt, it won't have much to do with me. Otherwise... I'm afraid I'd be dragged down and have to beg for food..."
"How could it have nothing to do with you?"
Wang Xuewei was taken aback upon hearing this. She turned to Zhou Ziwei and asked in confusion, "Who said you don't have shares in the Zhou Group? When your mother passed away, didn't she transfer all her shares to you? That's 38% of the shares... Now, the shares your father and brother hold combined... don't seem to be as many as yours! This means... that you are actually the largest shareholder in the Zhou Group, not your father... Of course... before that, your shares were managed by your father on your behalf. I only heard this from someone in the Zhou Group a couple of days ago. How come... you didn't know about this yourself?"
"Ah... I... own 38% of the Zhou Group? This... you're not kidding, are you?"
Zhou Ziwei was stunned upon hearing this. Could it really be true? His ex, that good-for-nothing, actually owned 38% of the Zhou Group's shares, even... even more than his nominal father and brother combined! How... how could this be? If it were true, how could his ex be so miserable, constantly having to beg his brother for pocket money? So poor he couldn't even afford a car and had to take taxis to get around... This... it all seemed so unlikely...
"Yes... What, you really didn't know?"
Wang Xuewei was taken aback by Zhou Ziwei's reaction. She looked up at Luan Yuqing beside her before saying, "Although it's a secret that you own these shares, Miss Luan is no stranger to you. You don't need to play dumb in front of her, do you? Besides... even if it was a secret before, many people in the Zhou Group already know about it. I don't think you need to keep it a secret any longer, do you?"
Zhou Ziwei said with a wry smile, "If I said I really didn't know, you definitely wouldn't believe me. Hmm... Maybe it's because it's been too long and I've already forgotten about it! Uh... Don't look at me like that. I'm not going to pretend to be crazy over something so trivial."
"Is this a small matter?" Wang Xuewei snorted disdainfully, saying, "That's 38 percent of the Zhou Group's shares... Do you think it's just 38 yuan?... Anyone would be quite nervous about such a large sum of money. Do you think you could forget?"
Volume 1, Rebirth of a Prodigy, Chapter 184: Bank Safe Deposit Box
Hearing Wang Xuewei's sarcastic words, Zhou Ziwei said innocently, "Is 38 percent of the Zhou Group's shares really that valuable? Hmm... If it were a month ago, these shares might have been worth three or four hundred million, but now? The Zhou Group is on the verge of bankruptcy. Are these shares still worth three or four million, or even three or four hundred thousand? Heh... If the Zhou Group really goes bankrupt, these shares might even leave me with a mountain of debt. In that case... they really won't even be worth 38 yuan."
Zhou Ziwei's words made a lot of sense, and Wang Xuewei was speechless. Thinking about it, it made sense. If Zhou Ziwei had refused to reveal that he held a large number of shares when the Zhou family was at its peak, it was possible that he was deliberately lying.
But given the current situation... the Zhou Group might go bankrupt at any time. Even if the Zhou Group hasn't reached that point yet, 38% of its shares would still be worth a considerable amount. The problem is... in this situation, if Zhou Ziwei intends to sell his shares, who would want them? Who would dare to buy them? So... these shares will most likely just rot in his hands, watching the share price gradually decline until it becomes worthless. In fact... it might even leave him, the largest shareholder, with a mountain of debt.
Since that's the case, Zhou Ziwei really has no need to hide anything about this matter. If he says he didn't know beforehand, then he probably really didn't know!
Wang Xuewei's expression softened upon thinking about this, and she said somewhat apologetically, "I'm sorry... maybe I was being paranoid. Well... there were some things at Xinda Chemicals that needed your attention, but your Zhou family is quite busy right now, so let's put our business on hold for now! You can visit Xinda Chemicals when you're less busy in a few days! Oh... it's getting late, so... I'll go to work now."
After saying that, Wang Xuewei smiled at Luan Yuqing, then went to the sofa, picked up her handbag, and walked towards the door.
As he reached the door, he paused slightly, hesitated for a moment, then turned back to Zhou Ziwei with a blank expression and said, "Be careful."
After saying that, Wang Xuewei seemed to have let go of a burden, feeling much more relaxed, and then she quickly walked towards the garage...
After watching Wang Xuewei drive her old Buick away, Luan Yuqing walked over to Zhou Ziwei, gently placed a hand on his shoulder, and chuckled, "It seems your wife cares about you quite a bit, but she always pretends to be cold towards you, which makes me feel awkward..."
Zhou Ziwei shrugged, shook off Luan Yuqing's arm, then looked back at her and said, "If you find it awkward, you don't have to look. Why don't you sleep instead of coming down here to join in the fun?"
Luan Yuqing stomped her foot angrily and said, "You really don't know what's good for you... I was just worried that your beautiful wife, who's like a fairy, would be seduced away by your handsome little brother... You really are something... I'm not going to take care of you next time."
Zhou Ziwei stretched and said, "We'll talk about next time later. I'm hungry now... Hehe... My personal assistant, Ms. Luan, you see... isn't it time for you, as my personal assistant, to fulfill your duties?"
"No way! You really want to treat me like a maid... I... it's not that I'm unwilling to cook, it's just... I'm afraid the food I make will be inedible!" Luan Yuqing immediately made a face upon hearing this. She was fearless, but she was terrified of the kitchen. She had tried cooking before, but... even if others couldn't cook, their food would at most be salty enough to kill someone, while her food... was practically poison that could kill someone.
However, Luan Yuqing immediately remembered that Zhou Ziwei's kitchen was completely empty and there was nothing to cook. She became excited and said, "Haha... I was originally thinking of trying to make you a boiled egg to fill your stomach, but I went to your kitchen last night and there was nothing there. Even the mice would cry... It's not that I, your personal assistant, am being negligent. You can't cut my million-dollar annual salary."
Zhou Ziwei rolled his eyes and said, "Alright, luckily I have nothing to eat at home, otherwise I would have choked to death if I ate your boiled eggs... Then hurry up and get ready, let's eat out for today! After we eat, we'll go to the supermarket to buy more ingredients, and then we'll cook for ourselves tonight..."
"Ugh...why do you have to cook for yourself?" Luan Yuqing felt uneasy at the thought of being forced into the kitchen by Zhou Ziwei that evening. She said with a bitter face, "Actually...ordering takeout is a good idea...we can collect more restaurant phone numbers later, and then I'll order whatever you want to eat...I guess that's what a personal assistant is like, right? Making phone calls for you and stuff. What kind of personal assistant is responsible for cooking and washing dishes?"
Zhou Ziwei chuckled and said, "You can't eat restaurant food all the time, don't you know that? Hehe... It's okay if you don't know how to cook, I can teach you... Your boss, I'm a national-level master chef... If you weren't my personal assistant, even if you knelt down and begged me, I might not be willing to take you as my apprentice... So... this time you're getting a good deal."
Upon hearing this, Luan Yuqing immediately pretended to vomit and said, "I've never seen anyone as good at bragging as you, a national-level master chef... I doubt you could find a single national-level master chef in the entire city of Dangyang. It's a miracle that a rich young master like you can even cook an egg, and you want me to learn cooking from you... That's just harming people."
Zhou Ziwei was too lazy to waste words with her, so he simply waved his hand and said, "Alright... if you don't want to learn, then forget it. But remember, you said it yourself, so don't beg me to teach you later."
Upon hearing that she didn't need to learn, Luan Yuqing immediately beamed with joy and nodded repeatedly, saying, "Okay, okay... Don't worry, I will definitely not ask you to teach me any more of those damn cooking skills."
The two then drove out to a hotel outside the neighborhood that had a buffet breakfast, ate something, and then went to a supermarket and went on a shopping spree, filling the trunk of their Mercedes to the brim before driving home.
"This guy is really planning to cook for himself!"
As Luan Yuqing followed Zhou Ziwei, carrying bags of freshly purchased groceries into the kitchen and putting them into the refrigerator or freezer, she was secretly muttering to herself.
In any case, she definitely couldn't make anything edible for people, and the hostess, who looked as beautiful and charming as a fairy, seemed completely detached from worldly affairs. Luan Yuqing was even less convinced that Wang Xuewei would cook.