Li Ruiyu's hand on the table trembled slightly. He had to tap his fingers on the surface to hide his anger as he said, "You're too stubborn! Too competitive!"
"You're not stubborn, you're not assertive! You're the only one who's right!" Jiang Lan went on a rampage like a shrew. "Have you ever considered how chauvinistic you are! Have you ever thought about putting up with me? You..."
Li Ruiyu calmed down at this point, quietly watching Jiang Lan as she went on her rampage.
After a long while, Jiang Lan seemed tired and was breathing heavily, but she stared at Li Ruiyu without flinching.
“I’ll give you one more piece of advice,” Li Ruiyu said calmly. “Don’t go against Xu Zhengyang anymore. Give that lousy logistics company back to him; don’t stop him from being with Bingjie, unless Bingjie doesn’t want to… Respect the child’s thoughts and feelings.” After saying this, Li Ruiyu lowered his eyelids and murmured softly, as if talking to himself, “Perhaps, for Bingjie’s sake, Xu Zhengyang will forgive you…”
"Are you trying to persuade me? Are you ordering me around!" Jiang Lan didn't even think about Li Ruiyu's last words, or perhaps she didn't hear them?
"Yes, I'm ordering you! This time you have to listen to me!" Li Ruiyu slammed her hand on the table again, almost shouting, "Stop making a scene! Don't let people think you're some kind of crazy woman! Look at your behavior! How can you be a cultured upper-class person, a so-called strong woman, an elite? Do you know that if you continue like this, it will be too late for regrets! You'll drag even more people into this!"
Jiang Lan was stunned for a long time, and said in disbelief, "Li Ruiyu, you, you really want to go against me for the sake of Xu Zhengyang? You want to make me regret it, you want to go against everyone?"
"It's not that I want you to regret this, nor am I going against everyone!" Li Ruiyu shook his head angrily through gritted teeth, then frowned and stared directly at Jiang Lan, suppressing his anger as he said, "Have you ever thought about how Xu Zhengyang, an ordinary rural young man who is worthless and useless in everyone's eyes, has managed to get to where he is today? What makes him so arrogant? What makes him so admirable that even the old man looked at him with new eyes when he was alive? And what gives him the confidence to be with Bingjie?"
“He, he’s a toad trying to eat swan meat! If it weren’t for Bingjie, if it weren’t for the old man, he, he…” Jiang Lan seemed to realize that she was being unreasonable, so she gritted her teeth and stopped talking, but still looked at Li Ruiyu with a tough expression.
You're wrong!
Li Ruiyu took a deep breath, as if he had made a big decision, and said calmly and very seriously, "Jiang Lan, I will tell you the real reason."
A hint of doubt appeared in Jiang Lan's eyes.
"Because, behind Xu Zhengyang stands one, or even many, deities from the heavens, or it is very possible that he is a deity representing the heavens who lives on earth!"
"What?" Jiang Lan was stunned.
After a long while, Jiang Lan couldn't help but laugh, a bitter laugh, and said, "Li Ruiyu, what are you talking about?"
“It’s true.” Li Ruiyu sighed and said, “Call Xu Zhengyang and apologize.”
"Don't you have any other way to persuade me?" Jiang Lan stood up disdainfully, seemingly feeling that she had finally won over her husband. She proudly held her head high and walked towards the door.
“Jiang Lan!” Li Ruiyu stood up.
Jiang Lan ignored him, opened the door, and walked away on her own.
Li Ruiyu's hand, resting on the desk, clenched tightly.
After a long while, Li Ruiyu let go of her hand, picked up the phone, and dialed:
"Hyoga, come here immediately, it's urgent."
"Dad, what's wrong?"
"Task!"
"Okay, I'll go right away."
...
Li Ruiyu had thought it through clearly: before this matter was over, he would keep his son under house arrest to prevent him from doing anything else. He had suffered a loss at Xu Zhengyang's hands last time and still held a grudge.
After making that call, Li Ruiyu dialed Xu Zhengyang's cell phone. After ringing a few times, the call was finally answered.
"I am Xu Zhengyang."
"Zhengyang, it's time to stop. You've caused enough trouble."
"Hehe, it's not over yet..."
"What else do you want?" Li Ruiyu frowned and hissed in anger, tilting his head back and shaking it. He was really, really frustrated...
"Aunt Jiang, she'll always have to suffer some losses, don't you think so too?"
"Zhengyang, you should at least consider that she is Bingjie's mother!"
Xu Zhengyang paused for a moment, then sneered, "So, I really want her to know that she is Bingjie's mother, that she is also a woman, a human being!"
"Don't cause a major disaster."
"Would I tear down my own roof?" Xu Zhengyang asked rhetorically.
Li Ruiyu paused for a moment, then said seriously, "Don't act impulsively and involve too many people, causing too much impact... It's not good for anyone."
“Yes.” Xu Zhengyang smiled. “So, this is something that you high and mighty people have to consider.”
"Zhengyang..."
"Don't try to persuade me! Don't stop me!" Xu Zhengyang's voice turned serious. "Ask yourself honestly, have I let you down?"
Li Ruiyu was speechless.
The phone beeped.
Li Ruiyu sighed. Yes, just as the old man said before he passed away, Xu Zhengyang never intended to oppose anyone or harm anyone. In the end, these things are no one's fault but his.
That……
The phone on the table suddenly rang:
"Brother, it seems Xu Zhengyang has gone to the capital."
"knew."
"Do we still have to clean up his mess?"
"What else can we do?"
"this……"
"If we can keep everyone in check, perhaps his anger will subside after this trip to the capital."
"Okay, sigh."
...
Volume 5, Spirit Official, Chapter 221: Others may go, so may I!
The azure sky seemed very high. Thin white clouds, like cotton wool, stretched out in wispy veins towards the bright sun, tinged with a reddish-yellow halo, partially obscuring its light.
Along both sides of the Jingming Expressway, green wheat fields stretch as far as the eye can see. Nestled among them are quiet and serene villages.
The white Audi A4 drove along the seemingly endless highway, undulating with the road surface like a koi carp swimming freely in a great river.
We're almost out of Hedong Province and have arrived in the capital.
Inside the car, Xu Zhengyang sat in the back seat with his eyes closed, his brows slightly furrowed, as if he were considering something; while Chen Chaojiang remained with a pale and cold face, focused on driving.
The two barely exchanged a single word the entire way.
After passing the tollbooth, Xu Zhengyang opened his eyes, seemingly feeling a bit stuffy, and said with a smile, "Chaojiang, is that Ye Wan still in Beijing?"
"Hmm." Chen Chaojiang nodded in response, his slender eyes rolling upwards. Through the rearview mirror, he gave Xu Zhengyang a slightly embarrassed, awkward smile.
Xu Zhengyang lit a cigarette and said with a casual smile, "You're a good girl. Don't feel guilty. As a shareholder of Ronghua Group and also holding the position of general manager, I don't think your family can have any complaints..."
"I... I don't know if she's willing." Chen Chaojiang slightly moved his fingers, opening the car window a crack, and a cold breeze rushed into the car.
"Oh ho, Chen Chaojiang, you're blushing!" Xu Zhengyang said with a mischievous smile. "I've delayed the two of you two for two years, preventing you from having a proper romance. After you finish dealing with this matter in Beijing, I'll give you a few days off so you can spend some quality time with Ye Wan."
Chen Chaojiang opened his mouth, but didn't say anything.
"These kinds of things are all about mutual consent." Xu Zhengyang spoke with the air of an elder or leader, his expression magnanimous, and smiled. "As for arranged marriages and the parents' side, that's another matter... Of course, you can't just elope with someone's daughter. Every parent loves their child, so it's best if everyone can be happy."
Chen Chaojiang's heart skipped a beat, and he said softly, "Zhengyang, this time, shouldn't we..."
“I know what I’m doing.” Xu Zhengyang turned his head to the side and waved his hand to interrupt Chen Chaojiang. Looking at the desolate winter scenery outside the car window, he snorted with slight dissatisfaction and said, “Why do you keep bringing up these things when I’m trying to talk to you?”
Chen Chaojiang pursed his lips.
Xu Zhengyang naturally understood what Chen Chaojiang wanted to say, but he didn't want to bring up his relationship with Li Bingjie.
But now, thinking back, weren't his earlier words also a lament that he and Li Bingjie had been forced into this melodramatic, romance novel-like family conflict? Thinking of this, Xu Zhengyang gritted his teeth, his brows furrowing tightly. He came from a simple rural family and truly didn't want this situation to arise. How awkward would it be for the whole family to sit at the table and eat together in the future?
Xu Zhengyang clenched his right hand, then slowly relaxed it.
In the past, Xu Zhengyang would have been willing to compromise, even swallowing his pride for Li Bingjie's sake. But now, he simply couldn't bring himself to do it… He even secretly hoped that Jiang Lan would make concessions, admit her mistakes, and bring Li Bingjie back, giving him a reason to let her go. Because Xu Zhengyang knew that in front of someone like Jiang Lan, taking a step back wouldn't lead to a brighter future, while taking a step forward would only result in a fierce conflict with no room for maneuver.
Just then, the cell phone rang.
Xu Zhengyang took out his phone, glanced at the caller ID, smiled, pressed the answer button, and held it to his ear:
"Girl."
"Brother, where are you now?"
"We're almost there," Xu Zhengyang said with a smile.
"I'll be waiting for you all to have dinner together."
"You eat first, I still have some things to do. I'll come over for dinner."
"Oh, okay... Brother, I miss you so much."
Xu Zhengyang smiled and said, "Alright, I'll go to your place first."
"That's great, brother... I'm waiting for you. Oh, and Yingying is waiting for you too."
"Okay, that's all for now, we'll be there in a bit."
"good."
...
After hanging up the phone, Xu Zhengyang stubbed out his cigarette, closed his eyes slightly, and said softly, "Go to Rouyue's place first."
"Okay." Chen Chaojiang nodded.
If Xu Zhengyang hadn't called his sister yesterday to say he was coming to Beijing today, she would have taken the train back to Fuhe City. Xu Rouyue was overjoyed when her mother told her the night before last that her brother had suddenly recovered. She immediately called Ouyang Ying, who was now officially working at her father's company.
Xu Rouyue is currently pursuing a master's degree in economics and management, according to her mother, Yuan Suqin. As for the reason, Xu Rouyue says her brother lacks the relevant management skills; as the company grows larger, how can it function without someone to properly manage it?
At that time, Xu Zhengyang was already a dementia patient in a vegetative state. When Xu Rouyue said those words, Yuan Suqin and her husband cried.
Yesterday, when Xu Zhengyang was on the phone with his sister, he jokingly said, "You should hurry up and get your master's degree, then go abroad to study for a doctorate. When you come back, there will be a huge corporate group waiting for you to manage for your brother..."
Although Xu Zhengyang was smiling when he said these words, he was actually feeling a mix of bittersweet emotions—happiness, joy, and deep emotion.
What he cares about most is the presence of family affection in this world, isn't it?
The Audi A4 continued onward, passing under the overpass where the Jingming Expressway intersects with the Sixth Ring Road. After passing the Sixth Ring Road, it reached the entrance to the Jingming Expressway, where a white Iveco van could be seen parked on the road next to the entrance.
"Chaojiang, pull over to the side of the road," Xu Zhengyang ordered calmly.
Chen Chaojiang didn't say anything, but turned the steering wheel and slowed down to move towards the side of the road.