The food stalls outside the school gate opened at 7 p.m. with each small cart displaying a simple uniform sign. Despite their simplicity, they exuded a charm and warmth that the high-end and flashy commercial buildings lacked.
During the weekend, there weren’t a lot of people, unlike the crowds Tang Zhou saw the last time he visited.
He followed Fu Shen and the other three towards the barbecue stall.
Halfway there, Fu Shen suddenly stopped and said, “Liang Chen, you guys go ahead.”
After saying that, he turned to look at Tang Zhou.
Next to them was a stall selling tangyuan, and Tang Zhou understood without words.
He thought he wouldn’t be able to eat tangyuan tonight, but Fu Shen remembered.
Liang Chen had just just talked to Fu Shen and knew he shouldn’t be thinking too much about it, but seeing the subtle interactions between those two, he still couldn’t completely convince himself.
However, he could be certain that, even if these two truly have something, it’s definitely not a “sugar daddy” kind of thing.
As the three walked away, Fu Shen took Tang Zhou to the stall and ordered the boss two portions of tangyuan.
Luckily, there weren’t many people today, so there was no need to wait in line.
The stall owner, a middle-aged man with a kind face, glanced at the two and skillfully started preparing the tangyuan. He praised, “Young man, you’re really handsome, and also a top student here at Jiang University. Ah, your future’s limitless.”
The simple accent and not-so-sophisticated praise didn’t make Tang Zhou feel awkward; instead, his entire body relaxed.
Fu Shen smiled and replied, “Your tangyuan is delicious and affordable. Your business will definitely be getting more and more prosperous.”
Amidst mutual compliments, the stall owner generously added a few more tangyuan.
The fragrant soup was poured into disposable paper bowls, and Tang Zhou’s stomach grumbled.
Fu Shen took the two portions of tangyuan, half of his face hidden in the shadows. Amidst the hustle and bustle of the lively market, he looked particularly gentle. “Let’s go find Liang Chen and the others.”
“Mmmm.”
The barbecue’s stand smoke wafted through the air, and Tang Zhou endured the discomfort while standing.
Pi Xiu asked, “What did you two buy?”
“Tangyuan.” Li Fengyu added, “Shen Ge really likes tangyuan from that place.”
Apart from Fu Shen, the others in their dormitory didn’t have a sweet tooth.
Pi Xiu smiled and jokingly said, “Shen Ge is having trouble finding like-minded people, so he’s bringing Tang Shen into the fold.”
Fu Shen paid no attention to them and continued to sip the soup.
It was Tang Zhou who took the initiative to explain, “The taste is quite good.”
Li Fengyu took a sip of beer and laughed heartily, “Shen Ge is so lucky to find a fellow comrade like Tang Shen.”
Tang Zhou, curious about them constantly calling him “Shen Ge, Shen Ge” asked, “In your dormitory, is Fu Shen the oldest?”
He had never paid attention to other people’s ages.
“Yes, Shen Ge is a year older than all of us.” Pieliu said nonchalantly, “Shen Ge said he spent an extra year in junior high before he got into high school.”
Tang Zhou: “…”
Given Fu Shen’s academic abilities, how could he possibly need to repeat a year?
Suddenly, he remembered that the investigation email mentioned that Fu Shen’s grandfather passed away during his junior high years, which was a huge blow to him, leading him to take a year off from school.
Tang Zhou’s heart sank slightly. He stole a glance at Fu Shen, who was still eating heartily, seemingly unconcerned. He then withdrew his gaze and lowered his eyelashes.
The barbecue plate was quickly brought to the table, featuring various skewers whose names Tang Zhou couldn’t even recall. The aroma of pepper and chili powder wafted, arousing one’s appetite.
He picked up a skewer of roasted lamb, bit off a piece, and slowly chewed it.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
To be honest, it wasn’t particularly delicious. The lamb wasn’t fresh, the texture was poor, and the chili powder was a bit throat-irritating. He calmly scooped up a spoonful of soup and mixed it with the meat to swallow it down.
Ktlr kjr vloolmeia.
Lf mbeivc’a pera ajxf j ylaf jcv atgbk la jkjs, la’r ybat kjrafoei jcv tegaoei.
Me Vtfc mjwf mibrfg ja atf gluta wbwfca jcv jrxfv, “Ljv fcbeut ajcusejc?”
“Lww?” Kjcu Itbe tewwfv bea lc j cjrji nblmf, ecregf.
Me Vtfc mjrejiis gfjmtfv bea, “Xlnf la ab wf lo sbe mjc’a olclrt la.”
Tang Zhou stared at him for a few seconds and solemnly handed the lamb skewer to him. Secretly, he breathed a sigh of relief, but a question mark flashed in his mind.
Could it be that Fu Shen noticed he didn’t like the food, so he did this?
Watching Fu Shen finish the skewers clean, Tang Zhou felt both grateful and a bit uneasy in his heart.
He got lost in thought, and unexpectedly, Fu Shen turned around, raised an eyebrow, and suddenly asked, “What’s wrong?”
Tang Zhou’s heart skipped a beat, although it didn’t show on his face. In his panic, he noticed some pepper powder on the corner of Fu Shen’s mouth. Without much thought, he reached out, gently wiped it off, saying, “You got something here.”
The air instantly freezed.
Fu Shen’s eyes suddenly darkened , silently staring at him for a few seconds. When Tang Zhou turned his face away, flustered, and also withdrew his hand, Fu Shen subconsciously grabbed his wrist.
With his other hand, Fu Shen pulled out a piece of tissue, lowered his eyes, and wiped away the dirt on Tang Zhou’s fingertip.
Tang Zhou tried to pull back but failed.
His cheeks were slightly burning.
Fu Shen wiped meticulously, as if wanting to clean every trace of dirt from those white, jade-like fingertips.
“That’s enough,” Tang Zhou said, pursing his lips.
Fu Shen hesitated for a moment, then released his wrist, but he kept the tissue in his hand.
What’s wrong with him?
The other three weren’t stupid. Pi Xiu chuckled, attempting to ease the strange atmosphere, “Shen Ge and Tang Shen have such a good relationship! People used to say Tang Shen was aloof, but I never expected him to be so caring. Haha.”
The others: “…”
Shut up if you can’t talk!
Tang Zhou’s ears were burning. He stood up and apologized, “I suddenly remembered there’s something I need to take care of. You guys should enjoy your meal; I’ll leave first.”
If he stays any longer, he most likely would catch on fire.
Fu Shen: “I’ll walk you out.”
Tang Zhou shook his head, feigning detachment, “Assistant Fu, you have the night off.”
The others all stood up to watch him leave, and the atmosphere became somewhat gloomy and awkward.
Pi Xiu scratched his head and said bitterly, “Did I say something wrong? Does Tang Shen hate me now?”
He didn’t mean it. He just wanted to lighten the mood, but it ended up backfiring.
“No,” Fu Shen rubbed the tissue in his palm, “He’s not that narrow-minded.”
“Shen Ge,” Lian Chen changed the subject, “You won the award in Fangcheng’s competition. Let’s celebrate tonight. Come on, cheers!”
Fu Shen’s mood was already chaotic, so he grabbed a can of beer and grunted as he drank.
Driving back to his place, Tang Zhou had already calmed down.
Just as he got out of the car, someone stopped him.
“Young Master Tang, the chairman would like you to come back.”
It was someone under his grandfather’s command.
Tang Zhou expected this, so he didn’t refuse, “Understood.”
He got back in the car and headed to the Tang family home.
Tang Zhen was crying to Tang Zhihua. He forced himself to endure the pain and swelling on his face, full of grief, indignation, and grievance.
“Dad! Look at what Tang Zhou has become! He even hits his own father, and he even did so in the company! Our family’s face has been completely ruined by him!”
Tang Zhihua leaned back in his chair, glanced lightly at his stupid son who looked like a pig, and felt his heart tangled like a mess.
He couldn’t understand what had happened to Tang Zhou. It seemed like he had suddenly entered a rebellious phase.
But again, no matter how rebellious he’s feeling, he can’t just beat his own father in public, or else he’ll ruin the family’s reputation!
“What did you do to make him so angry?” Tang Zhihua thought he knew his grandson, whom he had raised with his own hands. Tang Zhou wouldn’t just attack someone without a reason.
As soon as this was mentioned, Tang Zhen got furious.
“I didn’t do anything at all! He suddenly burst into the office, not only hit me but also accused me of cheating on my wife and being domestically violent. I’ve been having affairs for so many years and I haven’t seen him say a word about it. As for domestic violence, I barely see Zheng Qiuyi a few times a year. Where does domestic violence come from?!”
Tang Zhihua: “…”
His son is a scumbag by nature, that’s for sure.
This is probably his only good point.
“I investigated. Zheng Qiuyi is hospitalized because of a concussion, and you were the one who pushed her.”
Tang Zhen: “……”
He blinked, puzzled, “She was making a scene and arguing with me for no reason, so I just gave her a little push. Who would have thought it would result in a concussion? And now they are calling that domestic violence?”
And since when did Tang Zhou become so close to his mother? This was clearly finding an excuse to beat him up deliberately, fuck it!
Tang Zhihua half-closed his eyes, “Regardless of whether it’s domestic violence or not, you resorted to violence.”
“It was her—”
“Chairman, the young master is back,” Uncle Fang, the butler, cut off Tang Zhen’s words.
Tang Zhen immediately shut up, glaring angrily at the door.
Tang Zhou’s tall and elegant figure appeared in sight. Tang Zhen pursed his lips. Setting aside the conflicts between father and son, he had to admit that Tang Zhou was indeed the most suitable heir to the Tang family.
“Grandfather,” Tang Zhou greeted, standing in front of Tang Zhihua, not even sparing Tang Zhen a glance.
Tang Zhen was so angry, almost to the point of rolling his eyes.
Tang Zhihua sighed softly, “Explain.”
Tang Zhou: “I just don’t like him.”
“……”
“……”
Tang Zhihua and Tang Zhen were both speechless. After a while, Tang Zhihua furrowed his brow and said, “You’ve been getting more and more willful lately.”
“Which specific thing are you referring to?”
Tang Zhihua stared at Tang Zhou, “Are you still messing around with that boy?”
Tang Zhou raised an eyebrow, “You wouldn’t be trying to tempt him away from me with a few million, or use force to threaten and intimidate them, would you?”
Tang Zhihua: “……”
Where did these strange thoughts come from? Is he that stupid? As long as Tang Zhou still liked men, what difference did it make who he was messing with? He had no reason to be concerned about that young boy, he didn’t even know the boy’s full name.
“Tang Zhou,” Tang Zhihua stopped bickering with him and said solemnly, “Let’s make things clear tonight. what exactly do you want from doing all this?”
Tang Zhou said sternly, “Grandfather, I won’t get married.”
Tang Zhihua sighed, “If you don’t get married, where will the heir come from?”
“I won’t know anything after I die. Why bother about all these things?” Tang Zhou said indifferently.
Tang Zhihua knew Tang Zhou’s temperament well. He knew he wasn’t joking, but precisely because of that, he found it difficult to make a decision.
He couldn’t bear to lose Tang Zhou as the heir, nor could he bear to see the family business fall into the hands of others in the future.
“I’ve raised you all these years, not to hear you say such things.” Tang Zhihua finally wore a cold expression.
He felt a chill in his heart.
Tang Zhou felt guilty, but he remained firm as he answered, “Grandfather, all I can say is, if Tang Clan is handed over to me, I won’t let down all the years of cultivation you’ve spent on me. As for the rest, I can’t promise anything.”
He’s confident he can make the Tang Clan prosper before he dies. As for what happens after his death, that was something he has no control over.
He can devote himself wholeheartedly to the Tang family, but he was unwilling to lose his freedom.
Tang Zhihua got extremely angry but after a while calmed down, his eyes sharp as he looked at Tang Zhou and said, “What if I ask you to assist Tang Tianyang?”
Tang Zhou could choose not to get married and not be the heir, but he had to become an asset to the Tang Clan.
Tang Zhihua didn’t see any problem with handling things this way.
Unfortunately, Tang Zhou wasn’t appreciative.
“Grandfather, I don’t like wiping other people’s asses,” he said very seriously. “Either I’m in charge or I don’t care at all.”
Tang Zhihua, angered, slammed the table, “Tang Zhou! Are you really trying to infuriate me?! Have I taught you all these years just for you to turn your back on the family business?!”
Tang Zhen chimed in, “Tang Zhou, do you really want to be a white-eyed wolf? If you really don’t want to be in charge of the family business, just say so. Why do you have to anger your grandfather to death?”
The argument between the three of them echoed outside the door, and Uncle Fang sighed helplessly.
Then they heard Tang Zhou calmly saying, “Whether the Tang family flourishes for another fifty years or declines under Tang Zhen’s hands, Grandfather, it’s your choice.”
If there were no shenanigans by Tang Zhen and Tang Tianyang like it happened in his dreams, Tang Zhou was confident he could expand the family business several times.
If in his dream, after wiping Tang Zhen and Tang Tianyang’s asses, his grandfather handed over the Tang Company to him, he still had confidence that he would be able to take it to the top
Unfortunately, his grandfather would rather have that so-called “future heir” than give him the slightest chance to do anything.
Now, he was giving the old man a choice.
The study fell into silence. After a while, a voice, old and feeble, was heard.
“Tell Tang Tianyang to move in tomorrow.”
Tang Zhihua was confident; if he was able to raise a Tang Zhou, he could do so with a second one.
Tang Zhen’s pig-looking face turned red with excitement.
Tang Zhou’s heart suddenly sank, quickly descending into a dark abyss, where not a single glimmer of light could be seen.
Hello guys!! I’m sorry for not updating last week :((( I wasn’t at home for some days (little december travels lol here I’m making the most of my summer vacations before uni starts (cries). But! but! Here I’m with 3 chapters for y’all, since sometimes we need a sweet story in our lifes (me, I’m talking to myself haha lol).
Anyways, I hope you guys are liking it! And please curse Tang Zhou’s grandfather w me, he’s so so arrogant I can’t.
Thoughts?
Hope y’all had (and are having) a nice weekend 
You going to regret it in the future… Don’t give up bubu, I believe you can do a better business soon!
Thank You for the new chapter (´,,•ω•,,)♡
That Granddad is something else.
I like direction. It’s sad for Tang Zhou but it’ll let him cut off his toxic family completely instead of being tied to them through the family business. It’s for the best.
Happy holiday. Too bad, it’s exam week in my uni. I even have dreams about my assignments. Sigh..
What I can’t understand is for Tang Zhou to still have attachment for the family that clearly betrayed him.
If it’s me I’ll make sure the company go bankrupt by myself.
The Grandfather is so going to regret this decision in the future
Thanks for the chapter
Dad and Grandpa gonna get face slapped, don’t regret it if you have to wipe their asses Grandpa