The following day, Su Jiajia, representing Zhou Chen, signed a performance-based agreement with Qi Tianlei.

“Ms. Su, the contract has been signed. Could you tell me where Mr. Zhou’s confidence comes from? I know that farm games are very novel and unique in the current market, but to be honest, Mr. Zhou’s agreement to the bet carries a great risk.”

"I might as well reveal another piece of information to Ms. Su: none of the companies that have made bets with our company have won so far."

After exchanging contracts, Qi Tianlei didn't rush to leave; instead, he wanted to satisfy his curiosity.

Su Jiajia also believed that Zhou Chen's bet with Tencent was extremely risky. She tried to persuade him, but Zhou Chen wouldn't listen and insisted on the bet.

As for the source of confidence...

Thinking of Zhou Chen's tone on the phone, could she say that it was blind confidence?

Even if I told him, Qi Tianlei probably wouldn't believe me.

"President Qi, I am merely President Zhou's representative. I am not aware of why President Zhou agreed to the bet with your company. President Zhou must have his reasons for doing so. Our company is willing to be the first to win the bet against your company."

Su Jiajia didn't tell the truth, but instead displayed strong confidence. After all, the contract had already been signed, and she couldn't show weakness.

As for the farm game, she didn't know if it could reach the level stipulated in the betting agreement.

All she could do was pray.

Although she didn't have high hopes, she really didn't want Zhou Chen to lose the bet. Working for Zhou Chen was quite comfortable. He didn't make any demands on her, didn't make her work overtime, and gave her considerable authority. Her time in Yanjing was much more comfortable than when she was a lawyer.

If Zhou Chen doesn't work for a game company, she'll need to find another way out. But will her next job be easier, more comfortable, and more lucrative than her current one?

She knew it would be very difficult.

Not every boss is as tolerant and generous as Zhou Chen, willing to let her become their agent.

"Since that's the case, I won't ask any further questions. I believe time will give us the answer."

"Perhaps, Mr. Zhou will give me a surprise."

Unable to get the answer he wanted, Qi Tianlei shook hands with Su Jiajia, said goodbye, and then left with his secretary.

Surprised?

Su Jiajia repeated the sentence, then sighed and murmured, "I hope so."

After listening to Su Jiajia's report, Zhou Chen replied with "I understand," gave a few instructions, and then hung up the phone.

He and Li Kaile were playing Connect Four, and the game was going very fiercely.

The game board is very simple; it's made by drawing crosses on a piece of paper with a ruler. The pieces are mechanical pencils held by the two players, with circles and crosses used to distinguish them.

Li Kaile has lost ten games in a row and is determined to win one.

Zhou Chen had no intention of holding back; he pressed on relentlessly.

Finally, with the landing of a piece, Zhou Chen won another game. Li Kaile was like a deflated balloon, saying, "I'm not playing anymore, I can't beat Brother Chen."

Zhou Chen smiled and then asked about the stinky tofu business.

These days, he's been working on past exam papers and hasn't been paying much attention to the stinky tofu business. Li Kaile briefly explained that as the impact of Zhou Chen's appearance on TV has diminished, the stinky tofu business has cooled down considerably. Previously, there were people from other places who would specifically come to buy stinky tofu, but now that number has decreased significantly.

Zhou Chen wasn't surprised, because this was the normal phenomenon.

The television coverage that brought him traffic is temporary and cannot be sustained indefinitely, so the decrease in daily income is understandable.

"Oh right, Brother Chen, I almost forgot something. When I came to school this morning, I think I saw Zhou Chuan near the school."

Li Kaile suddenly slapped his forehead and said.

Um?

Zhou Chen's expression flashed. If this name hadn't been mentioned, he would have almost forgotten about his ungrateful fourth brother.

If you do the math, Zhou Chuan might actually get out.

He has been detained for four or five months, receiving criticism and education, and has spent years in the detention center.

“Brother Chen, was it a coincidence that he ran near the school, or did he come on purpose? I'm worried he might want to get revenge on you, after all…”

Li Kaile didn't continue.

But Zhou Chen knew what Li Kaile meant, because Zhou Chuan was in jail because he pursued the matter to the end.

Now that Zhou Chuan has regained his freedom, the probability that he will come to seek revenge, harboring resentment, is not small.

"It's okay, don't worry about him."

If several months of education haven't taught Zhou Chuan to obey the law, then Zhou Chen wouldn't mind reinforcing that impression.

If we don't provoke him, then we can all live in peace.

If you continue to make things difficult for him, he will not show any mercy.

...

"Fourth brother, eat slowly."

“You’ve suffered inside these past few months.”

Zhou Ling looked at Zhou Chuan, who was wolfing down his food, and felt a pang of heartache in her eyes.

Two bowls of rice and a large plate of vegetables were completely devoured by Zhou Chuan in just three minutes.

After letting out a burp, Zhou Chuan sat up straight, looked around the room, and asked in confusion, "Third sister, why do you and brother-in-law live in such a shabby house? Didn't you say you rented a house in the best neighborhood in Fanjia County? And where are Dad and Mom? Where are they?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling's expression changed slightly, and she bit her lip, feeling embarrassed to speak.

"...The landlord stopped renting our previous place, and we didn't have any other places to live, so we moved out."

Zhou Ling didn't want to mention that Zhao Kun had lost 300,000 yuan playing cards, so she had to make up an excuse on the spot.

Zhou Chuan nodded. "I see. However, the environment here is really bad. It's not as good as our old home. Don't be stingy with the compensation your brother-in-law's family received for the demolition. Even if you don't think about yourselves, you have to think about the baby who is about to be born."

Zhou Ling gave a dry laugh but didn't reply.

"By the way, Third Sister, you still haven't told me where Mom and Dad are. Did they go out to buy groceries and haven't they come back yet?"

Zhou Chuan pressed for an answer again.

Zhou Ling did not respond.

Seeing this, Zhou Chuan realized something might have happened and asked, "Third Sister, what happened? Say something! What's wrong with Mom and Dad?"

"Fourth brother...they...they have abandoned the three of us siblings again."

Knowing she couldn't hide it any longer, Zhou Ling figured Zhou Chuan would ask Zhou Na even if he didn't ask her, so she told him about how Zhou Dana and Wang Xiuhua had taken the 300,000 yuan she had given them, pretending to go for medical treatment, and then disappeared without a trace.

What!

Zhou Chuan was both shocked and angry upon hearing this.

"How could they do this? They take the money and disappear. How could they do such a thing?"

“What did they treat us three siblings like? Trash? They would pick us up and throw us away whenever they wanted.”

Zhou Chuan became angrier the more he thought about it.

“I was stupid to give them all my money. My second sister said that they came back to us just to take care of them in their old age, and that we are just tools for them to support themselves.”

Whenever she thinks about this, Zhou Ling can't help but feel guilty. If she hadn't given the money to Zhou Dana without permission, her family wouldn't be in this predicament, with four people crammed into a rented room.

...