Chapter 41 Eating Obediently, Feeling Free and Happy

Xie Hengzhou grew up in London and received a Western gentleman's education. He is very gentle and knows how to behave appropriately.

Moreover, he is witty and humorous in his speech.

Shen Jingni stood with him at the edge of the snowstorm and chatted for a few minutes.

But in Zhao Zonglan's view, this did not seem like casual conversation.

He sat in the car and, through the window, saw her smiling and talking to the man beside her, who was even holding an umbrella for her in a very intimate manner.

The cigarette between his fingers had burned a long ash, hanging precariously, but he paid it no mind.

Zhao Zonglan's face was grim, and he asked Chang An in a cold voice, "Who is that person next to her?"

Chang An: "That is Xie Hengzhou, the eldest son of the Xie family's eldest branch. He is twenty-four years old this year. According to seniority, he should call you cousin. He is the heir that the Xie family is grooming. He just returned from England two months ago."

"You should have met him at the Xie family home when he was a child." But he was still quite young then.

It's normal that the gentleman rarely pays attention to the affairs of the younger generation and doesn't know about them.

Moreover, this heir, whom the Xie family had carefully groomed, had been living abroad and was very low-key, so few people had ever seen him.

In such a treacherous family, keeping a low profile is a form of self-protection.

Zhao Zonglan flicked off the ash from his cigarette, as if he had heard a joke, and sneered, "Is Xie Chengsui some kind of short-lived ghost? He's only thirty years old, and the Xie family has already found an heir."

Chang An felt ashamed.

How can you curse your own cousin like that?

"As you know, Third Master Xie's ambitions lie outside the family business; he never wanted to take on this responsibility in the first place."

Xie Chengsui has always been capricious. What he wants to do is not traditional business, which carries certain risks. Under the constraints of his position as the person in charge, he is unable to freely pursue what he likes.

Therefore, after discussing it, the elders of the Xie family decided to pass this responsibility to Xie Hengzhou.

Zhao Zonglan lowered his eyes and smoked.

He was very annoyed, and his tone was irritable and sharp: "Have Xie Chengsui send a car to take her home, immediately."

"And that kid surnamed Xie, tell him to get as far away from me as possible."

Chang An: "Yes."

He immediately took out his phone to call Guanglin, but then heard Zhao Zonglan coldly instruct him—

"Find out who got her drunk tonight."

Chang An wiped away a cold sweat.

The gentleman is in a bad mood today.

Some unlucky guys really did run into trouble.

-

After this incident, Xie Chengsui guessed that his fifth brother and his sister-in-law had a falling out.

Furthermore, Fifth Brother was very angry.

But his heir can't be allowed to leave.

So, the day before New Year's Day, he organized a gathering to apologize on Xie Hengzhou's behalf.

Rong Heng and the others also knew about this and came over to keep them company.

Zhao Zonglan arrived late. He wasn't in much interest, so he just sat on the sofa smoking and drinking tea, glancing down at his phone.

When he scrolled to Zhao Yueling's WeChat Moments, he saw that someone had liked it.

It was rare to see him like this. He pushed up his glasses and asked, "Did you really have a fight?"

Zhao Zonglan didn't say a word, and didn't even lift his eyelids.

Song Yanting then stopped asking.

Rong Heng, on the other hand, was rather clueless and asked about everyone's plans for New Year's Day.

Tang Shu: "What else can I do? Go back to the old house for a meal, then take a long nap. That's how single people always are."

Rong Heng chimed in, "Me too."

Xie Chengsui was similar, except that he slept while embracing a beautiful woman.

"And you, Brother Yanting?"

Song Yanting smiled gently, answering naturally yet with a hint of deliberate boasting, "Shuyi asked me to go home with her to meet the other relatives and elders in the family. I estimate it will be a busy day."

"I really envy you guys who can rest and catch up on sleep."

Tang Shu: "..."

Rong Heng: "..."

Xie Chengsui: "..."

Zhao Zonglan opened his eyes and said in a nonchalant tone, "What's the use of being busy meeting elders every day? You still can't get married."

Song Yanting was so angered by his retort that he dared not utter a sound.

He felt that Zhao Zonglan was quite resentful today.

They must have had a fight and were in a bad mood.

Rong Heng brought two bottles of fine wine today and had them opened and taken to decanter.

Xie Chengsui personally came over to pour wine for Zhao Zonglan, but was refused.

He felt a little wronged, "Seriously, Fifth Brother, why are you still practicing collective punishment?"

Zhao Zonglan wasn't that petty.

I don't want to drink today.

He's been drinking a lot these past two days, far exceeding his usual amount.

Xie Chengsui stopped trying to persuade him and apologized in a humble tone: "My nephew just returned to the country and doesn't know about your relationship with your sister-in-law, so... Fifth Brother, please be magnanimous and don't hold it against him."

Zhao Zonglan took a sip of tea, his eyes calm and unwavering. "Why should I bother arguing with him?"

As long as they don't get in his way, he won't make things difficult for a junior.

Xie Chengsui, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, smiled with narrowed, fox-like eyes. "Then... we don't need to send them away?"

Zhao Zonglan didn't answer, but coldly reminded him: "Keep your people in check."

Xie Chengsui understood.

But Xie Hengzhou is a stubborn guy, and I don't know if he'll listen to me.

-

Shen Jingni ate dinner at home.

There will be a fireworks display in this area tonight.

Xu Ningwan heard it from a friend.

She had the maid bring over a heater and a recliner. After dinner, the family of three would gather around the stove on the terrace, brewing tea and eating melon seeds.

Tomorrow is New Year's Day, and we are about to enter a new year.

But Shen Jingni was not in a good mood. She leaned back in the recliner, covered with a blanket, and lazily yawned.

After waiting for a long time without seeing any fireworks, just as Shen Zhuoyuan was about to question the reliability of Ms. Xu's information, he heard a loud bang from afar.

Clusters of fireworks burst open in the night sky.

The fireworks were of various colors and shapes, some resembling layered peonies, others like colorful butterflies fluttering or giant dragons soaring... They illuminated the night sky, making it as bright as day in an instant.

Finally, they all transformed into a shower of stars, scattering across the earth, brilliant and magnificent.

Shen Zhuoyuan took out his phone to take a picture and said in surprise, "There really is one. The whole city should be able to see it. How come there was no news about it before?"

Xu Ningwan scolded him for being stupid, "It's such a big holiday, why release the news so early? Won't that cause overcrowding and stampedes?"

Beijing is already crowded and has traffic congestion.

However, this was just her guess.

Shen Zhuoyuan dared not argue back, “Yes, yes, our old Xu is the smartest.”

Seeing such beautiful fireworks finally cheered Shen Jingni up.

She opened her phone to take some photos, but then she saw the fireworks in the sky surrounding and revealing several golden words.

It was very brief, fleeting.

"Eat your food properly and be carefree and happy."

Xu Ningwan read these words aloud and said with a smile, "Could this be something that a wealthy family specially put out for their child?"

Shen Zhuoyuan offered a different guess: "I think it's like a trick young people use to coax their girlfriends. How romantic!"

Xu Ningwan scolded him: "You're love-struck."

Then the two of them started being affectionate again.

Shen Jingni ignored the two of them. She remained lying in the chair, holding her phone, looking up at the fireworks, a bright smile on her face.

Anything beautiful can make her temporarily forget her troubles.

Free and joyful?

Follow your heart, be free and unrestrained.

Shen Jingni really liked this word.

The person who set off fireworks tonight is such a kind person.

She just didn't see that Zhao Zonglan's car was parked not far from the Shen family's house.

It disappeared into the thick darkness of the night.

He sat in the car and finished the remaining half pack of cigarettes.

I didn't drive away until the fireworks had faded and the night sky returned to silence.