Fresh and refined

"What's wrong?" Tan Yuanbo's hawk-like eyes sharpened as he looked at Zhou Zhu. "Is it hard to choose?"

Zhou Zhu remained silent, as if tacitly agreeing with his statement.

“Zhang…” As if he had made up his mind, Zhou Zhu opened his mouth, but was interrupted by Tan Yuanbo after he had only said one word: “Since you can’t make a decision, then you should go with Ji Yuxing.”

Zhou Zhu swallowed the "Zhang Chenglin" that was about to slip out without warning, lowered his eyes and obediently said, "Okay."

“Zhang Chenglin is a difficult person to get along with; this is the consensus of almost everyone who knows him,” Tan Yuanbo stood up, walked to Zhou Zhu’s side, and patted him on the shoulder. “You are too gentle; you’ll easily suffer if you follow him.”

*

After dinner, Tan Yuanbo asked Ji Yuxing to take Zhou Zhu away first.

Finally, his wish came true. Ji Yuxing looked at Zhou Zhu with a smile that almost reached the sky.

Seeing his pathetic state, Zhang Chenglin followed Tan Yuanbo into the study without saying a word.

What do you think of Zhou Zhu as a person?

Upon entering the study, Tan Yuanbo made no attempt to hide his true intentions and went straight to the point with Zhang Chenglin.

Zhang Chenglin's hand holding the teacup paused almost imperceptibly for a moment, then returned to normal: "He's not suited for this."

"Haha," Tan Yuanbo laughed upon hearing Zhang Chenglin's words, and then asked, "Tell me more about it?"

“Zhou Zhu is too gentle and innocent, just like Ji Yuxing said, he’s so obedient.” Zhang Chenglin’s eyes suddenly turned sharp as he said this, “If something happens, it’s hard to say he won’t betray us.”

Zhang Chenglin's words were too blunt. If others heard them, they would inevitably accuse him of sowing discord and ostracizing newcomers.

But the person sitting in front of him happened to be Tan Yuanbo, someone he didn't get along with, yet whose views were very similar to his.

Tan Yuanbo nodded slightly twice, agreeing with Zhang Chenglin's statement.

He had grown up fighting on the battlefield where you couldn't see a living person, and the people he associated with and followed were all big, burly men. Zhou Zhu was definitely not the type of person he liked.

"Do you think you're suited for this?"

Tan Yuanbo seemed to suddenly become interested and asked Zhang Chenglin a question.

“Suitable.” Zhang Chenglin looked up and stared directly at Tan Yuanbo, his deep, dark eyes filled with a firmness that Tan Yuanbo could not refute.

Tan Yuanbo raised an eyebrow and smiled, "So confident?"

“I,” Zhang Chenglin withdrew his gaze, returning it to the teacup in his hand. When he spoke again, his tone carried a hint of melancholy and helplessness: “I am Zhang Deyue’s son.”

The atmosphere in the study seemed to freeze instantly, and neither of them said another word.

Zhang Deyue is seen by the world as a traitor, a traitor who split the country to achieve his own goals, a traitor who caused countless innocent families to be broken up, destroyed, and left destitute, and a traitor who believed in Western capitalism and delayed the arrival of the light of socialist justice for a long time.

But if we only look at it from a "human" perspective, Zhang Deyue was ambitious, capable, and fearless. Even when the enemy's gun was pointed at his forehead, he was still thinking about the overall situation of control.

Zhang Chenglin is his son. He possesses his courage and resourcefulness, as well as his boldness and strategic thinking, and his unwavering inner faith will remain constant throughout his life.

Tan Yuanbo looked at Zhang Chenglin with a complicated expression.

Zhang Chenglin has many negative halos, but the one he is most despised for is being "Zhang Deyue's second son". Yet, at this very moment, he says, "I am Zhang Deyue's son".

“Zhang Deyue has committed many evils in his life,” Tan Yuanbo said with a smile, but the smile did not reach his eyes. “Having a son like you must be the reason that God sent you to atone for his sins.”

*

By the end of November, temperatures in Shandong were getting colder and colder, with heavy snow falling and biting winds making people reluctant to even expose their hands.

There was a stove burning in Zhang Chenglin's study, so he stayed there and read books all morning.

Around noon, Zhang Chenglin opened the study door and happened to see Zhou Zhu standing in the courtyard outside.

As if hearing the door open, Zhou Zhu turned around and smiled, saying, "Mr. Zhang."

Zhang Chenglin nodded, walked out of the study, and went to Zhou Zhu's side. Looking at the heavy snow falling all around, he asked in a cold tone, "Is this the heavy snowfall in the North that you wanted to see?"

“Yes,” Zhou Zhu said, his tone quite frank. “Snow is the purest thing in the world; it can cover up all filth.”

Zhang Chenglin's eyes flickered, but he said nothing.

In the distance, Xin Jie hurried over and said to Zhang Chenglin, "Madam sent someone to say that Miss Jiang is arriving in Shandong today and wants you to personally pick her up."

Zhang Chenglin didn't answer immediately, but instead asked, "Where is Ji Yuxing?"

Just as Xin Jie was about to speak, Zhou Zhu answered him first: "Mr. Ji went to the East Street Teahouse."

Zhang Chenglin nodded, then said to Xin Jie, "Go and inform Ji Yuxing to come with me to pick up Jiang Xiaoxiao this afternoon."

Xin Jie nodded in agreement: "Okay."

Upon hearing the name Zhang Chenglin mentioned, Zhou Zhu's eyelashes fluttered.

Jiang Xiaoxiao is a name that is not unfamiliar both at home and abroad.

The youngest daughter of Jiang Yuanxing, Shanghai's richest businessman, graduated from the University of Munich and is now a vocal teacher at Shanghai Chinese Literature University.

Regardless of whether Jiang Xiaoxiao is famous or not, the name of her father, Jiang Yuanxing, the richest man in Shanghai, is truly legendary.

Her elder brother, Chiang Ju-su, is a close friend of Chang Te-yueh and now wields absolute power within the Kuomintang.

Her eldest sister, Jiang Xuyin, was Zhang Deyue's wife and Zhang Chenglin's biological mother. She was a Shanghai socialite who stunned the entire city with her white dress and dance when she was young.

In short, any one of the people around Jiang Xiaoxiao would be enough to shake the entire Chinese nation.

Zhang Chenglin turned and walked out, and Xin Jie quickly followed. Neither of them noticed the strange look in Zhou Zhu's eyes amidst the swirling snow behind them.

“No,” Ji Yuxing said, his face showing confusion and frustration at being interrupted while sipping his tea, from the spacious back seat of the car. “Why did you have to drag me along when you were picking up your aunt?”

Zhang Chenglin glanced at him, giving him a look that said, "Think about it yourself," and then didn't say another word.

Ji Yuxing turned his head to look out the window in a huff, but his thoughts inevitably drifted to the question he couldn't figure out—

Jiang Xiaoxiao is very beautiful; she and Zhang Chenglin's mother, Jiang Xuyin, are considered the "Twin Beauties of Shanghai." However, Jiang Xuyin's beauty is serene, while Jiang Xiaoxiao's beauty is flamboyant.

Big waves, red lips, a short leather skirt, and a sable shawl—this seems to be the image of a woman that everyone likes these days, and it's also Jiang Xiaoxiao's usual attire.

While most people would inevitably look somewhat vulgar in this outfit, Jiang Xiaoxiao wore it with a unique elegance, which was later described by aestheticians as "fresh and refined".

After graduating from the University of Munich and returning to China, Jiang Xiaoxiao became a vocal music teacher at Shanghai Chinese Literature University.

Whether you call her an educator, an artist, or a wealthy person, Jiang Xiaoxiao possesses a free spirit and extroversion that has been absent from many women in recent years.

She stepped out of the secular world and forged her own secular path.

Ji Yuxing also knew that Zhang Chenglin was most afraid of his aunt Jiang Xiaoxiao. Unlike most worldly women who would blush and remain silent when they saw men, few men dared to utter a sound in front of Jiang Xiaoxiao once she opened her mouth.

If you dare to utter a single word in rebuttal, she will retort so fiercely that you will never dare to speak to her again for the rest of your life.

Zhang Chenglin was the exception, the exception to always refuting Jiang Xiaoxiao's words, the exception to never replying after she said a hundred things, and the Waterloo of Jiang Xiaoxiao's eloquence, which she had never lost to any man in her life.

Therefore, whenever Ji Yuxing was around, Zhang Chenglin would always bring Ji Yuxing with him when he went to see Jiang Xiaoxiao.

Ji Yuxing may seem unreliable and talkative, but he has incredibly high emotional intelligence, and it's hard for anyone who talks to or interacts with him not to be impressed by him.

From Zhang Chenglin's perspective as an elder, Jiang Xiaoxiao liked children like Ji Yuxing the most.

Zhang Chenglin brought him along merely to shield himself from so-called "spears of criticism."

The station was bustling with people and incredibly noisy. Jiang Xiaoxiao's appearance attracted a lot of attention. She was wearing a black wool coat, paired with an expensive red scarf, and her chestnut curly hair cascaded over her shoulders. Her eyes and brows exuded charm and arrogance.

Even in high heels, it didn't stop her from walking with a confident stride. She quickly walked up to Zhang Chenglin and Ji Yuxing, tossed her suitcase to Zhang Chenglin without hesitation, and then walked out with an air of nonchalance.

“I thought my aunt would become more low-key after being a university teacher for so many years,” Ji Yuxing said with a hint of sympathy, looking at the suitcase in Zhang Chenglin’s hand and then at Jiang Xiaoxiao’s aloof back. “But now she seems even more flamboyant than before.”

“What we know is that she became a vocal music teacher at Shanghai Chinese Literature University,” Zhang Chenglin handed the box to Xin Jie, his tone full of accusation against Jiang Xiaoxiao: “If you didn’t know, you’d think she had taken over the French Concession.”

“You…” Ji Yuxing was both amused and exasperated by his words: “No wonder your aunt never gives in to you when she sees you.”

That's a really sharp tongue.

The car drove slowly along the crowded street. In the back seat, Jiang Xiaoxiao asked Zhang Chenglin, "How is your mother doing lately?"

Mentioning Jiang Xuyin, Zhang Chenglin's usually calm eyes flickered slightly: "Still the same as always."

“She’s had a wonderful life,” Jiang Xiaoxiao sighed, “but she was too dependent on Zhang Deyue. I really can’t imagine how much she must have loved him to lose herself in the process.”

Jiang Xiaoxiao pursued freedom and romance throughout her life and was a true advocate of remaining unmarried and childless.

Jiang Xuyin was the complete opposite of her. She met Zhang Deyue when she was a teenager, fell in love at first sight, and then devoted half of her life to him.

Fortunately, Zhang Deyue loved her just as much as she did.

Jiang Xiaoxiao cannot understand love, so she cannot understand why Jiang Xuyin gave up his pursuit and freedom for love.

Although she couldn't understand it, over the years, whether Zhang Deyue was alive or had passed away, Jiang Xiaoxiao never once advised Jiang Xuyin to turn back.

This is something even Zhang Chenglin has never accomplished.