Chapter 68 It's all his fault

Since they parted ways that night, Chen Jingyang has never returned, nor has he summoned Zhang Pengfei to 7005 to check the rules. They haven't even spoken on the phone. Although they are both in Beijing, they haven't met again.

Zhang Pengfei had no idea what Chen Jingyang was doing. It was as if the man had vanished from his life out of thin air. If it weren't for the 1,200-word daily report he had to write every day, and if it weren't for the smart ring around his neck constantly reminding him, he would have almost thought he was free!

However, the daily report of 1200 words was enough for Chen Jingyang to understand Zhang Pengfei's daily life.

Because he was unwilling to flatter, Zhang Pengfei racked his brains to write down every detail of every matter in order to reach the word count. He even wrote down exactly what vegetables he bought at the market every day, how many kilograms and how many cents they cost!

With the collaboration with Zenti underway, Chen Jingyang has been so busy that he has had to cancel his twice-weekly boxing sessions.

But every night at 10 p.m., no matter how busy he is, he will read Zhang Pengfei’s daily newspaper. Sometimes he will read it for half an hour, as if the mundane and trivial things in life are worth chewing over repeatedly.

After that, 10 p.m. became his favorite and most anticipated time of the day, because only when he read Zhang Pengfei's daily report could his tense nerves relax temporarily, and only then would he feel that all the hard work of the day was worthwhile.

But this did not mean that he had let his guard down against Zhang Pengfei. He could go two or three weeks without boxing, but he would always take time each week to check Zhang Pengfei’s travel records and verify whether there were any discrepancies between the times recorded in the daily report and the records.

He was genuinely scared!

A few weeks have passed in the blink of an eye. After this period of "training", Zhang Pengfei has found some tricks in writing daily reports. He has developed the habit of using his mobile phone's memo app to record in real time. In the evening, he only needs to look at the memo app and copy it into his notebook, which saves a lot of time.

Moreover, the memo has another advantage—it can display the word count and allow you to add or delete text at will. After he finished using the grid notebook with the word count, he stopped going to the stationery store next to Huahua's school and took out the thick notebook that the court gave him, which he estimated would last at least half a year.

In addition, Zhang Pengfei has mastered a skill—braiding Huahua's hair.

After Hua Hua's hair grew long, Chen Jingyang found it amusing and would braid it for her whenever he had time. After Chen Jingyang left, Hua Hua would often touch her hair and feel sad.

Zhang Pengfei couldn't bear it.

It's just braiding small braids, isn't it?

I can do that too!

Then Zhang Pengfei discovered something that puzzled him greatly: braiding hair was just as difficult for him as Hua Hua doing her homework!

Life went on uneventfully, and before we knew it, it was Chinese New Year.

This was the first Spring Festival since Zhang Pengfei's father passed away. Zhang Pengfei originally wanted to go back to his hometown to burn paper money at his father's grave, but now he has to carry flowers with him wherever he goes, and there was a heavy snowfall before the New Year, making the roads difficult to travel, so he gave up the idea.

However, there is also good news—Dou Qiaoyun is recovering well, and the doctor said that, based on this trend, she may be able to be discharged from the hospital in another six months.

Overjoyed, Zhang Pengfei wept tears of happiness as the family of three spent a joyful Spring Festival at the rehabilitation center.

But Chen Jingyang had a terrible Spring Festival – he went back to his old house.

The Chen family has many rules and places great importance on traditional festivals. All the children, no matter where they are, must return to the old house for a reunion on New Year's Eve as long as they are not married or expelled from the family.

This is the day Chen Jingyang hates the most!

Chen Jingyang's father, Chen Qishan, is 76 years old this year, but he still holds the reins of the Chen family's finances and is the true master of the house.

To date, Chen Qishan has had four wives who bore him 14 children, eight sons and six daughters. His second daughter, Chen Jingrun, was kicked out of the house by Chen Qishan five years ago and drowned shortly afterward.

Of the remaining 13 children, the oldest is Chen Jinghua, the eldest son born to the first wife, who is 54 years old this year, and the youngest is Chen Jingyang, the son born to the fourth wife, who is 22 years old this year. There are still 6 children who are unmarried.

Of the four wives, the first wife passed away 20 years ago due to serious illness, and the fourth wife died in a car accident 12 years ago.

Rumors circulated that shortly after his fourth wife passed away, Chen Qishan intended to take a fifth wife into the family, but this was thwarted by various obstacles.

Even today, Chen Qishan nominally only has two wives still alive and by his side.

Every year on New Year's Eve, the married brothers would bring their wives and children back to the old house, and dozens of people would gather together, creating a spectacular scene.

But the excitement is only on the surface; the intrigue and backstabbing inside are even more captivating than a palace drama.

Although there are strict rules within the family, with each child receiving a fixed monthly allowance, it is quite possible that if one can win Chen Qishan's favor, they might be "rewarded" with extra jewelry and real estate.

Furthermore, Chen Qishan has the final say on who will take over the family business. Now that the old man is over seventy, it is estimated that he will soon hand over power. Five of his seven sons are racking their brains to hide their talents and secretly cultivate their own power.

The remaining two are undisputed: Chen Jingyang and Chen Jinghua, both motherless children.

However, Chen Jingyang and Chen Jinghua were not close. There were rumors that the death of the first wife was related to the fourth wife. It was said that the fourth wife's favoritism made the first wife sick, which led to her later misfortune.

The truth remains unknown, and Chen Jingyang doesn't want to investigate. After all, what good would it do to find out? Could the two women come back to life and reconcile?

He couldn't stand it, so he disregarded himself. Moreover, he had lived abroad for a long time and was not familiar with the family members. He felt out of place in this family reunion, which gave his sister Chen Meilian a headache.

Chen Meilian, also known as "Jingyang," quietly called Chen Jingyang out and handed him a string of beads: "Give this New Year's gift to Dad after midnight."

Chen Jingyang took it and saw that it was a string of top-grade Qinan agarwood beads. He returned it, saying, "I'll give it to you if I want!"

Chen Meilian gave him a light kick: "You were the only one who didn't give Dad a gift on his birthday, and he's been unhappy about it ever since!"

She let out a heavy breath: "Besides, you were so unsociable at the dinner table just now. He's usually too busy to pay attention to you, but you definitely can't avoid it tonight. Listen to me, take it!"

Chen Jingyang snorted coldly: "He can't possibly eat me!"

Chen Meilian shoved the bracelet into his hand: "Jingyang, listen to your sister's advice, don't argue with Dad..."

She paused for a moment: "You were still young when Mom was going through that..."

"Sister!" Chen Jingyang interrupted her, "I was 10 years old back then. You all thought I was too young, but I knew everything. It's all his fault!"

"It seems you're still quite dissatisfied with me?!"

It's Chen Qishan's voice!