Chapter 198 Testing

Zhou Pingchuan chose to sit at the table with Zhou Ting and Xia Mingzhao for two reasons: first, to show his respect for Zhou Ting, and second, out of habit, as Zhou Ting used to play cards with him at family dinners.

Most importantly, in the vast Zhou mansion, Xia Mian only knew Xia Mingzhao and Zhou Ting. He sat down at this table because he was afraid Xia Mian would feel uncomfortable interacting with the other members of the Zhou family.

Before their marriage, he had someone investigate Xia Mian and learned that she had a questionable relationship with Zhou Ting.

He never minded this; everyone in the Zhou family depended on him, including Zhou Ting, the eldest grandson of the first branch—and even Zhou Zhenhai was no exception. Kepler was firmly in his grasp, and Zhou Ting didn't dare to compete with him for him.

As for Xia Mingzhao, Zhou Pingchuan knew that Xia Mian was not very familiar with him. They were only forced to become family due to the tricks of fate, but in principle, there shouldn't be too many conflicts.

Having spent so much time together, he discovered that Xia Mian possessed an inherent arrogance, disdained comparison and jealousy, and was incapable of harboring any dark thoughts.

But today it seems that these three people are not as simple as he thought; each has their own little schemes, which they keep hidden in their hearts and haven't revealed yet.

Of course, there is another possibility.

People change. Under Xia Mingzhao's subtle influence, Zhou Ting might be more adept at navigating social situations than before. Not playing that card might be an attempt to let Xia Mian win, to please her and gain her favor.

So which one is it? Zhou Pingchuan narrowed his eyes.

The mahjong table prince won his first battle, ending with a win by Xia Mian. The mahjong machine shuffled, cut the tiles, and dealt them back to the four players.

While arranging the cards, Zhou Pingchuan asked casually, "Ah Ting, it's been a long time since I've seen you at the company. Is your honeymoon still going?"

“It’s over,” Zhou Ting replied after thinking for a moment. “Because I took more than a month of honeymoon, I missed a lot of courses and projects, and I didn’t meet all the research targets. In order not to affect the college’s rating, I spent most of the year in the office and rarely went to the company.”

Zhou Pingchuan nodded slightly: "I see. I don't know if you've finished your work yet. If you haven't, then we can skip the New Year's visit this year. If you have time, we uncle and nephew haven't had a proper drink together yet. Your alcohol tolerance has improved, so this is perfect."

As the sole candidate for the next head of the family and the closest blood relative to Zhou Pingchuan, Zhou Ting would, in previous years, not only serve tea to Zhou Pingchuan along with all the other descendants of the Zhou family during the Lunar New Year, but also pay a separate visit to Zhou Pingchuan to offer his New Year's greetings. This was the only time the uncle and nephew could have a proper conversation.

A hint of struggle appeared in Zhou Ting's eyes: "Third Uncle, you don't live in the old house anymore, I..."

“Come to my house,” Zhou Pingchuan interrupted him with a smile, “Are you worried we won’t treat you?”

Upon hearing the word "we," Zhou Ting's eyes welled up with pain and struggle. If he hadn't been drinking, he should have been able to control himself—after getting married, he had become increasingly adept at this, skillfully controlling his emotions and thoughts, even managing to keep his tone and pitch of voice on the same frequency.

But after drinking, under the influence of alcohol, his emotions were amplified a hundredfold, a thousandfold, ten thousandfold. Unable to express them verbally, his emotions felt like a mountain, pressing down on him and making it hard for him to breathe.

He couldn't bear that weight anymore.

"Third Uncle, I have too many projects to complete, and I also have an interview to do these next few days, so I won't be able to visit you for a while. Once I'm done with this, I'll definitely come to see you with some wine."

Zhou Ting spoke these words at an extremely fast pace, his breathing heavy, as if he were being driven by something. He only gradually calmed down after he finished speaking.

Xia Mingzhao's face alternated between black and white.

Zhou Pingchuan looked at Xia Mian again. The boy, who had been so cheerful just moments before, was now slightly lost in thought, his smile frozen on his lips, like a lifeless Barbie doll.

Seeing this, Zhou Pingchuan raised his hand and rubbed his temples: "Alright, career is important. Ah Ting, I'll wait for you to come find me."

The game continued, and five minutes later, Zhou Pingchuan played a six of bamboo.

"eat."

"bump!"

Coincidentally, Zhou Ting and Xia Mian are at odds again. However, this time Xia Mian is "peng" (碰), which has a higher priority than Zhou Ting's "chi" (吃) in Northern Mahjong, so Zhou Ting doesn't need to be modest.

Zhou Pingchuan pushed the card directly in front of Xia Mian and said, "A-Ting, don't take what you shouldn't have."

A single sentence may seem plausible, but it can be interpreted differently by different people.

Zhou Ting's face turned deathly pale, while Xia Mingzhao's expression revealed a hint of mockery.

Xia Mian's heart was pounding.

It's perfectly normal for a nephew to wish his uncle a Happy New Year during the Lunar New Year. He didn't catch the probing in Zhou Pingchuan's words; he was just a little scared.

Zhou Ting had already figured out what she was thinking on the day of his wedding with Xia Mingzhao, and he decisively rejected her.

But he feared that Zhou Ting's feelings hadn't completely faded, and that Zhou Pingchuan might notice something amiss. He was even more afraid that the main characters' relationship would break down because of this, causing the story to revert to its predetermined trajectory and once again lead to the author's pre-set ending of being humiliated and killed.

***

The mahjong game was incredibly unsettling, neither enjoyable nor exciting. Oh wait, there was definitely some excitement; Xia Mian was even worried that Zhou Ting would be exposed by Zhou Pingchuan in public.

After the fight, the four of them dispersed in silence. Zhou Pingchuan went to the washroom to wash his hands, while Xia Mian wandered around and finally found an opportunity to greet Grandpa Zhou.

He asked Uncle Li for a glass of red wine, and with a face full of apology, he explained to Grandpa Zhou, "Grandpa, Happy New Year. I'm late today and missed the tea ceremony, so I'm offering you a separate glass."

"No need." Old Master Zhou closed his eyes, as if he didn't want to see him.

Xia Mian could sense that the old man didn't like him, and he really hadn't done well. There was only one day a year, so why couldn't he get up and had to sleep in?!

“Okay,” Xia Mian handed the wine back to Uncle Li. “Grandpa, you look a little tired. How about I take you back to your room to rest, or push you out for a walk to get some fresh air?”

Old Master Zhou reiterated his previous statement: "No need."

Well, this is more than just a simple dislike; I bet of everyone in the room, the old man dislikes him the most.

He didn't necessarily have to offer this greeting, toast this cup of wine, or join in the fun.

"Then you go ahead with your work, I'll go find Third Master first."

After saying that, Xia Mian turned to leave. He really wanted to find Zhou Pingchuan and ask him whether he would stay at the old house or return to Longxi tonight.

To everyone's surprise, the old man slammed his teacup onto the coffee table with a loud "bang!"

“Xia Mian,” he said coldly, “don’t think that just because Ping Chuan is protecting you, you can do whatever you want. The Zhou family is not a place where you can act arrogantly!”

Doing whatever he wanted? What did he do?

Xia Mian turned her head in surprise, but her tone was very calm: "Please enlighten me, Grandpa, which of my behaviors counts as 'doing whatever I want'? I will correct it as soon as possible."

At such a young age, he's so adept at feigning innocence. This tactic might work on other old men, but forget about him. He's nearly a hundred years old; he's seen more than Xia Mian has ever eaten rice!

Old Master Zhou chuckled coldly, about to speak. Just then, the sound of leather shoes approached, and Zhou Pingchuan strode back to the recreation room.

He had just washed his hands, and the backs of his hands were still covered with glistening water droplets, which made his finger bones appear even longer and whiter.

He wiped his fingers one by one with a silk handkerchief, his leather shoes clicking loudly on the ground, but his words were light and airy: "Grandpa, you're wrong. Not to mention walking sideways, in the Zhou mansion, Xia Mian can walk however she wants."

Zhou Pingchuan stood between Xia Mian and Old Master Zhou, casually shook his handkerchief, and threw it into the trash can: "Because, he is my man."