Chapter 184 Becoming a father in a few years is fine too (Two chapters combined)

When Zhong Yan received the call from home, he was writing with a fountain pen in his hand.

His self-criticism was less of a self-criticism and more of a love letter.

He had already figured out how to get Ji Tanyuan to read it to him.

He wrote the entire letter in black ink as he answered the phone.

With her slender, fair fingers holding a fountain pen, she moved it slowly, and then a beautiful semi-cursive script appeared.

When the other party angrily asked if he wanted to marry into the Ji family, Zhong Yan remained nonchalant.

His handsome features remained unmoved, calm and focused, and nothing the other person said could disturb his concentration.

Zhong Yan replied slowly:

"Yes, so Ji Tanyuan informed you?"

He guessed the whole story almost instantly.

If the old lady could do such a thing, then of course Ji Tanyuan could say the same thing, after all, she has a knack for making people angry.

Thinking of this, Zhong Yan smiled slightly:

"Ji Tanyuan has agreed, so I'd better get ready to marry into her family."

"Zhong Yan!" A roar came from the other end, followed by the sounds of chaos and commotion as a group of people tried to calm the old lady down.

“Young master, we’re not trying to scare you, and she’s not faking it. The old lady is getting on in years. She doesn’t have any major health problems, but her heart really can’t take any more stress.”

The servants there knew that Zhong Yan would get updates on the old lady and old man's health from the medical team every month, so they didn't dare to lie. They just told the truth in hopes that this ancestor wouldn't upset the old lady anymore, otherwise everyone would be busy.

Zhong Yan said coldly, "So you're letting her make those calls? Don't you want to work here anymore?"

Zhong Yan's voice grew colder and colder. He slammed the pen shut and threw it on the table.

"The reason I asked you to watch over the old lady is to prevent her from doing anything impulsive. Otherwise, she will be the one who gets hurt. Aunt Yu, if there is a next time, I will reconsider whether you are qualified to be the head of the caregivers for Grandma."

Aunt Yu kept apologizing as the coughing continued.

Zhong Yan rubbed his temples; he just wouldn't stop.

It would be better to urge the eldest brother's family to have children.

"What did Grandmother say to Tan Yuan?" Zhong Yan asked.

Aunt Yu pursed her lips, hesitated for a moment, glanced back at the old lady surrounded by people, and walked outside. She stepped over the screen, but before she had taken more than a few steps, the old lady called her back.

"Give me the phone, I'll talk to him."

Aunt Yu breathed a sigh of relief, turned around and handed the phone over, saying, "Please don't get agitated."

This seemed like a way to comfort the old lady, but it was actually a reminder to Zhong Yan not to deliberately upset her anymore.

Zhong Yan understood this, of course. He didn't agree, but instead advised Aunt Yu, "I think it's more reliable for you to call the doctor now. After all, I don't know which words will make the old lady happy or angry."

After Zhong Yan finished speaking, he asked:

Why did you call Ji Tanyuan?

"Do you think I want to? I can't order you around, so I can only trouble Miss Ji. You're already divorced, so it's time to cut ties cleanly."

Zhong Yan: "I thought you knew that we were getting a divorce so that we could cut all ties with you."

"You shouldn't bother her anymore, she's useless."

"I'm very busy right now, and I don't have time."

Zhong Yan didn't intend to say anything else; he and the two old people had reached a point where they had nothing left to say to each other.

From childhood to adulthood, they have shown little patience for each other, and their meager kinship is maintained solely by blood ties.

Besides that, it's all about exploitation and control driven by self-interest.

At least in Zhong Yan's view, he was just a tool to help the Zhong family consolidate their interests.

Whether it's career or family.

In terms of career, it's a win-win situation.

However, in terms of family life, both sides suffered losses.

He lost Ji Tanyuan, and the Zhong family didn't gain any extra advantage from the Ji family either.

Marriage alliances are like a scale; neither side can gain an extra advantage.

And now, they actually want to reuse it.

There's no such thing as a free lunch.

Zhong Yan: "Don't worry about my affairs from now on. I won't listen to you anyway. You should spend your time listening to the doctor and staying healthy. That's better than anything else."

The old woman gripped the handrail tightly. "None of you listen to me. What have I ever done that wasn't for your own good?"

"You're going against your family for a woman who doesn't like you, Ah Yan. You'll regret it sooner or later."

“You’ve done so much for her, but what has she ever done for you? Marriage is about integration. Look at her when she came to the Zhong family, she’s always saying no to this or that. She’s never taken you seriously.”

Zhong Yan was getting annoyed; he wasn't good at anything else, but he was quick to pour cold water on things.

He can't directly confront them.

"If she won't try to fit in with me, then I'll try to fit in with her. Besides, not everyone is used to the Zhong family's ways. The political tutor I hired for you is of no use whatsoever."

The old lady was really angry when this was mentioned. Last time, Zhong Yan invited a professor to give her a lesson, which really made her furious.

Zhong Yan could do even the most unbelievable things without batting an eye, so naturally, Old Madam Zhong had no doubts about his intention to marry into the Ji family.

Zhong Yan hung up the phone without paying attention to what the other person was saying.

The old lady stared at the disconnected phone, frowning as she pointed at it, her fingers trembling uncontrollably. She then looked at the person beside her.

"What did he say? He really wants to marry into the family?"

The old lady slammed her hand on the table. "This is outrageous!"

She looked at her husband who came in from outside the door and said, "You and Fang Qi don't do anything about Ayan, you just make me worry."

"I'm so angry with him my chest hurts! How could we have given birth to such a disobedient grandson? I should have kept him by my side and taught him a lesson."

Upon hearing the name Zhong Yan, Grandpa Zhong's eyebrows twitched as if by conditioned reflex.

He coldly tossed out a sentence: "I can't control that."

Indeed, it's beyond our control. For various reasons, we can't kill him, we can't strip him of his job, and we can't threaten him.

In the past, Mr. Zhong felt that the most troublesome thing about managers was having capable but disobedient subordinates. However, in such cases, if interests were truly threatened, they could be discarded if necessary.

But Zhong Yan is our own grandson. He has some skills but is disobedient. If we throw him away, the law won't recognize severing ties; it will only make the Zhong family a laughing stock.

“If we don’t take care of him, he’ll go and become someone else’s son, saying he wants to marry into the family!” the old lady said, taking a sip of tea.

It would be truly laughable if the Zhong family's child married into the Ji family.

Zhong Shuqing's face turned pale. Zhong Yan's reckless mind might actually do such a thing. Although he knew that Ji's parents would never agree, he was still worried that Zhong Yan and Ji Tanyuan, these two rebellious young people, would do this just to spite their families.

"Damn it!" he uttered before heading upstairs.

8 PM

Zhong Fangqi had just finished his final meeting when his secretary said that the old house needed him to go there and greet the madam.

Zhong Fangqi rubbed his temples. "Prepare the car. No need to call for Madam."

Zhou Yanyu had finally calmed down, and he didn't want her to go anymore.

For the past six months, she had silently endured her parents' mistreatment, but when she returned to the ministry compound where they lived, she never gave them a kind look.

Even Zhong Fangqi couldn't stand the deliberate cold violence from someone whose expression was already serious.

When Zhong Fangqi arrived at the destination.

8:30.

The old man was still waiting for him in the study.

He entered the study, loosened his tie, and said, "Dad."

Grandpa Zhong was practicing calligraphy, and the two large characters "静气" (calmness) on the rice paper were particularly eye-catching.

"Haven't you contacted Zhong Yan recently?"

Upon hearing this and connecting it to those two words, Zhong Fangqi knew that Zhong Yan had angered someone again.

But when it comes to contacting anyone, Zhong Fangqi has no desire to do so.

As long as there are no mistakes at work, Zhong Yanai can be wherever she wants; Zhong Fangqi no longer has the extra energy to worry about her.

He has much busier things to do, a whole lot of work-related stuff.

"No, he seems to be fine."

How could Zhong Yan possibly get into trouble? He's such a resourceful person; with a few leverages, he can achieve great things with little effort. Although he was very dissatisfied with his marriage to the Ji family, Zhong Fangqi had to admit that Zhong Yan was impeccable in his work.

"Your son is preparing to marry into the Ji family in Shanghai."

"What?" Zhong Fangqi frowned.

Grandpa Zhong looked at his son, who was over fifty years old, with a mocking look in his eyes, as if to say, "Look what kind of son you've raised." Then he snorted coldly, "Ayan is capable of such things."

Grandpa Zhong put down his calligraphy brush. His hair was already half white. At nearly eighty years old, the half-white hair showed that the old man was in good health. However, in the past six months, his back had become slightly hunched. Once a person starts to age, it happens very quickly.

He spoke calmly and gently:

“Of the entire Zhong family, only our branch is sparsely populated. Your mother and I only have two sons, you and your younger brother. You also only have two sons. But now I’m almost eighty and I haven’t even had a great-grandson. And one of my grandsons is taking things from the Zhong family and running off to someone else’s house. Zhong Fangqi, do you think this is acceptable?”

“Look at your other uncles and aunts, how lively their homes are. You’ve reached the highest position, but don’t forget your own family.”

“Your mother and I were worried about the two children being so young before, but if we don’t hurry, your mother and I are afraid we won’t be able to see them again.”

Zhong Fangqi frowned. "Please don't say that. Ayan was just saying it in anger. As for the child, we can't rush that."

The pressure to get married and have children seems to be a topic that no family can escape.

Even the most enlightened families cannot allow their children to pursue their own freedom and forget the family tradition.

However, Zhong Fangqi's desire to have a grandchild is now less than one-tenth of his desire for a promotion, and he has lost interest in Zhong Yan's reckless antics.

He didn't care much about things that weren't profitable. He had only paid attention to his youngest son and his wife before because of the relationship between the Ji family and the South. Now that the conflict of interest had come to an end and the battlefield had shifted, he couldn't be bothered to spare any attention for them.

However, given his father's personal urging, he couldn't very well remain inactive.

He called Zhong Yan on his way back.

It was a bit noisy over there, but it quieted down after a few seconds.

"I heard you're going to change your surname to Ji?"

"What, you don't want the surname Zhong that much?"

He chuckled and said, "Dad, that's not right. I will always be surnamed Zhong and I'm your son, but the way Ji Tanyuan and I get married is a matter between us."

Zhong Fangqi was annoyed: "If you dare to embarrass the Zhong family in public, you'll see!"

"Don't cause me any trouble, and don't upset your grandparents. Just stay put in Shanghai. If you make any more noise, I'll take care of you too."

Zhong Yan clicked his tongue: "You get scolded by your father, so you come and scold me. It was Grandma who called Ji Tanyuan to urge me to return to Beijing. Look at your parents, they've been at it for over fifty years and they still haven't calmed down. You may be filial to your parents, but I have no obligation to be."

Zhong Fangqi was somewhat angry, "Do you think Ji's parents would agree to your remarriage? You even want to marry into the family, do you think they would dare accept you?"

This is the second basin of cold water.

Zhong Yan replied coldly, "I know, Father. You don't need to remind me. Just spend some quality time with my mother and take care of your health. Don't let your health suffer after you get promoted. Don't worry about me."

Zhong Yan was annoyed; did he not know that?

Even after all that, his former father-in-law still thought he was after the Ji family's assets.

Is he just bored and adding extra work for himself by working overtime?

Or they might worry that he and Ji Tanyuan would have children, since the Zhong family is of a higher social class than the Ji family, and they might assume that Ji Tanyuan's child would inherit the Ji family business with the surname Zhong.

Zhong Yan hung up the phone and turned to enter the private room.

He hung up the phone today and is now waiting for Ji Tanyuan to call him.

But after waiting for a long time without receiving any news, he knew that the man was talking nonsense.

It just so happens that today is Lan Fengsheng's birthday party, and the two of them came together. On the way, he asked casually but carefully, "Have you received a call from Yanjing?"

To everyone's surprise, Ji Tanyuan casually replied, "Oh, you," and told him everything, while also making a lighthearted comment about the old lady.

"Your grandmother has a bad temper but she never gives up. Actually, she's quite... cute, huh?"

Zhong Yan had nothing to say.

"So you're saying I should marry into your family?"

"Don't be angry with her."

Zhong Yanzhen laughed, exasperated: "I'm overjoyed, why would I be angry? Did you really think I was joking before?"

So the two remained silent the rest of the way.

Ji Tanyuan watched the man who came in from the balcony with an even more sour expression, then sat down to the side in his usual prominent position, without saying a word.

Ji Tanyuan really couldn't understand Zhong Yan's insistence on marrying into the family. If it were said that he was a kept man, no one would believe it. With his current status, why would he need to live off the Ji family?

It's more likely that the Ji family is eating his food.

Miss Zhang sat next to her, and seeing the confused look on her face, she said incisively, "She just wants a formal title."

“If he stays at Shanghai and remarries, no one will think he is marrying into the family; they will only think it's a job transfer. And his constant talk of marrying into the family is just another way of seeking recognition.”

Ji Tanyuan drank her third glass of whiskey that night, her face flushed and her head spinning.

Remarriage is not so easy; they'll need to negotiate a prenuptial agreement for ten days to half a month, and she can't possibly go back to the Zhong family in Yanjing.

So Ji Tanyuan used to think that remarrying someone like that was neither fish nor fowl, but now things are fine as they are, so why repeat the same old mistakes?

But Ji Tanyuan suddenly realized that Zhong Yan didn't feel safe.

She drank her second glass of wine, feeling a little soft-hearted.

"That's easy. Besides husband, he can also be boyfriend, ex-husband, or lover. Aren't there many options?"

"Even if all else fails, I can become a father in a few years."

She ran up to Zhong Yan and sat in his lap, hugging his waist, in front of everyone.

"You're right, aren't you, honey?"

Everyone was shocked.

Zhong Yan was also shocked, staring at her stomach.