Chapter 18 Zhao Family 1
Zhao Shunian's father is his eldest son Zhao Yunbin, chairman and executive director of Zhaoshi Group.
Zhao Yunbin is considered loyal and honest among all the people in the Zhao family, but Zhao Xinzhi dislikes this quality a little.
Although his second uncle Zhao Yunli was smart and motivated, Zhao Xinzhi felt that he was too ambitious and his cleverness was not up to par.
How much Zhao Xinzhi hopes that his two sons' personalities can be balanced.
The third daughter was born to his second wife and had long been excluded.
Before her death, the late first wife asked him to write a document clearly stating that only her two children could inherit the family business. No matter how many wives he had or how many children he had, they could not inherit the family business or interfere in the Zhao family's business affairs.
The eldest wife's position in Zhao Xinzhi's heart is unmatched. She has been strong-willed all her life, and only softened her attitude when she was dying and asked him to agree to this. He did not refuse.
At that time, the second wife's daughter was only a few years old, and she wanted to have another son to consolidate her position. After this incident, she didn't want to have another child anymore. There wouldn't be much property to divide if she had one. She could also use the excuse of not having children to please Zhao Xin.
Seeing her understanding and tactful, Zhao Xinzhi's feelings for her deepened. Their only child grew up in pampered care and was quite willful.
But later on, she regretted it and thought she should have had more children. When Zhao Xinzhi was dissatisfied with his two sons, her children might be able to ascend to the throne. She was bewitched and deceived by the eldest wife, not knowing how rich Zhao Xinzhi's personal property was.
But she couldn't have another child later, and her daughter was affected and led astray, leaving her completely hopeless.
Yu Yin said that if it were an ordinary family, the person would immediately turn around and leave after hearing about Zhao Shunian's complicated family background.
But nothing can compare to money. If you are rich enough, you can ignore this shortcoming. In addition, Zhao Shunian is very capable and handsome. Before he got married, he was a popular son-in-law in a wealthy family. After he got married, many people hoped that he would get divorced, and many beautiful women were flying around him.
The Lunar New Year is approaching, and the Zhao family's old house is also very lively. Zhao Xinzhi's children and their families are all gathered here.
Zhao Xinzhi's second wife, known as Madam Zhou, had no legal relationship with him. She disliked being called "Second Madam," as the Cantonese words for "concubine" and "second madam" sound similar, and she wasn't even a concubine. She did want to be called Madam Zhao, but the two sons from the first wife firmly disagreed.
When she was with Zhao Xinzhi, polygamy had not yet been abolished in Hong Kong, so their relationship could be legalized and she could become his concubine. However, the eldest wife intervened, and Zhao Xinzhi gave her face and did not insist.
She tried her best to achieve this goal, but within two or three years, polygamy was abolished and she could only wait for the first wife to die before she would have the chance to become the legal wife.
After the first wife finally died, Zhao Xinzhi had no intention of making her his legal wife. Later, the younger and more beautiful third wife appeared by his side, and she stayed with him for many years without any official status.
As soon as Yu Yin and Zhao Shunian entered the central hall of the East Building, Mrs. Zhou stood up first to greet them with a kind smile on her face. "Shunian, Yu Yin, you are finally home. Xinzhi has been telling me about you a lot lately."
Zhao Shunian was very frugal with words and only called her "Second Grandma" without responding to her. Yu Yin, on the other hand, spoke a few more words to her and asked about her recent situation.
Mrs. Zhou asked the servant to bring tea. She took Yu Yin's hand, wanting her to sit with her. As Zhao Xinzhi aged year by year, Mrs. Zhou became more friendly and approachable.
Yu Yin calmly placed her hand on Mrs. Zhou's hand, maintaining her flawless fake smile that she had perfected, and exchanged pleasantries with the rest of the Zhao family with ease. At some point, their hands, which had been clasped together, separated, and Mrs. Zhou sat down by herself.
In the end, Yu Yin sat with Zhao Shunian.
Zhao Shunian and his mother, Ms. Li, saw everything she did.
The servant brought them tea, and Yu Yin took a sip to catch his breath.
She is very tired after living here for many years, wearing a mask every day and interacting with people with different thoughts, but when she comes back occasionally, her fighting power is full.
The elevator not far from the central hall opened, and an elderly man in his nineties slowly walked out of the elevator with the help of a hardwood cane inlaid with jade. He looked old and thin, but upon closer inspection, his eyes were clear and sharp.
He invested huge amounts of money in the medical field to support scientific research so that he could live a long and healthy life.
Standing next to him was a beautiful woman in her fifties, Mrs. Lian, the third wife. She just stood there and he didn't need her support.
Everyone sitting there stood up and called him Grandpa or Dad, but Mrs. Zhou kept smiling silently. In her heart, she cursed Mrs. Lian for being scheming. She used sweet words to get her to come out and greet people while she hid with Zhao Xinzhi to please him.
Zhao Xinzhi had been staying at home for the past two years. Only after Zhao Shunian came back did he come out and sit in the central hall.
Zhao Shunian was the first grandchild in the family and the next heir to take over the family business. From the moment he was born, Zhao Xinzhi had high hopes for him. He felt that since his two sons hadn't been raised to his satisfaction, he must ensure that his grandson wasn't raised in the wrong way, and he poured a great deal of love and effort into this endeavor.
However, the relationship between the two has become strained in recent years.
Zhao Xinzhi is the emperor of Zhaoshi Group. After abdication, he refused to give up power and set up checks and balances, suppressing Zhao Yunbin's faction and supporting Zhao Yunli's faction, trying to control everyone in his hands.
But this fostered Zhao Yunli's ambition. Zhao Shunian, who had been constantly suppressed, left the group, causing the situation to gradually become unbalanced.
So Zhao Zhixin wanted him to come back, but he refused. At that time, the company he had spent a lot of effort to run was under the control of Zhao Xinzhi and almost collapsed.
The relationship between the grandfather and grandson deteriorated again and again from here. Zhao Shunian held on and did not admit defeat, but Zhao Xinzhi chose to take a step back, hoping that he could return to the group. Further fighting would only result in mutual losses.
After Zhao Shunian returned to Zhaoshi Group, the situation took a major turn. Zhao Yunli was alone and helpless. Without Zhao Xinzhi's help, he could not defeat the father and son army. Now he no longer interferes in Zhaoshi's affairs and sets up his own business.
After Zhao Shunian married, Zhao Xinzhi began to delegate power and divide his wealth. He used a complex family trust to control Zhaoshi Group. He gave 35% of the family trust equity to Zhao Yunbin, 25% to Zhao Shunian, and kept 40% for himself. The other children and grandchildren of the Zhao family did not participate in this equity distribution.
The relationship between Zhao Xinzhi and Zhao Shunian hadn't deteriorated further, but it couldn't go back to the way it was before. Over the past two years, he'd increasingly missed the days when Zhao Shunian trusted him and they'd discuss everything together...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
