Stepmother
"According to the cooperation agreement, the quoted price is..."
Chen Zhou sat in the hotel's conference room, listening to a work report through his headphones, and unconsciously drifted off into thought.
I wonder if it's okay for those two to share a room.
Shen Zhou recalled that Zhou Jingxing was clearly unhappy to see Wang Ao during dinner last night, but he had to accept this uninvited guest because of Shen Zhou. Wang Ao was also a very individualistic young man, and their conversation last night was quite heated.
These two can't possibly start fighting...
In the suite of Chenzhou, Zhou Jingxing and Wang Ao were engrossed in their battle, their eyes glued to the messy and disorderly kitchen on the large screen.
"Serve the food! I'm speechless. Why did you put the food in the trash?"
"Stop nagging and go wash the dishes! There are no more dishes!"
"Where's the pot? Where's the pot! My huge pot is gone!"
"You fucking serve food with your hands?"
"You made a mistake! You made a mistake! People want tomatoes!"
"Aaaaaaah! There's a fire! Where's the fire extinguisher?"
Zhou Jingxing threw down the controller angrily and said, "Do you even know how to play? You've got nothing but a chicken to catch after scattering some rice..."
Wang Ao interrupted him with a cold laugh, "Give me a break, you still have the nerve to talk back to me. Who was it that just served the food with their hands, and who threw the cucumber on the ground?"
Zhou Jingxing argued, "I accidentally made a mistake."
"Are your fingers split? You're just sitting here playing games? If only your gaming skills were as bad as your temper."
Zhou Jingxing jumped up from the sofa, "I'm your martial uncle!"
"With such terrible skills, how dare you use your seniority to intimidate others? Tch."
Zhou Jingxing was furious and was about to jump up and give the brat a good scolding when his phone rang. He pointed at Wang Ao as he answered the call.
"Hello, who is it?"
The moment he heard the reply, Zhou Jingxing's expression changed immediately. "Chen Zhou, are you done with your meeting? Oh, sorry, we were playing Overcooked and didn't see the message. Don't worry, we're getting along great. Wang Ao just praised my gaming skills."
Zhou Jingxing ignored Wang Aochong's eye roll and said with a smile to the person on the other end of the phone, "Don't worry, I'll take him there right away. Okay, see you later."
Seeing that he had hung up the phone, Wang Ao said to Zhou Jingxing with a mocking look, "Did the cucumber you dropped just now fly out of the screen and hit you on the head? Did it damage your brain? Did I praise your skills?"
Zhou Jingxing was flexible and adaptable. "Okay, okay, I'm bad at this, but you're not much better. Let's go, Chen Zhou said that President Wang summoned you and asked me to take you there." He then added, "Don't talk nonsense next time you see your brother Chen Zhou, or I'll tell your teacher Sun that you're not studying properly and are playing games secretly."
Wang Ao looked annoyed. "I'm having so much fun, I'm not going."
Zhou Jingxing grabbed his coat at the door and threw it in his face. "Hurry up, don't keep people waiting. Kids should be polite."
Wang Ao slowly put on his coat while protesting, "I'm not a child, I'm an adult!"
"OK, OK, you grown-up kid, stop nagging and let's go now."
Zhou Jingxing was about to leave after dropping the person off at their destination, but before he could take two steps, Wang Ao stopped him.
Zhou Jingxing looked at him impatiently as he grabbed his hand. "What? I only promised Chen Zhou to take you here. Your father is still in a meeting. You can wait for him yourself. I can't possibly stay with you."
"Uncle-Master, could you check if that woman is holding a small child?"
Which one?
Following Wang Ao's finger, Zhou Jingxing saw a young and beautiful woman sitting on a sofa in the corridor, slightly bent over, seemingly holding something.
"It seems so—wait, where are you going? Your dad's meeting room is over here!"
Wang Ao ignored his questions and walked straight towards the young woman. Zhou Jingxing frowned and followed.
Wang Ao approached them, looked down at the woman and the baby in her arms, and sneered, "He really dotes on you, always keeping you by his side."
The woman looked somewhat surprised. "Um, do you know me?"
Wang Ao plopped down next to her and said bluntly, "Of course I know you, stepmother."
Zhou Jingxing, who had come along, realized that it was actually Wang Po's mistress, Tian Liang.
The woman was shocked, her eyes widening. "How is that possible! He told me he didn't have any children from his previous marriage!"
Wang Ao crossed his arms, a mocking look on his face, whether directed at her or his father, it was unclear. "Don't you read the news? That guy surnamed Wang and my mother aren't divorced yet, and they had a child eighteen years ago, which is me."
The woman was clearly devastated; she was trembling and could barely hold the child in her arms. "It's impossible, Old Wang wouldn't lie to me."
Wang Ao looked her over dismissively, his words dripping with sarcasm, "What do you see in him? He's so much older than you, his character is terrible, and he even cheated on you. You can't just be after money, can you?"
The woman's face turned pale. "I didn't! Our relationship was genuine!"
Zhou Jingxing couldn't bear to watch any longer, and he warned in a low voice, "Wang Ao! Stop talking. This is your father's private matter, and you shouldn't interfere."
"I shouldn't have?" Wang Ao suddenly shouted angrily, "Can a private matter erase the harm he has done to me? Has he ever fulfilled his responsibilities as a father? Has he ever taken the initiative to care about or understand me? Now he's even involved in an illegitimate child scandal, and I can't even ask him a question!"
Wang Ao's voice was so loud that it startled everyone in the conference room. His father, Wang Kun, came out of the conference room, his face full of displeasure. "What are you doing now!"
The woman was the first to react, and she walked towards Wang Kun with a resolute expression.
Zhou Jingxing's heart skipped a beat. Was she going to slap Wang Kun and then accuse him of deceiving her?
The woman asked Wang Kun anxiously, "Mr. Wang, you must tell me the truth. Did Wang Ning already have a child before?"
Wait a minute, this isn't how it unfolded as I imagined! And who is Wang Ning?
Wang Ao was just as puzzled as Zhou Jingxing. He asked, "Who is Wang Ning?"
The woman seemed a little confused. She asked Wang Ao, "Didn't you say Wang Ning was your father? Who exactly are you?"
Just then, a man who looked to be in his early forties walked out of the conference room. He approached the woman with a concerned expression, "Oh dear, why did you bring the baby here? I told you I would go back after the meeting."
The woman immediately began questioning him upon seeing him, "Are you lying to me?! This child says he's your son, how do you explain that?"
Zhou Jingxing suddenly realized that this was Wang Ning!
Wang Ning looked embarrassed and glanced at Wang Kun somewhat flusteredly, explaining, "There must be some misunderstanding here. How could Mr. Wang's son say I'm his father? Honey, did you hear me wrong?"
Just then, the child the woman was holding suddenly woke up and started crying loudly. Wang Ning and the woman hurriedly tried to soothe the child. Seeing this, Wang Kun said gently to Wang Ning, "Manager Wang, you've worked hard. You were on vacation with your wife and child, but I had to call you in to work overtime. The meeting is over, so you should go and take care of your family and child."
At this point, Zhou Jingxing finally understood that everything was a misunderstanding by that brat Wang Ao. Tianliang Wang Po had no lover and no illegitimate child.
This is a mess.
After everyone left, Wang Kun's face darkened as he scolded Wang Ao, "Aren't you ashamed? You start making trouble based on rumors and unclear facts. I told you long ago that I could never have had an illegitimate child, something so shameful, but you wouldn't believe me. Now look what happened, do you believe me now? Don't ever say I lied to you again!"
Zhou Jingxing had his fill of gossip; now it was time for his teenage son to battle his menopausal father. Zhou Jingxing had no interest in watching family conflicts and wanted to leave.
"Wang Ao, you've met your father now. My mission is complete, so I'll be leaving now."
Wang Ao ignored him, tears streaming down his face. He shouted at Wang Kun with a look of grief and indignation, "You don't care about me at all! You only care about your pride. I will never meet your expectations! Yes, I'm a disgrace! Don't worry, I won't embarrass you again!"
After saying that, he ran away.
...
That kid is really fierce.
Wang Kun chased after him to the door, but Wang Ao ran too fast and could no longer be seen.
So Wang Kun turned back and said to Zhou Jingxing, who was about to leave, in a familiar tone, "Young man, you must be Chen Zhou's friend. I've heard of you. Could I ask you for a favor?" He looked troubled. "Wang Ao is a stubborn kid, and it's hard for me to communicate with him. Could you talk to him for me? At least persuade him to come back. To be honest, I really can't leave my work here, and I'm powerless to help him."
...
This father isn't much better!
That's so irresponsible! Who asks a stranger to help them find their child who ran away in a fit of pique?
Just as Zhou Jingxing was about to refuse, he heard Wang Kun say, "Shen Zhou said you are sincere and warm-hearted, a reliable person. He said a good person must be right, so I'm shamelessly asking you for a favor."
Oh, how am I supposed to refuse?
Zhou Jingxing embarked on a journey to find Wang Ao in a daze. He sent a message to Shen Zhou informing him of the current situation, and then began to ponder what kind of karmic entanglement he had with this unfortunate kid—why was it always him who had to go looking for him every time Wang Ao ran away from home?
Zhou Jingxing first went to Wang Ao's room and the restaurant, but after not finding him, he decided to give up.
What does this have to do with me? Why should I try to save the broken heart of a rebellious teenager?
Shen Zhou's call came just in time; a minute later, Zhou Jingxing would have swiped his card to go back to his room to rest. Shen Zhou was as anxious as if his own child had gone missing. He told Zhou Jingxing that he was also looking for the person and asked him to let him know once he found them.
Zhou Jingxing had no choice but to go out and continue searching. The more he searched, the angrier he became. Where was that brat?!
Zhou Jingxing and Shen Zhou searched the entire hotel, but still couldn't find him. Zhou Jingxing suppressed his anger and carefully considered where Wang Ao might be.
I've got it! A wild hot spring!
Zhou Jingxing went to the front desk to ask for directions to the nearby wild hot springs before setting off. Before leaving, he texted Shen Zhou to let him know. He was joking, of course; he was afraid of wild animals and poisonous snakes too! In case something really happened, at least someone would know where he was.
Zhou Jingxing left the hotel, walked along the main road for five minutes, turned onto a country lane, and walked for another ten minutes or so. As the number of people gradually decreased, he finally arrived at the wild hot spring.
Sure enough, Wang Ao was sitting by the hot spring. Zhou Jingxing strode over and slapped him on the head. "You little bastard! Your teacher wasn't wrong, your dog-like nature is that of a beagle. No, you're even more annoying than a beagle!"
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