Dye Red
The Zhou family’s dining area is divided into two areas, one table for children and one table for adults.
The seats were divided according to age. Zhou Qishen was the youngest, so Jiang Xiao followed him and sat at the end on the left. Next to him sat Tiantian's mother Wang Shuyi, and diagonally opposite them were Zhou Wenting and his father Zhou Xulin.
At this time, Jiang Xiao finally met the rumored old man of the Zhou family, Zhou Zhengkang. He was intimidating without even getting angry and had a strong aura. Because his legs were a little inconvenient, he could still be seen limping slightly when he walked, but it did not affect the oppressive feeling he gave people.
Jiang Xiao took a few quick glances at him, and under the guidance of Zhou Qishen, she walked up to him and greeted him. It was hard to say what the other party's first impression of her was, she just glanced at him lightly and waved her hand to signal them to sit back in their seats.
He didn't talk while eating or sleeping. After the meal, the table was almost silent.
After the meal, Zhou Zhengkang's old but powerful voice spread throughout the restaurant, "Today there are three happy events. The first is Xulin's 48th birthday, the second is Qi Shen's finding a good match, and the third is..."
Having said this, Zhou Zhengkang suddenly stopped. He first looked meaningfully at Zhou Qishen, who was lowering his head not far away. Seeing that he was unmoved, he snorted heavily in his heart, and then turned his gaze to Zhou Wenting.
"Xulin finally found his long-lost son."
A simple sentence cleverly changed the nature of the situation, turning the illegitimate child who was not allowed to be seen in public into a poor child who had been lost for many years.
If Zhou Xulin had said this, I'm afraid few people would buy it. But these words came from Zhou Zhengkang, and even the old man acknowledged him as a relative, so how could they have any other opinions?
Everyone looked at him and said "Congratulations" to Zhou Xulin one after another.
For a while, congratulations came one after another.
Jiang Xiao listened, glanced at Zhou Qishen who was doing nothing beside her, and chose to lower her head, pretending that she could not see or hear anything, and that it had nothing to do with her.
But their pretending to be deaf and dumb doesn't mean that others can't see them. Zhou Zhengkang spoke again, drawing everyone's attention to them: "Qi Shen, Wen Ting just returned to the Zhou family and is not very familiar with the family and the company. I'm sorry to trouble you as an uncle to take more care of him."
Hearing this, Zhou Qishen finally reacted and looked towards the main seat: "The Finance Department just happens to be short of a deputy manager position, so let him learn from Lao Li. What do you think, father?"
Lao Li is an old employee of the company and also the manager of the finance department.
However, before Zhou Zhengkang could express his opinion, Su Miwan at the side said first: "Wen Ting is young and lacks experience. It is not appropriate to parachute him into the position of manager right after he joins the company, right?"
"With Qi Shen here, it shouldn't be a problem."
This means that even if Zhou Wenting got into trouble, it would be Zhou Qishen, as the elder, who should clean up the mess for him.
Su Miwan's expression changed, she tightened her hands hidden under the table, pursed her lips, and didn't speak for a while.
It's not that she can't see that Zhou Zhengkang treats Zhou Wenting differently, but she didn't expect Zhou Zhengkang to let him interfere in the company's affairs. Xiao Shen is really something, actually arranging such an important position for his competitor right away.
In recent years, the conflict between father and son has intensified. She has tried to ease their relationship. Naturally, she also knows the shadow cast by Zhou Zhengkang's involvement in the outside world on Zhou Qishen.
That incident was a thorn in Zhou Qishen's heart, and so was it in hers. However, the marriage between the two families involves many interests. Even if she finds out that Zhou Zhengkang had a one-night stand outside, what can she do when she is pregnant?
Divorce in a fit of anger? Not to mention that it's totally unrealistic, she's not that stupid. Instead of being a wealthy wife, she handed over her wealth to her ex-wife and children?
She could only pretend to be angry and aggrieved, cry and make a fuss, presenting herself as sensible and weak, so that Zhou Zhengkang would feel sympathy and guilt, and try his best to make amends to them.
Over the years, the facts have turned out just as she expected. Zhou Zhengkang has been training her son as the heir to the group and has gone against all odds to give the position of executive director to Xiao Shen.
She never told anyone about her thoughts, including her son.
As long as in the eyes of others, she is a housewife who loves Zhou Zhengkang deeply and has no opinions or ambitions, that is enough.
Before, Zhou Zhengkang asked Xiao Shen to teach Zhou Wenting business knowledge in private, and she could turn a blind eye to it. But Zhou Zhengkang began to suppress her son through the hands of others? This was something she absolutely could not accept.
She wanted to say something more for Zhou Qishen, but the latter spoke before her, blocking her words.
"My father has the final say."
Zhou Qishen's expression was indifferent, and he seemed to have no objection to this.
"I brought a few bottles of red wine. Would you like to have a drink together?" Wang Shuyi broke the weird atmosphere at the right time and smiled as she asked someone to get the stored red wine.
In the lighted courtyard, several older Zhou family elders gathered not far away to chat. The lively scene made Zhou Qishen and Jiang Xiao, who were sitting in the corner, look particularly lonely.
There’s a good saying on the Internet: It’s more painful to see my ex-boyfriend doing well than to kill me.
Jiang Xiao felt that she was in this state of mind. Even though she knew that Zhou Wenting could not defeat Zhou Qishen, she still felt uncomfortable, especially because she could not understand why Mr. Zhou suppressed his own son to help his grandson.
Is this the legendary relationship between generations?
The noise died down. Jiang Xiao picked up a glass of red wine and handed it to Zhou Qishen. She couldn't help but lower her voice and asked, "Why did you agree to your father's proposal so easily?"
"The Zhou Group was never mine in the first place. It doesn't matter who runs it, as long as it doesn't get completely ruined." Zhou Qishen sat on a soft chair with his long legs crossed and his eyelids drooping, so his expression couldn't be seen clearly.
Jiang Xiao couldn't tell how much of the nonchalance was in his words, but the indifference in his words was real, as if he would be happy to give up his position as executive director of Zhou Group immediately.
Zhou Qishen suddenly turned his head to look at her. He wanted to know, was she happy or unhappy that Zhou Wenting was in power?
But after a while, he finally didn't ask this question.
Jiang Xiao understood the implication of his words. Even without the support of Zhou Group, he could live well on his own. It was nice to have icing on the cake, but it was not a necessity for him.
This sentence was quite crazy, so crazy that it made Jiang Xiao happy.
Thinking of this, her pair of peach blossom eyes couldn't help but be slightly hooked. She was extremely charming, with snow-white skin, red lips, and her smile seemed to be able to seduce others' hearts.
Zhou Qishen looked at it, his eyes turned dark, and he silently took two sips of wine.
"Drink less. This is already the second bottle. Be careful not to get drunk."
Wang Shuyi said this not because she felt sorry for the wine she drank, but because the alcohol content of the wine was quite high and drinking more would really make people drunk.
Jiang Xiao looked in the direction of the voice and saw Zhou Wenting picking up a glass of wine and pouring it into his mouth. A little dark red liquid overflowed from the corners of his mouth, making his handsome face even more charming and beautiful.
This can no longer be considered as wine tasting, but rather intentional drinking. No wonder Wang Shuyi would advise him against it.
Jiang Xiao just glanced and then looked away. After all, whether Zhou Wenting was drunk or not had nothing to do with her. But when she turned her head, she bumped into Zhou Qishen who had also drunk a large cup. She frowned and snatched his cup without saying a word.
"Don't drink it."
"Hmm?" Zhou Qishen gave him a puzzled look.
Jiang Xiao gave him a legitimate and appropriate reason: "I have a flight at noon tomorrow, so I have to go to bed early."
Zhou Qi was silent for a few seconds, nodded to indicate that he understood, then stood up, explained the situation to Su Miwan, and left the table.
*
After returning to the room, Jiang Xiao, who was walking in front, turned on the main light and started to remove the small hair clips as she walked in. Because they were a bit tight, she needed to use both hands to completely remove the clips without pulling her scalp as much as possible.
After making sure that it was almost all removed, she casually pulled open the rubber band that secured her hair, and the cold brown hair instantly cascaded down. She ran her slender fingers through the messy long hair, randomly brushing it, and letting it scatter on both sides of her cheeks.
This made it much easier. Jiang Xiao had been maintaining her manners for the entire day and was a little tired. She turned around and said to the man behind her, "Shall I go wash up first?"
“No hurry.”
The next second, the man's body slowly moved up from behind, his breath so close that her neck seemed to be stained with his scent, and her nostrils were filled with the smell of alcohol during the intimate contact.
A pair of large hands groped and touched her fingertips, from bottom to top, across the back of her hand, wrist bones, forearm, until it hugged her waist, doing evil all the way, causing her to shudder.
The ambiguity seemed to ferment instantly, making Jiang Xiao uneasy.
Zhou Qishen was slow to make the next move, so Jiang Xiao couldn't figure out his thoughts for a while. She could only turn her head slightly and asked in a low voice: "What's wrong?"
He leaned on her shoulder and smelled the gentle and soft fragrance. His breathing, which had eased a little, became heavier again. The blue veins on his neck bulged, and his Adam's apple rolled twice, forming a beautiful landscape.
Suddenly, he said in a low voice: "During the meal, you looked at him three times."
Jiang Xiao's body froze, she was completely confused: "Who are you looking at?"
Hearing her cute and dazed voice, Zhou Qishen was stunned at first, his deep eyes swept across her red nose, her skin was flawless, so white that it was dazzling under the light.
There was no trace of defensiveness or scheming on her pretty face, and she really seemed to have no idea what he was talking about.
Zhou Qishen's temper suddenly disappeared, and he asked back in a sullen voice: "Who are you looking at?"
Jiang Xiao tilted her head, trying to play dumb but unable to fool him. Her palms that were pinching the corners of her clothes suddenly became damp, and she chuckled, "Why don't you just pay attention to who I'm looking at instead of eating properly?"
After that, she turned around to face him, stood on tiptoe and hooked her arms around his neck. In this quiet night, it seemed that only the heartbeats of the two of them could be heard. Her slender fingers brushed across his chin, and her red lips parted slightly: "Mr. Zhou, are you jealous?"
"Well, is it not possible?" Zhou Qishen moved forward to close the distance between them, and whispered in her ear: "As a husband, can't I be jealous of you being with another man?"
"Of course you can, but what's the point of just being jealous?" Jiang Xiao's neatly trimmed fingers moved from his cheek to the tip of his nose, and she rubbed his chin with her lips. As she rubbed, she suddenly bit it lightly and licked it: "Idiot, only if you take the initiative will there be follow-up."
His thin lips suddenly pressed against hers, and their breaths intertwined, warm and moist, like morning dew moistening the petals.
"Is this proactive enough?"
Jiang Xiao swallowed her saliva, her face flushed, her body weak, her pounding heart messing up her thoughts. She looked at him and teased him without retreating: "Of course it's not enough..."
Before the last word had even finished, the other party had already tightly blocked her lips.
Unlike his usual slow and steady approach, this time he seemed extremely anxious, holding the back of her head tightly with one hand, making it impossible for her to resist.
His bony fingers unbuttoned the white buttons one by one. If the quality of the custom-made shirt had not been good enough, he would have torn several of them.
The shoulders were broad and powerful, supporting tight and solid muscles. The perfect lines flowed smoothly, winding all the way down and stopping at the eight-pack abdominal muscles and the mermaid line.
Jiang Xiao's undisguised gaze floated over him, a faint itch crawling in her heart, and her lsp nature urged her to reach out her hand silently.
Soon, the shirt fell smoothly from the arm to the ground, making an unnoticeable sound.
The well-trained chest was clearly displayed in front of Jiang Xiao's eyes under the light.
He carried her to the table and entangled with her passionately. The dark fire burning deep in his body gradually heated up and spread throughout his body bit by bit, and he trembled continuously.
"This time..." He suddenly stopped talking here. His narrow eyes curved and he looked at her with longing. His deep voice was mixed with some teasing. "I won't stop."
Just a few words made Jiang Xiao's fair and cold face turn even redder.
Her long black hair was like a waterfall, flying everywhere restlessly in the night wind. Jiang Xiao pushed back the hair hanging on her chest. Her eyes were bright and charming. She pulled him closer without losing the upper hand and gave him a sly smile, "I wish I could."
Jiang Xiao was almost defenseless when he grabbed her waist. He restrained his strength and did not hurt her.
Her beautiful eyes trembled slightly, and her eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings. The hands that were clinging to his neck tightened a little unconsciously, and her fingertips slid across the skin on the back of his neck. The distance between the two of them became closer and closer, until their breathing could be heard.
But it won't be long before she realizes how stupid her harsh words were.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
