"Pfft..." Old Zhan spat out a mouthful of tea. "You... what did you say?"
"You've been watching me closely, you couldn't possibly not know I have a son, could you?" Zhan Jingting retorted.
"If you're talking about the son you had with Wen Xuesheng from the Wen family, then of course I know. The invitation to the banquet the Wen family held was sent to me, but I didn't attend," Old Zhan said disdainfully. "The Wen family wants me to step in and support this child, and they might even ask me to make the decision on the spot to make him acknowledge his ancestors. They're dreaming! You're already married, so this child is an illegitimate child. You haven't even acknowledged this child, so how could I possibly interfere?"
Zhan Jingting said calmly, "If the child were born to Wen Xue, I would naturally not want it. But this child is not born to Wen Xue, but to my wife."
"How is that possible?" Old Zhan frowned. "You've only been married a short time, how could you possibly have a four-year-old son?"
"It's a long story, but that's the truth. If you don't believe me, you can have a paternity test done by a doctor."
Old Master Zhan was stunned for a moment before he finally came to his senses. "Since you've said so, of course I believe you. But Jingting, this child is only four years old. You just said that you want him to be the new heir of the Zhan family. Isn't that a pipe dream?"
“Although the Zhan family is a large family, all members of the Zhan family know that our family is the core of the Zhan family. From my grandfather to my father, and then to me, the position of the head of the family has been passed down. Now, I will naturally pass it on to my son.” Zhan Jingting’s fingertips lightly tapped the armrest of the sofa. “I remember that when I gave you, the side supporters, a small share of the Zhan Group, it was because I was worried that if our head of the Zhan family suddenly passed away at the age of thirty, there would be no leader. For the prosperity of the entire family, I let you benefit from it.”
"Unfortunately, people's hearts are like snakes trying to swallow elephants. This has resulted in some people being ungrateful. Holding a little share is not enough; they want to seize the position of the person in charge. Today, even if I didn't have a son, it would not be anyone else's turn to sit in this position."
Old Master Zhan was momentarily speechless, then said, "Jingting, that's true, but the child is only four years old and still watching cartoons. How can he be an heir?"
"I'm not dead yet, am I?" Zhan Jingting curled his lips, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "Even if I die at thirty, I'll still have six years to train him."
"But he'll only be ten years old then! He won't be able to shoulder such a heavy responsibility!"
"I will train Zhan Yin, and he will temporarily take charge until my son comes of age."
Zhan Lao: "......"
“Zhan Yin is playful and not cut out for this. If you really want the best for the Zhan family, you can choose someone else.”
"Who?" Zhan Jingting raised an eyebrow. "Zhan Xiuwen?"
Old Master Zhan coughed lightly, “Jingting, I know that you have never been able to forgive Xiuwen for what happened back then, but looking at the entire Zhan family, he is indeed the most capable person to shoulder the heavy responsibility.”
Zhan Jingting propped his head up with one hand, his knuckles lightly pressing his temples. "I told you, you only get a little something for the prosperity of the entire family. Guess what you can do to me if I want to take back all the shares of the collateral branches?"
"Jingting, what do you mean by this?" Old Master Zhan frowned. "I came here today just to discuss with you how to protect the Zhan family's century-old foundation. I'm worried that your condition is getting worse and I want you and Xiuwen to reconcile and let him share the burden with you. But now you are directly threatening me."
“I am threatening you.” Zhan Jingting’s cold eyes looked at him. “Back then, my mother said that you could let Zhan Xiuwen go, but he could never return to the capital. Now you’re letting Zhan Xiuwen come back, aren’t you slapping my mother in the face?”
Ruan Wanyi was stunned for a moment, and then tears welled up uncontrollably.
Her son was actually protecting her!
After considering for a moment, Elder Zhan said, "Back then, Wanyi was indeed magnanimous and agreed to let Xiuwen go, but your leg has already healed, hasn't it? I think we, as men, should be more magnanimous and consider the bigger picture in everything we do."
"You don't need to morally blackmail me," Zhan Jingting said coldly. "I'm a dying man, and the big picture isn't as important to me as my mother's feelings."
Old Master Zhan looked displeased. "Jing Ting, what's wrong with you today? Your attitude is so bad. You even dare to call me 'you' directly. Don't you need to use honorifics anymore? Don't forget, when you became the person in charge, you were only eighteen years old. I helped you settle so many things within the Zhan family."
"But all these years, I haven't mistreated you." Zhan Jingting said indifferently, "Otherwise, do you think your good-for-nothing sons and grandsons could have had such smooth sailing in their careers?"
Zhan Lao: "......"
"Jing Ting, say less," Ruan Wanyi said, a little flustered. "Elder Zhan is, after all, an elder, from your great-grandfather's generation..."
"Right now, we're considering the Zhan family's century-old legacy, not seniority." Zhan Jingting looked at Old Master Zhan, a half-smile playing on his lips. "Aren't you right?"
Zhan Lao: "......"
"Jingting, you have no respect for your elders." Old Master Zhan gripped his cane tightly, his face as black as the bottom of a pot. "I really never thought that one day you would talk to me like this. Even your grandfather and your father wouldn't dare to talk to me like this."
"They are them, and I am me," Zhan Jingting said disdainfully. "If you want to support Zhan Xiuwen, go ahead and try."
"You think I wouldn't dare?" Old Master Zhan's chest heaved with anger. "Jing Ting, although you've been in power all these years, could you have achieved what you have today without the help of the rest of the Zhan family?"
"Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. The Zhan family's collateral branches have long since infiltrated the roots. Your attitude will clearly lead to trouble."
"For your grandfather's sake, I'll be frank with you. Although Xiuwen has been abroad all these years, he hasn't been idle. He knows you have a cold and arrogant personality, and he has taken advantage of this to secretly form an alliance with the other members of the Zhan family. I'm here today because they asked me to. Jingting, Xiuwen's status in the Zhan family is no lower than yours as the person in charge. He wants to return to the capital, and you can't stop him."
"Do you think I don't know what he's been doing all these years?" Zhan Jingting sneered. "I've kept him alive until now to see what he's up to."
"You think he put pressure on me by joining forces with the other members of the Zhan family just to get a share of the pie back in the capital? Or to help me and share the burden? You're being too naive. His ambition is greater than anyone else in the Zhan family. I doubt he can even wait until I'm thirty. Now that he's seen me stand up, he'll find a reason to come back and will definitely make a move against me again."
After pondering for a moment, Elder Zhan said, "From a certain perspective, the person in charge of the Zhan family does indeed need to be restrained and checked."
Zhan Jingting asked with great interest, "So you're trying to use Zhan Xiuwen to keep me in check?"
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