After attending the First Madam's birthday party that day, Old Master Zhou brought the First Madam to apologize. However, Zhou Xiangnan didn't even let her in the door. Later, Old Master Zhou, accompanied by the Second Master, came in person. Zhou Xiangnan and Zhou Zi'an invited the Old Master into the study, where they chatted for a long time. The Old Master didn't even stay for dinner before leaving.
Xu Keke sat in the living room, chatting face-to-face with the second master about the domestic and international situation for a long time. The conversation gave Wang Shujin a headache, so she went to her bedroom to rest.
She had assumed that when the old man left, he would at least be furious, if not slam the door shut. Unexpectedly, the look in his eyes as he left was unusually kind.
If Xu Keke hadn't known Zhou Xiangnan and Zhou Zi'an's character, she would have almost thought that Old Master Zhou also knew that she was a charlatan.
Fortunately, Xu Keke soon learned the reason. Zhou Zi'an arranged jobs for the second master's youngest son and his second son-in-law. Zhou Xiangnan, on the other hand, placed people from the third and fourth branches of the family in the film company and several of the Feng family's businesses in Shanghai.
Only the eldest son's wife didn't get any benefit. The master was so angry that, I heard, he never stepped into his wife's room again after that. When Xu Keke heard Zhou Zi'an mention this at the dinner table, she expressed disbelief, thinking that the master was just using this as an excuse.
If he really cared about this, he should have come to find Zhou Xiangnan himself; it's obvious he doesn't care about these things. And the old man probably wants to put his eggs in two baskets as well.
After Xu Keke finished her analysis, Zhou Xiangnan and Zhou Zi'an remained silent. After a long while, Zhou Xiangnan asked sincerely, "After gaining spiritual insight, do people become exceptionally intelligent? Or does opening the third eye open one's mind?"
Now it was Xu Keke's turn to speak, and she obediently shut her mouth.
Shortly after Zhou Xiangnan and Feng Shaozhe's marriage announcement was published, newspapers began tracking their plans, including where they would hold their wedding banquet, which church they would be in, and which company they had chosen for their wedding dress. Some tabloids even subtly mentioned in their articles that Minister Feng's son had broken off his engagement with Zhou's daughter.
Xu Keke sat on the sofa, staring at the newspaper for a long time.
Seeing her pale face, Zhou Zi'an, sitting on the other sofa, was somewhat surprised, thinking something was wrong again. He cautiously asked her...
"You don't seem to be in a good mood. Is there something wrong with what you read in the newspaper?"
Xu Keke sighed as she looked at the newspaper. She had waited a long time, hoping to bump into that person and say something to him. But she hadn't seen him since that day at the jewelry store.
She even went to the coffee shop alone a few times, but she couldn't even spot the man. She also asked the waiter where their boss was, and all she got in return was three words: "I don't know."
Later, she thought that perhaps the man was avoiding her because she was engaged. That day, when she went to the family home, she specifically mentioned that she was no longer engaged. At the time, she thought that given how much the family valued the young master of the Feng family, they would definitely seize the initiative and spread the news.
But this time she misjudged the situation. Wang Shujin made it very clear to the Zhou family that day that it was Xu Keke who proposed breaking off the engagement. They wouldn't believe others, but Wang Shujin was someone who never lied.
As for why the engagement was dissolved, Wang Shujin explained that Xu Keke disliked the lack of feelings for the eldest son of the Feng family.
They didn't believe it at all. Given the Feng family's status, just being able to marry into them was a blessing; what was there to talk about feelings? Besides, if there were no feelings, why bother making their engagement public?
The Zhou family members unanimously believed that Wang Shujin had concealed crucial information. After much private deliberation and speculation, they fabricated a reason that they considered reasonable and plausible.
Zhou Shaoyuan later told Zhou Xiangnan their reasoning. Zhou Xiangnan was so impressed that he wanted to fire her editors and hire them instead to write stories.
They believed the engagement was broken off because the young master of the Feng family had some hidden illness. Previously, Zhou Xiangnan had sold her niece to curry favor with the Feng family because she couldn't marry into them. Now that Feng Shaozhe had finally agreed to marry her, Zhou Xiangnan no longer needed to use her niece to ingratiate herself with the Feng family. That's why she broke off the engagement with the young master.
As for what the young master Feng's hidden illness is, it's probably one of those incurable ailments that even traditional street remedies can't cure. They finally 'understand' why the young master Feng has been abroad for so many years and refused to return to China. They also 'understand' why the young master Feng has never married. They even started to worry about Zhou Xiangnan's married life. If Feng Shaozhe hadn't had a wife and children before, they would have said the illness was hereditary.
With no further action from the Zhou family branches, Xu Keke placed her hopes on Mrs. Ji. Given Mrs. Ji's character and the Ji family's modus operandi, she was certain Mrs. Ji would put the matter in the newspaper.
However, Xu Keke was disappointed once again. This time, Mrs. Ji was powerless to help. She specifically asked someone to spread the news to several newspapers, but none of them dared to report it.
They had all witnessed the Morning Post's previous actions, including paying compensation and issuing apologies. Not only had they witnessed it, they also knew that the Morning Post dared to act that way because Qingfeng Film Industry was backing it up. Even the subsequent compensation was paid out of Lin Qinghai's own pocket.
These newspapers don't have any big financial backers. If they publish the wrong news, Xu Keke might sue them. These newspaper owners are, frankly, businessmen. They're not that stupid.
The news about her breaking off the engagement barely appeared in the newspaper, not even a two-line paragraph. You might not even notice it unless you looked very closely. How could Xu Keke be in a good mood?
"Brother, how much do you know about Lu Tao?"
"Lu Tao?" Zhou Zian looked at her in confusion. "Why did you suddenly ask about him?"
Even knowing that Zhou Zi'an wouldn't know her secret, Xu Keke still blushed. She said somewhat shyly, "Well, he helped me at the coffee shop last time, and I've been wanting to thank him, but I haven't run into him even after going several times. I..."
"Oh, it's nothing, I thanked you on your behalf."
"You thanked him for me? I didn't know. I wanted to thank him in person!" As soon as she said it, Xu Keke regretted it. She was a little angry with herself. If this person really didn't come looking for her, then so be it. She didn't necessarily have to get married in this life; she had many other things to do.
"Never mind, it's alright." Xu Keke stood up and walked out.
Zhou Zian had no idea what was wrong with her. If Zhou Xiangnan were here, he could understand, but Zhou Zian, who had never been in a relationship, really couldn't figure out what his little sister was angry about. He frowned and said to Xu Keke's back, "He has business abroad and is not in the country recently. If you want to thank him in person, you'll have to wait a few days."
Before Xu Keke had even left the living room, upon hearing Zhou Zian's words, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up, and she walked out with cheerful steps.
She walked too fast and didn't hear Zhou Zi'an's next words, "Even after breaking off the engagement, you still have to thank them in person."
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