Chapter 199 The Truth
According to the plan, they were supposed to stay overnight at Zhou's mansion, but whether Zhou Pingchuan suddenly changed his mind or thought it was too noisy with too many people, in any case, without even having dinner, Zhou Pingchuan left Zhou's mansion with Xia Mian.
On the way back, Xia Mian felt she should thank him. As soon as she turned her head, she saw the man leaning against the headrest, his eyes slightly closed, a shallow crease between his brows.
She looks a little tired.
I went to bed late last night and got up early this morning. I also spent the whole day managing household chores. Even the strongest body can't take it.
Let him rest first, we'll talk about it when he gets home.
When they got home, Xia Mian called out to Zhou Pingchuan, "Are you going to take a shower now, or wait until after dinner?"
“I have work to do,” Zhou Pingchuan replied.
"Oh..." The answer was both reasonable and unexpected. "Then you go ahead with your work. I'll call you when it's time to eat."
Zhou Pingchuan nodded and went up the elevator on his own. Xia Mian also wanted to rest early, so she went to the washroom to wash up before dinner was ready.
When he came out, the kitchen was already in the final plating stage. Uncle Li was about to go upstairs, but Xia Mian stopped him and gestured for her to go instead.
He draped a towel around his neck and knocked on the study door: "It's me, Xia Mian. May I come in?"
There was a moment of silence inside the door, then footsteps sounded, and Zhou Pingchuan opened the door: "What is it?"
"...It's alright, the food is ready," Xia Mian said.
"You eat first, I'll eat later."
For some reason, Xia Mian felt that Zhou Pingchuan seemed to be in a... bad mood.
He wanted to say, "I'll wait for you to eat together," but then he thought that Zhou Pingchuan probably wanted to be alone for a while so he could have some peace and quiet. So he decided against it; it would only be a burden for someone who wanted to be alone.
Xia Mian obediently turned around and went downstairs.
It was assumed that the two hosts would have dinner at the old house. However, Longxi did not have enough ingredients today, so the dishes were very simple: one soup per person, one meat dish and two vegetable dishes, plus a refreshing salad and dessert.
Xia Mian chose a non-alcoholic wine to accompany her meal, and while slowly sipping it, she called the butler over.
"Uncle Li," he asked in a low voice, "Is Third Master's relationship with his family... not very good?"
As a supporting character, Zhou Pingchuan's portrayal in "Love in the Palm" is somewhat one-sided. Xia Mian only knows that his parents died early, and apart from that, she knows almost nothing about the character's background.
Having worked for the Zhou family for so many years, Uncle Li could sense that his master really liked Mr. Xia, so he didn't hide anything and said directly, "Mr. Xia has a decent relationship with his siblings, but he's not very close to other people."
"Why? Is it because Old Master Zhou treated him badly?" Xia Mian asked curiously.
Regardless of the circumstances, Zhou Pingchuan shouldn't have openly contradicted Old Master Zhou in the entertainment room. After all, he was his grandfather, and the two were even somewhat at odds.
Uncle Li hesitated for a moment: "Mr. Xia, have you met your master's wet nurse, Xue Chunling?"
"I've met you."
"Then you should be able to see that the gentleman values her very much, almost treating her as his own mother."
"Yes, I can tell."
"Do you know why the gentleman and his wet nurse had such a deep bond?"
"Perhaps it's because Aunt Xue treated Third Master as her own son, and remained unmarried and childless her entire life, solely to take care of him?"
"That's right. But there's an even bigger reason besides that."
What's the reason?
“The wet nurse once risked her life to protect the husband.”
Uncle Li raised his head and looked into the distance: "When he was six years old, his nanny van was involved in a car accident while he was out. It was his wet nurse who held him tightly in her arms just before the collision, which saved him from serious injury or even death."
"But the aftereffects were also very serious. The wet nurse almost lost her life and had to be rushed to the ICU. My husband's legs and the scars on his body are traces left by the car accident. They have not yet healed to this day. Whenever it is cloudy or rainy, his legs always ache."
"Logically speaking, when a member of a wealthy family is involved in a car accident, the Zhou family should definitely investigate thoroughly. Moreover, the accident happened on a remote section of the road, where there are very few vehicles on the wide road. How could the vehicle that caused the accident have hit us so precisely?"
"Strangely, the traffic police only said that the other driver was driving under the influence of alcohol and died on the spot, and hastily closed the case. Even the old master Zhou—the head of the family at the time—did not pursue the matter further."
"It wasn't until Mr. [Name] turned eighteen and began to gradually get involved in the company's business and had his own confidants that the truth of what happened back then was finally revealed."
At this point, Uncle Li sighed, as if as an outsider, he couldn't bear to reveal the final truth.
Xia Mian didn't urge him. She put down her wine glass and waited quietly.
“Mr. Xia,” Uncle Li composed himself, “you only know that you have an elder brother, but you don’t know that there is also a second brother, who is quite favored by the old master.”
Summer's pupils constricted: "You mean...?"
"That's right."
“I’ll ask one last question,” Xia Mian took a deep breath, “What about Second Master’s family?”
"He is enjoying his retirement abroad."
It's best not to comment on the master's affairs; we've said enough tonight. Uncle Li is taking a huge risk by saying all this because he wants Xia Mian to better understand and cherish Mr. Zhou. He's witnessed Zhou Pingchuan's entire life; he certainly held power and enjoyed unparalleled prestige, but he also endured hardship, walking on thin ice step by step.
He hoped that someone could stand by his husband's side and face the storms together.
Since it involved the secrets of wealthy families, Xia Mian didn't force Uncle Li to continue, and thanked him instead.
Uncle Li went back to the kitchen for lunch. Faced with the delicious dishes, Xia Mian had no appetite and couldn't eat a single bite.
He couldn't imagine how terrified a six-year-old boy would be in the face of a malicious car accident.
How terrifying it must be for a healthy, privileged person to suddenly become disabled overnight.
How angry must one be when the truth is finally revealed after so many years?
Grandpa, my dear grandpa, to protect his favorite son, he completely ignored his grandson's suffering... If Xia Mian were in Zhou Pingchuan's position, she would hate him too!
No wonder Zhou Pingchuan developed his current personality, and no wonder everyone's first reaction to the name "Third Master" is fear. To kill his own second brother and concentrate all power and resources in his own hands... that's something no ordinary person could do.
Summer hibernation is understandable.
He could never have handled it better than Zhou Pingchuan.
Xia Mian put down his spoon and suddenly remembered something. He ran to the living room, took out the potato chips he had bought at the supermarket on the 29th of the lunar year from the coffee table drawer, and without waiting for the elevator, ran to the study.
He knocked on the door again, and Zhou Pingchuan asked him if there was anything wrong. This time he said, "Yes, there is. Do you remember you promised me a few days ago that you would try the new flavor of potato chips for me? You haven't eaten yet, so you can use these to fill your stomach."
As she spoke, Xia Mian tore open the potato chip packaging, picked out the largest and most intact chip, and handed it to Zhou Pingchuan's lips: "Here you go."
The boy, clutching a huge bag of potato chips, blushed and his hair stood on end from running so fast, like a swallow that had traveled a long way from the south to return spring, throwing spring into Zhou Pingchuan's arms.
Zhou Pingchuan had originally planned to ask Xia Mian about Zhou Ting today.
But he changed his mind.
Let's wait a bit. The kids are so looking forward to the New Year, let's at least let them have a good New Year first.
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