Chapter 96

Chapter 96

On a cool early autumn evening, the air was slightly cool.

The nurse on duty sneezed and instinctively pulled her uniform tighter. Just then, a gentle and clear voice came from above: "Hello, could you tell me which room Zhou Heting is in?"

The nurse looked up and felt her vision brighten instantly. A face so handsome it was almost overwhelming appeared before her, leaving her momentarily stunned. After a few seconds, she finally recognized who it was: "You... you're Ye Mingzhao?"

The nurse, barely containing her excitement, whispered, "I really love the dramas you've acted in. You look even better in person than on TV."

Ye Mingzhao smiled faintly.

Standing beside Ye Mingzhao, even taller than him but completely unnoticed, Chu Hengyi, as usual, paused in silence before calmly repeating, "Hello, could you tell us which room Zhou Heting is in?"

The nurse quickly snapped out of it and lowered her head to flip through the patient registry.

Ten minutes later, Ye Mingzhao and Chu Hengyi stood side by side outside Zhou Heting's hospital room. Through the closed door, they could hear the noisy commotion inside.

They exchanged a knowing smile. Chu Hengyi pushed the door open and, looking at the chaotic scene inside, asked gently, "Is Zhou Heting staying here?"

The noise in the room abruptly stopped. The Zhou family members turned their heads in unison, revealing Zhou Heting lying on the hospital bed, his mouth twisted and eyes drooping.

Chu Hengyi almost burst out laughing at the sight, and Ye Mingzhao, who followed him in, felt the same.

Zhou Heting, lying on the bed, also noticed Chu Hengyi and Ye Mingzhao. He became visibly agitated, his eyebrows knitting together, and he let out incoherent grunts. Standing by the bed, Mrs. Zhou, who had been arguing with her relatives until her head hurt, immediately jabbed a finger at Ye Mingzhao and scolded, "What are you doing here? Did you come to laugh at my husband? Get out! Our Zhou family doesn't welcome you—"

"Enough!" Before Mrs. Zhou could finish, an elderly man with white hair reprimanded her: "Guests should be treated with respect. How can you be so rude?"

Then, the old man turned to Ye Mingzhao and Chu Hengyi with a kind smile: "It's Zhaozhao and Mingyi, right? It's been so long since I last saw you. You've both grown so much."

"You're here to visit Heting, aren't you?" The old man sighed, shaking his head as he spoke: "Ever since our Zhou family's decline, many old friends have stopped visiting. They say when someone leaves, the tea goes cold. But in our case, the tea turned cold before we even left. It's thoughtful of you to still come and visit your Uncle Zhou."

Ye Mingzhao gave a warm smile: "Hello, Grandpa Zhou."

Old Master Zhou nodded at Ye Mingzhao, ignoring the incoherent but clearly emotional protests from Zhou Heting on the bed, and insisted that Ye Mingzhao and Chu Hengyi take a seat.

Chu Hengyi handed a bouquet of lilies to Zhou Heting's younger siblings and asked, feigning ignorance, "How is Uncle Zhou's condition? I heard he had a stroke? I remember Uncle Zhou was always in good health. How did he suddenly become so seriously ill?"

At this question, the Zhou family members standing by the bed exchanged uneasy glances, their faces betraying a hint of guilt.

Mrs. Zhou, furious, started cursing. She knew these two little brats were wolves in sheep's clothing—they were here to kick her husband while he was down.

"You're not here to visit! You're here to make sure my husband doesn't survive, aren't you? You came to finish him off!"

Ye Mingzhao and Chu Hengyi, hearing Mrs. Zhou's accusations, felt genuinely wronged. They had come today with genuine intentions to visit Zhou Heting. Didn't you see they brought lilies, not chrysanthemums?

After hearing Chu Hengyi's defense, Mrs. Zhou's face grew even more unpleasant, her lips trembling. She had to listen as Chu Hengyi continued to whine in self-pity: "This is such a misunderstanding. It's autumn, and chrysanthemums are everywhere. We didn't take the easy way out and buy chrysanthemums for a patient. Instead, we specifically asked our assistant to pick the freshest lilies. It's a shame no one appreciates it."

The Zhou family members standing by the bed exchanged uneasy glances. Even though they had been fighting with their uncle and aunt like cats and dogs, they couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for Zhou Heting and his wife—after all, Zhou Heting on the bed was so angry he was practically choking, almost spitting blood!

The Zhou family unanimously felt that if Chu Hengyi kept talking, Zhou Heting might actually start vomiting blood.

Mrs. Zhou, nearly having a heart attack from Chu Hengyi's retorts, knew she couldn't win against him. So, she turned her anger back on the Zhou family's nephews and nieces, even cursing Old Master Zhou as a meddlesome old troublemaker: "If it weren't for you and your pack of ungrateful wolves fighting my husband over the family fortune, he wouldn't have had a stroke! How could you, as a father, do this to your own son? I've never seen anyone so cruel."

Old Master Zhou, being publicly berated by his daughter-in-law in front of family and outsiders, shook with rage. His cane thumped against the floor, but he couldn't form a complete sentence.

In his desperation, tears began to stream down his face.

"No one appreciates my efforts!"

The elderly patriarch of the Zhou family wiped his tears with the back of his hand, feeling deeply wronged. He refused to admit that his actions were in support of his other children competing with Zhou Heting for the family fortune. In his view, he did all this for Zhou Heting's benefit, fearing that if Zhou Heting continued his reckless behavior, he would squander the family assets and end up destitute and without support in his old age. That's why he wanted Zhou Heting to distribute his property among his nephews and nieces—at least so that the younger generation would remember Zhou Heting's kindness.

"What kind of family is the Ye family, and what kind of people are you two? The Ye family is wealthy and powerful, their influence far exceeds yours. How could you afford to offend them? It seems you've forgotten how you two first rose to prominence."

In the presence of Ye Mingzhao and Chu Hengyi, members of the Ye family, the elderly patriarch of the Zhou family decided to lay all his cards on the table, no longer caring about saving face.

Twenty years ago, Zhou Heting was just a contractor, managing a small construction business. He wasn't even qualified to perform menial tasks for the Ye family. It was only when Chu Hengyi was kidnapped, throwing the Ye family into chaos, that Zhou Heting seized the opportunity to win the favor and trust of Ye Linyuan, a powerful figure, and secured his support. Without that, the Zhou family would never have achieved what it has today.

In the view of the elderly patriarch of the Zhou family, no matter how high one rises, one should never forget their roots. Yet, Zhou Heting seemed to have been bewitched, determined to oppose the Ye family.

After all the plotting and maneuvering, the family business was lost, his son was gone, and most of his retirement savings were squandered.

The elderly patriarch of the Zhou family couldn't comprehend it! He couldn't grasp what his eldest son was trying to accomplish! But he knew that if things continued this way, the Zhou family would be destroyed by Zhou Heting's actions. Ultimately, the entire family might have to suffer alongside him.

The elderly patriarch of the Zhou family was old, and he wasn't afraid of returning to the hardships of the past, but there were still so many members of the Zhou family!

As the old saying goes, "When one thrives, all thrive; when one falls, all fall." The Zhou family is one, and Zhou Heting should consider not only himself but also the entire family. He shouldn't bring everyone down with him.

The elderly patriarch of the Zhou family was anxious and unsure how to handle the situation. Just then, Chairman Ye and his wife paid a visit. After a lengthy discussion, when Chairman Ye and his wife departed, the elderly patriarch of the Zhou family felt he had found a solution.

"I really am doing this for your own good. I'm your father—how could I harm you?" The elderly patriarch of the Zhou family sat by his eldest son's hospital bed, holding Zhou Heting's hand and rambling on.

He truly believed he was acting in his son's best interest, but his son didn't understand. In his view, the Ye family was too powerful, and Ye Linyuan's methods were too cunning for their family to contend with.

Zhou Heting had secretly plotted for years, but when his schemes were exposed, the Zhou family's business was acquired, Zhou Yueze was arrested and imprisoned, and their assets shrank drastically. A fortune of billions was reduced to just a few hundred million in a few short years. If things continued this way, Zhou Heting might even lose his retirement savings.

The elderly patriarch of the Zhou family was scared. He didn't want Zhou Heting to waste what little money he had left. He wanted Zhou Heting to settle down and have a peaceful retirement. So he made the decision to gather the entire family and confront Zhou Heting, urging him to hand over his assets so that he, the father, could manage them. Without money, Zhou Heting would have no means to continue his schemes.

As for transferring Zhou Heting's real estate to his nephews and nieces, wasn't that also a way to ensure that Zhou Heting would treat the younger generation well and have someone to care for him in his old age? After all, his eldest grandson, who was already in prison, was clearly unreliable. In the future, they would have to rely on their nephews and nieces for support.

The elderly patriarch of the Zhou family genuinely believed he was acting in Zhou Heting's best interest. He never expected that Zhou Heting would not only fail to appreciate it but would also be so angered that he suffered a stroke and was hospitalized.

Sitting nearby, Ye Mingzhao and Chu Hengyi exchanged glances, unsure of what to say.

It could only be said that the elderly patriarch of the Zhou family's intentions were good, but his approach was overly naive.

Even a three-year-old child wouldn't want to hand over their New Year's money to their parents, let alone Zhou Heting, who was nearly sixty.

For a moment, Ye Mingzhao and Chu Hengyi couldn't help but feel sympathy for Zhou Heting. With a father who was so deluded yet thought himself wise, Zhou Heting must have had a hard time.

No wonder he thought of using the Ye family to cause trouble for Chairman Ye and his wife!

Ye Mingzhao smiled slightly, his face filled with emotion as he sighed, "It's said that a parent's love for their child is deep and far-sighted. Grandpa Zhou, you've really put a lot of thought into this. Uncle Zhou, you should understand Grandpa Zhou's good intentions!"

Zhou Heting was so angry that he rolled his eyes, drooling from his mouth, but he couldn't utter a word, his face contorted with frustration.

After sitting by the hospital bed and watching the drama unfold for a while, Ye Mingzhao and Chu Hengyi bid their farewells and left.

However, after leaving the hospital room, they didn't go straight home. Instead, they turned and went to find Zhou Heting's attending physician.

Under the guise of caring for the patient, Ye Mingzhao requested to review Zhou Heting's medical records—actually wanting to see if Zhou Heting's sudden stroke was genuine or faked.

Zhou Heting's attending physician didn't know the full story, but he had seen the gossip online and knew that the Ye and Zhou families were at odds.

Seeing the hesitant doctor, Ye Mingzhao smiled and said, "You seem troubled. Is there something bothering you? Should I invite Grandpa Zhou over as well?"

Hearing Ye Mingzhao's question, the attending physician pondered for a moment before nodding, "I'm very sorry, but we can only disclose a patient's condition with the consent of the patient or their family."

Ye Mingzhao smiled and expressed his understanding, then asked Chu Hengyi to go and invite the elderly patriarch of the Zhou family over.

Chu Hengyi glanced at Ye Mingzhao, whose smile seemed completely innocent, and he wasn’t the least bit surprised. He had long known that Ye Mingzhao was a meticulous and ruthless individual, unlikely to easily buy into an enemy’s feigned weakness—even if the enemy didn’t mean to.

Ten minutes later, accompanied by the elderly Mr. Zhou, Ye Mingzhao managed to get a look at Zhou Heting’s medical records and found out from the doctor that Zhou Heting had indeed suffered a sudden stroke due to extreme emotional distress and severe stress. With proper care, he would be out of danger.

However, the stroke had left its mark.

Like a crooked mouth, squinted eyes, slurred speech, and unsteady legs, meaning he might need a cane to get around, just like the elderly Mr. Zhou.

Ye Mingzhao gave a subtle smirk, handed the medical records back to the doctor, and consoled the elderly Mr. Zhou, “No one wanted things to turn out this way. We hope you can find some comfort during this tough time.”

The elderly Mr. Zhou shook his head solemnly, then heard Ye Mingzhao let out a meaningful sigh. “Uncle Zhou must be really upset about his condition. I think right now, he needs his family’s support and care more than ever. But Auntie is too emotionally overwhelmed; she’s not in the right state to take care of a patient.”

Hearing this, the elderly Mr. Zhou immediately grabbed Ye Mingzhao’s wrist. “I agree. But—”

“Let’s get a good caregiver for Uncle Zhou,” Ye Mingzhao said with a soft smile, his eyes downcast, speaking sincerely. “Would you like me to help you find one?”