Chapter 51 Dole Homeland

Chapter 51: Duole Home

He deliberately avoided terms like "doctor" or "consultation," and didn't mention senior sister Zhuo Zhixuan's psychological clinic: "It's just casual chatting. Pinghai also has a mental health office. The next few months are the Maritime Trade Conference period, with tight schedules and potentially high pressure."

Huantu and Pinghai not only arrange annual employee health check-ups but also collaborate with psychological clinics, stationing psychologists on campus weekly to focus on employees' mental well-being.

The problem was, Tan Youming declared, "I'm not stressed."

Shen Zongnian: "Just consider it a diversion."

"I'm not bored; I'm swamped," Tan Youming glanced at the time, his tone urgent. "The touring exhibition starts next month. The venue, conference milestones, and progress have been revised several times and need finalization ASAP."

The triennial Asia-Pacific Marine Trade Summit was a major event.

This was Tan Youming's first time participating as a co-organizer of such a large-scale public affair since fully assuming leadership at Pinghai, and he took it very seriously.

Pinghai had secured the hosting rights, but the undertaking was too vast for officials to let one entity monopolize it. The goal was to foster both competition and collaboration, pooling the island's collective resources to achieve something significant.

"Taiji, the Xu family, and the Zeng family—they're nominally co-organizers, but they're all watching like hawks, along with countless smaller suppliers."

"Right now, Pinghai has the upper hand and looks impressive, but if we falter even once, they'll immediately swarm in and devour every last bit of this opportunity."

"That's irrelevant," Shen Zongnian dismissed it. "Tell me what you need to do."

Tan Youming glanced sideways: "You think I'd let you off the hook?"

Large projects with official backing can quickly build a positive social image and public recognition. Pinghai has never allowed Huantu to fall behind.

To be precise, Tan Youming cared more about Shen Zongnian's public reputation than Shen Zongnian himself did. Even when they were at odds and Tan Youming wanted to separate from Shen Zongnian, he never let his anger impact Huantu.

"At the planning meeting, we proposed listing tech and energy categories separately, with Huantu managing coordination."

"They've reviewed it in meetings and will probably want to talk to you soon."

"Then I really don't have the time," Tan Youming said with ambitious fervor, stubborn to the point where even the Jade Emperor would be useless. "Two days here is already my limit."

If he weren't worried about upsetting his parents, he would have left right after the doctor's follow-up yesterday. Tan Youming felt perfectly fine now and stated firmly: "I'm telling you, I'm definitely discharging tomorrow. It doesn't matter if any of you disagree."

Being cooped up in this small space every day was annoying enough. Tan Youming resisted, muttering: "Rushing to see a doctor when there's nothing wrong really does make me seem unstable."

Shen Zongnian opened his mouth to speak.

"Shen Zongnian," Tan Youming suddenly looked up, belatedly realizing, his gaze sharp and accusatory as he asked seriously, "Do you think I have a bad temper, that I'm making unreasonable demands, that I should see a doctor?"

Tan Youming had always been thick-skinned, not caring how others viewed or discussed him, but he particularly valued Shen Zongnian's opinion. Hearing this indirectly still left him feeling somewhat wronged and angry: "Or do you see me as a lunatic? Someone who stirs up trouble for no reason? Are you staying because you think I'm—"

"Stop talking nonsense," Shen Zongnian, who didn't believe in gods or Buddhas, now wary of tempting fate, frowned to stop him. "You're not sick."

Shen Zongnian had no way to persuade Tan Youming now. If Tan Youming wasn't willing, he'd have to find another way.

On discharge day, the Tan family driver came to pick him up. The driver asked after Tan Youming's health—having worked for the Tans for nearly thirty years, he'd never seen the young master hospitalized.

"Uncle Zhang, I'm fine."

Tan Youming hadn't ridden in this Bentley for a long time: "Why does it smell like smoke?" Faint, but noticeable.

The six hours and nine cigarettes in the Yingchi parking garage that night—Shen Zongnian had later specifically had the car cleaned, but the leather still retained the smell unavoidably, like a reminder, a mark that couldn't be washed away.

Shen Zongnian closed the car door and handed him a cushion: "From clothes during business dinners."

He paused, then asked: "Does it smell bad? Should I open a window?"

Tan Youming said no.

It was gone—that faint citrus scent. Tan Youming had thought the hospital disinfectant was too strong to notice, but it turned out Shen Zongnian really didn't have it on him at all anymore.

He leaned back and looked out the window. Shen Zongnian thought for a moment, then reached over and took his phone.

"What are you doing?" Tan Youming was surprised; he was usually the one playing with Shen Zongnian's phone.

Shen Zongnian lowered his head and tapped the screen a few times: "Unblock me."

Tan Youming opened his mouth, remembering—that night at Yingchi, he'd been so angry he blocked him.

An awkward silence settled in the back seat. As the Bentley sped through Financial Street, Tan Youming finally found a chance to claim the moral high ground: "On the 16th, did you go to Binzhou District or Xiaolan Mountain?"

Shen Zongnian raised an eyebrow, unsurprised: "Were you following me?"

"I ran into you," Tan Youming said, without justification but defiant, pressing, "Where did you actually go?"

"Binzhou District."

"What were you doing there?"

Having reached this point, Shen Zongnian had nothing to hide: "Pu Li was assisting He Wufei with anti-fraud work. They helped me investigate leads regarding Shen Xiaochang. They tracked down a batch of illicit goods. 'The Baoqu Inkstone Catalog' originally belonged to the Shen family. I went to identify it."

"Shen Xiaochang!?" Tan Youming immediately became tense, as if facing a great threat. "He's back in the country?"

His reaction echoed Zhuo Zhixuan's warning in Shen Zongnian's ears.

The pathological trauma from multiple separations caused by the Shen family in childhood had lain dormant all these years without him noticing at all.

Shen Zongnian pressed on Tan Youming's shoulder, both explaining and soothing: "No, he's smuggling antiques and cultural relics, using counterfeits for fraud, trying to hold shares through White Crane Hall in Binzhou District to return to the Haishi market." The target was Huantu, or Shen Zongnian himself.

Tan Youming's gaze turned cold: "He doesn't know when to quit."

"He Wufei has already uncovered their network. He won't succeed."

But Tan Youming remained uneasy: "How does he know people in Binzhou District?"

Shen Zongnian: "One needs people, the other needs money. It's not strange for them to collude."

Tan Youming fell silent, his expression darkening.

Shen Zongnian pressed harder on his shoulder: "The police will maintain surveillance."

Tan Youming said angrily: "Does that guarantee safety?"

Shen Zongnian never allowed him to get involved in these matters: "Everything's under control now." He watched the other's expression and emotional changes, opened a water bottle, and handed it over. "Are you uncomfortable?"

Tan Youming looked at him, a flicker of pain in his eyes, but refused to speak.

Shen Zongnian frowned and said sternly: "Talk."

Tan Youming had seen his nervous reaction long enough but wasn't appeased: "You tell me to talk and I have to talk, but when I ask you to tell me, you won't utter a single word. Why should I!?"

Shen Zongnian scolded him seriously: "Tan Youming, don't make light of serious matters."

When he acted this way, he appeared fierce and cold, and Tan Youming wasn't happy either.

The driver didn’t know why the two young masters were arguing again, so he quietly accelerated, overtaking several cars ahead.

The redbud tree in the old mansion was in full bloom. A child about waist-high lay by the pond watching the fish, accompanied by Tan Zhongshan, who held a pink teddy bear in his hand.

The setting sun turned the pond gold, with a few Ryukin goldfish and Yuanbao Lionheads stirring the water lilies.

"Tan Duole!"

The little turnip head turned around and rushed over: "Uncle!"

Tan Youming’s anger from the car ride subsided a bit as he spread his arms and hugged the child tightly: "Whoa."

"Who did your hair?"

"Kingsley."

"I thought so." Only Guan Kezhi would give a child such a hairstyle.

Tan Duole asked expectantly, "Uncle, am I trendy?"

This was all stuff Tan Youming had outgrown by the age of fourteen, but he had never seen a little girl with a wolf-cut hairstyle before. He grabbed the ends of her hair and praised, "So trendy it’s giving me rheumatism."

Tan Duole wasn’t entirely satisfied. She wrapped her arms around his neck and called out to the person behind him: "Uncle Zongnian."

Shen Zongnian, worried that Tan Youming might be tired, took the child from him: "Hmm."

Tan Duole was the least afraid of him among the Tan family children. Like uncle, like niece—she had small peach-blossom eyes paired with a wolf-cut hairstyle, looking cool and spirited, reminiscent of the little troublemaker who had caused a ruckus fourteen years ago.

They went inside just as dinner was about to be served.

"Kingsley." Tan Duole climbed into the child’s seat next to Guan Kezhi on her own.

"Here." Guan Kezhi served her a bowl of soup, and Shen Zongnian did the same for Tan Youming.

Auntie Tang had made mango pancakes. No one else wanted any, so the uncle and niece each enjoyed one.

The nourishing slow-cooked soup was made with lingzhi and red ginseng, giving it a strong medicinal flavor. Tan Duole left half a bowl, scratched her head, and said to Guan Kezhi, "Kingsley, I can’t finish it."

Guan Kezhi had always been relaxed about parenting: "Then don’t drink it. Have some dessert instead."

Tan Youming tried to follow suit, but before he could even put down his spoon, Shen Zongnian preempted him without even turning his head: "Finish yours."

Before Tan Youming could protest, he was further informed: "And this is your last pancake." The sugar content was too high, contrary to the doctor’s orders for a light diet.

Tan Youming swallowed a stream of curses, thinking that being at home was even less free than being in the hospital.

Tan Zhongshan mentioned that Tan Youming’s paternal uncle and aunt wanted to visit the child.

Before Guan Kezhi and Tan Youming could respond, Tan Duole was the first to voice her opinion: "I don’t want to see Grandpa and Grandma."

Tan Youming was surprised: "Why?"

"They don’t want Mom to get a divorce and want me to persuade her."

Everyone fell silent for a moment.

Guan Kezhi indulged the child: "If you don’t want to see them, then you don’t have to."

After putting down their chopsticks, Tan Youming and Shen Zongnian called Tan Yulin.

"Youming." Tan Yulin’s voice sounded tired.

"Sis, how are things?" Their relationship was neither close nor distant, usually intersecting at shareholder meetings and family gatherings during holidays. In Tan Youming’s memory, she had always been a strong-willed older sister since childhood. "Shen Zongnian and I wanted to ask if you need any help."

Shen Zongnian also spoke up: "Sister Lin."

"Zongnian," Tan Yulin didn’t bother with polite formalities and directly updated them on the situation. "The Zeng family is unwilling to negotiate a divorce. Ceng Shaohui’s mistress gave birth to a boy, and the Zeng family plans to acknowledge him. My lawyer is currently gathering evidence of his infidelity. If this goes to court, they will fight for Tan Duole’s custody and my shares in Pinghai."

Tan Youming and Shen Zongnian exchanged a glance: "What are your thoughts?"

"I want a divorce, but I won’t give up any money, and I want to keep the child."

"Alright," Tan Youming said. "I’ll have the family office’s legal team assemble a group specializing in divorce litigation to work with your lawyer." He assured her, "The divorce will happen, the child will remain with you, and you won’t have to share any assets. Since he’s at fault, he’ll have to compensate you. The child support for Tan Duole will also be satisfactory."

Tan Yulin chuckled softly: "Thank you, little brother." Then she worried, "Will this put you in a difficult position with the Zeng family?" The two families had collaborations, and the Zeng family was not insignificant. Their marriage had been a highly anticipated event on the island, and with the Maritime Trade Association’s event approaching, tensions were high.

"It won't." Dealing with that trash is no problem at all. Not having someone teach Ceng Shaohui a lesson would be an act of mercy on Tan Youming's part.

Tan Duole pushed the door open and, hearing Tan Yulin’s voice, called out to the phone: "Mom!"

"Tan Duole," Tan Yulin’s tone softened. "What are you doing?"

"Watching cartoons with Kingsley."

Tan Yulin sighed helplessly: "You should call her Great-aunt."

Guan Kezhi’s face was simply too youthful, and Tan Duole couldn’t bring herself to say it: "Kingsley said it’s fine to call her that."

Tan Yulin scolded her a bit, but Tan Youming defended the child: "Sis, it’s fine. Mom doesn’t care about these things."

Tan Yulin had no choice but to remind her daughter: "Then you must listen to your uncle and Uncle Zongnian. Don’t cause any trouble."

"I’m always well-behaved."

After hanging up, Tan Duole changed her tune: "Uncle, I want to eat Mango Pomelo Sago." The weather was too hot.

Tan Youming was also parched: "I want some too."

Tan Duole followed closely behind: "Uncle Zongnian, is it ready?"

Shen Zongnian divided a dessert into two portions, playing the impartial judge: "Uncle gets one-third, and the rest is yours."

"What?" Both the adult and the child protested in unison: "I want a whole bowl."

Shen Zongnian stood firm, coldly closing the refrigerator door: "No."