Chapter 8

Chapter 8

While Bai Zhizhi ate and drank without distraction, Zhou Yan's father, Zhou Jiming, hurried back, accompanied by his younger daughter, Zhou Jing.

Since Zhou Yan's incident, company matters fell on Zhou Jiming. Although he hadn't retired yet, he had already handed most matters over to his son. Now that his son was sick, he had to manage both the household and the company.

Zhou Jing offered to temporarily help with her brother's work, planning to hand it back once he recovered, so that a pile-up of work wouldn't slow his recovery.

Their family had always been close and harmonious. Zhou Yan treated his sister well, and Zhou Jing was very close to her brother. When she offered to help, no one in the family suspected any ulterior motives; they only saw it as her looking out for her brother.

Jiang Lin carefully observed the facial features and aura of Zhou Jiming and Zhou Jing. He wasn't a practitioner of the Heavenly Masters tradition, but as a cultivator, his senses were naturally keen, and many things were interconnected. A single glance was enough for him to discern many matters.

However, he found nothing wrong with Zhou Jiming or Zhou Jing. Their auras were ordinary and normal, without any Yin Qi or baleful energy.

After returning, Zhou Jiming repeatedly apologized: "I'm sorry, I was busy with company matters and only just got back. Sorry for the lousy hospitality."

Jiang Lin said it was no problem, and after Zhou Jiming sat down, he asked, "I bet the masters you hired before have asked similar questions many times. If you don't mind, could you walk me through it again on Zhou Yan's daily life, his relationships, and his career? Has he ever pissed anyone off, or does your family have any family feuds?"

Zhou Jiming: "In business, there are always one or two competitors, but they're all normal business rivalry. I don't think anyone would resort to such underhanded means. As for relationships, my son had a girlfriend abroad before, but they broke up on good terms, no drama. After returning home, he hasn't dated anyone or made any enemies."

Lv Qinghe handed several documents to Jiang Lin: "These are some of our Zhou family's business partners and competitors. Our family has always focused on solid, practical industry and earned money the peaceful way, and rarely had any conflicts. The masters before us also looked into these people and found no issues with them."

Jiang Lin flipped through the documents. They were all local bigwigs, some of whom he had met himself. They weren't the type to hurt someone over a minor business deal.

Jiang Lin set the documents aside and turned to Zhou Jing: "Miss Zhou, regarding your brother, is there anything you'd like to share?"

Zhou Jing was taken aback. Seeing her parents look at her, she couldn't help but say, "Mr. Jiang, what do you mean by that? Are you implying I'm the one who did this for my brother's current condition?"

Jiang Lin shook his head: "I didn't say that. It's just that I sense a bit of pent-up frustration written all over your face. Perhaps it's best to get it off your chest now to avoid greater trouble in the future."

Bai Zhizhi looked up at Zhou Jing. He couldn't read fortunes from faces and couldn't see any problem with the girl, but he could sense that her energy felt really suppressed, like a calm before a storm.

Zhou Jiming and Lv Qinghe both looked at their daughter. Lv Qinghe stepped forward and grabbed her hand anxiously: "Jingjing, is there something you haven't told Mom? Your brother is already like this. If something happens to you too, how can Mom go on?"

Zhou Jing let out a laugh: "No, there's nothing at all."

Jiang Lin: "You clearly have something on your mind. Why don't you say it? They're your family."

Zhou Jing: "Mr. Jiang, our family hired you to solve my brother's problem. Please don't lose focus."

Jiang Lin: "But in your parents' eyes, your brother is important, and so are you. One life may or may not be saved, but the one in front of you can still be saved."

Lv Qinghe was already panicking. Zhou Yan was, after all, her stepson. Although she had invested years of emotion and regarded him as family, there was still some difference between biological and non-biological. In her heart, neither her husband nor her stepson was as important as her own biological daughter.

Zhou Jiming spoke up: "Jingjing, what's really going on? What can't you say within the family?"

Zhou Jing looked at her father: "If I said I want to join the company—not just as a spoiled heiress, but to enter management and compete fairly with my brother for inheritance rights—what would you think?"

Zhou Jiming was stunned. He had never considered his daughter inheriting the company. In his eyes, his daughter was to be cherished and spoiled, raised like a little princess. Eventually, she would marry an outstanding man. With him around, and later with Zhou Yan, as long as the Zhou family stood, his daughter would be well-off for life.

And Zhou Jing had never shown any ambition in her daily life. She was like an ordinary girl, fond of shopping and fun, clingy and coquettish, and she relied on and was close to her brother. So they had never thought she would have thoughts of inheriting the company.

Seeing her father silent, Zhou Jing smiled, but it was a smile of helplessness and bitterness: "Is it because I'm a girl? Or because my mother isn't your first wife? Even if I were a boy, for the sake of family harmony, you wouldn't raise me as an heir, would you? If I had such thoughts, in your eyes, would that make me ungrateful, a snake in the grass, wanting to fight my brother for the family fortune?"

Lv Qinghe opened her mouth but didn't know what to say. She truly had no idea her daughter harbored such thoughts. In that moment, she didn't think about her daughter hiding her true desires from her; instead, she felt wronged for her daughter—because she was Zhou Jiming's second wife, her child had to endure in this household.

Zhou Jing hadn't expected that speaking up would yield any results. She shrugged and said, "It's just that small matter. It's not important. My brother's issue is the priority now."

Lin Xiaoyang pursed his lips and remained quiet, watching. Sure enough, there was drama. But why shouldn't the daughter have inheritance rights? That's unfair!

This was a family matter, and it couldn't be resolved immediately. Zhou Jiming said, "We'll talk about this later. For now, let's focus on your brother's problem."

Zhou Jing didn't refuse. Indeed, her brother's issue was most important now.

But Lv Qinghe spoke up: "Mr. Jiang, you pointed out my daughter's issue. Does it have anything to do with A Yan's condition?"

Zhou Jing looked at her mother, puzzled and a little hurt. How could her mother think that? Even if she wanted to fight for fairness, she would never harm her family.

Lv Qinghe just held her hand reassuringly.

Jiang Lin understood why Lv Qinghe asked: "It's related, yet unrelated."

Zhou Jiming's face changed: "What does that mean?"

Jiang Lin: "Currently, we haven't found any problem with Zhou Yan, but his illness is truly strange. You've consulted many masters and doctors, and no cause has been found. Even I can't guarantee I can resolve his issue. If it comes to the worst, given his current state, he might not live long. Then, if a son dies of unknown causes, and a daughter who previously showed no ambition suddenly changes, capable and skilled enough to take over the family business—Mr. Zhou, if that happened, what would you think?"

Zhou Jiming didn't understand at first, but as he followed Jiang Lin's reasoning, he immediately realized the problem. If things developed as described, he would start suspecting whether his daughter was involved in his son's death. Once suspicion arose, this family would be ruined.

Jiang Lin stopped there and didn't dwell on the matter. He stood up, planning to carefully inspect the house inside and out again.

Zhou Jing stopped her mother, who was about to accompany him, and offered to guide them: "There used to be a small garden in the back with a man-made fountain. Later, someone said that circulating water could affect the family's financial luck, so it was filled in. Now nothing is planted there, and it's temporarily empty."

Jiang Lin nodded: "Fountains shouldn't be built casually. They depend heavily on the size of the house and the owner's luck. Where does your brother like to stay most?"

Zhou Jing: "In his study. He's very busy with work and spends most of his time at home in the study."

Lin Xiaoyang: "Does your brother really have no romantic ties? Is there no one who admires him or pesters him?"

Zhou Jing shook her head: "Really, there isn't. No one pesters my brother, and my brother doesn't pester anyone else. So there shouldn't be any unrequited love or love rivals."

Bai Zhizhi held a small cake, eating it sporadically. He followed wherever they went, like a little tail, not saying much, quiet and well-behaved, melting hearts.

Jiang Lin looked at Bai Zhizhi: "You can wait in the living room. We won't be going far."

Bai Zhizhi shook his head: "The living room doesn't smell good either."

It had smelled a bit sweet earlier, but that fishy smell was slowly seeping down from upstairs. It was better to come out and get some air.

Zhou Jing: "Maybe it's because we used too much mop water, making the smell stronger."

Since he didn't want to go, Jiang Lin didn't insist. He said to Zhou Jing, "Could we look at your brother's study?"

Zhou Jing: "Sure, it's on the second floor. I'll take you up."

Bai Zhizhi looked up at the second floor and couldn't help sighing. The worst-smelling place. Never mind, he'd just hold his breath.

Zhou Yan's study was ordinary: an entire wall of file folders, not many books, a very clean desk, and some photos—ones from his student days abroad, family trips, and pictures with friends.

In the photos, Zhou Yan was handsome and fit, showing that despite his busy work, he still managed his physique. His smile at the camera was youthful and carefree, a stark contrast to the man they had just seen.

Lin Xiaoyang had seen these photos that morning. Looking at them again now, he felt sorry. Such a handsome guy, reduced to this. If even his Brother Jiang couldn't find the cause, he would likely be waiting to die.

Jiang Lin looked over the photos: "Miss Zhou, does your brother like camping?"

Several photos on the wall showed Zhou Yan camping with friends in different places—cycling, driving, fishing, and dining together.

Zhou Jing: "Not exactly camping. He would just get together with old high school friends. But in the last couple of years, he's gotten busier, so those gatherings have become less frequent. Occasionally, they'd have a few drinks."

Lin Xiaoyang: "After your brother got sick, did any of these friends come to see him?"

Zhou Jing shook her head: "No, mainly because they don't keep in touch much. I don't have their contact information either. They probably don't even know that my brother is sick."

Lin Xiaoyang: "No enemies in business, no romantic trouble. Maybe the problem is with your brother's friends?"

Zhou Jing couldn't give a definite answer to that, because those friends were part of her brother's private life, and they usually didn't ask about that kind of stuff.

The reason they hadn't suspected the friends earlier was that her brother really didn't keep in close contact with them—only the occasional meal. They were good friends, but as they grew older and entered society, everyone had their own lives, and their interactions were no longer as deep as during their school days.

Lin Xiaoyang looked at the photos and asked, "Brother Jiang, can you read anything off their faces?"

Jiang Lin glanced at the date below: "The earliest ones are from a year ago. A year can change a lot of things."

Bai Zhizhi also came over to look, and when he saw a photo of a dinner party, he leaned in for a closer look at the dishes on the table.

Once he confirmed what was on the plate, and linked it to that fishy smell ordinary people wouldn't pick up on, he roughly understood what was going on with that Zhou Yan.

He looked away, ate the last bite of his small cake, and shook his head. That guy was beyond saving.

Author's note: