Chapter 47

Chapter 47

Gu Mingchuan thought everything was wrong, but the old lady's word was as good as done.

He couldn't help regretting bringing up the house matter, and was even more angry at his wife for bringing it up.

But since the words had been spoken, they couldn't be taken back. He decided to lay his cards on the table: "Mom, if you ask me, you and Dad never planned to leave a share of this family business to our branch, did you? Why does nothing good ever come to us?"

The old lady's smile gradually faded as she heard this: "Did I not give you a chance? Or did I not give Chengzhi and Chengfeng a chance? Do you think I don't know about the things you've been doing behind the scenes?"

Wang Shuyi said, "What have we done? Isn't it just that Chengzhi took some hotel money? But if you and Dad hadn't held on to the power, would he have had to? Look at any big enterprise—is there one like ours where the grandchildren are already married while the children's generation can't even get a word in at the head office!"

"So it seems you think your father and I have lived too long."

"I never said that, Mom. Don't twist my words. Let's talk about the matter at hand. Isn't this too risky? What if something unexpected happens one day and there's no one in the company who can take charge?"

"You certainly know how to talk during a holiday." The old lady glanced with displeasure at her eldest daughter-in-law. "Some things I don't bring up because I'm saving face for you in front of the younger generation. Don't bite the hand that feeds you. I've said it before—you can compete, but don't damage the company's foundation or the brotherly bond. But what have you done? Do you need me to spell it out? You don't have much brains to start with, and you waste them on scheming, making a laughingstock of yourselves."

"What scheming—"

"Enough!" the old lady said. "Today is a family banquet. Don't talk about annoying matters. If you feel it's unfair, you can go out and build your own career. The Gu family's doors have always been open. Your father and I have never stopped anyone from leaving."

Wang Shuyi was about to speak again, but Gu Mingchuan quickly stopped her. They were just dissatisfied, not really wanting to start a business from scratch at their age.

Rong Yuan felt that the eldest branch's words were too harsh, and they said she was being biased. Grandma was just worried about him having no one to take care of him—where was the favoritism? She gave everyone the same opportunities. His Han Ge didn't even have his parents to help him.

He frowned slightly, his cheeks puffing out a little, looking displeased but unable to retort to an elder. Gu Shenhan noticed this. He held Rong Yuan's hand, feeling an unusual inner peace at such a time.

In the past, just hearing the word "favoritism" would have made him angry, but now he felt nothing. He even felt like laughing.

And he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"What are you laughing at, brother?" Gu Chengzhi, who had been silent, asked.

"It's a holiday, can't I laugh? Or does Big Brother think I don't have the right to be happy in the Gu family?"

"Heh, of course you do. Even your father can shamelessly stay in the house and marry a new wife, so a laugh from you is nothing... Rong Yuan! Are you crazy?!"

"You're the one who's crazy!" Rong Yuan had just splashed a cup of hot tea on Gu Chengzhi, his face now full of anger. "We call you 'Big Brother' out of respect. If you can't be a loving brother, at least don't be so mean! When have we ever used your mistakes to mock you? But you, when it's not even Han Ge's fault, you're so nasty!"

"Nasty?! What I said is the truth! Ask him—is he even a legitimate son of the second branch? His real father is right over there!" Gu Chengzhi pointed at the third uncle who had just walked in. "And they still have the nerve to stay in the Gu—"

Bang!

Gu Shenhan kicked the coffee table. The jade table slammed into Gu Chengzhi's knee, making him unable to speak from the pain. Gu Shenhan's face was dark: "It's a holiday, so I won't hit your face. Don't push it."

Gu Chengzhi held his knee, his face red from holding back pain.

Wang Shuyi, as his mother, couldn't bear to see her son hurt. She quickly called the servants: "What are you standing around for? Hurry up and call the doctor, get someone to check on him!"

In just a few moments, Gu Chengzhi was sweating from the pain. Wang Shuyi said anxiously, "Gu Shenhan, you've gone too far! Does he need to go to the hospital? Could the bone be broken? Where's Chengfeng? Call Chengfeng! It's a holiday, why isn't he back yet?!"

Gu Mingchuan pointed at Gu Shenhan and asked the old lady, "Mom, and you still say you're not favoring him? Your heart is biased all the way to the North Pole! Shenhan, as the younger brother, attacks his elder brother at will, and you don't even intervene?"

"And when Chengzhi said such nasty things, didn't you not intervene either? When they were young, Chengzhi bullied Shenhan plenty. If I were truly biased, would he still be sitting here unscathed today?"

"So you're determined to side with him, right?"

"I don't side with anyone. I only side with the Gu family." The old lady's tone also turned cold. "Eldest, though I'm tired of hearing myself say this, I'll say it again today: anyone who can't tolerate their own brothers cannot take over the Gu family. Also, I sent Chengfeng to visit the Tao family. If they agree, he'll bring Tao Ling here for the holiday. I've met Tao Ling a few times. She's well-mannered and has a good temperament. Chengfeng made a good choice. If Chengzhi can't make up his mind, let Chengfeng get engaged first. The Gu family has no rule that the eldest must marry first."

"How can that be?!" Wang Shuyi was unhappy hearing this. "The Tao family also has a son. What can Tao Ling inherit? She won't be any help to Chengfeng."

"If that's how you think, then tell Chengfeng to break it off with the girl early and not waste her time."

"Do you think I haven't told him? He won't break it off, what can I do? Anyway, I disagree with this."

"Suit yourself. If you can change Chengfeng's mind, go ahead." The old lady stood up. "Wu Xue, when the doctor comes and gives a result, let me know. Shenhan, take Xiao An with me to the study."

Wu Ma said, "Then I'll bring you some tea and snacks later."

The old lady said, "No need. Just bring Xiao An some of the things young people like."

Wu Ma agreed, and Gu Shenhan followed. Rong Yuan considerately helped the old lady. Though she was still strong, she didn't refuse.

Wang Shuyi watched them from behind, her chest heaving with emotion. She muttered, "Anyone would think this family's fortune came from the Rong name. I don't care! I still disagree with Chengfeng and Tao Ling's relationship."

Gu Mingchuan seemed to be thinking. After a while, he said, "If you ask me, you'd better agree."

Wang Shuyi nearly jumped: "Why?! With Chengfeng's family background and looks, can't he find someone better anywhere else?"

"But the question is, does the old lady like her?" Gu Mingchuan looked in the direction of the old lady going upstairs. "Haven't you seen how much she likes her favored granddaughter-in-law? Gu Shenhan reaps the benefits. If we bring in someone the old lady doesn't like, that would cut off our future. Besides, Chengfeng is as stubborn as a mule. Can you pull him back?"

"But what if the old lady doesn't look after Chengfeng? That's not certain. Then we'd not only have poor in-laws, but might even have to subsidize them."

"Dad, I think Mom is right about this," Gu Chengzhi said. "Rong Yuan got the old lady's favor because of the old friendship between the Rong family's grandmother and her. What does the Tao family have? The old lady just thinks anyone who seems well-behaved is nice."

"But right now, if we don't do something, the Gu family will really be under Gu Shenhan's control in the future."

Gu Mingchuan paced back and forth, hands behind his back. After a moment, he said, "No, I'm going to talk to Grandpa about this."

At this moment, Grandpa was in the chess room, fiddling with his favorite set of Go stones. He had already heard from his wife about the second grandson's wife's situation, but he couldn't ask about it directly and had to wait for her to confirm and relay the information.

Deep down, he thought it impossible for a man to give birth, yet he really hoped it was possible.

As people grow old, most of them inevitably want to have grandchildren around and experience the joy of family.

With the eldest grandson unlikely to marry anytime soon, the third grandson's timing uncertain, and the fourth still young, if Rong Yuan could really give the Gu family a great-grandson, it would be a tremendous joy.

Overall, the old man was still happy. Not just about the prospect of a great-grandson, but also because he felt Rong Yuan's character and temperament suited the Gu family. And ever since Rong Yuan came, his second grandson had become more stable.

The old man put a polished stone into the box, picked up another, and heard a knock: "Come in."

Gu Mingchuan came in and asked if the old man knew about the house the old lady had bought for Rong Yuan.

The old man had no idea about the house, and asked, "What house?"

"Dad, don't pretend. The two villas at Bishui Bay—didn't you and Mom buy them for them? Otherwise, where would Shenhan get that much cash?"

"Oh, those two. Well, it's not that your mother and I paid for them. But it's also not that Shenhan bought them himself."

"So it still has something to do with you."

"Not with us. It's from someone he sponsored in his freshman year of college. That person is now successful, and the two villas at Bishui Bay are a wedding gift to Shenhan and Xiao An."

"A one hundred fifty million yuan wedding gift? Dad, have you had too much to drink?"

"I haven't even had a drink, what are you talking about? Shenhan has been investing outside all these years, you know that. Let alone one hundred fifty million, even if you add another zero, he could come up with it. Eldest, you always thought the old lady was protecting Shenhan by telling the younger ones to get along, but you were all wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"If you had all been a little nicer to Shenhan, things wouldn't be like this today. But there's no point in saying all this now. Get out. From now on, focus your mind and stop trying to snatch food from your own family's plate. There will still be good days ahead."

"And if my mother wants to transfer all her shares in Qianhai to Shenhan, you'd agree to that too?!"

"There's no reason not to agree. After all, it's not going to an outsider."

With that, the old man closed the lid of the Go set and went to polish his golf clubs. A pair of clubs, clearly well-used, were the ones he and his wife had used together for the first time after they met. He had always kept them carefully.

Gu Mingchuan knew that pressing further wouldn't get him anywhere, so he had no choice but to leave.

The old man heard the door close and sighed, staring at the doorway.

Speaking of which, Rong Yu'an really did bring good fortune to his second grandson. The old lady hadn't originally planned to start the transition this early. But now that Rong Yu'an said he was pregnant, if it were true, then to ensure that no one would criticize his second grandson a year from now for having a "mysterious" great-grandson added to the Gu family, the old lady would hand over the reins ahead of schedule.

Of course, the main reason was that after years of observation, the old lady was convinced that, both in ability and temperament, the second grandson was the most suitable candidate.

It was just that Rong Yu'an's arrival had sped up the process.

The old man sat down and sent a message to the old lady: "How is it? Did you find out?"

In the study, the old lady heard the WeChat notification and could guess who it was without even looking. She knew her husband was anxious for news and replied: "Nine times out of ten."

The old man still found it hard to believe.

But the old lady thought it was pretty much settled. She had chatted with Rong Yu'an, mostly about his life in the other family. She could clearly tell that Rong Yu'an's feelings for this family were genuine, and he had many memories of living there and being a part of it.

These weren't the kind of stories someone could just make up on the spot. No matter from which angle she asked, Rong Yu'an could answer immediately, and his logic held up.

It was just that the whole thing was a bit uncanny.

Rong Yu'an hadn't expected anyone besides Gu Shenhan to listen to his story. He liked talking about it because every time he mentioned his family back home, it made him feel like he wasn't so far away from them.

At least they still lived in his memory. The more people who knew about it, the more solid those memories became.

He kept chatting with the old lady until almost dinner time, which made Gu Shenhan a little jealous: "You're really into chatting with Grandma. At home with me, you've never said this much."

Rong Yuan said, "That's not my fault."

Gu Shenhan asked, "Whose fault is it then?"

Rong Yuan whispered, "You should know in your heart."

Gu Shenhan thought about it—yes, every time he listened, they ended up in bed, and he didn't know why. Feeling guilty, he pulled out a cigarette, knowing he couldn't smoke inside, and hesitated, debating whether to go outside.

But in the end, he didn't. Instead, he crumpled the cigarette pack into a ball and threw it into the trash can.

Just then, a furious roar came from downstairs: "Gu Shenhan! Get out here!"

It was Gu Chengfeng, back home.