DILLYH Chapter 14

TL: Hua

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Chapter 14: The Past

Zhou Zizheng’s guess was correct. Shortly after his men started secretly tracking Wu Yichen, another group of people also followed him. Both parties were waiting for an opportunity.

Just as Wu Yichen passed through an alley and was about to reach the hotel he was staying at, he was suddenly hit on the head with a blunt object. His vision went black, and he completely lost consciousness.

He was then stuffed into a sack and crudely hoisted onto someone’s shoulder. As the person turned, they were immediately kicked in the face. Zhou Zizheng’s men used absolute force to beat the two assailants, who ran away crying and scrambling. Afterward, the bodyguard called Zhou Zizheng to explain the situation.

“Take him to the hospital to get patched up first, and then personally send him back to his hometown.”

“Understood.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

He hung up and walked toward his mother’s lounge. In the meantime, he received a message from a friend asking why the groom wasn’t there yet, and that the other groom was about to be drunk and throw a fit.

Zhou Zizheng frowned: [Handling something. Tell them not to force Yu Haozhou to drink anymore. I’ll be there to drink with you all shortly.]

At the lounge door, Madam Xie received a call from her subordinate, saying the person had run off and that another group was helping Wu Yichen: “Useless! Send more people out to look for him immediately! He absolutely must not appear in the capital again!”

“No need.” Zhou Zizheng pushed the door open, took Madam Xie’s phone, and said to the person on the other end, “I was the one who let him go. Stop looking.”

He hung up immediately. Madam Xie looked at Zhou Zizheng in shock, unable to recover for a moment: “Son, you…”

Zhou Zizheng said calmly, “He is just a victim and poses no threat to me. You don’t have to be anxious about him. Even if he wants to compete with me for the family fortune, he’ll have to see if he has the capability.”

“Under a society governed by law, I don’t want either of you to have any more blood on your hands.”

Madam Xie’s gaze turned fearful this time, even cautious. Her volatile emotions only ever surfaced in front of this son: “You… you know everything?”

Zhou Zizheng nodded under her anxious gaze.

When he was first born, Madam Xie treated him with extreme importance, but despite all precautions, she couldn’t prevent an insider from betraying them when he was six, leading to Zhou Zizheng being kidnapped by a rival company.

Zhou Zizheng didn’t remember how he escaped, but he vaguely recalled that the people who kidnapped him had talked about killing him, thus eliminating his mother’s only bloodline.

With the Xie Group having no future heir, all they needed was a successful operation to take the vast conglomerate into their own hands.

By a strange twist of fate, he successfully escaped and grew up wandering in a small village thousands of miles away from the capital.

When Madam Xie learned her son was gone and received the bloody clothes he was wearing when he disappeared, she had a mental breakdown. Overnight, her black hair turned white, and she vowed revenge for her son.

She sought help from her own powerful family. Using legal means, she forced the few companies involved in the kidnapping incident into bankruptcy, destroying their families and leaving them no chance of recovery.

Recalling when he first learned this information, Zhou Zizheng’s mind took a long time to calm down. The circles he grew up in were particularly simple and innocent. He had never imagined that his background would lead to such a series of dark events.

His seemingly kind and amiable mother was, in fact, ruthless. Anyone who touched her bottom line would suffer greatly, yet she was also extremely protective, even willing to sacrifice her life to protect her own.

Zhou Zizheng had heard his father mention it. Madam Xie was sick, very seriously so. In the few years after Zhou Zizheng went missing, Madam Xie would go to the temple every day without fail to pray for his deceased soul.

Later, after she had exacted her revenge, the spiritual support that sustained her was gone. Madam Xie had considered joining her son in the afterlife, but the abbot of the temple persuaded her that her destiny with her son was not yet severed, and she should wait for the right time.

This wait lasted for more than a decade, and Madam Xie did indeed get what she wanted. Now, her energy and spirit were better than ever, showing signs of rejuvenation.

Zhou Zizheng held Madam Xie in his arms, comforting her: “Mom, I’m back, and I won’t leave again. Please relax. No matter what happens, I have the ability to handle it. You just need to rest well.”

Madam Xie’s long-standing knot seemed to unravel at that moment. She held Zhou Zizheng, sobbing uncontrollably, murmuring, “Son, my precious son…”

Mr. Xie walked in at some point and patted Zhou Zizheng’s back: “Ever since you left, your mother’s mental health has been problematic. Anything concerning you easily makes her anxious and angry.”

Zhou Zizheng gently soothed her, patting Madam Xie’s back, and said, “I know, I will spend more time with Mom in the future.”

“Good boy.”

Mr. Xie hesitated, sighed after a long moment, and then said, “Today’s matter, I have caused you a lot of trouble.” Zhou Zizheng raised an eyebrow in surprise and said coolly, “You wronged Mom. You should apologize to her.”

An expression of awkwardness appeared on Mr. Xie’s face.

*

After the wedding, Yu Haozhou followed the people he played with in his circle to the entertainment venue prepared for them by the hotel. Everyone was shocked about how he ended up marrying Zhou Zizheng and how Zhou Zizheng suddenly became the Xie family’s multi-billion heir.

Yu Haozhou just said they got married, just like that. Initially, Han Jin helped him ward off people, explaining, “Don’t ask so many questions; just have fun today,” but later, that person had disappeared somewhere.

There was no one left to shield him from drinks. The group got carried away and ignored him.

Yu Haozhou was drunk and sat obediently in a corner, cursing in his heart that at such a crucial moment, Zhou Zizheng had disappeared, leaving him alone here. Whose wedding was it today anyway?!

After a while, someone came to sit next to him—his friend, Xu Laizi.

“Are you okay?” Xu Laizi poured him a cup of warm water and held the rim to his lips: “Drink a couple of sips; you’ll feel better.”

Yu Haozhou pushed it away: “No more drinking. My bladder is going to explode; I can’t hold it.”

Xu Laizi smiled and sat beside him: “I’ll help you. Want to go?”

“Forget it,” Yu Haozhou muttered softly, “I won’t trouble you. I’ll wait for Zhou Zizheng to come and take me.”

Xu Laizi’s smile faded slightly. She pinched his round, small earlobe and leaned in close: “Baby Zhou, did you really fall for him?”

“Who?” Yu Haozhou blinked blankly.

“Who else could it be?” Xu Laizi asked him, “Who are you thinking of right now?”

“Zhou… Zi… Zheng?”

A dark glint flashed in Xu Laizi’s eyes, but a smile returned to her lips: “Can you not like him? I’m so sad.”

As she spoke, she linked her arm through Yu Haozhou’s and leaned intimately on his shoulder: “What’s so great about liking a man? He’s not careful, he’s not gentle, and his words are so annoying. Why don’t you find someone else to like?”

“He’s pretty good,” Yu Haozhou said calmly.

“How is he good?” Xu Laizi suddenly became a little agitated, turning to face him: “Aren’t I good to you?”

Just as the words left her mouth, the door to the private room opened. Zhou Zizheng walked in, and many people immediately swarmed him, trying to ply him with drinks. Zhou Zizheng accepted their drinks while searching for Yu Haozhou.

His gaze suddenly fixed on one spot, the smile on his face vanished, and sparks of fire seemed to fly from his eyes.

On the sofa not far away, Yu Haozhou was sitting quietly, but a woman was straddling his lap. They were face-to-face, talking about something, and Yu Haozhou hadn’t pushed her away.

The moment the door opened, Xu Laizi had quickly straddled him. She cupped Yu Haozhou’s face in her hands, making him look at her: “Baby Zhou, who am I?”

“Laizi.”

“Do you like me?”

Yu Haozhou nodded: “I like you.” The kind of liking for a friend.

Xu Laizi was about to ask another question when she was suddenly pulled off. She looked back and saw Zhou Zizheng, his face cold. He said, “Zhouzhou is drunk. I’m taking him back.”

A crowd of mutual friends watched the drama unfold behind him, silently advising her not to make trouble. Xu Laizi, however, smiled, folded her arms, and sat calmly next to Yu Haozhou: “Zhou Zizheng, you are quite a surprise.”

“Everyone knows you and Yu Haozhou have always been at odds. You just got recognized by a billionaire father and mother, and you’re already desperate to marry him. I’m afraid you have some kind of scheme, don’t you?”

Yu Haozhou opened his eyes and stared fixedly at Zhou Zizheng.

Everyone: “…”

This girl must be crazy. Zhou Zizheng’s status is not what it used to be. How dare she provoke him like that?!

Zhou Zizheng didn’t take her words seriously and just reached out to pull Yu Haozhou up. But his evasive manner confirmed the deepest insecurity in Yu Haozhou’s heart.

He struggled, kicking out: “Don’t touch me.”

Hearing this, Xu Laizi curled her lips: “Did you hear that? Baby Zhou doesn’t want to go with you.” Zhou Zizheng’s expression grew even colder.

Today was their wedding, and Zhou Zizheng didn’t want to make a scene. After thinking for a moment, he lowered himself and gripped Yu Haozhou’s hand. Yu Haozhou tried to struggle, but Zhou Zizheng held on very tightly.

“Are you feeling unwell anywhere? Do you feel nauseous?”

Xu Laizi: “…”

Her face was grim. She watched helplessly as Yu Haozhou’s expression became less resistant, and he spoke awkwardly: “I need to use the restroom.”

What an insidious move. Xu Laizi wanted to say something more, but friends with tact quickly pulled and dragged her out. The room was instantly left with just the two of them.

Zhou Zizheng carried him to the restroom. Once they reached the door, Yu Haozhou pressed against his chest: “I can do it myself. Don’t come in.”

Zhou Zizheng took the opportunity to grab his hand, kissed it, and laughed: “It’s not like I haven’t helped you before. Why are you shy?”

“…” Yu Haozhou was so angry he kicked him again.

Zhou Zizheng shamelessly squeezed in, unbuckled his belt, and pulled down his zipper. Yu Haozhou leaned against his chest, feeling both ashamed and enjoying the service.

He was just… so spineless.

“Zhouzhou,” Zhou Zizheng whispered in his ear, “Do you know why I insisted on marrying you at this specific time?”

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