A beautiful young maid, balancing a fruit platter with a subtle sway of her hips, made her way up to the second floor. As she passed the study on her way to a guest room, she suddenly heard a loud clattering sound from inside, as if something fragile had just shattered. The study housed a collection of antiques, including several Yuan dynasty blue and white porcelain pieces. Startled, she quickly pushed open the door to investigate.
Inside, she saw a disheveled young man with a roguish air lounging in a chair, legs crossed nonchalantly. Meanwhile, the usually stern and unyielding Chu Zhiqing, the head of the family, stood before him, bent over like a servant, wearing a submissive smile.
As the door opened, Chu Yuxuan glanced at the maid with disinterest, then casually picked up another piece of porcelain and hurled it to the floor, smashing it to pieces.
Chu Zhiqing shot the maid a cold look, his expression turning severe in an instant. "Get out!" he barked.
The maid, her mind blank with fear, quickly bowed in apology and closed the door behind her.
Once the maid was gone, Chu Zhiqing's face returned to its previous sycophantic expression. Seeing his son reach for a particularly valuable Yuan dynasty vase, he hesitantly offered, "That… that's a Yuan blue and white."
Chu Yuxuan flashed a wicked grin. "Should I smash it?"
"You can smash it, smash anything you like. If it makes you happy, you can even smash me," Chu Zhiqing replied, trying to maintain his ingratiating demeanor.
Shaking his head, Chu Yuxuan put the vase back in its place, looking at his father with a cold, calculating gaze. "So, tell me, why are you so insistent that I marry this so-called 'most beautiful woman'? And why the rush? If I'm going to die for it, I at least want to know why."
Chu Zhiqing chuckled. "You fool, marrying her will be the best thing that ever happened to you."
Chu Yuxuan retorted, "Is that really something a father should say to his son?"
Laughing, Chu Zhiqing took a seat in a nearby chair. "Her name is Zhao Yanan. She's three years younger than you. Recently, one of the most powerful officials in Jiangcheng fell from grace, and Zhao Yanan's family was implicated. Her father was sentenced to three years in prison, and nearly all of his assets were seized. Before he went in, Old Zhao came to me, asking for a marriage alliance. We've been close friends for many years, so I couldn't refuse him."
Chu Yuxuan nodded, finally understanding. "So, marrying her is really about protecting her?"
Chu Zhiqing confirmed with a nod. "That's right. It's good for a woman to be beautiful, but being too beautiful can be dangerous. As soon as Old Zhao was in trouble, many men started eyeing his daughter. I couldn't just stand by and watch."
Chu Yuxuan teased, "Then why don't you marry her yourself? That would solve everything. You've got plenty of wives; one more wouldn't make a difference."
"You brat! Don't talk nonsense! Yanan is like a daughter to me, I could never…"
Before he could finish, Chu Yuxuan interjected with a smirk, "You've got quite a few goddaughters already."
Chu Zhiqing fell silent.
"Alright, enough with the jokes," Chu Zhiqing said, trying to steer the conversation back on track. "The wedding may seem rushed, but it's just a formality. Whether or not the marriage works out depends on you…"
He paused, then added, "But, Yanan's dowry is nothing to scoff at. Before his arrest, Old Zhao was running an entertainment company, and Yanan was the CEO. She owns 49% of the shares, inherited from her mother. That company means a lot to her. Old Zhao already drafted the contract—once you marry Yanan, you'll become the acting owner of the company with 51% of the shares."
Chu Yuxuan smirked, "What a lousy dowry! I bet he's just transferring the shares to me to protect the company from being seized. And he's probably hoping to use Chu Men to safeguard it, right? As for that so-called 51% stake, I'm guessing I only have the authority to manage it, and after three years, I'll have to give it back. Isn't that right?"
Chu Zhiqing coughed awkwardly, then smiled. "My son is indeed clever! Chu Men doesn't lack money, so I agreed to Old Zhao's request purely out of friendship. If you want, you can pick any company under my name; I'll give it to you. But there's one thing I think you'll enjoy—this entertainment company has quite a few actresses, all stunningly beautiful!"
Chu Yuxuan finally understood what his father had meant earlier about "dying from pleasure"…
"Chu Zhiqing, I'm not as debauched as you. Don't think everyone's like you, running around like a breeding donkey… I'm not interested in beautiful women!"
Chu Zhiqing sighed, realizing his son wasn't interested in the same things. "Son, throughout history, even heroes couldn't resist beautiful women. You should… try indulging a bit. You might find that, after a while, you'll be asking yourself, why would I want to leave such a beautiful place?"
Chu Yuxuan: ...
Knowing he couldn't win this conversation, Yuxuan changed the topic. "I'll go along with your plan, but you have to tell me—what did you mean when you said on the phone that Chu Men is big enough to help me? What resources can I leverage? Be specific."
Chu Zhiqing's playful demeanor shifted to something more serious. "That's for you to figure out, bit by bit. But let me remind you, I brought you back not just to get married, but to fight for your inheritance. You need to establish yourself in Chu Men first; only then will people start offering their help."
Chu Yuxuan fell silent, contemplating his father's words.
Zhiqing took out a cigarette and, after a moment's pause, offered one to his son.
Yuxuan took the cigarette, lit it, and said, "To be honest, I once even suspected Chu Men, but found nothing…"
Zhiqing, lighting his own cigarette, replied with a half-smile, "You didn't suspect me, did you?"
Yuxuan's eyes grew cold. "I doubt you're that heartless… but if it turns out you are, I'll kill you! No, I'll cut your flesh off piece by piece and feed it to the dogs!"
Yuxuan's voice trembled with anger, his eyes reddening as he spoke.
Seeing his son like this, Zhiqing's heart ached, as if it were being squeezed by a hand covered in thorns. But outwardly, he remained calm, exhaling smoke as he said something cryptic: "This entire city of Jiangcheng is shrouded in mist… In that mist, it's hard to tell the difference between humans and ghosts."
Yuxuan struggled to control his emotions, then asked, "How much do you really know about me?"
Zhiqing looked at him, deadpan. "You? You're my beloved son. I love you."
Yuxuan: ...
"Right…" Zhiqing was a master of playing dumb. He chuckled, then added, "Your uncle and aunt are out of town and couldn't make it today. Your grandfather is here at the manor… but he doesn't want to see you."
Yuxuan didn't care. "Do you think I give a d*mn? They've never acknowledged me from the day I was born. It's better if they don't come. I'd rather be left alone."
"I meant, don't you want to see your grandfather first?"
But as soon as Zhiqing said it, he regretted it. Knowing how his son greets people, his first words to the old man would probably be, "Wow, you're still alive?"
The mental image was too much to bear.
Yuxuan took a deep drag of his cigarette and sneered, "Forget it. He's not in the best health, right? I wouldn't want to send him to an early grave just by showing up."
Zhiqing chuckled and put out his cigarette. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up. You're getting married, after all. You can't go looking like this."
Yuxuan took a deep breath and headed for the door.
As fate would have it, he almost bumped into the maid from earlier.
The maid kept her head down, too afraid to look at him. Her delicate face was slightly pale with nervousness. As she passed Zhiqing, she paused briefly and bowed her head. "Chairman…"
Zhiqing didn't respond, his gaze cold as he stared at her.
Yuxuan knew his father well enough to guess the maid's fate after witnessing what she shouldn't have. Frowning, he said, "Old man, I find this girl pleasing. Let her stay with me from now on."
A faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared on Zhiqing's face. "As you wish."