"Father, it's my fault; I haven't explained this clearly before," Chu Zhiqing said in a conciliatory tone. "Actually... actually, Zixuan was married once before."
The old master furrowed his brows, "It was with that actress, wasn't it? Hmph... did you really think I didn't know anything?"
Chu Zhiqing nodded, "Yes, yes... You know, I've always wanted Zixuan to return to the Chu family, but he resented me for a long time and refused to accept any of my attempts to make it up to him. In fact, Old Zhao and I arranged his marriage over ten years ago when Yuxuan was still in high school. Later, Yuxuan got into that situation... and after returning to the country, he secretly married that actress."
"A year ago, I heard he was going through a divorce, so I reached out to him again, trying my best to persuade him. Only then did he agree to return to the Chu family and accept the marriage with Nannan. But coincidentally, Old Zhao encountered some issues at the end of last year, so others mistakenly thought Nannan married into the Chu family to escape trouble."
"Father, I'm telling the truth. Yuxuan and Nannan have already registered their marriage. There's no way it could be fake."
The old master pursed his lips in silence. After some thought, he let out a cold snort, "Marriage is not something to be taken lightly! A ten-year-old engagement, just because it was arranged by parents, can be formalized so easily? That's too hasty!"
Chu Zhiqing chuckled awkwardly, "Father, both of my marriages were arranged by you. Weren't they both hasty?"
Chu Xiaotian frowned, "After all these years, you still blame me?"
As he spoke, he pointed to Chu Yuxuan, "Is it because I refused to let his mother into the family?"
A barely noticeable coldness flashed in Chu Zhiqing's eyes. After a long silence, he whispered, "No."
The old master, seemingly feeling guilty about certain past events, sighed and changed the subject. He looked at Zhao Yanan and said, "Well, the marriage has already happened, so I shouldn't interfere. But now that you're married, you need to keep him in check! Letting him run wild like this every day, what kind of behavior is that?"
Zhao Yanan lowered her head and quickly replied, "Understood, Grandfather."
Chu Xiaotian turned to Chu Yuxuan again, "You little brat, I know you hold a grudge against me, huh? Heh... It's only because I'm old and soft-hearted now. In the past, you wouldn't have been able to step one foot into the Chu family!"
Chu Yuxuan smirked and remained silent.
The old master continued, "I don't like you, but in the end, you're still my grandson, a member of the Chu family. From now on, try to avoid dishonoring our ancestors. If you keep up with your nonsense, I won't have the face to meet our ancestors after I die! You're already twenty-eight, and you still act so immature! Sigh..."
With a tone of disappointment, the old master suddenly said, "It's time you had a child. A man only matures when he has kids."
Zhao Yanan: ???
You can scold him all you want, but why bring up having kids? Your younger son has four, yet he hasn't changed his habit of womanizing!
Chu Yuxuan, who had been sullen since entering, suddenly perked up. When he looked at the old master, his eyes seemed to shine with admiration.
He looked as if he had never realized his grandfather could be so kind, so respectable, so... understanding.
"Understood, Grandfather," Chu Yuxuan replied with an unusually serious expression.
The old master glared at him, "If you really listen, then pigs might fly!"
With that, he stood up, propping himself on the table, and extended his hand toward his eldest grandson, "Haoran, come play a game of chess with me... As the eldest grandson, you should also start thinking about marriage. I don't know how many years I have left, but at least let me enjoy the joy of seeing four generations under one roof."
Chu Haoran quickly stepped forward to help, "Understood, Grandfather."
With that, the old master's scolding of Chu Yuxuan came to an end. In truth, the old head of the family never intended to punish him severely. After all, he had already stripped Chu Zhiqing of his authority over the overseas projects. If he were to punish his son too harshly, it wouldn't seem fair.
After the old master left, Chu Yuxuan and Zhao Yanan finally dared to stand up.
Chu Zhiqing glanced at his son and daughter-in-law, about to speak, but his sharp-tongued sister beat him to it, "Oh, so this is Jiangcheng's number one beauty. Such a lofty demeanor, not even a word of greeting to her elders. Hmph."
Zhao Yanan took two steps forward, humbly greeted Chu Yuxuan's eldest uncle first, "Hello, Uncle," and then turned to greet the aunt, "Hello, Aunt."
The uncle responded indifferently, while the aunt smirked sarcastically and ignored her.
Chu Zhiqing narrowed his eyes, his tone chilling, "Sister, my daughter-in-law greeted you."
The woman's fierce expression softened as she noticed Chu Zhiqing's displeasure. Reluctantly, she grunted in acknowledgment.
Chu Yuxuan couldn't help but chuckle. He fiddled with his phone for a moment, then stepped forward and held the QR code on his screen in front of his aunt, saying casually, "Auntie, why not transfer a hundred thousand or so? At least make it worth my calling you aunt."
On the way back, Chu Yuxuan remained slumped in his seat, looking utterly exhausted.
Zhao Yanan, uneasy and hesitant, finally asked, "Are you okay?"
Chu Yuxuan shook his head slightly, "The old man doesn't hit that hard."
Zhao Yanan abruptly said, "Thank you."
Chu Yuxuan glanced at her, a smile at the corner of his eyes, "How do you plan to thank me? By having a baby?"
Zhao Yanan rolled her eyes, "Go have one yourself."
"A clever wife can't cook without rice."
Zhao Yanan: ...
After a moment of silence, Zhao Yanan turned to Chu Yuxuan with a serious expression, "Chu Yuxuan, I know you often make me angry to prevent me from feeling too burdened. So, no matter what, I should thank you. But we're not meant to be together. Last time when I hit Xia Zhu, it was just an act. You... shouldn't be too nice to me. If something like today happens again, don't argue with your grandfather for my sake. You should think more about your father."
Chu Yuxuan smirked, "Who cares who he is or what the consequences are? If anyone gives my wife a hard time, that's not happening."
Zhao Yanan tried to be patient, "Everything between us is fake. I'm serious, don't be too good to me. I'm not worth it. Besides, you have plenty of beautiful women around you. Just pick one, or... take them all. Believe in yourself; you can do it. I won't interfere. If Grandfather gets mad, I'll take the blame."
Chu Yuxuan's smile faded a bit. He rubbed his temples and murmured, "You really... think highly of me."
From the front seat, the driver, Third Brother, sneaked a glance in the rearview mirror and couldn't help but chuckle.
Then he felt the piercing glares from both passengers in the back.
Third Brother quickly spoke up, "I just got a message... My old friend's grandma gave birth today..."
Half an hour later, the G-Wagon pulled into the underground garage of Zhao Yanan's home.
As Chu Yuxuan opened the car door and was about to step out, his phone rang. Seeing that it was Chen Ting, his expression suddenly turned serious, and he quickly answered the call, "Tingting...?"
On the other end, Chen Ting was unusually excited, "Brother Chu, my sister-in-law just called me—my brother woke up!"
Chu Yuxuan took a deep breath, "Really? That's great! I'll head over to the hospital right away!"
"Okay! I'll see you there; I'm heading out now too!"
After hanging up, Chu Yuxuan pulled his leg back into the car and, after telling Zhao Yanan, "I have something to take care of," urged Third Brother to drive to the hospital.