TEDWR: Chapter 33

 Glossary

·Zhang Yansheng (张雁声): The female protagonist, the reborn eldest daughter.

·Zhang Huan (张寰): Zhang Yansheng's father.

·Liang Yingying (梁莹莹): Zhang Yansheng's stepmother.

·Zhang Shuocheng (张硕成): Zhang Yansheng's seven-year-old half-brother.

·Liang Zheng (梁征): Liang Yingying's nephew from her hometown.

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Chapter 33

"What happened today? Sending me that text?" Zhang Huan asked.

Zhang Yansheng gave a cold laugh. "Someone thinks he's a young master, that you not only have to pay him a salary but also chauffeur him back and forth to serve him. If you don't serve him properly, he gets dissatisfied."

She recounted the morning's events and told Zhang Huan, "You have to spell things out clearly for people like that. What's the use of those half-hinted, veiled remarks? People like him don't have that kind of awareness."

But Zhang Huan was pleased. "But you understood."

Zhang Yansheng was speechless. Zhang Huan, not minding her reaction, said, "Those people... whether they understand or not doesn't matter. They can't turn the world upside down anyway."

Seeing Zhang Yansheng's disapproving expression, he took a sip of red wine and said leisurely, "Yanyan, you're still young, seeing things in black and white, detesting evil as if it were a personal enemy. You'll understand when you grow up that some things are better handled with a bit of vagueness. Take these relatives, for instance. You can't simply cut them off. For families like ours, relatives are never-ending. Just look at your grandmother, such a formidable person. You see all the messy troubles from your great-uncle and that bunch of relatives over there. Doesn't she still have to look after them? And she makes me look after them too."

Zhang Yansheng said coldly, "But you still have to differentiate between people. The cousins on Grandma's side, at the very least, aren't ungrateful wretches."

"And what has Little Liang actually done?" Zhang Huan said. "If he's an ungrateful wretch, we can deal with it when he does something. For now... it's not necessary."

Zhang Yansheng looked at this older man. Was he foolish? His eyes were clearly sharp and perceptive.

Zhang Yansheng realized she had been underestimating her biological father all along.

He understood everything in his heart.

He was just weighing things. As long as the situation was within his control and acceptable limits, he would turn a blind eye.

Just like in her past life, with the conflicts between her and Liang Yingying, he always played the peacemaker.

Because he wanted to be comfortable himself.

Zhang Yansheng felt a bitter taste in her mouth. She clenched her teeth on the straw and gulped down the drink noisily, masking her emotions.

Zhang Huan didn't notice.

These past few days, Zhang Yansheng gave him a feeling of having grown up and matured, which pleased him greatly. He enjoyed having such calm, intimate conversations with his daughter and was happy to impart some life lessons.

It's just that his "lessons" were something Zhang Yansheng couldn't agree with. She despised his life philosophy of playing dumb while knowing full well.

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

"But some things, if you don't correct and control them in time," she calmed down and looked up, "will eventually spiral out of control and become results you can't bear."

Like Zhang Yansheng's death. Like Zhang Shuocheng's crimes.

By then, Zhang Huan could no longer play "dumb," could he? But by that time, he would also be old, and in the end, he would be devoured by those consequences.

Zhang Huan chuckled. "You're quite the one to plan ahead."

He wasn't Zhang Yansheng; he didn't know the future. At this moment, he was still full of confidence, feeling that everything in this household was within controllable limits, allowing him to live comfortably, easily, and happily.

Zhang Yansheng's mouth twitched.

She could strive to change her own future, but changing Zhang Shuocheng's future was a tiresome task, and it wasn't really her responsibility. In the end, she still advised Zhang Huan, "Forget the rest, but you really need to discipline Zhang Shuocheng properly. With his current personality, if you two continue to spoil him like this, you'll have a hard time later."

This immediately shattered Zhang Huan's feeling of being in control of everything.

"Ah, this Shuoshuo kid..." he couldn't help but murmur, "If only your mother were still here. She was the best at managing children."

Before, his wife had raised their daughter so well. The home was warm and comfortable; he didn't have to worry about anything.

But as soon as the words left his mouth, he knew he'd said the wrong thing!

If his ex-wife were still here, Zhang Shuocheng would just be an illegitimate child from outside. Would his ex-wife possibly help him discipline an illegitimate child?

Without a word, Zhang Yansheng directly grabbed her glass and threw it at his feet!

Glass shards flew everywhere. Ice cubes and liquid splattered all over, wetting Zhang Huan's shoes and pants.

Zhang Huan retreated in disarray, repeatedly apologizing. "Dad was wrong, Dad was wrong. Ugh, this mouth has a mind of its own, spouting nonsense!"

Zhang Huan regretted it inwardly. Why was his mouth so irritating? Was that even human speech? This was terrible; his daughter was going to have another hysterical fit!

But unexpectedly, Zhang Yansheng stood there, her chest heaving violently, clearly furious to the extreme, yet she didn't say a word.

She stared at Zhang Huan, the fire in her eyes so intense that Zhang Huan could imagine how hard she was clenching her teeth. Yet her lips remained tightly sealed. Zhang Huan felt both discomfited and apprehensive under her gaze. But in the end, Zhang Yansheng just turned around abruptly and left.

Zhang Huan shook his pants, watching his daughter's retreating back, feeling a sense of loss.

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

How could people be so contrary?

Before, when his daughter made a scene all day, screaming hysterically and crying when agitated, he only found it annoying.

Now his daughter had clearly matured and grown up, even able to control her intense emotions. What a good thing. Why did he feel so lost inside?

Sigh.

Looking up, he saw an auntie peeking around the doorway. He beckoned. "Hey, hey, clean this up."

He took a few tissues himself, wiping his pants and the tops of his shoes. Sighing wistfully, he prepared to go upstairs. Just as he reached the staircase landing, he heard the voices of the Liang aunt and nephew.

Liang Zheng complained, "You're giving me the car the aunties use for grocery shopping to drive. Aren't you embarrassed?"

Liang Yingying retorted forcefully, "No, I'm not! If you look down on it, don't drive it. Take the bus!"

Liang Yingying had said she'd give Liang Zheng a car to drive and told him it was a BMW. Liang Zheng had been over the moon at first. But everything suffers from comparison. When he went to the garage and saw the other cars, the BMW looked like a little beat-up car in comparison.

Liang Yingying had also let slip that this BMW was actually the car used by the aunties for grocery shopping. Liang Zheng's joy instantly turned into discontent.

His standards for cars had been involuntarily raised by the Zhang family's garage.

What was a BMW? Just a common car on the street. He had his eye on the Rolls-Royce Cullinan in the garage. That was even more impressive than Liang Yingying's Ferrari! That car was so manly! A real man should drive that!

But that was Zhang Huan's car, a large SUV worth over six million. How could Liang Yingying dare let him drive it?

When facing the Zhang family, Liang Yingying and Liang Zheng were a united front, both part of the Liang family. To prevent the Liang family, especially Liang Zheng, from being looked down upon by the Zhangs, particularly Zhang Yansheng, Liang Yingying had to stand up for Liang Zheng no matter what.

But when it was just the two of them, they were two separate individuals, each with their own stance and interests.

Liang Yingying rolled her eyes on the spot and snapped at him, "What are you dreaming about? Over six million! If you scratch the paint a little, ten years of your salary wouldn't cover it!"

That price really made Liang Zheng's legs go weak and his heart burn with desire.

Unfortunately, no matter how much he pestered Liang Yingying, she wouldn't agree to let him drive that Cullinan. He inwardly grumbled that his aunt was too stingy.

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

Liang Zheng didn't know that his aunt couldn't, not wouldn't. She had boasted to the skies in front of her family, but in reality, her status in this household wasn't as high as he thought. There was no way she could use Zhang Huan's beloved car to do Liang Zheng a favor.

Feeling dissatisfied and thinking his aunt was family, Liang Zheng couldn't help but complain. Little did he know that Zhang Huan had just reached the staircase landing, taken a couple of steps up, and happened to hear.

Zhang Huan stopped and didn't move further.

The Liang aunt and nephew walked over from the hallway and only then saw him. Liang Zheng was still muttering when Liang Yingying immediately elbowed him to shut him up.

Zhang Huan had just been hit by his own daughter—well, he deserved it for running his mouth, couldn't blame his daughter. But that didn't mean he wasn't angry inside; he just couldn't direct that anger at Zhang Yansheng.

And now, perfect timing—someone was walking right into the line of fire.

Zhang Huan stood on the stairs, smiling. "That BMW, it is indeed a bit shabby."

Liang Zheng was both surprised and delighted, thinking his dear uncle was going to speak up for him and upgrade his car.

"But it's fine. You won't be staying here long anyway, just driving it for a few days," his dear uncle said. "Find a place to live as soon as possible. Remember to find somewhere with convenient transportation, easy access to the subway or bus for commuting."

He thought for a moment and kindly told Liang Zheng, "Many young people at the company rent places and look for roommates. You can ask the Human Resources department."

Having said that, he paced his way upstairs. Liang Zheng was dumbfounded.

He opened his mouth to speak, but Liang Yingying, quick as lightning, stepped on his foot. The pain made him yelp.

Zhang Huan heard it on the stairs but pretended he didn't and continued upward leisurely.

Liang Yingying pulled Liang Zheng to the side hallway and asked warily, "What do you think you're doing? What were you about to say just now?"

"Nothing, it's just..." Liang Zheng was angry. "Is this kicking me out? I'm his own nephew! Is this any way for an uncle to act?"

"Keep your voice down!" Liang Yingying quickly pulled him further away, afraid Zhang Huan might hear.

"Aren't you angry, Aunt? I've only been here a few days, and he's already telling me to go rent a place! Such a big house, why can't I just keep living here?"

"No matter how big it is, it's not your house!" Liang Yingying said irritably. To this day, she still hadn't figured out why Zhang Huan, who had agreed to let Liang Zheng stay at home before he arrived, had changed his mind later.

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

She said, "You drive the car for now, and hurry up and find a place."

Zhang Huan wasn't a stingy person; he wasn't stingy with money or things. But he had now mentioned twice that Liang Zheng should go rent a place himself, showing he truly didn't want Liang Zheng to continue living here. Liang Yingying absolutely dared not go against Zhang Huan's wishes, so she could only urge her nephew to move out quickly.

Liang Zheng grew even more annoyed. "Are you even my real aunt?"

"If I weren't your real aunt, why would I care where you went begging!" Liang Yingying spat. "Don't be ungrateful. I got you a job. What more do you want!"

"You have the nerve to say that! I'm too embarrassed to tell my classmates that I'm just an intern in my own family's company!"

Actually, Liang Yingying was also quite dissatisfied with Zhang Huan arranging for Liang Zheng to start as an intern.

But since Liang Zheng was now complaining about her husband, she had to side with Zhang Huan again. She scolded, "Who doesn't start as an intern! Let me tell you, your uncle back in the day, when he entered his own family's company as an intern, no one knew who he was. He really started from the ground up. Look at your uncle now!"

Liang Zheng thought: Obviously! Even as an intern, he was destined to become the boss eventually because it was truly "his own family's company." It's not the same!

He was very dissatisfied and wanted to fight for himself more, whether about staying at the Zhangs' or his position at the company; he needed to argue his case.

But Liang Yingying suddenly looked past him.

An auntie had finished cleaning up the glass shards and was about to take out the trash when Liang Yingying spotted her.

"What happened?" she asked the auntie.

The auntie looked around. No one else was there; Zhang Huan and Zhang Yansheng had both gone upstairs. She whispered, "Miss Yanyan lost her temper just now and threw a glass. It splashed water all over the master's pants."

Liang Yingying and Liang Zheng almost simultaneously had a moment of sudden realization.

They had found the culprit who caused Liang Zheng to be unable to continue living here!

It must have been Zhang Yansheng who forced Zhang Huan to kick Liang Zheng out!

That deadweight!

(End of Chapter)

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