Chapter 61: Only Wanting To Give You Wealth And Honor

Ji Zhen Tang asked, “Nothing for yourself at all?”

He paused again, giving it some thought.

A few seconds later, he said, “I can’t think of anything.”

He truly meant it; now he hardly made any plans for himself, let alone dreams. Zhong Yu Bai had little desire for worldly things; he was never a greedy man.

Ji Zhen Tang looked at him with her bright eyes: “But it seems you don’t have much love either.”

He merely replied with four words: “I have had it.”

He explained that if someone experiences love in their youth, they feel fulfilled for life. If not, they’ll spend their whole life searching.

Zhong Yu Bai was among those who didn’t lack love.

Having had it meant he had tasted happiness.

She felt glad for him, but a pang of wistfulness arose within her. Smiling, Ji Zhen Tang said, “Yes, Auntie loved you very much.”

As she spoke, a dignified, gentle image of Madam Chen floated before her mind. Memories fade with time, and people from the past turn into old photographs stored away for years—graceful, poised, her son inheriting much of her gentle eyes.

He brushed her cheek with his finger, saying softly, “If she were alive, she’d love you dearly too.”

Ji Zhen Tang’s nose tingled with sadness, and she murmured, “Those people from the Zhong family are so hateful.”

Zhong Yu Bai chuckled lightly, as if long over it. “The wrongdoers received their punishment; it’s over.”

At this point, she wiped her tears and seriously asked him, “By the way, I heard Zhong Heng’s brother returned? The… the wrongdoer’s child?”

He looked down slightly and told her the truth: “He couldn’t make a life outside, so he came back seeking a position.”

She quickly asked in concern, “Will he try anything against you?”

Zhong Yu Bai spoke calmly, “Just a tiny ant, not worth mentioning.”

He conveyed, in a roundabout way, that crushing him would be easy.

She nodded in response, then asked again, “What about his child? He’ll have one in the future, right?”

He replied, “An ant’s child is still an ant.”

Ji Zhen Tang was taken aback, then laughed.

The tone in which he said it was so ruthless yet cool. Compared to seething hatred, a calm indifference is the most chilling.

“I’m very scared,” she murmured worriedly, “You once said that many people want to see you fall. Sitting in this position… aren’t you tired? If you ever feel exhausted, just—”

She cut herself off mid-sentence.

Just what? Step down?

But it’s not that simple, is it?

Ji Zhen Tang asked many questions today, her concern for him unusually high.

Though Zhong Yu Bai had once said that life has its ebbs and flows. 

Despite that rule, she still hoped he could stay forever at the peak, at the top of the food chain, with the power to crush anyone he wished. It wasn’t about basking in glory; it was about fearing his fall—down into a pit where too many lay in wait.

Although “ants shaking a tree” is a term of contempt, “a dam crumbling from an ant’s nest” is a timeless warning.

Zhong Yu Bai lowered his gaze.

She couldn’t discern his thoughts.

“You haven’t said whether you like it or not.” He lifted the silk pouch, changing the subject with unhurried ease.

“Do I even need to say it? I absolutely love it!” Ji Zhen Tang’s face brightened with a hint of a smile as she sweetly added, “Next time, just have an embroiderer do it for you, alright? Why go to so much trouble?”

“Only when I think of you do I feel at ease. When you’re not by my side, I find a different way to miss you.”

Zhong Yu Bai’s voice was filled with a deep affection, his gaze steady and calm as he looked at her. Yet, a burning desire lay hidden in his clenched palm, flickering faintly beneath the layers of her elaborate skirt.

She sat on his lap, facing him, and shifted her waist uncomfortably.

He continued, “I also need meaningful moments to ward off emptiness. Accomplishments don’t hold the same meaning anymore; only you can complete me.”

Ji Zhen Tang watched his lips move but couldn’t hear his words; her heart was pounding, and her ears were ringing.

Her voice softened several notches.

“What about Ding Jialing suddenly coming back?”

Zhong Yu Bai raised his hand, pressing his palm against the back of her neck, gently nudging her downward.

Ji Zhen Tang’s earlobe brushed against his lips.

“Don’t worry,” he said, his gaze full of mischief, “I let him clock out.”

The result of leaving him hanging too long was that her patience plummeted, unable to withstand repeated entanglements. She leaned her head back, eventually losing any strength to initiate anything herself.

Her rationality clouded with a dense fog. Her heartstrings grew tauter with every tug, pulling until they snapped abruptly, breaking four times over. She had never aspired to own a luxury car, but today, upon waking up, she understood how memories can idealize a scene.

Suddenly, she found herself deeply enamored with this car.

It felt exceptionally comforting, wonderfully perfect.

Mr. Zhong, refined yet roguish, was leisurely fastening his belt; even his collar remained unwrinkled. Her gaze softened, her sense of time slipping as she slumped weakly against him. Looking from inside the car at the murky sky without stars, she could tell it was already late at night.

Ji Zhen Tang, exhausted, sprawled in her seat, reached out and then jerked upright in shock. “What do we do about this?”

She pointed at the crisp on the hem of her dress.

Zhong Yu Bai glanced briefly, barely inspecting it. “Forget it; you can get a new one next time.”

She was quite fond of this dress and responded seriously, “No way, this is my battle armor!”

His eyes paused for a moment, surprised at how important this dress was to her, even calling it a “battle armor.”

Then his tone softened, and he lifted the soiled part with his fingers, examining it. “I’ll see if it can be fixed.”

Ji Zhen Tang laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Oh, CEO Zhong, sewing and now laundry too? What kind of pampered life am I living?”

Zhong Yu Bai chuckled, offering no rebuttal. He glanced at her feet propped up carelessly on the front seat, appreciating her relaxed posture.

“Xingzhou isn’t far. I still have a few businesses over there, so I visit frequently,” Zhong said, driving them back.

She curled up in the backseat, muttering, “Mmm, you even have a plane; you could just zoom—over there in a flash.”

She drew an arc in the air with her hand.

Zhong glanced at her through the rearview mirror and suddenly remarked, “When we return, it’s probably time we consider marriage.”

She froze, her response dazed, “Marriage with whom?”

A slight smile appeared in his eyes. “Who else would you want to marry?”

“…”

“How about swapping out Little Blue, hmm?”

Ji Zhen Tang instinctively glanced at her finger, though she wasn’t wearing Little Blue today. “Are you serious?”

Zhong responded earnestly with a nod.

She exclaimed in delight, “Then I won’t go! Let’s get married tomorrow!”

Seeing her joy, his smile grew deeper, tapping her lightly with a few words, “So much for all that sewing.”

She suddenly looked down again, her gaze catching on the phrase, “The sky’s the limit.”

Looking at it, Ji Zhen Tang also smiled, her eagerness slightly restrained.

Zhong Yu Bai said, “Take care of yourself so you can love me with a happy heart.”

She nodded.

“When classmates asked about you before, I said we wouldn’t get married. There was a slight pang at the time, maybe just a little, since I didn’t have high hopes anyway. But gradually, I came to understand. To me, with or without a certificate, as long as I love you and you love me, that’s already a perfect ending.

“Marriage is simply a promise of love. Your commitment is enough for me; I don’t hold it so tightly.”

She thought for a moment and added, “Like Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, who turned into butterflies after they died. It’s also a kind of perfection, isn’t it? People would say they were together forever.”

A rather unusual metaphor.

Zhong Yu Bai smiled. “In my family, we don’t talk about Liang Zhu. Pick another example.”

“Oh, fine,” she scratched her head. “Not even a mention?”

“Not a single word,” he replied.

Ji Zhen Tang nodded knowingly and then continued, “Of course, it’s not that I don’t want to marry you. I just mean that love will always be more important than marriage. As long as I can be with you forever, I’d be fine wandering the world.”

He replied, “How could I bear to let you wander the world? I just want to give you wealth and luxury.”

Immediately, she broke into a broad grin, striking a chivalrous, carefree stance as she pointed a finger at his shoulder and playfully teased, “How could you say something like that? So tacky!”

But the idea of wealth and luxury struck a chord deep within her.

Zhong glanced at the mirror and said, “Ideals are always romantic, but reality is often a bit mundane. Most importantly, you have my commitment, but I don’t yet have yours.”

This time, he kept his gaze fixed on the mirror, his smile fading slightly as he said, almost absentmindedly, “Seeing you running here and there, I think I need a promise, too.”

Zhong’s gaze lingered past Ji Zhen Tang’s ear, eyeing the car that had been trailing them.

“Oh right, if you hadn’t mentioned it, I’d almost forgotten,” she grinned. “Are you still worried that I’ll run away?”

Zhong Yu Bai didn’t reply, watching the car behind them instead.

One stretch, two stretches.

This was the third stretch.

The license plate was unfamiliar, but he had a faint idea who it might be.

Ji Zhen Tang glanced at his tie and asked, “Hey, why haven’t you worn your brooch the past couple of days? Bored of it already?”

Zhong Yu Bai replied with a comment she didn’t fully understand: “For safety’s sake.”

After saying that, he suddenly accelerated, maneuvering the car deftly as they passed more than a dozen vehicles.

Once they were on the overpass, he finally slowed down.

Ji Zhen Tang, still clutching her seatbelt in shock, asked him why he suddenly sped up. Zhong Yu Bai replied calmly, “Nothing, it’s fine now.”

—

The next day, at the Zhong family residence.

Zhong Yu came back for a bit, hoping to gather some personal belongings he had left there. He planned to take them over to the west wing, where he would stay with his mother for a while.

As he headed downstairs, he spotted Chi Ying sitting on the sofa, casually applying nail polish. He asked, “I have a photo in the house, taken with Ah Heng. Do you know where it’s kept?”

Chi Ying glanced at him and replied nonchalantly, “Oh, Zhong Yu Bai tore it up.”

Zhong Yu’s jaw clenched instantly, and through gritted teeth, he spat out, “Him again.”

Chi Ying asked, “Did you get caught following him yesterday?”

“…” Zhong Yu’s face darkened. “How did you know?”

Chi Ying didn’t answer directly; her sources were always reliable. She just mocked him, saying, “Why are you provoking him? Don’t go looking for trouble—just take it easy.”

Zhong Yu sneered, “If he can’t stand me, he could just take my car and give me a warning. After all, isn’t it his privilege to do whatever he wants?”

Chi Ying clicked her tongue at his naïveté. “You’re oversimplifying things. If your father were alive, he’d just take your car if he couldn’t stand you. But Zhong Yu Bai isn’t like that; if he gets serious, he’ll break your leg and make sure you never drive again.”

Zhong Yu looked shocked. “Would he really dare?”

“You think he wouldn’t?” Chi Ying gave him a once-over and laughed. “You haven’t had many run-ins with him, have you? He came back right as you went abroad. Listen to some advice from Auntie—his heart’s made of stone, and going against him is asking for death.”

Zhong Yu’s eyes flared. “Of course, I know he’s heartless! Otherwise, he wouldn’t have driven my father to his death back then! He didn’t show the slightest remorse! Even in the afterlife, my father wouldn’t forgive him!”

Chi Ying rubbed her ears. “Oh, please. You sound just like your crazy mother—so loud it’s deafening.”

Zhong Yu ignored her, trying to calm himself. After a pause, he asked, “Who’s the girl by his side?”

Chi Ying replied slowly, “With that reckless attitude, you’re lucky to live day by day. Behave yourself overseas, and you might enjoy a peaceful life. But don’t overstep, or you might meet the same end as your father, and your poor mother will just go insane again, embarrassing our family.”

“And your father, too, wasn’t innocent. What’s the saying? ‘He got what he deserved.’ Why do you keep grinding your teeth over it? Don’t be like Xianglin’s wife, moaning endlessly. To others, you’re just a joke.”

“Bang!”

A vase suddenly shattered on the floor.

Chi Ying stopped talking abruptly, glanced at the shards, patted her chest, and said, “Oh my, are you seriously angry at me? Did I say something wrong?”

Zhong Yu glared at her and asked again, “Who’s that girl?”

Chi Ying raised her hands in mock surrender. “Calm down, let me think.”

She pressed her temples. “She’s a student from Qing University, right? Something Tang, Xiaotang, or something like that? I only remember her face—”

Before Chi Ying could fully recall, the front door swung open.

Both turned to look.

Zhong Yu Bai walked in, backlit, striding over to Zhong Yu.

He looked down at his nephew, his voice calm but his gaze intense, speaking heavily:

“Curious about something? Why not just ask me directly?”

“…”

Chi Ying quickly closed her nail polish, raising her hand as if to disavow. “I didn’t say a thing—not a word from me,” she said, slipping away.

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