The pushover offended a top-tier boss

Ye Zhenzhen was prepared to be given the cold shoulder and subjected to indirect questioning, but to her surprise, everything was surprisingly harmonious.

No one mentioned "marrying someone of equal social standing," no one asked her "what her family does," and no one implied that "you're marrying above your station."

All the proper courtesies were observed.

She knew in her heart that Zhou Huaijin must have done a lot of work behind the scenes that she didn't know about.

She wasn't wronged. That was what he promised her.

At the dinner table, everyone took care of her.

Zhou's mother placed a plate of steamed grouper in front of her.

"Zhenzhen, try the fish we made in our kitchen."

Zhou Chenyu smiled and replied, "Tell the kitchen what you like to eat later, and next time you come home, have them cook it to your liking."

Yi Huan called out in her childish voice, "Auntie, eat this, it's delicious."

Zhou's mother put down her chopsticks, wiped her mouth, and looked at Zhou Huaijin.

"The case in Bin City hasn't been resolved yet, so how about we postpone the wedding? We've had some friction with the Xu family recently, and if we hold the wedding now, people might use it against us."

Zhou Huaijin put down his chopsticks, his tone incredibly firm.

"It needs to be done."

Because of her background, many people gossip behind her back. He wants to marry her in a dignified and honorable way.

Ye Zhenzhen lowered her head, staring at the rice in her bowl. The words "it needs to be done" made her eyes well up with tears.

Zhou's mother didn't stop her, she just gave her a few words of advice.

"The wedding customs in Keijin and Binhai are different, so you should listen to your parents-in-law's opinions."

After the meal, a guard came in and whispered something in Zhou Huaijin's ear.

Zhou Huaijin turned to Ye Zhenzhen and said, "You stay here and play with Yi Huan and Yi Cheng for a while. I'll be right back."

Ye Zhenzhen hummed in agreement and didn't ask any further questions.

She adored the two little ones. One pulled her hand, wanting to pick persimmons, while the other clung to her leg, wanting her to play with the cat. Yi Huan stood under the persimmon tree, holding a long bamboo pole, tilting her head back to aim at the biggest, reddest persimmon. She tried for a long time but couldn't knock it down, and stamped her feet in frustration.

Ye Zhenzhen jumped up and grabbed the forked branch, then gently twisted it to pick the persimmon.

"Here, little ones shouldn't eat too much."

The two children looked at her with admiration. "Auntie, you're amazing!"

The orange cat had become a large, round ball, with a gleaming gold chain around its neck. It sat in the corner, squinting in the sun, looking like a pampered old man. Ye Zhenzhen couldn't resist petting it a few more times. This cat was even fatter than Xiao Zhou, its glossy fur gleaming in the sunlight, clearly a well-cared-for pet.

She and her two children were playing with the cat in the yard with toys. The big orange cat eventually got so tired that it lay on the ground, belly up, panting, and refused to move anymore.

The courtyard was filled with giggles.

Standing by the window, Zhou's mother watched the scene in the courtyard, and as she watched, the corners of her mouth unconsciously curved into a smile.

I recalled a conversation I had with my son a few days ago, during which he said something like, "Mom, if she had a powerful background, would you still think she's a bad person?"

She was stunned. Yes, if she were also someone's daughter from a wealthy family, would she still think she was bad? She was impeccable in character, had a good education, and her job wasn't bad either.

Her son told her, "You'll like her too once you spend more time with her."

She didn't believe it before, but now she seems to understand why her son fell in love with this girl.

When I was young, I was too busy with work and missed out on spending too much time with others.

She didn't want him to lack maternal love in his childhood and then lack his wife's love in his adulthood.

Children and grandchildren have their own destinies, and she no longer wanted to interfere. She had never experienced the happiness of marriage in her life, and her daughter's marriage was an arranged one due to family pressure. She didn't want her son to follow the same path.

The husband naturally disagreed.

"If you don't agree to Zhouzhou's marriage, then we'll get a divorce."

She looked at her husband that day, her tone unusually calm.

"He's being immature, and you're just going to let him get away with it? Spoiling him will never end well. Don't you understand how important his marriage is?" Zhou's father questioned her sternly.

She simply said, "I only wish for my child to be happy."

"I'm getting old, I can't worry about that anymore. Xiaoyu is taking care of things at the company, I just hope Zhouzhou can get married soon, have a few kids and come home to visit me more often."

Zhou's father still stubbornly refused to nod.

Therefore, he deliberately did not come to today's family dinner.

Zhou Huaijin went to her father's workplace.

The office curtains were half-drawn, and Mr. Zhou sat behind his desk, his gaze cold and stern. Seeing his son enter, he asked in a deep voice.

"Did you introduce her to your mother?"

"Um."

Zhou Huaijin stood in front of him and added another sentence.

"We already registered yesterday."

Mr. Zhou's fingers paused for a moment. He looked up at his son, his eyes filled with anger, disappointment, and above all, disbelief.

"Who gave you permission to get married?!"

Zhou Huaijin looked him in the eye without flinching. "Dad, in our country, marriage and love are free. No one has the right to interfere."

Mr. Zhou's face turned pale. Suppressing his anger, he asked again, "Was a prenuptial agreement signed?"

Zhou Huaijin replied, "No."

Zhou's father suddenly stood up, grabbed a folder from the table, and smashed it over Zhou Huaijin's head.

Zhou Huaijin didn't dodge, and the corner of the folder hit his forehead.

"Foolish!" Veins bulged on Zhou's father's forehead as he pointed at him, cursing with exasperation. "How could you be so foolish! Even heroes have their weaknesses; you're easily swayed by your children's feelings. You'll suffer greatly because of this sooner or later!"

Zhou Huaijin bent down and picked up the scattered documents one by one, placing them back on the table.

He raised his head, revealing a faint red mark on his forehead.

"Dad, you can stick to what you believe is right. I will also always stick to what I believe is right."

Zhou's father looked at him, his chest heaving violently, and sternly reminded him:

"You've endured so much hardship at the grassroots level all these years, finally making it through, and now you're going back to Beijing. Do you know what marrying a wife like this means? It means your promotion will be delayed by at least ten years!"

Zhou Huaijin did not back down. He looked into his father's eyes, his voice calm.

"Dad, the purpose of my hard work and self-improvement is not to wear heavier shackles, but to have more freedom and choices."

"I'm thirty-four years old this year. If I can't even give the woman I love a proper title, what kind of man am I?"

Looking at his son, who had been obedient and sensible for more than 30 years, Zhou's father suddenly rebelled and stood on the opposite side.

In those eyes, worn down by time and power for half a lifetime, anger and disappointment mingled, along with an indescribable bitterness.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he only let out a cold laugh.

"Ha, you have ambition. You're truly my good son. You'll regret this someday."

When Zhou Huaijin returned, Ye Zhenzhen was playing with Perler beads in the living room with the two little ones.

One adult and two children huddled together, chattering away.

"I want to hang this Peppa Pig on my backpack."

"Auntie, I want one too! I want one too!"

"Okay, okay, let's try one more time."

Ye Zhenzhen heard the door open, looked up, and saw Zhou Huaijin walk in. When her gaze fell on the red mark on his forehead, she almost dropped what she was holding.

What happened to your forehead?

Zhou Huaijin walked over, sat down next to her, and picked up a pendant she had made to look at.

I accidentally bumped into a car.

Ye Zhenzhen looked at the mark but didn't expose him. She knew perfectly well that he had just come from his father's place, and she didn't need to ask how he got the injury.