Reborn in 2006, I met Mr. Zhou from the past.

"Dad, Chen Yu is still a junior. Is it appropriate for him to sit next to you?" The first to speak was Uncle Zhou Jidong, who was thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old and had a calculating nature that made him want to compete for everything.

Aunt Zhou Jimei immediately chimed in, "Yes, Dad, if we're really going to talk about seniority, then it should be the eldest brother sitting next to you."

Before the old man could even respond, his aunt's youngest daughter, Zhao Jiajia, a high school student, interjected in a spoiled and willful tone: "Grandpa, you're spoiling Chen Yu way too much! He sits wherever he wants, he has absolutely no manners!"

Upon hearing this, the once noisy restaurant fell into a deathly silence, and the air seemed to freeze for a few seconds.

"Zhao Jiajia, do you, as a granddaughter, have the right to talk about my brother? Look at your appearance, even a dog would avoid you." The boy glanced at her coldly, a mocking smile curving his lips.

The boy who spoke was Zhou Chencheng, Zhou Chenyu's half-brother.

Seeing the atmosphere become extremely awkward, Uncle Zhou Jizhong had no choice but to step in and smooth things over. With a stiff smile on his face, he waved his hand and said, "Alright, it doesn't matter where you sit. The point of a family gathering is to have a lively time. Everyone, say less and hurry up and eat."

Although Uncle Zhou tried to smooth things over, Zhao Jiajia was so angry that her face turned ashen, her eyes red as she glared at Zhou Chencheng, then picked up her chopsticks and stabbed the rice in her bowl hard, deliberately making a noise.

In this tense farce, only Zhou Chenyu's biological father, Zhou Jihong, remained silent, like an outsider. His eyelids were lowered, but he knew perfectly well that at this critical juncture, he couldn't afford to offend his son, who seemed like a harbinger of doom.

The old man watched coldly as his children argued heatedly over a chair, their faces flushed. He felt a tightness in his chest, his heart filled with indescribable desolation and bitterness.

Zhou Chenyu, sitting to the side, took in everyone's disgraceful behavior. A faint, cold smile curled at the corner of his lips. He didn't even lift an eyelid from the moment he saw the scene, calmly picking up his chopsticks and placing a piece of food into Old Master Zhou's bowl, as if the farce had never happened. He thought to himself, "Let them say whatever they want. I'll indulge myself while I still can. After all, if I don't speak now, I might not even have the chance to say anything later."

Some people find a meal tasteless, while others enjoy it immensely.

After dinner, everyone moved to the living room and sat down. Old Master Zhou gestured to Attorney Wang that they could begin. Upon seeing Attorney Wang, some were excited, others were shocked, as Attorney Wang had always been the executor lawyer managing the family estate for Old Master Zhou.

Attorney Wang, the family's personal lawyer, cleared his throat and, in front of the entire family, opened the sealed brown paper bag. He then slowly announced, "Regarding the 40% of the group's shares held by Mr. Zhou, the following distribution plan is hereby read." Attorney Wang's voice was steady yet clear: "Mr. Zhou voluntarily donates 20% of these shares to his eldest grandson, Mr. Zhou Chenyu, free of charge in his personal capacity, effective immediately."

As soon as he finished speaking, the restaurant fell into a deathly silence once more. Before anyone could react, the lawyer continued reading: "As for the remaining 20% ​​of the shares, they will be the old gentleman's estate. After his passing, they will be equally divided among his four children. This will is final and irrevocable."

As soon as Attorney Wang finished speaking, Zhou Jidong's teacup fell to the ground with a thud. He jumped up and demanded, "How could this be? Dad, you're joking, right?"

The fake smile on Zhou Jizhong's face instantly cracked as he sat next to him. Zhou Jihong looked completely bewildered, Zhou Jimei turned deathly pale, and Zhao Jiajia was so jealous she was practically grinding her teeth to powder. Meanwhile, Zhou Chencheng laughed heartily, looking up at the sky.

Aunt Qin, Qin Shujuan, Zhou Chenyu's stepmother and Zhou Chencheng's biological mother, didn't feel anything was wrong. She had long seen that the old man loved this grandson the most. Zhou Chenyu suffered a lot when he was young, and when he grew up, he studied and started his own business without relying on his family. He was reliable and capable at a young age, and was the most suitable candidate to take over the family business.

She sat quietly to the side, watching everyone's reactions, and shook her head inwardly: They're all insatiable fools.

The old man stared coldly at the broken porcelain shards on the ground, tapped his cane heavily on the floor, and said in a deep voice, "Do I look like someone who has the leisure to joke with you? I'm not so senile that I don't even know who I gave my things to."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority: "Of the forty percent of shares I hold, I'm now giving twenty percent to A-Yu. This is a voluntary offer; anyone with objections should keep it to themselves."

Looking at his children, whose faces were ashen, the old man sneered and continued, "The remaining twenty percent, you four will divide equally among yourselves after I close my eyes. As long as I'm breathing, the rules of this company must be followed according to my will!"

After saying that, the old man turned to look at Zhou Chenyu, his tone softening slightly: "As for those fixed assets, I have already divided them up. I will have Attorney Wang hand them over to you later."

After speaking, the old man slightly raised his hand to signal, and Zhou Chenyu immediately stepped forward and steadily helped him up to the second floor.

Back in the bedroom, the door closed, shutting out the undercurrents below. The old man sighed deeply, leaning back in his chair, and said, "Ah Yu... they've wronged you. Consider these shares my final compensation on their behalf. Please don't hold it against them, okay?"

Zhou Chenyu didn't reply immediately. He lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on the old man's withered hand. After a moment of silence, he slowly spoke, his eyes filled with a chilling coldness: "But Grandpa... this time their target was me. You unexpectedly shielded me from disaster, are you just going to let this car accident go so easily?"

He paused, then continued, "I've already collected the evidence of who did this behind the scenes. If they still refuse to behave themselves, I will not let them off easily."

A brief, deathly silence fell over the room. The old man gazed quietly at his grandson, a man whose sharp edges had long since concealed his true strength. After a long while, he wearily closed his eyes and said in a hoarse voice, "I know... but if you really want to deal with them, wait until after I'm gone."

Upon hearing this, the dark turmoil in Zhou Chenyu's eyes gradually subsided. He did not refute, and his voice returned to its usual gentleness: "Alright, I'll listen to you."

As night deepened outside the window, only the quiet breathing of the grandfather and grandson remained in the room. On this cold winter night, the greedy schemes downstairs continued, but Zhou Chenyu had already secured his right to speak.

Zhou Chenyu left the old house quietly after his grandfather had gone to sleep. Ever since he returned to Beijing from university, he had been living alone and rarely set foot in this deep mansion, which was full of schemes, unless his grandfather specifically instructed him to.

Upon his return, he acted swiftly and decisively, thoroughly eliminating those who had previously spread rumors and caused trouble—losing their jobs was merely the appetizer; those with ruthless methods were sent directly to jail. This series of thunderous actions even terrified his own father, Zhou Jihong, who no longer dared to provoke him.