Cheng Zhaorui was a first-tier actor. He had some fame, but he was still a long way from being a major star. Because of this job, he had been despised by Old Master Cheng for more than twenty years, and had long been pushed to the fringes of the family, left to fend for himself. Therefore, it was impossible for him to inherit the family business. And it was almost impossible for him to get any support from the family’s resources.

In other words, the extra sixty million… could take half his life!

Fortunately, he was the one who came here today to negotiate and discuss the contract. According to normal procedures, he only needed to have the contract reviewed by his father’s people after it was finalized. After it was approved, the family would naturally make the payment. If he could explain the extra sixty million with a reasonable excuse, then this entire ninety million…

It took half a day, but the contract was finally settled.

Cheng Zhaorui let out a long sigh of relief.

He carefully put away the contract and asked, “When will the script be ready? When can I get the lines? When can we rehearse in advance?”

Lin Chen said, “Please don’t bring your professional mindset into this, Mr. Zhaorui. Come, this way please. Go out, and come back in half an hour.”

Cheng Zhaorui was puzzled. “In half an hour? What for?”

Lin Chen said calmly, “To the old residence, to see the Old Master.”

As soon as he heard “old residence,” Cheng Zhaorui became stressed.

Cheng Zhaorui shot up again, his face tense, his speech rapid. “To the old residence? What are you going there for? My father has already given me full authority over this matter. You don’t need to see my father at all!”

Lin Chen, a smile in his eyes, stood up and pressed his shoulder.

Lin Chen: “Whoever is the head of the family is the father. On the first day in a new home, of course, one should go and pay respects to the ‘father’.”

Lin Chen: “But—don’t be nervous, don’t be nervous. I’ll handle the elder. You just need to follow along.”

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This year, A University’s winter break started earlier than B University’s. Cheng Huanzhen was thus able to leave school earlier and throw himself into the work of his family’s business.

He was already twenty, so it didn’t seem strange for him to be getting involved in the family business and starting practical business training. But in fact, in the Cheng family, especially for his generation, they all started their practical business training from the summer after graduating from junior high.

Yes, “their generation.”

His grandfather was very strict with his heirs. In his father’s generation, regardless of gender, none of them could meet his grandfather’s standards for an heir. So his grandfather had started催促ing them to get married early. After his father and the others got married and had children early, he had this batch of descendants move into the main residence, and he personally taught and raised them.

Twenty years had passed. This group of children had come and gone. In the past two years, he was the only one still being kept by his grandfather’s side. Therefore, now he was the only one who still had to have every vacation filled with various “practical business training plans.”

Fortunately, Cheng Huanzhen was already very used to this.

After his last exam of the semester, he left school and started to get busy with his winter vacation.

As soon as he got in the car, he unhurriedly took out his tablet from his backpack and began to plan the remaining 20-odd items on his to-do list for the day. It was a habit of his to personally arrange his schedule while in the car.

Just then, his phone rang.

Cheng Huanzhen stopped planning and answered the call.

Cheng Huanzhen said politely, “Third Uncle.”

His third uncle’s hearty laughter came from the other end of the phone.

His third uncle made some simple small talk, and after receiving two uninteresting “yes” and “hmm” replies, he got straight to the point.

His third uncle lowered his voice and asked tentatively, “Little Zhen, is there anything new at the old residence today? Why would Father suddenly call us all for a dinner gathering?”

Cheng Huanzhen was puzzled. “Dinner gathering? I haven’t heard about it. I’m not living at the old residence recently, so I’m not sure. Sorry, Third Uncle.”

His third uncle’s voice was a little disappointed, but he quickly covered it up. “Is that so? It’s fine, Uncle was just asking.”

His third uncle paused, then said casually, “But Little Zhen, you should still pay some attention to this matter. The last time the Old Master suddenly gathered everyone like this was when he announced that he was handing over the family’s new core industry project to you.”

His third uncle didn’t say much, but Cheng Huanzhen could understand his meaning. It was nothing more than telling him: the family might have a new favorite. Whoever his grandfather favored would be the Cheng family’s new favorite. The term “new favorite” not only concerned the tilting of family resources for a period of time in the future, but could also be related to the future inheritance of the family business.

However—understanding was one thing, but Cheng Huanzhen didn’t care about it.

He glanced at the messages in the family’s GreenLetter group chat and calmly instructed the driver to change course to the old residence. Along the way, he made phone calls and handled work as needed, and soon, his 20-odd to-do items were reduced to just 7.

The car finally arrived at the old residence.

Cheng Huanzhen calmly entered the old residence, greeted his father, his uncles and aunts, his cousins, and the old butler.

Cheng Huanzhen politely asked the old butler, “Is Grandfather in the study? Do I need to go and greet him in advance?”

The old butler smiled and said to him, “Young Master Huanzhen, you can just sit here. Mr. Cheng will be out soon—oh, speak of the devil.”

As soon as the spirited Old Master Cheng appeared, the large group of brothers, sisters, uncles, and aunts all fell silent. Everyone looked towards Old Master Cheng, bowing their heads and greeting him one after another.

However, at this moment, people noticed that right beside Old Master Cheng stood a completely unfamiliar, handsome young man.

This young man was dressed in a bright red outer garment, with a high and straight ponytail tied on his head. With every step he took beside Old Master Cheng, the high ponytail would sway in their line of sight. It could be said to be—

Extremely presumptuous!!

All the Cheng family members’ faces changed when they saw him.

Come on, look at this large group of them!

Grab any one of them, whose attire wasn’t so serious that they could go straight to an international conference? Did they really think they dressed like this for dinner at the old residence because they liked it? Wasn’t it because Old Master Cheng was in the old residence!

Some people who were familiar with Old Master Cheng’s temper had already silently lowered their heads and held their breath, waiting for the “scolding” that could come at any moment, which was still terrifying enough even if it wasn’t directed at them.

Cheng Huanzhen did not deliberately look at the person beside his grandfather. But he only accidentally glanced at him when he looked up, and that bright red and high, swaying ponytail were like an imprint left on his retina. When he respectfully bowed his head towards his grandfather, he stared at his own shoe tips, his vision as if blurred, somehow still retaining a red shadow.

Strange…?

Cheng Huanzhen thought in confusion for two seconds, and the confusion dissipated.

Strange is strange.

It wasn’t important.

But his grandfather would be angry.

That person would be scolded.

He stared at his shoe tips for a long time and made this judgment.

However, after waiting for a long time, his grandfather’s expected anger did not come. What reached his ears was instead an unexpectedly harmonious conversation between his grandfather and the young man in red.

His grandfather’s voice was full of authority. “Yiming, take a good look at the houses these few days. The family should have about a hundred empty houses in the capital city. You can pick any one you like. If you don’t see one you like, then just say where you want to build a house. We definitely won’t shortchange you in terms of living arrangements…”

The young, unfamiliar voice, which seemed to have a natural smile in it, said lazily, “That’s no fun, Dad. If I live in such a big house by myself, surrounded by servants and butlers, what’s the difference from being abroad?”

His grandfather asked, “Oh? Then what do you want?”

The unfamiliar voice answered with serious thought and great interest, “Are there any people my age in the family? I want to go and live with them for a while! People of the same age, good playmates. If I can live with them and play with them, then life would be interesting!”

His grandfather snorted coldly and was about to habitually scold, “Play together? Is this how you spend your time every day…”

The scolding stopped halfway for some reason. His grandfather’s words took a very natural turn. He, who had always been strict and serious, now sighed helplessly. “Forget it, forget it. Have it your way.”

“I’ve called everyone in the family over for you today. You can get to know them yourself during dinner. Your older brothers are fine, your nephews are fine. Pick a companion yourself and have them help you get used to life in the country.”

The young voice let out a cheerful laugh without any inhibitions. “Thanks, Dad.”

The confusion that had just subsided in Cheng Huanzhen’s mind surfaced again, along with a bit of dazed disbelief in his own ears.

What form of address had he just heard?

…”Dad”?

From someone who looked younger than him?

He stared blankly at his shoe tips and slowly blinked twice.

…Forget it.

It wasn’t important either.

The confusion dissipated, the daze scattered. Cheng Huanzhen calmly followed the flow of people.

His grandfather led the unfamiliar young man downstairs. After greeting the crowd, he first took his seat at the head of the table. Only then did the large family swarm forward and take their seats in the huge dining room of the Cheng family’s old residence.

At this moment, those who were reacting normally had a somewhat flickering shock and disbelief in their eyes. Countless gazes, scared out of their wits, floated in the air, tacitly landing on the unfamiliar red figure sitting to the right of the head of the table.

For a moment, even the godson who was usually the best at pleasing Old Master Cheng and the most talkative was as silent as a mute.

…Had they been possessed, or had the Old Master been possessed?

Why was the Old Master’s temper so… so unfamiliar today?

Old Master Cheng glanced over the whole room expressionlessly, taking in the expression of every junior.

Those who were dazed and shocked received a cold snort from him in his heart.

So spineless!

Those who were thinking and guessing received a secret nod from him in his heart.

Calm-headed, not bad.

His gaze finally landed on his most anticipated grandson, Cheng Huanzhen.

Calm as usual, with no emotion showing.

Old Master Cheng praised him inwardly and withdrew his gaze with satisfaction.

He continued to keep them in suspense, and finally opened his mouth slowly. “I’ve called everyone back tonight mainly to introduce Yiming to you all.”

Old Master Cheng slowly recalled the past.

He started from that extremely successful project 18 years ago, talking about how he and his late wife had stayed in a certain country for three years for this project, how during that time he had a son in his old age, miraculously giving birth to Cheng Yiming, and then how they were targeted by a competitor, who poisoned their food. He talked about how the young Cheng Yiming mischievously stole some food, was instantly affected and rushed to the emergency room, and how, at the cost of being left with a frail constitution, he had accidentally saved his and his wife’s lives…

The whole story was full of ups and downs, and was well-reasoned.

Even Cheng Zhaorui, upon hearing it, couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat, thinking to himself that it was no wonder this younger brother had the guts to dress so presumptuously in front of his father. It really wasn’t easy!

…No, wait.

What wasn’t easy?

This was all clearly a script!

Cheng Zhaorui calmly snapped out of his acting mode and breathed a sigh of relief.

Old Master Cheng said slowly, “…A master said that Yiming had a great calamity in his fate in his first 18 years and had to live in obscurity and low-key, so he was always kept abroad to recuperate.”

Old Master Cheng’s tone changed. “But now Yiming is an adult, and the calamity that needed to be resolved has been resolved. It’s time for him to return to the Cheng family.”

Cheng Huanzhen calmly listened to the story and calmly ate his meal, not thinking that the whole story had anything to do with him.

Even after his grandfather finished the story and allowed everyone to speak and chat freely, and even when his uncles, aunts, brothers, and sisters all gathered around the red-clothed young uncle as if they had found a treasure, warmly and friendly introducing themselves and trying all sorts of ways to get the red-clothed young uncle to stay at their homes temporarily, Cheng Huanzhen had no thoughts, no actions. He listened to all of this calmly and without any curiosity.

However, at this moment, a flash of red suddenly entered his field of vision.

A straight ponytail swung and landed on his right wrist. Cheng Huanzhen turned his head to look, only to see the young uncle’s head popped out beside his hand, his curious and bright eyes wide as he stared at him.

Cheng Yiming stared at him for one second, two seconds, three seconds.

Far exceeding the polite time for eye contact.

Suddenly, Cheng Yiming straightened up and said to the Old Master at the head of the table, his tone full of interest, “Dad, this big nephew is interesting. I want to go and live at big nephew’s house!”