Plunder-Chapter 292: The Fox Exploits the Tiger’s Might
Sister Rong deliberately added two spoonfuls of salt to the abalone soup.
Yao Chuman was so overwhelmed by the saltiness that she couldn’t speak; she neither could swallow the bite of abalone soup nor spit it out.
"Mrs. Zhou seems to enjoy the abalone soup so much, let me serve you another bowl," Sister Rong said, turning to head back to the kitchen to get her another serving.
Yao Chuman couldn’t care less and immediately set down her bowl and stood up to catch Sister Rong by the arm.
Her head shook like a rattle drum.
"You don’t like the abalone soup I made? Why does your expression look so odd?" Sister Rong asked, furrowing her brows on purpose.
Sister Rong once served as a maid in the old house, and after Yao Chuman married into the Zhou family, she made things difficult for Sister Rong’s mother. Although Sister Rong was still young back then, she remembered everything in her heart.
Now, whether it was seen as wielding borrowed authority or settling private scores,
seeing Yao Chuman in such pain brought her great satisfaction.
"Sister Rong, you can go ahead with your work," Qiao En intervened.
Sister Rong nodded and left the living room in response.
"Auntie Man, please have a seat."
Qiao En personally poured her a glass of water and handed it over; Yao Chuman took it and drank eagerly.
"Big brother, how do you plan to deal with the Ding family? That Ding Yongsheng is truly despicable; we need to show him some colors this time," Zhou Ziyan suggested boldly.
Zhou Jin’an glanced at him coldly, "What does it have to do with you?"
"How could it not concern me? It’s a big deal. You are my blood brother; if he crosses you, it means he’s crossing the Zhou family. Poor Aunt and Big Brother, because of him, you suffered false accusation for more than twenty years."
Zhou Ziyan tried to cozy up to Zhou Jin’an.
In the past, he would have never stooped to do such a thing.
But times had changed, and to gain something from Zhou Jin’an’s hands, he had to be more sensible.
A frown flickered across Zhou Jin’an’s forehead, unaccustomed to Zhou Ziyan’s boot-licking behavior.
"Don’t call me that."
"Jin’an, not only did you vindicate your mother this time, you also cleared Auntie Man’s name. It’s a major event for our Zhou family; it’s only unfortunate that your father..."
Yao Chuman’s words were cut off as she started to choke up and was on the verge of crying.
The irritation in Zhou Jin’an’s heart was provoked, so he stood up, walked over to Qiao En, and slipped an arm around her shoulders. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚
"If there’s nothing else, you may leave," he announced, issuing an eviction order.
Yao Chuman was unwilling to leave, as they had come there to discuss the matter regarding Nanchen with Zhou Jin’an.
"Jin’an, we still have matters to discuss."
She signalled to Zhou Ziyan with her eyes; Zhou Ziyan, too scared to speak, signalled back.
All these exchanges did not escape Qiao En’s notice.
"Auntie Man, it’s not convenient at home today, another day I’ll visit you with Jin’an," Qiao En said politely, but her meaning was clear aligning with Zhou Jin’an’s.
Yao Chuman was not one to easily give in, having been sent away time and again, leaving her feeling uncomfortable.
Just as she was about to explode, Zhou Ziyan suddenly smiled and stopped her.
"Then big brother, sister-in-law, take a good rest. Mom and I will leave now."
He took Yao Chuman’s arm and led her away from Chu Garden.
"Zhou Ziyan, do you even know what you are doing?"
Just outside the gate of Chu Garden, Yao Chuman chastised Zhou Ziyan.
"Mom—" Zhou Ziyan called out in an annoyingly prolonged tone, "can’t you see that they plainly don’t wish to talk?"
"Then what should we do? Just accept our grievances and losses? No, Nanchen cannot belong to Zhou Jin’an alone."
"I didn’t say it belonged to him alone; my point is, don’t rush things too much. Our visit today wasn’t in vain; Qiao En is a smart person, she already knows what we want."
"What’s the use of her knowing?" Yao Chuman cursed out loud.
She was impatient and eager to gain what she desired immediately.
Zhou Ziyan rolled his eyes, "You’re always in a hurry for everything. But this, this specifically, you cannot rush. Today we came to express our stance, our grievances. When the time is right, then we’ll make our big demands."
Yao Chuman was almost immune to Zhou Ziyan’s grandiose speeches, "What big demands? Do you even grasp what we’re dealing with? If you don’t, I’ll contact your brother and let him handle this matter."
Yao Chuman spoke and was about to call Zhou Chucheng when Zhou Ziyan quickly stopped her.
"Mom, why do you lack patience? Don’t you know where your brother’s loyalties lie? For such matters, we have to keep him in the dark. Otherwise, he’ll definitely side with Zhou Jin’an, and we’ll end up empty-handed."
Upon reflection, Yao Chuman realized Zhou Ziyan’s analysis did make sense.
"Alright, this time I’ll listen to you. We’ll wait," she acquiesced.
Chu Garden.
After Yao Chuman and Zhou Ziyan left, Zhou Jin’an stayed with Qiao En in the gazebo in the back garden.
He still had a steely expression on his face, which was very unpleasant.
"What’s the matter? Not happy?"
Qiao En asked in surprise.
Zhou Jin’an shook his head, "There’s nothing to be happy about."
Although Ding Yongsheng had indeed apologized, what did that change? It did nothing to fix what had already happened.
"I want to discuss something with you."
Qiao En started.
Zhou Jin’an looked at her, "If this is about Yao Chuman, there’s no room for discussion."
Although, in the end, the investigation had found that all incidents were unrelated to Yao Chuman.
But those memories from his childhood were still lodged in Zhou Jin’an’s heart; he couldn’t forget them.
"It’s not about her."
Qiao En said.
"What is it?" Zhou Jin’an became interested.
"The acquisition work for An Corporation is finished, have you decided? When are you going to hand over An Corporation to Director Zhou to handle?"
Zhou Jin’an fell silent.
Half a month ago, Qiao En had already suggested this to him.
Back then, he had said he needed time to think.
He had indeed thought it over; Zhou Chucheng’s capabilities were outstanding, handing over An Corporation to him would be ideal.
However, the thought of him being Yao Chuman’s son always caused discomfort in his heart.
"Jin’an, the misunderstandings from the past have been clarified, you can’t remain immersed in the past forever. Whether you like it or not, they are eventually part of the Zhou family. The saying goes, ’family wealth should not flow into the hands of outsiders.’ If Director Zhou handles it, I believe Aunt Man and the Second Young Master will also behave more properly."
Today, they had appeared at Chu Garden, and naturally, Zhou Jin’an knew their purpose.
He hadn’t allowed them to achieve their goal, though.
But just because they hadn’t succeeded didn’t mean they would give up.
"Alright, I’ll listen to you."
Zhou Jin’an acted swiftly, agreeing with Qiao En and immediately calling the secretarial office to start preparing.
"The shares in Nanchen, don’t you plan to give them some?"
Qiao En asked again.
Zhou Jin’an’s eyebrows furrowed into a frown; he shook his head decisively, "Impossible. They should never even dream of it."
Soon after, Zhou Chucheng’s phone call came through.
"Big brother, what do you mean by this? Why are you giving An Corporation to me?"
Zhou Chucheng was very surprised.
"If I’m giving it to you, then I’m giving it to you. What about it? Are you not part of the Zhou family? Can’t you share some of the burden for me?"
Zhou Jin’an spoke with great authority.
Zhou Chucheng was baffled, "Big brother, that’s not what I mean. I’m just overwhelmed by the favor."
"Do well, and if you can’t manage properly, I can immediately take back what I’ve just said."
Zhou Jin’an added.
"Thank you, big brother."
Zhou Chucheng was very excited.
Zhou Jin’an didn’t wait for him to finish speaking and hung up the phone.
At his side, Qiao En watched him with a smile.
"Why so fierce? He thinks of you as his dear elder brother and you’re giving him the cold shoulder. Why is that?"
"That’s called maintaining a distance."
Zhou Jin’an said proudly.
The news of Zhou Chucheng taking over An Corporation spread quickly.
When Zhou Ziyan found out, he was taken aback.
He felt wronged; such a big piece of the pie had fallen into Zhou Chucheng’s lap.
"Mom, it’s not fair, really not fair. Let’s go find Zhou Jin’an; I have a share in Nanchen, too."
Yao Chuman was caught up in her joy and couldn’t pull herself away.
"If you want to go, go. I won’t," she replied.
"Mom—" Zhou Ziyan lamented, feeling aggrieved. "You’re just biased towards Chucheng. I’m your son too. Why don’t you think about me?"
Yao Chuman rolled her eyes, "How haven’t I thought about you? It’s your own lack of ambition that’s the problem. Look at your brother; he has made me proud."
Now that pride was mentioned, Yao Chuman started to see Zhou Ziyan in a less favorable light.
"Hey, I almost forgot, have you broken up with that blonde girl? Zhou Ziyan, let me remind you, don’t forget who you are. If you continue messing around outside, I’ll tell Chucheng. He has ways to deal with you—"
Suddenly, the old house was filled with cries and howls.
