HomeDream of Golden YearsChapter 425: Zhou Cheng Gets Taught a Lesson

Chapter 425: Zhou Cheng Gets Taught a Lesson

Zhou Cheng’s first twenty years had been far too smooth.

His family elders were supportive, and he had sailed through life without encountering any major setbacks. The old Master Zhou hadn’t even considered the dangers at the frontline – without dedication, there could be no reward. Among so many people in the unit, why should Zhou Cheng be the one to get promoted?

Seeing Zhou Cheng’s silence, old Master Zhou knew he was still unconvinced.

“I’m not dismissing Xia Xiaolan as a person. I hope your relationship brings positive growth and complementarity, not like pouring oil onto a raging fire! Right now you’re playing the hero, wanting to stand up for her and protect her, but has anyone asked if she needs your protection? Zhou Cheng, you’re too arrogant and too dismissive of others. This lesson will cost you two or three years without promotion. You say you don’t regret it now for Xia Xiaolan’s sake – I hope you won’t regret it later either.”

Old Master Zhou was quite angry – could it be that the Zhou family had produced a hopeless romantic?

Families like theirs needed harmonious marriages, not passionate love affairs! Extreme emotions easily lead to loss of rationality and poor judgment in crucial moments.

“Zhou Cheng, is everything really as your grandfather described?” Zhou Guobin broke the silence.

“Yes. Although I disagree with some of Grandfather’s views, the situation is exactly as he described. I won’t apologize, and it will affect some people’s opinion of me.”

Zhou Guobin looked at his son. The boy was his only child – how could Zhou Guobin not love him? But this time, he agreed with Zhou Cheng’s grandfather. Zhou Cheng had made a mistake, including his previous confrontation with Fan Zhenchuan in Shangdu. Zhou Guobin hadn’t been angry then because Zhou Cheng had been honest enough not to disguise his desires with righteousness, and had straightforwardly explained his thoughts.

This was both Zhou Cheng’s strength and weakness.

Why was Zhou Cheng so honest? Because he trusted his family, and because he was confident.

Zhou Cheng simply didn’t believe he could be wrong!

Just like now – Zhou Cheng wasn’t arguing with his elders, but his silence was a wordless protest.

Zhou Guobin couldn’t entirely blame the girl. Even before Xia Xiaolan appeared, Zhou Cheng had this personality, already carrying a disciplinary warning. It would be impossible to say the family hadn’t helped at all – if not for the Zhou family’s reputation, that warning wouldn’t have been removed! And how did he get that warning? Because Zhou Cheng was arrogant and conceited!

Zhou Guobin wasn’t worried about much, he wasn’t worried about Zhou Cheng making impulsive mistakes, because Zhou Cheng was only 21.

What Zhou Guobin worried about was that Zhou Cheng wouldn’t correct his mistakes, believing deep down that he was right. The family could still clean up after him now, but what about when no one could help anymore?

Zhou Guobin felt it was time to stop letting this boy grow wild.

“If you think you’re not wrong, then stop the cigarette business you’re running with the Kang boy. Our family doesn’t need you to take risks to earn that kind of money. And your associations with Pan San and the others – what are you trying to do? You think no one would investigate you if the family wasn’t covering for you!”

Guan Hui’e became anxious, “Apologizing to a female colleague won’t kill you. Whether it was accidental or not, you hit her, and as a man, you should apologize!”

Zhou Cheng remained silent.

Zhou Guobin couldn’t be bothered to argue further. He planned to cut off some of Zhou Cheng’s “privileges.” If he wouldn’t listen to the family, then he shouldn’t rely on the family’s influence. If one lesson couldn’t be taught to Zhou Cheng, his arrogance and conceit would lead him to make similar mistakes again.

When Zhou Cheng left home, he squatted at the entrance and chain-smoked several cigarettes.

The situation was slightly more serious than he’d anticipated. He didn’t mind being held back from promotion for two or three years – Zhou Cheng himself felt he could use some time to slow down.

But stopping the cigarette business… his father couldn’t control Kang Wei. Kang Wei had grown up without a father, and Zhou Guobin still looked after him somewhat for his old friend’s sake. This business was something Kang Wei could manage, but Zhou Cheng couldn’t be involved anymore. With his withdrawal, how long could Kang Wei maintain their current operation network? With Kang Wei’s personality lacking decisiveness, and not being tough enough, it would only last a few months before the business would be divided up by those below them.

Fine, let it stop. They’d earned plenty these past two years, and continuing would only invite jealousy.

He’d only wanted to help Kang Wei – otherwise, this business should have ended six months ago.

This wasn’t a major setback. He’d grown greedy lately, wanting to earn more now so his wife wouldn’t have to worry about money in the future. Without the cigarette business income, he alone would be Xiaolan’s security. He couldn’t explain why his grandfather said he was overprotective.

It wasn’t Xiaolan’s fault that she was beautiful.

Someone like Xiaolan – if he didn’t protect her well, wouldn’t she be bullied to death?

Zhou Cheng couldn’t forget how helpless she looked when he first met her, cornered by three thugs in an alley.

Nor could he forget that prominent scar on her fair, smooth forehead.

He’d thought then that a girl like her shouldn’t live that kind of life, pushing carts of eggs collected from villages under the scorching sun, earning just a few cents per egg – his compassion and protective instinct started then, and even now knowing how capable Xiaolan was, Zhou Cheng hadn’t changed his mind.

Too straightforward, too rigid – did Zhou Cheng not know this?

He wasn’t indulging in this rigidity – Xiaolan had been forced into it by her environment. If she wasn’t sharp enough, others would break her!

After making a round at Zhou Cheng’s workplace, still in an unpleasant mood.

That evening when Shao Guangrong came to get the car, Xia Xiaolan held back from saying anything, though she was still concerned.

On the 31st, Xia Xiaolan decided to handle the new student enrollment first, then properly tour around with her family. How did this affect Zhou Cheng, Xia Xiaolan was unfamiliar with his unit’s rules, so how should she help Zhou Cheng?

The school was much livelier today than on the 28th. The area in front of the grand hall was packed with various departments welcoming new students. Looking around, names like “Water Conservation,” “Civil Engineering,” “Radio,” and “Automation” caught the eye, with new students searching for their reporting departments while greeters called out.

Under the “Civil Engineering” sign, Xia Xiaolan spotted Senior Shan Yujun whom she’d met before.

The senior also saw her, “Architecture is right here. Zhao Qian, quickly come take your department’s new students!”

With so many people around, even the gentle Senior Shan couldn’t help but shout. A female student ran over.

“Architecture students follow me!”

Zhao Qian took one look – goodness, so this was the new school beauty who had captivated Du Xuefeng?

Watching Xia Xiaolan driving on College Road, Zhao Qian guessed this junior must come from a powerful family. Beautiful and surely to cause quite a stir upon entering school. Huaqing usually had school buses picking up students at the train station, but Xia Xiaolan had arrived too early to catch one. Here to get a prestigious degree? She certainly didn’t look like she came to study. Somehow she’d ended up in Architecture – when girls draw technical drawings they work as hard as boys, and even the boys don’t treat themselves kindly when drawing!

This new junior would probably demand to transfer departments before the first semester was over. The boys in Architecture had gotten excited for nothing – whatever school beauty or campus beauty, she wouldn’t stay in Architecture!

Xia Xiaolan couldn’t guess any of Zhao Qian’s thoughts, she just felt this Senior Zhao was a bit cold.

Of course, everyone was different, not everyone could be as patient as Shan Yujun.

Under Zhao Qian’s guidance, Xia Xiaolan completed the new student enrollment process. After paying book fees, and receiving meal subsidies, dormitory keys, and school badges, Zhao Qian led her to the dormitory building.

A sign stood at the bottom of the building:

“Welcome, Future Architects!”

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