It had been half a year since he had seen his father, and today, on his only day off, his father suddenly remembered to ask how much money he had spent?
It must have been Zhan Bei Jue's doing.
Zhou Jin Xiu cast a questioning glance at Zhan Bei Jue.
As it happened, Zhan Bei Jue was also looking this way.
One looked embarrassed, the other relaxed and indifferent. The disparity in their auras was immediately apparent.
Seeing that he did not answer and his eyes were darting around, his father, in a fit of anger, stood up and was about to kick him.
"You think I'm dead, don't you? My words don't matter anymore, do they?"
"I ask you once, twice, and you don't answer. What do you want to do? Rebel?"
His mother quickly stood up and held his father back, patting his chest to calm him down while scolding Zhou Jin Xiu.
"Didn't you say you were out running investments every day? You weren't idle, so what's so difficult to talk about?"
"Hurry up and tell your father how much you spent and how much is left. Tell him the truth. Do you really want to anger him to death?"
With things having escalated this far, he had no choice but to speak.
Zhou Jin Xiu could only lower his head and say softly,
"The money I invested hasn't even broken even yet."
"What did you say? Speak up!"
Zhou Jin Bei quickly translated for his brother: "He said the money he invested hasn't broken even yet."
"What did you invest in that hasn't broken even? How much did you invest?" m..oΓg
In recent years, short videos had developed rapidly.
Many grassroots individuals, including university students, tried to create personas, shoot videos, and gain recognition online to attract followers, thereby earning money through live sales.
As a second-generation rich kid, Zhou Jin Xiu naturally wouldn't become an internet celebrity himself. Instead, he partnered with a friend to register a studio.
They signed several young and beautiful girls, hired people to film them, and promoted them as internet celebrities.
However, registering a studio cost money, hiring photographers cost money, finding scriptwriters cost money, and signing artists also cost money.
After investing for two to three months, they had only just begun to see some progress. Not only had they not broken even, but their small ventures made him too embarrassed to tell his father, fearing his disapproval.
"You told me to do whatever I wanted and not interfere. Why are you suddenly interfering now?"
Hearing this, his father knew he hadn't done anything good.
His father became furious again and was about to stand up.
"You unfilial wretch! Did you spend all the money on eating, drinking, and women?"
"Did you buy luxury cars for others? Who do you think you are, some great second-generation rich kid?"
"Your father is practically starving to death! The company owes billions in debt to the bank."
"At my age, I'm still working my life away for this family. Do you think our family's money comes so easily? You're uneducated, just waiting to die!"
"If I don't reprimand you, you won't even realize your mistakes! Zhou Jin Xiu, look at yourself. Do you look like a real man?"
"Now look at your second brother. He's only three years older than you, and his achievements are something you can't match even with the rest of your life! Don't you feel any shame?"
Zhou Jin Xiu detested being compared to Zhan Bei Jue more than anything in his life.
He was inferior to him in height, looks, academic performance, family background, and work ability.
Except for his romantic luck, he was inferior in everything else.
It was so annoying, being compared to him all the time!
As his father spoke, seeing his lack of reaction, he continued to scold him.
"What? You're not convinced? You think you're doing pretty well? Am I wrong about you?"
Zhou Jin Xiu endured the humiliation: "No. Everything you say is right."
"Then how much money do you have left now?"
"You've already scolded me. Can we please stop talking about money?"
Zhou Jin Bei chimed in: "He's definitely spent it all. A Bull Demon costs millions, and with brother going out to play and feast every day, that mere 30 million is probably all spent."
Zhou Jin Xiu glared at her: "Zhou Jin Bei, shut up! Do you think you spend less than me?"
"Of course, I spend less than you. Dad never gave me 30 million, nor did he buy me a sports car."
Zhou Jin Xiu was almost angered to death by her.
"You ungrateful thing! Just a few days ago I spent a million yuan on you, and now you're disowning it? Do you think you're so economical?"
"What? When did I spend a million yuan on you?"
"Zhou Jin Xiu, don't try to distract me and get me to share the burden. Mom is here as my witness. When did I ever spend a million yuan on you?"
The brother and sister started arguing.
Seeing that his good deeds were not appreciated, Zhou Jin Xiu decided to expose Zhou Jin Bei.
"Don't you remember what good deed you did the night we returned to the country? To shut someone up, I spent a million yuan to settle it for you! Zhou Jin Bei, don't burn your bridges."
So, it was about that incident.
Such a small matter actually cost a million yuan to settle?
Zhou Jin Bei was immediately scared into silence.
His father turned to look at her, his face full of astonishment.
"What did you do that required your brother to help settle it, and it cost a million yuan?"
"I..."
"You're still hiding things from me? Not telling me anything? Pretending everything is fine every day? Telling me the family is doing well?"
Father Zhou was furious and glared at his wife.
"Fine, the three of you are in cahoots, colluding together, trying to anger me in every way possible!"
"When you finally anger me to death and the family falls apart, then you'll be satisfied!"
The Zhou family descended into chaos.
Seeing that all four of them were in a bad mood and would likely remain so for the next few days, Zhan Bei Jue felt a little better.
Without saying goodbye to anyone, he stood up and left the Zhou residence.
In this world, no one could snatch the person I, Zhan Bei Jue, want.
Even if I don't want them, no one else is allowed to touch them.
If they dare to touch, brother, I won't let them off either.
In the hospital, Jiang Nan Fang was wheeled out of the operating room and into a ward. She woke up about ten minutes later.
Seeing that no one was by her side.
Zhou Jin Xiu had gone somewhere.
As a nurse happened to enter, she asked the nurse where he was.
The nurse said, "Your boyfriend said he had an urgent matter and left. He'll be back later."
"It's nothing serious. Surgeries nowadays are minimally invasive. You'll be fine after lying down for two days to rest. Call me if you need anything."
Jiang Nan Fang disliked lying in the hospital.
Her mother had left her alone in such a cold hospital room.
When she was giving birth years ago, she had almost gotten into trouble in a similar room.
She really hated hospital rooms.
As the nurse said, surgeries nowadays were minimally invasive and not a big deal.
She'd rather go home and rest.
After the nurse left, she lay down and rested for a while, feeling her energy restored.
Without telling anyone, she changed her clothes and quietly left the hospital.
Back home, the weather was hot, but she didn't turn on the air conditioning.
Exhausted, she just lay down on the sofa and soon fell into a daze.
She didn't know how long she slept before the doorbell rang.
Thinking it was Zhou Jin Xiu, she went to open the door.
Unexpectedly, when she opened the door, it was Zhan Bei Jue.
Jiang Nan Fang immediately perked up, ran a hand through her messy hair, and asked warily,
"Why are you here? Are you looking for me?"
Zhan Bei Jue's expression remained as stoic as ever.
"That's right. I said you could leave Nan Cheng once the product was officially launched. Now that the work is done, I've come to talk to you."
She hadn't expected him to be so true to his word.
She had finally waited for this day.
Jiang Nan Fang felt a surge of joy and opened the door to let him in.
"Let's talk. When are you going to bring the child to me?"