Chapter 112: Dance partner (1)
Having said that, the old master paused a little on purpose before he turned to look at Zhao Youlin. His brilliant eyes seemed to have seen through everything. He smiled at Zhao Youlin and said, “As for you, as long as you promise and acknowledge that you’ll be your uncle’s daughter from now on, Shuncheng and his wife will no longer be your parents. They can only be considered your elders. Even if they come to give you trouble, no one will criticize you for being disrespectful to your parents, all they could say is that you… are being disrespectful to your elders. There is a distinct difference between both terms.”
The old man deliberately stressed his tone in the last sentence. A chill overcame Zhao Youlin, and her eyes glittered.
It was not an illusion after all. The tone and demeanor the old master had when he talked about Zhao Shuncheng and Li Hongyu revealed that this treacherous old fox was ready to abandon that family of eccentrics.
While finding this incredulous, Zhao Youlin could not help but also feel a little sorry. After all, Zhao Shuncheng was the old man’s own son no matter what.
He was his own flesh and blood, yet he could just abandon him without any hesitation. Would she, a person who was obviously a p.a.w.n to him, be like Zhao Shuncheng in the future, and would be abandoned by him if it was necessary?
The old master seemed to have figured out what was on Zhao Youlin’s mind. Some rare melancholy flashed across his constantly cunning face. Although it was just a second, Zhao Youlin still caught a glimpse.
“Shuncheng has always been foolish since he was a kid, I always knew this. If he stays that way and is content with his ident.i.ty as the second young master of the Zhao family, I would have certainly treated him the same as Shunrong, I wouldn’t have treated him any differently. But he simply refused to accept mediocrity in spite of his incompetence. And to make matters worse, he wouldn’t listen to me and got himself a wife who’s even more foolish than him.”
Zhao Youlin said nothing more. That’s right. The reason Zhao Shuncheng ended up in such a situation was all because of his own doing. He could not blame anyone else.
This was especially since he married Li Hongyu. It had made the old master completely disappointed in him. That was why the old master had turned a blind eye to whatever he was doing and let him lead himself to his downfall.
Figuring this out, Zhao Youlin instantly felt that she had worried for nothing just now and was being mawkish.
Zhao Shuncheng and his family could be considered as her enemies. She must have gotten carried away by her excessive kindness to the point of sympathizing with them. Besides, she should not have compared herself to that kind of person. She was losing her mind due to the anger.
Zhao Youlin took a deep breath and managed to calm her frightened heart down a little before she heard the old master remind her. “You better think about what I just said.”
“Of course…” the old master paused. The corners of his lips lifted and formed a treacherous smile. “I, your grandfather, have just announced this matter in front of everyone. You have no choice but to agree to it, even if you don’t want to.”
“…” Darn it. This b.l.o.o.d.y old fox!
As the saying went, the older one was, the wiser one became. Zhao Youlin had completely been trapped this time, however…
Zhao Youlin turned her head to look at Duan Yarong, who was holding Joy in a small suite in the second-floor corridor. Her expression had changed from shock in the beginning to pure surprise and delight.
Looking at the two adults and one child standing together in harmony, when she thought about how she could join them and build a family with them too, Zhao Youlin suddenly felt that maybe… she could really try.
While Zhao Youlin and her grandfather were engrossed in a conversation with each other, Zhao Shuncheng, who was standing downstairs, was infuriated. His face was as gloomy as a burnt pot. He exuded a dark aura that sent a message to keep people away.
How… how did this happen? He had originally thought that since Zhao Youlin was designated by the old man as one of the future heirs of the Zhao family, he could finally hold his head up in front of the other families and his relatives by taking advantage of Zhao Youlin’s status, but he never thought that the old man would shatter all his dreams with a single sentence.
He had no right! He had no right! Zhao Youlin was clearly his daughter, the daughter he gave birth to and raised. His brother could not just sweep in and take his daughter. It was his own problem that he could not bear a child, so how could he steal his child?
Overwhelmed by anger, Zhao Shuncheng looked up and shouted, “Dad, I…”
Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by the old master, who had been paying attention to him for a long time. “What? Do you have a problem with my decision?”
s.h.i.+vers went down Zhao Shuncheng’s spine when the old man threw him a cold glare. He felt like his rising rage was put off by a bucket of cold water, and he answered weakly, “No, no problem.”
Only then did Master Zhao withdraw his glare and turn to the crowd and announce, “I’m taking this opportunity to tell everyone about this today because I want you all to bear witness to this matter and take good care of Youlin in the future when you come across her in other places.”
Master Zhao’s words completely crushed Zhao Shuncheng’s last hope, and he was seen to stumble and fall.
Seeing this, Li Hongyu, who was standing near him, rushed over to help him, but he slapped her hand away.
Feeling the searing pain coming from her palm, Li Hongyu was stunned in place. “Shuncheng…”
Zhao Shuncheng’s eyes were red with distaste as he scanned Li Hongyu and Zhao Yuxi, who were standing behind her. Then, he spat out the words in annoyance, “Useless thing.”
Zhao Shuncheng was obviously saying that to Zhao Yuxi. He resented that despite they were both his daughters, Zhao Yuxi had failed to bring him glory like Zhao Youlin had, and the one who could bring him glory had been s.n.a.t.c.hed away from him.
Zhao Yuxi did not understand what her father really meant, but Li Hongyu understood it. Her face paled, and her hands, which were hanging by her side, tightened unconsciously.
Everyone at present was stunned by this sudden turn of events. They all knew that before this evening, the eldest daughter of the Zhao family and the young master of the Mu family had divorced.
Many people had thought that Young Lady Zhao, who had lost her value in union marriage and became the abandoned wife of a prominent family, would become the outcast of the Zhao family and the laughing stock of everyone in high society.
But unexpectedly, tonight, at the 70th birthday banquet of the former master of the Zhao family, the Zhao family’s eldest daughter, who had been identified by everyone as an outcast, became one of the Zhao family’s coveted succession candidates and was adopted by Zhao Group’s most powerful man, Zhao Shunrong. What happened to her was a major comeback!
Of course, there were also many people who thought that the old man’s decision had a lack of consideration. It was not at all like the usual style of this old man, who had remained at the top of Shalnork for many years.
He had shown blatant support to his granddaughter, who had just divorced the young master of the Mu family. Wasn’t this like an indirect slap to the face of Young Master Mu?
Most importantly, why on earth would the prominent and fierce Young Master Mu make an unprecedented appearance at the banquet today?
Noticing his presence, the crowd in the banquet began to glance subconsciously toward Mu Tingfeng, hoping to see some clues from his face.
But to their disappointment, Mu Tingfeng’s face was as expressionless as ever. Instead of saying that he was great at hiding his emotion, the truth was Young Master Mu did not care at all about Master Zhao’s decision.