From that day on, Jian Suiying never returned to the company. However, some unfinished matters still required his attention, so he remained in constant contact with Secretary Liang.
Secretary Liang, his longest-serving employee, had long made her stance clear: "Mr. Jian, wherever you go, take me with you."
Within just a few days, four people had already left. After the New Year, who knew what changes would follow? Jian Suiying was delighted to watch the spectacle unfold.
. After drifting around all year, the point was to reunite with family during the transition from old to new. Jian Suying didn't want to put him in a difficult position.
Jian Suiying was curled up on the sofa playing games when his phone rang. He saw it was his grandfather.
"Hello, Grandpa."
The old man's voice was stern. "Pick me up at the train station at 3:30." "Huh?" Jian Suiying glanced at his watch—it was just past 1 PM.
"I'm coming to Beijing."
"You're coming to Beijing? Have Old Wu drive you." "Driving is too slow. I'm taking the bullet train."
With potato chips in his mouth and eyes glued to the computer screen, Jian Suiying blurted out, "No way! If you're taking the bullet train, I need to buy you insurance first..."
"Stop talking nonsense. I'm leaving for Beijing right now." "Grandpa, why are you in such a hurry? What are you coming here for?"
The old man snapped: "Why am I in a hurry? If I don't step in soon, people will be riding roughshod over you!"
Only then did Sui Ying grasp the situation. He quickly spit out the food in his mouth and tried to calm him down: "Grandpa
, calm down. Listen to me. Don't come yet. Wait until after the New Year, and I'll go..."
The old man was furious, his voice trembling with rage.
"You worked your ass off to build that company, and you just hand it over to him? What kind of man is he? Jian Dongyuan is a useless good-for-nothing!
! He can't even manage his own son—does he deserve to be called a father? Does he?!"
Jian Suiying kept trying to calm the old man down. He knew that even if his grandfather went to Beijing and made a scene at home, it wouldn't change a thing.
change anything. It would only make the old man furious. Why put himself through that?
After half an hour of coaxing and persuasion from Jian Suiying, the old man reluctantly abandoned his plan to go to Beijing.
Jian Suiying promised the old man he would go to Qinhuangdao on New Year's Day, this year taking no one else with him—just the two of them.
Xiao Zhu stayed with him until the twenty-eighth.
This year, they were supposed to celebrate the New Year at his third uncle's house.
On New Year's Eve, Jian Suiying dressed himself up to look sleek and handsome. Whether it was genuine or not, at least he appeared
spring breeze, full of energy, before the assembled relatives.
Inside, relatives still sat in small groups chatting. But unlike previous years—when they’d speak only to Jian Suilin and ignore Zhao Yan—they now mingled freely.
The men sat nearby, passing cups of liquor back and forth. Jian Suilin had been stealing glances at him since he entered
, but Jian Suiying hadn't once looked at him properly.
After dinner, the younger ones dashed off to watch the Spring Festival Gala, while Jian Suying remained seated, being pressured by the elders to drink more.
By the time the servants began clearing the table, everyone was nearly drunk. Finally free, Jian Suiying staggered over to the wall,
burping as he made his way to the wall, afraid someone might drag him back to the drinks.
He held a cup of Longjing tea in his hand, blowing on it as he sipped, hoping to sober up a bit.
Jian Suiying narrowed his eyes at her.
As she passed by Jian Suiying, he sneered, "Say what you want to say. You have a son who truly takes after you.
son who's so much like you, what are you afraid of?"
Jian Suying had been her nightmare for over a decade.
Upon hearing this, Jian Suiying burst into laughter. The sound drew the attention of everyone around them.
Zhao Yan's face instantly drained of color.
Sui Lin's expression darkened. He hadn't expected his mother to make the foolish mistake of provoking Jian Suiying. He rushed toward them.
But it was too late.
Jian Suiying dumped a full cup of hot tea right onto Zhao Yan's face.
The tea was slightly hot, not enough to cause burns, but Zhao Yan still let out a shriek.
"Even if you won over my mother, even if you entered the Jian family, even if you bore the Jians a son—in the eyes of the Jian family, you'll always be a bitch."
Jian Dongyuan stood up, his face ashen, and shouted harshly: "You're drunk! There are children here! What nonsense are you spouting
!"
Jian Dongyuan's expression was nothing short of spectacular. Zhao Yan lay slumped in her son's arms, sobbing softly, while Jian Suilin's
eyes were brewing a storm.
Jian Suiying walked with a slight stagger.
"Brother!"
Jian Suilin's voice called out from behind him.
Jian Suiying glanced back at him and snorted with a smirk. "What? Looking for a fight? Bring it on." Jian Suilin stared at him expressionlessly. "You're drunk. I'll take you home."
Jian Suiying froze for a moment, then sneered, "You're out of your mind."
He truly couldn't fathom what was going on in Jian Suilin's head. If anyone dared publicly insult his mother, he'd fight them tooth and nail.
Jian Suilin acted like nothing was wrong and even offered to drive him home?
He turned and walked toward his car, ignoring Jian Suilin completely.
Sui Lin silently followed behind him, his fists clenched tightly in his pockets, trembling uncontrollably. He watched Jian Suiying's
staggering figure, his eyes turning bloodshot.
The instant Jian Suiying opened the car door, Jian Suilin felt his mind go blank. Before his judgment and
before his mind could process it, his body acted first. His right hand shot up, delivering a brutal blow to the back of Jian Suiying's neck.
Completely unprepared, Jian Suiying collapsed limply to the ground.
Jian Suilin caught his limp body. Under the moonlight, he gazed at his handsome profile, his heart pounding violently.