blogombal Chapter 34 Coercion and Enticement
Chapter 34 Coercion and Enticement
Adults often say "for the sake of the children," but in reality, they only care about their own reputation and career. Only the children who are being fought over see things more clearly than anyone else.
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Wang Haowen wasn't having an easy time either. He was busy serving Zhang Zhishan and his "old gang," offering cigarettes, pouring tea, and dusting off ashes. He was so busy that he was practically running around on his own two feet, as if he were serving his own ancestors.
He didn't actually want to hear about this small commodities business; he was forced to. The group talked animatedly, describing their grand plans after getting the money, as if they could buy the whole world with the funding.
Wang Haowen suddenly realized why Yu Li had said Zhang Zhishan was "not presentable." Every move he made revealed the shrewdness of a small-time merchant calculating a pittance, focused entirely on immediate, tangible gains, without any long-term vision. No wonder Yu Li said, "A man can't just be rich; he needs to have a broad perspective and vision"—she was trying to annoy Zhang Zhishan.
Wang Haowen inwardly grumbled, but he really couldn't stand the "old Deng group's" cloying chatter. The two sides chatted amongst themselves, neither hiding anything, and there was even a little bit of boasting about the information they exchanged.
Zeng Jia couldn't hear any of the practical advice; she just wanted time to pass quickly so they could all go their separate ways. Suddenly, her phone buzzed. She thought it was Wang Haowen secretly complaining, but when she looked down, it was Zhang Zihao: "Where are you? I'm in Aranya!"
Zeng Jia's mind went blank.
This guy messaged her this morning asking if she was free, but she was so busy she was practically running around, so she just sent him her location and didn't reply. And now he's showing up all by himself without a word? Why didn't he at least ask him something? His parents are here!
Zeng Jia hurriedly replied to the message, her fingers trembling as she typed out the letters. But when she looked up, she saw a tall boy with striking gray hair, wearing headphones and looking very stylish. He was peeking around in her direction like a groundhog!
Zeng Jianeng spotted him immediately, and Zhang Zhishan even more so. He looked like he'd discovered a wild panda, radiating a hearty and gratifying excitement: "Oh my, isn't this my eldest son?! Knowing his father was in a meeting in Anaya, he specially came all the way here to see me? Hahahaha, come on, come on, let Dad introduce you to some uncles..."
Zhang Zhishan's weathered face abruptly interrupted Zhang Zihao's view, startling him so much that he almost jumped up in surprise. His phone finally buzzed twice; it was Zeng Jia's belated message: Your mom and dad are both here!!! Get out of here!!!
Unfortunately, the message came too late!
Trying to run now? No way!
Yu Li had already stood up gracefully and with impeccable poise, her face beaming with a motherly smile that could drown ants. "Is that Zihao? Come on over! Say hello to these aunties, okay? We're all family, don't be so reserved! Oh dear, my son is always so attached to me, he couldn't bear to be lonely at home alone, so he came over to hang out with us."
Zhang Zihao's handsome face instantly fell into a "life is meaningless.jpg" expression, his lips twitching as he couldn't utter a single word. He simply stood there, refusing to give face to anyone, waiting for Zhang Zhishan and Yu Li to come forward and lead him away; otherwise, it wouldn't feel right for him to go anywhere.
Yu Li couldn't exactly prop up her half-open arms like a clothesline, so she simply walked over with her standard smile and gave Zhang Zihao a big hug. Zhang Zhishan, not to be outdone, decided to go all out, opening his arms wide and pulling the mother and son into his embrace.
A family of three, basking in the afternoon sun, posed for a photo that perfectly captured the image of a loving father and son, a picture of family bliss. Anyone unaware of the story, judging by the scene, could be moved to tears enough to flood the beach of Anaya!
Zeng Jia was holding back a laugh, almost bursting with rage. She glared at Wang Haowen, whose expression was similar, twitching like someone with Parkinson's. Zhang Zihao, from a distance, gave them both a deep, resentful look, practically screaming, "You two tricked me! You just wait!"
"Son, don't you love riding horses? There's a fantastic horse your Uncle Yang owns. Come with Dad to a gathering tonight, and tomorrow Dad will take you for a galloping ride, how about that?"
Soon, Zhang Zhishan began to tempt her, but Yu Li naturally looked down on it. "Oh my, this horse club is only good for faking photos with kids. Zihao is a professional equestrian, this kind of small-scale activity is not worth his time. This time, Mom is hosting a high-end salon that is different from the past. Tonight, Chairman Zhao is hosting a special banquet for the top stars of the film crew. You can go and broaden your horizons."
"What's so special about those slick-haired, powdered-faced guys?"
"It's better than those drinking parties where you drink until you're completely drunk, and you're corrupting Zihau!"
"This time, the game features a brand-new AI robot arena. You can go up and challenge the robot to a match!"
"Are you out of your mind, father? Zihao is going to participate in an international piano competition the day after tomorrow! His hands are precious, you want him to handle those metal lumps? What if he hurts his fingers? Can you afford to pay for it?"
Zhang Zhishan and Yu Li both wanted to bring their son with them, and their forced smiles soon crumbled. The shareholders chatted and laughed, as if all their disputes were justified as long as they were based on "for the sake of the child," and even if the two of them got into a fight, it wouldn't be a big deal.
Zhang Zihao was fed up. "Is this ever going to end?! I'm hungry." He turned around and went straight for Zeng Jia.
When Zhang Zhishan saw his son go to find his people, he immediately beamed with joy. "Secretary Zeng, make sure Zihao is well taken care of. Let him eat whatever he wants!"
Yu Li remained outwardly calm, but her eyes precisely swept over Wang Haowen. Wang Haowen, who was just worried about not having a chance to escape the "Old Deng Group," felt like he had been granted a pardon upon receiving the signal and immediately took off after them.
"Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" Zeng Jia hurriedly explained to Zhang Zihao as soon as she arrived at the restaurant, "I really didn't mean to hide it from you, I was just so busy that I didn't know what I was doing. Besides, you didn't say you were coming. If you had just said one more word, I would have definitely told them that they were both here!" It was the first time she had ever seen Zhang Zhishan and his wife fight over their son.
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Zhang Zihao looked completely unfazed, slumped into his chair, and said, "I'm used to it." Those four simple words conveyed a weariness of being abandoned by the world.
Zeng Jia felt like she had a wad of cotton stuffed in her heart. She didn't know whether to sympathize or not. She immediately called out the menu and ordered food to relieve her worries. In just a short while, Wang Haowen caught up with her.
"The imperial decree orders me to persuade the young master to go visit her on set tonight!" Wang Haowen shook his phone and sat down, cursing inwardly. "Zihao, don't you like that actress named Chen Ye? I heard she's filming in this production, she's definitely coming tonight!"
"Wang Haowen!" Zeng Jia's eyes widened. "What do you mean? He came here specifically to find me, trying to steal my thunder?!"
Wang Haowen calmly slammed his phone on the table. "He messaged me too. You think he's only looking for you?"
Zeng Jiayi glanced at the screen, which also displayed Zhang Zihao's information, clearly indicating that it was copied and pasted from theirs.
"Wow, you're something else! You can put your arm around anyone and call them buddies! You're a player, aren't you?"
She glanced at the message timestamps. "But he sent it to me first, a minute before you!" You can't steal this person's message.
"This thing even has a timer?" Wang Haowen pleaded in a low voice, his face crestfallen. "I'm at my wit's end. How am I supposed to explain to President Yu if you don't let him come with me to visit the set?"
"So I can get away with this?" Zeng Jia shoved her phone in front of Wang Haowen's face. On the screen was a menacing message from Zhang Zhishan, demanding that Zeng Jia force Zhang Zihao to accompany him to the drinking party. Failure to do so would result in a deduction from her performance bonus and no year-end bonus.
The air froze instantly. The two stared at each other, neither willing to back down, and they remained frozen in place!
Wang Haowen glared resentfully at Zhang Zihao. Why did he have to pull this surprise attack out of the blue? It even caused Yu Li and Zhang Zhishan to argue. He was so busy he barely had time to take a dump. Wasn't this just deliberately trying to sow discord between them?!
Zeng Jia didn't complain. She turned to Zhang Zihao and tried to keep her tone calm: "What are you thinking, young master? I didn't force you to work for me. I just want to finish my job quickly so I can get less money deducted from my pay for steamed buns."
Zhang Zihao swung his legs even more enthusiastically, a sly smile playing on his lips: "Simple, you two fight, whoever wins I'll be your friend!" He loved watching the drama unfold.
"Nonsense! Does the mountaineering team not want to stay? What happened to conquering the roof of the world? Are you no longer part of the team?!" She had no choice but to resort to her trump card.
"Exactly!" Wang Haowen immediately tried both soft and hard tactics, "Do you still want that miHoYo account? You're not going to pull for the Water God anymore, even with it maxed out?"
Zhang Zihao retorted, "Threatening me? Fine, I'm not going mountain climbing anymore, and I don't want miHoYo either. Do whatever you want, okay?!"
"No way! I still want to see you holding a little flag on the summit of Mount Everest!" Zeng Jia quickly pulled him back; once this guy got stubborn, not even ten oxen could pull him back. "Okay, tell me! What else do you want me to promise? As long as it doesn't involve murder, arson, or violate the core socialist values, I'll do anything for you!"
"Actually," Wang Haowen said, quick-wittedly grasping the key point, "your mom and dad are fighting over it because they're afraid of losing face in front of their friends, right? We need to think of a way to give them both a way to save face!"
Zeng Jia suddenly realized, "That's right! No matter who Zhang Zihao follows, it's like getting slapped in the face again. In the end, either she or Wang Haowen will be the one who suffers. The revolutionary friendship forged in this gang crime can't fall apart at this crucial moment, can it?"
Zhang Zihao pouted, his tone a little aggrieved, "Actually, I just wanted to have a quiet meal."
Zeng Jia's eyes lit up. "Having a meal is easy. How about this, you tell your parents you want to have a family reunion dinner together. If they absolutely refuse, they'll definitely make us go with you."
"It's a bit cold, but how about I go all out and watch the sunrise with you? I heard there's a fireworks show at the beach tonight, so we can catch our breath and check it out!" Wang Haowen added.
Zhang Zihao pondered for a minute, then tilted his head and reluctantly nodded, "Okay."
As if they had received a royal decree, Wang Haowen and Zeng Jia quickly sent messages to Zhang Zhishan and Yu Li.
For the first time ever, the two didn't start fighting. They swallowed their anger and directly instructed Wang Haowen and Zeng Jiading to set up the restaurant.
The meal was eaten insincerely, like a withered artificial flower hanging on the wall. Including Zeng Jia and Wang Haowen, there were five people in total. They sat around a table full of delicacies, and after only half an hour of eating, Zhang Zhishan and Yu Li's eyes started to wander to their watches.
They didn't want to miss the set visit and the drinking party.
After all, their careers are their lifeblood.
But Zhang Zihao was slow and unhurried, letting the waiter serve the dishes one by one like squeezing toothpaste, which was so tedious it could drive you crazy.
Zeng Jia could tell that the kid was doing it on purpose; the half-smile on his lips clearly indicated that he wanted to see who would break down and leave first, Zhang Zhishan or Yu Li.