"Manager Ye, it's just him, no one else," the security guard replied.
Ye Zhi was a little surprised. If it was just him, he probably wasn't here to cause trouble.
"Please ask him up," Ye Zhi said calmly.
"Who's here?" Ye Yongxian asked as she hung up the phone.
"Zhou Chengyuan's father," Ye Zhi replied.
Ye Yongxian's face immediately fell. "That Zhou Zheng fellow... he called me incessantly yesterday, saying he wanted me to arrange a meeting with you. I gave him a severe scolding then, but I didn't expect him to be so persistent! When he comes up, I'll teach him a lesson!"
Ye Zhi felt a little helpless. She didn't want to see her father fighting with someone.
She asked curiously, "Dad, what kind of person is that Uncle Zhou?"
"Zhou Zheng..." Ye Yongxian frowned. "To be honest, he's actually a pretty good person, just like his name suggests, very upright and principled. But who would have thought that for his son, he'd be blinded by greed and unable to distinguish right from wrong?"
Hearing him say that, Ye Zhi understood a little better. She said calmly, "Dad, I don't think he's here to cause trouble."
"Xiao Zhi, why are you suddenly acting like your sister..." Ye Yongxian said with an air of disappointment.
Ye Zhi's lips twitched. She had only said one sentence, and Ye Yongxian had to criticize her like this.
"Dad, if he were really here to cause trouble, he would have brought others, not come alone. Also, if he wanted to see me, he could have done so anytime, without specifically notifying you. And I suspect he knows you're here today, so he's deliberately chosen this time to come, just in case you misunderstand," Ye Zhi analyzed.
"Miss Ye is truly astute."
A voice of admiration came from the doorway. The two turned to look, and a composed middle-aged man was standing at the office door.
Ye Yongxian hadn't closed the door when he came in, so it was evident that the person at the door had overheard Ye Zhi's words.
Ye Zhi understood. This must be Zhou Chengyuan's father, Zhou Zheng.
She could only say that personality had such a significant impact on a person's appearance. Although father and son had similar features, Zhou Zheng looked steady and mature, exuding a sense of approachability, whereas Zhou Chengyuan was truly detestable in appearance.
Zhou Zheng raised his hand and gently knocked on the open door. "May I come in?"
"If I don't let you in, are you going to leave?" Ye Yongxian said impatiently.
"Not really," Zhou Zheng chuckled. "Brother Ye is as humorous as ever."
"Don't call me that," Ye Yongxian said dismissively. "Who is your brother?"
"Uncle Zhou, please come in," Ye Zhi said calmly.
Zhou Zheng nodded and walked in.
Ye Zhi poured him a cup of clear tea. He thanked her and looked at Ye Zhi, feeling quite emotional.
His good-for-nothing son, this was probably the best judgment he had ever made. However, such an intelligent girl was destined to have no connection with their family; his useless son was not worthy of her.
"What are you looking at?!" Ye Yongxian said irritably. "If you want a daughter, go have one yourself... Wait, how did you find your way here?"
"I went to your house first," Zhou Zheng explained. "I originally intended to pay a visit, but when your daughter said you were at Ye's, I followed."
Ye Yongxian's expression changed several times. It was Ye Qinya again who had tipped off Zhou Zheng! He had told Ye Qinya to reflect on her mistakes. His wife must have softened her heart again and secretly let her out.
Ye Zhi spoke up. "Uncle Zhou, you're here about your son, aren't you?"
"Yes," Zhou Zheng sighed. "I was negligent in my discipline of Chengyuan. Chengyuan lost his mother when he was just born. For many years, I was busy with work and didn't have time to teach him. He grew up under his grandfather's care and was spoiled by him, which is why he's done something so absurd..."
Ye Zhi listened patiently. She had actually heard these gossip details from other guests privately at Zhou Chengyuan's birthday banquet.
She had also heard those people say that Zhou Chengyuan's grandfather, despite his age, had kept many young and beautiful mistresses with the money earned by his son.
She had been half-believing it before, but now she completely believed it. It was likely that Zhou Chengyuan had turned out this way due to his grandfather's influence.
"Why are you playing the victim in front of my daughter?" Ye Yongxian sneered. "Who wants to understand your son's hardships and why he became this way? If it weren't for luck yesterday, when Xiao Zhi was recruiting, if something had really happened, the consequences would have been severe. You, as a smart person, should be able to imagine that!"
"Brother Ye is right," Zhou Zheng nodded, then looked at Ye Zhi and said solemnly, "So I've come today hoping that Miss Ye will not forgive him so easily and will let him stay in the police station for a few more days."
Ye Zhi was somewhat stunned. She had expected Zhou Zheng to immediately say something like, "He's just a child, please don't hold it against him." To her surprise, he did the exact opposite.
After a moment of thought, she said, "Uncle Zhou, you wish to use this opportunity to let him reflect properly?"
"Yes," Zhou Zheng sighed. "If he can do something like this now, and I don't discipline him, who knows what he'll do in the future! Miss Ye, please rest assured, after he's released, I will take him abroad with me. I will keep him by my side and educate him properly, and I won't let him harass you anymore."
Ye Zhi was quite surprised. She had initially wondered if Zhou Zheng was playing a strategy of "retreat to advance," but now it seemed he genuinely wanted to reform Zhou Chengyuan.
Suddenly, she recalled a plot point from the original novel. It mentioned that for a period, Ou Minghan's company had some problems, and he was in a bad mood, so he used it as an excuse to abuse Ye Qinya. Ye Qinya later learned that Ou Minghan's friend, Zhou Chengyuan, was going abroad with his father.
Ye Qinya generously forgave Ou Minghan and felt sorry for him losing a good friend. However, as Ye Qinya was comforting him, Ou Minghan happily told her that Zhou Chengyuan's father had died in a car accident, so Zhou Chengyuan would not be going abroad. That evening, Ou Minghan celebrated with a session of domestic violence and venting.
Ye Zhi's pupils contracted slightly. She suddenly felt that this background plot was chillingly thought-provoking. Could the truth of the matter be like this...
Ou Minghan's company had problems, and he approached his good friend Zhou Chengyuan. Zhou Chengyuan might have been willing to help, but Zhou Zheng disagreed and was even planning to take Zhou Chengyuan abroad.
If this were the truth, was Zhou Zheng's car accident an accident? After all, as long as something happened to him, no one would be able to block any of Zhou Chengyuan's decisions anymore.
"Uncle Zhou," Ye Zhi suddenly asked, "What do you think of Ou Minghan?"