Chapter 111: Father and Son

At this moment, in the same city, Qin Ling was sitting on the sofa in the living room. Upon seeing the news that the smog had dispersed, she immediately called Du Bin. From him, she learned that the crisis was nearly over, and that the remaining "virus-humans" were beyond their control and had to be left to the special command center of the government. Hearing that Ye Tang had vanished into a spatial vortex left her in disbelief. To her, the only person who held the answers she sought was Zeng Yilong. He usually returned home on time, but his phone had been turned off all day.

Waiting and waiting, she eventually fell asleep on the sofa. It was past midnight when Zeng Yilong slowly returned to the villa. Seeing the woman curled up on the sofa, he walked over and took her hand, immediately feeling a chill; the night air was cool, and she was only wearing thin pajamas without a blanket. With a sigh of resignation, Zeng Yilong gently picked her up and carried her upstairs. Just as he laid her on the bed, Qin Ling drowsily opened her eyes. Seeing that the person before her was Zeng Yilong, she sat up with an angry expression.

"Lingling, why are you angry?" Zeng Yilong knew exactly why, so he feigned innocence.

"Why am I angry? Do you really not know?" Qin Ling crossed her arms, adopting the posture of a queen interrogating a subordinate.

He continued to play dumb. "I really don't know!"

"Stop pretending. You took me away from Guangzhou early because you knew what was going to happen there. Wu Qiwei is dead; your plans no longer have any meaning."

"That man named Du Bin, he's still alive, isn't he?" Hearing the news of Wu Qiwei's death, he didn't seem surprised; it was clear who had been leaking information to her.

Qin Ling found it strange. Why would he suddenly ask about Du Bin's survival when he didn't care about anyone else? She asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing, just asking." Upon hearing that he was alive, a trace of displeasure flickered across Zeng Yilong's face.

"Is there really something between husband and wife that I’m not allowed to know?"

"Don't overthink it. Now, go to sleep." With that, Zeng Yilong turned and headed into his study.

Qin Ling was suspicious of his strange behavior, and the fact that he locked the door behind him only made her feel that the matter was far from simple.

Inside the study, Zeng Yilong sat in his chair and lit a cigar, lost in thought for a long time. He recalled the orders given to him by the man in the silver mask, one of which was to find an opportunity to kill Du Bin. Initially, he had assumed Du Bin would be eliminated during the death games, but the man had survived with stubborn tenacity. To this day, he still couldn't fathom the reason for this strange task.

The next morning, Zhao Weiqing was occupied with school matters and did not come. Chen Jingfeng handed the car keys to Zeng Jia and left. Left to his own devices, Zeng Jia drove to the hotel. Seeing that Zhong Zhiying didn't come out for a long while, he lit a cigarette. After waiting for over ten minutes, he finally saw Zhong Zhiying emerge from the hotel entrance. Her attire today was different from yesterday: she wore a black, edgy dress, her long hair tied in a ponytail, and she wore accessories on her wrists that made her look adorable. This came as a bit of a surprise to Zeng Jia.

"Big brother, how do I look in this outfit?" Zhong Zhiying playfully spun around in front of him, her bright, beautiful eyes fixed on him, seemingly waiting for his comment.

"Uh, it suits you very well."

"Really? Then where are you planning to take me today, big brother?"

"It's still early. Let's start by taking you to Chimelong."

"Yay!" Zhong Zhiying looked completely innocent and delighted.

The pair arrived at Hengqin Chimelong. Suddenly, Zeng Jia's phone received a message. He opened it to find it filled with information about the strange phenomena in Guangzhou. Finding the information tedious, Zeng Jia deleted it immediately; he had no interest in such things.

Zeng Jia took Zhong Zhiying around to play, and they took many photos. On the Parrot Coaster, everyone was screaming with joy.

When they were tired of playing, Zhong Zhiying pulled Zeng Jia to the Sea Lion Arena to see a family of sea lions from Argentina.

Watching the sea lions slide into the water, suddenly pop back up to balance a ball, and perform many amusing tricks under the trainer's direction, the arena erupted in the laughter of children—Zhong Zhiying among them, laughing until she couldn't stop.

When the trainer threw a ball to the smallest sea lion, whether by accident or design, the little sea lion tipped the balloon directly out of the arena and toward Zhong Zhiying, who reached out to catch it.

Seeing this, Zeng Jia instinctively stepped forward and caught the balloon. He watched as the sea lion performed a triumphant samba dance, even whistling at him in a provocative manner.

A bead of sweat hung from Zeng Jia's forehead, while Zhong Zhiying was amused by the little creature's playfulness. "Big brother, it seems this little sea lion really likes you!"

He threw the balloon back into the pool. "This little guy is quite a handful."

Tired from their activities, Zeng Jia and Zhong Zhiying went to a nearby rest area, which was filled with various delicacies. They chose an open-air buffet where each table was equipped with a large umbrella. Zhong Zhiying went to pick out food.

Zeng Jia had intended to pick out some food as well, but he was drawn to a small cart nearby. He walked over slowly and saw a crowd of tourists gathered there. When he squeezed through, he saw the stall owner using scissors to snip at some paper. He felt puzzled, and it seemed the owner noticed his confusion, as he gestured for Zeng Jia to take one of the stacks of shredded paper.

He picked it up and began to unfold it. To his surprise, the paper grew longer the more he unfolded it. Just as the colorful strips reached a length of a meter, with a pop, a specially modified umbrella appeared, seemingly flying outward under the influence of the wind. The owner smiled and told him to close the umbrella. It took a few tries before he finally succeeded, and the paper in his hand transformed into a bouquet of roses.

As he was about to thank the smiling owner, Zhong Zhiying arrived at his side, excitedly snatching the roses from his hand. "Big brother, are these for me?"

"Do you like them?" Seeing her shy expression, Zeng Jia felt an involuntary sense of happiness. After thanking the owner, they returned to their table.

Seeing the table covered with so much food, he hesitated; it seemed they had ordered too much. Just as Zeng Jia was about to sit across from her, Zhong Zhiying pushed him into the seat beside her with a strange look on her face. Zeng Jia didn't find anything particularly wrong with this.

"Big brother, try this soup first." Zhong Zhiying urged him to taste the soup in front of him. Zeng Jia, seeing her innocent smile, didn't think much of it and took a drink. The moment the soup hit his tongue, his face contorted; it was a chaotic mix of sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy, and he spat it onto the ground.

Seeing the look of satisfied mischief on the girl's face, he knew he had been pranked. He wasn't angry; on the contrary, he felt happy and enjoyed the feeling of being with her.

The two spent the day happily visiting various attractions. As night fell, Zeng Jia checked the time and, seeing it was nearly time, took her to the Huafa Grand Theater for a concert.

They arrived at the entrance of the theater, where many people had gathered to enjoy the show. Inside, the decor and layout were largely unchanged from the evening program; a retro-style piano and various other instruments were placed on the stage.

They found their seats based on their tickets, only to discover, to their surprise, that a couple was sitting in the seats next to them—and they were looking right at them.

They were none other than Zeng Yilong and Qin Ling. Zeng Jia's face darkened instantly, his eyes filled with fury. Qin Ling looked uncomfortable at his reaction, while Zeng Yilong, by contrast, seemed unbothered, his expression indifferent.

"What’s the matter? Can't even greet your own father?"

This remark surprised Zhong Zhiying. She glanced at the two men, and Zeng Yilong followed her gaze. "Young lady, you don't look very old. How did you two meet?"

Zeng Jia ignored him and sat down with Zhong Zhiying. "What business is that of yours?"

Zeng Yilong didn't pay him any mind, his eyes fixed coldly on Zhong Zhiying. "I seem to remember seeing you somewhere before. Oh, I remember now, you're the one Lu Jiada invested in..."

"No, Uncle, it's really our first time meeting." Upon hearing the name Lu Jiada, Zhong Zhiying immediately understood what Zeng Yilong was implying and cut him off.

Seeing her deliberately interrupt him, Zeng Yilong, while unsure of her motives for approaching Zeng Jia, believed in the principle that one must always be on guard. "Is that so? Perhaps."

Suddenly, the lights dimmed. The theater was packed. A middle-aged woman in an evening gown walked onto the stage with a microphone to introduce the music. Qin Ling sighed, watching the two father and son who had been at odds for so many years.

To ease the awkward atmosphere, Qin Ling signaled for Zeng Jia to switch seats. He felt helpless at the enthusiasm of this woman who was his stepmother in name only. As she sat beside Zhong Zhiying, she held the girl's hand and whispered, "Le'er, you're dating my son and didn't even tell me? That's not very kind."

Zhong Zhiying remembered that Le'er was her friend, and even if she wanted to hide it, it was impossible. She whispered back, "How was I supposed to know he was your son? I had no idea you were his stepmother."

Seeing the two women chatting and laughing, the two men on the other side felt awkward. Their personalities were essentially the same—both fond of playing it cool—and they were both deeply calculating men who knew each other well. In this situation, Zeng Yilong, as the elder, broke the silence. "I know you hate me, but the fact that I am your father is something that cannot be changed."

"Everyone thinks you are my father. Even if our genes are identical, no one besides me knows the truth of the matter. You are you, and he is him."

Zeng Yilong did not continue to press the issue. Time passed quietly, and the performance at the grand theater finally concluded. Zeng Jia took Zhong Zhiying and left in a hurry. Watching them leave, Qin Ling felt a sense of helplessness, as the relationship between father and son showed no signs of improvement.