I Don't Agree

If Zhong Mohan hadn't been driving, Wen Chengze would have scratched his face.

How could this man speak so tactlessly?!

"Mr. Zhong, we are not close enough for this. Please don't say anything resembling flirting to me again. I'm not one of those so-called playthings."

Wen Chengze was smart. Of course he knew Zhong Mohan was deliberately teasing him. As fellow children of wealthy families, he knew the temperaments of some rich young masters well enough—the more one resisted, the more interested the other party became, while compliance would make them lose interest instead. But he had his own pride too. Even though Zhong Mohan was now the head of the Zhong Household, with all its real power in his hands, Wen Chengze had no intention of backing down.

So in a situation like this, it was best to make things clear.

"Besides, if I'm not mistaken, the head of the Zhong Household has discussed some kind of cooperation with my father. I don't think you'd want the partnership to fall through because you can't control certain parts of yourself."

Watching Wen Chengze's expression grow increasingly calm, Zhong Mohan raised an eyebrow slightly.

The little guy really was innocent, but he was genuinely clear-headed too.

Fine. He had only teased him a little because it was amusing. The Wen Household still had to cooperate with him; he couldn't truly provoke this young master of the Wen Household.

"I understand. I overstepped earlier."

Once the teasing was gone, his serious, distant tone made it seem as though they had returned to their first meeting in the business world.

Wen Chengze glanced sideways. Sure enough, this man had merely been teasing him.

At the same time, he felt slightly relieved.

If he couldn't make things clear, he honestly didn't know what he would do.

The car fell silent for a while.

The Wen Household was not far from here. As the buildings around them grew more familiar, Wen Chengze relaxed almost imperceptibly. The atmosphere in the car had been far too awkward.

"Thank you for bringing me home, Mr. Zhong," Wen Chengze said politely before getting out.

"Mm. Go upstairs and get some rest early."

"Good night."

Watching the car drive away without the slightest hesitation, Wen Chengze turned and went inside as well.

From now on, he and Zhong Mohan probably wouldn't have anything to do with each other, right?

It wasn't particularly early when he returned, and everyone else in the family seemed to have gone to bed.

Wen Chengze obediently went upstairs to shower and rest.

Too much had happened today, and his body still felt somewhat unwell. He would leave those annoying matters for tomorrow.

It happened to be the weekend, so the entire Wen family was at home rather than out.

Thinking of the cooperation between his family and Zhong Mohan, Wen Chengze considered it carefully and decided that he still needed his father to tell him the truth. Otherwise, he had no way to proceed with what came next.

Father Wen knew his younger son was perceptive, but he hadn't expected him to notice so quickly. He had no intention of hiding it and directly called both Wen Chengze and Wen Chenglin into the study.

"Take a look at these." Father Wen pushed the materials before them.

Wen Chengze picked them up and began reading.

Some of the contents matched what he had previously guessed, while some did not.

The Wen Household had indeed entered into a partnership with the Zhong Household, but it was only a direct partnership with Zhong Mohan. The Zhong Household's internal affairs were far from peaceful now.

This document also made Wen Chengze clearly realize just what kind of internal and external troubles Zhong Mohan currently faced.

Outside, quite a few families supported by the Zhong Household wanted to break away independently. Some even wanted to carve out a share from the century-old Aristocratic Clan that was the Zhong Household. Within the Lineage, no one knew how many people had their eyes on the position of head of the Zhong Household, while Zhong Mohan was not yet thirty and had only just taken over the Zhong Household.

Before this, he had even merely been a celebrity.

"Dad, I'm confused. Why did you choose to cooperate with Zhong Mohan?"

Father Wen sighed. "I know all too well about the Zhong Household's internal problems, but they're nothing more than a rabble. None of them can truly shoulder the responsibility of the Zhong Household. Only Zhong Mohan, who was raised beside the old master since childhood, is somewhat capable. As for outsiders, it's already fortunate enough that they aren't thinking of carving up the Wen Household."

Wen Chengze did not understand the distribution of power among Haicheng's families. Although Wen Chenglin had followed his father in the business world these past few years, he still could not see through such deeply tangled relationships as clearly as Father Wen could. With this explanation, things became much clearer.

"But if they find out that we're partners, we'll definitely become living targets."

"That is the problem we face now. We need to find a way to let the outside world know that we have no connection with Zhong Mohan, and that the Wen Household poses no threat to them."

The Wen Household was developing rapidly. The eldest son, Wen Chenglin, was an outstanding young talent, and the younger son could not hide his brilliance either. Such a family would definitely be listed as a key target for scrutiny.

For a while, the study fell silent.

After a long moment, Wen Chengze suddenly said, "Dad, I want to enter the entertainment industry."

Father Wen and Wen Chenglin both looked at Wen Chengze in surprise.

Wen Chengze explained calmly, "We can learn from Zhong Mohan. Most people look down on those in the entertainment industry. Otherwise, Zhong Mohan wouldn't have used that identity as cover. We can do the same. Big brother's abilities can't possibly be concealed after all these years, but I'm different. If everyone knows that the younger son of the Wen Household is a spoiled playboy, and that my father and brother dote on me terribly, then if I cause trouble for the family, Dad and Big Brother will naturally have to divide their attention to deal with me. The company's development will inevitably be worse than before, and we won't seem so frightening in their eyes."

This was a decision Wen Chengze had reached after much consideration.

Though people in the entertainment industry appeared glamorous, among people of their social standing, the industry was merely treated as a joke.

But it was different when a proper young master from a wealthy family entered the entertainment industry. One only had to look at how everyone currently underestimated Zhong Mohan.

As long as he drew most people's attention, the Wen Household would be much safer. After all, how much of a threat could a family be if it allowed its child to run wild in the entertainment industry?

This was indeed a viable path.

"But, Xiao Ze, you..." Wen Chenglin paused, not knowing how to continue.

Father Wen disagreed as well. "What kind of place is the entertainment industry? Your health is already poor. What if you get hurt again after entering it?"

Although Xiao Ze appeared completely normal now, as his family, they could naturally tell that it wasn't true that nothing was wrong with him.

Though this method would take effect the fastest and was also the easiest, they could not bear to see Xiao Ze suffer.

"Dad, Big Brother, I'm not as fragile as you think. I take my medicine on time, and I see my psychologist on time too. I'm fine now." He had once been unwilling to mention such matters, but as time passed, he had long since come to see them lightly.

Seeing the determination in Wen Chengze's eyes, Father Wen and Wen Chenglin finally compromised.

But when Mother Wen found out, she exploded completely.

"No! I don't agree!"