Affiliated Lineages

Knowing they would not be able to finish talking anytime soon, Mother Wen was indeed feeling sleepy, so she nodded.

Father Wen took Mother Wen upstairs to rest, while Wen Chenglin followed his younger brother into the bedroom.

Wen Chenglin watched his younger brother pack his luggage. After a long moment, he said, "Xiaoze, if you truly don't want to come back, that's fine too. I'm here for the household."

Wen Chengze froze and put down what he was holding.

"Big Brother, I came back willingly this time. I'm part of this household too. When I'm needed, I won't run away. You and Dad have had it hard these past few years."

Looking at his younger brother before him, Wen Chenglin felt as though Xiaoze had quietly grown up during the years they had not been part of.

He knew how the once arrogant and overbearing youth had become so indifferent, and the more he knew, the more his heart ached.

"Xiaoze."

Wen Chengze clasped the hand his brother had placed on his shoulder. "Once I finish packing these things, let's go to the study. Dad should be waiting for us there."

"Mm."

Sure enough, as soon as the two brothers knocked on the study door, they heard a stern voice from within.

"Come in."

"Dad." The two brothers stood respectfully before the desk.

"Sit. We're at home, not at the company. There's no need to be so serious."

Although Wen Chengze had lived abroad for the past ten years, it was not as though their family had never seen one another. He occasionally returned during holidays, or the family would visit him, and they also had video calls from time to time. There was no awkwardness between them, much less any distance in the affection between father and sons, or between brothers.

"Xiaoze, there was no other choice but to have you come back this time. Once this matter is over, you can go abroad again if you want." Father Wen's face was full of helplessness.

"Dad, I already said the same thing to Big Brother. I'm part of this household too. These are things I should do."

Father Wen looked at his younger son, a wave of powerlessness rising in his heart. He had sent him abroad in the first place precisely to keep him away from these conflicts, yet in the end, he still could not escape them.

It was not that Wen Chengze failed to see the pain in his father's eyes. His fingers merely trembled, but he said nothing affectionate. There were some things he simply did not know how to express.

Instead, he asked, "What exactly is the situation now?"

He had returned this time because of the Lineage gathering three days later. However, this was not an internal Lineage gathering. It was a gathering of several major Aristocratic Clans. Such gatherings were not held lightly; if one was held, something major was bound to happen.

Father Wen and his eldest son exchanged a glance before the two of them explained what had happened recently.

"Xiaoze, you should know what kind of structure our Lineages are part of. On the surface, our Lineages are glamorous and wealthy, but in truth, we all survive by relying on the Zhong Household."

Naturally, Wen Chengze knew all this. The Zhong Household was a true super Aristocratic Clan, deeply rooted and an unshakable towering tree. Though the Wen Household could be considered a first-rate wealthy family, they had always been subordinate to the Zhong Household. It was not just their Household; many other first-rate wealthy Aristocratic Clans were also subordinate to the Zhong Household, this super Aristocratic Clan.

To put it bluntly, all of their glamorous Lineages had to bow their heads before the Zhong Household. The Zhong Household was the true Lineage capable of deciding life and death.

It would be as easy as turning a hand for the Zhong Household to destroy a Lineage.

Although there were usually not so many rules, and nothing showed on the surface, the subordinate relationship beneath it was entirely real.

"Dad, Big Brother, I know all that. This Lineage gathering is because of the new head of the Zhong Household, isn't it?"