"Dad, do you mean you won't have anything to do with him anymore?"
Wang Keqin set the remote on the coffee table with a soft click.
"I'll avoid him when I can." He turned back to Wang Xiaoliang. "I never wanted to ride his coattails anyway. If we stop seeing each other, so be it. It's no big deal. At my age, I just want some peace and quiet, with fewer things to worry about."
He paused.
"But he's still your uncle, your mother's own younger brother. I can stop seeing him, but you and Zijin can't. Keep visiting when you should, enough to keep up appearances. Otherwise, your mother will be stuck in the middle, and she's bound to feel bad about it."
Wang Xiaoliang nodded.
He understood. The adult world wasn't just black and white. His father had chosen to keep his distance, a passive way of cutting ties. But he expected his son to maintain the most basic courtesies between relatives.
The necessary pleasantries still had to be observed.
As long as money wasn't involved, he could live with keeping up appearances!
The thought of money made Wang Xiaoliang tense up again as something else came to mind.
"Dad, there's something else!" He felt he had to bring it up immediately. "Uncle said today that he's taken on a big construction project. Work starts after the Spring Festival, and he needs to put up a huge amount of money in advance. He wants the family to invest! He's offering high interest."
The moment he finished speaking, Wang Keqin sat bolt upright as though a needle had jabbed him.
"We're not investing! Not a single cent!"
His voice rose noticeably, and he grew quite agitated, but when he remembered that Wei Zijin was sleeping, he reined himself in.