Ch. 541..550

Chapter 541: 541 We Are Family

Tan Ron did not rest for a moment on the plane. She was so focused that she did not even go to the toilet. As the plane was about to land, Tan Rou showed Zhuang Liu her tablet. On it was her idea about the chip and the basic program she had written.

Zhuang Liu looked at the densely packed symbols on the tablet and didn’t say anything for a long time. He knew that Tan Rou was amazing, but he didn’t expect her to be so amazing. She could actually write a program in such a short time. If the professional programmers knew about this, they would probably lose a lot of hair.

“I’ll contact Hang Wei. You can contact him directly.” Tan Rou said, “We’re about to get off the plane. Take the tablet back and look at it first. I’ll bring it back in a few days.”

Zhuang Liu was a little jealous. “Rourou, are you good friends with CEO Hang from TL Company?”

Hang Wei was definitely someone that she knew since a long time ago. Zhuang Liu was unhappy when he thought about how Hang Wei knew Tan Rou earlier than him.

Furthermore, judging from Tan Ron’s tone, she must be very good friends with Hang Wei. How many years had they known each other for her to speak like that?

How could Tan Rou not guess what Zhuang Liu was thinking? Looking at the expression on Zhuang Liu’s face, she knew that he was definitely jealous.

“We are friends.” Tan Rou smiled. “I’ll introduce him to you in the future.”

Zhuang Liu’s heart raced when he heard that. Tan Ron’s words were already hinting that they would be together in the future. She even said that she would introduce him to her friend. There was no need to say who was more important between friends and lovers.

“Alright.” Zhuang Liu’s lips curled up slightly.

Xiao Mo was sitting behind Zhuang Liu. He had been sleeping the entire way and only woke up when he was about to land. The moment he woke up, he heard the conversation between the Third Master and Miss Tan Rou. Xiao Mo was so jealous of her words that he wanted to find himself a girlfriend right now and say some sweet words to her.

Zhuang Liu and Tan Rou were on the way. The car that Father Tao drove to the airport only had five seats, and there were six people in their family, so one of them had to sit separately.

Tao Zhi and Tao Zheng watched helplessly as their sister got into Zhuang Liu’s car. They suddenly felt a sense of disappointment as if their sister had already gotten married. According to tradition, when the younger sister got married, the older brother would carry the younger sister on his back and send her to another man. Now, instead of using the bridal sedan chair, it was the older brother who carried the younger sister onto the carriage.

The two brothers were very upset. They knew that Tan Rou would get married sooner or later, and her marriage partner was very likely to be Zhuang Liu. However, they still couldn’t bear to part with their sister. After all, they only had one precious sister.

“The way that your brothers look at me is interesting.” Zhuang Liu couldn’t hide the smile on his face. “It’s as if they want to eat me alive.”

“Could it be that the Third Brother would be frightened by their gazes?” Tan Rou asked.

“Of course not.” Zhuang Liu helplessly answered.

“I would like to be friendly with them too but since they don’t like me now, it wouldn’t matter no matter what 1 did.”

“Third Brother, are you perhaps already used to calling them your brother-in-law?” Tan Rou found this title very interesting. “It’s a wonderful feeling to hear you call them your brother-in-law.”

“They’re your brothers, and they’ll be my brother-in-law in the future. So, I have to get used to them in advance.” Zhuang Liu said. Actually, he had another purpose. He wanted to test Tan Ron’s attitude. If Tan Rou had no objections to this title, then his chances of getting married to Tan Rou would be higher. If Tan Rou objected, he would have to find another way to pull them into a relationship.

“You can get used to it in advance, but you can’t bully them. Especially my second brother. You need to stop teasing him.”

Why would Zhuang Liu tease Tao Zheng? He was Tan Ron’s brother. He would never do anything bad to Tan Ron’s family.

“We will be a family in the future.” Zhuang Liu only said this sentence.

Tan Rou was silent for a moment, then said solemnly, “Maybe.”

Zhuang Liu was very excited. “Rourou, have you agreed to be with me?”

“Don’t get too excited.” They finally arrived at Tan Ron’s house. Tan Rou opened the car door and smiled. “Third Brother, I’ll give you a reply when I go to university.”

“Sure. I’ll wait for you..”

 

Chapter 542: 542 Here to Stay

 

 

Zhuang Liu was really busy. In order to go to the Capital, he had pushed off a lot of work. Now that he was back, he had to devote himself to work. In the blink of an eye, he had not seen Tan Rou for a few days.

Originally, Zhuang Liu could send Tan Rou to school every morning, but he had been staying in the company for the past few days and had no chance to send Tan Rou to school.

This made the Tao brothers extremely happy. They had more opportunities to send his sister to school. Every day, they would fight over who would send Tan Rou to school. In most cases, Tao Zheng would get the chance because he had more free time.

“Third Young Master, this is the information we prepared. Now we’re just waiting for CEO Hang of TR Company to reply to the email we sent.” Xiao Mo showed Zhuang Liu the information about the capsule pen. Although Tan Rou had helped them contact Hang Wei, in order to show their sincerity, they still had to send an email to ask for his opinion. After the other party replied, they would then arrange for a meeting.

Zhuang Liu quickly glanced at it. “Send this information to CEO Hang before tonight. Stop bothering Rourou. She’s still in school.” Tan Rou had already contacted Hang Wei for them, so Zhuang Liu only had to focus on the meeting.

“Alright.” Xiao Mo put down the documents and started talking about something else. “Third Young Master, First Young Master took a plane here this morning.”

Zhuang Liu frowned slightly. “It’s almost the new year. All the companies are working hard in the period before the new year. Everyone wants to get more dividends at the end of the year. Zhuang Che must have bad intentions for coming here now.”

“The Song family booked the best presidential suite in the city. They should be preparing to welcome the eldest young master.” Xiao Mo was very well-informed. As soon as he received the news from the Capital, he began to investigate the Song family’s movements.

“The Song family has been colluding with Third Uncle. This time, they will definitely welcome Zhuang Che.”Zhuang Liu analyzed, “But Zhuang Che should be staying in the Capital at this time. Now that he’s here, there must be a reason for him to be here.”

“Could it be that they found out that we’re going to deal with the Song family with the Lu family?” Xiao Mo was worried. “Should we bring forward the plan now?”

“Don’t be nervous.” Zhuang Liu said calmly, “If we only rely on Zhuang Che and the Song family, we won’t be able to make a splash. Let Old Master Lu deal with the Song family, and we’ll deal with Zhuang Che. If Zhuang Che dares to play any tricks here, he won’t be able to return.”

Xiao Mo felt relieved after hearing that. “Understood. 1’11 inform the Lu family now.”

Zhuang Liu instructed again, “You still have to pay attention to Rourou during this period of time. I suspect that one of Zhuang Che’s motives for coming here this time is Rourou.”

“Alright, I’ll send someone to keep an eye on Miss Tan Ron’s whereabouts. Once he approaches Miss Tan Rou, I’ll immediately report to you.” Xiao Mo said.

After saying that, he prepared to go out to work.

“Wait a minute.” Zhuang Liu stopped Xiao Mo, “Do you have anything urgent to do now?”

Xiao Mo said helplessly ,”Third Master, I have something important to do every minute. However, if Third Young Master has any new work for me, I will do it first.”

“Yes.” Zhuang Liu said, “Tomorrow is Saturday. Help me book a suitable restaurant. I would like to have a meal with Tan Rou tomorrow.”

“Third Young Master, are you going to cultivate your relationship with Miss Tan Rou?” Xiao Mo asked with a smile.

Zhuang Liu glanced at him. “Since you already know why, hurry up and get to work. If you can’t do this well, you’ll have your salary deducted.”

Xiao Mo grinned. “Don’t worry, Third Young Master. I’ve booked so many restaurants for you, so I already know where to go.”

Zhuang Liu was very confident in Xiao Mo’s ability, but he had to be more cautious when it came to Tan Rou. “Don’t book a restaurant that’s too romantic.

Rourou doesn’t like those.”

Xiao Mo felt that Zhuang Liu was a little long-winded. He had said these things 800 times, but he still had to say it every time. However, this also showed how much Zhuang Liu valued Tan Rou. Only when he truly valued someone would he pay attention to her at all times..

 

Chapter 543: 543 Your Relationship

 

 

Hang Wei sat in his office, puzzled. Why did Tan Rou want to work with the Zhuang family? The Zhuang family was not a good person. Over the years, the Zhuang family had been disturbing them from behind the scene. If they were to work with them now, wouldn’t that be a slap to his face?

Looking at the email on the computer screen and the message that Tan Rou had sent him, Hang Wei was very depressed. Should he reply to this email or not? If he did not reply, Tan Rou would definitely find trouble with him but even if he replied, he wasn’t really that happy with working with the Zhuang family.

After thinking for half an hour, Hang Wei estimated that Tan Rou was about to be dismissed from school, so he immediately called her.

Tan Rou received a call from Hang Wei before she left the school. It was too noisy around her, so she had to find a quiet place to answer the call.

“Boss, are we really going to cooperate with the Zhuang family?” Hang Wei was still reluctant. He felt that there was no need for his company to cooperate with those big families. The internal strife of big families was serious, and it was very tiring to deal with them.

“We’re not working with the Zhuang family, but with Zhuang Liu.” Tan Rou emphasized.

Hang Wei said, “Isn’t the Zhuang Family also a member of the Zhuang Family?”

“Zhuang Liu is Zhuang Liu, and the Zhuang family is the Zhuang family. They are different.” Tan Rou said as she walked.

Hang Wei sensed that something was wrong. “Boss, may I ask, what’s your relationship with Zhuang Liu?”

What was their relationship? Friends? Tan Rou thought for a moment.

When Hang Wei saw that Tan Rou was silent, he knew that their relationship was not simple.

“Boss, are you two very good friends?”Hang Wei said casually.

Tan Rou denied half of it. “We’re not just good friends.” She smiled. “We’ll still be a family in the future.”

“Ah!” Hang Wei felt that ever since Tan Rou met him, his heartbeat had not returned to normal. His heart had been getting attacks over and over again.

“Why do you sound so surprise? Have you done what I told you?” Tan Rou asked.

Hang Wei felt a little guilty because he had been working on the new product for the past few days and did not have much time to contact Zhuang Liu. Moreover, he did not want to cooperate with the Zhuang family from the bottom of his heart.

“I’m doing what you asked me to do.” Hang Wei didn’t sound confident when he spoke.

“I’ll talk to you in detail when we get back.” Tan Rou could tell from his tone that he wasn’t interested in Zhuang Liu’s cooperation. “I just got out of school and I’m in a hurry to go back for dinner. I’ll call you before I take a nap.”

“You still have time for your afternoon nap?” Hang Wei found it funny. He hadn’t taken an afternoon nap in years.

Tan Rou said, “I still have classes in the afternoon. If I don’t sleep, I won’t be efficient in the afternoon classes.”

Hang Wei had nothing to say. He had forgotten that Tan Rou was still a high school student.

After hanging up Hang Wei’s call, Tan Rou received a call from Zhuang Liu. Now that there were fewer people in school, Tan Rou walked to the school gate while answering Zhuang Liu’s call.

“Third Brother, you’re off work!” Tan Ron’s tone was very light and carried a hint of joy.

When Zhuang Liu heard Tan Ron’s voice, his fatigue disappeared instantly.

“Xiao Rou, are you on your way home?” Zhuang Liu asked.

“Not yet. I just spoke to Hang Wei. He’s working on a collaboration with you, but he’s not serious. I’ll teach him a lesson when I go back.” Tan Rou said.

Although Zhuang Liu really wanted to work with TL, he didn’t want to make things difficult for Tan Rou. If Hang Wei really didn’t want to work with them, he wouldn’t force it.

“Xiao Rou, don’t make things too difficult for yourself.” Zhuang Liu hoped that Tan Rou could relax a little. “I’ll handle it myself. You just need to focus on your studies.”

Tan Rou finally managed to help Zhuang Liu with something, so she had to do it. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to sleep well this afternoon.

“Third Brother, I’ll send you the newly designed program when I get back. Take this to talk to Hang Wei. If Hang Wei doesn’t agree, I’ll go to the Capital to look for him personally.” Tan Ron’s attitude was very unyielding.

Zhuang Liu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Rourou, I’m starting to suspect that you’re a major shareholder of TR.”

Tan Rou wasn’t a major shareholder. She was the big boss of TL.

“Maybe I am.” Tan Rou said jokingly.

After returning home, Tan Rou split the information into two and sent them to Zhuang Liu and Hang Wei respectively, asking Hang Wei to facilitate the cooperation with Zhuang Liu.

Under Tan Ron’s coercion, Hang Wei looked at the information provided by Zhuang Liu and found that it was likely that they would have to work together. So, he finally decided to take it seriously.

Hang Wei was thinking that if this continued, Zhuang Liu would soon end up as his boss as well. He had to build a good relationship with Zhuang Liu..

 

Chapter 544: 544 The Murderer

 

 

Tan Ron spent a lot of time studying the capsule pen chip in the afternoon, so her nap time was shortened. She was still a little sleepy when she went to school in the afternoon.

“Xiao Rou, have you heard about that?” Li Lilooked at Tan Rou in horror. “Tan Jing’s case has been overturned again!”

Tan Ron’s spirits were instantly lifted. “Have they found the real murderer?” she asked.

Li Li was stunned. “How do you know that the murderer has been found?”

Tan Rou said calmly, “The person who was previously claimed to have killed Tan Jing was obviously a scapegoat. Most people would think of a way to clear their names after killing someone. However, that person wished that the police could arrest him on the spot and send him to jail. When the announcement came out, I was wondering if he was the real murderer.”

Li Li gave Tan Rou a thumbs up. “As expected of you, Rourou. You’re really smart.”

“Who killed Tan Jing?” Tan Rou asked.

Li Li glanced at the empty seat behind her and whispered, “It’s Song Lin. Tan Jing was really killed by Song Lin!””

Tan Rou was not surprised at all. “Oh.”

“Although we guessed that Song Lin was involved in Tan Jing’s death, I didn’t expect Song Lin to be the one who killed her.”

Back then, Song Lin was still chasing after Tan Jing. She did not expect that in the blink of an eye, he would push her down the stairs and kill her.

“Did Song Lin surrender himself to the police that he killed Tan Jing?” Tan Rou wanted to clarify.

“No. Someone did report Song Lin. Song Lin’s elder brother once heard Song Lin repenting in front of the temple hall at home. Then, he stopped to listen to what Song Lin said. He did not expect Song Lin to actually be repenting for killing Tan Jing!

“If you ask me, Big Brother Song Lin is really bad. Not only did he report Song Lin, but he also recorded the recording as evidence and sent Song Lin to prison in an instant.” The girl beside them heard them discussing Song Lin and Tan Rou, so she came over and joined them.

“Song Lin is an illegitimate child, and an illegitimate child who has the right to inherit. If 1 were Song Lin’s half-brother, I would also want Song Lin to enter. That way, 1 would have one less competitor.” Another boy added.

“Did the police arrest Song Lin just because of this recording?” Tan Rou asked again.

“No. After the police received the report, they called Song Lin over for questioning. Song Lin stammered and didn’t say anything. Therefore, the police investigated the place where Tan Jing died again. They found Tan Jing’s phone in the gap of a concrete staircase. Although it was broken, it could still be used after charging. There were recordings of Tan Jing and Song Lin’s conversation and other embarrassing videos.”

“Video?” Tan Rou was curious about the video.

“Hehehe.” The girl next to her laughs, “They’re intimate videos of Tan Jing and Song Lin. I didn’t think that Tan Jing would be so good at pretending. She had clearly slept with Song Lin a long time ago, but she still pretended to be a single goddess.”

The boy said, “Let me tell you. The more a girl like Tan Jing looks cold and pure, the more lewd she is. On the surface, she says that she doesn’t know anything, but on the inside, she has slept with men countless times.”

When he spoke, his eyes were fixed on Tan Rou.

Tan Rou sensed his gaze and said coldly, “If you look over here again, I’ll gouge out your eyes.”

The boy was frightened by her gaze and tone and quickly slipped away.

Li Li looked at the boy in disdain and said, “Although 1 don’t like Tan Jing, it’s really detestable to judge a girl with such a malicious gaze!”

Tan Rou didn’t want to dwell on this issue anymore. “Has Song Lin confessed?”

Li Li said excitedly, “Song Lin usually looks like a bad person. I didn’t expect him to be so timid. When the police opened the recording and video, he started crying. He cried until he fainted. He was sent to the hospital by the police and only came out this morning.”

“Old Master Song must be regretting grooming Song Lin as his successor now. The evidence of Song Lin’s murder is conclusive,” Tan Rou said coldly. “Old Master Song was probably going to be imprisoned for a few years for harboring criminals..”

 

Chapter 545: 545 University

 

 

There was nothing to dispute about Song Lin’s murder and Old Master Song’s act of protecting the criminal and paying someone to take the blame. However, the evidence provided did not prove that Song Lin had deliberately killed someone, so he could not be sentenced to death.

In the end, Song Lin was sentenced to ten years in prison, and Old Master Song was sentenced to three years. Poor Old Master Song had spent most of his life in glory. When he was old, he still had to stay in the police station for a few years.

During dinner, Tan Rou and the others had arranged to meet Liang Lu. After Liang Lu found out the truth behind Tan Jing’s death, she was filled with emotions.

“I didn’t expect Song Lin to kill Tan Jing.” Liang Lu sighed with emotion, “I remember how Song Lin would frequently give gifts to Tan Jing. He would be wherever Tan Jing was. 1 did not expect her to die in Song Lin’s hands.”

“After the Tan family went bankrupt, they owed a large sum of money. Tan Song asked Tan Jing to take out 50 million yuan. Otherwise, he would continue to force Tan Jing to sleep with those old men. Tan Jing wanted Song Lin to fork out the money, but Song Lin couldn’t, so he accidentally killed Tan Jing.”

Xu Yan didn’t have a good impression of Tan Jing and Song Lin, but he didn’t want them to end up like this. “1 hope they can do more good things in their next lives.”

“They’ve done so many bad things in this life. It’s a question whether they can be human in their next life.” Li Like didn’t have a good impression of them.

“Don’t talk about them.” Liang Lu looked at the dark sky outside and said, “It’s so dark outside. Let’s not talk about the dead and criminals. We don’t want to have nightmares at night.”

“Let’s talk about something else.” Lu Qing said, “Winter vacation is coming soon. Our winter vacation is relatively short. We’ll come back to class after the new year. In less than four months, we have to take the college entrance examination. Have you thought about what you’ll major in university?”

Li Li was the first to answer, “I want to learn landscape architecture. 1 feel that taking care of flowers and plants is quite fun.”

“Chemistry,” Xu Yan said.

Liang Lu hadn’t decided on her major yet. After all, with her current results, she couldn’t even reach the junior college level, let alone the undergraduate level.

“What major did the school hunk choose?” Li Li asked.

Lu Qing wanted to say that he wanted to be a doctor, but Tan Rou had not said what she wanted to do yet. He had to see what Tan Rou wanted to do.

“I haven’t decided on anything yet.” Tan Rou took a sip of soup. “Besides, I have a letter to be accepted into Capital City University anyways. I don’t need to choose anything else.”

Lu Qing and the others also had one, but the guaranteed entry did not necessarily mean that they had a good major, so they all chose to take the exam again.

Li Li purely wanted to improve herself. The gap between her and Tan Rou wasn’t small. She had to try her best to narrow the gap.

“Aren’t you going to study medicine? I see that your medical skills are quite brilliant,” Lu Qing asked in confusion. “That should be a suitable major for you.”

“If you already know how to walk, will you continue learning to run or walk?” Tan Rou asked.

Lu Qing replied, “Learn to run.”

“It’s the same for studying medicine. I’m very confident in my medical skills and don’t need to further my studies.” Tan Rou said.

“I thought we could continue to be classmates. 1 didn’t expect you to change your major.” Lu Qing’s ambition was also clinical medicine. He felt that Tan Ron’s medical skills were so good that she would definitely choose clinical medicine. In the end, Tan Rou did not choose clinical medicine, which caused all his plans to be disrupted.

“Do you want to study clinical medicine?” Tan Rou asked.

“I originally wanted to cure my grandfather’s illness, but since you cured my grandfather in advance, there’s no need for me to study medicine anymore.”Lu Qing replied, “I still need to manage my family’s company, so I might go into finance.”

Tan Rou was actually a little reluctant to part with her friends, especially her good deskmate Li Li. Once they went to a new place, the relationship between old friends would fade. Fortunately, Lu Qing and Li Li had guaranteed entry. If they really did not do well, they could also use the guaranteed entry to enter the Capital City University.

As for Xu Yan, Tan Rou felt that he had the ability. As long as Xu Yan took the exam seriously, he would definitely get good results.

“I want to go to the capital too.” Liang Lu was influenced by them. “Even if I can’t get into any university, 1 still have other schools to choose from. If 1 can’t get into a bachelor’s degree, I’ll change to a junior college. I believe that 1’11 successfully get into a university with my own strength.”

“I want to see your progress in the next exam.” Tan Rou said with a smile.

Liang Lu patted her chest and promised, “Bring it on!”

 

Chapter 546: 546 Good Opportunity

 

 

Song Lin and Old Master Song were imprisoned together, which dealt a huge blow to the Song family. However, the Song family had not collapsed. After all, it was a big family. There was always a complete operating system to support the company’s operations.

Zhuang Liu wanted to speed up the Song family’s bankruptcy. He did not have that much time to wait. As long as the Song family went bankrupt, Zhuang Liu’s third uncle would definitely suffer a huge blow. This was the situation that was truly beneficial to Zhuang Liu.

Zhuang Che had just met up with the Song family. Before he could understand the situation here, something had already happened to the Song family. The only person who could carry the Song family’s weight, Old Master Song, had fallen. The others were not capable of handling the company’s matters at all. Now, they were relying on the other managers. If these managers jumped ship, the Song family’s company would be finished.

The Song family’s company going bankrupt was not a good thing for Zhuang Che. Therefore, he was so busy these few days that his feet did not touch the ground and he could not even eat. He had thought that he would enjoy the treatment of a king, but in the blink of an eye, he had become a poor worker.

“President Zhuang, these are the emails and phone calls we received this morning.” Zhuang Che’s assistant handed him a thick stack of documents. “They’re all contracts requesting to terminate the contract with Song Empire.”

Zhuang Che said angrily, “Since it’s a contract to terminate the contract with Song Empire, why did you bring it to me? I’m not a member of the Song family!”

The assistant didn’t dare to be angry or say anything.

Eldest Young Master Song was the one who reported Song Lin. Originally, he thought that after Song Lin went to jail, he would be put in an important position by the old man. However, he did not expect that the old man was also involved in Song Lin’s matter. Now that Song Lin had just gone to jail, the old man followed suit.

According to the normal procedure, Song Lin and Old Master Song should not have been sentenced so quickly. He did not know what had happened, but Song Lin and Old Master Song had just been charged, and they were sentenced in court.

The Song family was still trying to bail Old Master Song out. As for Song Lin, who cared about the life and death of an illegitimate child?

Zhuang Che was not a capable person. If he could not even do a good job in the company, how could he manage the Song family’s mess? As soon as he entered the company, he angered three managers and an old shareholder.

Thus, the Song family was like a big tree that had been cut down. Its branches, leaves, and roots were all broken, and there was no chance of revival.

“Third Young Master Zhuang, happy working with you!” Old Master Lu personally came to Zhuang Liu’s company and even brought several cooperation plans. “This is the company that previously worked with the Song family. Now that the Song family is about to be gone, they have all thrown their olive branches to our Lu family. Although we would like to take over all of these businesses, we still have limited power to do so.”

Old Master Lu knew how to do business. He knew that Zhuang Liu must have been behind this. Otherwise, the news that the Song family had no one to use would not have spread so quickly.

There was also Zhuang Che. No one knew Zhuang Che’s actual abilities. They only knew that he was from the Zhuang family in the capital. Some of the Song family’s business partners felt that Zhuang Che was from the Zhuang family in the capital and definitely had some ability. If he came to help the Song family, they might be able to survive this life-and-death crisis.

However, Zhuang Liu had sent people to spread Zhuang Che’s past results. Not only was his performance not outstanding, he wasn’t in charge of most of his works.

The business partners who received the news went to cancel the contract with the Song family on the same day. They did not want to work with a group of idiots.

“This is a good opportunity.” Zhuang Liu casually flipped through the information of those companies. “I don’t want any of these. You don’t have to care about me. As long as you don’t stab me in the back, our cooperation can continue.”

Zhuang Liu’s focus of work would be shifted to the Capital in the future. Half a year later, Tan Rou would be continuing her studies in the Capital and he would not continue to stay here either. Therefore, he would give up on some of the collaborations here if he could, and transfer them to others if he could not. He felt that the Lu family wasn’t a bad choice.

The Tan family was bankrupt, and the Song family was half-dead. Only the Lu family was the best partner. Moreover, Zhuang Liu had a good impression of the Lu family. He thought that the Lu family had the ability to become bigger and stronger.

“Don’t worry, Third Young Master. The Lu family is definitely one of your best partners.”

Zhuang Liu’s slender fingers tapped on the table and said very relaxed, “Seize this opportunity well. In the future, this area will belong to your family.”

Old Master Lu was very enthusiastic. He extended his right hand. “It was nice working with you.”

Zhuang Liu shook his hand back. “And me you..”

 

Chapter 547: 547 Photographic Exhibition

 

 

Some people are extremely busy while others live leisurely. Tao Zheng’s mood these few days was both nervous and happy.

“This is the ticket for the photography exhibition.” Tao Zheng took out a few tickets with a red face. “1 don’t have many works, so I can’t bring out many good ones. Many of my photography works are borrowed. I hope you won’t mind my small photography exhibition.”

Tan Rou took out a ticket and said with a smile, “We all believe in Second Brother’s artistic taste. Although you don’t have many works now, every photo of yours is definitely a masterpiece.”

“This is Little Zheng’s first photography exhibition. We must appreciate it,” said Mrs. Tao with a smile. “Besides, your dad and I haven’t been to these photography and art shows in a long time.”

Mr. Tao recalled his childhood and smiled. “Speaking of which, the first time your mother and I met was at an art exhibition. She liked a painting of lilies in the rain very much, and I liked that painting very much too. The two of us discussed it in a low voice for a long time in front of the painting, but we missed the closing time.”

“It’s all your fault for dragging me and not letting me leave. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been lectured by the security guards.”

Mr. Tao smiled. “When I came out, I felt a little embarrassed, so I wanted to apologize to you, so 1 tried my best to get your contact information. I didn’t expect you to be the legendary number one beauty in the Capital. It was really a surprise.”

Mrs. Tao covered his mouth. “Don’t say such embarrassing things in front of the children.”

The children watched the interaction between their parents and were very envious. Their parents had a good relationship. In their memories, their parents had always been sweet and loving, and they had never quarreled. “Second Brother, do you have any extra tickets?” Tan Rou asked in a low voice while her parents were reminiscing about the past.

“Yes!” Tao Zheng took out a bunch of tickets from his pocket. “How many tickets does Rourou want?”

Tan Rou counted the number of people. “Give me six tickets first. I’ll ask Li Li if they’re going.”

Tao Zheng gave him a bunch of tickets as if they were free. “Take them. Find a few more friends to come and watch. I’m afraid that there won’t be anyone present. That would be very awkward.”

Tao Zhi patted his second brother’s shoulder and said, “Don’t worry, Little Zheng. If there’s no one, Big Brother will pay for everyone in our company to go and see it. We’ll definitely make your photography exhibition lively.”

Tao Zheng said embarrassedly, “There’s no need for it to be so lively, just a few people will do.”

Tan Rou gave Zhuang Liu two tickets. Although she didn’t know if they had time to go, she still prepared it for them.

Zhuang Liu looked at the time on the ticket and had no choice but to ask Xiao Mo to postpone the meal.

Tao Zheng’s photography exhibition lasted for two days, over a weekend. The photography exhibition used a ticket system. A ticket was for forty-five yuan which was cheaper than the entrance tickets of most amusement parks and zoos.

However, this photography exhibition would not be bad just because the tickets were cheap. Many big bosses had invested in this photography exhibition, and some domestic and foreign photography masters had also borrowed their works.

Many photography enthusiasts would also participate in the exhibition causing people to fight for the tickets. Tao Zheng himself did not expect so many people to come to see his photography exhibition, but he felt that these people must have come for the works of those masters.

Zhuang Liu had never come to these shows before. He was busy in the past, but later, he had time and it was inconvenient for him to visit the shows because of his legs, so this was his first time visiting a photography show.

He had seen Tao Zheng’s works. Although he wasn’t a professional commentator, as an art appreciator, he still liked Tao Zheng’s works very much.

“Third Brother, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to attend my second brother’s photography exhibition.” Tan Rou walked over and greeted Zhuang Liu.

Zhuang Liu still came in a wheelchair. After a while, he would be able to leave the wheelchair.

“Second Brother-in-law’s photography skills are pretty good.” Zhuang Liu praised, “1 like one of his daily photos very much. It seems that the shooting location is in your greenhouse.”

Tan Rou pushed Zhuang Liu’s wheelchair. “Let’s go and take a closer look..”

Chapter 548: 548 Shall We Go Together

 

 

After entering the venue, Tan Ron’s family split up. Tao Zheng brought Tao Qi and Tao Zhi, Father Tao and Mother Tao, and Tan Ron went with Zhuang Liu.

Poor Xiao Mo was alone. As long as Zhuang Liu and Tan Ron were together, he would always be alone.

Tan Ron pushed Zhuang Liu and admired the photos as they walked. She would comment from time to time on the composition of the photos, the layering of the photos, and the selection of the materials. It sounded very professional.

After walking around, Zhuang Liu felt that Tan Rou would be tired, so he suggested that they go to the rest area to rest.

“Your vacation is about to start. Are you going back to the capital during the vacation?” Zhuang Liu had originally planned to ask Tan Rou out for a meal to talk about this matter, but since they were about to meet today, he asked first, in case he didn’t have time to ask later.

“I’m definitely going back to the Capital. I’ve already promised my grandmother that I’ll go back to accompany her during the holidays. Will you also return to the Capital?” Tan Rou asked.

Zhuang Liu sighed and said, “Even if 1 don’t like that place, it’s still my home. My grandfather is there. I definitely have to go back.”

If Xiao Mo were here, he would definitely roll his eyes at Zhuang Liu’s words. Zhuang Liu never returned to the Capital for the New Year. Every time he did, he would use the excuse that he was busy with work as an excuse not to go back.

Zhuang Liu had returned to the capital for the New Year because he wanted to spend more time with Tan Rou. Tan Rou was now in her third year of high school and had a lot of work to do. She had very little time. In addition, Tan Rou had to make incense and medicine, so she had even less free time. Therefore, Zhuang Liu wanted to spend more time with Tan Rou during the new year.

“When are you going to take the plane?” Zhuang Liu said, “1 think we should buy the plane tickets earlier. There are many people traveling during these times. If we buy them later, we won’t be able to buy plane tickets.”

Tan Rou felt that this would not affect them because they had a private jet.

“Grandpa also considered the problem of there being a lot of people during the New Year, so he submitted an application in advance. At that time, a private jet will come to pick us up. He did not want us to worry about not being able to buy a plane ticket, nor did he want us to worry about being too noisy.” Tan Rou said.

Zhuang Liu thought about it for a few minutes. He could also arrange for a private jet. Moreover, there was still some time before the holidays, so the application for a private jet to take off would definitely be approved. However, if he also got a private jet, he wouldn’t be able to leave with Tan Rou and the others.

“How are you and Auntie going back? If we can go together, why don’t we take the private jet arranged by my family? We can save a lot of money on the plane ticket.” Tan Rou asked considerately.

Zhuang Liu was amused by Tan Ron’s behavior. The Tao family was rich, and Tan Rou was also very good at making money. However, she still cared about a few thousand for the plane ticket. Thinking about it carefully, she was a little cute.

“I’ll get Xiao Mo to buy the tickets first.” Zhuang Liu didn’t dare to show too much excitement. “If we can’t buy tickets, we can discuss it again. Maybe we’ll arrange a private jet.”

Zhuang Liu couldn’t arrange a private jet. He had to take the same plane as Tan Rou, but he couldn’t make it too obvious. He had already planned it out. He would look for Tan Rou when he was about to leave. At that time, the Tao family would definitely not reject him. If he said it now, the two brothers of the Tao family would definitely do something behind his back and not let him board the plane.

Tan Rou guessed that Zhuang Liu was just finding an excuse. In the end, he would definitely leave with them. After all, Zhuang Liu had tried his best to be in the same flight previously.

As he spoke, the three Tao brothers walked over. They were also here to rest.

Tao Zhi and Tao Zheng didn’t know what to say when they saw Tan Rou and Zhuang Liu together. Initially, they thought that it was Zhuang Liu, this shameless man, who was pestering their sister. However, now they could see clearly that their sister actually had feelings for Zhuang Liu.

At that time, one of the tickets that Tan Rou asked Tao Zheng for must have been for Zhuang Liu. Tan Ron’s excuse of giving the tickets to a friend was just an excuse. Her real purpose was to give the tickets to Zhuang Liu.

“Third Sister, Brother Zhuang Liu!” Tao Qi ran over excitedly. “Are you guys tired of walking around too?”

Tan Rou pulled Tao Qi over and patted his head. “You’re already tired after just a few steps?” she asked with a smile.

Tao Qi frowned and said “Second Brother kept bringing us around in circles. He insisted that Eldest Brother and I read all of his works, or he wouldn’t let us leave.”

Tao Zheng was about to say something when Zhuang Liu spoke first. “These photographs are indeed beautiful. They’re worth seeing..”

 

Chapter 549: 549 Tricks

 

 

Zhuang Liu also said a lot of professional photography vocabulary and made a simple evaluation of some of the artifacts.

These comments were all things that Tao Zheng needed to hear. Some of his works had the same idea when he was filming. He didn’t expect Zhuang Liu’s aesthetic to be the same as his. He suddenly felt that he had found a person who knew his stuff, and even Zhuang Liu was a lot more pleasing to the eye.

“I didn’t expect Zhuang San to appreciate photography so much.” Tao Zheng was very happy. “If I have any good works in the future, I’ll definitely give you a few.”

Zhuang Liu gladly accepted. “Thank you, Second Brother-in-law.”

Tao Zheng was so happy that he couldn’t find his bearings. He didn’t care what Zhuang Liu addressed him as.

Tao Zhi looked at Tao Zheng with a pained expression. His stupid brother was actually coaxed by Zhuang Liu’s few good words. He was really too stupid.

He really couldn’t understand what kind of magic power Zhuang Liu had. Out of the six people in his family, five of them had been subdued by Zhuang Liu. He felt that Zhuang Liu was not a human. Zhuang Liu was definitely a siren who attracted the crew at sea, and his family was attracted to the crew.

In the evening, they gathered for a meal. Tao Zheng was treating them, and Li Li and Xu Yan were all there as well. The group of people ate until 10 pm.

Time flew by quickly. The Song family was half-dead.

Zhuang Liu did not want to waste any more time on them, so he simply handed everything over to Old Master Lu to deal with the aftermath. He then prepared to return to the Capital.

After Tan Rou finished her exams, the Tao family would return to the Capital.

Zhuang Liu came over to knock on the door of the Tao family. He did not have a walking stick today. Zhuang Che and the third son of the Zhuang family were busy with their performance during the new year and did not have time to keep an eye on him. Even if there were a few people stalking them, they were all taken care of by the bodyguards that Zhuang Liu had secretly arranged.

Mrs. Tao came over to open the door. When she saw that it was Zhuang Liu, she shouted happily, “Xiao Rou, Xiao Liu is here!”

Zhuang Liu looked at the house full of things and pretended to be surprised. “Auntie, are you packing your things to go somewhere?”

“We’re going back to the Capital for the New Year. Are you and your mother going back?”

Zhuang Liu’s expression was not very good.” Yes, we had such plans but it’s a little difficult.”

Mother Tao was concerned about what had happened.

Zhuang Liu said, “My mother and I would love to go back since after the new year, it will be my grandfather’s birthday. We have to go back. But once we go back, there will be no one to take care of my dad. Even if we hire a nurse, we won’t be at ease.”

Mrs. Tao knew that the Zhuang family’s situation was complicated. Zhuang Liu’s father was in a vegetative state. If he was left alone here, he might be assassinated.

“Bring your dad along.” Mrs. Tao suggested.

Zhuang Liu replied, “We’ve thought of this method too, but if my dad goes back with us, we’ll have to arrange a private jet. It is very troublesome for a to get one now and it’s too late anyways.”

“Why don’t you come with us?” Mrs. Tao said. “Our plane happens to be bigger. It’s more than enough to bring all of you along with us.”

“Would that be alright?” Zhuang Liu smiled. “Then I’ll go back and tell my mother. She was quite bothered about this.”

Before Mother Tao could react, Zhuang Liu had already ran out, as if he was afraid that Mother Tao would go back on her word.

Tao Zhi took his things down and happened to hear the second half of the conversation. He said unhappily, “Mom, you spoil him too much. Besides, he’s trying to trick you. Can’t you tell?”

Mother Tao glanced at him and smiled. “I’ve lived for almost 50 years. I’ve seen all kinds of things. No matter how smart Zhuang Liu is, he’s still a child in front of me. How can 1 not tell that he’s tricking me?”

Tao Zhi was very puzzled. “Since you could tell that he was trying to trick you, why did you agree to let him go with us? He’s a very scheming person. This time, he wants to come with us because he wants to talk more with Xiao Rou.”

“I already told you last time not to interfere with Xiao Ron’s choice. You only want to stop Zhuang Liu and Xiao Rou from meeting, but you didn’t think about whether Xiao Rou cared about Zhuang Liu or not. If Rourou also likes Zhuang Liu, aren’t you destroying Rourou’s happiness by doing this?”

Tao Zhi could tell that Tan Ron’s feelings for Zhuang Liu were different, but as the older brother, he did not want other men to get close to his sister.

“Your sister is already an adult. She will make her own judgment.” Mrs. Tao patted her son’s shoulder. “If you have nothing to do, go find a partner. You don’t have to stare at someone else’s partner every day.”

“Mom, I didn’t…” Before Tao Zhi could finish his sentence, his mother interrupted him.

“Hurry up and pack your things! Tell your younger siblings to hurry up as well,” Mrs. Tao urged..

 

Chapter 550: 550 Diagnose

 

 

Zhuang Liu didn’t have anything to pack, so he simply took his things and left. However, Zhuang Liu’s father was more troublesome. He had to be sent to the plane by a chartered car. He was recuperating now, so he found an ambulance directly. The ambulance had more equipment and would not be stuck in traffic.

Mr. Tao drove a seven-seater minivan this time, which was just big enough for his family.

Zhuang Liu still wanted to fight for it, so he asked, “Rourou, isn’t it crowded here? Do you want to sit in the spacious car with us?”

Tan Rou glanced at the red and white ambulance and said with amusement, “Are you sure you want to invite me to ride in the ambulance?”

Zhuang Liu also felt that it was inappropriate. “Forget it. You should take the MPV with your parents.”

“Let Auntie take my car.” Tan Rou walked towards the ambulance. “I have something to tell you.

She gave Zhuang Liu a look, indicating for him to send the others away.

So Zhuang Liu said to Shen Jing, “Mom, you can take Rourou’s car. Rourou and 1 will go with the ambulance. Rourou said that she would also help with dad’s condition.”

Shen Jing did not say anything else when she heard that she had to diagnose her husband. She walked straight to the Tao family’s business car and asked, “Can you give me a ride?”

“Of course. Come up here and sit next to me.” Mrs. Tao said with a smile. “There are so many men here. I don’t even know who to talk to.”

“Mom, I’m not a man. I’m a boy,” the innocent Tao Qi said in a childish voice.”

Shen Jing was amused by him. “Xiao Qi is so cute. When we get to the capital, I’ll invite you to the largest aquarium in the Capital, okay?”

Tao Qi hugged Shen Jing. “Thank you, Auntie!”

Shen Jing’s heart was filled with softness. She liked children very much, but unfortunately, she only had Zhuang Liu. Moreover, Zhuang Liu was very cold and aloof. At a young age, he put on a mature appearance and would not interact with her at all. How could she let go of such a cute child in front of her?

Thus, Shen Jing and Tao Qi sat on the left and right seats. They talked about the flight and did not feel tired at all.

Meanwhile, Tan Rou was already in the ambulance. This ambulance had a large capacity and was fully equipped. All the equipment would be moved onto the plane later.

There was a middle-aged man lying on the bed in the middle of the ambulance. He looked very similar to Zhuang Liu, but Zhuang Liu was younger and more handsome. This person was Zhuang Liu’s father, Zhuang Yan.

He had been bedridden for several years and had not seen the sun, so he looked pale and thin. There was not much flesh on his arms.

Tan Rou gently raised her wrist and felt his pulse. She began to check his condition. As time passed, Tan Ron’s expression turned uglier.

“Third Brother, did you tell me that Uncle had been unconscious because of a car accident?” Tan Rou asked.

Zhuang Liu replied, “My father was indeed in a car accident. Under normal circumstances, a small rear-end collision wouldn’t cause such a big injury. However, my father was unlucky. He was directly knocked into a vegetative state. Is there a problem?”

“The problem is very big.” Tan Rou put her solemn hand back. “Other than being a little weak, Uncle is fine. The reason why he’s still unconscious is because someone has drugged him. Someone had injected him with a drug that caused others to fall asleep. His coma was not caused by the car accident, but by the drug stimulating his nerves.”

Zhuang Liu angrily pounded the empty chair beside him. “These bastards! Not only did they poison me, but they also poisoned my father. I won’t let them off!”

“Calm down first. It’s more important to save Uncle.” Tan Rou advised.

Zhuang Liu calmed down and asked, “You’re right. How would we be able to help you?”

“I need to draw a tube of uncle’s blood for testing. We need to figure out the composition of the medicine in uncle’s body first before 1 can develop the antidote. I don’t have any equipment with me right now, so I can only give him a simple massage to help ease the stiffness of his muscles after not moving for a long time,” said Tan Rou.

So Zhuang Liu and Tan Rou sat on both sides of Zhuang Yan and began to massage his arms. In the future, when Zhuang Yan woke up, these would have to be done daily. He had been asleep for too long. If he didn’t get these messages, he would not be able to move..