CH 080

TL: Moonlit

Recently, Zhou Gao Dan felt that things were not going well for the Zhou family.

Zhou Zhengqing had a car accident and lay in the hospital, unsure if he would ever wake up again. Zhou Yuntang was taken away for investigation. Now, even Zhou Yushu had been taken away by the police.

Zhou Gao Dan was always composed and rarely showed his emotions, but recently, he seemed more and more anxious.

The only thing that made him feel somewhat relieved was the fact that Zhou Yuntang was not their biological brother. This eased some of the pressure on him.

Another good thing was that he had been planning for two years, and the Wan family had finally walked into his trap. Before long, the colossal Wan family would collapse, and the Zhou family would devour the remains.

Rubbing his forehead, Zhou Gao Dan was interrupted by a knock on the door of his study. He paused for a moment, and his face softened unconsciously as he said, “Come in.”

“Big brother, you’ve been working hard lately. I made some midnight snacks for you.” Zhou Yuntang held a plate and smiled timidly, “I don’t know if it suits your taste.”

Handmade midnight snacks. Zhou Gao Dan felt a wave of comfort. During busy times at work, having someone personally prepare a midnight snack for him alleviated a lot of his exhaustion.

“How could you do such rough work?” Zhou Gao Dan held Zhou Yuntang’s hand, noticing a few red marks on his back from burns. He couldn’t help but feel distressed and was about to call the housekeeper for burn cream.

Zhou Yuntang stopped him, saying, “Big brother, I’m fine. Please taste the food I made first, and see if you like it… If you do, I’ll make it for you again next time.”

Seeing the worried and lonely expression on the person he held dear, Zhou Gao Dan’s heart ached. “What happened?”

“Big brother, do you think Mom will forgive me?” Zhou Yuntang blinked, his eyes misty, “Is Zhou family still my home?”

Only then did Zhou Gao Dan realize that Zhou Yuntang had not acted on a whim. He had been upset ever since their mother scolded him and was afraid that his big brother would abandon him too, hence his hurried attempt to please him.

Understanding the situation, Zhou Gao Dan felt some resentment toward his mother. It was just some trivial matter, no need to use such heavy words.

Unsure how to console him, Zhou Gao Dan picked up his bowl and demonstrated his love for his brother through his actions, “Regardless of anything, you are still part of the Zhou family, and as long as I am here, I won’t let you leave.”

As soon as he tasted the food, Zhou Gao Dan froze.

“Thank you, big brother. I feel much happier now,” Zhou Yuntang said with an adorable smile, “Big brother, this is the first time I’ve cooked. Is it delicious?”

No matter what, he had to finish the food made by his “Tang Tang” on his first attempt. Zhou Gao Dan tried his best to ignore the peculiar mixture of sweet and salty flavors in his mouth and replied, “Thank you, Tang Tang. I really like it.”

After finishing the midnight snack, Zhou Gao Dan made an excuse about needing to work and asked Zhou Yuntang to go and play by himself. As soon as he turned around, he rushed to the bathroom in his study and vomited heavily. Even after vomiting, his stomach still felt uncomfortable.

Zhou Gao Dan felt both angry and amused. He took some stomach medicine behind Zhou Yuntang’s back and drank several cups of hot water to dilute the strange taste in his mouth.

This little incident was like a not-so-cloying yet sweet candy, energizing Zhou Gao Dan during work. The trap he set for the Wan family was now entering its final stage, and with just a little push, the seemingly formidable yet hole-ridden family would collapse.

The more critical the situation, the calmer Zhou Gao Dan became. He systematically arranged his forces, preparing to deliver the most powerful and fierce blow to his opponents.

The next day, Zhou Gao Dan visited his third brother, Zhou Yushu, at the detention center. The detention center wasn’t as formal as a prison, and after some arrangements, the two brothers were able to sit alone in a meeting room.

Zhou Yushu had not slept all night, and his eyes were bloodshot. “Big brother, have you found out who reported me?”

Zhou Yushu was always cautious. The subjects of his experiments were “volunteers,” people with terminal illnesses who had no hope of recovery and willingly became test subjects for experimental drugs, hoping for a chance at survival. The other part of his subjects were normal people whom he paid to cooperate with him. Both sides were in a mutually beneficial relationship, so there seemed to be no possibility of anyone reporting him.

Even if some of the subjects wanted to report him, Zhou Yushu would personally observe each of them after administering the drugs. Moreover, he never claimed that the drugs were for treating cancer; he presented them as “pain-relief” psychotropic drugs.

If someone really reported him, Zhou Yushu could only suspect someone within his own team.

“Not yet,” Zhou Gao Dan replied, although he hadn’t actually investigated anything, being busy with his own affairs.

Zhou Yushu thought his brother meant that he hadn’t found out yet and let out a sigh of resignation. He took off his glasses and rubbed his temples. “Big brother, this is a big deal. Please make sure to suppress any news. If this gets out, I won’t be able to survive in the industry.”

Zhou Gao Dan’s eyes flickered, and he said slowly, “You own some shares of the Zhou family, right? Since you are in jail now, you can’t hold on to these shares. I’ll temporarily take them back, and I’ll return them to you after you get out.”

“In jail, I can’t have shares?” Zhou Yushu looked puzzled, but he didn’t doubt it and signed on the prepared document as Zhou Gao Dan had requested.

After their meeting, Zhou Yushu walked back to his cell with heavy steps. The bed was too hard, the bedding and clothes were too rough, and he couldn’t sleep well, his mind was in a fog.

For this project, Zhou Yushu had been preparing for several years, swearing from the beginning that he would become the greatest figure in human medical history. But now… all his previous efforts had come to nothing.

This incident was a tremendous blow to Zhou Yushu.

He could only force himself to console himself: After getting out, he would start a new project, let his big brother invest in it, and surely achieve results then.

As he thought about it, Zhou Yushu’s tightly-wound nerves finally relaxed a bit. At this moment, another person from the prison entered. Zhou Yushu was taken aback; he had three cellmates, but he had only seen two when he moved in.

Zhou Yushu considered himself different from these social trash and didn’t want to talk to them. Similarly, the two cellmates opposite him showed no interest in initiating any conversation; both sides remained indifferent.

The third roommate was said to be a seasoned criminal and had just arrived. He was in solitary confinement yesterday after a fight in the cafeteria. Zhou Yushu’s curiosity was piqued, but he couldn’t make out the man’s face. So, he lost interest and started thinking about what his next research project should be—AIDS treatment, tumor research, or genetic diseases?

“Isn’t this Young Master Zhou from the Zhou family?” The third cellmate suddenly spoke, staring coldly at Zhou Yushu, a scrutinizing gaze that made him uncomfortable.

Zhou Yushu raised his head, “Who are you?”

“Who am I…” The man smiled, one second cheerful, the next second he fiercely kicked Zhou Yushu, “I’m your dad!”

The man’s kick was powerful, and Zhou Yushu was caught off guard and hit his waist, causing intense pain. Before he could react, the man clenched his fist and rained blows down on him. “Damn your Zhou family! You’ve ruined my son, and now he doesn’t even recognize me. If he hadn’t reminded me with some conscience…”

This person! Zhou Yushu was beaten mercilessly, his university professor’s body was no match for the opponent’s strength. He was battered, with a swollen nose and bruised face, his glasses’ legs broken. He was bewildered by the sudden attack and continuously threatened, “Do you know who I am? I’m the Young Master of the Zhou family! How dare you treat me like this? The Zhou family will surely retaliate a hundredfold!”

“Afraid of your Zhou family? I’ve already killed one of them, and I’m not afraid of offending you again!” The man laughed heartily, stomping on Zhou Yushu and insulting him, “You little pretty boy, you don’t know anything. If you dare to let the Zhou family attack me once, I’ll kill you in your sleep!”

Zhou Yushu suddenly remembered that this man was Zhou Yuntang’s biological father, Jiang Luo.

Zhou Yushu considered himself a genius and held himself in high regard, rarely taking ordinary people seriously. Now, after being brutally attacked, he had to remember Jiang Luo’s face.

They fought fiercely, while the two cellmates next to them acted as if they saw nothing and continued their conversation.

The police heard the commotion and knocked on the door, asking, “What’s going on?”

Jiang Luo released Zhou Yushu and put on a flattering smile as he replied, “Officer, it’s nothing. We were just joking around.”

Zhou Yushu widened his eyes and was about to complain, but he saw a sinister glance from Jiang Luo, full of disgust and murderous intent. He shuddered and trembled, reluctantly saying, “N-No, it’s nothing.”

“That’s good then,” the police said, seemingly not noticing the bruises on Zhou Yushu’s face, and left.

The two cellmates burst into laughter, a grating sound that made Zhou Yushu feel like they were mocking him. He gritted his teeth with hatred and lowered his head in frustration.