Chapter 32: A Collision of Titans, Imminent and Explosive

It must be said that Cai Juying is truly a skilled hand at housework. Not only did she clear away the dishes, but she wiped the table until it was spotless and even mopped the floor.

If not for her recent display, Zhou Chen would have truly admired her. With such a knack for serving others, it is no wonder his father-in-law cannot live without her, and no wonder his mother-in-law, Zhao Na—who has never lifted a finger in her life—could not get the better of her.

Standing on the balcony, Nan Li naturally saw everything that happened in the living room. Watching Cai Juying bustling about, she was at a loss for words.

The woman had shown up at their home uninvited, played the emotional card, resorted to physical pulling and tugging to force them to help, and was now scrambling to do their chores. What was this supposed to mean?

Nan Li really did not want to deal with her anymore, so she remained on the balcony, staring at her own arm, where the red scratch marks were still clearly visible.

Half an hour passed. During this time, Nan Li never left the balcony, and the children, Huanhuan and Chaochao, stayed in their rooms. Only Zhou Chen sat in the living room, exchanging a few words with Cai Juying here and there.

Regardless of what Cai Juying said, Zhou Chen refused to make any phone calls or give any promises. He simply stalled, waiting for his father-in-law to arrive and handle this trouble.

Finally, a knock at the door rang out. Hearing it, Zhou Chen felt a surge of relief and hurried over to open the door.

As soon as it opened, he saw the breathless Nan Jianlong. Zhou Chen let out a sigh of relief. "Dad, you’re finally here. Please, take Auntie Cai home immediately."

"Alright, Li Li has already told me everything. I’ll handle it."

With that, he stepped inside, not even bothering to change his shoes, and walked straight into the living room.

Upon seeing Cai Juying, Nan Jianlong immediately barked, "Why did you run over here? Hurry up and come home with me. Now, come with me!"

He walked over and tried to pull Cai Juying away, but she resisted. "Old Nan, I’m not leaving. I just want to ask Li Li and the others to help Ziyou. They have the connections!"

From the balcony, Nan Li saw her father and finally emerged. Seeing Huanhuan and Chaochao peeking out from their room, she quickly waved for them to go back inside.

Nan Jianlong said angrily, "What kind of solutions could they possibly have? If they could help, they would have done it already. You, you..."

When his daughter had called earlier, he had felt awful. His own wife had gone to his biological daughter’s home to cause a scene; as a father, how could he justify this?

Cai Juying insisted, "They have a way! That Teacher Zhong from the elite class is Junshan’s junior. Lan Lan said they have a very good relationship. As long as Junshan is willing to put in a word, it will definitely work."

Hearing this, Zhou Chen quickly stepped in to explain, "Dad, Zhong Yi is from my hometown, but Yan Peng already approached me about this before. I already tried my best to facilitate it, but they ended up falling out on their own. As an outsider, I have no way to intervene further. Yan Peng and Tian Yulan are both aware of this."

Nan Jianlong, having been a leader in his time, naturally understood the nuances of such matters. What he wanted now was to get his wife out of there as quickly as possible.

"Let’s go. We can talk about it when we get back. Why do you have to come here and make a scene?"

He had finally managed to improve their relationship, and he did not want it to be ruined again by this mess.

But Cai Juying cried out, "What else am I supposed to do? What can I do? I’m a useless person, and you won’t help. Ziyou is my only grandson. For his sake, even if I have to throw away my pride, I have to find a way for him!"

Nan Jianlong snapped, "Find a way, then find a way! It’s the middle of the day, why are you here causing trouble? Come home with me now, don’t scare the children."

He truly did not want to argue here. His daughter, son-in-law, granddaughter, and grandson were all watching, and he still cared about his reputation.

"I’m not making a scene! How am I making a scene? I just came to ask for their help. Li Li, Junshan, as long as you are willing to help, I’ll do anything!"

Listening to Cai Juying’s wailing, Zhou Chen was truly at a loss. He simply turned his back, pretending not to see or hear anything.

Nan Li was even more direct. She said to Nan Jianlong, "Dad, you two should go back first. We can talk on the phone later. We really have things to do this afternoon."

Nan Jianlong hurried to say, "Yes, we’re leaving, we’re leaving right now."

He turned to Cai Juying and said, "Come home with me first. We’ll talk about it when we get back."

Cai Juying asked with a look of grievance, "If we go back, will you be able to help Ziyou?"

Nan Jianlong said irritably, "Whether I can help or not, we’ll see once we get back. What is this behavior here? Come with me, now! If you don’t leave, I’m going to get angry."

Although Cai Juying had no regard for her own dignity, she was somewhat afraid of Nan Jianlong. After all, she had been with him for many years, and her future depended on him, so she dared not provoke his temper.

Listening to their exchange, Nan Li was infuriated. Not only was this woman being unreasonable, but she was also haggling with her father right in front of them. It was utterly speechless.

Seeing that they were finally about to leave, she let out a sigh of relief. Her good mood for the entire day had been ruined by this incident.

Zhou Chen also relaxed. It was only today that he truly witnessed the formidable nature of women, especially older ones like Cai Juying. Once they truly cast aside all shame, they were capable of anything. It wasn't a major crisis, but it was incredibly persistent and impossible to shake off.

"What’s going on? It’s the middle of the day, why is the front door left wide open?"

Suddenly, a voice rang out. Hearing it, both Zhou Chen and Nan Li’s expressions changed drastically, and Nan Jianlong gave a start.

"Oh no."

In that instant, Zhou Chen realized disaster had struck. Nan Li’s reaction was even faster; she prepared to rush over, but Zhao Na had already walked in.

"Li Li, what is going on here? Why is the door..."

Zhao Na walked into the room, placed her bag on the shoe cabinet, and was about to change her shoes when her gaze flicked toward the living room. Her expression froze instantly.

"Ah!"

A sharp, piercing scream tore through the air, causing Zhou Chen’s ears to ring instantly. It was hard to imagine that an elderly woman could produce such a high-decibel shriek.

"Mom! Mom!"

Nan Li was frightened and rushed toward Zhao Na. "Calm down, Mom, you need to calm down."

But how could Zhao Na possibly be calm at a time like this? She pushed Nan Li aside. "Move out of my way!"

She then charged into the living room, pointing at Cai Juying and screaming, "You shameless old mistress, what are you doing in my daughter’s house? You foul, shameless woman! And you, Nan Jianlong, you old thing, who told you to bring this old mistress into my daughter’s home, huh!"

Nan Li had been pushed aside and stumbled, but she ignored the pain in her ankle and hurried to her mother’s side.

"Mom, calm down, listen to me."

Zhou Chen snapped back to reality and rushed over, standing with Nan Li in front of Zhao Na, terrified that she might lose control and start a physical fight with Cai Juying.