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The next morning, Zhou Chaosheng’s parents came downstairs together. As they walked down the stairs, they unexpectedly saw Zhou Chaosheng sitting on the sofa watching the morning news.

Zhou Yuanbo and He Xiaowei exchanged a glance and could see the unease in each other’s eyes.

Their son’s return this time was too sudden. Normally, he would at least inform them before coming home, rather than catching them off guard like this.

Zhou Yuanbo gripped the handrail, his dark eyes beneath his glasses lowering slightly as a trace of complexity flashed through them.

As a father, how could he not understand his own son?

The only reason Zhou Chaosheng would do this was to give them a warning in advance, preparing them for the bombshell he was about to drop.

Based on the reports from the people he had stationed around Zhou Chaosheng, Zhou Yuanbo already had some suspicions but had yet to confirm them.

After all, this matter was significant. No matter what, as long as he hadn’t heard his son admit it himself, Zhou Yuanbo wouldn’t believe it because emotionally, he refused to accept that his son’s sexual orientation had changed, and rationally, he couldn’t accept the idea of his son being with another man.

Hearing movement, Zhou Chaosheng turned his head, then stood up and greeted them, “Dad, Mom.”

He Xiaowei’s face immediately lit up with joy. She quickly let go of her husband, ran a few steps down, and threw herself into her son’s arms. “Chaosheng, Mommy missed you so much.”

Zhou Chaosheng hugged He Xiaowei back and said softly, “Me too.”

After letting go, He Xiaowei pulled her son to sit back down on the sofa and asked about his recent situation. “Have you finished your work in Jinzhou?”

Zhou Chaosheng thought for a moment and replied, “Just a little finishing up left.”

He Xiaowei asked, “So when do you plan to come back here?”

Having spent years traveling for work, Zhou Chaosheng still didn’t quite understand why his mother insisted on keeping him in Beijing. It was due to the trauma from his childhood kidnapping, but now that he was grown, anyone with eyes should know better than to mess with him. Yet, his mother still treated him like a child, wishing she could keep him under her watchful eye to feel at ease.

Zhou Chaosheng felt a bit helpless but still reassured her, “I’ve assigned the finishing work to my subordinates. I’ll be staying in Beijing for the time being.”

He Xiaowei nodded, then asked, “Why did you go to Iceland alone last week without informing your bodyguards?”

Zhou Chaosheng replied, “How could I travel properly with them following me? Besides, it’s not dangerous. It’s not like just anyone could kidnap your son.”

He Xiaowei playfully scolded him before casually asking, “Is the chairman of Rongge the one who made a fortune in the mobile phone industry, named Jiang Yuanye?”

At the mention of Jiang Yuanye, Zhou Chaosheng’s smile faded slightly. He responded cautiously, “Yes.”

He Xiaowei seemed to bring it up casually, with no particular implication, even complimenting him, “That young man looks quite handsome.”

Zhou Chaosheng nodded slightly and glanced at his father standing behind his mother. Zhou Yuanbo showed no obvious expression, only tapping his fingers on the edge of the sofa rhythmically, as if deep in thought.

At that moment, the butler, Cecil, approached with a smile and said, “Breakfast is ready.”

The three of them moved to the dining table. Before picking up his chopsticks, Zhou Yuanbo spoke to Zhou Chaosheng in a neutral tone, “After breakfast, come to the study. We need to talk.”

Zhou Chaosheng knew roughly what this was about, it was the reason he had come home this time. He responded with a simple, “Okay.”

Fifteen minutes later, Zhou Yuanbo set down his chopsticks and stood up. The chair scraped against the floor with a dull sound that wasn’t too harsh but carried weight. He glanced at Zhou Chaosheng, who was still looking down, and left a final remark: “Come up when you’re done.”

With that, he turned and headed upstairs.

He Xiaowei was displeased with her husband’s attitude. “Did you swallow gunpowder?”

Zhou Yuanbo didn’t respond to the jab.

Zhou Chaosheng reached out and placed a reassuring hand on his mother’s wrist. “Mom, it’s fine.”

After comforting her, Zhou Chaosheng also stood up and softly said, “Mom, I’m going upstairs to talk to Dad.”

He Xiaowei nodded, then suddenly added as he turned, “You two should talk properly, don’t argue.”

Zhou Chaosheng paused for a moment, then replied, “Okay.”

—

Zhou Chaosheng knocked on the door and entered. Just as he was about to close it, a stack of documents was suddenly hurled at him. Papers scattered, hitting his face before sliding to the floor.

Zhou Yuanbo stood a few steps away, his face dark as he watched the documents land on Zhou Chaosheng. His son didn’t dodge, as if he was willing to bear his father’s anger without resistance.

“You’ve really made something of yourself.” Zhou Yuanbo sneered coldly.

Zhou Chaosheng bent down to pick up the papers. As he gathered them, he saw the photos, images of him and Jiang Yuanye embracing. Still calm, he said, “Dad, don’t be angry.”

After a few deep breaths, Zhou Yuanbo barely managed to suppress his fury and asked, “...Is it what I think it is?”

By then, Zhou Chaosheng had picked up all the papers. Hearing the question, he looked up and met his father’s sharp gaze. Without hesitation, he admitted, “Yes.”

Zhou Yuanbo staggered slightly, feeling as though the blood in his veins was rushing in reverse. For a moment, he was gripped by an indescribable chill.

“You… you…”

He turned abruptly, striding toward the desk. His hand reached for the ashtray, instinctively raising it as if to smash it against his son’s head, to knock some sense into him. But at the last second, he stopped himself.

Slowly, he put the ashtray down. When he looked up again, his gaze was filled with a storm of emotions—disappointment, shock, anger, disbelief…

With all these emotions tangled together, Zhou Yuanbo’s voice took on a sharp edge as he scolded, “Do you even realize what this means for you? For the entire Zhou family?!”

“I do,” Zhou Chaosheng answered firmly.

Zhou Yuanbo took a deep breath and said, “Since you know, then I’ll assume this is just a rebellious phase, that you’re only playing around—”

Before he could finish, Zhou Chaosheng interrupted, “I’m serious.”

“.....” 

“Dad, the reason I came home this time was to be honest with you about this.” Zhou Chaosheng’s tone was calm, as if he were merely stating a fact. “I’ve fallen for a man, and I’m sure I want to be with him for the long haul. Even if you don’t agree, I’ll still be with him.”

Bang.

The ashtray ultimately still scraped past his forehead and smashed against the door, landing with a heavy thud before clattering onto the ground with a sharp noise.

It wasn’t until the ashtray stopped moving that Zhou Chaosheng spoke. “Dad, Mom doesn’t want us to fight.”

Zhou Yuanbo let out a short, bitter laugh. “Oh, now you remember your mother?”

Zhou Chaosheng said nothing.

Zhou Yuanbo’s gaze then swept across his son’s originally smooth and fair forehead, now visibly red and swollen, with a faint trace of blood seeping through. It was clear he hadn’t held back.

“…Why didn’t you dodge?”

“I wanted you to vent your anger.”

Zhou Yuanbo was silent for a few seconds before asking, “How far have you and him progressed?”

Zhou Chaosheng: “We just got together.”

Zhou Yuanbo: “I mean, how far exactly? Have you kissed?”

Zhou Chaosheng: “Mm.”

They had even slept together.

Zhou Yuanbo was speechless for a moment. “When your mother and I were dating, it took six months before we even kissed. And you expect me to believe you’re serious?”

Zhou Chaosheng frowned slightly. “You can’t judge my sincerity based on that.”

“Oh? Then what should I base it on? The fact that you suddenly tell me you like men and expect me to accept that my son is going to end our family line? Should I be questioning whether there’s something wrong with your head instead?” Zhou Yuanbo was so furious that he no longer cared how harsh his words were.

Zhou Chaosheng didn’t argue with his father, he knew that would only make things worse.

“Zhou Chaosheng, I don’t care whether you’re serious or just playing around, but you better end this immediately. The Zhou family cannot afford to lose its reputation because of you.” Zhou Yuanbo spoke as he massaged his temples, as if this issue had been troubling him for countless sleepless nights. The dark circles under his eyes confirmed that this had indeed been weighing on him heavily.

“I won’t break up with him.” Zhou Chaosheng’s voice remained soft, but beneath it was an unwavering determination and an unshakable stubbornness. “Dad, if you think I’m a disgrace, then I’ll simply make myself less visible to you.”

Zhou Yuanbo: “…..”

“You’re threatening me?”

Zhou Chaosheng shook his head. “No, I wouldn’t dare.”

Zhou Yuanbo shot his son a glance, his hand twitching as if he was tempted to grab something and throw it again.

Seeing his father’s movement, Zhou Chaosheng added, “This time, I’ll dodge.”

"......"

“You really don’t expect me to show him even the slightest bit of respect?”

“I don’t.” Zhou Chaosheng met his father’s gaze. “But I will do everything in my power to protect him.”

Zhou Yuanbo’s face visibly darkened. “So now you’re really going to go against me for a man?”

“No, that’s not what I mean. I just want to have a proper conversation with you.” Zhou Chaosheng explained.

“There’s nothing to discuss!” Zhou Yuanbo’s tone remained firm.

Zhou Chaosheng had already anticipated that this conversation would be difficult. He remained composed and didn’t argue.

“I wasn’t telling you this because I needed your blessing.”

“Oh, so what you’re saying is, my approval doesn’t matter? What you think is all that counts?”

“You can interpret it that way.”

“Zhou Chaosheng, you’ve really got some nerve.”

“Yes, I am your son.”

“…..”

Zhou Yuanbo was too exhausted to keep arguing. After this conversation, he was sure there was nothing he could do about his fully grown son. What could he do? Disown him just because he was dating a man?

Even if he wanted to scare him, it wouldn’t work.

If He Xiaowei found out about this, he wouldn’t be allowed back into the master bedroom for at least six months.

Completely out of options, Zhou Yuanbo gave up on persuading him. Before Zhou Chaosheng left the study, he gave a final warning: “For now, don’t let the rest of the family know about this especially your grandparents. They’re old, and they wouldn’t be able to handle the shock.”

Zhou Chaosheng nodded. He had already planned to keep it from his grandparents.

“…And one more thing.”

“The day after tomorrow, your Uncle Shen’s daughter is coming back from abroad. Go meet her.”

Zhou Chaosheng rejected him without hesitation. “No.”

Zhou Yuanbo had expected this, so he raised the stakes. “If you go, I won’t interfere in your personal affairs anymore.”

Zhou Chaosheng thought for eight seconds before nodding. “Alright, just a meal?”

Zhou Yuanbo: “Mm.”

Zhou Chaosheng agreed, planning to inform Jiang Yuanye about it later.

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