The timestamp was still from yesterday.
[Yu Lizhu: I’ve been stuck in this hotel for hours, it’s boring as hell. The Zuo guards searched the place for so long and still couldn’t find any trace of you two. You must’ve managed to escape!]
[Yu Lizhu: Oh, by the way, some guests are losing patience from being held here so long, they’ve started making a scene and fighting against the Zuo family’s blockade. I bet your father will have no choice but to back down soon and release everyone. Looks like all his effort’s gone to waste, hehe (sneaky smile.jpg).]
[Yu Lizhu: Didn’t expect that Gu Heng guy, annoying as he looks, actually has real skills. He even dared snatch you away right under your father’s nose, and now the entire Zuo network can’t find you. You should see your father’s face right now, it’s pitch black, hahahahaha…]
[Yu Lizhu: Anyway, once you’re settled, send me a message to let me know you’re safe.]
[Yu Lizhu: Your father seems to be looking for me, not sure what for. I don’t know where you are, and even if I did, I wouldn’t tell him.]
Reading that last message made Zuo Shihuan’s heart tighten.
And sure enough///
The next message came two hours later. It was Yu Lizhu’s last one, the same one he had seen at the very beginning.
[Yu Lizhu: I’m at your house right now. Your father has detained me, I can’t leave the Zuo estate. Zuo Shihuan, you must escape quickly!]
On the other side, the father finally revealed his true face.
[Father, Zuo Zoujian: I remember you and Miss Yu got along quite well. You went out together many times. I honestly thought you’d develop a fine relationship. So why did things have to come to this? Zuo Shihuan, leaving an Omega lady behind at your engagement banquet, doesn’t sound like something my son would do. I’ll assume it was that vile, shameless Beta lover of yours who bewitched you.]
[Father, Zuo Zoujian: Since you could be so cold and heartless to abandon your Omega fiancée, as your father I must take responsibility. So, I’ve invited Miss Yu to stay at our house as a guest.]
[Father, Zuo Zoujian: Even if you don’t want to marry Miss Yu, you can still treat her as a friend. Come home when you have time to see her.]
Zuo Shihuan felt a wave of nausea. His father’s words sounded generous and open-minded, but in truth, they were shameless, he was using Yu Lizhu as bait to threaten him into coming back.
Once he went home to “see” her, there would be no escape.
And yet, his father had grasped his weakness.
Even if, on the surface, Zuo Shihuan had abandoned Yu Lizhu in front of everyone at the engagement banquet, making it seem like they’d turned against each other, in reality, they were still close, solid friends.
And that was exactly what his father, Zuo Zoujian, had seen through. He’d stoop to any means, threatening those around his son, just to drag him back.
This time it was Yu Lizhu.
Next time, who would it be?
Everyone connected to him?
His butler, his friends, his half-siblings Zuo Sichong and Zuo Shishu, everyone he’d ever cared for?
Zuo Shihuan could almost picture his father’s cold, smiling face as he said: “You might get away now, but I’ll always have ways to bring you back. And the price of not returning, Zuo Shihuan, can you afford it?”
Zuo Shihuan’s expression darkened, lips drained of color. His fingers turned white from how tightly he gripped the communicator, eyes fixed on the unmoving screen.
There was still no reply from Yu Lizhu.
What had his father done to her?
His mind churned with guesses at his father’s despicable tactics. Powerless dread seeped in, numbing his chest. Lowering his head, fingers clasped together, a faint trace of helpless fear flickered deep in his light brown eyes.
Not only fear for Yu Lizhu’s safety, but also for the faces that surfaced one by one in his mind: lively, smiling, innocent, familiar…
One by one, the people who had spent time with Zuo Shihuan came to mind.
The more he thought about them, the more restless he became.
Zuo Shihuan bent forward, pupils trembling, unable to accept that any of these people could face misfortune, or worse, that such misfortune might be caused by him.
If he didn’t return to the Zuo family, his father would not spare them.
Zuo Shihuan had never entertained any luck or hope regarding his naturally cold and ruthless father, Zuo Zoujian. If his father were truly just the lecherous old rogue that outsiders assumed, he wouldn’t still hold the position of head of the vast Zuo family.
Countless people had tried to bring his father down, and all had failed.
Now, the massive Zuo conglomerate remained under the sole control of Zuo Zoujian. On the surface, his father was a notorious womanizer, but no sexual scandal had ever shaken his position. The Zuo family’s stocks continued to rise steadily.
Outwardly, Zuo Zoujian had a terrible reputation. He accepted any beauty who came his way and could take even the rougher or unconventional ones, earning him a reputation as an old rogue.
But such an obvious weakness, didn’t anyone notice it?
Many attempted to use women to manipulate him, thinking that if he accepted every beautiful woman offered, surely one would capture his heart. Then, through her, they could influence his decisions and profit.
But Zuo Zoujian saw through these schemes easily. He smiled indifferently, taking the beauties as they came, but only for play. Even if a woman bore him a child, he remained detached.
No matter how long a woman thought she would stay by his side, or how simple a request she made, no matter how much he pampered her one day, the next day she could be thrown out of the mansion. At most, he would leave behind the child she had borne.
Zuo Zoujian appeared merciful toward his own children, but in truth, it was mostly laziness. Even if these children lacked parental care, bullied and treading carefully in the mansion, he would do nothing.
Only children he valued, or who had some use to him, received attention.
Zuo Shihuan had known early on that his father was naturally cold and selfish, but at first, he hadn’t realized just how cruel his father could be.
It wasn’t until the day he truly understood that he felt as if he had fallen into an icy pit, realizing that the word father could carry such terrifying coldness and selfishness.
At that time, Zuo Shihuan had suffered a severe illness, a genetic disorder, and had narrowly survived. Doctors told him he had undergone secondary differentiation into an Alpha. He was no longer an ordinary Beta but a genetically high-ranking Alpha, giving him advantages in universities, military enrollment, and future prospects.
It was a future full of potential.
While still dazed by the realization that he had survived, and touched by the doctors’ blessings that his life could improve, he clutched his medical report with trembling hands, feeling a faint hope.
But before he could even decide what to do next, or whether to continue his studies, someone he had never dared imagine appeared, his biological father, who had abandoned him and his mother for years.
What shocked Zuo Shihuan even more was that his father was a member of the Zuo family, a family so famous in the Federation that even the slums he once lived in were plastered with advertisements for Zuo family products. Many young people proudly flaunted their purchases of the latest Zuo innovations online.
It all felt like a dream.
The events that followed seemed even more surreal. He was suddenly lifted into the Zuo family, warmly cared for by his father, and treated by some of the Federation’s top medical experts.
Even though he was no longer under threat from his genetic disease, his body was still weak from recovery. Seeing so many doctors surrounding his bed for the first time, Zuo Shihuan was stunned, and yet, a faint filial affection stirred within him.
At least now his father was providing care. During his worst illness, he had been utterly alone, with no one by his side.
Even though he knew this Alpha middle-aged man was the father who had abandoned them for years, and even though he had doubts about why his father had not sought him out sooner, only appearing after Zuo Shihuan recovered and differentiated into an Alpha, Zuo Shihuan didn’t want to overthink. Too much thought only brought pain.
As long as his father valued him now, provided the best doctors, restored his health, and he could gain wealth and power in the Zuo family as a biological son, things he could never have earned in a previous life, that was enough.
That said, Zuo Shihuan still wanted to know, how had Zuo Zoujian found him so quickly?
Outwardly, Zuo Shihuan appeared indifferent, throwing himself ambitiously into the family’s affairs. This gradual display of competence eased Zuo Zoujian’s wariness, and he began to admire this ambitious, talented Alpha son he had brought back from outside.
But in truth, Zuo Shihuan had never stopped seeking answers. He had secretly been gathering and observing relevant information. When his father finally entrusted him with some authority, Zuo Shihuan obtained a file.
It contained records of all of Zuo Zoujian’s children.
Not just those in the mansion, but also illegitimate children outside.
From birth through upbringing, schooling, romance, work, every detail was recorded, including Zuo Shihuan’s own file.
Even photos from when Zuo Shihuan was a child were in there.
How laughable.
Even Zuo Shihuan himself didn’t have a single photo from his childhood, yet here, in this file, he saw pictures of himself as a child, as a youth, as a university student, and even those pale, haggard photos taken when he was in the hospital…
He’d been secretly photographed for so many years.
And all that time, Zuo Shihuan hadn’t noticed a thing. He had no idea that the father he believed had coldly abandoned him long ago had actually been watching him all along, tracking his every move.
He had been watching him!
Watching as he fell ill with a genetic disorder. Watching as he was forced to drop out of school for treatment. Watching as he grew paler and weaker day by day, on the verge of death, and still, he did nothing!
So Father Zuo Zoujian had known everything, had looked on with cold indifference as his son withered and died, without ever once reaching out a hand to help.
Even though he was his biological child.
Even though Zuo Zoujian possessed wealth and power beyond measure. Just the smallest scrap of help, mere alms tossed to a beggar, would have been enough to keep that version of Zuo Shihuan from sinking into such despair and agony.
But his father didn’t.
Because back then, as an ordinary Beta, Zuo Shihuan held no value for Zuo Zoujian.
All the more so since he’d been sick, a dying child had never been worth Zuo Zoujian’s time or attention.
Only now did Zuo Shihuan truly grasp how cold and selfish his father was.
And that realization chilled him so deeply that he laughed instead, laughed wildly, pressing a hand over his face, laughter spilling out like the release of years of pent-up resentment and humiliation. Tears glimmered at the corners of his eyes as he laughed, cutting off, once and for all, any remaining illusion of father-son affection.
He no longer held any hope for his father.
Forcing himself to keep reading through his own file, Zuo Shihuan felt those memories of poverty, pain, and illness surge up again and again, as if he were slicing away rotten, festering flesh from his own heart piece by piece, until his chest felt hollow, empty, his heartbeat fading to nothing.
Only then did he slowly lower the file.
And turned to the others.
There were plenty of other illegitimate children abandoned by Zuo Zoujian. Most of them, even if fatherless, still had mothers or other family to care for them. Very few had fallen into the same wretched, impoverished state as Zuo Shihuan.
But there were some.
Zuo Shihuan’s gaze darkened. His fingers brushed over the gray-stained photographs, some male, some female; some were young children, others proud, spirited youths. It was as if he could still see those once-vivid faces from ten or even dozens of years ago.
On each file, a short note was written:
Deceased.
The cause of death was almost always the same, genetic disease onset.
Zuo Shihuan’s pupils contracted sharply. He could almost feel their pain as his own, as though what bound them together wasn’t blood, but the endless suffering brought by this genetic illness, a torment that didn’t end until death.
Once the disease manifested, death was inevitable.
Zuo Shihuan was the only one who survived.
Once upon a time, even Zuo Zoujian hadn’t been so heartless. At first, he had shown some affection toward his biological children, after all, who could be entirely without feeling?
But no matter how many top-tier Federation doctors he sought, they could only delay death, not cure the illness. In the end, watching those children grow weaker day by day, death had become a kind of release.
One after another, they died.
Until the Federation’s expert physicians finally identified the cause: a genetic defect carried in Zuo Zoujian’s own body. It made his offspring prone to disease during development and differentiation, especially those about to differentiate into Alphas, whose mortality rate was extremely high.
In short, Zuo Zoujian could never produce a healthy Alpha heir.
Even with medication to suppress the genetic defect, the disorder in his genes would always cause a fatal conflict in an Alpha child’s development. Only Beta and Omega offspring could survive mostly unaffected.
But…
Differentiation into Alpha, Beta, or Omega was not something one could control.
So accidents kept happening. Even after discovering the cause and reducing the odds of death, no matter how elite the doctors, they couldn’t stop the Zuo family’s children from differentiating toward Alpha, and dying when the genetic disease struck.
The only exception was Zuo Shihuan.
His file noted that he was the sole case of someone who survived the genetic disease and even successfully underwent a second differentiation into an Alpha.
But how?
How had he done it? Why, after all these years, was he the only one who had managed to overcome the illness, the only living example?
Back then, Zuo Zoujian had assembled countless Federation experts to study him, taking his blood and tissue samples in hopes of uncovering the secret behind his survival.
If they could replicate it, perhaps Zuo Zoujian’s other children could also differentiate into Alphas without dying.
But they couldn’t.
The file stated clearly:
Zuo Shihuan was the only anomaly, a non-replicable medical miracle. There could never be another Zuo Zoujian descendant who could differentiate into an Alpha and live.
Reading that, Zuo Shihuan felt a bitter irony and a deep, desolate sorrow.
Not only had he learned that all his suffering from the genetic disease had been caused by the very father who’d abandoned him, he now knew that the same father had all along been secretly watching him, recording every detail of his life, observing his pain and struggle with detached curiosity.
And yet beneath the bitterness was an aching sorrow.
Because Zuo Shihuan could vaguely guess why he had survived.
It was because, when he was little, his biological mother, hoping he might become the Alpha the Zuo family so desperately wanted, had taken him to a secret place and had a black-market doctor inject him with an unknown serum.
It was said that the injection would allow him to differentiate into an Alpha.
At first, it clearly didn’t.
When the young Zuo Shihuan was confirmed to be a Beta, incapable of ever becoming an Alpha, both his biological father abandoned him and his biological mother turned her resentment and frustration upon him.
No one expected that the black-market doctor’s unknown drug would actually have an effect.
Years later, Zuo Shihuan finally underwent a second differentiation and became an Alpha, but along with it came the genetic disease that tormented him for so many years.
What truly made Zuo Shihuan feel absurd and hollow inside was this…
He didn’t know whether he had been destined to become an Alpha all along, or if it was precisely because his mother had taken him to that underground doctor for the injection that he became an Alpha, and thus triggered the genetic illness.
If he had been destined to differentiate into an Alpha, then had his mother actually saved his life?
But if he had originally been a Beta, and it was the injection that forcibly turned him into an Alpha, then wasn’t it also the reason he had developed the genetic disease, suffered years of agony, and almost died?
No matter which was true, both possibilities were equally tragic.
He didn’t want to think about it.
Whatever the truth, it couldn’t change the fact that he was now an Alpha. The ending had already been written, there was no point in dwelling on the past.
Likewise, no matter how much his father Zuo Zoujian might once have tried to save those of his children afflicted by the genetic illness, no matter how many efforts he made, how many elite medical resources, energy, and fortunes he poured into treatment, it meant nothing to Zuo Shihuan.
Because when he himself had fallen ill with the hereditary disease passed down by his father, lying in a hospital bed, every cent drained, wracked by sleepless pain and suffocating despair as death crept closer…
His father had simply watched him die with cold detachment.
Whenever he recalled that scene, Zuo Shihuan felt a chill that pierced his bone. It was a pain worse than any physical suffering, so unbearable it left him speechless, sick to his stomach, almost ready to vomit.
So Zuo Shihuan had never held even a shred of hopeful illusion toward his cold and heartless father.
The moment anyone threatened Zuo Zoujian’s interests, he could abandon them, just as he had once watched his own son die, he could just as easily send others, even those more insignificant, to their deaths.
So many of his own children had died…
And still, Zuo Zoujian, for the sake of his own power and status, had continued to selfishly father child after child, utterly indifferent to how his genetic flaw condemned his own offspring to suffering and death.
Zuo Shihuan was chilled to the core by his father’s indifference to his dying, but he couldn’t truly bring himself to hate him.
Because before ever meeting his father, they had been strangers despite their blood. Between strangers, there was no bond, no affection, nothing to hate.
If a stranger refused to save him as he lay dying, he would feel cold and disappointed, but not hatred.
What truly planted hatred in his heart was his father’s utter disregard for how his genetic disease had brought so much pain and death to his children, yet he continued, out of selfishness, to have more.
That was what made Zuo Shihuan truly hate him.
And yet, Zuo Shihuan knew all too well, he was not as ruthless, not as cold-blooded as his father. He hadn’t yet grown strong enough to stand against Zuo Zoujian. He was still too young, too weak.
Zuo Zoujian might not be able to capture him, but seizing the people he cared about would be enough.
He could cling to a sliver of hope.
He could tell himself that Zuo Zoujian wouldn’t harm Yu Lizhu or the others, that even if his father wanted to force him out of hiding, he wouldn’t truly hurt innocent people.
But…
Zuo Shihuan’s eyes were red, his jaw clenched so tightly his muscles trembled. His light brown eyes were filled with helpless sorrow as he stared at the screen that had remained unanswered for so long. At last, his trembling fingers hovered, about to relent..
About to tap his father’s phone number.
But he couldn’t afford to bet on it.
***
At the Zuo estate,
“Still haven’t found him?!”
Zuo Zoujian roared at the people before him, fury written across his face. Gone was the ever-smiling facade, his expression twisted with rage as he barked order after order to search for Zuo Shihuan’s whereabouts. But every report that came back was the same… disappointment.
Zuo Zoujian was seething.
Just thinking about how Zuo Shihuan had actually run off, because of that shameless, despicable Beta lover, made his blood boil. He, who had finally recovered his Alpha heir, had now been stolen away.
There was no trace of his usual composure left; he even felt the urge to drag that pretty-faced Beta out and beat him bloody.
But unfortunately for him, the Beta Zuo Shihuan had chosen was exceptionally capable in combat. For all Zuo Zoujian’s years of luxury, there was no way an Alpha like him could take down that Beta in a fight.
“The Zuo family spends all this money to raise you, and for what, useless trash?!” Zuo Zoujian’s voice thundered, venting all his fury on the private guards around him.
None of the Zuo family’s guards dared lift their heads. They exchanged uneasy glances, unable to defend themselves, the failure was undeniable.
The head guard bowed deeply, his voice unsteady. “Apologies, sir, it’s our incompetence. But all the hotel’s surveillance cameras malfunctioned for unknown reasons that day. There was heavy traffic, both people and vehicles, and despite searching every trace, we found no clue as to where Young Master Zuo Shihuan went. We’ve confirmed through official transport records that he hasn’t yet left the Federation’s capital planet.”
They had no excuse. Even the guards themselves were starting to doubt their abilities, after all, many of them were highly paid mercenaries or retired special forces soldiers. Yet after searching all night, they still hadn’t found a single trace of Young Master Zuo Shihuan.
If this continued and the only Alpha heir truly vanished, Old Master Zuo would undoubtedly explode in rage.
“‘Unknown reasons’?” A flicker of suspicion flashed through Zuo Zoujian’s cold eyes. He stared down his men. “It must be that Beta’s doing. Have you found his whereabouts?”
The head guard’s face tightened. “No, sir. We haven’t located him either.”
Zuo Zoujian’s anger deepened, his brow knotting sharply as he glared at the group of cowards before him. With a snarl, he snatched up a stack of photos and flung them into their faces.
“‘Can’t find him’? ‘Can’t find him’? Is that the only d*mn thing you know how to say?!”
A stack of photographs was flung into the leader guard’s face, leaving bright red marks across his cheek. The photos scattered through the air, and though humiliated, the leader didn’t dare raise his head or speak a word in protest.
The scattered photos captured scenes from last night’s engagement banquet, featuring none other than Zuo Shihuan and Gu Heng, shown together in various poses from different angles.
But there was something peculiar about them.
In every photo, the Beta standing beside Young Master Zuo Shihuan appeared blurred and indistinct, rarely was a full face captured, and not a single photo showed a clear frontal image.
It was as if this mysterious Beta had keenly sensed the presence of a camera beforehand, cleverly and warily avoiding every lens.
Even the seasoned leader guard, once a mercenary, couldn’t help but be impressed and puzzled, wondering how that Beta managed such a feat. Clearly, this Beta was no ordinary person.
But that conclusion didn’t even need to be spoken aloud.
Anyone capable of standing before the powerful Zuo family, whisking away their young master, and then vanishing completely without a trace, beyond even the Zuo family’s vast reach, could never be ordinary.
After throwing the photos, Zuo Zoujian’s chest still heaved with anger, but as he looked upon the line of bowed, useless Zuo family guards, he knew that no matter how furious he was, there was nothing else to be done right now.
If he let his rage get the better of him and Zuo Shihuan truly escaped for good, that would be disastrous.
Zuo Zoujian had fought tooth and nail to secure his position as head of the Zuo family and was determined not to be forced into a humiliating retirement. In his youth, he had made no shortage of enemies.
Once stripped of power, he knew all too well what his fate would be. That was why he had been tirelessly expanding his influence, the simplest way being through his children.
At first, Zuo Zoujian thought that even without an Alpha heir, if he could plant his Beta and Omega children throughout the Zuo family’s companies, they could still help him consolidate power and secure his legacy.
And in part, that had worked.
Unfortunately, none of them possessed the exceptional ability required to win over the entire family.
As Zuo Zoujian grew older, more voices within the family began calling for his retirement, arguing that it was time for someone from a branch family to take his place.
He had nearly given up, already considering other paths to a peaceful old age, until Zuo Shihuan appeared and reignited his hope.
A young, healthy, talented, and perfect Alpha, capable of commanding respect across the entire clan.
No matter what, Zuo Shihuan had to be found and brought back.
Now that Zuo Shihuan was his only surviving Alpha descendant, and there would never be another, Zuo Zoujian clung to him like a drowning man clutching his final lifeline.
Not only because of Zuo Shihuan’s bloodline, but because of his capability, charm, and innate leadership.
When Zuo Shihuan first arrived at the family estate, he was treated coldly and made to suffer countless slights. Zuo Zoujian had seen it all but didn’t intervene, if the boy couldn’t handle such trivial challenges, he would never survive in the Zuo family.
Yet to everyone’s surprise, Zuo Shihuan handled it perfectly. Even Zuo Zoujian himself was astonished by how he managed it.
In a short span of time, through sheer leadership and inexplicable charisma, Zuo Shihuan had turned those who once opposed him into followers, even earning the favor of several spoiled sons and daughters of the family who began to approach him of their own accord.
It should be known that the Zuo family’s power and influence had bred pride and arrogance into this generation. Wherever they went, they were admired and courted; humility and gentleness were not among their virtues.
Even among themselves, sibling rivalries were rife.
Petty conflicts were constant, especially as many of their mothers came from equally powerful backgrounds, and none of them were willing to back down.
The quarrels were endless, often escalating before Zuo Zoujian himself, leaving him with splitting headaches. He had taken to using “business trips” as an excuse just to get away from Zuo Manor for a while.
But now, when these pampered heirs clashed, they no longer went running to their father for judgment. Instead, they turned to Zuo Shihuan, this newly emerged, half-related elder brother, for mediation.
Because Zuo Shihuan was always rational and fair, never taking sides, and had both the skill and authority to resolve disputes in ways that left everyone convinced.
Moreover, Zuo Shihuan truly was different from the rest of the family.
Outwardly stern and serious, even more so than his father, he nonetheless remembered every family member’s face, habits, and preferences. He behaved like a strict but genuinely caring older brother, paying attention to their daily lives and schoolwork, even bringing them souvenirs whenever he returned from trips.
Each person received a different gift, always something thoughtful and perfectly suited to their tastes.
It was obvious he remembered every one of their likes and dislikes. Once, someone had casually mentioned to him that they’d attended an anime convention and liked a certain character, something they themselves had long forgotten. Yet on their birthday, they received an entire official figure set of that character from Zuo Shihuan.
Though that person already owned the expensive limited-edition version, they still held Zuo Shihuan’s ordinary set for a long time in silence, deeply moved that their offhand comment had been remembered. They even set up a special display case just for those figures.
The Zuo heirs had never lacked money, gifts, or flattery.
By all logic, they should have been indifferent to this half-brother who suddenly appeared in their lives.
But this was their father’s chosen Alpha successor, the likely future head of the Zuo family, a man destined to hold immense power and status.
Zuo Shihuan had no need to curry favor with these half-siblings of little significance, no need to bother remembering their likes and dislikes. He could have ignored them completely, just as their father did, who couldn’t even recall the names of most of his own children.
Because they were half-siblings, children of the same father but different mothers, members of the Zuo family, they were not only relatives, but competitors, rivals whose interests often clashed.
To put it bluntly, the fewer half-siblings there were, the fewer competitors and conflicts of interest Zuo Shihuan would have to face. That was obvious even to these spoiled sons and daughters. Could Zuo Shihuan, the one chosen by their father as his heir, really not understand such a simple truth?
And yet, Zuo Shihuan still chose to act this way.
He was unlike a typical member of the Zuo family, and even less like their father, who was frivolous, self-indulgent, and utterly indifferent to his children.
Clearly, Zuo Shihuan didn’t have to concern himself with such petty, thankless matters, but he still did, time and time again, for this group of half-siblings.
They weren’t blind.
It genuinely seemed as though Zuo Shihuan was trying to treat them as family. Maybe not with the wholehearted devotion of a true brother, but at least in ways that even their biological parents had never shown them.
At dinner in the Zuo estate, Zuo Shihuan would suddenly ask about their daily lives, how they got along with teachers and classmates, how their grades were. At first, they found it strange, but still answered honestly, partly because they feared his calm authority, and partly because they wanted to impress their father’s favored heir.
They thought his questions were just idle talk.
But to their surprise, there were follow-ups.
Those who admitted their grades had dropped soon found themselves assigned experienced private tutors arranged by Zuo Shihuan. Their leisure time was sharply cut down. Sometimes, Zuo Shihuan would even drop by the study himself to observe their lessons.
Their grades did improve in the end.
But being “cared about” like that was exhausting, constantly rotating tutors, barely any time for fun, endless drills and assignments.
They were born into privilege, life had been easy since birth, with no need to work hard to live comfortably. Why should they have to study so diligently?
They complained about it privately, yet most of them still quietly obeyed Zuo Shihuan’s arrangements.
Not only because they were a little afraid of him, when Zuo Shihuan decided to discipline someone, it was no joke. Even the most arrogant sons and daughters of the family had found their credit cards cut off and were ordered to stay home for “reflection.”
And complaining to their father, Zuo Zoujian, was useless.
He would simply wave them off, saying he had given Zuo Shihuan full authority to manage them however he wished, like tossing away a pile of noisy, troublesome garbage.
It was insulting, treating Zuo Shihuan like some kind of human trash processor, but they all knew their father had long lost the patience to care about them.
Another reason they complied was that Zuo Shihuan was busy. Almost never home, he followed their father around to socialize with powerful families or spent his days buried in work at the company.
The only time they ever saw him was during family dinners. Even after dinner, he didn’t stop, often seen late into the night making phone calls, the light in his study still burning.
And yet, despite all this, he still took the time to check in with their tutors, to ask about their progress. When they saw the faint dark circles under his eyes, an indescribable feeling welled up inside them. They couldn’t understand why he went to such lengths.
But the truth was, they benefited from it.
Not only academically, but in all aspects of life within the Zuo family.
Many of them, though technically Zuo family sons and daughters, had been “invisible” within the household, ignored, overlooked, especially those whose mothers or fathers were absent. The meek, quiet ones were often bullied or used as lackeys by the more dominant siblings.
After Zuo Shihuan began to “rectify” the family atmosphere, life for those invisible ones improved greatly. The overall mood in the family became far more peaceful and harmonious.
Everyone could see the effort he put in, and he didn’t have to. He could have easily let his half-siblings tear each other apart like insects in a jar, fighting until mutual ruin.
Instead, he risked offending some of them by doing all these thankless things.
For a time, people often saw Zuo Shihuan carrying a book, frowning as he made notes in it.
One day, out of curiosity, after he went out without it, someone secretly snuck into his study to see what kind of book it was.
The title read: “One Hundred Ways to Get Along with Family.”
A shallow, sentimental self-help book, yet someone was seriously reading it.
The young master who found it couldn’t help but laugh at first… but then the laughter faded, replaced by a complicated, heavy feeling.
He flipped through a few pages. Almost every one was filled with detailed notes and reflections written by Zuo Shihuan, his thoughts, his self-critiques, his plans for improvement.
And then it hit him.
Zuo Shihuan had actually been studying, in his clumsy, earnest way, how to get along with them. How to be a real brother.
What began as idle curiosity became an unexpected revelation: this half-brother of theirs, the cold, perfect heir, had this side to him too.
Soon after, the young master snapped a picture of the book’s cover and some of Zuo Shihuan’s handwritten notes, and sent them to the internal group chat of the Zuo family’s younger generation.
The reaction was explosive.
Everyone was stunned, curious, and many immediately ordered copies of the book themselves, rush-shipped to the Zuo estate, flipping through it the moment they arrived.
For example,
Tip #1: Communicate more. Keep in regular contact with family. If possible, meet face to face from time to time to understand their lives and emotional needs.
Tip #7: Respect and understand your family’s feelings and thoughts. Approach communication calmly and kindly to resolve conflicts and problems.
Rule #12: Express love and gratitude. Frequently show affection to your family members so they feel loved, cared for, and valued. This can be done through words and actions, such as sharing meals, communicating sincerely, or giving thoughtful gifts.
The Zuo family’s young masters and ladies were not people who usually liked reading, yet for once, they all sat down in uncharacteristic silence and spent an entire day finishing the book “One Hundred Ways to Get Along with Family.”
What they discovered left them stunned, Zuo Shihuan had been following the book almost to the letter in how he interacted with them: talking with them often, sharing dinners, giving gifts, arranging tutors and teachers…
Although the “arranging tutors” part was torture for those who hated studying. They only wanted to receive Zuo Shihuan’s carefully chosen presents, not an “academic improvement package”!
Now they finally realized, Zuo Shihuan had been serious all along. He truly regarded them as family, even following that ridiculous, well, now not-so-ridiculous, book “One Hundred Ways to Get Along with Family.”
All of them felt a complicated, sour ache in their chests. They could hardly believe someone like Zuo Shihuan existed, but the evidence was right before their eyes, undeniable.
They weren’t blind, nor ungrateful fools unable to tell who genuinely cared about them.
So these once-arrogant sons and daughters of the Zuo family, who had first looked down on Zuo Shihuan, dismissing him as a man of low birth who’d merely gotten lucky to differentiate as an Alpha and didn’t deserve to order them around, gradually changed.
In the end, even if their mouths remained proud and stubborn, their actions told a different story. One by one, they began to take the initiative to approach Zuo Shihuan, more obedient to him than to their own father.
Though they still kept a polite distance on the surface, partly because of his stern expression, partly because too much closeness risked earning another round of “study packages”, in truth, they had all come to genuinely respect and acknowledge this half-brother.
Even after learning about Zuo Shihuan’s background later on, they understood.
They realized that their half-brother must have led a lonely childhood, lacking any real family affection, and that was why he had turned to such a clumsy, outdated book to learn how to get along with them.
In truth, that book was completely unrealistic.
No one in the Zuo family interacted that way. None of them would ever be so attentive or affectionate.
Before Zuo Shihuan arrived, everyone in the Zuo family lived within their own small circles, keeping their distance, secretly wary and hostile toward one another.
It was only after Zuo Shihuan’s arrival that those walls began to crack.
He made the younger generation learn to coexist more peacefully. There were fewer fights and conflicts, and, astonishingly, a faint, fragile sense of familial warmth began to take root.
And yet, not a single one of them ever told Zuo Shihuan the truth,
That “One Hundred Ways to Get Along with Family” was hardly a real guide to how families should behave. That the Zuo family simply wasn’t the sort of family that could ever be that close, that even full siblings didn’t always get along, so how could half-siblings possibly become true kin?
They complained privately that the book was unbearably fake, that no Zuo would ever act like that, yet none of them wanted Zuo Shihuan to find out.
Every one of them kept it secret.
Every one of them basked quietly in the warmth of being cared for and valued by him.
In that unspoken understanding, they were completely united.
Neither Zuo Zoujian nor Zuo Shihuan himself ever knew about any of this, it remained a quiet story shared only among the younger generation of the Zuo family.
Zuo Zoujian merely noticed that lately, his children seemed far less troublesome, while Zuo Shihuan thought they had simply matured, becoming more sensible and well-behaved on their own.
Both believed that the Zuo household was as stable as ever.
Until the previous night…
When Zuo Zoujian flew into a rage over Zuo Shihuan’s runaway engagement, ordering all the Zuo family’s private guards to capture him and that “detestable Beta lover” of his.
Perhaps because his fury had been so terrifying, the guards even armed themselves.
Some in the family thought Zuo Shihuan, for daring to flee his engagement and disgrace the family name, would be executed in the name of “honor.”
Before understanding the situation, a group of them rushed to plead before Zuo Zoujian, begging him to spare Zuo Shihuan’s life.
Even in his burning rage, Zuo Zoujian was stunned. Execute him? Ridiculous. Even if someone had to die, it would be that Beta who’d lured his heir away, why would he kill the one and only Alpha successor he’d worked so hard to find?
But he was too busy organizing the search to waste time arguing with these hysterical sons and daughters, so he simply ordered the butler to lock them all up.
Unfortunately, his lack of explanation led some to believe it was true.
Two of them even dared to break free from the guards and confront him directly, accusing their own father of mistreating or threatening Zuo Shihuan to the point that he had no choice but to flee.
The baseless accusation almost made Zuo Zoujian laugh from sheer fury.
So now, Zuo Shihuan’s decision to flee and humiliate the family name was his fault? He was only trying to retrieve his heir, not harm him, and that somehow made him the villain?
Looking closer, Zuo Zoujian realized the two bold fools confronting him were the same two sons Zuo Shihuan had once made him attend a parent-teacher meeting for.
He hadn’t expected their relationship with Zuo Shihuan to be so strong, that they would even dare defy their father for his sake.
With a wave of his hand, he ordered the two to be taken away and locked up.
He thought that would be the end of it.
But when he lifted his head, he noticed the rest of the Zuo family around him, faces tense, lips pressed tight, eyes burning with silent defiance and hatred. Most of them were his own children.
In that instant, Zuo Zoujian realized…
Zuo Shihuan’s influence over the family had already sunk deep roots.
So deep that among the younger generation of the Zuo family, his authority had already surpassed that of their father.
It was only a matter of time.
This group of young Zuo family members, led by Zuo Shihuan, was already forming a new kind of force, one that could shake the authority of the older generation headed by Zuo Zoujian.
By all logic, Zuo Zoujian should have been furious and alarmed.
Yet in truth, his heart was filled with exhilaration and satisfaction. Even in his anger over Zuo Shihuan’s elopement, the corners of his lips could not help but lift, a twisted smile flickering between rage and delight.
Because what Zuo Zoujian saw was a new rising hope for the Zuo family, a force that could unite them and lead them toward a renewed era of glory.
How could he, as the patriarch of the Zuo family, not feel a surge of pride and joy, especially since this new hope was brought by his own Alpha son, Zuo Shihuan!
Perhaps, in truth, he had long sensed it.
When Zuo Zoujian first decided to cultivate this Alpha son, he brought him into the Zuo family’s Blue Eagle Group, allowing him to parachute directly into an important executive position, facing seasoned veterans and cunning old foxes of the business world.
His original intention had been to let Zuo Shihuan suffer some setbacks, to temper his character and ability. A high-ranking newcomer who parachuted into the company would rarely gain the recognition of subordinates.
When Zuo Shihuan inevitably failed, Zuo Zoujian had planned to step in as the wise father, to teach him what the true cruelty of the workplace meant, so that the young man would learn to trust and rely on him completely.
But to his surprise, no matter what difficulties arose, Zuo Shihuan stubbornly bit down and solved them alone. He worked through countless nights, memorizing and studying past Blue Eagle contracts by himself, never once seeking help from his father.
Just when Zuo Zoujian thought the boy was about to break, his Alpha son presented result after result that exceeded all expectations.
In a remarkably short time, Zuo Shihuan had mastered the Group’s operations, secured multiple major deals, and impressed everyone who had initially dismissed the parachuted young master. At a board meeting, he even analyzed thirty years of Blue Eagle’s development, accurately pinpointing its future paths and potential crises, earning the admiration of the senior board members.
Some of those old directors even assumed that it was Zuo Zoujian who had come up with such a detailed plan and was merely using his Alpha son to polish his reputation before making him the next head of Blue Eagle.
In truth, Zuo Zoujian had made no such plan. For a vast conglomerate like Blue Eagle, maintaining stability was accomplishment enough.
He hadn’t realized that his own complacency had made him blind to both the crises and opportunities surrounding the company, until he saw how his son had perceived them so clearly.
It was then that Zuo Zoujian truly understood what kind of rare, extraordinary heir he had retrieved.
Originally, his plan had been simple: if Zuo Shihuan proved too incompetent, he’d serve as a puppet leader, supported by a team of professionals. And if he couldn’t even manage that, then Zuo Zoujian would focus on the next generation, his grandchildren, to raise a proper successor.
That was why, shortly after Zuo Shihuan joined the family, Zuo Zoujian arranged a series of marriage meetings, hoping to quickly secure a future heir through him.
But Zuo Shihuan had brought him an unexpected delight. Even Zuo Zoujian himself could not have done better than his son.
As Zuo Shihuan’s influence within Blue Eagle grew, there were even occasions when the two appeared at events together, only for employees to greet Zuo Shihuan first, then startle upon realizing the chairman himself was present, hurriedly correcting themselves to “Chairman Zuo.”
Though moments like that made Zuo Zoujian slightly uncomfortable, he could not deny that he, too, had once served the family with full devotion.
It was only later, after years without an heir, without even a Beta or Omega child capable of holding up the family name, that his motivation had faded. The rival branch of the family had taken advantage of that weakness, inching closer to forcing him out.
Disheartened, he’d chosen to live a life of indulgence, showing up at the company less and less, delegating Blue Eagle’s operations to others.
Now, however, he had finally found a capable, exceptional Alpha successor, one who could even reunite the fractured younger generation of the Zuo family.
How could Zuo Zoujian possibly let go of such a prize?
Even though Zuo Shihuan had humiliated him publicly at the engagement banquet, defying the family’s arrangement and fleeing with a shameless Beta lover, Zuo Zoujian merely saw it as youthful folly, something a little discipline could correct.
No matter how talented his son was, he was still too young. Some matters could not be solved through ability alone.
Zuo Shihuan still had too much he could not bear to let go of.
After harshly scolding the Zuo family’s guards, Zuo Zoujian slowly picked up a photo from the floor. He stared at his handsome, accomplished Alpha son in it, eyes full of deep admiration.
Then his gaze fell upon the hateful, despicable Beta standing beside him.
In an instant, rage flared again, Zuo Zoujian violently crumpled and tore the Beta’s face from the photo.
Turning to the guards who stood before him, heads bowed in fear, Zuo Zoujian clasped his hands behind his back. His sharp, calculating eyes glinted with a cold light, a twisted smile curving across his face as he asked in a low voice: “Miss Yu, how is she?”
The leading guard respectfully replied, “Sir, Miss Yu is still at the Zuo residence. However, she has requested to return to the Yu household. It’s already been a full day, should we allow her to leave?”
Zuo Zoujian said leisurely, hands still clasped behind him, “Leave? What’s there to return to? Miss Yu is the Zuo family’s chosen future matriarch, Zuo Shihuan’s fiancée. This is her home.”
Even the guards exchanged uneasy glances, unsure how to respond.
They all knew about Young Master Zuo Shihuan’s escape the previous night, and now, to see Miss Yu, the abandoned bride, forcibly detained at the Zuo residence by the master himself…
It was hard not to pity her.
Zuo Zoujian waved his hand and said, “Take good care of Miss Yu. Make sure she feels at ease staying here long-term.”
The Zuo family guards all responded in unison, “Yes, sir.”
When everyone had left the study and the room fell silent again, Zuo Zoujian slowly walked toward the window.
Outside lay the Zuo residence’s grand, elegant gardens, classical and serene. He narrowed his eyes in satisfaction, and a cold, cunning smile slowly curved across his lips.
He, as a father, would personally teach Zuo Shihuan the most important lesson of all.
A man in power must be willing to cut when it’s time to cut.
And if he couldn’t bear to sever those ties, then he should obediently come back home to the Zuo family.
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