CH 078

TL: Moonlit

“I’m prepared.” Zhou Gao Dan glanced at Zhou Ziming and suddenly said.

Zhou Ziming’s heart tightened, and he had a foreboding feeling. He hurriedly asked, “Big Brother, what are you planning to do?”

“After the kidnapper tasted the sweetness, they might not be willing to release the hostages. I have arranged for others to rescue them.” Zhou Gao Dan explained, glancing at his watch. “They should have taken action by now.”

He didn’t care about such an insignificant kidnapper; he didn’t even value Zhou Zhengqing, who had been caught by such a lowlife. If Zhou Yuntang hadn’t been accidentally implicated, he wouldn’t have gone to such lengths.

“Big Brother!” Zhou Ziming was shocked. “What you’re doing, what if he takes his anger out on Second Brother? What if something happens to Second Brother?”

It was the first time in many years that Zhou Ziming had spoken to his most respected big brother in such a loud voice.

Zhou Gao Dan’s face darkened. “He is your Second Brother and my younger brother. How could I let anything happen to him?”

In the past, hearing this reassurance from his big brother would have put Zhou Ziming at ease. However, after experiencing so much, he found it hard to go back to trusting his big brother wholeheartedly.

Mother Zhou interjected, “It’s just five million; if he wants it, we’ll give it to him. We don’t lack that money. The most important thing is to bring Zhou Zhengqing back safely.”

“Mom, even you don’t trust me.” Zhou Gao Dan seemed a little unhappy. He signaled to the driver beside him, “The people I arranged are very discreet. If you’re not at ease, I’ll have them live-stream it to you.”

The driver sent a message to his comrades, and the live stream appeared on the car’s large screen.

The kidnapper had relaxed his vigilance and no longer held a knife to Zhou Zhengqing’s neck. Several discreet individuals quietly approached the kidnapper from the corner.

As Mother Zhou and Zhou Ziming watched the video, they held their breath, nervous and anxious.

Zhou Yuntang leaned against his big brother, and his eyes flickered slightly. No one knew that the kidnapper was his biological father. Once this fact was exposed, he didn’t know how the Zhou family would view him, and he couldn’t explain his actions.

Why did he contact a fugitive? Why was he suddenly kidnapped? And what about Second Brother Zhou Zhengqing? He was the one innocently caught in this mess. When he comes back, will he blame himself… The people in the car were all focused on the screen, and nobody looked at Zhou Yuntang. He felt a slight movement in his heart.

At that time, Jiang Luo took away his phone, but after sending the message, he had stuffed the phone back into Zhou Yuntang’s pocket. Now, the phone lay in his pants pocket.

Nervously swallowing his saliva, Zhou Yuntang put one hand into his pocket, took out a small section of the screen, and his fingers trembled as he operated it.

The people in the video were approaching smoothly, but Jiang Luo’s phone suddenly rang, startling all the focused bodyguards. Several of them were exposed.

The phone rang once and then disconnected. Jiang Luo didn’t have time to check who called him as he noticed the people following him. He was furious, “You rich people are so cunning. You all pretend to be cooperative but plot behind our backs. If it weren’t for my bad luck today, I would have finished everything here.”

Since they were already exposed, the others didn’t hide anymore and walked out of the shadows. “Release the Second Young Master.”

Jiang Luo sneered, “I’m not stupid enough to release him.”

Saying this, Jiang Luo fiercely pulled Zhou Zhengqing and used him as a shield while quickly retreating.

Seeing this on the live stream, Mother Zhou felt weak. “Eldest, recall your men. The money is secondary; the most important thing is for Second Son to come back healthy and safe.”

Even Zhou Gao Dan hadn’t expected those professionals to expose themselves like this. He watched the video in silence.

“Big Brother! Are you trying to kill Second Brother?” Zhou Ziming clenched his fists in nervousness. His eyes were fixed on the video of Zhou Zhengqing being dragged around, and he cursed, “If you have any bit of family affection, you should prepare the five million to ransom him. Even if you want to involve professionals, you should report to the police instead of relying on these unreliable underlings of yours!”

“They are ex-soldiers, professionals in this field. Who could be more capable than them?” Zhou Ziming had retorted multiple times. Zhou Gao Dan’s brow furrowed. “Not reporting to the police is because this matter involves too much. Second Brother is also a celebrity. If we cause a big fuss with the police, it will be even worse for him.”

What Zhou Gao Dan didn’t say was that if Zhou Zhengqing’s kidnapping were exposed, the Zhou family’s business would also be affected. If the matter escalated, it wouldn’t be good for anyone.

He could tolerate Zhou Ziming’s foolishness, but he couldn’t tolerate Zhou Ziming daring to defy him. Zhou Gao Dan pressed his brows, deciding that after this matter was over, he would make Zhou Ziming understand the concept of respecting elders.

Just then, a loud noise came from the video. Zhou Gao Dan absentmindedly looked up, and then his pupils abruptly contracted. Zhou Zhengqing lay in a pool of blood, and nearby was the kidnapper who had also fallen to the ground.

Jiang Luo, driven to desperation, had been fleeing with Zhou Zhengqing. With his injured and bound hostage, he couldn’t shake off the pursuers. Filled with panic and rage, Jiang Luo rushed onto the road.

Seeing an oncoming car, Jiang Luo instinctively pushed Zhou Zhengqing out in front of him. By the time he regained his senses, he was already pinned down by the people chasing him, and Zhou Zhengqing remained motionless not far away.

The adrenaline-fueled Jiang Luo was stunned.

He only wanted to make some money and live freely abroad. He never intended to take anyone’s life. If anything happened to Second Young Master Zhou, the Zhou family would never let him go!

Jiang Luo struggled hard to escape, but he was firmly held down and unable to move.

The Zhou family couldn’t care about troubling the kidnappers anymore. Witnessing their son’s car accident, Mother Zhou burst into tears and fainted on the spot. The other family members panicked and quickly rushed her to the hospital.

When Mother Zhou woke up, she found herself lying in a private hospital owned by the Zhou family. For a few seconds, she was in a daze before struggling to get out of bed. “What about Zhengqing? How is he?”

Zhou Ziming, who was taking care of her, remained silent for a few seconds but didn’t stop her. He escorted her to the intensive care unit next door.

“How…how is he?” Tears welled up in Mother Zhou’s eyes. She couldn’t understand how her lively and active child from just a few days ago was now lying on a hospital bed in critical condition.

“The doctor said he had previously suffered a severe blow to his head, and this car accident caused a cerebral hemorrhage…” Zhou Ziming choked, “Whether he can be saved is uncertain, and if he is, there will definitely be lasting effects.”

A blank expression filled Mother Zhou’s face as she stared at the door of the intensive care unit. Though it was her most familiar language, at this moment, she seemed to have difficulty understanding anything.

Mother and son sat together on a public bench in the hospital. In the face of pain and life-threatening situations, regardless of gender, age, or wealth, everyone felt powerless.

“How did you come here, Mom?” Zhou Yuntang, who came to check on Second Brother, was taken aback. He reproached Zhou Ziming, “Fourth Brother, you know Mom experienced a big shock today. Why did you let her come here?”

“I’m fine.” Mother Zhou wiped away the tears in the corners of her eyes. She managed a smile at Zhou Yuntang and asked softly, “Tangtang, what about you? Did you get checked?”

No matter how painful it was, Mother Zhou’s first reaction was always to comfort her children.

Zhou Yuntang sat next to Mother Zhou and leaned against her. “I’m fine, Second Brother… Second Brother will get better.”

Zhou Yuntang genuinely hoped that Zhou Zhengqing would recover. He never expected things to develop to this point. He had never wanted the Zhou family to know that he was in contact with his biological father. He had only made a call, but then this happened.

Even though it had only been a few hours, Zhou Yuntang felt like time was dragging on forever.

He closed his eyes and sincerely prayed, “Second Brother, I didn’t mean it. I just didn’t want to leave the Zhou family… I’m your favorite little brother, right? You’ll forgive me, won’t you…”

The three of them huddled together, and at first glance, it seemed like they were relying on each other. The anguished family members consoled each other, but their thoughts were different.

Just then, two police officers in uniform approached. They looked at Zhou Yuntang and then at the photos on their phones. “You are Zhou Yuntang, right?”

Zhou Yuntang’s face turned pale, and he couldn’t speak. Mother Zhou sighed and stood up to negotiate with the police officers, “Hello, I am his mother. What’s the matter for looking for him?”

“The suspect you sent over is currently being interrogated. According to him, he is Zhou Yuntang’s father, Jiang Luo. At the time of the incident, the suspect’s phone rang, and that call was made by Zhou Yuntang.” The police officer stated the facts plainly and then continued, “Now he’s involved in extortion, kidnapping, and we want him to assist with the investigation.”

Mother Zhou was stunned, “You said, that suspect is who?”

“Zhou Yuntang’s biological father, Jiang Luo.”

“And that call…?”

“He made it.”

Mother Zhou turned her head in astonishment and looked at this ‘son’ who had been protected by her. Her mind was in chaos, and all she could do was stare blankly at Zhou Yuntang, who was speaking with red eyes and tears streaming down his face.

“Mom, I didn’t know that kidnapper was him. I don’t recognize him, I’ve never seen him before,” Zhou Yuntang panicked. He knew that the truth of the matter could easily be uncovered through investigation, but he didn’t expect it to happen so quickly. He had originally planned to playfully ask for help from his most doting elder brother to cover up the incident, but the police arrived too soon.

“You didn’t know?” Mother Zhou repeated numbly.

The door of the intensive care unit opened, and a doctor came out and glanced around. He looked at Mother Zhou and asked, “Are you the patient’s family?”

With a buzzing sound in her head, Mother Zhou didn’t have time to confront Zhou Yuntang and hurriedly stepped forward, “Yes, I’m his mother. How is he?”

“Cerebral hemorrhage, he has undergone surgery. Whether he can wake up depends on luck.” The young doctor’s eyes showed a hint of compassion.

Mother Zhou closed her eyes tightly, and Zhou Yuntang cautiously watched her expression. “Mom…”

“Shut up!” Mother Zhou suddenly opened her eyes and stared at Zhou Yuntang fiercely. “I’m not your mother! You’re not my son. You’re just the son of a criminal who crawled out of a sewer. What right do you have to call me Mom?”

“But Mom, you said I will always be your son…” Zhou Yuntang choked and burst into tears. He had never been so afraid before. No matter what he dreamt of before, Zhou Mama would always protect him. But now, she said such harsh words to him.

“I watched you grow up, raised you from a crying baby to now. For you, I made my own biological child suffer. What did I do wrong to you?” Mother Zhou’s eyes were also red, “You even colluded with your biological father to extort and blackmail, and you informed him right in front of us. Zhou Yuntang, what did our Zhou family do to wrong you? What did I do to wrong you? What did Zhou Zhengqing do wrong to you?”

Mother Zhou regretted it, deeply regretted it.

When she found out she had taken the wrong child, she couldn’t let go of the feelings she had for the fake young master for over a decade, so she wanted to bring both the real and fake young masters back home together. Knowing that her own child wasn’t doing well, she only thought of making it up to him in the future, without considering how sad he would be to see the fake young master living such a happy life. Even when she discovered that it wasn’t an unintentional mix-up, but something done on purpose, she made all kinds of excuses for the fake young master.

The child was still young and innocent… She felt sorry for her own child, but she never thought of abandoning Zhou Yuntang.

Yet Zhou Yuntang turned around and went to find his wanted biological father. All the feelings of more than a decade couldn’t even match having a pet dog. Mother Zhou covered her chest, thinking of her unconscious second son and her younger son whom she had raised from childhood to adulthood, her heart aching.

“Mom…” Zhou Yuntang sobbed, gasping for breath, “Mom, it’s not me, I didn’t do it.”

“You never contacted Jiang Luo? Second Brother wasn’t involved because of you? You didn’t inform him?” Zhou Ziming supported Mother Zhou and looked coldly at Zhou Yuntang, “Back then, when it was said that only one person could be released, wasn’t it you who tried so hard to make us choose you?”

Zhou Yuntang’s lips lost all color, and he couldn’t utter a word.

“Zhou Ziming, why are you so harsh on your younger brother?” When Zhou Gao Dan rushed over, he happened to hear Zhou Ziming’s last sentence. He said disapprovingly, “Apologize to your younger brother.”

“His younger brother’s name is Jiang Tian, not Zhou Yuntang,” Mother Zhou interrupted Zhou Gao Dan’s display of power.

Zhou Ziming fell silent for a few seconds before telling everything to Zhou Gao Dan and Zhou Yushu, who also arrived. After listening to everything, everyone fell into silence.

Tears flowed down Zhou Yuntang’s face like rain. He clutched Zhou Gao Dan’s hand tightly and said, “Big brother, believe me, I didn’t mean to. I never thought Second Brother would be in trouble, I really didn’t want it to happen.”

The soft and delicate fingers, like jade, grasped onto him as if clinging to a lifeline. Zhou Gao Dan’s heart swayed unexpectedly. He said, “Tangtang didn’t do it intentionally. Mom, Second Brother is already in trouble, it’s irreparable. You can’t let Tangtang be sad anymore.”

“Mom, don’t overthink this. It’s all just an accident,” Zhou Yushu also advised.

She suddenly realized that she seemed to have never truly understood her children.

Exhausted in body and mind, Mother Zhou used to believe she was her children’s mother and had to protect them. Now she leaned against her fourth son, Zhou Ziming’s embrace, and suddenly realized that her children had all grown up. They were taller and stronger than her, and they didn’t need her protection or her as their mother anymore.

“It wasn’t intentional…” Mother Zhou rubbed her painful chest, tearing up, “You are such good brothers.”

Zhou Gao Dan and Zhou Yushu glanced at each other, shielding Zhou Yuntang behind them. They thought Mother Zhou would argue with them, but unexpectedly, she showed no anger.

“You have grown up too. I can’t control you anymore. From now on… you can move out.” There was no previous tender smile on Mother Zhou’s face. She slowly said, “Take this person with you, go as far away as you can, and never let me see you again.”