Chapter 1321 - 1323
Cai Ming took out his notebook again, checked the address once more, then paid the fare and got out.
"Exhausting." Cai Ming walked into the building with his luggage in hand.
"They’ve got a perfectly good villa and insist on living here instead. I really don’t get what they’re thinking."
Cai Ming admitted that from the outside this building did look pretty impressive, and once inside you could clearly tell it’d been regularly maintained, and maintained quite well.
But a building is still a building; no matter how well it’s maintained, after all these years you can still see the marks of history.
Even if this place really has some kind of heavy historical feel, come on, it’s only been built a few years—how can it compare to their house back in Beijing?
There’s simply no comparison, and their own house is so much better. He really didn’t understand how this place could be so expensive.
And then the elevator just had to be broken, so he had to lug his suitcase up the stairs, which really took it out of him.
Yet again, Cai Ming concluded that living in a villa is still better—at least there’s a garden, and you don’t have to worry about the power going out.
Of course, he also had to admit this place had a good location, probably right in downtown New York. On the way here he’d noticed a huge park, and only then realized it was Central Park, which gave him quite a scare.
But if you asked Cai Ming to choose this kind of environment, he really might not like it—probably because he’d gotten used to living in a standalone house with its own gate.
Cai Ming had originally planned to show up before everyone with the authority of an elder. He hadn’t expected to appear in front of them all in such a sorry state.
Gong Ruini was stunned. A person who wasn’t supposed to appear suddenly showed up—how could that not feel strange to everyone?
"What, you don’t recognize me anymore?" Cai Ming felt downright tragic. He’d planned to haul his luggage up and then have a good rest.
He hadn’t expected to run into Dai Liren opening his door across the hall, and then the man even kindly helped him knock on their door.
Cai Ming’s heart was bleeding; he really wanted to cry. Even though he was a middle‑aged man now, he was still a successful person, okay?
How could he show up looking this undignified?
Seeing his uncle in such a bedraggled state, Gong Ruzhi really wanted to laugh, but once he thought about why his uncle had come all the way here, he just couldn’t laugh.
Although Uncle hadn’t said it outright, anyone with eyes could see why he was here.
"Uncle, how’d you end up this miserable?" Zhao Guangran had absolutely no sense of embarrassment.
These past days had been as miserable as miserable could get; he really hadn’t had a shred of face left.
Now that he saw Cai Ming even more miserable than himself, of course Zhao Guangran didn’t hold back.
This brat, how could he talk like that? Cai Ming’s temper had just about settled, but when he suddenly heard Zhao Guangran say that, he practically spat blood.
"Hey, Gong Ruzhi, you kid, don’t think I can’t see you just because you’re hiding back there."
"And think about why I came here in the first place." Cai Ming really regretted it now. If he’d known earlier that his family had such ungrateful little wolves, why would he have insisted on coming?
See? Not a single person felt sorry for him. Cai Ming felt like turning around and leaving. Even though he’d just gotten off a long flight and still hadn’t recovered, it was still better than having to face Cai Meina.
Uh—Gong Ruzhi immediately put away his almost‑laughing expression and quickly grabbed hold of Cai Ming.
He wasn’t stupid. Everyone else here could laugh; he was the only one who absolutely couldn’t.
"Hi Uncle, my dear Uncle, let me carry your luggage." With a swish, Gong Ruzhi darted out and very obediently helped his uncle with his bags.
That’s more like it. Seeing how sensible Gong Ruzhi was being, Cai Ming’s anger eased a bit.
"Right, where’s your mom?" Cai Ming had just stepped one foot inside when he immediately asked in concern.
"Mom’s upstairs." Seeing Cai Ming, Gong Ruzhi was thrilled.
At a time like this, Uncle was still the best—way better than his own big sister and big brother.
In his excitement, Gong Ruzhi told Cai Ming all about the proposal that Gong Ruwen and Gong Ruini had just brought up.
"I think it’s not bad." Sitting on the couch, Cai Ming felt half revived after a glass of sour plum juice.
"Got anything to eat?" Drinks were secondary for Cai Ming; what mattered was food.
Gong Ruini had just been about to head into the kitchen to make something for him when she saw how fast Gong Ruzhi moved. "Uncle, I’ll go cook."
Gong Ruzhi had originally planned to rope his brother into forming an alliance. He hadn’t expected Uncle to actually approve of that proposal, which shocked him.
Whatever, he’d just make something tasty for Uncle first and hope that, for the sake of him cooking with his own hands, Uncle would take his side.
Gong Ruzhi was going to cook for him? Oh my god. Cai Ming was dumbfounded. "He, he—"
If you told him Gong Ruwen or even Zhao Guangran was cooking, Cai Ming wouldn’t be surprised at all. But why on earth was it Gong Ruzhi?
What was going on? Just how badly had this kid been traumatized?
"Him? Let him be." Gong Ruwen could guess with his toes what his little brother was plotting.
Wasn’t it just trying to use one meal to get Cai Ming to change his mind? Problem was, how could he not realize that an old fox who’d been in the business world for so long was not going to be bought off with one meal?
"Him? He got so excited when he saw you, Uncle." Zhao Guangran glanced at Gong Ruzhi, who was busying around in the kitchen, and really wanted to laugh.
Zhao Guangran shot Gong Ruini a look that said "Just look at your little brother." Sure, usually Gong Ruzhi got along well with her—but so what?
Once there was food involved, he hadn’t thought about his dear big sister at all.
Gong Ruini couldn’t care less who Gong Ruzhi was cooking for. If you asked her, she wouldn’t want to eat his cooking anyway.
Even though he always claimed he was smart, that he’d grown up watching the housemaids cook, and that cooking was easy as anything.
But is cooking really that easy?
"Oh right, I just asked Dai Liren to come over. Why isn’t he here?" She ignored those looks. After all, the way Gong Ruzhi was acting was just sucking up.
What Cai Ming didn’t understand was why Dai Liren hadn’t come in. What was going on?
Had they had a falling‑out? But that shouldn’t be it. If they’d really fallen out, he wouldn’t have helped knock on the door.
"Of course he wouldn’t come." Only now did Zhao Guangran remember that they hadn’t told anyone about the relationship between Dai Liren and Cai Ming yet.
He hoped Uncle wouldn’t get mad. Sigh.
Of course he wouldn’t? "You guys had a falling‑out?" No way, they’d even fallen out with Dai Liren?
"Not ’we’—my mom." Gong Ruwen shot a look at Zhao Guangran, who was itching to tell the whole story like it was gossip.
Why shouldn’t he talk? Zhao Guangran was annoyed. There was no need to hide this from Cai Ming.
Even if they didn’t say anything now, once Cai Ming saw Cai Meina, you think she wouldn’t bring it up?
Maybe Cai Ming would be completely blindsided and jump up accusing Cai Meina of being petty and narrow‑minded—then what?
These past days, it wasn’t like they hadn’t already argued over Dai Limin, but what came of it in the end? With Cai Meina refusing to back down and Dai Liren taking the initiative to give way, things just turned into what they were now.