RMM -Chapter 281 Zhou Tingzhang’s Unknown “Son-in-Law”

It seems fate has a sense of timing: on the very day Su Ruo, He Wen, and Duan Wei gathered together, the long-silent Zhou Yunzhen could no longer restrain herself.

After all these days, the wounds on her neck and wrists had faded significantly. Unless someone looked very closely, they were barely noticeable.

Seeing her skin finally back to normal, the suffocating anger in Zhou Yunzhen’s heart dissipated somewhat, and she found herself able to think about other things.

Naturally, her thoughts turned to Xi Yuechen.

What was he doing now? Sweating it out on the training field, or idly sitting in his office?

A man as exceptional as him would, no matter the situation, exude charm.

The more she tried not to think about him, the more restless Zhou Yunzhen became; thoughts of him flooded her heart.

After all this time, her patience had worn thin. The calm confidence she once had was long gone, replaced by growing uncertainty as the days dragged on.

No—she had to act faster. Before dreams drag on endlessly, she had to deal with Su Ruo first; everything else could wait.

She could no longer bear to see Su Ruo’s face shining with a happiness like sunlight, flaunting it so boldly.

Holding her phone, Zhou Yunzhen’s expression was calm and motionless, eyes fixed on the screen. Looking closely, she realized the number displayed wasn’t Xi Yuechen’s.

Should she call him?

Zhou Yunzhen hesitated, recalling how unpleasant the first attempt had been, a memory that still made her heart ache.

Ah, whatever—just call. It’s already come to this; what’s more embarrassing than this? She had long since thrown caution to the wind.

Her pale fingers lightly tapped the phone, then lifted it to her ear.

Perhaps she had already prepared for the worst, for her face showed no unease—just a quiet, deep calm.

One ring, two rings, three rings…

Until the final ring, no one answered.

Zhou Yunzhen let out a sarcastic smile, though she didn’t know what exactly she was laughing at. Her hand holding the phone trembled slightly.

Xi Yuechen, are you really this heartless? In what way am I inferior to Su Ruo that you can remain so indifferent?

She froze for a moment, then smiled bitterly. Her face carried a sense of desolation, and if one looked closely, even tears sparkled at the corners of her eyes in the sunlight.

So you want to “force” me, do you?

Fine. Then don’t blame her. What is there left to fear?

This time, Zhou Yunzhen had seemingly made up her mind to act. That unanswered call to Xi Yuechen finally cemented her decision.

In truth, Xi Yuechen hadn’t intentionally ignored the call. By coincidence, when Zhou Yunzhen called, he had gone to Li Lizhen’s office without his phone.

But really, did it matter? The outcome was the same: he wouldn’t answer.

When Xi Yuechen returned to his office and instinctively checked his phone, he saw a missed call from an unknown number and paid it no mind. He set the phone down without even altering his expression.

After staying in her room for a while, Zhou Yunzhen finally got up, straightened her dress, put on her usual smile, and stepped out.

“Dad, what are you doing?”

She went straight downstairs and found Zhou Tingzhang deep in thought over a chessboard in the living room.

Perhaps the army had been less busy in the past few days, as Zhou Tingzhang was at home more often. Not as elusive as before.

“Nothing much, just passing the time.”

His train of thought was interrupted, but he didn’t seem annoyed, turning with a smile.

“So bored, huh? Why not go back to the army then?”

Zhou Yunzhen sat beside him and lightly tapped his arm.

“There’s nothing going on anyway, better to relax at home. Sigh… you’re old now, Dad—not like when you were young.”

Zhou Tingzhang shook his head, smiling with a hint of nostalgia.

Indeed, with age, youthful ambition fades. With free time at home, tending the “flowers” and enjoying the sun wasn’t so bad.

“Not at all! I don’t think you’re old, Dad. Don’t be so self-deprecating,” Zhou Yunzhen said with a smile.

“Stop flattering me. I know my own age,” Zhou Tingzhang waved his hand casually.

Zhou Yunzhen fell silent, lowering her gaze.

Seeing his daughter like this, Zhou Tingzhang was curious—something seemed off. She usually bore no worries, but now she looked burdened.

“What’s with the long face? Something troubling you?”

His daughter’s unusual behavior made him uneasy.

“Huh? No, it’s nothing,” she quickly denied, forcing a smile.

But her strained expression betrayed her words, and Zhou Tingzhang didn’t believe her.

He was more puzzled. His daughter was usually capable and rarely troubled. Academically accomplished and professionally successful, she had no reason to worry—so if not work, could it be… matters of the heart?

His eyes brightened, a faint smile tugging at his lips. Ah, matters of the heart!

Zhou Tingzhang’s biggest worry these days was his daughter’s love life. She had always been smooth sailing, and now she was even more outstanding—her future was limitless.

But a perfect daughter like her—why was her romantic life a blank? He had worried about early romances before, but now… he realized even that would have been better than this lack of progress.

But what could he do? He couldn’t force her to date. He had tried arranging matches—like Liang Bo’an, a promising young man, exceptional in every way—but both children refused. Even parents couldn’t force them to marry.

After that, Zhou Tingzhang gave up on arranging matches. It was clear his daughter remained single not because of poor choices, but because her standards were high.

Otherwise, how could she refuse someone like Liang Bo’an, admired by many, yet still shake her head? The problem lay with her.

Thus, her love life had him worried, but he could only hint and guide indirectly, reminding her to balance work and matters of the heart.

Yet Zhou Yunzhen remained indifferent.

Now, finally, there were signs in this regard, and how could he not be excited?

“Yunzhen, tell me the truth. Do you like someone?”

Zhou Tingzhang tried to sound calm, but his eyes betrayed his excitement.

“No, Dad, that’s not true,” Zhou Yunzhen denied, though her cheeks blushed pink.

Seeing this, Zhou Tingzhang was convinced: his daughter had indeed found someone she liked!

“Don’t hold back, tell me. Whose boy caught your eye? Such luck!”

He couldn’t hide his joy, grinning from ear to ear.

Finally, his daughter had a romantic interest—how could he not be happy? He immediately began thinking of ways to “test” this future son-in-law.

“Dad! Stop exaggerating. There are many better than him. Don’t rush—once I’ve thought it through, I’ll tell you,” Zhou Yunzhen interrupted.

Her father’s curiosity was intense, but she refused to let him interfere.

Seeing her firm stance, Zhou Tingzhang didn’t push further, assuming she was just shy. Even a mature, independent girl could feel awkward with her first romantic interest.

It was fine—his daughter had finally taken the first step. With her qualities, anyone she chose would surely be suitable.

Since she didn’t want him meddling, he wouldn’t. A future son-in-law like this couldn’t escape anyway. She had good judgment; whoever she liked couldn’t be bad.

Zhou Tingzhang felt pleased, agreeing to respect her wishes. He could test the boy later, once he officially entered the family.

Seeing her father regain his calm, Zhou Yunzhen felt relieved. Watching his joyful expression, she couldn’t hide her mixed feelings of warmth and a tinge of bitterness.

“Dad, rest assured. I’ll bring you the best son-in-law possible.”

Although Zhou Tingzhang promised not to interfere, curiosity got the better of him. After a while, he asked again, smiling:

“Yunzhen, tell me about him. I don’t care about his family; what does he do? What’s his character?”

Seeing her father so curious, Zhou Yunzhen couldn’t help but smile.

“He… like you, Dad, is in the army. Young, capable, and full of potential.”