SAG -Chapter 21 Too Precious to Put Down

During dinner, Zhang Sicheng noticed that his son had become even more attached to Zhang Ran. Even Susu had unconsciously chosen to sit beside him.

“Siyan, what do you do for work these days?” Zhang Ran asked as he placed food onto Taotao’s and Susu’s plates.

Zhang Siyan fell silent for a moment before replying, “I run a cosmetics shop with a friend.”

Zhang Ran nodded.

“The cosmetics business is a good one. If you ask me whose money is the easiest to earn in this world, it’s women’s and children’s. Cosmetics have become indispensable for modern women. As long as you manage the business well, you’ll never run out of customers. These days, women care most about their appearance. As living standards improve and people have more disposable income, it’s only natural that they want to maintain their looks and stay in shape.”

A strange look crossed Zhang Siyan’s face.

She had always known her father was an extraordinary man, but she hadn’t expected him to grasp the modern market so quickly.

Still, she had been somewhat prepared. After all, she had grown up listening to stories about him.

Liu Lu, on the other hand, was genuinely astonished.

She had already been surprised when Zhang Ran had played video games so naturally, but she chalked that up to men having an innate talent for games. His comments about the cosmetics industry, however, were not something she expected to hear from a man who had supposedly come from twenty-eight years in the past.

“Oh, by the way,” Zhang Ran continued, mostly to keep the conversation going, “what brand do you represent? Is it domestic or foreign?”

“It… should count as domestic now,” Zhang Siyan replied. “Although all the products are still manufactured overseas. The brand originally belonged to an old British cosmetics company, but it was acquired years ago. It’s called Kangshilan.”

A flicker passed through Zhang Ran’s eyes at the name.

He knew that brand all too well.

But he didn’t reveal anything.

Nor did he ask about Zhang Siyan’s husband. He could tell she didn’t want to discuss that subject. They had only just reunited, and there was no need to bring up topics that would only make everyone uncomfortable.

The atmosphere during the Zhang family’s first meal together was warm and pleasant.

Throughout dinner, Zhang Ran did his best to find topics that everyone could relate to.

Meanwhile, Liu Lu found herself growing increasingly numb with amazement.

The more she observed him, the less he resembled someone who had been absent from the world for twenty-eight years.

At first, she had deliberately avoided talking too much about modern life, afraid that Zhang Ran wouldn’t understand and would feel embarrassed.

But it didn’t take long for her to realize that no matter what they discussed, he could naturally join the conversation without the slightest awkwardness.

Suddenly, she remembered something Zhang Sicheng had told her a month ago.

Back then, he had confidently said that he wasn’t worried about his father adapting to modern society.

She hadn’t believed him at all.

Now…

She was beginning to.

Her father-in-law’s ability to learn and adapt was simply astonishing.

That night, Zhang Ran slept in the living room.

Zhang Siyan returned home with Qian Li, but Susu stayed behind.

Originally, Zhang Sicheng had wanted him and Liu Lu to sleep with Taotao while Zhang Ran took the smaller bedroom, but Zhang Ran had politely refused.

Inside the master bedroom, Zhang Sicheng lay awake, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Although nothing dramatic had happened that day, and his reunion with his father had seemed calm and uneventful, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was bound to happen.

Still, one thing reassured him.

His father was exactly as his mother had always described him—gentle, refined, and composed. He hadn’t shown any signs of discomfort or inability to adapt, sparing Zhang Sicheng a great deal of worry.

Suddenly, he heard his wife let out a muffled gasp.

He immediately turned to look.

Liu Lu was covering her mouth, her eyes sparkling with excitement and delight.

In her hands was the gift Zhang Ran had presented to her when they first met.

“Honey, what’s wrong?” Zhang Sicheng asked.

“L-Look…” Liu Lu said in a hushed voice, unable to hide her excitement.

Zhang Sicheng looked over—and froze.

Under the bedroom light, the necklace inside the box gleamed brilliantly, scattering dazzling rays in every direction.

Its design was elegant, distinctive, and exquisitely crafted.

Even someone like him, who knew almost nothing about women’s jewelry, could immediately tell it was extraordinarily valuable.

Liu Lu’s initial excitement quickly gave way to hesitation.

She wasn’t sure whether she should accept something so expensive.

But the thought of returning it…

She simply couldn’t bear it.

The necklace was so beautiful that it struck directly at a woman’s heart.

Zhang Sicheng could easily see both her hesitation and the longing in her eyes.

After thinking for a moment, he finally said, “Keep it. It was a gift from him. Honestly… you deserve it.”

The fact that Zhang Ran possessed such an expensive necklace only surprised him briefly.

He assumed his father had bought it years ago.

He knew that Zhang Ran had once been fairly wealthy. After all, anyone who could afford to fly to Europe and America and then return aboard a luxury cruise ship couldn’t possibly have been poor.

In his estimation, Zhang Ran had probably owned a few million yuan back then.

At the time, that would have made someone extremely rich.

But by today’s standards—especially in Shanghai—that wasn’t particularly impressive anymore.

His father had clearly possessed remarkable foresight.

Unfortunately, he had disappeared during the very years when his predictions should have paid off.

So Zhang Sicheng didn’t believe Zhang Ran still had much money.

Besides, there was no guarantee any of those assets still existed.

As far as he knew, no company had compensated the passengers of the Goddess of Destiny for their losses.

In Zhang Sicheng’s eyes, his father was probably close to broke now.

As for the necklace…

He guessed it was worth perhaps one or two hundred thousand yuan.

That was only because he had never seen truly high-end luxury jewelry before.

Hearing her husband’s approval, Liu Lu’s eyes lit up.

She truly couldn’t bear to give it back.

The necklace was simply too beautiful.

“Thank you, honey,” she said sweetly.

She immediately fastened the necklace around her neck and stood before the mirror, admiring herself over and over again.

Any thought of sleep had completely vanished.

She simply couldn’t stop looking at it.

Watching her, Zhang Sicheng smiled helplessly.

At the same time, guilt welled up inside him.

Liu Lu had followed him through so many difficult years.

She had endured countless hardships.

Back then, she had nearly fallen out with her own family because of him.

Yet after all these years…

He had never once bought her anything truly worthy of her.

Lying awake in the living room, Zhang Ran couldn’t fall asleep either.

Although he had appeared calm for most of the day after the initial reunion, he knew that wasn’t how he truly felt.

In the span of a single day, he had suddenly gained a son.

A daughter.

A grandson.

And a granddaughter.

These were experiences he had never imagined.

He didn’t know how to be with them.

But running away wasn’t an option.

They were his own flesh and blood.

More importantly, they were the precious legacy and remembrance Yu Qingwan had left behind for him.

All he could do now was try his best to adapt.

To learn how to live harmoniously with them.

After all, this was a father’s responsibility—a responsibility he had owed them for twenty-eight years.

As for why he hadn’t immediately showered them with money and given them luxurious lives…

He had his own reasons.

Zhang Ran certainly felt guilty toward Zhang Sicheng and Zhang Siyan.

Although none of it had been his fault, he still hadn’t fulfilled a father’s responsibilities for all those years.

He genuinely wanted to make it up to them.

But he also understood one simple truth:

People who become rich overnight rarely manage to keep a balanced mindset.

And that was the last thing he wanted to see happen to his children.