SAG -Chapter 22 Meng He’s Warning

Early the next morning, Zhang Ran once again experienced the hectic routine of modern working life. Starting at seven o’clock, the kitchen and bathroom became a flurry of activity, accompanied by constant reminders and hurried voices.

It wasn’t until eight that everything had finally settled down.

Zhang Ran had been awake for quite some time but deliberately stayed out of Zhang Sicheng and Liu Lu’s way.

After breakfast was ready, Liu Lu said apologetically, “Um… sorry about that. Our place is a little cramped. We must have disturbed your sleep.”

Ever since seeing the necklace the previous night, Liu Lu’s attitude toward Zhang Ran had become noticeably warmer. To her, after all, Zhang Ran’s return wasn’t nearly as shocking as it was for Zhang Sicheng and the others.

Zhang Ran smiled dismissively.

“It’s fine. I was already awake. You two hurry up and eat before work. Leave Taotao and Susu to me today.”

“You don’t have to trouble yourself. If you have things to do, they can stay home by themselves,” Liu Lu quickly replied.

She knew Zhang Ran also had business to attend to today.

Zhang Ran laughed.

“What business could I possibly have? I’ll probably need quite a while just to get used to modern society again. Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of these two little ones. You can go to work without worrying.”

Since he insisted, Liu Lu said nothing more.

She and Zhang Sicheng hurried through breakfast, then spent another round wrestling the two children into clothes, washing their faces, brushing their teeth, before finally heading off to work.

Before leaving, however, they handed Zhang Ran one thousand yuan.

Zhang Ran accepted it without saying anything.

“Grandpa!”

The moment Taotao saw him, the little boy called out sweetly.

Susu, on the other hand, remained her usual cool self and didn’t greet him first.

“Good morning!” Zhang Ran chuckled.

“Hurry and finish eating. Grandpa will take you out to play afterward.”

Taotao’s eyes immediately lit up.

“Grandpa’s the best!”

After flattering him with an innocent grin, the little rascal rolled his big eyes.

“Grandpa… I don’t want to eat this. I want fried chicken and French fries.”

Even Susu turned her gaze toward him.

It was obvious those foods held irresistible appeal for children.

But Zhang Ran shook his head.

“Not now. You have to eat what your mom cooked.”

The two children immediately looked disappointed.

Then Zhang Ran continued, “But… we can have fried chicken and fries for lunch. How does that sound?”

“Yay!”

Taotao jumped excitedly.

Even Susu’s bright eyes sparkled with delight.

After breakfast, Zhang Ran washed the dishes before taking the two children out.

His first stop was a shopping mall, where he bought another Longhua-brand phone identical to his previous one and applied for a brand-new SIM card.

He knew it probably wouldn’t make much difference, but it was important to show the proper attitude.

For the rest of the morning, he accompanied the children in the mall’s indoor amusement park.

Watching them laugh and play noticeably lifted his spirits.

Susu gradually shed her earlier coldness.

Surrounded by other children, she finally displayed the liveliness expected of a child her age.

Though she was still much quieter than Taotao, it was already a tremendous improvement.

Close to eleven o’clock, Zhang Ran led the two children to the hotel where Meng He was staying.

Meng He had long since prepared lunch.

He had even arranged for fried chicken, French fries, and all the children’s favorite foods.

Of course, these weren’t ordinary fast-food meals.

They had been specially prepared by the hotel’s head chef.

Smiling, Zhang Ran said, “Taotao, Susu, say hello to Grandpa Meng and Grandma Lin.”

Taotao obediently greeted them.

Susu hesitated briefly before softly doing the same.

Even that tiny greeting made Meng He and Lin Meizhi incredibly happy.

During lunch, Lin Meizhi sat beside the children, helping them pick up food and feeding them.

Before long, she had become quite close to both of them.

Once they were nearly finished eating, she smiled gently.

“Taotao, Susu, would you like Grandma Lin to take you out to play?”

She knew Meng He needed to discuss business with Zhang Ran.

The children instinctively looked toward Zhang Ran for approval.

That simple reaction stirred something indescribable inside him.

Especially Susu’s change in attitude—it filled him with an unexpected sense of accomplishment.

Smiling, Zhang Ran nodded.

“Go play with Grandma Lin. Grandpa and Grandpa Meng need to talk about something. I’ll come find you afterward.”

As soon as Lin Meizhi and the children left, Meng He could no longer hold back.

“Brother Zhang, what are your plans from here?”

Zhang Ran naturally understood what he meant.

But he replied casually, “For now, I’m putting everything else aside. I need to straighten out my family affairs first before worrying about anything else.”

“But…”

Meng He wanted to continue.

Zhang Ran interrupted with a smile.

“There’s no ‘but.’ Right now, nothing is more important to me than my family. As for everything you’re worried about… there’s no need to overthink it. What’s mine will remain mine. No one can take it away.”

Looking at Zhang Ran’s unwavering confidence, Meng He became momentarily distracted.

Back then, Zhang Ran had always been like this.

Facing rapidly changing times, he had remained utterly confident, as though no challenge in the world could truly defeat him.

Even after losing twenty-eight years of his life, that confidence had not diminished in the slightest.

Meng He found himself at a loss for words.

In the end, he simply offered a reminder.

“Brother Zhang… today’s world isn’t the same as it was twenty-eight years ago. I’m not talking about anything else. Technology has completely changed. Medical technology has advanced tremendously too. Just look around—there are surveillance cameras everywhere now. Almost everyone is recorded wherever they go. And modern medical equipment has improved so much that very few things can escape detection.”

Zhang Ran understood exactly why Meng He was reminding him of this.

Back in those days, making a fortune had never been as simple as honestly doing business.

The early years had been chaotic beyond imagination.

Many of the things that happened then would be almost unbelievable to people today.

For Zhang Ran—a young man with no influential family, no backing, and no connections—to build such a vast business empire entirely on his own had required far more than merely seeing future economic trends.

In truth, when the investigators had concluded that the source of Zhang Ran’s wealth was completely legitimate, they hadn’t lied.

His money had indeed been earned legally.

What they hadn’t mentioned was something else entirely:

Zhang Ran had never been a soft-hearted man.

Anyone who became his enemy—especially those who resorted to dirty tricks or even tried to kill him—almost never met a good end.

Yet despite countless investigations, no one had ever managed to uncover even the slightest piece of evidence linking any of those incidents to Zhang Ran.

At most, people could only suspect him.

There was never any proof.