Be Careful, Scum Dad! Mommy Is Back!
Chapter 364: The Child is His Bottom Line!

Chapter 364: Chapter 364: The Child is His Bottom Line!

The conversation in the private room ended, and everyone proceeded to the dining area, but the meal was delayed.

It wasn’t until an elderly man with white hair arrived belatedly.

The moment he appeared, even influential figures within the social circle like Shang Qing and Xi Juan had to stand up and greet him to show respect, indicating the extraordinary status of the old man.

"Xiao Ye, come to your grandfather’s side."

With these words, a look of obscure and unclear light flashed through everyone’s eyes; everyone knew that Ji Muye’s grandfather was the renowned Old Sir Ji in Jingzhou, but they had not expected the status from his mother’s side to be even more exceptional.

In Jingzhou, just being the Ji Family Patriarch was enough for Ji Muye to hold sway until the end, not to mention that he was a man of talent himself. Now coupled with his mother’s background, those who initially thought he was just toying with the social circle changed their minds.

Ji Muye slowly rose and sat down beside the elderly man.

Throughout the meal, the minds of those present were all different.

But it was undeniable that among those upcoming vacant seats, there was surely a place for Ji Muye.

One hand controls wealth, the other holds power.

A person with such status, looking all over Beicheng, only Shang Qing dared to do so!

Other people simply didn’t dare to touch upon the boundaries of those two spheres of power.

The enigmatic and changing gazes of everyone began to focus on Ji Muye himself. Who would have thought that the man who habitually followed around Eldest Miss Zhuang, appearing as if trying to climb the social ladder, had actually done so much behind the scenes?

Being blinded by such deception also led to these people changing their views on Ji Muye once again in their hearts.

The Beicheng Zhuang Family were not nobodies; Mr. Zhuang and the Xi Family were also deeply interconnected.

With Zhuang Tian and the counterfeit’s high profile on display, those at the dinner table who wanted to introduce their daughters, nieces, and other younger female relatives to "Ji Muye" had to carefully weigh their family background and capabilities against the Beicheng Zhuang Family.

By the time Ji Muye came out, it was already late at night.

Before leaving, the old man looked deeply in his direction and said, "Come home when you have time."

Ji Muye maintained a polite and respectful attitude towards him from beginning to end, but just not the closeness that the old man desired.

The old man had his only daughter late in life. It was not until his forties that he welcomed his sole heir.

In his single-minded pursuit of power, he had never failed his work or his responsibilities, but ultimately, he failed his wife and daughter.

After his wife passed away, his daughter hastily married herself off.

While he was in the stage of carefully choosing a good husband for his daughter, she chose to flee the center of power in Beicheng, deceived in body and soul by a philandering playboy, and even in the stage of her life when she was downtrodden and betrayed, she never thought to seek help from him, her father.

Now, this grandson before him, whose age was so distant from his own, probably wouldn’t even acknowledge him if he didn’t want to enter this circle.

The silence inside the car was unbroken; the tranquil atmosphere flowed soundlessly in the darkness. The old man thought of his grandson’s brief marriage and his two sons and one daughter. His deep and profound eyes suddenly darkened, revealing no hint of his true emotions.

After a long while.

The old man said softly to the secretary in the passenger seat, "Find a time. I would like to meet that young lady and the three children."

The Secretary-General nodded respectfully.

Outside the quiet villa, other people’s vehicles gradually left one after another.

The black, low-profile Hongqi car slowly disappeared into the night.

Ji Muye stood in the cold wind, his gaze heavy as he watched the departing silhouette of the car. His efforts during this period had not been in vain after all; he had finally taken that position. From now on, he would have to be cautious and measured in his actions, ensconced under the watchful eyes of a pack of wolves and tigers.

There were many powerful figures in this circle, but they each had their fixed territories—north, central, south, as well as the eastern and western regions, with their powers crisscrossed and distinctly demarcated.

Wanting to carve out a share on someone else’s turf across regions was an extremely difficult task.

Jingzhou is located in the central region, which is not the old man’s territory. Were Ji Muye a decade or so younger, he might have chosen to switch his field and start from scratch, to carve out a world for himself in this circle on his own.

But now, if he wants to establish a firm foothold in this circle, coming to Beicheng to leverage the old man’s influence would be somewhat easier.

It seemed that the old man had been prepared for a long time, as from the moment he agreed to the conditions, he had already arranged the path for Ji Muye’s gradual ascension, also making clear to Ji Muye that this elderly man, even at his age, had yet to relinquish his grip on power.

From today onwards, Ji Muye just needed to climb up steadily, step by step, until he reached the peak he could attain.

As he was immersed in contemplation about the path ahead, Ma Sai hurried over and urgently reminded, "Boss, Zhuang Tian is causing trouble again with her fakes. If you don’t go over there soon, you might end up with nothing—not even your sons or daughter."

The man glanced over with a sidelong look and frowned, "What happened again?"

Ma Sai quickly outlined the day’s events, emphasizing the key points, and expressed, "I warned Eldest Miss Zhuang to stop that baseless false advertising, but she seems to not listen to reason and continues doing things her own way."

No matter what, Zhuang Tian is still the Eldest Miss of the Zhuang Family, and now she is in the Zhuang Family’s core region. Ma Sai could do no more than convey messages on behalf of Ji Muye and wasn’t in a position to say much in front of her.

Since returning to Beicheng, Zhuang Tian’s attitude has changed significantly compared to before.

After all, even the Ji Family from Jingzhou might not have the solid confidence to handle the Zhuang Family here.

Furthermore, the Zhuang Family and the Xi Family currently have a close connection, and Ji Muye will still need Xi Juan’s support and help going forward. On certain matters, he would need to give Xi Juan some face as well.

But the three children are not only Lu Xining’s sore spot; they are also Ji Muye’s bottom line.

Even though Ma Sai had been by Ji Muye’s side for many years, the sight of the man’s current expression still sent a chill through his heart, because whenever he looked emotionlessly at a certain spot, it meant that someone was in for big trouble.

"Send a copy of the evidence of the Zhuang Family’s dirty business to the Xi Family."

"In the name of the Lu Family."

The Lu Family is Xi Juan’s most direct competitor on his path to power and also a thorn in his side.

Ji Muye’s move was akin to dancing on Xi Juan’s heart.

Given Xi Juan’s cautious and prudent way of doing things, he would surely discipline someone from the Zhuang Family, and the impetuous Zhuang Tian would be the first target.

When Ji Muye arrived at villa number eight, all the lights inside had already been turned off.

He stood at the door, looking at the villa, preoccupied with coming over to see the three children and forgetting that it was already past their bedtime.

But Ji Chao and Ji Ze, disturbed by what they had seen that afternoon, tossed and turned in their beds, unable to fall asleep.