Chapter 77 Scolding Chen Zhonghui to Wake Up

Returning to the living room, Chen Ang saw that his father's expression was still very rigid, so he shot a questioning look at Chen Zhuo.

Chen Zhuo shook his head slightly, indicating that he could not get through to him.

Chen Ang did not mind; he just smiled and then sat down beside his father.

"Chen Ang, in your eyes, is marriage just a child's game? You should know very well that your mother can no longer handle any more shocks."

Chen Zhonghui could not help but ask; he had been holding back his breath ever since Shen Pianran entered the private room.

Chen Ang reached out to pick up the teapot, poured himself a cup, and turned to ask his father in return, "Dad, have you ever understood your two sons' marriages?"

With that one sentence, Chen Zhonghui was left speechless.

Chen Ang picked up the teacup and took a casual sip. "Li Xue is a snob who only cares about wealth and cannot share in hardships. With your discernment, you can't have failed to see that."

"And Wen Huilin..." Chen Ang put down the cup and turned to meet his father's gaze. "She is a habitual cheater. Do you think there is any need to continue such a marriage?"

Chen Zhonghui fell silent; he was completely unable to refute this.

"I won't say much about Li Xue, but let's talk about Wen Huilin. Seven years ago, she climbed into my bed. What was her goal? It was because our family was wealthy and could provide her with a substantial material life."

"When she found out our family had gone bankrupt, my value to her vanished. So, should this kind of marriage continue?"

"Then, Dad, do you think your face is more important, or the happiness of your two sons for the rest of their lives?"

Chen Zhonghui's eyes began to cloud over, and the muscles on his face twitched slightly. After holding it in for a long time, he let out a long sigh and muttered, "It was all because I was too arrogant back then, which led to the family's misfortune."

Chen Ang slammed his cup down heavily on the coffee table.

He looked up and stared solemnly into Chen Zhonghui's eyes, emphasizing his voice as he said, "Dad, how can you still not understand? People need to look forward."

"I know you were incredibly glorious back then. Whenever you returned to your hometown, those people wished they could place you on a pedestal."

"I also know that after you went bankrupt, you couldn't handle the loss, and you blamed yourself, thinking that the whole family had been implicated by you."

"It's understandable that you miss that feeling, but you shouldn't sink into it. If you can enjoy the flattery of others, you must also have the courage to endure their criticism."

Chen Ang unceremoniously ripped open his father's scars right to his face.

Chen Zhonghui's old face instantly became unnatural. He wanted to reprimand Chen Ang, but the heat rising from his neck made him feel ashamed.

He was ashamed that after experiencing such great ups and downs, he still didn't see things as clearly as his son.

He looked back on the past seven years and realized that besides avoidance and self-blame, he had never once thought about bravely facing reality.

He sighed again, paused for a moment, and then lowered his head.

Chen Ang was not prepared to give up this opportunity to wake his father up. He continued, "Dad, why do you think your siblings didn't help you, but instead kicked you while you were down?"

Chen Zhonghui looked up and wanted to speak, but was cut off by Chen Ang. "Don't bring up your moral ethics. My grandfather has been dead for ten years. It is true that back then, he used the undistributed family money to help you get your start."

"But after you got your start, did you ever mistreat anyone?"

Facing his son's questioning, Chen Zhonghui was bewildered and helpless.

"Not only did you not, but you also did your best to help them all achieve a class leap."

"A small favor creates gratitude, but a large one creates enmity—you should know that better than anyone. Their appetites grew, and they weren't satisfied with why you had more money than them. They wanted to strip your flesh and drink your blood."

"These are your siblings. There is no gratitude, no kinship; it's all damn calculation. They were calculating against you, the moral paragon; calculating against you, the number one filial son of Qingniao Village; calculating against you, the fool whose head is full of vanity."

Every word was piercing, deafening, and awakening.

Chen Zhuo, who was on the side, shuddered as he listened, his jaw dropping to his chest in shock.

He could already foresee his old father getting angry from embarrassment and slapping his older brother.

"Enough, Chen Ang."

Upon hearing his son's piercing words, Chen Zhonghui's eyes instantly turned red. He stood up abruptly and glared at Chen Ang.

Chen Ang was completely unafraid. He looked up and met his father's wide-eyed glare. "Was I wrong?"

Another question followed, "Do you think that seven years ago, why would they scrape together four million for you? Was it out of that pathetic kinship you share?"

"Wrong, dead wrong."

"They were looking to see if you had a chance to make a comeback. Each family scraping together five hundred thousand wasn't much for them at the time. But once you turned things around, that would become a second layer of moral shackles to bind you."

"Even if you did turn things around, you would be drained of your marrow for the rest of your life. They understand you better than you understand yourself."

Chen Ang was also becoming increasingly agitated as he spoke. Finally, he stood up directly, leaned into his father's face, and hissed, "Wake up, Dad. If you continue like this, you will never see the end of it for the rest of your life."

Chen Zhonghui looked as if he had been struck by lightning, staring blankly at his eldest son's ferocious expression.

He slumped back onto the sofa, raised his hands, and covered his face.

Chen Ang's words shattered his last illusions and also shattered his last bit of self-esteem.

His low roar startled Chen Yijing, who was watching TV nearby. He stared blankly at his uncle and grandfather, not knowing what they were doing.

Seeing that his grandfather seemed very sad, he climbed up, walked to Chen Zhonghui's side, held onto his thigh, and called out "Grandpa" in a milky voice.

Chen Zhonghui took a deep breath, wiped away a few tears with the hands that had covered his face, reached out to pull Chen Yijing to his side, and smiled. "Jingjing, why aren't you watching TV?"

Chen Yijing reached out to touch his face. "Did Grandpa cry? Don't cry, Jingjing likes Grandpa."

Chen Zhonghui barely managed to squeeze out a smile, stroking Chen Yijing's head. "Grandpa didn't cry; Grandpa likes Jingjing too."

Chen Ang breathed a slight sigh of relief and then shot a look at Chen Zhuo.

Chen Zhuo stood up and picked up Jingjing. "Baby, Uncle and Grandpa have something to discuss. It's time for us to go to sleep."

After watching Chen Zhuo carry his son away, Chen Ang took out cigarettes, handed one to his father, and then lit one for himself.

After inhaling a mouthful of thick smoke, Chen Ang finally spoke, "Dad, the past can only be remembered; you cannot sink into it. Chen Zhuo should have told you, right? The Company needs a manager. Zhou Yuda thinks you are suitable."

Chen Zhonghui took the cigarette and realized it was a 1916. He fiddled with the cigarette for a moment, then looked up and said, "Chen Ang, do you think Dad can still do it?"

Chen Ang's eyelids lowered slightly. "How do you know you can't if you don't try? Management is much the same. Didn't you handle managing hundreds of people with ease before?"

After a long silence, Chen Zhonghui finally picked up the lighter and lit the cigarette. He took a heavy drag, and thick smoke puffed out from his mouth and nostrils simultaneously.

"Then I'll give it a try."

Through the blue smoke, Chen Ang saw a hint of determination in his father's eyes, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Dad, you need to believe in yourself. Before, you just couldn't think it through and were unwilling to face it."

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhonghui waved his hand to clear the smoke in front of him, finally seeing Chen Ang's face clearly. He closed his eyes, opened them again, and then said, "Chen Ang, you have grown up a lot. Dad wants to thank you for scolding me awake."

Chen Ang curled his lips and smiled. "Just don't come looking for me to settle scores later. I'm thirty-two; I don't want to see your Seven Wolves belt again."

Chen Zhonghui was taken aback, and then the father and son looked at each other and laughed.

After resolving his father's mental knot, Chen Ang didn't stay long, because Yu Liang had sent him a message regarding Tu Yuandong.