243: Chapter 244 Poor Alcohol Tolerance

Six hours after the Congress of Kings and Dukes concluded.

A forty-seven-second interview video suddenly appeared on the Great Han Nation's internet.

The video was filmed at the foot of Mingyue Mountain.

This was the manor that the Zhao lineage had operated on Blue Star for many years, and also the permanent residence of Duke Mingyue's agent on Blue Star.

In the video, a black sedan had just driven past the mountain gate.

Duke Mingyue's agent stepped out of the car, and before he could even walk up the steps, he was surrounded by several reporters who had been staking out the place.

"Hello, would you be available for an interview?"

"The Congress of Kings and Dukes concluded today. What is your opinion on the newly promoted Duke Zhou?"

As soon as this question was asked, the reporters around him immediately held out their microphones.

By convention, when faced with questions involving relationships between Kings and Dukes, agents would mostly offer polite platitudes like "Duke Zhou is young and promising" or "The future of the Great Han Nation is bright."

If they wanted to be more cautious, they could simply leave with the excuse that "it is inconvenient to disclose the content of the Congress," and no one could find fault with that.

However, Duke Mingyue's agent stopped in his tracks.

He glanced at the camera with a calm expression.

"As an agent, I naturally have no qualifications to comment presumptuously on Duke Zhou."

Just as a hint of disappointment appeared on the reporters' faces, he continued:

"However, Duke Mingyue believes that Duke Zhou is still lacking in etiquette, having just entered the ranks of the Kings and Dukes."

"Therefore, Duke Mingyue intends to personally visit Flower City in the near future to discuss the rules between Kings and Dukes with Duke Zhou in person."

After saying this, he stopped answering any questions and walked into Mingyue Manor, surrounded by his guards.

The video ended abruptly there.

Yet those short forty-seven seconds were like a bombshell, crashing into the Great Han Nation's internet.

In just one minute, the number of shares exceeded one hundred thousand.

In three minutes, the related topic surged to the number one spot on the trending list.

[Duke Mingyue to personally visit Flower City!]

[Lacking in etiquette!]

[Suspected conflict erupted within the Congress of Kings and Dukes!]

[Duke Mingyue's agent publicly comments on Duke Zhou!]

Countless people clicked on the video, listening to those few sentences over and over again.

"What does it mean to discuss the rules between Kings and Dukes? This isn't a conversation at all; it's clearly Duke Mingyue going to personally knock Duke Zhou down a peg!"

"What exactly happened inside the Congress? Did Duke Zhou offend Duke Mingyue?"

"Duke Mingyue is a veteran Duke who has operated Mingyue City for many years, while Duke Zhou has only just been promoted. Their credentials and Foundations are not on the same level at all."

"Duke Zhou is, after all, too young. To be named a Duke at eighteen—anyone would be a bit headstrong. Maybe he said something inappropriate at the Congress."

"I've been wanting to say this for a long time. Achieving fame at a young age makes it easy for people to lose sight of themselves. He is gentle when facing ordinary people, but when facing real Kings and Dukes, he might not necessarily be able to keep his place."

Similar sentiments quickly became mainstream.

Zhou Yun had returned to Blue Star for less than a few days. Although he had created an unprecedented promotion record, his Foundation and influence in the Great Han Nation were ultimately too shallow.

Zhao Mingyue, on the other hand, had been famous for many years.

She possessed industries spread across the country on Blue Star, a vast Family, and countless supporters, and in the City Lord World, she held over twenty cities in her hands.

At least in the eyes of the Great Han public, there was still a huge gap between the two sides.

Therefore, when Duke Mingyue's agent made a public statement, most people subconsciously blamed the problem on Zhou Yun.

Of course, some people noticed something was wrong.

"Do you really think this interview was leaked by accident?"

"What is the status of a King or Duke's agent? Every word they say to reporters must be considered repeatedly. Would he not know what the consequences would be if these few sentences were spread?"

"Duke Mingyue is publicly sending a message. She wants everyone to know that she is preparing to go to Flower City to cause trouble for Duke Zhou."

"So what exactly did Duke Zhou do to be worth a veteran Duke specifically releasing such words?"

The debate became increasingly intense.

Some people began digging through Zhou Yun's experiences from childhood to adulthood, trying to find evidence of "youthful arrogance" in every word he had spoken in the past.

Others compiled Zhao Mingyue's past deeds to prove that this Duke Mingyue had always valued the etiquette between Kings and Dukes.

There were even people who claimed that their distant relative worked in the Forbidden City and had heard arguing coming from the Congress hall with their own ears.

This story sounded very plausible and quickly received tens of thousands of shares.

Four minutes and fifty-seven seconds after the video appeared.

All mainstream platforms simultaneously received a takedown notice.

The original video disappeared.

The related trending topics were removed.

A large number of posts containing the interview footage were also quickly deleted.

However, five minutes was already enough.

The video had long been downloaded and saved by countless people, and transferred into countless WeChat groups, private forums, and overseas websites.

The faster the authorities deleted it, the heavier the public's curiosity became.

In just half an hour, there were already over a hundred versions of speculation about what had happened at the Congress of Kings and Dukes.

Public opinion continued to ferment at a speed that was nearly out of control.

Jianghai City.

The second floor of the fruit shop.

On the phone screen, that interview was just playing to the end.

"Therefore, Duke Mingyue intends to personally visit Flower City in the near future to discuss the rules between Kings and Dukes with Duke Zhou in person."

Zhou Tianhao looked at the middle-aged man in the video and tapped his finger lightly on the tabletop.

Footsteps suddenly came from the kitchen.

He lifted his eyelids, flipped the phone over, and placed it face down on the table.

Almost at the same time, Zhou Yun walked out of the kitchen carrying a plate of freshly cooked sweet and sour fish.

A rich sweet and sour aroma spread through the room.

The fish body had been fried to a golden, crispy state, coated with a layer of translucent sauce, and sprinkled with fine scallion shreds on top.

When Zhou Tianhao saw it, his eyebrows immediately shot up.

"Yo, sweet and sour fish made by Duke Zhou himself?"

"I must try this properly."

Zhou Yun placed the plate on the table, pulled out a chair, and said with a smile:

"Then I invite the father of Duke Zhou to taste and critique it."

"Easily done."

Zhou Tianhao picked up his chopsticks, picked a piece from the tenderest part of the fish belly, and put it into his mouth.

Zhou Yun did not touch his chopsticks; he just sat opposite him and watched.

Zhou Tianhao chewed slowly for a few moments.

The sweet and sour sauce wrapped around the crispy fish skin and melted on the tip of his tongue; the fish meat inside was tender and hot, and the taste was almost exactly the same as in his memory.

"Mmm!"

He nodded repeatedly, his eyebrows raised even higher.

"Still the same taste!"

Zhou Yun finally smiled and picked up his chopsticks.

"Then eat more."

There weren't many dishes on the table.

A plate of sweet and sour fish, a dish of peanuts, a portion of stir-fried greens, and a pot of pork ribs stewed until soft and tender.

Zhou Tianhao took out the already opened bottle of clear-bottled white liquor from the cupboard and poured a glass for each of them.

The father and son ate while chatting casually.

Most of the time, the room was very quiet.

Only the occasional crisp sound of chopsticks hitting the rim of the bowl could be heard.

Halfway through the meal, Zhou Tianhao seemed to suddenly remember something and asked casually:

"How was the Congress?"

"Those people didn't give you a hard time, did they?"

Zhou Yun was lowering his head, picking out fish bones, and his movements paused upon hearing this.

Afterwards, he put the fish bone aside and took a sip from his wine glass.

"Everything was quite good."

"Everyone was polite to me and took good care of me. They even said if I run into any trouble later, I can ask them for help."

Zhou Tianhao glanced at him.

The phone placed face down on the corner of the table was quiet, still stuck on that interview video that had already been deleted from the entire internet.

"Mmm."

He picked up a peanut and chewed slowly.

"That's good."

Zhou Yun smiled and didn't say anything more.

The father and son clinked glasses.

The liquor entered his throat, and the spicy taste burned all the way into his stomach.

Zhou Yun almost never drank, and his alcohol tolerance was still pitifully low.

After a few glasses, his cheeks had already turned red, and his eyes were much softer than usual.

Zhou Tianhao looked at him and suddenly said:

"Your mother passed away early."

Zhou Yun raised his head.

He saw Zhou Tianhao slowly pushing away a row of fine bones on the fish's back with his chopsticks.

"I haven't taught you much all these years."

"Now that I am staying on Blue Star, I can't help with your affairs over there even more."

"You child, you've liked to carry everything on your own since you were little."

When he reached this point, he picked up the piece of fish meat with the bones removed and placed it into Zhou Yun's bowl.

"This makes me, as a father, worry-free, yet also not worry-free."

Zhou Yun looked at the fish meat in the bowl, his lips moving slightly.

"Dad, I'm really fine."

"Mmm."

Zhou Tianhao nodded.

"As long as you're fine."

The room briefly fell quiet.

Zhou Yun opened his mouth, just wanting to say something to lighten the atmosphere, but Zhou Tianhao poured him a glass of wine, his expression becoming a bit more serious.

"However, there is one thing that really should be done."

Zhou Yun was stunned.

"What thing?"

"Find a girlfriend."

Zhou Tianhao looked him up and down.

"You're not young anymore. If you drag it on for a few more years, people will start suspecting you like men."

After saying this, he even raised an eyebrow at Zhou Yun.

Zhou Yun was stunned for two seconds, then couldn't help but laugh.

"What on earth is that supposed to mean?"

"What do you mean 'what'? Your father is still waiting to hold a grandson!"

"Dad... how would I have time to think about this?"

"How much time can finding a wife waste? Back in the day, your father I..."

"Stop, stop, stop! You've bragged about this eight hundred times!"

"Hey, are you getting tired of it?"

Zhou Tianhao glared and put the wine glass down on the table.

"Pour the wine!"

Zhou Yun picked up the wine bottle with a smile.

"Alright!"

The clear liquor refilled the glass.

"Come on, cheers."

"Cheers!"

The two wine glasses clinked together gently.

After a few more rounds, Zhou Yun couldn't hold up anymore.

He leaned halfway against the back of the chair, feeling the light above his head spinning slowly, and the Zhou Tianhao in front of him was sometimes clear, sometimes blurry.

He shook his head and picked up the wine glass, wanting to drink more, but his fingers were already a bit unresponsive.

The glass wobbled on the table twice.

Zhou Tianhao reached out to steady the glass.

"That's enough, don't drink anymore."

Zhou Yun responded vaguely, not knowing if he had heard clearly.

The next moment, his head slowly drooped, his forehead resting on his arms, and he became completely still.

Zhou Tianhao waited for a while.

"Xiaoyun?"

No one answered.

Only steady breathing came from the side of the table.

Zhou Tianhao was just about to get up when Zhou Yun, who was lying on the table, suddenly moved his lips.

"Rice..."

The voice was very light and also very vague.

Zhou Tianhao stopped his movement.

"The rice left last time... don't know if it's finished yet..."

"And... the fruit..."

Zhou Yun's brows were slightly furrowed, as if he were still repeatedly calculating something unfinished after getting drunk.

"Last time... left too little..."

"Dad definitely won't be willing to eat it... must leave more this time..."

The words that followed gradually became muddled and could no longer be heard clearly.

But even though he was drunk and had lost consciousness, what he kept repeating in his mouth were still rice, fruit, and those people who had appeared around his father.

Zhou Tianhao put down his wine glass.

The slight drunkenness on his face remained, but his eyes were very clear.

"Got it."

He replied in a low voice.

He got up and walked to Zhou Yun's side, first picking up his own coat from the sofa and gently draping it over Zhou Yun's back.

"Terrible alcohol tolerance."

While complaining with his mouth, his movements were very gentle.

Zhou Tianhao bent down, draped one of Zhou Yun's arms over his shoulder, and hoisted him up from the chair.

Zhou Yun moved groggily.

"Dad..."

"Mmm."

Zhou Tianhao supported him and walked step by step toward the bedroom.

The lights in the hallway stretched the shadows of the father and son very long.

Arriving at the bedside, Zhou Tianhao first laid Zhou Yun down, then took off his shoes and pulled the quilt up to his chest.

Zhou Yun was already fast asleep.

The flush on his face hadn't faded yet, but his brows had smoothed out, and he was sleeping as peacefully as he did when he was a child.

Zhou Tianhao stood by the bed and watched him for a while.

Then he raised his hand and brushed the slightly messy hair on his forehead aside.

Finally, he turned off the light for Zhou Yun and closed the door.

9:00 AM the next day.

The first floor of the fruit shop.

Old Ghost was walking back and forth in front of the counter with his hands behind his back.

Several other men in suits were scattered by the shelves, occasionally looking up at the clock on the wall.

The atmosphere in the shop was stifling with anxiety.

Finally, a bald man couldn't help but lower his voice and say:

"Brother Ghost, the Young Master has already been gone for over half an hour."

"Are we just going to watch like this without even going to see him off? Is that really appropriate?"

Old Ghost stopped abruptly and turned back to glare at him.

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

The bald man shrank his neck.

"At least wake the Boss up."

"Wake him up, my ass!"

Old Ghost raised his hand and slapped the back of his head.

"The Boss specifically instructed last night that no one is allowed to go upstairs to disturb him this morning. Can't you understand human language?"

The bald man covered his head, not daring to talk back anymore.

The others nearby also shut their mouths.

But the expressions on their faces were still somewhat conflicted.

Once the Young Master leaves this time, who knows when he will return next.

As subordinates, they didn't even see him off; no matter how you look at it, it's not right.

Just as everyone was whispering, footsteps suddenly came from the wooden stairs.

Old Ghost and the others perked up and turned around in unison.

Zhou Tianhao walked down the stairs.

He was still wearing the same dark shirt from yesterday, his hair was slightly messy, and a bit of sleepiness from just waking up remained between his brows.

"Boss!"

"Boss, you're awake!"

Old Ghost hurriedly went up to meet him.

"The Young Master has already left. If we rush over now, we should still make it in time!"

Zhou Tianhao's steps as he walked down the stairs paused slightly.

"When did Xiaoyun leave?"

"Half an hour..."

Old Ghost looked down at his watch and immediately corrected himself:

"Thirty-four minutes ago."

"No need to go."

Zhou Tianhao continued walking toward the counter.

"It's too late."