10. He found no pleasure in this meal.

“Xinxin, what are you doing in Yanjing?”

“Working part-time.”

Su Wei took a beer from the fridge and asked as he was about to open it, but someone quickly stopped him.

“Drinking? Aren’t you going to the company this afternoon?”

Seeing it was his sister, Su Wei felt a bit helpless but still opened the bottle, then grabbed two beers and walked back.

“Brother-in-law said he has social engagements tonight. I’m fine just going home. Since my nephew is back, I have to drink a bit with him.”

“I’m not drinking.”

Chen Ze refused outright as Su Meiqing glanced over instinctively. He took a couple more bites of food and said, “You shouldn’t drink either, just in case something comes up this afternoon.”

“There’s Old Zhao and the others, what’s to be afraid of?”

Ignoring the advice, Su Wei, a bit cheeky, sat beside Chen Ze and placed the other bottle in front of him.

“It’s already opened, come on, have a drink with your uncle.”

“If you’re drinking, then I’ll drive.”

Chen Ze pushed the beer back without a word and ignored Su Wei’s gaze, turning instead to Su Meiqing.

“Mom, do you know where Dad is going tonight?”

“How would I know? Your dad doesn’t tell me everything. If you want to ask, better ask your uncle.”

Su Meiqing was concerned about Chen Ze drinking, but seeing he had his own stance, she replied with a hint of care.

“What are you driving for this afternoon?”

“Looking for a female classmate.”

Chen Ze casually said the four words, making Su Wei, who had just taken a sip of beer, nearly spit it out.

So bold, my dear.

Su Wei turned his head to look, and sure enough, Su Meiqing’s expression slightly changed, a bit displeased but not yet angry.

Su Meiqing naturally knew her son was dating. Though neither she nor her husband had refused, they hadn’t exactly supported it either. After all, he was still a student, not yet of age for romance; his main task was to study.

But this is no longer the old society; kids are more rebellious now, and harsh methods often backfire.

Yet Chen Ze’s bluntness was, in a way, a challenge to authority.

“What female classmate?”

Sure enough, Su Meiqing asked.

“From high school.”

Seeing her son so nonchalant, Su Meiqing felt complicated but tried to maintain perspective.

“Xinxin, let me tell you…”

“Ring, ring.”

The phone on the dining table rang. Chen Ze saw it was a delivery notification, picked up the phone, and said,

“I’ll be right back.”

“Where are you going? We’re eating.”

Su Meiqing’s voice called out helplessly from behind, but Chen Ze didn’t respond and took his keys from the hallway cabinet, heading out.

Xinxin…

Only family still called him that.

The Chen family followed a generational naming tradition.

Chen Ze’s full name was quite amusing in the genealogy: Chen Kaixin.

Hahaha!

That name didn’t make him happy at all, because kids can be much harsher than internet trolls.

And with no comparison, no pain—ever since elementary school when he realized his dad’s name was Chen Tianhong, he felt less and less happy about Kaixin.

Around sixth grade, when fantasy novels were popular online, he read them on the outdated flip phone Su Meiqing had discarded. There was a protagonist named Ze—he forgot the surname but remembered the given name.

He decided to change his name.

But his family didn’t agree, so when he moved to a new school, he took the liberty to rename himself Chen Ze. School records weren’t fully digital then, and teachers didn’t mind.

Later, when they moved to Jinmen, his parents realized the name could cause misunderstandings and it wasn’t the trend to follow generational characters anymore. Eventually, he officially changed his name.

…

“Nuonuo, look what this is!”

About ten minutes later, Chen Ze returned home, walking into the dining room and calling his sister’s nickname.

The little girl sat in her baby wooden chair, scooping food with a spoon, her eyes lighting up as she tilted her head.

“A bear! A teddy bear!”

Su Meiqing and her brother were stunned at the dining table, watching Chen Ze holding a white Lina bear in one arm and a large bunch of frosty blue roses in the other, momentarily speechless.

Only the little girl happily pointed back and forth. Seeing this, Chen Ze placed the small teddy bear aside.

“I’ll unwrap it for you after dinner.”

“Thank you, big brother, hee hee hee.”

Watching his sister giggle, Chen Ze went over to the still stunned Su Meiqing, handing her the flowers.

“Mom, look at what’s on the flowers.”

“Oh my.”

Caught off guard by this, Su Meiqing was both surprised and delighted, wiping her hands with a wet wipe.

“See, your big nephew understands.”

“Just what you say.”

Su Meiqing shot a big eye-roll at Su Wei, venting her excitement silently.

---

That morning, after leaving the Intercontinental Hotel, they went to Sanlitun SOHO. Nearby was a jewelry store, and the Lina bear Chen Ze bought on the bus had been slow, arriving over an hour late.

The bracelet cost over ten thousand yuan. After coming back to life, it was only natural to give his mother a gift, but gifts are never given without reason.

How to win over his father still depended on his mother, as impressions mattered greatly.

Unlike others who had been reborn, Chen Ze studied abroad, so he didn’t have to worry about suspicion over any changes in himself.

Just as his uncle joked, having studied abroad means you’re different; if you weren’t changed, something would be odd.

“Well then.”

Su Meiqing happily set the flowers aside and flicked the bracelet to show everyone to continue eating.

Su Wei, seeing his sister and niece smiling, watched Chen Ze sit back down to eat, pouted, swallowed hard, and took a big gulp of beer.

This meal didn’t taste good to him at all.

Until…

After dinner, Chen Ze led the way to the hallway. Su Wei, a bit reluctant, followed.

“It’s hot outside. Why don’t we rest a bit before going?”

Su Wei, with his belly full, wanted to say more, but Chen Ze blocked his mouth with something he took from the hallway cabinet.

Seeing two packs of 1916 cigarettes suddenly appear, Su Wei was stunned, then grabbed them happily.

“My dear nephew, I knew it!”

To Su Wei, these weren’t expensive, but the surprise of getting them back brought him immense joy.

“I knew it, you do care about your uncle.”

Watching the dramatic uncle, Chen Ze grabbed the car keys beside him and slipped out before Su Wei could reach him.

They went to the underground garage, and following Su Wei’s reminder, they reached the car and got inside.

It was a 2016 Maybach S400L—if he remembered correctly, the company purchased it last year.

In the construction business, you need some face, and cash flow is always a problem in this line. So, not exaggerating, this car was second-hand when bought.

Chen Ze had never understood before. As the chairman’s own little brother-in-law, even without skills, shouldn’t he at least manage a project or be a deputy manager? Or supervise a team?

Why was his uncle willing to be a driver?

Later, Chen Ze realized maybe his uncle didn’t want to be a driver either, but it was arranged by Su Meiqing, and he had no choice.

Su Meiqing and Su Wei were from Liaoning in Northeast China. After some family troubles in 1996, their parents froze to death, leaving the siblings to rely on each other as they moved to Hebei to live with their aunt.

Chen Ze’s great-grandmother was from their neighboring village, and naturally, Su Meiqing married Chen Tianhong.

Su Wei feared no one but Su Meiqing, and being made a driver wasn’t just about driving or washing the car.

Besides the Maybach, the company’s chairman had another official car—a 2014 Audi A8 driven by Old Zhao, as Su Wei had mentioned before.

“Nephew, where are we going to the construction site for?”