Chapter 2179

The former Zhou Anlei was ordinary, unremarkable, and ignorant. But now he has undergone a complete transformation and is no longer the detestable, good-for-nothing scoundrel.

Two short years may not seem long in the span of a lifetime, yet within this period, his fate was completely rewritten.

From the exposure of the fake liquor factory, Zhou Anlei fled to Yangcheng only to be set up, losing all his wealth, having his legs broken, and being forced onto the streets to beg.

When he was deep in the depths of despair, fate intervened—Zhou Andong rescued him. Thereafter, Zhou Anlei's life entered its glorious phase.

First, he accompanied Zhou Andong to a high-end entrepreneurs' forum banquet, witnessing scenes only seen in films and TV dramas, which utterly broadened his horizons.

Then, a beautiful woman mistakenly ended up in his bed; Zhou Andong gave him 100,000 to negotiate a deal worth hundreds of millions with her, ultimately leading to his romance with Pang Jie and the opening of a baozi shop.

It can be said that everything that happened over these two years would be rich and colorful for anyone—many people might never encounter such experiences in a lifetime.

Yet it is precisely these deeply memorable hardships and setbacks, like an extraordinarily sharp double-edged sword, that brought Zhou Anlei pain and torment while also prompting his rapid growth and maturity.

Today, Zhou Anlei's depth of thought and perspective on matters have undergone a tremendous, earth-shaking transformation.

Therefore, as his parents repeatedly come here to cause trouble, he thinks of Zhou Anbin. If he does not properly resolve their issues early, then when Zhou Anbin is released from prison, the situation will become even more complicated and troublesome.

By then, the issue will not merely be whether he can stay with Pang Jie, but whether the baozi shop can continue operating will become uncertain.

He knows his elder brother too well: that man is arrogant, lazy, idle, overambitious yet incapable, conceited yet unlearned—a foolish donkey.

Had it not been for that donkey's simple-mindedness and ease of being deceived, how could he have been tricked into making fake liquor, happily helping others count money, nearly getting himself killed?

Once Zhou Anbin is released and learns that he has opened a baozi shop with booming business, if he merely reaches out to ask for money, Zhou Anlei could still barely accept it.

But if that donkey fails to understand his own limits and insists on meddling in the baozi shop's daily operations, trouble will ensue.

Moreover, given Zhou Anbin's arrogant and self-important nature, this possibility is very high. If he refuses, following Zhou Anbin's consistent domineering style, he will surely cause trouble.

Adding to that, his parents who only know how to stir up chaos—it is unimaginable; the good life he has painstakingly built will ultimately turn into what kind of chaotic scene of chickens flying and dogs jumping.

And since Zhou Anbin's release is still at least four or five years away, he must prepare in advance and resolve his parents' issues early; waiting until things are utterly blocked before seeking a solution would be too late.

By then, even if Zhou Anbin is released, without parental support, if he dares to come here to cause trouble and disrupt his life, Zhou Anlei dares to chop off that donkey's hands with a knife.

Of course, if Zhou Anbin is reformed in prison and comes out able to work honestly, he naturally would not watch his elder brother suffer hardship and would certainly lend a hand.

Zhou Anlei's words struck like a thunderbolt, violently hitting Zhou Xiaode and Zhao Guifen's hearts, leaving them utterly stunned, even Huang Ge wore a look of surprise.

In the long river of traditional Chinese culture, filial piety has always been regarded as the top priority, yet now Zhou Anlei actually wants to sever the parent-child relationship—this is simply unfilial and rebellious.

Although from the perspective of modern law, so-called severing of parent-child relations is not actually recognized in practice, that deep-rooted feudal mindset remains like an insurmountable great mountain.

In the eyes of all Chinese people, the blood connection between children and parents is natural and proper; any act of defying filial piety will surely be despised.

The atmosphere in the detention room fell into an eerie silence; after a while, Zhou Xiaode let out an angry roar.

"You little bastard, I'll fuck your mother—do you want to sever ties with me?"

Zhou Xiaode's eyes turned red, he paced around looking for something handy, but there was nothing here; he wanted to undo his belt, but upon looking down, his belt was just a cloth strip.

This old man is truly furious; having no handy weapon, he stops searching, raises his hand, and viciously slaps Zhou Anlei's face.

"Pa!" Huang Ge, quick-eyed and swift-handed, grabbed Zhou Xiaode's wrist and said sternly: "Fighting in the police station—this isn't as simple as staying here for a week or a month; you might even be sentenced."

Zhou Xiaode glared at Huang Ge, his other hand pointing at Zhou Anlei: "He is my son; a father beating his son is natural and proper."

Huang Ge snorted coldly: "Is this a society ruled by law now? Even fathers beating sons is illegal."

Zhou Anlei laughed: "Officer, let him go, let him hit—perfect, sentence him to a few years, and I can also have some peace for a few years."

Zhao Guifen hurriedly grabbed Zhou Xiaode: "Dad, forget it—just pretend he isn't your son."

Seeing the officer's tense expression, Zhou Xiaode's pent-up anger instantly dissipated; he seized the opportunity to withdraw his hand.

"Dad, Mom, what I just said was completely serious." Zhou Anlei looked at his parents: "Do you want me to support you in your old age without interfering in my affairs with Pang Jie?

Or do you want me to sever ties with you, lose me as your son, and rely on your eldest son in prison to support you in old age? I give you one day to consider; I'll come back tomorrow night."

Having said that, Zhou Anlei turned and walked away.

As Huang Ge was about to close the detention room door, he saw Zhao Guifen plop down onto the ground, patting it with pa-pa sounds, then began to wail loudly.

"Oh my goodness, how did I give birth to such a heaven-defying tiger-fool of a calf? I've lost all face—what am I to do..."

"Shut up!" Huang Ge shouted sternly.

"Eh!"

Zhao Guifen felt as if an invisible hand had choked her throat; her wailing stopped abruptly, she stared blankly at the officer's dark blue face, and shrank her neck.

"Are you treating this place as your home?" Huang Ge said sternly: "If you keep wailing and crying, I don't mind locking you up for another two months."

Zhao Guifen sprang up, nodding frantically at Huang Ge: "I won't cry anymore."

Facing Zhou Xiaode and Zhao Guifen, Officer Huang's head also ached; fortunately, these two feared the police, otherwise it would truly be difficult to handle.

"Bang!"

Huang Ge slammed the door shut, locked it, then caught up with Zhou Anlei.

"Er Lei, will your parents compromise?"

As he said this, he also hoped Zhou Anlei would quickly resolve his parents' issues so they wouldn't keep bringing that odd couple to the police station.

"I don't know either!" Zhou Anlei said with a smile: "But this is just an appetizer; if they agree, I can save myself a lot of trouble. If they don't, I have plenty of ways to deal with them."