Chapter 14: 14. About to Return (New Book, Please Support!)

Zhang Sicheng returned home with a worried look on his face. At this time, his wife Liu Lu had already finished cooking dinner. Seeing him in this state, she hurriedly asked, "Honey, what's wrong?"

Zhang Sicheng opened his mouth, then finally sighed and said, "The company's game operations are doing very poorly. I reckon this bonus is going to fall through."

Liu Lu also knew some of the situation at Zhang Sicheng's company. Their company had invested a huge amount of capital into this game, and Zhang Sicheng and his colleagues had been working overtime for a long time, exhausted and worn out every day.

They had hoped that after the game launched, they would be able to get a large bonus, but the reality dealt them a heavy blow.

Liu Lu felt a bit upset upon hearing this news, but seeing her husband's worried face, she forced a smile and said, "It's okay, don't be too anxious. We aren't short on this little bit of money at home for the time being."

Zhang Sicheng looked at his wife comforting him; while feeling a warmth in his heart, he also felt a sense of guilt. His wife had been married to him for so long and had always been suffering along with him.

Zhang Sicheng managed to force a smile. In truth, he had withheld one piece of information: their game company might be going bankrupt.

The losses this time were simply too great; the boss could no longer bear it.

Of course, this was only an internal rumor and had not been confirmed, but rumors often have some basis in fact.

"By the way, honey, I just watched the news. The news said that in a week, your dad and those people will be back. What do you think?" Liu Lu hurriedly spoke of the news she had just seen on the broadcast.

Now Zhang Sicheng was even more at a loss for what to say.

His father's return already made his mood somewhat complicated, and now with his own situation, there wasn't much savings left in the house.

His younger sister wasn't very well-off either, and she had been tied up in a divorce lawsuit recently.

Zhang Sicheng definitely needed to pick his father up upon his return; no matter what, it was impossible to ignore this father of his.

Just as Liu Lu said, this was what he, as a son, ought to do.

This would be another not-insignificant expense.

Although his father had previously predicted the development of society, Zhang Sicheng did not know if his father would truly be able to adapt once he was placed in modern society.

And regardless, in the early stages, his father would certainly need them, his children, to support him. After all, he would still need to adapt to society, even if his father's actual age might be younger than his own.

Rent, utilities, living expenses, transportation costs, his son's tuition, extracurricular classes...

These expenses would certainly need to increase again in the near future, and Zhang Sicheng did not know what he should do.

If he lost his job, then everything in the household would need to be carried by his wife. He didn't know if he would be able to hold on.

"What's wrong? Don't think too much; what needs to be faced still has to be faced." Liu Lu thought Zhang Sicheng was still struggling with the issue and spoke up to comfort him.

Zhang Sicheng smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'm fine. By the way, you should also arrange for time off from the hospital when the time comes, and we'll go see him together."

"I want to go too, I want to see Grandpa," Zhang Xiaotao suddenly raised his hand from the side.

Now he also knew that his grandfather was coming back, and he was very curious about this grandfather he had never met since he was little.

Zhang Sicheng stroked his son's little head and smiled, "Alright, you can go too. It just so happens that it's Sunday for you as well."

"Oh, I have a grandpa! I'm going to see Grandpa!" the little guy shouted excitedly.

Although Zhang Xiaotao was very sensible, he still couldn't understand adult matters, so he couldn't grasp the worries of Zhang Sicheng and Liu Lu.

Zhang Siyan was currently living with Qian Li. Qian Li was a local of Shanghai, but her family wasn't very wealthy and only had one apartment.

If Zhang Siyan went to stay for a day occasionally, it would be fine, but living there for a long time—and with her daughter in tow—made Zhang Siyan feel embarrassed.

Even though Qian Li's parents liked Zhang Siyan very much, and liked Susu even more, it still wasn't appropriate.

Qian Li also knew this situation, so she moved out of her home immediately and rented a place with Zhang Siyan.

This was to take care of Zhang Siyan and Susu, and at the same time, to share some of Zhang Siyan's financial pressure.

Not only that, Qian Li asked Zhang Siyan to go into business with her. She currently ran a cosmetics shop, and business was quite good.

Qian Li never thought about having Zhang Siyan come over to help or work as an employee; she directly asked Zhang Siyan to be her partner, with the two of them splitting everything fifty-fifty.

Although Zhang Siyan had no money now, she could pay it off with the money she earned in the future.

Qian Li, this best friend of hers, truly treated Zhang Siyan like her own sister.

"Susu, you're going to see your maternal grandfather soon. Are you happy?" Qian Li teased Susu.

Susu was only five years old now, but there wasn't much of a smile on her delicate little face, giving people a cold, aloof feeling.

Susu just glanced at Qian Li and pouted, "Not happy. Why should I be happy?"

She really didn't like this maternal grandfather she had never met. Her mother's father hadn't appeared when her mother was being bullied; he wasn't a good father, and even less of a good grandfather.

Modu Hotel.

The Meng He family had just arrived in Shanghai. The moment they learned the news, the whole family rushed over here.

"Mom, when are we going to visit Aunt Huo?" Meng Zixuan asked expectantly.

Meng Zixuan admired Huo Zhiyuan very much.

"No rush, it's already late. Let's wait until tomorrow. I'll ask your Aunt Huo tonight if she has time tomorrow," Lin Meizhi said.

"By the way, Mom, let me interview you now. You're about to see your secret crush; how are you feeling?" Meng Mingxuan said, courting death.

"Get lost, kid! Do you believe I'll beat you to death? Do you really think I don't exist?" Meng He was instantly furious; this kid was practically slapping his face in front of everyone.

At Huo Zhiyuan Villa, Huo Zhiyuan was currently wearing a facial mask and having a spa treatment. For the past month and a half, other than handling some official business, she had spent all her time maintaining her skin and exercising, just wanting to adjust her state to the best it could be.

She had also just learned this news from the media, so her mood at this moment was a mix of excitement, nervousness, anxiety, and worry...

Various emotions were intertwined, making it impossible for her to calm down.

Zhao Jingyu was standing to the side and knew Huo Zhiyuan's current state of mind; Huo Zhiyuan had been in this state for quite some time.

"Sister, I helped you pick out some clothes. When do you have time to try them on?" Zhao Jingyu said. She knew how to make Huo Zhiyuan shift her focus.

Sure enough, upon hearing her words, Huo Zhiyuan's attention was immediately diverted, and she hurriedly asked, "Where are the clothes?"

"They've already been delivered, they're downstairs," Zhao Jingyu said.

"I'll go right now," Huo Zhiyuan wanted to go pick out clothes immediately.

Zhao Jingyu stopped her: "Sister, don't be in such a hurry. A little later is fine. Finish the spa first; that way the effect will be best."

"Alright."

Zhao Jingyu suppressed her laughter; she found Huo Zhiyuan in this state to be quite cute.