Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 563: Aunt Pan

The older generation placed great emphasis on maintaining good relations with others. Even though Zhou Yuwen had been developing his career in Jinling, which supposedly had nothing to do with the connections in this small county town, who could guarantee that their paths would not cross in the future?Besides, Zhou Yuwen had just mentioned his intentions to invest. Taking a slightly better attitude was only right; after all, these people were still his uncles and elders.

In truth, Zhou Guobin was only gently correcting his wife, but Yang Lirong felt as though her husband was scolding her and could not help but glare at him. Fortunately, Zhou Yuwen intervened to soothe them both, nodding to show that he understood.

"It is just the county gala, right? Just call me when it is time to go."

Zhou Guobin nodded in satisfaction, telling him that this was the right attitude and that he still had much to learn.

That evening, Zhou Yuwen went to spend some time in Li Shiqi's room. Catching sight of this, Yang Lirong nudged Zhou Guobin with her elbow, gesturing for him to look.

Zhou Guobin, however, had adopted a very detached view of Zhou Yuwen's romantic life. His son did not work in the government system, nor was he getting married. While his current behavior might be considered immoral, it broke no laws. Why should Zhou Guobin interfere? As a man with a certain degree of power in this small county town, he had honestly seen plenty of men juggling two families, and some of them were even his friends.

Zhou Guobin would never do such a thing himself, but he had grown indifferent to it. He was not about to meddle in these affairs.

However, as a traditional mother who spent most of her time tending to the family, Yang Lirong was rather worried. She sighed and said, "If our son keeps acting like this, what will he do in the future?"

Zhou Guobin simply replied that whatever happens, happens.

In reality, Zhou Yuwen did not do anything untoward in Li Shiqi's room. He merely lay on her bed for a while, asking if she was getting used to staying here.

The two also chatted about the topic from the dinner table. Zhou Yuwen smiled and said, "You see, even with all the money I have now, I still cannot escape my parents' control. How pitiful."

Li Shiqi giggled and replied that she actually felt quite a bit of envy toward him.

"So this is how people interact with their parents," Li Shiqi murmured.

Only then did Zhou Yuwen recall that Li Shiqi had grown up in a dysfunctional family, likely rarely having the chance to eat together as a whole household. Pulling her into his arms, he said softly, "From now on, this is your home. My parents are your parents."

"Mhm."

Li Shiqi obediently lay prone against Zhou Yuwen's chest and closed her eyes.

During the first few days of the New Year, the self-built house area in the urban village remained bustling with activity. On New Year's Eve, firecrackers roared in unison as relatives of all ages gathered at Zhou Yuwen's house for the reunion dinner.

While Li Shiqi's few days at Zhou Yuwen's home could not be described as perfectly harmonious, there were no major issues either. Mainly, it was because Li Shiqi was an incredibly diligent girl who took the initiative to do any chore she saw. Watching the sheer energy she put into her work, Yang Lirong could tell at a glance that she was entirely different from Su Qing and Zheng Yanyan.

Although those two lasses would also try to help out to curry favor, it was obvious they rarely did any manual labor. Li Shiqi was a different story; every movement she made revealed that she was no stranger to household chores.

When it came to cooking, she was even more of an expert. From stir-frying chicken to braising fish, she handled every dish flawlessly.

After witnessing this series of capable displays, even a few of Zhou Yuwen's aunts could not help but whisper to Yang Lirong, "Sister-in-law, this lass is wonderful. You can tell at a glance that she is someone who knows how to run a household. She is so considerate!"

Hearing this, Yang Lirong nodded in deep agreement.

The New Year's Eve dinner went smoothly and harmoniously. Naturally, there was no shortage of relatives trying to flatter Zhou Yuwen, but he maintained a humble demeanor, listening to his elders chat with the respectful attitude of a junior. Zhou Dagu, however, brought up the topic of his older cousin, Peng Xiaoyong.

She mentioned that his cousin was doing overtime work every day in Jinling, exhausting himself to death for a monthly salary of just over ten thousand yuan.

"Yuwen, you know what your cousin is like. He has been grounded and hardworking since he was a child. It is truly a pity for him to waste away like that."

Before Zhou Dagu could even finish, Zhou Yuwen smiled and interrupted, "Aunt, please hold on for a moment and let Xiaoyong speak for himself. Of course I know what kind of person he is. The real question is, is he willing to come and help me?"

As soon as Zhou Yuwen finished speaking, every relative at the table turned their gaze toward Peng Xiaoyong.

Peng Xiaoyong, wearing his trademark black-framed glasses, was not someone who expressed himself well. Seeing everyone staring at him, he displayed a moment of hesitation. Finally, pushing up his glasses, he looked a bit affected as he genuinely struggled to find the right words. "I majored in computer science. I am not sure if I can be of any help to Yuwen."

"I don't need your help with anything related to your major. My logistics park is still short of a manager. Just tell me, Cousin, will you come or not?"

Zhou Yuwen's logistics park was an investment worth hundreds of millions and had been under continuous construction. Yet, he had never explicitly named a manager. It was only now that everyone realized Zhou Yuwen had been saving the position for Peng Xiaoyong all along.

Hearing this, Zhou Dagu immediately beamed with joy and quickly urged Peng Xiaoyong to agree.

In truth, Peng Xiaoyong wanted to accept the offer, but his reserved nature made the words catch in his throat.

Zhou Dagu grew so anxious that she almost stomped her feet. "Sigh! Hurry up and say yes! Yuwen, your cousin just has this kind of personality. I will agree on his behalf! Come, Yuwen, your Aunt offers you a toast!"

With that, Zhou Dagu abruptly stood up, grabbing her glass of red wine, ready to down it.

This caused the entire table of relatives to roar with laughter, but Zhou Dagu did not mind in the slightest.

Zhou Yuwen possessed a good degree of emotional intelligence. He could not let Peng Xiaoyong feel as though everyone was treating his family like a joke. Therefore, Zhou Yuwen asked his aunt to hold on and said, "Aunt, there is no rush. My cousin surely needs to consider his own plans. Let him go back and think it over for a few days. It is fine, I will not be leaving during the New Year anyway. Come, Cousin, let us have a drink!"

Zhou Yuwen proactively shifted the topic and offered a toast to his cousin.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Peng Xiaoyong picked up his glass and drank with Zhou Yuwen.

After the meal, Zhou Yuwen still took the kids out to light firecrackers. Later that night, he simply stayed in the room where Li Shiqi was sleeping.

The weather had been bitterly cold during these few days of the New Year. Li Shiqi was wearing a black base shirt. After lights out, Zhou Yuwen and Li Shiqi huddled under the covers together. Zhou Yuwen first planted a couple of kisses on her, then slid his hand past her shirt hem and up her base shirt, giving her a gentle squeeze.

Zhou Yuwen and Li Shiqi had only recently established their relationship as romantic partners, so she was still quite inexperienced with many things. In her mind, as a woman, all she needed to do was lie there obediently and remain perfectly still whenever her man needed her, letting him do as he pleased.

In reality, how could it be that simple? It required both hands and mouth. In short, Zhou Yuwen did not want to be the only one putting in all the effort.

After the New Year passed, Zhou Yuwen accompanied his father to attend the countywide gala.

Every department was required to put on a performance, and the leaders of each respective department would also be in attendance.

Zhou Yuwen was considered one of the figures of interest this year.

Even before Zhou Guobin had brought Zhou Yuwen over, a leader had already asked about them, recalling that Guobin had mentioned bringing his son this year.

"Have they arrived yet?"

"Not yet."

"Alright, make sure to let me know the moment they arrive," the leader instructed.

The secretary nodded to show his understanding.

Thus, the moment Zhou Guobin arrived, the secretary pulled him aside. Logically, the secretary's rank was lower than Zhou Guobin's, but a leader's secretary carried special weight. Therefore, the secretary amicably led Zhou Guobin away and whispered, "The leader is waiting for you."

Zhou Guobin nodded.

He then brought Zhou Yuwen over.

The leader appeared very gentle. Building upon his connection with Zhou Guobin, he claimed Zhou Yuwen as his own nephew, insisting the young man should at least call him Uncle Ma. Being very sensible, Zhou Yuwen immediately addressed him as Uncle Ma.

Surrounded by various uncles and elders, Zhou Yuwen greeted them all one by one.

Afterward, Uncle Ma grabbed Zhou Yuwen's hand in a display of great familiarity, insisting that Zhou Yuwen sit right beside him.

The county towns in Northern Jiangsu were not like those in other regions. Any random county town here had a permanent population hovering around one million. So the men sitting with Zhou Yuwen now might just be county officials in name, but they governed a million people. Their every move was closely watched by countless eyes.

To put it into perspective: if this Uncle Ma of Zhou Yuwen's happened to pass by a canteen and noticed a corner of its signboard had chipped off, all he had to do was spare it a second glance, and someone would have it replaced with a brand-new sign by the very next day.

And now, his display of such blatant affection toward Zhou Yuwen was witnessed by an endless sea of observers.

The gala performances were about to begin. Uncle Ma sat there exchanging a few pleasantries with Zhou Yuwen before asking what the young man thought of his hometown.

Zhou Yuwen replied that it was quite nice.

Uncle Ma said, "You are a child of the Zhou family, not an outsider. So let us speak frankly between the two of us. Our county might look decent on the surface, but compared to the neighboring ones, it is simply too poor. We lack any core industrial chains. Out of a population of over seven hundred thousand, you are the only young man who has truly made something of himself."

Hearing this, Zhou Yuwen immediately chuckled and shook his head. "Uncle Ma, you are exaggerating. Our land is rich in talent and history; it produced the likes of Xiang Yu and Liu Bang. What do I amount to?"

Uncle Ma merely smiled at his response.

At that moment, the announcer on stage declared, "Next, please enjoy the grand chorus 'Tomorrow Will Be Better', presented by the Education Bureau and teachers from across the entire county."

As the announcement concluded, the music began to play.

Soon after, a line of female teachers with graceful figures filed onto the stage, one by one, adorned in elegant evening gowns.

These women had been handpicked from various schools, so their beauty went without saying. When Zhou Yuwen heard the announcement, he could not help but wonder if Aunt Pan would be among them.

To his surprise, the moment he looked up, he spotted Pan Min dressed in a white, backless cocktail dress.

Pan Min appeared to be the lead singer, as the color of her gown contrasted with everyone else's. Her slightly wavy long hair cascaded down her back. Her dress was a form-fitting, hip-hugging skirt design, and stepping in high heels, she walked at the very front of the procession.

When she caught sight of Zhou Yuwen sitting in the first row, she was momentarily stunned as well.

It was not until someone nudged her that she snapped out of her daze and remembered she had to sing.

She was tasked with leading the opening line: "Gently awaken the slumbering soul, and slowly open your eyes."

"Look at the busy world,"

"Is it still,"

"Spinning endlessly in lonely isolation?"

Pan Min's vocal skills were excellent, brimming with infectious emotion.

Uncle Ma, who had been chatting with Zhou Yuwen moments prior, turned his full attention to listening the moment he heard Pan Min's voice.

Pan Min sang only the first two lines before the choir of female teachers seamlessly joined in for the chorus.

When the chorus concluded, thunderous applause erupted from the audience. Pan Min placed one hand over her chest and offered a slight bow. Every glance and subtle expression she made was impossibly elegant. Her eyes lingered on Zhou Yuwen, and he stared right back at her. Even as she descended from the stage, Pan Min remained completely baffled as to why Zhou Yuwen was seated in that particular spot.

Only after the performers had left the stage did Uncle Ma remember his conversation with Zhou Yuwen. "Where were we just now?" he asked.

Zhou Yuwen jogged his memory and stated that if there was any way he could contribute to his hometown, he would naturally not shy away from the responsibility. "Uncle Ma, as you said yourself, I am practically family here. Since our people are so generous to outsiders, we certainly wouldn't be stingy with our own."

Uncle Ma let out a hearty laugh at these words, confirming that this was naturally the case.

"As long as you have a project, we will definitely throw our full support behind you."

Zhou Yuwen explained that because he was constructing a headquarters building in Jinling, he actually did not have an abundance of cash on hand. "However, if possible, I could secure a bank loan and invest an initial two billion to construct a customer service building in the city. From then on, all the customer service staff for my company will be recruited locally. What do you think, Uncle Ma?"

Uncle Ma nodded heavily in response. Patting Zhou Yuwen firmly on the shoulder, he said, "Once the New Year festivities wind down and you find the time, bring your father over to my house for a casual meal. I will have your aunt cook up a few good dishes for you."

Zhou Yuwen nodded, promising that he would certainly come over to impose on their hospitality.

Uncle Ma had limited time. He only stayed at the venue for less than an hour before excusing himself, citing other pressing matters.

The moment Uncle Ma departed, a swarm of people—some Zhou Yuwen recognized, others he did not—surrounded him. Their general sentiment was along the lines of, "Good nephew, what did your Uncle Ma just discuss with you?"

Others approached Zhou Guobin, their voices tinged with a sour note of envy as they said, "Old Zhou, you have hit the jackpot."

Zhou Yuwen treated each and every uncle and elder with the utmost respect.

Only after he had finished conversing with them all did Zhou Yuwen slip away to the backstage area.

In truth, the majority of the female teachers were quite pragmatic. However, there were always a select few who loved beauty and attention, eager to show themselves off and climb the social ladder.

For today's grand chorus, some teachers had no desire to participate and were forced to attend.

Others, conversely, had volunteered eagerly.

At this moment, they were engaged in fervent gossip backstage.

For instance, "Is that Secretary Ma?"

"I heard he is in his sixties!"

"He does not look like it at all!"

"Hey, who was that young man sitting next to him?"

"You seriously don't know him? That is Zhou Yuwen! The guy who made tens of billions playing the foreign stock market!"

"Ah?! Tens of billions? He doesn't look very old at all!"

"Why else would he be sitting in the very front row?"

Listening to their chatter, Pan Min realized that Zhou Yuwen's net worth had increased yet again.

Just as everyone was buzzing with excited discussion.

"Aunt Pan."

A call drifted in from the doorway, prompting everyone to turn and stare.

"Zhou Yuwen!?" Several female teachers gasped in disbelief, the name practically blurted out of their mouths.