Shang Ke gave a mocking smile. His mother was still as controlling as ever.
Even at her age, she still refuses to let go of the family's power.
Is she afraid her grandson will get out of control?
But no matter how much she controls, how long can she keep it up?
"Eat." Shang Ke pulled out a chair at the dining table, making a big gesture, nothing like the gentleman he used to be.
Now, he seemed to have returned to his roots, looking just like a real farm owner.
"Who knows you came here?" Shang Ke casually picked up a knife and fork, slicing into the poorly baked bread and not-so-well-cooked steak in front of him. He didn't care that the food was way below his status.
"No one knows except Mo Yu and Mo Shuo." Shang Xiaojin lowered his gaze, imitating his father as he ate the unappetizing food.
Just as expected.
But it wasn't hard to accept.
Looks like Dad has gotten used to life here over the years.
"You've finally made some progress." Sean Kerr glanced at Sam Shang. "I'm afraid it won't be long before your grandmother's people find me here. What are you planning to do?"
"Father, I don't want to go back," Sam Shang said through gritted teeth. "I've fallen for a girl, but Grandma doesn't like her and won't accept her."
"Just as expected." Sean Kerr said indifferently. "She must have already picked out a fiancée for you. As long as you agree, the wedding could be arranged right away. But now, it seems you don't want her controlling you anymore. So, who is this girl? If she gave you the courage to stand up and not be a coward, she must be something special."
After he finished, Sean Kerr gave a self-deprecating smile. "Honestly, you're much stronger than I ever was. If only I could've been like you back then..."
If, back then, he'd been as brave as Sam Shang, maybe things wouldn't have ended up like this with Rona.
His son might seem timid and powerless, but in reality, he's bold, meticulous, and calculating.
Far better than he ever was.
What right did he have to lecture anyone now?
Sean Kerr smiled and didn't say anything more.
But Sam Shang took the initiative to explain, "Her name is Yuan Shisan. She's the captain of Nuo's personal guard. The main thing is... she's six years older than me."
Sean Kerr was stunned. "What?!"
Sean Kerr truly hadn't expected his son to fall for a woman like that.
A captain of the personal guard, and six years older than him.
This is way tougher than what happened with Rona back then!
No wonder Sam Shang didn't even try to resist—he just left right away.
Forget about Grandma Shang—even an ordinary family would probably have a hard time accepting this, right?
"That girl, she..."
"She doesn't know anything," Sam Shang said. "She never knew how I felt. It's always been me, one-sided."
Tsk, tsk, tsk.
What kind of bad luck have the men of the Kerr Family brought upon themselves?
Every single one of them is the same.
Sean Kerr put down his knife and fork, at a loss for words.
"I want to settle all the family troubles before I confess to her." Sam Shang gripped his knife and fork tightly and said, "Father, I don't want to be a coward. I don't want to be someone who needs protection just to survive. I like her, so I can't dump my problems on her."
"So how do you plan to solve it?" Sean Kerr asked.
"I don't know," Sam Shang shook his head. "That's why I came to you."
"If you came here hoping I'd help you fight your grandmother, then you came to the wrong person." Sean Kerr gave a self-deprecating smile. "Back then, I gave up my inheritance from the Kerr Family to gain my freedom. I could do that because, besides what the family gave me, I had my own business and savings. But you, you have nothing. Everything you have comes from the family. If you break ties with them, how will you survive? Love isn't just talk—it's about the daily grind. Life costs money, you need connections everywhere. Have you thought this through?"
Sam Shang said nothing.
"So you have nothing, yet you ran away from home, swearing you'd fix everything. Based on what?" Sean Kerr mercilessly shot down his son's hopes.
"Father, what should I do?" Sam Shang asked. "I need your help."
"We'll talk about it later." Sean Kerr nodded dismissively. "Let's see how things go. For now, eat up and get some rest. You're still jet-lagged, aren't you?"
Suddenly, Sam Shang felt the food in his mouth was tasteless.
The next day, Sam Shang obediently followed Sean Kerr around, working on the farm with him.
He swapped his expensive, delicate brand-name clothes for cheap, durable workwear, put on rubber gloves and a straw hat, bent over to load dried hay onto the pickup truck, and drove it to the warehouse.
Even though it was summer, the cows' winter feed was already being stocked up.
Sean Kerr thought Sam Shang wouldn't be able to handle the hard work and would give up after two days.
But to his surprise, Sam Shang not only stuck with it, he kept getting better at it.
A few days of sweat smoothed out the edges of that spoiled rich kid, and he finally started living like a real person.
Finally, a week later, the Kerr Family finally tracked down Sean Kerr.
Sean Kerr glanced at the nervous Sam Shang and said, "Keep working here. I'll go meet them. After all these years, this is the first time they've come to my place on purpose."
"Yes." Only then did Sam Shang relax, watching Sean Kerr drive off in the pickup, his figure swaying as he left.
When Sean Kerr returned to the manor, he saw Grandma Kerr's assistant, dressed in a teal three-piece suit, looking all high and mighty, waiting at the door.
Sean Kerr gave a self-deprecating smile.
Look at that—the dog Grandma Kerr keeps by her side looks more respectable than her own family.
"Sir, long time no see." The assistant nodded with reserved politeness, a hint of disdain in his eyes.
Sean Kerr didn't bother with pleasantries. He jumped out of the pickup and walked inside.
The dust he brought in made the assistant wrinkle his nose.
Ha, does he still think he's the Kerr Family heir?
What's he trying to act all high and mighty for?
The assistant secretly grumbled to himself.
"What do you want?" Sean Kerr poured himself a glass of water and asked casually, "I've been away from the Kerr Family for years. If you're looking for me, it can't be anything major, right?"
"Sir, I'm here on the old lady's orders to ask if you've seen Young Master Jin." The assistant kept his hands in his pockets, arrogance clear in his eyes. "If he's here, please persuade him to go home soon, so the old lady doesn't get angry."
"He's not here." Sean Kerr gulped down his water, wiped his mouth, and said, "You can leave now."
The assistant was momentarily speechless, then said, "Sir, Young Master Jin is the Kerr Family's only heir. If something happens to him..."
"If something happens to him, wouldn't that be your chance?" Sean Kerr didn't miss the calculation and ambition in the assistant's eyes.
Ever since this man showed up by Grandma Kerr's side, he's been stirring up trouble.
Sean Kerr may be in Scotland, but he's not out of the loop.
He knows everything that's been happening back home.
The assistant's face twitched at Sean Kerr's words. "What are you talking about, sir? I don't even have the Kerr surname."
"So you do know you don't have the Kerr surname." Sean Kerr said coolly. "I thought you'd forgotten. Besides Sam Shang, there are other branches in the family. If they want an heir, it's not that hard. You could easily prop up a puppet, and the whole Kerr Family would be under your control, wouldn't it?"
The assistant's face suddenly turned pale.
How did Sean Kerr know what he was planning?
He really was planning exactly that.
But the puppet he wanted was Sam Shang, not anyone else.
"Sir, you must be mistaken... I didn't..." The assistant tried hard to explain.
Sean Kerr pointed at his eyes and said, "I'm not blind. I trust what I see. I know exactly what you're up to. But don't worry, since I've already given up my inheritance, I don't care who ends up with the Kerr Family. Whether it's Sam Shang or you, it's all the same to me. I haven't spent a penny of the family's money in over twenty years. So, do whatever you want with the Kerr Family—don't bother worrying about me."
With that, Sean Kerr picked up his toolbox and headed out. "I'm busy here, so I won't keep you for dinner."
Sean Kerr tossed the toolbox into the car, jumped into the driver's seat, and sped off.
The assistant stood there, his face shifting between green and white.
He felt flustered at having his thoughts exposed, embarrassed at being seen through, and tense under invisible pressure.
The assistant had always thought Sean Kerr was just a useless fool.
Otherwise, why would he give up the Kerr Family and run off to Scotland to raise cows?
But today, after meeting him, the assistant realized he'd been wrong.
If Sean Kerr were really useless, he wouldn't have been one of the Three Musketeers back then.
The assistant watched Sean Kerr's retreating figure with a gloomy look, then left in frustration.
The assistant was sure Sam Shang was hiding with Sean Kerr, but he didn't dare push his luck.
Sean Kerr was even trickier than he'd imagined.
He could only take his time.
Sean Kerr returned to the farm and saw Sam Shang in the distance, still working hard moving hay. He couldn't help but smile. "At least he's not too stupid—he knows to find someone to rely on. But he's still too green, can't outplay those old foxes yet. Oh well, he's my son, after all. I can't let him down."
Sean Kerr picked up his phone and dialed a long-lost number. "Si Chen, long time no see!"
Yin Sichen, surprised to get Sean Kerr's call, put down his work and stood up. "Sean Kerr? You finally decided to contact me? What's up? Got trouble you can't handle and need my help?"
Sean Kerr sighed. "Do you have to know me so well? You don't leave me any room to hide!"