"Sigh, madam, as a mother, I deeply sympathize with your situation. But this is your child, isn't it? If you keep going on like this with him for so long, I'm afraid it will affect his lifespan. In the end, wouldn't that be a terrible loss?"
"No one can hurt my Zane. No one."
Mrs. Zhuang let out a piercing cry. The sound sent chills down Victor Fan's spine. Normally, Victor Wu would never let Victor Fan witness such things, but today was different. Forced by circumstances, Victor Wu had no choice but to let Victor Fan come along—after all, when it comes to negotiations, Victor Fan is far more skilled.
Mrs. Zhuang began to pour out her grief. She was once a girl from an ordinary family, but famine forced her parents to sell her to a woman trafficker.
Because Mrs. Zhuang was beautiful from a young age, she was taken back and trained as a singer and dancer, so she could be sold for a good price in the future.
At that time, the Chu Kingdom was relatively stable. The wealthy and powerful placed high value on women who could sing and dance. When Mrs. Zhuang grew up, she became a prized performer, entertaining guests every day, though she was filled with sorrow.
Often, when guests wanted to sleep, she had to attend to them. By chance, Noah Johnson came to Chu Kingdom for business, saw her at a glance, and bought her for a high price to be his concubine.
But because Mrs. Zhuang came from humble origins, she was ostracized in the household. Even the servants treated her poorly. Only Noah Johnson truly cherished her.
At that time, the scandal of Xi Shi had shaken the world. People blamed beautiful performers, calling them the source of disaster. In some places, the public even began to kill these singers and dancers.
Even in Dingtown, despite Noah Johnson's affection, Mrs. Zhuang couldn't escape her fate. Noah Johnson's wife tried several times to drive her out of the Johnson Family, but failed thanks to Noah Johnson's intervention.
The Johnson Family business was vast, and Noah Johnson did not control it alone. His wife and several in-laws were the real pillars behind the family's wealth, so Noah Johnson actually held little real power.
Noah Johnson was delighted when Zane was born, but the others despised both Mrs. Zhuang and her son, viewing them as a disgrace to the family. From a young age, Zane learned to read people's moods.
Noah Johnson's wife would find any excuse to whip young Zane with willow branches, while his mother could only weep silently at night.
Mrs. Zhuang thought about escaping with Zane, but she couldn't break free. She was terrified, knowing full well that one day, the Johnsons would come for them both.
Sure enough, one day while Noah Johnson was away on business, her worst fears came true. Noah's wife accused Mrs. Zhuang of seducing a wealthy young man in town—a baseless charge. Using this as a pretext, the Johnsons tortured Mrs. Zhuang.
Mrs. Zhuang was beaten until her skin split and swelled, but she dared not utter a word of complaint. She endured endless torment and humiliation for her child's sake, while young Zane could only watch in silence.
At night, mother and son huddled together, sobbing in pain. Mrs. Zhuang finally resolved to flee, taking some gold and silver items to sell for survival. But it was all part of the Johnsons' plan.
The Johnsons branded her a thief. That night, Mrs. Zhuang was drowned in a washbasin—Zane saw everything with his own eyes.
After her death, Mrs. Zhuang became a ghost, and Zane could see her. What was worse, the Johnsons forced Zane to stay in the room where his mother's corpse lay, eating and sleeping beside it.
Only when the Henderson Family visited would Zane be allowed out to play with Eugene Henderson.
"I knew they wanted to drive my child mad, so every day I comforted my Zane. I warned him to play dumb if he wanted to survive. The Johnsons even tried to poison his food—if not for me, Zane would have died long ago."
Mrs. Zhuang spoke, pointing to the doorway.
"The man outside came home and didn't say a word. He is cold and heartless. I despise him. Even back in the old days, entertaining guests every night was better than living in such an inhuman family."
Mrs. Zhuang began to sob again.
Victor Fan's face showed guilt. He walked over and grabbed Zane, who was already stuffed full but kept shoving food into his mouth.
"I have a proposal."
Victor Fan spoke, then respectfully addressed Mrs. Zhuang.
"If you want to save your son, there's only one way—let him come with me and become my student. This way, the Johnsons won't dare harm him, and Mr. Johnson can rest easy."
Victor Fan could see that Noah Johnson was deeply saddened when he mentioned this, though he tried to appear indifferent. Victor knew that Noah truly loved his youngest son.
After some discussion, Mrs. Zhuang agreed. She floated gently to Zane's side and patted him.
"Zane, your mother has something to say to you."
Zane turned his head and looked solemnly at his mother.
"From now on, you don't need to play dumb in front of this gentleman. You will follow him and accept him as your teacher."
"Mother, I don't dare. If I stop pretending, won't I die?"
Zane's words made Victor Wu sniffle.
"Sigh, if it's like this here, what hope is there for the world?"
Victor Wu's voice was filled with sorrow.
After a while, once everything was settled, Victor Fan opened the door. Outside, Noah Johnson was already wearing a thick leather coat. He ran in, looking astonished.
"Father..."
I saw Zane respectfully call out and bow, but in his eyes, there was no feeling for his own father—only coldness.
Noah Johnson hugged Zane, laughing with joy and repeatedly thanking Victor Fan.
Then Victor Fan proposed taking Zane as his student and explained the dangers. Noah Johnson understood well that his wife and family harbored hostility toward Zane and wanted him gone.
If Zane hadn't pretended to be mad, they probably would have acted while Noah was away. Noah nodded and agreed.
Just then, Victor Fan's trusted aide rushed in and told him the Johnsons had found out.
"Tonight, I'll entrust Zane to you, Mr. Fan. I'll handle whatever comes next."
Noah Johnson hugged his son one last time and left. Zane's face broke into a smile.
"Aren't you sad?"
"He's not my father. If he really was, he wouldn't have let me be bullied and beaten. He's not my father..."
Looking at young Mr. Brown, I couldn't help but feel a wave of sorrow. I'd always seen Mr. Brown and John Chou getting along well, and Mr. Brown was always cheerful. I'd never seen such a bleak, lonely look in his eyes before.
After returning, Noah Johnson told his wife and relatives he had gone to do business with Julian Potter. He also decided to let Zane become Julian Potter's disciple and swore never to let him set foot in the Johnson Family home again.
With Zane gone, the entire Johnson Family seemed to celebrate. The next day, they threw a banquet and invited guests from all around.
At the same time, a rumor spread through town: Julian Potter had taken in a fool as his disciple—a reject the Johnsons didn't want. Most people already knew what had happened in the Johnson Family, and used it to mock them behind their backs.
Now, the Johnsons could finally hold their heads high, having expelled the bastard child of a lowborn woman from their home.
Outwardly, Zane still acted mad. Rumors kept swirling, saying Julian Potter must be crazy—how could anyone teach a fool?
But Victor Fan was pleased. Zane, though illiterate and slow to speak, was gifted and learned quickly.
One day, Henry Henderson brought his son Eugene Henderson to visit.
As soon as they met, Zane and Eugene shook hands and started playing in the courtyard. Victor Fan welcomed Henry Henderson and led him to a quiet spot.
"Sigh, Zhuzi—or rather, I should call you Mr. Fan."
Victor Fan smiled and replied at once.
"Mr. Henderson, you must have some business today, right?"
Henry Henderson took a sip of tea and nodded.
"These days, the Cao Kingdom is like a child holding a golden doll. What do you think...?"
Henry Henderson trailed off mid-sentence.
"Indeed, Lord Charles is fickle, always trying to please everyone, but in the end, he'll please no one and lose his own territory."
"The King of Chu has shown kindness to my family—one day, I will repay that debt."
Victor Fan nodded. He already knew the Johnsons and Hendersons served Chu, and their aim was to help Chu conquer Lu and then Cao, seizing the world for themselves.
"When the time comes, I can offer a plan if you wish to act."
Henry Henderson broke into a happy smile.
"With you—the strategist who helped Goujian defeat Wu—everything will go smoothly."