"Hey, Joy, who is this Lynn?"
Old Madam Grace Zheng, sitting nearby, perked up at the name and immediately turned to Joy Zheng, her face full of curiosity.
Autumn Zheng and Celine Lin both pricked up their ears, clearly interested in the question too.
"She’s Lucy Lu’s daughter. Back when Evan first went to Minghai to study, he boarded at their place. Lynn still goes to the same school as Evan now."
Joy Zheng gave a simple explanation.
Old Madam Grace Zheng immediately got excited. "So, is that girl pretty? Is she good enough for my grandson?"
Hearing her mother’s question, Joy Zheng laughed and glanced over at Evan. "Isn’t Lynn pretty cute? She was already so fresh and pretty as a kid. You know how girls blossom as they grow up—she must be even better looking now."
"She probably has plenty of admirers at school, right? Your Auntie Lu told me Lynn got a bunch of love letters back in junior high—she was so stressed about it."
Talking about Lynn Chen got Joy Zheng all fired up, and she started sharing a bunch of stories from Evan’s childhood too.
"Young Lord, you were really that childish back then?"
When Joy Zheng mentioned that Evan wet the bed at age ten, Celine Lin’s expression turned a bit odd. She leaned in close to Evan and whispered a question.
Evan took a sip of water and didn’t answer.
Joy’s stories made the whole table relax. Evan could face these old embarrassing moments with ease, and seeing his mom’s genuine laughter as she kept going, he couldn’t help but smile too.
In the end, all you want in life is to live with a clear conscience and an open heart.
It’s just bed-wetting—who hasn’t done that as a kid?
Hearing Joy Zheng talk about all this, Old Madam Grace Zheng’s cheerful face turned a little bittersweet. She gripped Joy’s hand, her expression full of guilt, and sighed about how hard it must have been for Joy to raise Evan all on her own.
Autumn Zheng watched Evan stay calm and composed through it all, and couldn’t help but feel a bit of admiration.
"So, Evan, I’m your second uncle—Hans Zheng." Hans Zheng stood up, raised his glass, and downed it in one go.
He looked gentle and kind, with a calm, easygoing presence.
After Hans Zheng’s toast, Leon Zheng took a deep breath, as if steeling himself. He got up, holding his glass, looked at Evan, and said, "No matter what I was thinking at the time, what I did two days ago was still wrong."
"From now on, I won’t force you to acknowledge me as your uncle. But I’ll say this—if you want the Zheng family’s companies or assets, just say the word."
Leon Zheng had already been quietly drinking alone for quite a while before saying this.
His face was flushed, eyes bloodshot. Before Evan could reply, Leon turned to Joy Zheng, his eyes suddenly wet with tears. "Joy, it’s me, your big brother, who made you suffer!"
"It’s my fault. Back then, I could only stand with the family and agreed to drive you out of Oceanport. My weakness made you suffer all these years!"
"I..."
By the end, Leon Zheng’s eyes were brimming with tears.
Normally, Leon Zheng seemed especially tough, always giving off an iron-fisted vibe. But the grievances he’d bottled up deep inside had never found an outlet—until now.
Back then, of course, he could have defied everything and gone to war with the Keene family.
But if it really came to that, the Zheng family would probably have vanished from Oceanport by now.
The difference between a boy and a man is this: a boy only sees right and wrong, while a man learns to weigh choices and trade-offs.
"Big brother, you don’t have to say any more—I understand."
Joy Zheng was swept up in Leon’s emotions, her eyes going red too.
Evan hadn’t expected this from Leon Zheng. He’d always figured Leon was the type to guard the family fortune with an iron grip, so hearing him talk like this was a real surprise.
If you looked closely, Leon Zheng’s words made it clear—he was ready to hand over the entire Zheng family business to Evan.
"That’s too much."
Evan shook his head.
"Um, Evan, may I ask for a favor?"
At that moment, Old Master George Zheng looked at Evan, a bit nervous.
"Go ahead."
"It’s about Master Bi. He’s protected our family for years, but a long time ago, he suffered a serious injury that damaged his cultivation. Later, that Daoist Yan did something to him—some kind of poison, I think. Could you take a look at him?"
As Old Master George Zheng spoke, Evan glanced at Bi Mohai, who was sitting beside him.
Bi Mohai’s face was pale. Though he still looked spirited on the surface, there was a persistent shadow of gray in his eyes.
Noticing Evan’s look, Bi Mohai managed a faint smile and spoke softly, "My illness is a bit complicated—don’t trouble yourself over it."
"It’s fine. I’ll help you after dinner."
Evan’s words instantly made Old Master George Zheng light up with excitement.
Halfway through the meal, Warren Wu’s natural charlatan flair came out in full force. He quoted classics and rattled off all sorts of feng shui theories, making Old Master George Zheng and Old Madam Grace Zheng burst out laughing.
During the banquet, Susan Xu—who hadn’t shown her face all evening—appeared nervously at the door, clutching a cell phone.
She hesitated for a moment, then hurried over to the table and handed the phone to Leon Zheng.
"Who’s calling?"
Leon Zheng had been drinking and was already in a bad mood. Seeing Susan Xu only made him more irritable, and his tone was harsh.
"It’s... it’s Summer Yun."
Susan Xu’s face looked troubled as she spoke quietly.
At her words, Leon Zheng’s expression changed. Old Master George Zheng, who’d just been smiling, suddenly looked grim and snorted, "She still remembers to call home? She’s been abroad for years and never once come back!"
Old Master George Zheng was visibly angry.
The Zheng patriarch had five children: Leon Zheng was the eldest, Hans Zheng the second, Caiyun Zheng the third, Summer Zheng the fourth, and Joy Zheng the youngest.
After Summer Zheng went abroad for her studies, she only called home occasionally and never came back. That’s why Old Master George Zheng was especially unhappy with her.
Leon Zheng answered the call, listened for a bit, and his face grew darker by the second. In the end, he coldly replied, "No way," and hung up.
Old Master George Zheng wanted to ask what it was about, but didn’t want to ruin the mood, so he kept his questions to himself.
Evan didn’t bother with this sort of thing.
When the meal was over, Old Madam Grace Zheng took Joy Zheng out for a walk, while Old Master George Zheng asked Faye Zheng to take the Southriver Sword Sect disciples out for some fun.
This time, the Southriver Sword Sect swordsmen were all in their twenties. Truth be told, Old Master George Zheng had his own reasons—he hoped Faye would take them out and maybe catch someone’s eye.
If something did happen, it’d be a good way to show off the Zheng family’s strength.
Evan knew what was going on, but let it slide. Ding Daoming just nodded, while the Southriver swordsmen were visibly excited.
Evan got up and left with Bi Mohai, heading to Bi’s residence.