Chapter 194: The Zhou Family

Fang Ming was furious seeing Fang Han's state. If it weren't for his son's mother's family background, he would have shipped this bastard son abroad long ago!

Hearing this, Fang Han stuck his neck out and retorted, "Our family is in real estate. We have no conflict of interest with the Medicine King Hall, so what are you afraid of them for!"

When Fang Ming heard these brainless, idiotic words, his anger flared. "If you had half your older brother's brains, I wouldn't have forbidden you from touching company business... Do you have any idea how extensive the Medicine King Hall's network is nationwide! You're used to throwing your weight around in our own backyard, do you really think you're the king of the world? You idiot! Starting today, you're staying home to reflect on what you've done. You're not to leave the house without my permission!"

With that, he turned and left.

BANG!

Seeing Fang Ming leave, Fang Han kicked over the coffee table with a venomous expression. The murderous intent in his eyes was practically overflowing.

'That old fool has no guts at all. The Fang Family needs me to grow stronger!'

With a dark expression, he took out his phone and made a call.

...

Just as Fang Ming stepped out of Fang Han's room, a curvaceous woman walked over.

"Old Prescription, my son gets beaten up, and not only do you not go after the person responsible, you even scold him? What is the meaning of this!"

Fang Ming had two wives. The one before him was his first wife, Fang Han's biological mother. His second wife was Fang Rui's mother.

Hearing the woman's words, Fang Ming felt a headache coming on.

"It's one thing for Fang Han to be brainless, but you're brainless too? Is the Medicine King Hall someone our Fang Family can afford to fight?"

"Then what should we do? Is my son supposed to just take that beating for nothing?" the woman shrieked.

"What do you want to do?"

Fang Ming glared at the woman, his face red and his neck thick with rage.

The woman slammed her hand on the table. "Even the Medicine King Hall can't just go around beating people up! I don't care, you figure something out. At the very least, you have to make that pair of bastards come and apologize to my son!"

"Are you fucking crazy? Make them come and apologize? Do you think they'll actually come?"

Fang Ming was truly exhausted. Bone-tired.

The woman continued to throw a tantrum, refusing to back down. "I don't care! If you won't help me, I'll call home and have my big brother handle it! When that happens, the entire Northeast will know that you, Fang Ming, can't even protect your own son and have to rely on your in-laws to step in!"

"Fuck! You're all fucking idiots! I'm done with this!"

Furious, Fang Ming turned and stormed off.

'If it weren't for her family's power, I would have divorced this fucking idiot long ago!'

'My second wife is so much more considerate. The son she gave me is no trouble at all and can even help me with company affairs.'

Seeing Fang Ming leave, the woman stood with her hands on her hips, cursing for a while before taking out her phone to make a call.

She didn't call her older brother. Instead, she called her younger brother.

The woman's surname was Zhou. The Zhou Family was also a very powerful family in the Northeast. Their business network, which was half-legitimate and half-illicit, had fostered an arrogant and spoiled temperament in the whole family.

The eldest Zhou brother managed the legitimate businesses, while the second eldest handled the underworld dealings.

If she had called her eldest brother, the matter might have just been dropped in the end. So, she called her younger brother directly.

"Hello? Little brother, your nephew got beaten up! Are you going to do something about it or not!"

...

Chen Erbao and Lin Zhiqing had another "great battle" in the hot spring room before returning to their own room, utterly exhausted.

When they woke up, the sun was already high in the sky.

The two of them washed up and went downstairs to get something to eat.

Ivic had already prepared an itinerary. "Mr. Chen, the Celestial Pool on Changbai Mountain is very famous. Why don't we go see it today?"

Chen Erbao took the photo of the Celestial Pool, glanced at it, and nodded.

"You arrange it. We walked all day yesterday and I'm tired. As long as we don't have to climb a mountain, it's fine."

The Celestial Pool was also located in the crater of a dormant volcano, and Chen Erbao was quite keen to go down into a crater again.

'If by some chance I can find another medicinal herb containing Spiritual Qi, that would be a huge score. I might even be able to break through directly to the Qi Refining Fifth Layer.'

Ivic nodded and took out his phone to start arranging the trip.

Soon, after they finished breakfast, they got in the car and set off for the Celestial Pool on Changbai Mountain.

The Celestial Pool on Changbai Mountain was famous throughout the country. Its scenery was exceptionally beautiful, and it was a popular spot for many celebrities to take photos and post online.

Chen Erbao had seen it many times on TV before, but this was his first time visiting in person.

Because Vienna's connections were quite strong, the convoy was able to drive all the way to the foot of the Celestial Pool. After the two got out of the car, Ivic personally acted as their cameraman, shouldering a camera to take pictures for them.

Due to the altitude, the sky was a clear, brilliant blue, like a flawless mirror.

Chen Erbao led Lin Zhiqing across the soft grass. They held hands, looking as sweet and happy as a couple in the throes of new love.

"Er Bao, look! The swans over there are so beautiful!"

Lin Zhiqing was like an innocent and lively young girl, pulling Chen Erbao along as she ran across the green grass, pointing at the swans in the distant lake and exclaiming in delight.

Chen Erbao nodded and said with a laugh, "They are beautiful. They look delicious, too!"

Hearing this, Lin Zhiqing shot him a look. "Swans are so beautiful! How could you eat them!"

Chen Erbao burst out laughing and turned to ask Ivic, "Can you eat swans?"

Ivic gave an awkward smile. "Mr. Chen, the swans here are a protected species, so of course, they cannot be eaten. However, there are farm-raised ones. Their meat is generally mediocre, not even as good as duck or goose. If you'd like to try some, I can order it for you."

"Forget it, too much trouble."

Chen Erbao shook his head and led Lin Zhiqing to the edge of the Celestial Pool.

The lake water was crystal clear, reflecting the entire sky. It was a stunningly beautiful and refreshing sight.

Chen Erbao saw tour boats in the distance, so he and Lin Zhiqing rented a small boat as well, and the two of them rowed out toward the center of the lake.

"Er Bao, I wish we could be like this for the rest of our lives!"

When the boat reached the center of the lake, Lin Zhiqing lay back, gazing up at the vast, clear sky, momentarily mesmerized.

Chen Erbao gently stroked Lin Zhiqing's hair and smiled. "I will always be with you!"

"Mhm!"

Lin Zhiqing squeezed Chen Erbao's hand and replied sweetly. But then she seemed to remember something, and her delicate brows furrowed as she pouted, "Not just with me, I bet!"

"..."

Chen Erbao gave an awkward smile and said nothing.

Lin Zhiqing sighed almost imperceptibly and didn't press the issue. She sat up and snuggled into Chen Erbao's arms, letting the small boat drift on its own.

The two of them shared an intimate moment on the lake before rowing back to the shore.

"Mr. Chen, there's an ancient town over there. It's quite lively. How about we go take a look?"

Chen Erbao and Lin Zhiqing readily agreed. The three of them boarded a shuttle and headed for the ancient town.

On the way, Chen Erbao looked at Ivic, who was focused on driving, and asked:

"Is the Fang Family very powerful here?"

He didn't know much about the Fang Family, but he had a feeling that Fang Han wouldn't let things go so easily.

Ivic also knew about the previous day's conflict and, because of it, had learned Lin Zhiqing's identity, which made him even more respectful.

He thought for a moment before replying, "Mr. Chen, the Fang Family is the leader of the real estate industry in Changbai Mountain City. They have immense power and can be considered the local tyrants here. You should still be careful. If the Fang Family is unwilling to reconcile, I'm afraid things could get very troublesome."