Chapter Thirty-One: Madam, Zhang Fan Is No Ordinary Man!

The middle-aged man drinking water was none other than Zhu Changshan, the father of Zhu Qing’an.

Zhu Changshan did not even glance at his wife, his eyes remaining fixed on the social news broadcast on the television. He took a sip of tea and spoke in a flat, indifferent tone.

"My dear wife, didn't you come from an ordinary family yourself back in the day?"

"When you married me, why didn't you say that commoners shouldn't marry into wealth and power?"

"Xiao An is a grown woman now; stop trying to control her with your outdated mindset."

"As long as she is happy, that is all that matters."

Mother Zhao sneered, her face filled with disdain.

"If that Zhang Fan were at least a successful man, even with just tens of millions in assets, I wouldn't discriminate against him."

"But he used to be a delivery driver and a construction worker. How do you expect me to accept him being with my daughter?"

Zhu Changshan finally frowned, turning his head to glare at her with displeasure.

"Why are you still clinging to those feudal, hierarchical views?"

"Even if she wanted to marry a beggar, as long as she is happy, what of it? I, Zhu Changshan, could turn a beggar into a billionaire, couldn't I?"

Mother Zhao was about to retort when a helicopter landed on the lawn outside the villa. Zhu Qing’an walked in briskly. At this moment, she had shed the shyness she displayed in front of Zhang Fan, replaced by a commanding and powerful demeanor.

"Mom, I know what you want to say."

"But I will not give up on being with Brother Zhang Fan."

"I came back just to tell you: do not stand in our way, or I will sever our mother-daughter relationship."

Upon hearing this, Mother Zhao was nearly incensed to the point of exploding. Her hair seemed to bristle with rage, and her body trembled as she pointed a finger at Zhu Qing’an.

"Zhu Qing’an! Do you even know who you are?"

"You graduated from the world's most prestigious university, you were born into one of the five greatest families on earth, and you are the only daughter of the main branch of the Zhu family!"

"The Zhu family business is vast. If you don't find a man of your own social standing, do you really expect Zhang Fan to be able to protect our legacy?"

Zhu Qing’an felt a splitting headache and was utterly exhausted by the conversation.

"Why must I rely on a man to protect the family legacy?"

"With my own ability, I am fully capable of maintaining and upgrading the industrial chains of the main branch."

"Mom, I don't want to waste any more time on this. In short, you are not to lay a finger on Zhang Fan, do you understand?"

She cast a cold, annoyed glance at her mother and retreated into her private quarters. With nowhere to vent her fury, Mother Zhao lashed out at an innocent female assistant with a scathing verbal assault. Seeing that no one was paying her any heed, Mother Zhao gritted her teeth in frustration.

*No!*

*Tomorrow, I will go see Zhang Fan myself.*

*I will force him to break up with my daughter!*

*Who does he think he is? Does he even deserve her?*

***

The next morning, Zhang Fan opened his social media feed as usual, looking for updates from Liu Yan. It was his daily dose of comedy.

But strangely, Liu Yan, who would post dozens of times a day about her sense of superiority in the United States, was silent.

*What's going on?*

*Could she have kicked the bucket?*

Zhang Fan couldn't help but let a smirk tug at the corner of his mouth.

*If she's dead, then good riddance.*

A woman like that was simply not worth sympathizing with. Compared to her hatred of her own country and her fawning over everything foreign, Zhang Fan felt that her past infidelity was barely worth mentioning. She was fundamentally flawed; she grew up eating the rice of China yet spent her life badmouthing the country while praising the United States.

It is one thing to move to another country for the sake of one's livelihood or career. But to move abroad and immediately turn around to insult your own homeland? That is something people of any nation would find impossible to accept.

After preparing breakfast as usual and eating with his mother and daughter, Zhang Fan dropped his daughter off at school.

"Daddy!"

Zhang Qingyun clung to him with her soft arms, giggling.

"Make sure Mom An comes to pick me up after school today."

"Mom An is so beautiful; if she comes, I'll be so proud!"

Zhang Fan laughed heartily, amused by his daughter's adorable vanity.

"Alright, alright, I'll make sure she comes to get you."

Watching his daughter enter the school, Zhang Fan headed straight to a domestic staffing agency to hire help for his mother. When the candidates stood before him, he was genuinely surprised. He pointed at the young, attractive women, all of whom appeared to have just graduated from university, with a perplexed expression.

"Wait, buddy, why does your company have so many college graduates?"

"Isn't the housekeeping industry usually staffed by older aunties?"

The manager of the agency, who clearly recognized Zhang Fan, wore a look of smile and admiration.

"Mr. Zhang, you might not know this, but every industry is incredibly competitive these days."

"In our line of work, since we serve high-end clients like yourself, our staff must be exceptional in every regard."

"Not only do they undergo a year of professional home-care training, but their appearance and educational backgrounds are also carefully vetted."

"After all, our starting rate is a hundred thousand a month per person."

Zhang Fan had a sudden realization and patted the manager on the shoulder.

"Alright, Xiao Wang, just arrange two for me."

Xiao Wang paused, stunned.

"Two?"

Zhang Fan nodded.

"Yes, I'm moving into a bigger house. Making one person clean such a large place is exhausting, isn't it?"

"Besides, my mother is in a wheelchair; sometimes one person can't lift her alone."

"With two people working together, they'll have more time to rest, and they can cover for each other if one has an emergency."

Xiao Wang was moved to the verge of tears. *My god!* He had seen many bosses in his time, including social elites and successful entrepreneurs. But this was the first time he had ever met someone who cared about the workers themselves, even worrying about them getting tired!

If it were his own boss, they would have had him working twelve hours a day without overtime pay. Zhang Fan was truly a celebrity who deserved his fame, with far better values than the other bizarre internet personalities.

Xiao Wang promptly arranged for two young housekeepers. After having the manager hand them the keys and escort them to meet his mother, Zhang Fan drove to a car dealership. Since he had become an internet sensation, there were no clichéd incidents of staff failing to recognize him or looking down on him, nor the ensuing "face-slapping" drama.

In the shadows, Mother Zhao and several bodyguards followed closely behind.

"Listen up," she commanded. "When that brat walks out of the dealership, rush up and beat him!"

"Beat him until he's crippled, understand?"

The bodyguards nodded solemnly. Mother Zhao waited in silence, a cold sneer on her lips. *Once you're a cripple, no matter how much my daughter likes you, she won't be able to be with you. I don't know what kind of spell you've cast on her, but you are not worthy of my daughter!*

After waiting for half an hour, Zhang Fan drove out of the dealership. One bodyguard was about to charge forward, but another hurriedly reached out to stop him.

"Don't move!"

Mother Zhao was startled, then immediately enraged.

"Xiao Li, what are you saying?"

"In this world, besides the members of the other four great families, is there anyone the Zhu family cannot touch?"

"Did you not hear what I just said?"

Xiao Li swallowed hard, his heart racing with anxiety.

"Madam, that boy's background—it seems it's not as simple as we thought!"

Mother Zhao nearly laughed in anger.

"What could possibly be complicated about him?"

"Isn't he just a former delivery driver and construction worker?"

"He started a company, but he hasn't even finished his first project yet."

Xiao Li pointed at Zhang Fan's car, looking utterly shocked.

"Look closely at the car he's driving!"