"Where is Mingyu?!" Zhang Renshu asked after settling down before the breakfast table.
Everyone was gathered around the dinner table except for him.
"He is still sleeping," Zhang Xiaoling replied immediately and Shi Wenqian glanced at her in return.
"Why is he still sleeping by this time, is he getting over the feel of studying for exams?" Zhang Renshu questioned further.
"You are right," Shi Wenqian replied before sending a spoon of soup into her mouth.
She didn't want to talk too much about Zhang Mingyu. She was aware about him going to a party yesterday and coming home wasted.
She wasn't in support of him coming home without a sense of reasoning, and she was going to speak to him about it when he wakes up.
It was a good thing that Zhang Renshu was already asleep when he came home otherwise, if he had caught sight of him in that state, things wouldn't have been so quiet last night.
Zhang Renshu didn't say anything else again.
For the next fifteen minutes, the sounds of stainless steel spoons clacking against the creamic plates were heard, as silence was ensued amongst the three people dining in the room.
Zhang Renshu was the first to finish eating as he had a political meeting to attend.
He put down his spoon before picking up the table napkin spread on his thighs, to wipe his lips gently. Putting the used napkin down on the table, he sipped some water from the water glass and put it down.
Glancing at Shi Wenqian who was sitting at his left hand, he opened his mouth to say, "I will be leaving for a political meeting before lunch in the afternoon. Also, don't expect me to come back early tonight."
After saying that, he got up from his seat and left.
Shi Wenqian's gaze trailed after him till he left her sight. Then she shifted her gaze back to her food to continue eating.
Zhang Renshu was still dressesd casually when he returned to his study. As soon as he sat down on his swivel chair he started working.
A few hours later, he picked up his phone from his desk and swiped the screen.
Going straight to his contact list, he tapped on Liling's name and proceeded to dial her number.
The phone at the other end rang for a while before it got connected.
As soon as she answered the call, Zhang Renshu's heavy tone was heard. "Liling, what are you still doing at your friend's place when your exams has ended?"
There was a few moments of silence before Zhang Liling's lazy tone replied. "Dad, I don't want to go back to that house."
"What do you mean by that?!" Zhang Renshu queried in annoyance as his brows furrowed.
He was expecting Zhang Liling to move into the house by yesterday evening or early this morning. Now, instead of her response to be that she would return in the evening, she is saying that she didn't want to come back home. What did she mean by that?
Zhang Liling's breath was let out into the phone because she was still contemplating on how to reply to that question without coming off as rude.
"Why are you not saying anything?" Zhang Renshu asked impatiently.
"Dad, I don't want to go back to that house where your wife will be staying under the same roof as me. No one in that house cares for me, so why should I live there and be oppressed?" Zhang Liling asked.
Her question made Zhang Renshu to calm down a bit, but he didn't need any time to process the information.
"You shouldn't worry about your stepmother because I have warned her already, and she wouldn't dare to touch you, so come back home," His tone was a little calm this time around.
Zhang Liling didn't accept that, and she was not going to. How could she take him by his words? It's not like he would be at home to watch over her directly.
"Dad, I won't come back to that house because your warnings will not guarantee my safety. Also, there is nothing I would be doing for you in that house, so let me remain where I find peace!" Zhang Liling said, making her stance clear.
Zhang Renshu finally lost his patience with her as he scolded her immediately. "Liling! Can you be more reasonable right now? What do you think people will say when they find out you are living outside? It's not like I'm dead!"
Zhang Liling got angry as she finally heard him talk about his selfish reasons. "Dad, are you saying that public opinion is more important than my peace?... I'm not going to come back to that house until my peace is guaranteed."
She really was very angry. Here she was, not knowing what Mr. Fang was going to do with her. She didn't know her fate yet, which was worth worrying about, but here he was being selfish.
Sometimes when he acted in this manner, she was happy that her mother never ended up with him.
But how did she get entangled with him in the first place? What did she see in him? Because apart from being a shrewd business man, she couldn't see any other quality.
Zhang Renshu was equally pissed off with her. She refused to listen to him and come back home when he already promised that no one will touch her.
"If you want to stay outside, then do it, but don't call me to send you any money! Also, I will call your mother to complain about you!"
Zhang Renshu said and slammed the phone on his desk angrily. His breathing was rapid and his eyes laced with fury.
He was very angry for Zhang Liling going against his order. And in that anger, he called Song Jujing to complain about her.
"What is wrong with your daughter and how did you raise her to never listen to her own father?!" Zhang Renshu questioned in a raised tone as soon as Shi Wenqian answered the call.
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