Chapter 268: Chapter 268: If Agreed, Cheng Yang Would Have to Take the Surname Zhou

"But my dad is your dad," Zhou Ruoki said unhappily, but he was a very perceptive child, and he knew that Zhou Lin liked Cheng Yang and Cheng Xing.

If Dad really liked them, he was not opposed to accepting them, he just needed to go find Mom.

Cheng Xing still shook his head, "That’s your dad, not my dad, I don’t have a dad."

That was something Cheng Yang often said; he always claimed he had no dad, and even if Cheng Zhiwei explained, he still felt that way.

Zhou Ruoki quietly asked, "You won’t fight with me for Dad, will you?"

"No."

Zhou Ruoki was relieved, and finally, a smile appeared on his little face.

Lin Yu didn’t know what the two children were talking about; she only saw that they were getting along and felt extremely comforted. She quietly said to Zhou Lin, who had just gotten home, "They are real siblings after all."

Zhou Lin looked up to see the harmonious scene of Zhou Ruoki and Cheng Xing sitting together. He turned his gaze to the beautiful woman sitting quietly on the sofa, and his heart instantly softened.

He was supposed to pick up Cheng Zhiwei and her two sons, but Cheng Zhiwei refused to come, and he didn’t want to upset her over such trivial matters, so he immediately went home after work, waiting for them to come over.

He had thought that Cheng Zhiwei wouldn’t arrive until it was time for the children to have dinner at the earliest, but unexpectedly, they had already arrived.

Cheng Zhiwei was much broader-minded than he had imagined.

He hurried upstairs to change his clothes and came back down, calling out softly, "Zhiwei."

Cheng Zhiwei looked up and offered a polite smile, nodding as a greeting.

"Dad." Zhou Ruoki jumped off the sofa and threw himself into Zhou Lin’s arms, clinging to his neck affectionately, burying his little head in his shoulder and refusing to come out.

Even with Cheng Xing’s assurance, he was still afraid his dad would be taken away.

Zhou Lin patted his back and asked gently, "What’s wrong, Qiqi?"

Zhou Ruoki shook his head and didn’t speak, but he also refused to come down from his perch.

Zhou Lin used some effort to pry Zhou Ruoki from himself, pinched his cheek, and placed him on the sofa next to Cheng Zhiwei.

Cheng Zhiwei was taken aback; although she acknowledged that children were innocent, she didn’t wish to become close to Zhou Ruoki.

What was Zhou Lin implying by putting Zhou Ruoki next to her?

Zhou Lin sat down on the other side, and before he could speak, Cheng Xing had already scuttled over, stretching out his hands wanting Cheng Zhiwei to hug him.

Zhou Lin offered proactively, "Xingxing, how about I hold you?"

He did not directly say "Dad," worried the children were not yet accustomed to the idea.

At that moment, he didn’t realize that Cheng Yang, because he didn’t like Zhou Ruoki, thus refused to accept Zhou Ruoki’s dad as his own, while Cheng Xing had agreed to Zhou Ruoki that he wouldn’t fight with him for Dad.

Neither child had any intention of acknowledging Zhou Lin as their dad.

Cheng Xing pouted, curling up in Cheng Zhiwei’s embrace, looking as if he might cry.

Zhou Lin didn’t dare to reach out anymore.

He felt no displeasure; instead, he had the desire to offer Cheng Zhiwei the best things in the world to win her favor.

"What’s wrong with Xingxing?" Cheng Zhiwei gently stroked Cheng Xing’s hair.

"Xingxing, remote control car, biubiubiu." Cheng Yang maneuvered the remote control car over, his little face alight with a cheerful smile.

He wanted to play with Cheng Xing.

"Yangyang, go play by yourself," Cheng Zhiwei said without much patience.

Cheng Yang made a face and ran off.

Cheng Zhiwei set Cheng Xing down and took out a picture book from her bag, placing it in front of him, "Does Xingxing want to read a book?"

"Okay," Cheng Xing nodded obediently.

Can such a young child really concentrate on a book? Zhou Lin watched closely.

If he wasn’t mistaken, the picture book Cheng Zhiwei took out had not only illustrations but also simple words marked with Pinyin.

And Cheng Xing, holding the book, immediately became engrossed in it.

Cheng Yang controlled the noisy car with ease, which had no effect on her as she was immersed in her own world.

Zhou Lin felt both heartache and pride. This was his daughter, already able to read independently at such a young age.

At that moment, Lin Yu came over and whispered to Cheng Zhiwei and Zhou Lin, "Chenyuan is upstairs in his room, he wants you to go up."

Cheng Zhiwei glanced at the child.

Lin Yu immediately said, "I’ll be here, don’t worry."

Cheng Zhiwei nodded and went upstairs with Zhou Lin.

Zhou Chenyuan, because of his health, had only spent a short time downstairs with the two children before he had gone up to rest.

Now, he was sitting by the window. Despite the steaming hot weather, he was still wearing an overcoat, and his cheeks were deeply sunken.

"Dad," Zhou Lin called softly.

Cheng Zhiwei said softly, "Uncle."

She could tell how much Zhou Chenyuan was tormented by the illness, and her heart instantly felt heavy with sorrow.

"Sit down," Zhou Chenyuan said to them, his face calm.

Once they were seated, he looked at Cheng Zhiwei, "You’ve had a hard time these past three years, taking care of the two children abroad on your own. Your Auntie Lin should have gone with you, but my unreliable health held her back."

"Uncle, don’t say that. Zhou Lin arranged for a nanny, and she took very good care of us," said Cheng Zhiwei with a faint smile.

She never avoided mentioning those matters.

It was precisely because she could bring them up with such a calm tone that it was even more heartbreaking.

A hint of helplessness flickered in Zhou Lin’s dark eyes, "Zhiwei, between you and me, these words are unnecessary."

Cheng Zhiwei only smiled, saying nothing.

Zhou Chenyuan saw clearly, Cheng Zhiwei no longer had feelings for Zhou Lin, but Zhou Lin, even now, still had feelings for Cheng Zhiwei.

What goes around comes around, he deserved it.

However, he did not call them here just to talk about feelings.

"Cheng Yang and Cheng Xing will soon be three years old. Have either of you considered remarriage?" asked Zhou Chenyuan.

Cheng Zhiwei answered without any hesitation, "No."

Zhou Lin looked downward, his expression turning slightly dim, "I’ll listen to her."

He was trying to carefully and cautiously get closer to Cheng Zhiwei, naturally being attentive to her feelings.

Zhou Chenyuan knew this would be the result, so he had simply asked out of courtesy, "I called you two up here because I have something I want to discuss with you."

"Dad, please speak," Zhou Lin said.

"I’m thinking of appointing Cheng Yang as the Zhou Family’s heir," Zhou Chenyuan said quietly, looking at Cheng Zhiwei, "He is your son and carries your surname. This matter should take your opinion into account."

Cheng Zhiwei felt a sinking feeling in her heart; it had still come to this.

She had known earlier that one of her children would inevitably return to the Zhou Family to inherit everything, but when Seo Zhenzhen’s child was born, and the Zhou Family decided to train Zhou Ruoki as the heir, she was very pleased.

She did not want her own child to bear such a burden, and in fact, she only wanted to treat the Zhou Family like any other ordinary relatives.

But now Zhou Chenyuan said he wanted to change the heir.

He had chosen Cheng Yang.

If she agreed, Cheng Yang would have to take the Zhou surname.

Thinking of this, Cheng Zhiwei found breathing difficult, a choking sensation gripping her throat.

Zhou Chenyuan spoke with a tone of discussion, but who knew if he would use forceful measures if they didn’t agree.

He was ill, but after all, he was still Zhou Chenyuan, the once-powerful figure in the business world.

Cheng Zhiwei’s hands and feet were ice-cold, her whole body’s blood seemed to freeze.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read