Chapter 277: The Zhou Family’s Affairs Come to an End

As soon as Xu Shaochen finished speaking.

The entire Zhou Family manor fell silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone was filled with fear and trepidation. Normally, they were elites, exuding arrogance and authority.

But now they realized that compared to Xu Shaochen, they were nothing but dust.

This is what true dominance looks like.

They had also seized the assets of others in the past, but it was always done with careful planning, waiting for the perfect moment to strike and wipe out the opposition.

But Xu Shaochen? He was straightforward and ruthless, crushing you in business to make you keenly aware of the vast difference in power between the two.

And then, he’d directly inform you: ‘You’ve offended me, so from now on, everything belonging to the Zhou Family is mine.’ Whether you agree or not doesn’t change the outcome.

The members of the Zhou Family exchanged glances, hoping someone would step forward to negotiate at least some benefits or favors on their behalf.

But everyone was waiting for someone else to take the lead so they could just follow along with a few words. As a result, no one dared to step forward in the end.

“Since no one is speaking, it means everyone agrees. It seems my terms are in line with the democratic situation,” Xu Shaochen said.

About thirty seconds of silence passed before Xu Shaochen spoke again, breaking the silence with a bright smile on his face.

Still, no one spoke. At this moment, no one dared to say a word. After all, the Zhou Family was the perfect example of what happens when you anger Xu Shaochen.

Now, they all had the same mindset: they didn’t want to curry favor with Xu Shaochen, they just hoped they wouldn’t offend him.

So, keeping silent was the safest approach; saying less, or nothing at all, guaranteed that no mistakes would be made.

“Alright, let the wedding continue. My main purpose today was to offer my congratulations and just mention a few things. Now that business is over, let’s proceed with the wedding ceremony. After all, I wouldn’t want to be responsible for ruining a marriage. Wishing you a lifetime of happiness and may you have a son soon.”

With that, Xu Shaochen walked over to a table and sat down.

The other guests around the table immediately stood up respectfully, quickly clearing away their bowls and wine glasses, leaving the entire table for Xu Shaochen alone.

Zhou Tianhua and Zhou Long’s eyes lit up when they heard those words.

As long as the wedding could go on, the Zhou Family might be finished, but they still had their in-laws.

In time, due to the marriage relation, the other side would have to extend a hand to help. The Zhou Family might still have a chance to make a comeback.

“Wait!”

At that moment, a middle-aged man shouted as he stood up, glaring angrily at Zhou Tianhua. “Zhou Tianhua, I never expected you to offend Mr. Xu. Why didn’t you tell us earlier? Are you trying to drag us down with you? How could you conceal something so mad and reckless? This wedding is over. We’re calling off the engagement!”

He wasn’t an idiot. There was no benefit to be gained from marrying into the Zhou Family now—only endless trouble. He’d have to be crazy to continue with the marriage.

The others in the crowd looked as though they had expected this. After all, nobody here was foolish enough not to see the situation for what it was.

Only Zhou Tianhua and Zhou Long, who had both endured too many blows today, were still clinging to a shred of hope for a moment.

Zhou Tianhua and Zhou Long’s faces were as dark as thunderclouds. But at this point, there was nothing more to be said. That announcement shattered their last illusion.

The marriage had always been about benefits, with no feelings involved. So, once the benefits were gone, there was no reason for the marriage to continue.

But the next scene stunned everyone, shocking them to their core.

They watched as the middle-aged man stepped forward, pulling his daughter, who was wearing a wedding dress, in front of Xu Shaochen. He said respectfully, “Mr. Xu, if it weren’t for you exposing the Zhou Family’s filthy nature in time, my daughter would have been pushed into a pit of fire. I cannot repay such a great favor, but I implore you to allow my daughter to stay by your side, serving tea and water, attending to your needs.”

The entire audience was stunned. “What the heck? Dude, do you even have a shred of integrity left? How could you say something like that with a straight face? Are you really going to send your daughter off like that?” However, they had to admit that although the proposal was shameless, his daughter was indeed beautiful, especially in a wedding dress, which only increased her appeal.

Zhou Tianhua and Zhou Long were livid. The broken engagement was one thing, but doing this right in front of them was trampling on their last ounce of dignity.

However, they were powerless in the face of this situation, their anger amounting to nothing.

“Get lost.” Xu Shaochen didn’t even lift his head as he coldly spat out a single word. He didn’t lack women, especially because he had no goodwill towards this kind of person.

The middle-aged man’s face froze in embarrassment. After a long moment, he finally said, “Mr. Xu, I apologize for disturbing you.”

With that, he slunk away, dejected, leading his daughter out.

He hadn’t expected Xu Shaochen to have no interest in his daughter at all. After all, he was confident in her beauty.

This only proved that a true big shot like Xu Shaochen wasn’t swayed by mere physical attraction.

Completely unbothered by the situation, Xu Shaochen continued eating. Everyone else simply waited in silence; no one dared to leave first.

“Plop.”

Half an hour later, Xu Shaochen set down his bowl and chopsticks, then slowly wiped his mouth with a napkin.

He threw down the napkin, stood up, and silently walked towards the exit of the manor, with Long Yi and Long Er following closely behind.

Mei Liangxin picked up a roasted pigeon as he was leaving.

“Huff—huff—”

It wasn’t until Xu Shaochen’s figure completely disappeared from their sight that everyone let out a long sigh of relief, as if they had just been drained of all their strength. Their backs were soaked in cold sweat.

This feeling of living on the edge was just unbearable.

Xu Shaochen didn’t need to say a word while sitting there; they had to stay alert every second, just in case something trivial would draw Xu Shaochen’s ire down upon them.

“Yunzhou… The sky has truly changed.”

One person looked at the suddenly darkening sky filled with gathering clouds and muttered to himself as he walked out of the manor.

Everyone else followed suit and left, none so much as saying a word to any member of the Zhou Family.

Just a couple of hours ago, they had to look up to Zhou Tianhua. But now, they only had to look down on him.

………

Meanwhile.

Zhou Yun, with his tickets long prepared, boarded a plane bound for Hong Kong.

From now on, everything related to the Zhou Family had nothing to do with him. He was no longer the third young master of the Zhou Family.

Because with the Zhou Family’s downfall, this identity would not bring him any benefits but would instead become a burden.

He wouldn’t go out of his way seeking revenge, but if he ever gained strength, he would make Xu Shaochen wish he were dead.