Chapter 2 — Cut Out of the Will

Second aunt, the doctor is already here, and he is far more professional than you.

What about family members signing the paperwork? What about fetching her belongings? Surely someone needs to be by her side!

Do you not have four sons and four daughters-in-law?

You people...

Second aunt was left utterly speechless by my words.

Da Ming is away on a business trip! Er Qiang and the others are traveling elsewhere! How could we possibly make it back in time?

Then that is truly unfortunate.

I pressed the elevator button.

In short, I am extremely busy today and cannot go.

You... you unfilial wretch! How can your heart be so vicious?

Grandmother cared for you all for nothing in vain!

Cared for me for nothing? I nearly laughed out loud.

Second aunt, just yesterday grandmother divided all four of her houses among her precious maternal grandsons.

According tradition, providing for her in her old age and taking care of her funeral arrangements should naturally fall upon their shoulders, shouldn't it?

Why is it that the moment trouble arises, you suddenly remember the niece you once compared to poured water that can never be retrieved?

Silence fell on the other end of the line. A few seconds later, she hung up. I stepped out of the elevator and got into my car. The phone rang again. This time, it was my mother. I answered.

Nhan Nhan, please hurry to the hospital and check on things, I am begging you.

Her voice carried the sound of weeping.

Your grandmother is old and cannot endure such torment.

Mother.

I started the car engine.

Yesterday at the dinner table, why did you say nothing?

My mother choked back a sob.

I... I...

I was afraid grandmother would be displeased, afraid your uncles would have objections, afraid I would never be able to hold my head high at my maternal family's home.

So you chose to sacrifice me.

No, Nhan Nhan, I didn't mean it that way...

Then what did you mean?

I cut her off.

Let me ask you, how much are those four houses worth?

Combined, at least fifteen million.

Fifteen million, and you people handed them over to the four older cousins without even blinking an eye.

Now that grandmother has fallen, you cannot even find a single person willing to spend money or effort on her.

Don't you find this absurd?

Nhan Nhan, money isn't calculated like that...

Then how is it calculated? By blood ties?

Then Da Ming, Er Qiang, San Li, and Si Wei.

Are their blood ties to her somehow four times thicker than mine?

Mother, let me make myself crystal clear today.

As for grandmother's affairs, whoever received a house shall bear the responsibility.

Her four sons will each take charge of three months, which makes exactly one year.

Medical expenses, caretaking costs, and living expenses shall be split evenly among your four households.

Do not look for me anymore.

I have no house, and therefore no obligation.

With that, I hung up directly. I temporarily blocked her number. I knew doing so was ruthless. But there was no need to show them mercy. Unless pushed to the absolute brink, they would never learn what responsibility truly meant. The car drove up to the company building. After parking, I stepped into the lobby. The colleagues greeted me.

Good morning, CEO Chu!

Good morning.

I smiled and nodded in return. No one knew that just a few minutes ago, I had been engaged in a fierce battle with my own family. Upon entering my office, my assistant, little Tran, had already brewed a cup of coffee.

CEO Chu, the nine o'clock meeting documents are all prepared.

Very well.

I sat down and opened my computer, beginning another workday. As for how chaotic things would become at the hospital, I did not care in the least. They had brought this entirely upon themselves.

At nine-thirty in the morning, I was in the conference room, explaining the new project proposal to my team. My phone, set on silent, kept lighting up. I glanced at it briefly; it was the eldest uncle, followed by the third uncle, and then my father. I ignored them, flipped to the next page of the presentation slides, and continued analyzing market data. The meeting lasted until eleven o'clock and concluded smoothly. As I returned to my office, assistant little Tran followed me inside, her expression somewhat troubled.

CEO Chu, downstairs... your relatives have arrived.

How many of them?

Four or five people, highly agitated, insisting they must see you.

Tell them to wait.

But... they are causing a scene at the reception desk, using very ugly language.

It is affecting the company's image.

I nodded.

Have security handle it.

Security said that since they are your family members, they do not dare use forceful measures.

I understood. They wanted to make a scene and force me to compromise. I picked up the internal telephone and called the administrative department.

This is Chu Nhan.

Within five minutes, if those unauthorized individuals outside my office have not been escorted away, I will hold the department head accountable for security failures.

Additionally, inform the legal department to prepare; I want to sue them for disturbing public order.

A panicked voice immediately came through the receiver.

Understood, CEO Chu! We will handle it right away!

I hung up and looked out the window. Towering skyscrapers stood close together, and traffic flowed like a river below. This world possessed its own rules. If they thought they could play the kinship card to manipulate me, they had come to the wrong place. The phone rang once more. It was my father. I answered.

Chu Nhan! Do you have any conscience left?

Your uncles have come all the way to your company!

His voice trembled with a mixture of anger and fear.

How could you humiliate them to this extent?

Humiliate them?

I retorted.

They brought people barging into my company to make a scene—who exactly was humiliating whom?