Chapter 627 - ILL-CONCEIVED ROMANCE

When Wang Che entered the living room, he found his mother with his father and brother. The three of them were seated, and it was obvious they were waiting for him. He could not help scoffing at the scene. As expected, the entire thing was a setup. 

He heard the footsteps behind him and turned to look at his younger brother. The guiltless man shrugged his shoulders while maintaining his irritating smile. He was not apologetic for setting up Wang Che. 

Just like when he was a child, Wang Ning was as unconscionable as ever. 

"Wang Che, sit down." Master Wang said with a frown. 

Wang Che looked at him with derision. "Why should I?" 

"I am still your father. Sit down." The man repeated. 

Wang Che smiled. "Did you remember I was your father when I was kidnapped from right under your nose? Did you lift a hand to help me when a ransom was demanded? Do you have the right to call yourself my father?" 

"Do not keep digging up the past like a woman." Master Wang said with annoyance. "You should understand that kidnappers are not trustworthy people. What if I had paid the ransom, and they killed you to eliminate witnesses?" 

Wang Che laughed. "So, your solution was to do nothing at all." 

"You are here, well and alive. Aren't you?" The man's cold eyes were intense as they stared down at Wang Che. 

"You have refreshed my views today, Master Wang. You chose to protect your money, even though your main project at the time was worn by me. And now, once again, you want to take advantage and get something through manipulation." Wang Che walked closer to the group. 

"I am not that child anymore. And you do not have anything I want. If you are hoping that I will bail you out, you are barking up the wrong tree. I have better things to do. Now, if you will excuse me…" Wang Che said before turning to leave. 

Wang Che's father burned with anger as he watched a son who should submit to him show such an attitude to him. He could not bear any disrespect, especially from a young person who had not yet understood the world. 

However, his eldest son shook his head. 

"Wang Che, wait." Wang Lu stood up. "We admit that we do have ulterior motives for being here and hoping to reconnect with you. It is not a secret that our family business is facing some financial problems."

Wang Che paused in his steps and looked back. Despite his speech, he did not forget his intention for coming to the house. He wanted to find out who had interfered with Shun's car and caused that terrible incident. 

Seeing that Wang Che was not leaving directly, Wang Lu felt a little more confident. 

"Despite everything, we are still a part of the same family. If you had written us off completely, you would not have come here. You came here because a part of you probably hopes to reconnect, especially during this difficult time for you." Wang Lu added sympathetically. 

Wang Che had to admit that Wang Lu had become better than their father. In other words, he was not a brute who did things without thinking anymore. In fact, he seemed to have developed some great oratory skills. 

If Wang Che did not know that his eldest brother was responsible for that incident all those years ago, he might not have seen through the act. But he knew that Wang Lu was colder and more calculating than their father. 

"What do you mean by difficult time?" Wang Che asked with pursed lips. 

"Everyone knows how attached you were to that Furukawa chap. Forgive me for saying this, but it was quite callous of him to leave you in such a humiliating fashion. He had to know the effect it would have on you." Wang Lu said. 

"Do not talk about him." Wang Che felt a surge of annoyance. 

"Fine. All I am saying is that it is good to have some people on your side. Right now, what you need is a support system. Most of your friends are his friends, so you might struggle a little to find your footing again. Do not push your family away." Wang Lu was on a roll. 

Madam Wang also walked to Wang Che. "Why don't you stay for dinner? We will not ask for anything. Give us a chance to show you how your life can be." 

Wang Che seemed to struggle with indecision. He intended to stay because he wanted to gauge his family and see if he could find cracks. However, he could not seem too eager because he would expose his hidden motives. 

"What makes today any different from every other time you have looked for me?" He asked. 

"It is just another day, but you are home for the first time in years. I think that is a good enough reason to celebrate." Wang Lu said with an amiable smile. "And you can leave any time you want if you become uncomfortable. It is just a meal." 

"Yes, stay, Brother Che." Wang Ning chimed in. 

After a long pause, Wang Che nodded tersely. He felt like he had put up enough of a protest before accepting. He hoped that it was enough for everyone to lower their guards. 

"I am so happy." Madam Wang said while wiping imaginary tears from the corners of her eyes. "Do not worry. I have asked the kitchen to prepare some of your favourites for dinner. You will not regret staying with us." 

Wang Che did not want to be too close to the family, so he chose a seat far from the rest of the group. However, Wang Ning did not seem to see his intentions. He plopped himself next to Wang Che without a care as if they were close brothers.

"I am happy you are back, Brother Che." Wang Ning leaned to speak to Wang Che in a low voice. 

"I am not back. And you manipulated the situation to make sure I had no chance for leaving." Wang Che responded coldly in the same muted tone. 

"Mmmh, I think I helped you. A part of you must want to stay a little. I know you more than you think. I am quite convinced that you would have left easily if you really wanted to leave." Wang Ning smiled with self-satisfaction. 

Wang Che felt his guard raise a little higher. He never considered Wang Ning a true threat in comparison to the other members of his family. Wang Ning was not at the core of the business, and he had no reason to develop animosity towards Wang Che. 

However, that did not mean he was completely harmless. 

After all, he lived with his toxic mother and father for all these years. And those two did not have a lot of positive things to say about Wang Che. Additionally, Qi Han mentioned that Wang Lu and Wang Ning had gotten closer in the past year. 

Wang Ning might have also grown to hate him. He could even be the hidden snake in the grass, waiting for a chance to strike. 

"What do you know about me?" He asked. 

"I know that you have not given up on your ill-conceived romance." Wang Ning said. "Seriously, I do not get it. What is so great about him? I never pictured you as someone who is drawn to innocence and naiveté. But again, people seek what they lack."

"It is none of your business." Wang Che said before turning away from his little brother. 

Master Wang cleared his throat. "Wang Che, you have done quite well with your life. I have heard a few things about Clarion Extreme. It is an excellent expansion." 

Wang Che felt his hackles rise, but he tried to remain calm despite the irritation. He responded drily to the compliment. "Thank you. I try." 

"How do you plan to keep up with management while you are in Supreme City? It seems like keeping up with the operations will be difficult from here." Master Wang continued.

"I have a manager for the operations. I can hardly do everything myself. That is how businesses fail." Wang Che said.

Master Wang heard the jab at him. "Do you think that you have become unteachable just because of a single business? I have operated numerous companies successfully for more years than you have lived. You are nothing." 

"Dad, Wang Che is right." Wang Lu spoke up quickly. "We have both always believed in handling our business matters internally. Because of that, we had difficulties keeping up with everything. It is not a surprise that we are having setbacks." 

Master Wang scoffed and put his hands over his chest. He did not want to accept this matter so easily, but he did not have a choice. The Wang business was in the hands of his eldest son, so he had to give in to some extent. 

"Wang Che, I would appreciate some input from you." Wang Lu said with a conversational attitude. "I have learned from my past mistakes, and I believe that success comes from welcoming criticism and advice from other sources. Right, Ning?" 

Wang Ning nodded enthusiastically. "I have been working at the company with Brother Lu. Let him not lie to you. He is quite a savvy businessman. It is just a few setbacks coming in his way. I believe the company will recover." 

"Hey! We agreed that we will not be bothering Che with our matters." Madam Wang said with a laugh. "Anyway, the dinner is ready, so you can stop now." 

Wang Che watched everything playing out like a movie.. It was a shame that his so-called family was not involved in the entertainment industry.