There was some silence on the other end of the phone.
After a long while.
The Old Man's voice rang out, sounding a bit lonely, "Good Grandson... it's not that Grandpa doesn't want to tell you, it's just that so much time has passed, there's no need to mention it anymore."
"Just remember, Good Grandson, Grandpa didn't do anything wrong in this matter."
"It's all because of that Rebellious Son, cough cough..."
Before the Old Man could finish, he began to cough violently.
"Grandpa!"
Hearing that something was wrong with the Old Man's voice, Zhou Xing couldn't help but feel anxious.
"It's nothing, it's nothing."
The Old Man comforted Zhou Xing while coughing, "Good Grandson, Grandpa is fine. I'll be okay after a short rest."
It took a good while.
Only then did the Old Man catch his breath, sighing, "Now that I'm old, my body really isn't what it used to be. I can't even handle a little bit of excitement."
"Grandpa... your health..."
Zhou Xing hesitated for a moment before asking.
"Hahaha, Grandpa's health is fine. There are medical staff here every day to check on me; it's just old age."
The Old Man regained his previous jovial tone, "With these old bones of mine, holding on for a few more years is absolutely no problem. At the rate you're finding girlfriends, I should still be able to hold my great-Grandson and watch him go to kindergarten."
Hearing this, Zhou Xing finally felt relieved.
Although he hadn't had much contact with the Old Man, he was his grandfather after all. Blood is thicker than water, and Zhou Xing naturally didn't want anything to happen to him.
It was just that there was no need to mention his girlfriends again.
He figured that with the Old Man's personality, it wouldn't be long before all the high-level officials in Kyoto would know.
At the thought of the Old Man bragging to other high-level officials about his Grandson having so many girlfriends, Zhou Xing's face darkened completely.
He pondered if there was a way to be more discreet... but finally scratched his head in frustration.
It was easy enough to deal with Zhou Jianping; as long as he was a little careful, there shouldn't be any issues.
But with the Old Man, given his protective nature and status...
Within Huaxia...
There truly wasn't much that could be hidden from him.
As long as he wanted to know, Zhou Xing would have nowhere to hide.
Zhou Xing let out a sigh.
Grandpa's love was indeed a bit too heavy.
It seemed he could only wait until the system upgraded to see if there was a solution.
The system was undergoing a three-month upgrade.
During this time... not a single piece of information had come out.
If it weren't for the fact that Zhou Xing could still open his Status Panel at any time, he would have suspected something was wrong with the system.
"Good Grandson, then Grandpa won't disturb you young people's nightlife anymore."
The Old Man's voice came through again, sounding slightly reluctant, but he still said, "You young people have your own ideas, and there's a gap between you and us old fogies who are halfway into the grave. There's not much to talk about. I'm sure you're annoyed after hearing Grandpa ramble so much."
"Not at all, Grandpa. I feel like we get along really well. I don't even talk this much with my dad usually."
Zhou Xing said with a smile.
Even though the Old Man held a high position, in front of him, he was still like an ordinary Old Man.
Wanting to chat more with his Grandson, yet afraid of being a disturbance.
This feeling of being cared for made Zhou Xing feel very warm, so he naturally didn't feel any rejection.
The Old Man was very happy to hear Zhou Xing's words and laughed heartily again, "Grandpa is very happy that you think that way. If you have time, come to Kyoto to visit me."
"Living in this house, Grandpa gets quite lonely sometimes."
"Your Grandma also really wants to see you. I've seen her secretly wiping away tears while looking at your photos several times."
Zhou Xing nodded and said, "I'll make a trip to Kyoto in a while."
Even if the Old Man hadn't said anything, he would have found time to go to Kyoto to see him.
If for nothing else.
Just to meet this grandfather he had never seen before would be worth it.
Since the Old Man was unwilling to say more about what happened with his father, Zhou Xing wouldn't ask further to avoid upsetting the elderly man.
"Good, good, good. Grandpa will make you delicious food then."
The Old Man laughed joyfully, yet he was still reluctant to hang up, "Good Grandson, then you study hard in Shanghai... it's fine to have girlfriends, but remember not to get too obsessed."
"The men of our Zhou Family are meant for great things. Grandpa is happy to see that you have your own plans and are working hard right from the start of university."
"If there's anything you don't understand, or if someone makes things difficult for you, remember to call Grandpa anytime. My body isn't what it used to be, and I'll probably have to retire in a few years. That Rebellious Son can't be counted on, so I hope you can slowly step up and not abandon our Zhou Family's position."
Zhou Xing said solemnly, "I will, Grandpa."
"Finally, remember Grandpa's name, Zhou Dingshan!"
"If anyone dares to bully my Good Grandson in the future, just give them my name."
"And then give them a hard slap across the face!"
With that.
The Old Man reluctantly hung up the phone.
Zhou Xing looked at the call log showing dozens of minutes, then opened his contacts and hesitated for a moment at Zhou Jianping's entry.
Ultimately, he didn't dial Zhou Jianping's number, choosing instead to turn off his phone screen and toss it aside.
Gazing at the night view outside the window, his eyes flickered slightly.
His heart was full of doubt.
Zhou Xing had originally speculated whether his father and the Old Man had a falling out because of Grandma, which was why they hadn't met or contacted each other for so many years.
Now it seemed.
It wasn't that simple.
Zhou Xing thought for a moment, and having no clues, he finally chose to give up.
Since he couldn't get any useful information from Grandpa or his father, he could only place his hopes on Grandma.
It looked like he had to find some time.
To make a trip to Kyoto.
To see if he could get some useful information from Grandma and figure out the situation.
After all, women were more soft-hearted.
Given his current age and being her biological Grandson, if he acted a bit spoiled.
The chances of success were quite high.
Although he had lived two lives, acting spoiled with his own grandmother wasn't embarrassing.
Besides... Zhou Xing also wanted to understand the sequence of events to help Grandpa and his father repair their relationship.
The two of them clearly cared about each other.
But as a man, Zhou Xing understood all too well.
Both were unwilling to back down for the sake of their pride.
At this time, Zhou Xing needed to provide a ladder for both of them... Zhou Xing nodded, immediately took off his clothes until only his trousers remained, and prepared to go to the bathroom for a shower.
Click.
At that moment.
The front door of the house was suddenly opened.