My Alleged Husband

Chapter 934: Chapter 832: Speaking Out_12

Two hours later, Zhang Zhentian finally finished making the dishes his dad had mentioned. He carried the food to the dining table and called Old Master Zhang to eat. Old Master Zhang walked to the table, looked at the dishes, and his expression was dumbfounded.

”W-What kind of food is this?” Old Master Zhang pointed at the steamed fish and asked.

”This is the steamed fish you mentioned!”

”This is your steamed fish? Isn’t steamed fish supposed to be a whitish color? The one you made—has it mutated or something? Why is it so black?” Old Master Zhang questioned Zhang Zhentian.

”Dad, I accidentally poured half a bottle of soy sauce while cooking,” Zhang Zhentian replied timidly.

”What? You added soy sauce?!” This was the first time Old Master Zhang had ever heard of soy sauce being used in steamed fish.

Old Master Zhang pointed again, this time at the sweet and sour ribs, and asked Zhang Zhentian, ”And what is this supposed to be?”

”Dad, these are the sweet and sour ribs you wanted!” Zhang Zhentian answered Old Master Zhang.

Old Master Zhang was dumbstruck again.

”You’re calling this sweet and sour ribs? How did you manage to burn sweet and sour ribs?”

”When I put the ribs into the pot, the heat was too high, and the pot caught fire. By the time I extinguished the flames, the ribs turned out like this,” Zhang Zhentian explained weakly.

Old Master Zhang pointed at another dish, the braised pork, and asked, ”This wouldn’t be braised pork, would it?”

”Yes, yes, this is the braised pork you mentioned!” Zhang Zhentian eagerly answered.

”Your braised pork has so much personality—it’s turned coal-black,” Old Master Zhang remarked.

Old Master Zhang had had enough of Zhang Zhentian.

”Forget it, forget it. You’ve been cooking for two hours and ended up with food like this—you’ve made it impossible for me to even try eating this,” Old Master Zhang scolded.

”Dad, if you don’t want to eat, I’ll make porridge for you,” Zhang Zhentian offered.

”No need. I already know what’s going on. You’re making food absentmindedly because you’re trying to guess what I’m thinking, aren’t you?” Old Master Zhang directly called him out.

”Dad, since you already know, can’t you just tell me quickly?” Zhang Zhentian knew his father was using cooking as a test of his patience, but he couldn’t hold back anymore.

”You’re that desperate to know what I’m thinking?” Old Master Zhang asked in return.

”Yes, so just say it,” Zhang Zhentian replied impatiently.

”Fine, listen carefully. Even though I think what you’ve said makes sense, my decision remains the same as before,” Old Master Zhang stated his decision.

Zhang Zhentian was a bit incredulous upon hearing this. He hadn’t expected that after pleading with his father, the result of an entire night of consideration would still be unchanged.

”Dad, why?”

”After thinking it through, Xia Jing did apologize, but she became my daughter-in-law afterward. You’re right—it did feel humiliating, but it’s still better than people thinking Zhang Mo is someone who doesn’t keep his word. While I care about saving face, I’m also a businessman. In the business world, what’s most important isn’t face, but integrity. Tell me—who’d want to collaborate with someone who lacks integrity? For the Zhang Corporation to thrive for generations, I must let go of so-called pride and focus on integrity.”

Zhang Zhentian realized that Old Master Zhang had a point. He understood what mattered most to a businessman, and so he couldn’t argue further.

Watching Xia Jing leave, Zhang Zhentian couldn’t help but feel a pang of reluctance. After all, Xia Jing had risked everything to save the Zhang Corporation, and as a result, Old Master Zhang had some goodwill toward her. However, he still didn’t know how to handle things with Xia Jing.

Old Master Zhang sat in his chair, recalling the words Xia Jing had spoken to him. He couldn’t make sense of it: ”Why did Xia Jing say she repeatedly sent Zhentian to find her and ask her to apologize to Li Haixiao and Li Jiayuan? Could it be that Zhentian said something to her? But that can’t be—what else could Zhentian talk to Xia Jing about, apart from convincing me to accept their relationship?”

No matter how hard he thought, Old Master Zhang couldn’t figure it out and decided to ask Zhang Zhentian directly.

Around six in the evening, Old Master Zhang returned home. Upon entering, he didn’t see Zhang Zhentian and proceeded to ask Aunt Xu.

”Aunt Xu, Aunt Xu...” Old Master Zhang called out from the living room.

”Master, you’re back. Dinner’s cooking—please wait a moment,” Aunt Xu quickly responded to Old Master Zhang’s call, hurriedly running out of the kitchen. She thought he wanted to ask if dinner was ready.