After being reborn, the aloof female CEO became a paranoid.

That afternoon, Zhou Yuzhen led Shen Tianling into the Zhou family's gate.

Shen Tianling lowered his voice, a hint of fear flashing in his eyes: "Mom, is Uncle not home?" He always felt a sense of fear towards his uncle Zhou Zhengwen, who was kind on the surface but full of scheming.

Zhou Yuzhen gently patted Shen Tianling's hand, her eyes reassuring: "Don't worry, he should be busy at the company right now."

Upon seeing the mother and child, the servants immediately came forward and bowed respectfully.

Zhou Yuzhen acted as if she hadn't seen anything, holding her head high and pulling Shen Tianling straight toward Zhou Ze's room.

There was a gentle knock on the door, and Zhou Ze's slightly hoarse voice came from inside: "Come in."

The mother and son exchanged a glance and then pushed open the door to enter.

As soon as Shen Tianling entered the room, he quickly walked to Zhou Ze's bedside and exclaimed in feigned surprise, "Oh, Xiao Ze, what's wrong with you? Are you sick?"

Zhou Ze didn't speak; he hadn't eaten or drunk anything all day, so his voice was naturally hoarse.

Zhou Yuzhen slowly walked to the bedside, her phoenix eyes slightly narrowed. She already knew everything in her heart, but her face still wore that loving smile.

"You silly child, how did you get yourself into this state? It breaks my heart to see you like this. Tell me what you want to eat, and I'll cook it for you myself."

Shen Tianling's concern and Zhou Yuzhen's gentleness instantly brought tears to Zhou Ze's eyes, who had been holding back his emotions, and he buried his face in Zhou Yuzhen's arms.

“Aunt, Dad has admitted it! He only cares about Zhou Yu, who can bring him benefits. I, his own son, am worthless in his eyes!”

A satisfied smile appeared on Zhou Yuzhen's lips; this was exactly the effect she wanted. As long as her foolish nephew Zhou Ze behaved himself, her plan would proceed smoothly.

"Auntie knows you've been wronged, but you have to bear it. Who told Zhou Yu to climb up the social ladder by marrying into the Xu family? We can't afford to offend him. From now on, we have to avoid him and not provoke him."

Zhou Yuzhen said this on purpose, and sure enough, the hatred in Zhou Ze's heart was completely aroused.

"Why should we grovel before him? He's the most despicable one! I'll show everyone his true colors!"

"Xiao Ze, you can't say these things carelessly."

Zhou Yuzhen tugged at Zhou Ze's sleeve and whispered a reminder, but her eyes gleamed with calculation, "If your dad hears this, he'll definitely scold you, and he might even abandon you. And you absolutely can't let Xu Xinran find out, otherwise she'll definitely help Zhou Yu cause you trouble."

Zhou Ze gritted his teeth, his face full of resentment.

"Why are they all fawning over him? All of this should be mine! Dad should only dote on me, and Xu Xinran should be mine too! Now Zhou Yu has taken it all away, I'm not reconciled..."

Shen Tianling nodded repeatedly, adding fuel to the fire.

"That's right, all of this should have been yours, but now that brat Zhou Yu has taken it all away. Xiao Ze, you have to take back everything he owes you. Your cousin fully supports you!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ze's hatred for Zhou Yu intensified.

He looked anxiously at Zhou Yuzhen and Shen Tianling: "Aunt, cousin, you must help me. I want everyone to know Zhou Yu's true colors! Cousin, don't you know a lot of media friends? Help me make some contact; I want to hold a press conference to expose all of this!"

Zhou Yuzhen shook her head and objected, "We can't do that, Xiaoze. Doing so will only bring him a little trouble, and with Xu Xinran's influence, those media outlets won't dare to report on it extensively."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ze's expression changed drastically: "Aunt, are you... are you also like my father, abandoning your nephew because you're afraid of offending Xu Xinran?"

Zhou Yuzhen sighed and patted Zhou Ze's head: "Silly boy, how could I possibly give up on you? I'm your own aunt, of course I'll help you. But we need to use smarter methods to prevent Zhou Yu from having a chance to turn things around."

"To cut the weeds, you must pull them out by the roots, understand?"

Zhou Ze was stunned. Eradicate it completely? Could it be...?

He thought of his father's favoritism towards Zhou Yu and Xu Xinran's doting on Zhou Yu, and he couldn't help but feel a little scared.

With his own abilities, how could he possibly eliminate Zhou Yu? He only wanted to ruin Zhou Yu's reputation and take back what belonged to him, but he never intended to take that man's life... After all, that's a crime.

Seeing Zhou Ze's hesitation, Zhou Yuzhen frowned, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in her eyes.

She gently reminded him, "Silly boy, think about your birth mother. How much she suffered, and how she ultimately died of depression after being hurt by Ji Siyao. Don't you want to stand up for her?"

A trace of pain flashed across Zhou Ze's eyes. Thinking of his birth mother whom he had never met, a strong hatred suddenly rose in his heart, a desire to make Zhou Yu pay for his mother's sins.

He gritted his teeth and asked, "Then... what should I do?"

Shen Tianling, receiving a subtle hint from Zhou Yuzhen, seized the opportunity to speak: "Right now, President Xu treats Zhou Yu like a treasure; outsiders can't get close to him at all. But President Xu has made many enemies in the business world. Even if you make a move against Zhou Yu, she'll only think it was her rival who did it, and won't suspect you. At that time..."

Shen Tianling patted Zhou Ze's head and continued, "You can quietly get rid of him then, so that President Xu won't find out or arouse her suspicion. Xiao Ze, what do you think of this plan?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ze frowned. The thought of kidnapping filled him with apprehension.

But when he thought of his unfortunate birth mother and Xu Xinran's inexplicable doting on Zhou Yu, the scales in his heart began to tip.

“Auntie is right. A real man should do things cleanly and efficiently. I’ll listen to you, but…” Zhou Ze paused, looking troubled, “I’m short on money right now. I can’t do anything without it. Auntie, could you give me some help first? Once I’ve dealt with Zhou Yu and taken back everything that’s rightfully mine, I will repay you a hundredfold or a thousandfold.”

Zhou Yuzhen chuckled and placed a card she had prepared beforehand into Zhou Ze's hand.

“Since your aunt said she would help you, she will naturally do her best. Take this money first, and come to me if you need more, understand?”

Zhou Ze took the card, gritting his teeth angrily: "Auntie, don't worry, I will definitely not let you spend this money in vain."

Zhou Yuzhen nodded in satisfaction, her slightly narrowed phoenix eyes gleaming with the smug satisfaction of her successful scheme…