Return to before death

Although it was a question, it was phrased with an assertive, undeniable tone, and an air of superiority, as if interrogating a convicted criminal.

The fact that Zong Zhengqing didn't answer his mother's calls surprised Yan Ran. After all, to his mother, her eldest son had always been a meek little lamb who listened to her and would never contradict her, even if he refused to answer the phone.

Faced with this sudden questioning, she felt utterly helpless, but not angry as expected. She smiled indifferently and said, "Maybe. If you think so, then so be it." She paused, then seemed to remember something, and her smile deepened. "You can try calling again and see if he listens to me or answers your call."

Hearing the words spoken with utmost respect yet without any genuine affection, the matriarch's face contorted with humiliation, her expression twisted with rage. Her elegant and dignified facade crumbled, cracking beneath her mask: "You!"

His voice stopped abruptly. Realizing his lapse in composure, he closed his eyes, tilted his head back, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.

He forced a haughty and elegant smile onto his face: "Fine, I'll call now. If he still doesn't answer, you can get out of our house."

Yan Ran accepted the challenge without batting an eye, her expression unchanged: "Sure, no problem."

When Zong Zhengqing noticed his phone vibrating on the table again, he was a little annoyed and wanted to hang up again. However, this time he subconsciously noticed the caller's name: "Mom".

Why am I calling him at this time? Is something urgent?

Zong Zhengqing was very puzzled. He frowned, pressed the answer button, held the phone between his neck and shoulder, raised his hand to make a pause gesture to the people in the conference room, and then walked out of the conference room.

Hearing the notification tone that signaled the call being abruptly disconnected, Madam Zong glanced at Yan Ran with mixed feelings.

On the other side, before Zong Zhengqing had even left the conference room, a somewhat urgent voice came from the phone: "Hey, Zhengqing, where are you right now?"

"Mom? Why are you calling? Is something urgent? I'm in a meeting right now. If it's not urgent, I'll call you back later."

Zong Zhengqing's tone was gentle and respectful, although his expression was actually quite impatient.

The matriarch felt as if she had been slapped across the face, the pain burning. Enraged, she demanded, "The company? People have come knocking on our door, and you're still at the company?"

"Huh? What?" Zong Zhengqing was taken aback by the question and hesitated for three or four seconds, trying to think of who would come looking for him.

Remembering the phone call she'd received earlier, a chill suddenly ran through her, and she hurriedly asked, "They've come looking for us... could it be them...?"

At this moment, the matriarch was still furious and didn't realize who he meant by "them." She interrupted him before he could finish speaking: "Them? You mean there are other people? Are you really not aware or are you pretending not to know? What are you playing dumb for? I'm talking about your ex-wife, that Yan Ran!"

Catching a glimpse of Yan Ran's ambiguous smile out of the corner of her eye, the matriarch no longer cared about her image. Using all her remaining reason, she suppressed the urge to shout at him and gritted her teeth as she growled into the phone.

"I don't care whether you two are divorced or not, you come back right now and explain things to me!"

After saying that, as if to vent his anger, he added, "Useless thing."

She hung up the phone before she could finish speaking, without waiting for her son's reaction. To her, her words did not require the opinion of anyone in the main family; her words were commands that could not be disobeyed.

Hearing what the other person was saying, Zong Zhengqing felt a mix of excitement and trepidation. He didn't know why Yan Ran had gone back; perhaps it was for…

Looking at the expression on the matriarch's face, Yan Ran felt a strange sense of relief, but she didn't want to provoke her anger any further. After all, she was there to negotiate, not to argue.

She put away the slightly mocking smile on her face, straightened her posture, and looked at Mrs. Zong calmly. This time, her tone was even, without any obvious emotion: "Mrs. Zong, I just want to talk to you calmly about my divorce from your son, Mr. Zong."

After finishing the call, although her anger hadn't subsided, her expression gradually returned to calm: "Okay, of course, you're welcome."

Then, looking at the person still standing there, he sneered arrogantly and pointed to the white European-style sofa some distance away, "Sit down and talk. Don't let word get out and people laugh at my clan for not knowing how to treat guests."

Yan Ran nodded politely, and calmly walked to the sofa in the direction the finger pointed, sitting down as if she were a guest following the host's lead. Then she smiled and thanked the host.

Seeing Yan Ran sit down, Madam Zong looked up and gestured to Wu Ma beside her: "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and pour a cup of tea for the guest."

With two casual sentences and the word "guest," Yan Ran was easily distanced from the main family.

When Wu Ma heard the word "guest," she was taken aback. But having stayed in the Zong family for so long, and having been there when Yan Ran came back to get her things last time, she had a general idea of ​​what was going on. So she quickly understood, nodded, and went to make tea.

A moment later, a delicate teacup exuding a rich tea aroma was placed in front of Yan Ran.

Yan Ran picked up the teacup, blew on it gently, and then took a sip of tea, her manners elegant and refined.

"Try it, it was just sent from Sri Lanka," the matriarch said, introducing the item as if she were welcoming a guest visiting the Zong family for the first time, her expression even showing enthusiasm.

What a good actress... Who knows if she's actually disgusted and contemptuous inside?

Yan Ran lowered her head to sniff the aroma of the tea, smiled politely at Madam Zong, and nodded in reply, "It is indeed a fine Ceylon black tea, leaving a lingering fragrance in the mouth."

Let's see who can't keep up the act first.

"Hehe, drink more if you like. I'll have Aunt Wu brew you some other teas later. We have plenty of good teas at home," Mother Zong replied with a smile, raising her own teacup.

She was probably used to this hypocritical act, after all, she had been the matriarch of the Zong family for so many years and was born into a wealthy family. However, her words already revealed a hint of disdain.

"Okay, thank you for your warm hospitality." Yan Ran's expression remained unchanged.

The atmosphere was unnaturally harmonious; the air was thick with the smell of gunpowder, and it was just short of igniting a fire.

The two sat quietly in their respective seats. Yan Ran appeared serene and elegant, sipping her tea slowly.

The matriarch turned on the TV and tuned to the news channel, watching silently, occasionally taking a sip of tea. Neither of them uttered a word.