Chapter 10: Give me back my wife, and everything will be fine.

A long, elegantly gilded copper chandelier hung from the dome. The He family was vast, with strict discipline and strict rules. Everyone sat around the round table in the central hall, organized according to the family's direct and

branch branches. Only the main seat remained vacant. As footsteps approached from the entrance hallway, everyone seated, save for Madam He and a few ignorant younger members, held their breath, looking intently at the new head of the family, who held the power of life and death over the He family.

It's no wonder they feared He Cong.

Those most likely to ascend to power in the He family initially didn't consider He Cong, confined to a mental hospital since childhood, a rival for power. However, the result was that each of them met with misfortune and fell into ruin.

To this day, no one knows what they truly endured.

Those still seated at the main table were only the surviving survivors of the bloody power struggle.

What fascinated the outside world most was that the new leader of the He family, known for his brutality and ruthlessness, had actually embraced Buddhism after his wife's death, visiting Changci Temple for quiet worship on special occasions.

His slender wrist began to coil a string of pure, austere ebony Buddhist beads. Early on, the media captured a scene of this:

It's said that at the time, He Cong, still a hungry infant, needed constant presence, was photographed leaving a charity dinner and getting into his car. As the car door closed, the tiny child was photographed tearfully clinging to the beads on He Cong's wrist, biting and pulling at them, crying incessantly. He Cong, unfazed, placed his hand on the child's back, gently patting him, and indulging his child's fuss in his arms.

Of course, that final photo never made it to the public.

At that moment, everyone watched as He Cong, dressed in a suit and tie, stained with the faint scent of incense, entered, holding a child in one hand, letting the sleeping child cling to his neck.

His aura was invisible and oppressive, causing most people on both sides of the table to rise respectfully from their seats, waiting for He Cong to take the main seat.

However, He Cong paused only briefly as he approached the central hall, his eyes scanning the area with a cold gaze, finally landing on Madam He, who was closest to the main seat, and calmly explained.

"You eat first. I'll take Momo back to the room and come down later."

Old Madam He naturally saw that her little great-grandson had fallen asleep on He Cong. He must have fallen asleep in the car due to the long journey. She nodded slowly, and lowered her voice for fear of disturbing the child, "Go."

After watching He Cong go upstairs from the elevator, Old Madam He retracted her gaze, restored her dignity and faced everyone at the table, "Let's start eating."

The younger generations sitting at the back of the table had not been involved in the grievances and interests of those years. After holding it in for a long time, they finally couldn't help but mutter secretly.

"Did you see that? Fourth uncle, who always loves to lecture us, was so frightened when he saw cousin He Cong come in. Is he really that scary?" "

I think cousin He Cong is quite kind. He does everything for his children personally and goes to the temple to burn incense and worship Buddha every year. How can he be as scary as the rumors say?"

"Tsk, then you still know too little. Do you know how He Cong's father--"

He was halfway through gossiping when He Cunyue, who was standing next to him, glared at him and threatened in a low voice: "If you guys keep talking nonsense, I'll tell grandma!"

After He Cunyue said this, the younger generations fell silent.

At the same time, in the bedroom upstairs.

He Cong had just placed He Zhimo in his crib when the sleeping child, as if sensing something, restlessly reached up again, his two tiny hands clasping He Cong's bony hands. Subconsciously, they touched the Buddhist beads on his wrist. His tiny fingers tightly gripped a few round, cold ebony beads, and he muttered, "Mommy, no, don't go."

He Cong sat quietly beside the bed, his eyes lowered. His slightly calloused fingers gently wiped the tears from the child's snow-white face. Only when the child's frown slowly softened did he gently remove his hand.

By the time He Cong came downstairs, several uncles had been waiting in the spacious tearoom in the west hall.

They had taken advantage of He Cong's return with his son to visit Old Madam He to personally promote several new investment projects for the He family's industrial empire.

He Cong took a seat in the tearoom, flipping through the several documents presented to him as he listened and nodded. He asked a few questions and offered his assessment of certain points, but he didn't respond immediately. Instead, he singled out two or three feasible projects and, in a businesslike manner, asked them to submit more detailed proposals to Assistant Yu for approval.

After the meeting, everyone dispersed. The housekeeper came over to remind them that Madam He was taking a walk in the old mansion's garden to digest her food.

He Cong didn't ask any more questions and simply went over.

Under the flower pavilion in the forest garden, Madam He was admiring the clusters of flowers in full bloom in the forest. Seeing him coming, she narrowed her eyes and smiled faintly: "He Cong, look, how tall the black orchid is blooming this year."

He Cong took a look and said, "Hmm."

"Is Mo Mo doing well recently? I heard that Bindao had heavy rain for several days in a row a few days ago."

"It's okay, nothing serious."

Madam He turned around and looked at her eldest grandson, whose temperament was becoming increasingly cold. She sighed softly, stopped talking about other topics, sat back in the pavilion and said, "Prosecutor Lin said that his condition over there is getting worse and worse."

He Cong stood quietly under the pavilion, without saying a word.

Madam He did not give up, and said again: "He Cong, he is your father after all."

After hearing the last two words, He Cong's handsome and cold face seemed to have finally changed.

He lazily lowered his eyes, slowly and methodically straightened the Buddhist beads on his wrist that had been tilted by the child, and put them back into order. His tone was calm and clear: "Of course. Give my wife back to me, and everything will be fine."

Madam He was startled and tried to persuade him, "He Cong, about that fire back then—"

He Cong's eyes turned cold: "Grandma, did you ask me to come back to discuss the past?"

Madam He hesitated, and finally swallowed her words, just shaking her head and muttering: "Grandma's fault, it's all Grandma's fault..."

He Cong looked away, and after a moment, he lowered his voice and said: "When Mo Mo wakes up, I'll ask him to come down and keep you company."

He turned and walked back.

He Cunyue had been waiting for a long time on the forest path. Seeing He Cong approaching with a chill, she thought he was angry because Mo Mo almost disappeared, so she hurried forward to apologize.

"Brother, I'm really sorry. It's all my fault that I didn't pick up Momo in time, causing Momo to almost disappear this time!"

"It has nothing to do with you." He Zhimo insisted on running to find Shang Youqing, and even he, as a father, couldn't bear to refuse. He Cong glanced at her, "Are you okay?"

"Ah? As for me, I've been fine for a long time!" Hearing that He Cong still cared about her, He Cunyue was very happy, and couldn't help but tell her brother, "Thanks to a child who saved me that day!"

"Child?"

He Cunyue scratched his head when this was mentioned, expressing his distress: "Well, you may not believe it, brother, but I was really saved by a child who looked about the same age as Momo that day, but... everyone in my detachment said that there was no such thing. Anyway, I'm still investigating these two days! I don't believe that she can't be found!"

He Cong didn't react much to this, but just said "um" lightly and said: "You can tell me if you need anything."

He Cong figured the little guy was about to wake up, so he ordered the kitchen to prepare He Zhimo's favorite dinner. Then he went upstairs to the bedroom and took out his computer to deal with some things.

Not long after, there was a rustling sound from the crib in the inner room. He Cong put down his computer and walked in to see He Zhimo tossing and turning in the quilt. After a while, he finally popped his head out, his big eyes still swollen. He looked at him anxiously and asked, "Dad, have you seen my little bird doll?"

He Cong frowned and took off the quilt covering his head. "What is that?"

"It's the little bird doll. It's a gift from Shang Youqing! Dad, you didn't lose it, did you?"

He Zhimo's eyes were about to turn red as he spoke.

He Cong paused for half a second and called Yu Zhu.

Within ten minutes, Yu Zhu rushed over in a hurry, took the old doll that fell in the car to the old house of the He family, and handed it to Mr. He personally.

He Cong took the bird doll and looked at it, but didn't think there was anything special about it.

"By the way, Mr. He, Miss Shang didn't accept the small gift you asked me to prepare. She said that she only took in the young master for a day or two, and said that the young master was easy to feed--"

Yu Zhu suddenly stopped talking, because he saw that after Mr. He checked the bird doll, he was rubbing and playing with the doll in his hand with his head down and an expressionless face.

Yu Zhu looked at this scene strangely: "..."

Didn't they say that the young master He couldn't find the bird doll and was crying, why did you play with it first, Mr. He?

It was not until before going upstairs that He Cong slowly restored the bird doll that had been rubbed almost deformed to its original appearance, took it back to the room without changing his expression, and returned it to He Zhimo.

He Zhimo held the bird doll he had lost and found, his mood lifted. As he changed and prepared to go downstairs, he told He Cong about the things he had been doing with Shang Youqing over the past two days. He started out excited, until he mentioned that he had secretly seen Shang Youqing coaxing her own baby to sleep...

He Zhimo lowered his head and plucked the bird doll's wings, then began to feel a little depressed again.

"If only Shang Youqing was my mother too."

He Cong's cold expression shattered the child's thoughts: "She's not."

He Zhimo snorted, indicating that he would not argue with his father. He took the bird doll Shang Youqing had given him back to his bed and covered it with the quilt.

Just after putting on his shoes, he thought of something and looked up to touch He Cong's pocket, "Dad, where's your cell phone?"

"What's the matter?"

"Don't you have Shang Youqing's phone number? I want to call Shang Youqing."

He Cong was about to refuse, but when he met his youngest son's big, black and clear eyes, he was silent for a moment. He had to take out his cell phone, turn to the number that Shang Youqing had called before, dialed it, and handed it to He Zhimo.

He Cong was standing next to him, lowered his head and saw He Zhimo waiting expectantly until the call was connected.

"...Shang Youqing, I'm not Dad, I'm He Zhimo!...Well, Dad called for me, Dad has your number."

He Zhimo shook his father's big hand hanging by his side as he spoke. Probably when Shang Youqing asked him the reason for the call, He Zhimo's tender voice softened, and he held the phone to apologize.

"I'm sorry, Shang Youqing, it's my fault. I shouldn't have been mean to you today."