Chapter 309: Chapter 309: Warning

He actually understood Yun Nianzhou’s breakdown very well. After all, in this family, Yun Nianzhou had always gotten whatever he wanted for over twenty years. Then one day, someone suddenly told him that everything he once had never truly belonged to him.

From the current situation, Yun Runtong and Liang Zhiqiu were firmly on his side. As for Grandma, she was finding it hard to let go of her feelings for Yun Nianzhou, and he understood that too.

He decided to just wait and see. After all, he had gone from having nothing to where he was now all on his own—he wasn’t afraid of anything.

But Yun Nianzhou was a different story. Without the Yun family’s protection, what was he, really?

After all this drama, no one had any appetite left. They just ate a little and ended the meal.

Yun Runtong suggested he change his surname back to “Yun” and move his household registration back. He agreed—sooner or later, it had to happen anyway.

As for his name, after being called Xu Huaian for so many years, suddenly becoming Yun Jiuzhou felt a bit strange. But seeing how happy Yun Runtong and his wife were, he felt it didn’t really matter—it was just a name, after all.

After chatting for a while, he said he wanted to leave. Yun Runtong asked a guard to take him back to school.

The couple stayed behind to have a long talk with Old Madam Yun.

“Mom, what you did today was really hurtful. This was Jiuzhou’s first time coming home to see you. Even if you weren’t going to give him a warm welcome, you shouldn’t have embarrassed him. You treat the child you picked up outside like a treasure—where does that leave him?

I remember you always said that if Jiuzhou ever came back, you’d be willing to give up ten years of your life. Well, now he’s really back, but you don’t seem to care at all.” Yun Runtong took a sip of tea as he spoke.

As a daughter-in-law, Liang Zhiqiu had never had a particularly close relationship with the old lady. Only a son could say these things without making her angry.

Old Madam Yun looked a little embarrassed. What her son said was true—her reaction today had clearly been to protect Yun Nianzhou, which wasn’t how a real grandmother should behave.

But in her heart, she felt that the bond of raising a child was greater than anything. The feelings between adults and children are built during the process of raising them.

She hadn’t raised Yun Jiuzhou, but she had watched Yun Nianzhou grow up with her own eyes. The feelings she had for the child she raised herself were much deeper, so it was only natural for her to protect him.

“You two have been away all these years and never cared about this old woman. Nianzhou and I have depended on each other, so of course our feelings are special. That boy is good to me.

Now that you’ve found your own child, you don’t care what happens to him. If I, as an old woman, don’t look out for him, what’s he supposed to do?

Jiuzhou is back, and it’s normal for you to love him. But you can’t just force Nianzhou out for Jiuzhou’s sake. If you do, I won’t let it go!

Most of the Yun family’s assets are already in your hands. In the future, you can give them to whoever you want. But what little I have left, I’m saving for Nianzhou—don’t even think about it!” Grandma Yun didn’t bother pretending anymore and laid her cards on the table.

Liang Zhiqiu nearly blacked out. She wanted to drag her dead father-in-law out of his grave and ask him why he’d chosen such a clueless wife!

She didn’t care about her own grandson, but treated someone else’s child like a precious treasure.

Back then, she’d been against raising this child. Their own child had just gone missing, and someone immediately showed up offering them a replacement—how could that not feel wrong?

And it was a boy, too. It was common to lose girls in those days, but losing a boy was extremely rare—unless the family couldn’t afford to raise him.

Sure enough, her worries back then were justified. This damned old woman actually wanted to leave the family property to an outsider!

Luckily, Runtong had been farsighted and had already handed the family business over to trustworthy people. The old lady barely had anything left—just her own private savings.

The couple exchanged a glance, both seeing the same speechlessness in each other’s eyes.

“Mom, let me make this clear. You tell Nianzhou: if he’s content with what he has now, takes good care of you, and doesn’t try any tricks or have any bad intentions, everything can stay as it is. He’ll still be the Yun family’s adopted son, and I, Yun Runtong, will still acknowledge him as my son.

But if he’s not satisfied and tries to cause trouble behind the scenes, if he makes things difficult for Jiuzhou, then don’t blame me for being ruthless.

Zhizhiu and I only have Jiuzhou as our son. For him, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do—and I mean what I say!”

Yun Runtong didn’t care at all about the little bit of money the old lady had left. She could give it to whoever she wanted.

When his father passed away, he knew the old lady was muddle-headed, so he’d entrusted all the Yun family’s savings and ancestral property to Runtong. There was a lot—probably more than the old lady herself realized.

The old lady understood that this was Yun Runtong’s final bottom line, and she nodded repeatedly.

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep him in line. I know the child I raised myself. He might be a bit slow and a bit willful, but he’s very kind-hearted.

He only said those things just now because he couldn’t accept it all at once. Once he calms down, I’ll talk to him.”

“I hope so,” Yun Runtong said, not very optimistic.

Hearing the truth, Gu Qingyue was just as shocked and upset as Yun Nianzhou.

After all, she’d married him for his status as the Yun family’s young master. Without that aura, what did he have left?

When they got married, the Yun family had set them up in their own place. They’d given them a house and a dowry, but Yun Nianzhou had nothing else.

He was willful and ambitious, always thinking he was destined for greatness. He refused to do any job he thought was beneath him or that paid too little. He spent his days eating, drinking, and partying with his friends, burning through her dowry and their wedding gifts.

At one point, they were so broke they didn’t even have rice to cook. Fortunately, when she got pregnant, Yun Nianzhou brought her home and told the old lady the good news. Only then did the old lady calm down and start helping them out regularly.

For the past two years, their family had been living comfortably by buttering up the old lady. Even though they hadn’t moved back into the main house, they were still doing well on their own.

The old lady was kind and soft-hearted—she believed everything Yun Nianzhou said. Whenever she gave them money, it was a thousand or two at a time. When she gave birth to their son Xiaocong, the old lady even gave her a three-thousand-yuan reward.

She’d never realized that, to the rich, a few hundred or a thousand yuan was just pocket change. The Yun family must be incredibly wealthy—probably more money than they could spend in a lifetime.

Gradually, she figured out all sorts of ways to please the old lady. Rich people liked it when others put effort into them—it wasn’t about how well you did things, but about your intentions and attitude.

She started learning to cook, often making dishes and snacks the old lady liked and bringing them over. The old lady was wrapped around their little fingers, giving them money and gifts without hesitation.

Yun Nianzhou often told her that the Yun family would be his sooner or later. His parents might act tough, but he was their only son—who else would they give everything to?

She’d always believed that too. But now, out of nowhere, a real son had appeared—and her husband wasn’t even the Yun family’s biological child!

It felt like the sky was falling. What was she supposed to do?

Over the past two years, she’d gotten used to a life of luxury, hanging out with wealthy ladies, shopping for whatever she fancied, and leaving the child with her mother. After all, she had a younger brother—if her mom could look after one, she could look after two.

Her mother had enjoyed a good life with her these past two years, and they’d thought their hardships were finally over. Who could have imagined something like this would happen now?"