Chapter 112: Zhou Fuqu's Pride

“Dad, why are you suddenly bringing this up?” Fuqu Zhou frowned.

“In fact, Yongye Wang expressed his wish a long time ago for you to become their family’s daughter-in-law, but I never agreed,” Zhengqian Zhou said, speaking to himself.

“Someone like Huawen Wang? I’d rather die than marry him. They just want an alliance—there are girls in Uncle Two’s and Uncle Three’s families; why are they fixated on me?” Fuqu Zhou snorted.

Zhengqian Zhou shook his head. “You’re still young and don’t see clearly. The Wang family wanting an alliance is one reason. Another is that Huawen Wang is their only child this generation. Regardless of whether he succeeds or not, they have to entrust the entire family legacy to him.”

“That’s all the better. He’ll squander everything in no time. I’d be happy to watch the chaos from the sidelines,” Fuqu Zhou said.

Seeing his daughter’s expression, Zhengqian Zhou smiled and said, “You still don’t see through it. With your abilities, if you marry into the Wang family, their power will eventually fall into your hands. Yongye Wang means exactly that: as long as you bear a child, they will trust you to manage the Wang family. With your personality, controlling Huawen Wang won’t be difficult.”

Fuqu Zhou now understood but said nothing.

Zhengqian Zhou continued, “Actually, I planned to ask you in two years. If you were an ordinary girl, I wouldn’t think much about it—just marry into a family of equal standing. But you’re a girl with a son’s disposition. It depends on whether you want to be a delicate woman or a power broker.”

Fuqu Zhou understood her father’s meaning. The Zhou family’s legacy would inevitably pass to its male members. If she wanted equal power, she’d have to marry into the Wang family, endure Huawen Wang’s bad character, and take control of the family’s affairs.

Of course, the prerequisite was bearing a Wang child; otherwise, Yongye Wang would never entrust his authority.

“Fuqu, have you thought it through? As a girl, you’re inherently at a disadvantage compared to men. If you want this power, you must be prepared to lose something. You’re grown now; weigh the gains and losses yourself,” Zhengqian Zhou asked.

“Dad, can’t I just stay at home? As far as I see, none of the Zhou men can hold this family up like you do,” Fuqu Zhou argued.

Zhengqian Zhou shook his head. “Don’t entertain that thought. The world of male power never allows women to rise. The hen cannot rule the roost. Even if the Zhou family declines, it must fall at the hands of a male heir. Otherwise, people will see it as the family’s fate. If it falls to you, you become the villain, despised by all.”

“Why?” Fuqu Zhou asked timidly, unsure if she was questioning the mental shackles of this belief or her own fate as a woman.

“All right, you can go now. You’re still young and can wait a few more years. Perhaps your perspective will change,” Zhengqian Zhou waved her off.

“What about Lu Feng?” Fuqu Zhou asked again.

“Find a time to invite Yongye Wang, Lu Feng, and Su Dao’an out. I’ll host a dinner to return the favor and help him once more,” Zhengqian Zhou said after some thought.

“All right,” Fuqu Zhou agreed and left the study.

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Fuqu Zhou left the study, her mood unsettled.

She loathed the strict patriarchal inheritance—why must the family legacy be handed down by men? Why not women?

From a scientific standpoint, a mother passes more genes to her son than a father does because some genetic material lies outside the chromosomes, within the egg’s cytoplasm.

Therefore, if one truly wanted to preserve the family bloodline, it would make more sense for women to inherit it.

Aside from bloodline reasons, the only advantage men might have is the family surname.

Thinking of this, Fuqu Zhou suddenly had a bold idea: what if her child also bore the Zhou surname? Then there’d be no problem—bloodline preserved, surname intact. The only issue would be male pride, but none of the Zhou male heirs were capable anyway.

She didn’t want to endure a repugnant man for power, nor did she want her child to carry the Wang name. This daring idea suited her perfectly.

However, it was too radical to reveal. She would need some family influence before acting—and when she did, it must be decisive. No room for negotiation.

With this thought, Fuqu Zhou began considering the father of her child.

Using sperm from a sperm bank? That was a good option.

Sperm banks carefully select donors, with strict criteria from intelligence to appearance, height to health. Usually, only robust university students’ samples pass selection.

Under such scrutiny, sperm bank samples are top-tier genetics.

But after more consideration, Fuqu Zhou shook her head.

Though sperm bank samples are among the top 20% genetically, their selection is unstable. She didn’t want just the top 20%; she wanted the very best.

As she pondered, Lu Feng’s image involuntarily surfaced in her mind.

Thinking of Lu Feng, she realized he was indeed suitable—no glaring flaws. Though not stunningly handsome, his height and looks were good. Moreover, he was young yet an exceptional doctor—a natural talent.

Fuqu Zhou, confident in herself, believed any child she bore with Lu Feng would be a prodigy.

And thinking of Lu Feng naturally led her to think of the Su sisters.

Fuqu Zhou smiled contemptuously and murmured to herself, “I, Fuqu Zhou, will never compete with other women for a man. I only want a child—a child who can inherit the Zhou family’s future.”

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Zhengqian Zhou arranged to dine with Yongye Wang, so the police “monitoring” Lu Feng withdrew.

After the police left, Lu Feng’s eyelid twitched continuously. He suspected Su Muqing was speaking ill of him behind his back, unaware that a confident woman had set her sights on his sperm.

In recent days, Su Muyu hid at home, afraid to go out. Approaching the end of his shift and with the patients dispersed by the police, Lu Feng packed up to go home.

Descending the stairs, Su Dao’an hurriedly caught up. “The Zhou family agreed to help. This Saturday, we’ll have dinner with the Wang family to clear things up.”

Lu Feng glanced at him. “Don’t you already know what happened that night?”

Su Dao’an sighed. “How could I not? But there’s nothing we can do. The people can’t fight the officials—that’s a hard truth. I’d love to strip Huawen Wang bare, but we only have wealth, no power. We can’t even destroy ourselves with them. We have to endure for now. Fortunately, Xiaoyu is unharmed…”

Lu Feng understood Su Dao’an’s predicament and patted his shoulder.

Su Dao’an added, “I’ve hired bodyguards. The family now has 24/7 protection.”

“Have you found out who kidnapped Muyu?” Lu Feng asked.

“Yes. It was a man called Viper from the New East Society. He’s under Kunjiu’s command. The New East Society is powerful, and these are reckless thugs—not to be trifled with,” Su Dao’an shook his head.

“Leave this to me,” Lu Feng said.

“How will you handle it?” Su Dao’an asked anxiously.

“Don’t worry. I have my ways. No disciple of Yunshan Gate will be bullied!” Lu Feng said resolutely.

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Yesterday’s chapter 108 was temporarily taken down due to sensitive words but has now been restored and is available to read. Some readers may have skipped it and gone directly to chapter 109, so if the plot feels disjointed, going back to chapter 108 will clarify.

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