Chapter 594: Chapter 594

Soon, a new week of academic life welcomed on campus.

Pu Sangzhi still took a break from school this week, but she had made a phone call with Huo Mingshan. In the call, she explained to Huo Mingshan that she wouldn’t impulsively transfer schools, and expressed her deep apology...

Huo Mingshan easily forgave her and agreed that she should take some more time off to lay low.

At present, with debt collectors put aside, the school was rife with rumors and gossip, and Huo Mingshan feared her return might subject her to the opinions of all the students.

Thus, this was another reason to lay low.

Huo Mingshan himself was a target of criticism by the students because of his premature balding...

He could understand Pu Sangzhi’s reluctance to be viewed as a spectacle.

So, Pu Sangzhi stayed at home this week, going nowhere.

She and her mother calmly awaited Pu Wenhua’s return home.

Meanwhile, Huo Feng, who obediently attended school, faced punishment from the head teacher Zheng Qiu.

Because he did not participate in the Hangzhou competition, missing such a great opportunity, and also skipped classes on Friday afternoon, evening self-study, and Saturday morning, Zheng Qiu was furious.

In response, Huo Feng accepted his punishment without protest.

Zheng Qiu punished him with laps on the track and copying books, all of which he accepted meekly, even seeming quite pleased with being punished.

Of course, Huo Mingshan had also heard about Huo Feng giving up the great opportunity of the Hangzhou competition.

As a father, he felt regret and specifically took time to talk to Huo Feng again.

After the talk, Huo Mingshan realized that his son had engaged in such foolish acts all because of Sangzhi...

Therefore, Huo Mingshan couldn’t blame Huo Feng and had to accept it.

Fortunately, Pu Sangzhi would still be coming to school, which safeguarded his son’s academic performance for the next few years.

Huo Mingshan completely believed that if Pu Sangzhi were not around, his son would revert to his previous ways, probably within a week...

Thus, as things progressed to this point, Huo Mingshan had inevitably come to accept the fact that Pu Sangzhi had been a positive influence on his son.

In his heart, his respect and admiration for Pu Sangzhi grew, mingled with reluctance and satisfaction!

Although Huo Mingshan had yet to express any stance on their relationship, his heart was gradually softening...

There was a bit of hope... that the two of them could end up together.

After a long week, Pu Wenhua finally returned home on Saturday.

He confidently made his way to Ye Qingcao’s house, and, fortunately, everyone was at home that Saturday.

The return of Pu Wenhua excited everyone at home, warmly welcomed by both families.

At noon, Xu Hui ordered a large table of dishes and opened a bottle of red wine. Both families sat together peacefully for a meal, welcoming Pu Wenhua back.

Having not seen Pu Wenhua for over half a year, Pu Sangzhi also felt genuinely happy to see her father.

She and Chen Huifen sat next to Pu Wenhua, with Pu Wenhua frequently inquiring about their well-being with genuine concern.

He seemed to feel guilty for his absence and the resulting pain it had caused them.

But, what’s done was done.

Now that he was safely back home, Pu Sangzhi and Chen Huifen no longer held any grudges; they just hoped that the family could be completely reunited.

After all, Pu Wenhua had always been the pillar of the family.

Without him, the household seemed to be collapsing. Pu Sangzhi and Chen Huifen felt as unstable as duckweed, easily crushed by others.

Fortunately, he was back now.

His return was good...

His return was the hope of everyone, the hope for everything.

Pu Wenhua now wore his hair long, long enough to tie back in a ponytail, dressed not in formal attire but casually in a shirt and jeans.

The man of today greatly differed from the daily suit and tie, neatly groomed, briefcase-carrying man who went to the office. Follow current novels on 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩·𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢·𝔫𝔢𝔱

The only unchanged aspects from before were his handsome face and his gentle, methodical demeanor.

"During the time I was absent, Xiaosang and Huifen, I’m deeply thankful to you for taking them in. Sister Hui, I toast to you, my deepest gratitude," said Pu Wenhua as he raised his glass to Xu Hui, speaking with the polite tone and manner he always had.

He seemed to have changed a lot, yet interacting with him felt like nothing had changed...

It still gave a very comfortable feeling.

Xu Hui, sitting across from him, quickly picked up her wine glass to respond, "Old Pu, please don’t say that. We’re all family here; there shouldn’t be talk of two households. Haven’t you seen who is earning the living for our family nowadays? If it weren’t for you, who knows what state I and the kids would be in right now. Ye Jianbing, that damned man! And to think he’s put your family in this situation! In truth, it’s our Ye family that has dragged yours down! Please, be the bigger person and forgive us!"

The father of Ye Xi and Ye Qingcao and once the best partner of Pu Wenhua.

Truth be told, the initiator of this whole mess was indeed Ye Jianbing.

At the peak of the company’s success, he poached a female white-collar worker from another company. Little did he know that instead of bringing achievements to the company, she became the "other woman" and wrecked his family...

At that time, under the persuasion of this woman, Ye Jianbing was determined to abandon Xu Hui, his wife who had struggled up the ranks with him.

Xu Hui, being very resolute and disinclined to force matters, didn’t even argue upon finding out, but just had a few big quarrels and then went straight for a divorce.

All of this was commonly known to Pu Wenhua and everyone else.

But what nearly everyone present didn’t know was that it was precisely because that woman leaked company secrets, leading to a major error in a big project, which resulted in massive losses of liquid assets.

Ultimately, Ye Jianbing resorted to online private lending due to that woman’s abscondment with the funds.

To fill the gap, Ye Jianbing borrowed more money behind Pu Wenhua’s back...

This repeatedly drained money, and finally, the company, deprived of liquid assets and deeply indebted, was led by the nose to its ruin...

These matters, these sins, were known only to Pu Wenhua alone.

Over the recent years, he had been wandering alone, keeping the secret of the company’s downfall, all the while trying to find that woman to recover the money and also hoping to put her behind bars, to appease the spirit of Ye Jianbing in heaven.

But still being pursued by debt collectors, he ultimately never found that woman.

These years, Pu Wenhua had also been having a tough time alone.

"Old Pu... what are you thinking about?"

Xu Hui waited for a while with her wine glass raised, seeing that Pu Wenhua seemed to be zoning out and hadn’t heard her, she waved her hand in front of him.

Pu Wenhua then came back from his years of drifting, hurriedly tilted his head back to sip some red wine, and said, "Thank you."

"It’s me who should be thanking and apologizing to you."

Seeing his courtesy, Xu Hui felt especially embarrassed, "Your family is all so honest. You keep everything to yourselves even when you’re in such a state. You really shouldn’t be so formal with us... Old Pu, when I was desperate with two kids, I bothered you every day. Yet you treat us so distantly, don’t you consider us family anymore?"

Pu Wenhua lifted the corners of his mouth, fostering a shy smile, "The matter was just too big; telling you all wouldn’t have helped. It wasn’t something you could have solved."

"Ah, three cobblers make a Zhuge Liang, after all."

Xu Hui sighed, "I don’t even know what you plan to do now. Old Pu, whatever your plans are, I’m fully ready to support you. My shoe factory had an income of two million last year. If you think it necessary, just take it. After all, it was you who managed it from scratch. Everything was your doing; the money should rightly be yours."

To be able to say such things, to wholeheartedly offer all her family’s assets...

At this moment, Xu Hui’s attitude genuinely moved the Pu family!

Chen Huifen quickly raised her wine glass, "I really don’t know how to thank you, for that remark alone, I toast to you."

Xu Hui also raised her glass in return, hurriedly took a sip, and then said, "Don’t be so formal with me, really, don’t! Knowing you, knowing Old Pu, is truly a lifetime’s fortune. I tell you, this is just a small setback, once it’s over, things will definitely get better! With Old Pu being so capable, what can’t he achieve?"

Ye Qingcao also said, "Uncle Pu is a distinguished Tsinghua graduate! The most capable one!"

Pu Wenhua smiled, "I heard, did Xiaoxi get into Tsinghua?"

Ye Qingcao nodded, "My brother has always idolized Uncle Pu. He even said if he didn’t get into Tsinghua, he would study for another year. He was determined to get in! Luckily, he made it! When he got in, he really wanted Uncle Pu to know!"

Pu Wenhua felt a pang in his heart, "He’s a smart kid, he can succeed at anything."

The deep affection between the two families was evident, united as one heart...

The meal was particularly moving for the Pu family.

After lunch, Xu Hui proposed to Pu Wenhua to take him to see the shoe factory. It had grown significantly in scale and was thriving under proper standards!

All those years ago, it was Pu Wenhua who had, hand in hand, helped Xu Hui and her family to manage it up from scratch.

The complete operational policy of the shoe factory was designed by Pu Wenhua, and every step of its development, from offline to online, was led by him.

Indeed, the success of the shoe factory today owed entirely to Pu Wenhua.

In the eyes of the Ye family, Pu Wenhua, a man who graduated from Tsinghua, was genuinely outstanding!

Of course, this made Pu Wenhua feel very ashamed...

Because he was now unable to even take care of his own family...