William Lawson smiled, picked up the plate, and scooped some slices of ham into his father's bowl, saying, "Dad, you should eat more too!"

The Lawson Family was clearly taken aback.

Did the sun just rise in the west?

William Lawson put down the plate and continued eating as if nothing had happened, as if everything was perfectly natural. Ever since he realized he had been reborn, William Lawson had made up his mind to start over and change everything. The first step was to return to this family and have his family accept him again. Of course, giving his father some ham slices was not just to please him, but also came from the bottom of William Lawson's heart.

Before his rebirth, The Lawson Family was already nearing seventy and had retired early. Because of the family's decline, The Lawson Family had also been reassigned to an idle position and sidelined, always feeling depressed and unhappy.

Every time William Lawson returned to the capital to visit his father, seeing The Lawson Family looking so old and frail before even reaching seventy, he felt especially uncomfortable. He thought that he had truly failed in this life, not fulfilling even a bit of filial duty, letting his parents be troubled for decades.

Now that heaven had given him this chance, how could William Lawson not seize it?

Seeing William Lawson's action, tears suddenly welled up in Megan Lincoln's eyes.

Has her son really grown up?

Megan Lincoln was still doubtful in her heart, thinking maybe this was just a whim of William Lawson. This son of hers had always been a worry.

After his initial shock, The Lawson Family said nothing, ate all the ham slices William Lawson had given him, then stood up and said, "Let's go!"

Everyone got up, and Megan Lincoln quickly tidied up the table. The family of four went downstairs and got into a green jeep.

The reform and opening up had been going on for several years, but in such a vast country, the influence of the planned economy could not be eliminated in just three or five years. Even in the capital, the changes were not that obvious. Even a regular division-level officer in the military like The Lawson Family drove this kind of ordinary military jeep and acted as his own driver.

In the later years that William Lawson was familiar with, not to mention The Lawson Family, even an ordinary battalion or company-level officer in the army would drive a much better and more luxurious car than this.

Sitting in the driver's seat, The Lawson Family didn't start the car right away. After a moment of silence, he said slowly, "William Lawson, when you see your grandfather later, you need to behave yourself, understand?"

Many years ago, The Lawson Family had already started calling his son by his full name like this. This wasn't a special trait of the Liu family, but rather a "special treatment" for William Lawson personally. The Lawson Family really didn't think much of this son and was deeply troubled by his rebellious nature. Today was the old man's eightieth birthday, and The Lawson Family was genuinely worried that William Lawson would act out.

Although it's a tradition in our Party that leading cadres don't celebrate birthdays, today the old man was turning eighty, and it was just a family gathering, with no one else invited. But leaders of the Party and the country would definitely come to pay their respects.

The old man's prestige was simply too high; even now, he still held a frontline position.

A national-level leader!

Anyone who could appear at the old man's birthday, apart from Liu family members, would not be an ordinary person. If William Lawson failed to act appropriately on such an occasion, it would be a disaster.

"Dad, I know. Don't worry!"

William Lawson replied respectfully, his expression very sincere.

The Lawson Family was stunned again. Today, his son really seemed to have changed—so obedient?

William Lawson sighed inwardly, knowing that in his youth, he had been far too rebellious, making everyone completely lose hope in him. Even his own father didn't believe in him.

In his previous life, although William Lawson had basically cut ties with the family, he still had a few friends in the capital, childhood buddies. These friends, without a doubt, were all from the very top circles of the Republic—the so-called "second-generation reds." In the twenty-first century, "second-generation reds," "official second generation," and "rich second generation" were undoubtedly the hottest terms, or at least among them.

Those childhood friends treated William Lawson quite well and didn't distance themselves from him just because he had "cut himself off from the family." Occasionally, William Lawson would hang out with them, and got to see what real power, real freedom, real influence, and real extravagance looked like!

To say that William Lawson wasn't envious at all would be a lie.

In this world, how many people can truly remain unaffected by the mundane, stay calm and detached, and live a life of purity?

But by the time William Lawson realized the distance between them and wanted to change, it was already too late. The old man had long since passed away, and the second generation of the Liu family—especially his uncle Charles Lawson and his eldest brother Edward Lawson—had chosen the wrong side and completely lost power in official circles. The once-mighty top aristocratic family of the Republic fell into decline. That Edward Lawson, once hailed as one of the most outstanding representatives of the third-generation reds, even ended up in prison.

The once-prosperous aristocratic family, like yesterday's flowers, was completely swept off the political stage of the Republic.

When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter!

For someone like William Lawson, who had long drifted away from the family as a "disdainful son," there was no chance of making a comeback. All he could do was watch others stand at the peak, commanding the winds and clouds, while he himself was just a drunken bystander.

William Lawson was nothing more than a fleeting passerby; in this world, there was no stage left for him.