Reversed Life: Chapter 12 - My Younger Brother/Son is Actually Riding the Bus?!
Chapter 12: My Younger Brother/Son is Actually Riding the Bus?!
Mu Xiangxiang vaguely felt that she had dreamed of something. In the dream, her parents were just like before, coming into her room after she had fallen asleep to tuck in her blanket.
The longing lingered so deeply that even after waking up, she remained dazed for a moment. Then she turned to look at the alarm clock, her gaze pausing for two seconds on the German self-study textbook resting quietly on the bedside table—if she remembered correctly, that book had originally been beside her pillow.
She remembered now. The person crouching by her bed and patting her head last night should indeed have been Qiao Nan’s older brother, Qiao Rui. She remembered calling him “big brother,” and he had not denied it.
She had fallen asleep around eleven o’clock the previous night, while he had entered the room sometime after midnight at the earliest. Combined with what Qiao Nan’s stepmother, Luo Meisheng, had told her, Qiao Rui and Father Qiao had likely rushed back from overseas to City B and then returned to City A in one exhausting journey. Anyone would have been utterly worn out after such a long trip, yet instead of going straight to rest, Qiao Rui had chosen to quietly enter the room to see his younger brother.
And he had even patted his head and coaxed him to sleep.
Mu Xiangxiang could not help sighing toward the ceiling. She understood even less now why Qiao Nan would joke with her about having bad relations with his family. Remembering how abruptly their conversation had ended yesterday, she picked up her phone and sent him a text message telling him that his father and older brother had returned home.
The message vanished like a stone sinking into the sea. At six-thirty in the morning, Qiao Nan was too busy out running to even glance at his phone.
After waiting a while, Mu Xiangxiang could only give up.
*******
In one of the rooms on the second floor, Father Qiao—Qiao Yuanshan—had gotten up early. After washing up, he opened the window and stood breathing deeply in the fresh morning air.
Eyes closed, he reflected on the matters of his household while inhaling slowly.
Ever since his wife had called to tell him about the changes in his younger son, he had been in an excited mood for days. Otherwise, he would never have done something as unprecedented as abandoning unfinished overseas work to return home early. During those dozens of hours of travel, he could barely conceal the joy on his face. Even the assistant who came to pick him up at the airport noticed immediately and assumed some huge breakthrough had been made in the overseas project, flattering him about it the entire way.
Only Qiao Yuanshan himself knew what he was truly anticipating.
It had been over ten years since his first wife passed away. She had been a gentle and beautiful woman who gave him two children as precious as treasures. Qiao Yuanshan could still vaguely remember scenes of playing together with Qiao Rui and Qiao Nan alongside his wife—beautiful memories like a dream.
Back then, Qiao Rui had not yet been so capable, and Qiao Nan had not been as violent and irritable as he was now.
When had things become like this? To be honest, even Qiao Yuanshan himself had no answer. He was a classic career-driven man. Beyond family, there were simply too many things demanding his attention. Setting aside everything else, the countless employees in the company alone meant he could never truly rest. Qiao Yuanshan had not been born rich. Everything he possessed today had been earned through his own hard work.
When he was young, he had once been so poor he could barely afford food. He had truly been frightened by poverty. Back then, all he wanted was to provide his children with the very best material conditions possible.
During that period, Qiao Rui and Qiao Nan had been left in the care of their maternal grandparents. Later, after hearing some professor say that children could not grow up without a mother figure in their lives, he married Luo Meisheng, who had been working as his secretary at the time, and had her stay home full-time to care for the children.
So how had everything changed so completely in the blink of an eye?
Qiao Yuanshan could not understand it. He knew his sons must harbor some misunderstanding toward him, but once they entered adolescence, the boys had already refused to communicate with him. A few years later, his eldest son’s attitude finally softened somewhat, agreeing to follow his arrangements by studying business and joining the company. He had thought that was a good sign. Who could have expected his younger son’s reaction afterward to be so intense that it caught him entirely off guard?
Qiao Nan had probably felt betrayed, to the point that he no longer even wanted the older brother who had once depended on him and vice versa.
Sighing heavily, Qiao Yuanshan opened his eyes, feeling a dull pressure in his chest.
Hearing Luo Meisheng talk last night about Qiao Nan’s recent changes had truly made him happy.
But by now, much of that happiness had transformed into anxiety.
The boy’s willingness to study properly again like before probably meant he had figured something out. That was certainly a good thing.
But it did not necessarily mean he would accept his father as well.
Qiao Yuanshan—who rarely felt such anxiety even in the face of business crises—kept warning himself not to clash head-on with his son like before. Years spent in positions of authority had spoiled him with too many bad habits thanks to his obedient subordinates. He was poor at speaking gently, and when his temper flared, he often spoke recklessly. When arguing with his younger son, who feared him not at all, smashed cars and wrecked rooms were common occurrences.
In the midst of yet another round of self-reflection—which he had gone through countless times before to obviously no effect—his wife Luo Meisheng came over from the next room to help him change clothes.
Qiao Yuanshan asked her, “Is Nannan awake yet?”
Luo Meisheng nodded. “I heard him downstairs reciting vocabulary just now.”
A gratified expression immediately appeared on Qiao Yuanshan’s face. Then, as if remembering something, he said, “That child has never liked strangers in the house, so we can’t even hire someone to stay here and take care of him. Don’t worry about me for now—go buy some breakfast first. We can’t let him go to school hungry.”
At those words, Luo Meisheng paused, looking troubled. “I was actually just about to talk to you about that.”
Qiao Yuanshan froze slightly.
Then he heard his wife say worriedly, “Yesterday morning I got up early to buy breakfast for Nannan, but when he came back in the evening, he told me not to buy so much in the future. Do you think he doesn’t like me making arrangements for him?”
In Luo Meisheng’s mind, the concept of the young master of the Qiao family “not wanting to waste food” simply did not exist. So Mu Xiangxiang’s original sentence—“Don’t buy so much”—had immediately taken on a much more serious meaning to her. Ever since waking up that morning, she had been analyzing what he meant by it, repeatedly trying to go out only to stop herself midway. After so many years, it was only these past two days that her stepson had finally shown her a few pleasant expressions. She truly feared accidentally ruining things again.
Sure enough, even Qiao Yuanshan’s expression shifted after hearing it.“I see…”
The couple fell silent for a moment. After a while, Qiao Yuanshan put on his coat and said, “Forget it. I’ll go see him first.”
It had been so long since they last met. Even just seeing his son would be good.
*******
Qiao Yuanshan quickly felt disappointed, because after opening the bedroom door, he did not hear any sound of vocabulary recitation downstairs. When he looked toward the living room while descending the stairs, he saw no one there either.
Luo Meisheng looked surprised. “Where did he go? I clearly heard him just now.”
Qiao Yuanshan sighed. “He probably already left.”
If he had known his son would head out so early, he definitely would not have dawdled upstairs for so long. After rushing home for dozens of hours and then missing the chance to see his child last night because they arrived too late, Qiao Yuanshan could not hide his disappointment.
The empty atmosphere of the living room washed over him. The house was utterly quiet, and the energy from waking up early seemed to vanish all at once. When only a few steps remained, Qiao Yuanshan turned around, suddenly unwilling to continue downstairs.
But at that exact moment, his keen nose caught a trace of an unfamiliar aroma.
Qiao Yuanshan paused slightly. Before he could even wonder where the smell came from, he heard the sound of the kitchen’s sliding door opening from the dining room area.
From the bottom of the staircase, most of the first-floor common area was clearly visible. Following the sound, he turned his head—and unexpectedly met another pair of eyes.
His younger son stood at the kitchen doorway holding a bowl of noodles, just about to walk out.
The child clearly froze for a moment upon seeing him. Even his footsteps paused briefly before he calmly continued forward and set the bowl onto the dining table.
With a soft clack, Qiao Yuanshan straightened unconsciously. The quiet composure of this child—so completely unlike his former irritable self—left him at a loss. He hesitated, wondering whether he ought to leave before the boy became angry.
Then, in the very next second, something even more bewildering happened. After placing the bowl down, his younger son looked toward him again, his handsome, composed face frowning slightly.
“…Dad.” The young voice carried a trace of hesitation, but he still slowly continued. “…Do you want to eat some too?”
At that moment, it felt as though all the warmth and bustle of everyday life in the world surged out from behind him, filling the entire house.
******
Mu Xiangxiang stirred the noodles expressionlessly with her chopsticks, staring at the bubbling broth in the center and unable to understand why she had ended up doing something like this.
Actually, the breakfast Luo Meisheng bought yesterday had been quite delicious. As long as the portions were not so huge, Mu Xiangxiang absolutely welcomed a future where she would not need to spend money on breakfast.
Who would have thought the beautiful dream would vanish so quickly? This morning, the dining table was completely empty.
Mu Xiangxiang was not exactly unhappy. After all, having elders go out to buy breakfast early in the morning for her really did feel somewhat inappropriate. But that did not stop her from feeling disappointed. Prices in City A had skyrocketed over the past few years—even a simple egg pancake from a street stall cost six yuan now. In the past, one had been enough to fill her up, but with her current body, her appetite had increased by more than threefold.
Spending over ten yuan on a single breakfast made Mu Xiangxiang’s heart ache, since every cent of her living expenses came from scholarships and competition prize money she had earned herself. So after realizing there would probably be no more free breakfast in the future, she stubbornly tried to find another solution.
And then she discovered a pleasant surprise in the Qiao family refrigerator: noodles, eggs, vegetables—every kind of ingredient imaginable!
Mu Xiangxiang immediately started the stove while reciting vocabulary words at the same time. She still had to eat and then head to school.
Who knew that after finally managing to cook a bowl of noodles, before she could even take a bite, Qiao Yuanshan and Luo Meisheng would come downstairs.
Unable to do something as heartless as eating while her elders sat there watching hungrily, model student Mu Xiangxiang reluctantly invited them to join her despite her deep unwillingness.
But honestly speaking, what kind of parents would actually let a child who was about to leave for school cook breakfast for them? Even in the impoverished Mu household, Mother Mu would have stepped forward to take the spatula from her child’s hands at a time like this, okay?
Thinking of that, Mu Xiangxiang could not help turning to look at the dining room. The three figures sat there neatly in a row, and her mood became strangely calm.
Forget it. Anyway, she had not bought the ingredients herself.
She scooped the cooked noodles into bowls and calmly carried them out under six impossible-to-ignore gazes. “It’s ready.”
The next second, the older and younger men at the table instantly folded up the newspapers they had been pretending to read.
Meanwhile, Luo Meisheng still wore the same blank expression she had shown when Mu Xiangxiang invited them earlier.
Anxious not to be late for school, Mu Xiangxiang ate quickly. She had learned how to cook noodles from Father Mu. She had never had much talent for cooking, and what she made was nowhere near as delicious as the original, but after becoming disabled, she had not allowed her father into the kitchen for many years.
Or rather, she had tried her best to keep him away from all forms of labor.
Thinking of her father made her eat even faster. After finishing in just a few bites, she looked up and discovered that everyone else at the table wore extremely solemn expressions.
Especially Qiao family’s eldest son sitting across from her. One chopstickful of noodles, one spoonful of soup—his movements were careful and meticulous, as though he were savoring some rare delicacy.
Even Mu Xiangxiang could not help falling silent for two seconds. Then she stood up and said, “You all eat first. I’m heading to school.”
“Wait.” Qiao Rui set down his chopsticks. His gaze seemed to struggle for several seconds over the bowl of noodles before firmly turning toward her. “I’ll drive you.”
“Huh?” Although Mu Xiangxiang had already guessed that Qiao Nan’s relationship with his family was not as terrible as he claimed, she still was not prepared for this level of closeness. She immediately shook her head in refusal. “No need. I’ll go by myself.”
One look at Qiao Rui’s face was enough to tell he was not someone easy to get along with or easy to persuade. His unreadable gaze remained fixed deeply on her. “You’re carrying a schoolbag. How are you going to ride?”
Naturally, Qiao Rui was referring to the motorcycle that everyone familiar with Qiao Nan knew he treasured dearly.
However, he never could have expected that after hearing his concern, his adorable younger brother would reveal a puzzled expression on his handsome face. “Ride? I’m not riding. I’m taking the bus.”
Qiao Rui: “!!!!”
Qiao Yuanshan: “!!!!!”
Luo Meisheng: “?!?!?!?!”
Then Mu Xiangxiang picked up her schoolbag and left. On her way out, she happened to run into the assistant she had seen the previous night stepping out of the elevator. She politely nodded at him.
The assistant looked a little surprised but immediately returned the greeting. His mood brightened unexpectedly first thing in the morning thanks to that greeting, until he pushed open the front door and was abruptly halted by the bizarre atmosphere inside the Qiao household.
…Why did this family already feel so strange this early in the morning? Hesitantly, he glanced back at the elevator doors behind him. Could it be that the notoriously bad-tempered young master had thrown another fit?
As he stood there uncertain, he suddenly saw his boss shoot to his feet from the dining table. “Xiao Lou, get the car ready.”
W-What?
Assistant Xiao Lou barely had time to process his shock before hurriedly agreeing and pulling out his phone to contact the driver. Within seconds, Chairman Qiao had already started putting on his coat.
As he put on the coat, he walked out from the dining room, only to suddenly stop after a few steps. Turning around, he strode back to the table, picked up the bowl of noodles, and noisily slurped them down.
Only after drinking every last drop of soup clean did the chairman wipe his mouth and wave a hand cheerfully. “Let’s go!”
Before leaving, Assistant Xiao Lou could not help glancing back. He looked first at the completely empty noodle bowl, then at the eldest young master, who ignored the chairman’s behavior entirely and continued calmly drinking soup and eating noodles with great care.
Just how delicious were those noodles?
Rich people really were extravagant—eating something so precious first thing in the morning.
******
Qiao Yuanshan was practically on the verge of tears. Right before his eyes, his pampered younger son—who had grown up surrounded by luxury—had squeezed onto a public bus together with a huge crowd of people!
The morning rush-hour bus was unbelievably packed. His precious son was shoved all the way to the right-side window, gripping a hanging strap and swaying with the movement of the vehicle. One glance was enough to tell how uncomfortable he was.
Although his son’s expression remained calm the entire time, seemingly not displeased by the terrible surroundings at all—and even freeing one hand midway through the trip to help support an elderly passenger when the bus stopped—
Qiao Yuanshan still felt nothing but heartache. This was his son! That adorable, well-behaved son who had even gotten up early this morning to make breakfast for his father!
Qiao Yuanshan’s gloomy expression as he clutched his chest frightened Assistant Xiao Lou badly. Xiaolou cautiously looked toward the figure inside the bus helping the elderly passenger. At the same time that he found the scene oddly pleasing to the eye, he was also completely baffled.
The young master seemed to have caused quite a commotion today. He had actually managed to anger the chairman to this extent. Xiao Lou rarely saw this seasoned veteran of the business world display emotions so openly.
They watched all the way until his son got off the bus and entered the gates of No. 12 High School. Only after calming himself for a while did Qiao Yuanshan finally withdraw his gaze with mixed emotions. “Let’s go.”
Assistant Xiao Lou did not dare speculate about his boss’s intentions. But just as the driver began turning the car around, something caught his eye. “Huh? Chairman Qiao, isn’t that…” Qiao Rui’s car?
Not far away, a silver-gray business vehicle seemed to have arrived a step later than they had and had not yet managed to turn around, causing the two cars to run directly into each other.
Qiao Yuanshan noticed it as well and instructed the driver to pull over beside it.
The rear window of the silver-gray car slowly lowered, revealing Qiao Rui’s cold, unapproachable face. He seemed to be in an especially bad mood at the moment, his gaze unusually sharp.
Sharp enough that Assistant Xiao Lou involuntarily shrank his neck back.
Qiao Yuanshan lowered his own window as well and calmly met his eldest son’s eyes. Father and son faced one another in silence. After a moment, Qiao Rui looked away. “I was just passing by.”
Qiao Yuanshan nodded. “Good timing. Come to the company with me.”
After saying that, he raised the window and signaled for the driver to leave.
In the rearview mirror, the silver-gray car indeed followed shortly afterward. Assistant Xiao Lou could not help recalling the confrontation between father and son just now, and his heart repeatedly trembled with unease.
The conflict within the Qiao family had truly entered a white-hot stage now that the younger young master, Qiao Nan, was getting older. Not only had the chairman become increasingly inscrutable, but the eldest young master also appeared full of ambition. Just because the father paid slightly more attention to the younger brother, he could not sit still anymore and actually did something as foolish as tailing them in broad daylight.
Wealthy families. Truly wealthy families.
They would forever remain something incomprehensible to ordinary people like him.
Inside the silver-gray car, even after driving some distance away, Qiao Rui still looked back toward the gates of No. 12 High School. The crowded bus slowly started moving again, swaying along toward its next destination.
The exhaust fumes it left behind stabbed painfully into his heart.
Meanwhile, Mu Xiangxiang—who had just arrived at school and had not yet entered the teaching building—suddenly felt her pocket vibrate. She took out her phone and saw a notification message appear on the lock screen—
[95588: Your bank card account ending in **** received a transfer of 200,000.00 RMB on March 4 from account ending in ****. Current balance: 298,299.80 RMB. Please verify and confirm the amount in time. [Industrial and Commercial Bank of China]]
Her footsteps halted instantly. Her gaze fixed on the string of numbers before she could even react.
The next second, another notification sounded—
[95588: Your bank card account ending in **** received a transfer of 500,000.00 RMB on March 4. Current balance: 798,299.80 RMB. Please verify and confirm the amount in time. [Industrial and Commercial Bank of China]]
Mu Xiangxiang: “………………?????”
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