Chapter 63: Wake Up!!!! Wake Up!!!!!
At the Shi family residence, in the quiet garden far from the noise of the crowd, a man leaned against the railing, gazing at the brightly lit villa ahead. The light in his eyes flickered uncertainly.
He silently lit a cigarette for himself, and his honest-looking face disappeared into the rising smoke.
His wife approached with her phone after finishing a call. Seeing him like this and thinking about the family's recent troubles, her expression darkened as well.
Shi Jiajun removed the cigarette from his mouth. "Who was it?"
"Your niece," his wife replied irritably.
From the tone of the call, he had already guessed most of the conversation. "How much does she want?"
"One million. She says she wants to open a coffee shop and start a business." His wife snorted angrily. "She's got some nerve. If she needs money, why doesn't she ask Qiao Yuanshan?"
"She probably did. And Qiao Yuanshan said no."
"So what?" his wife shot back. "What does her coffee shop have to do with us?"
Shi Jiajun was silent for a moment. Then he extinguished the cigarette. "Call her tomorrow."
His wife's voice immediately rose. "Why should we? Does everyone think we're idiots?"
This was already the third person this month asking for money. One claimed to be a million short for a project. Another needed five hundred thousand more for overseas tuition. Each of them came shamelessly asking for outrageous sums as though money simply fell from the sky for the couple.
Shi Jiajun turned to look at her without changing his expression. Under his gaze, her indignation gradually subsided. After a while, she turned away unhappily.
Because it was true. Wasn't the image their family presented to the world that of two simple-minded fools?
And if they were supposed to be fools, then they had to be honest, generous fools who silently suffered losses. How could they ignore polite requests for loans from relatives while they still appeared wealthy?
She understood the logic. But she still couldn't swallow it. "And Qiao Yuanshan too. Why has he suddenly become so difficult? In the past, any relative with even the slightest connection could get money or a job from him just by asking. Now not only is he refusing to arrange jobs, but the girl who wants to open the café is your own second sister's daughter! Isn't she much closer to him than the people who got money before?"
If the threshold at Qiao Yuanshan's door hadn't suddenly risen so dramatically, their family wouldn't have become the new target of everyone's harassment. Everyone knew Shi Jiajun was honest, kindhearted, and easy to bully. The people who didn't dare keep pestering Qiao Yuanshan after being rejected had simply turned their attention toward his trusted right-hand man instead.
The more she thought about it, the more worried she became. "And lately you've been getting access to fewer and fewer things in the group. Do you think he's started guarding against us?"
Shi Jiajun, who had been pushed into his current position whether he liked it or not, was equally miserable. The pressure had become so intense that he was losing hair by the handful. Things had been manageable before. His overseas company, Permanent Energy, had enjoyed healthy operations thanks to the small contracts that trickled out from the Qiao Group. His finances had been comfortable, and giving money to relatives hadn't been a big issue. But recently things had changed. The major Guanhai acquisition project that he had worked so hard to secure had inexplicably stalled at the very last moment. His company's stock price had also become unstable, fluctuating wildly. He had already poured huge amounts of capital into preliminary preparations and no longer had much money to spare.
At one point, he even suspected someone might be targeting him. But after careful consideration, he still felt it was unlikely. "The group was badly hit after the Guanghai acquisition leak. If Qiao Yuanshan isn't giving money out, it's probably because there are cash flow issues. As for access… He's already handed a lot of projects over to Ruirui. Ruirui's been making big moves and placing his own people everywhere. I'm not the only one being sidelined. Several old shareholders are finding it hard to get information too."
"What are we supposed to do?"
Shi Jiajun didn't answer. The only comforting thing left was probably the business division he had spent years cultivating. Under his management, it had become nearly airtight. Even the board of directors found it difficult to interfere.
That was his greatest asset. If he ever left, he'd have to take those people with him for it to be worthwhile.
But an entire division leaving would seriously damage the group. And accomplishing that without attracting attention would be anything but easy.
Recently, nothing had gone right. Things had gone so badly that he couldn't help wanting to accelerate his plans and prepare an escape route.
He remembered the scene he'd witnessed during his recent visit to the Qiao family home. His eyes flickered. After a long silence, he finally sighed.
"It can't continue with Qiao Rui dominating everything. We'll have to find him a rival. Someone who can keep him in check."
******
Inside the villa, the atmosphere was lively.
The Shi family had risen from an obscure local household to a position where the family patriarch's birthday banquet could attract half the city's elite. And the role played by the Qiao family in that rise was no less significant than a magical pillar that held heaven and earth in place.
Before arriving, Qiao Nan had been relieved to escape his biology worksheets for a while. But once he got there, that good mood vanished. As someone who loved having fun, he normally enjoyed lively gatherings. Yet faced with the bustle inside the Shi family villa, he'd rather sit alone in a corner watching talent shows on his phone and chatting with Mu Xiangxiang than deal with the swarm of people who became interested the moment they heard his surname.
Dragging the progress bar backward, he replayed part of Lingering Melodies. The screen returned to Liberty's performance during the most electrifying section of their song. The audience was applauding wildly. The camera swept over the gray-haired teenager, whose overwhelming presence made it obvious he was completely at home in his chosen field. It swept over the judges, all of whose approval lights had illuminated, their faces full of admiration. It swept over audience members who had unconsciously stood up to cheer. Then, in a highly emotional transition, it shifted backstage.
In the family viewing room for Liberty's members, the moment the judges lit their approval lights, a deafening chorus of screams erupted. The camera passed over relatives embracing each other in excitement. Qiao Nan's sharp eyes immediately caught three familiar figures.
The video site's resolution was surprisingly good. He could clearly see Mu Xiangxiang instinctively raising a hand to cover her mouth when she lost her composure. He could also clearly see Father Mu and Mother Mu supporting each other while looking at the screen, their expressions a mixture of helplessness and pride. There were even traces of tears in their eyes.
Mu Song had made it through the preliminary round.
For some reason, Qiao Nan felt genuinely emotional. That brat had at least justified all the effort his sister had put into researching and gathering information for him.
He tapped the screen and cast several more votes for Mu Song. Just then, a voice sounded beside him. "Qiao Nan, why are you hiding over here? What are you watching?"
Qiao Nan turned around. His grip on the phone tightened slightly. "It's you."
Standing beside him was Shi Jiajun. The man wore the same honest smile he always had. With familiar ease, he pulled a bag from behind his back and grinned mysteriously. "Guess what I brought you?"
Qiao Nan stared at him blankly. Looking down, he saw that it was a bag of mulberries.
Shi Jiajun laughed in his usual simple, good-natured way. "Come on, try some. The first batch of the year, again."
Qiao Nan clenched his fists. His jaw tightened. For a moment, he didn't know how to face that familiar face.
He had loved mulberries ever since he was a child. After learning that, Shi Jiajun had always remembered. Every year, whenever mulberries appeared on the market, he'd buy them immediately and bring them over.
Qiao Nan remembered how happy he had always been to receive them. It wasn't because he lacked something to eat. What he cherished was the clumsy but sincere kindness of an honest man trying his best to show affection.
But now everything was different.
The memory of overhearing those shocking words around the corner not long ago surged back into his throat. The coldness of being betrayed by someone he had considered family crept upward from the soles of his feet. His heart felt icy. He made no move to accept the gift. "I don't want any right now."
For the first time ever, Shi Jiajun had been rejected. He froze. A trace of helpless confusion appeared on his face. After thinking for a moment, he reached out to grab Qiao Nan's hand. "You must be bored. Come on, come on. They've set up a table in the backyard. Let's play a few rounds of cards."
Qiao Nan pulled his hand away before the man could touch him. "No."
Shi Jiajun looked at his listless expression. "What's wrong with you?"
Qiao Nan replied flatly: "I'm in a bad mood."
Shi Jiajun paused. "...Why? Did someone make you unhappy?"
Qiao Nan looked at him—at that completely oblivious expression—and for a moment felt an exhaustion like being surrounded on all sides. Those clumsy attempts at pleasing him, the familiar intimacy, the companionship from childhood onward—everything he had once believed in without doubt had now been completely overturned.
Even a bond like “brotherly and paternal affection” could be fake.
For a split second, it felt like he was back in his childhood again, alone in a dark room with no one to rely on. He wanted to laugh coldly, but couldn’t. All he could do was turn his gaze away in fatigue. “Yeah. Some bastard messed up something I’ve treasured since I was a kid.”
As he spoke, his unfocused gaze paused slightly. Through the crowded hall, in another corner of the venue among various social groups, a sharp gaze cut straight toward him.
Their eyes met. Qiao Rui, holding a champagne glass, kept his cold expression unchanged. His gaze, just like at home, was sharp enough to seem like it could carve a piece of flesh off him.
*****
Qiao Nan: “……”
What are you staring at me for?
Acting weird again, completely out of place.
Damn it, can you at least respect my sadness?
The faint sense of loneliness he had just managed to feel was instantly shattered by that stare. However, Shi Jiajun, who caught this exchange, immediately misunderstood.
He let out a relieved breath, brushing away the vague unease and melancholy that had just risen in him due to Qiao Nan’s distant expression and tone. He tugged at Qiao Nan’s sleeve and leaned in before Qiao Nan could dodge. “Nannan, tone it down a bit. I understand how you feel, but Ruirui is still your older brother. No matter how many conflicts you have, don’t show them in public.”
Suddenly being dragged into a rich-family drama plot, Qiao Nan froze for a moment. “…What?”
Shi Jiajun spoke earnestly. “I’m doing this for your own good. Your brother is far more scheming and capable than you. He already cut off your fallback routes long ago.”
Qiao Nan: “……”
“Don’t doubt it.” Seeing his silent expression, Shi Jiajun continued, knowing how hard it was for a young person to admit someone else was better. Fortunately, he had evidence. “Take image management for example—Ruirui is much smarter than you. Do you know how he’s been describing the thing you gave him recently…”
At first, Qiao Nan almost instinctively wanted to ask what exactly he had ever given Qiao Rui. Then he froze.
The image of his older brother rushing downstairs on the day he returned home flashed through his mind, overlapping with the recent “ghost-like appearances” and that persistent “Have you forgotten something?” gaze.
Suddenly, Qiao Nan lowered his head and opened his phone, sending a message to Mu Xiangxiang.
A moment later, he received a reply: “Copy this message and open Taobao link ******”
Out of the corner of his eye, he looked up. Qiao Rui had already turned away with his champagne glass, his expression still as cold and sharp as ever. On his impeccably tailored suit and tie, however, was pinned an absurdly out-of-place tie clip. He clicked the link. After a flashy red-and-gold page loaded, an exaggerated rhinestone product image and an outrageous price appeared.
That price…
Damn it! Is Qiao Rui seriously wearing something like this out in public? Is he an idiot?!
Half amused, half exasperated, all the coldness in his body vanished. He rolled his eyes toward the sky, reached into Shi Jiajun’s bag, grabbed a handful of mulberries, and tossed them into his mouth.
Shi Jiajun was still rambling on. Seeing him suddenly regain energy, he froze slightly and was about to offer the bag. But Qiao Nan had already lazily stood up from the sofa, hands in pockets, scanning the room. “Where did you say the card table was? I’ll play a couple rounds.”
Shi Jiajun met his amber eyes. For a moment, an inexplicable sense of loss rose in his heart, making him hesitate before speaking. “Didn’t you say you were in a bad mood and didn’t want to play?”
Qiao Nan turned to look at him. His expression was oddly calm. “Can’t I be in a good mood now?”
Shi Jiajun actually paused. “But didn’t you say something got lost? Don’t you need to find it?”
“Oh, that?” Qiao Nan glanced toward the crowd, his eyes briefly passing over his older brother wearing that ridiculous tie clip. “It’s nothing serious. Just something from when I was a kid. I was ignorant back then and treated something fake like it was precious.”
“But now I’ve got something real to replace it.” He smirked slightly. “Just forget the fake one. No need to look for it.”
Shi Jiajun looked at him. He couldn’t quite describe what he felt in that moment. It was as if the young man had quietly undergone some kind of transformation—subtle, but complete—becoming someone unfamiliar in both temperament and presence.
Whether it was good or bad, he couldn’t tell. Only that it made him strangely uneasy. Even the current calm, relaxed version of Qiao Nan somehow felt more distant than the earlier indifferent one.
Shaking off the thought, Shi Jiajun stood up, blaming himself for overthinking again.
******
At the card table, Qiao Nan leaned against the edge, looking at his cards with ease. Shi Jiajun stood behind him as usual, more familiar and friendly than before—and relieved to find that Qiao Nan was no longer as guarded or evasive as earlier. That alone was a relief.
At least he felt normal again.
Even if the earlier cold, withdrawn version of him could be understood, it had made Shi Jiajun uneasy. So uneasy that he hadn’t dared to fully implement certain plans in front of him.
Like joining forces to deal with Qiao Rui.
But now, the young man in front of him—carefree and slightly reckless again—restored his confidence that he could still be guided.
Amid the clatter of chips, Shi Jiajun sighed and asked casually: “Nannan, now that you’re grown up, have you thought about when you’re going to start working at the company?”
A stack of chips was tossed over. Qiao Nan’s eyes followed them as he rested his chin on his hand. “Doesn’t matter.”
Shi Jiajun sighed again. “You’re really careless. I’ll say something you might not like—your brother, at your age, was already able to handle things on his own. Do you know how much influence and connections he’s built in the company now?”
Qiao Nan glanced lazily at his cards, lips curling slightly. “How much?”
“Enough that it’s almost his own domain. Most departments are basically his people now. Your father doesn’t really interfere anymore either—he’s given most authority to him. If you keep drifting like this, you won’t even get a share of the leftovers.”
Around them, voices shouted “call or not!” and “are you in or not!” Qiao Nan leaned back, resting his chin. “So what? What am I supposed to do?”
Shi Jiajun looked at him for a while, as if weighing his words. Then he said slowly, word by word: “My division is still relatively stable. And the people under me still give me some respect.”
His voice was drowned almost immediately by the noise of chips clattering across the table.
Under the flickering lights, Qiao Nan lifted a hand to cover his cards, his expression unreadable.
Still giving you respect?
Shi Jiajun is being too modest.
At home, he had clearly heard his father regretfully mention handing that division to Shi Jiajun. It was said that the division under his control was so tightly run it was airtight.
Even the chairman couldn’t find a way in to make changes. Ahead, impatient voices urged the players to hurry. Qiao Nan raised his eyes, scanning the flushed, gambling-absorbed faces around the table.
Shi Jiajun asked in a low voice: “So? Do you want to come in and try?”
Qiao Nan was silent for a long time. Then he lifted his arm and swept all the chips piled in front of him off the table in one motion.
The group of impatient people who had been urging them on immediately fell silent under the pressure.
In the quiet, he slowly turned his head, met Shi Jiajun’s serious expression, and smiled faintly—
“Alright.”
“Uncle.”
*****
Shi Jiajun let out a long breath of relief. For a moment, he felt like it had been a long time since he’d heard the word “uncle” from him. The stiff, frozen atmosphere between them instantly melted, as if they had returned to their once-close relationship.
Qiao Nan left the card table and casually tossed the chips he had won to an assistant collecting things.
The two of them grabbed drinks and found a corner to rest. Shi Jiajun quickly made plans. “Since that’s settled, when are you free? I’ll arrange a suitable position for you immediately. Next week okay? After school, come to the company—I’ll personally take you around and teach you.”
Qiao Nan shook his head. “Next week I’m flying to City S for a week.”
“A week? For what?”
“Biology competition intensive training.”
Shi Jiajun: “……………………”
Shi Jiajun: “?????”
Qiao Nan smiled. “Anyway, I’ll report in on time after I come back.”
Shi Jiajun finally found his voice after a long pause, staring at his nephew in disbelief as he calmly talked about competition training.
Just moments ago he had stepped down from a gambling table, and now he was suddenly discussing something so aligned with core social values—it felt like something about him had gone off-script. Was he planning to become an exemplary top student? He coughed awkwardly. “Alright… I’ll get a few people familiar with the company to guide you then.”
Qiao Nan leaned back on the sofa. “That’s troubling you.”
“What trouble?” Shi Jiajun quickly tried to deepen the bond with his nephew. “I’m your uncle. Everything I have is yours anyway. There’s no need to be polite between us.”
At that, the young man raised his eyebrows. “Really?”
Shi Jiajun’s honest face showed a hint of indignation. “Of course! When did you become so distant with me?”
Qiao Nan smiled and spread his hands. “Alright then. Lend me your phone.”
Shi Jiajun: “For what?”
“Didn’t you say everything yours is mine? Link me to your payment account. I want to vote for a friend of mine in a talent show. My Alipay is empty.”
Shi Jiajun wasn’t sure what a talent show was, but how much could voting cost? This was an important future ally—this kind of emotional investment was nothing. He immediately handed over his phone and patted his chest generously. “Take it, spend whatever you want. Remember one thing—what’s mine is yours. No need to be so polite. If you ever run out of money, just deduct it from me directly.”
Qiao Nan accepted it with a smile. “Got it, uncle.”
He linked the account, opened an unknown video app, and entered the livestream of Lingering Melodies, which was already nearing its end.
Three minutes later— Ding. While sipping red wine, Shi Jiajun instinctively looked at his phone. A notification popped up:
[ICBC card ending in 5571 made a payment of 1,000,000.00 via Alipay at 19:26:49 on xxxx-xx-xx. Please confirm whether this transaction was made by you.]
Shi Jiajun, still holding his wine glass: “………………”
Shi Jiajun, rapidly starting to lose hair: “?????”
Under the live broadcast host’s excited shout—“Oh my god, our top-ranked popularity group Liberty has received another massive vote!”—Qiao Nan calmly turned to look at his uncle, who had already gone completely numb.
“Thanks, uncle.”
*****
Meanwhile, things on the other side of the villa were harmonious.
But Qiao Rui had spent the entire evening in a low-pressure mood. He had originally intended to get attention from his younger brother, but the guests at the Shi family banquet were all oblivious, and his brother didn’t come over to talk to him either—he stayed glued to Shi Jiajun the whole time, disappearing inexplicably for a long stretch in the middle. That made him very irritated.
The irritation didn’t dissipate even after showering. He changed from lying angrily in bed to sitting cross-legged in bed angrily. Looking at the tie clip on the bedside table—which somehow looked even worse after another night of wear—he grew more and more annoyed. Finally, he got up, put on slippers, and went out.
The second-floor corridor of the Qiao residence was very quiet at night, with only the ticking of a clock. He walked toward his brother’s room and tried the door handle.
Unexpectedly, it turned all the way open without resistance.
Qiao Rui immediately turned around, very skillfully slipped off his slippers back into his room, went out barefoot, and made sure his own door was slightly ajar so he could pretend nothing had happened afterward.
Then, as usual, he quietly opened his brother’s door and kicked aside the clothes and socks on the floor.
Under the dim moonlight, his brother’s sleeping face looked peaceful—completely unlike the infuriating version from daytime.
Qiao Rui snorted. Unhappy, he walked up to the bed, stood there with arms crossed, and stared for a while. Then slowly extended his “sinful hand”…
Just as his fingertips touched the soft hair— The closed eyes suddenly snapped open without warning, locking directly onto him with a sharp gaze.
Qiao Rui: “………………”
Oh no.
His heart skipped a beat. He instinctively pulled his arm back and, within one second, found his escape route and bolted—
From behind came an even faster shout: “Stop right there!”
Qiao Rui: “………………”
Qiao Nan: “Why are you running?!”
Qiao Rui: “………………”
Qiao Nan: “Get over here!”
Qiao Rui: “QAQ”
******
Late at night, the Qiao household, which should have been asleep, became lively once again.
Woken by the noise, Qiao Yuanshan came out in a daze in the coat he’d left by his bed and ran into Luo Meisheng poking her head out of the next room.
She glanced at him. “You’re not hot like that?”
“I’m wearing it inside out, see? The fur’s on the outside.” He grabbed his coat. “What’s going on this time?”
The two walked toward the commotion. Listening carefully, Luo Meisheng distinguished the situation. “Probably Nannan and Ruirui are fighting again.”
At the door, as expected, the two brothers were sitting cross-legged facing each other on the bed. Qiao Nan slapped the bedside cabinet in irritation. “…I’m about to go bald!!! I thought the house was haunted, do you even know that!!!!”
Qiao Rui, on the other hand, sat upright with his head lowered, his tall frame straight and rigid, facing away from the door like he was ready to accept punishment.
After quite a long back-and-forth, Qiao Youtian finally understood what had happened: the eldest son had sneaked into the younger son’s room in the middle of the night to tug at his hair and got caught red-handed. Of all absurd things.
Luo Meisheng felt in her pocket, pulled out a small bag of sunflower seeds, opened it, and started cracking them.
Qiao Youtian nudged her. “Share some with me.”
So the couple happily split the seeds and squatted at the door, watching the scene unfold with full attention.
Qiao Nan finally vented all the pent-up frustration he had accumulated for years. When he came back to his senses, he saw his older brother with his head lowered, expressionless but visibly dejected.
Thinking of how that guy had once brazenly walked around outside wearing that disastrous tie clip, Qiao Nan sighed, helpless.
Hearing his brother’s sigh, Qiao Rui pressed his lips together and looked down at his feet. His back straightened even more. He placed his hands neatly on his thighs, trying his best to look properly repentant.
After waiting for a long while, just as he thought his brother wasn’t done being angry and might start slapping the table again, Qiao Nan suddenly shouted toward the door: “Stop eating seeds!”
The crackling of sunflower seeds stopped. The room fell quiet for a moment. Then the younger brother got up from the bed and started fiddling with something.
A moment later, between lowered gazes and big feet, a phone with its screen still lit was dropped down with a thud.
Qiao Rui picked it up instinctively and turned it over. Only then did he realize the screen was open to a Taobao search page—filled with various styles of tie clips.
He looked up. “What’s this?”
“Pick whatever you like,” Qiao Nan said irritably from the bedside. “I’ll buy it. Hurry up.”
Qiao Rui: “………………”
His expression immediately softened. He turned back to the phone and began scrolling quickly.
Three seconds later, he looked up again, eyes sharp.
“Can I have two?”
Qiao Nan: “……………”
At the door, Qiao Youtian, who was holding his sunflower seeds but too afraid to crack them, suddenly perked up. “What about mine?”
Qiao Nan: “……………”
*****
That same night, in the master bedroom of a villa somewhere in City A, the dark room was suddenly lit up by a phone screen. As notification vibrations came in, the bedside table began buzzing nonstop.
A hand reached out from under the covers, grabbed the violently vibrating phone, and pulled it back in. On the screen:
[Payment notification: Your purchase of “UK imported XX brand diamond-studded 24K gold limited-edition tie clip” has been successfully paid. Amount: 58,999.00 RMB]
[Payment notification: Your purchase of “UK imported XX women’s wristwatch” has been successfully paid. Amount: 650,000.00 RMB]
[Payment notification: Your purchase of “Japan imported XX brand men’s spring runway jacket size XXXL” has been successfully paid. Amount: 38,888.00 RMB]
…………
A swipe down—over a dozen messages.
Shi Jiajun: “………………”
Half a minute later, the wife sleeping beside him suddenly shot upright, grabbed her husband with rolled-back eyes, and shook him violently. “Jiajun! Jiajun! What’s wrong, Jiajun!!”
“Wake up!!!!”
“Wake up!!!!”
At the Shi family residence, in the quiet garden far from the noise of the crowd, a man leaned against the railing, gazing at the brightly lit villa ahead. The light in his eyes flickered uncertainly.
He silently lit a cigarette for himself, and his honest-looking face disappeared into the rising smoke.
His wife approached with her phone after finishing a call. Seeing him like this and thinking about the family's recent troubles, her expression darkened as well.
Shi Jiajun removed the cigarette from his mouth. "Who was it?"
"Your niece," his wife replied irritably.
From the tone of the call, he had already guessed most of the conversation. "How much does she want?"
"One million. She says she wants to open a coffee shop and start a business." His wife snorted angrily. "She's got some nerve. If she needs money, why doesn't she ask Qiao Yuanshan?"
"She probably did. And Qiao Yuanshan said no."
"So what?" his wife shot back. "What does her coffee shop have to do with us?"
Shi Jiajun was silent for a moment. Then he extinguished the cigarette. "Call her tomorrow."
His wife's voice immediately rose. "Why should we? Does everyone think we're idiots?"
This was already the third person this month asking for money. One claimed to be a million short for a project. Another needed five hundred thousand more for overseas tuition. Each of them came shamelessly asking for outrageous sums as though money simply fell from the sky for the couple.
Shi Jiajun turned to look at her without changing his expression. Under his gaze, her indignation gradually subsided. After a while, she turned away unhappily.
Because it was true. Wasn't the image their family presented to the world that of two simple-minded fools?
And if they were supposed to be fools, then they had to be honest, generous fools who silently suffered losses. How could they ignore polite requests for loans from relatives while they still appeared wealthy?
She understood the logic. But she still couldn't swallow it. "And Qiao Yuanshan too. Why has he suddenly become so difficult? In the past, any relative with even the slightest connection could get money or a job from him just by asking. Now not only is he refusing to arrange jobs, but the girl who wants to open the café is your own second sister's daughter! Isn't she much closer to him than the people who got money before?"
If the threshold at Qiao Yuanshan's door hadn't suddenly risen so dramatically, their family wouldn't have become the new target of everyone's harassment. Everyone knew Shi Jiajun was honest, kindhearted, and easy to bully. The people who didn't dare keep pestering Qiao Yuanshan after being rejected had simply turned their attention toward his trusted right-hand man instead.
The more she thought about it, the more worried she became. "And lately you've been getting access to fewer and fewer things in the group. Do you think he's started guarding against us?"
Shi Jiajun, who had been pushed into his current position whether he liked it or not, was equally miserable. The pressure had become so intense that he was losing hair by the handful. Things had been manageable before. His overseas company, Permanent Energy, had enjoyed healthy operations thanks to the small contracts that trickled out from the Qiao Group. His finances had been comfortable, and giving money to relatives hadn't been a big issue. But recently things had changed. The major Guanhai acquisition project that he had worked so hard to secure had inexplicably stalled at the very last moment. His company's stock price had also become unstable, fluctuating wildly. He had already poured huge amounts of capital into preliminary preparations and no longer had much money to spare.
At one point, he even suspected someone might be targeting him. But after careful consideration, he still felt it was unlikely. "The group was badly hit after the Guanghai acquisition leak. If Qiao Yuanshan isn't giving money out, it's probably because there are cash flow issues. As for access… He's already handed a lot of projects over to Ruirui. Ruirui's been making big moves and placing his own people everywhere. I'm not the only one being sidelined. Several old shareholders are finding it hard to get information too."
"What are we supposed to do?"
Shi Jiajun didn't answer. The only comforting thing left was probably the business division he had spent years cultivating. Under his management, it had become nearly airtight. Even the board of directors found it difficult to interfere.
That was his greatest asset. If he ever left, he'd have to take those people with him for it to be worthwhile.
But an entire division leaving would seriously damage the group. And accomplishing that without attracting attention would be anything but easy.
Recently, nothing had gone right. Things had gone so badly that he couldn't help wanting to accelerate his plans and prepare an escape route.
He remembered the scene he'd witnessed during his recent visit to the Qiao family home. His eyes flickered. After a long silence, he finally sighed.
"It can't continue with Qiao Rui dominating everything. We'll have to find him a rival. Someone who can keep him in check."
******
Inside the villa, the atmosphere was lively.
The Shi family had risen from an obscure local household to a position where the family patriarch's birthday banquet could attract half the city's elite. And the role played by the Qiao family in that rise was no less significant than a magical pillar that held heaven and earth in place.
Before arriving, Qiao Nan had been relieved to escape his biology worksheets for a while. But once he got there, that good mood vanished. As someone who loved having fun, he normally enjoyed lively gatherings. Yet faced with the bustle inside the Shi family villa, he'd rather sit alone in a corner watching talent shows on his phone and chatting with Mu Xiangxiang than deal with the swarm of people who became interested the moment they heard his surname.
Dragging the progress bar backward, he replayed part of Lingering Melodies. The screen returned to Liberty's performance during the most electrifying section of their song. The audience was applauding wildly. The camera swept over the gray-haired teenager, whose overwhelming presence made it obvious he was completely at home in his chosen field. It swept over the judges, all of whose approval lights had illuminated, their faces full of admiration. It swept over audience members who had unconsciously stood up to cheer. Then, in a highly emotional transition, it shifted backstage.
In the family viewing room for Liberty's members, the moment the judges lit their approval lights, a deafening chorus of screams erupted. The camera passed over relatives embracing each other in excitement. Qiao Nan's sharp eyes immediately caught three familiar figures.
The video site's resolution was surprisingly good. He could clearly see Mu Xiangxiang instinctively raising a hand to cover her mouth when she lost her composure. He could also clearly see Father Mu and Mother Mu supporting each other while looking at the screen, their expressions a mixture of helplessness and pride. There were even traces of tears in their eyes.
Mu Song had made it through the preliminary round.
For some reason, Qiao Nan felt genuinely emotional. That brat had at least justified all the effort his sister had put into researching and gathering information for him.
He tapped the screen and cast several more votes for Mu Song. Just then, a voice sounded beside him. "Qiao Nan, why are you hiding over here? What are you watching?"
Qiao Nan turned around. His grip on the phone tightened slightly. "It's you."
Standing beside him was Shi Jiajun. The man wore the same honest smile he always had. With familiar ease, he pulled a bag from behind his back and grinned mysteriously. "Guess what I brought you?"
Qiao Nan stared at him blankly. Looking down, he saw that it was a bag of mulberries.
Shi Jiajun laughed in his usual simple, good-natured way. "Come on, try some. The first batch of the year, again."
Qiao Nan clenched his fists. His jaw tightened. For a moment, he didn't know how to face that familiar face.
He had loved mulberries ever since he was a child. After learning that, Shi Jiajun had always remembered. Every year, whenever mulberries appeared on the market, he'd buy them immediately and bring them over.
Qiao Nan remembered how happy he had always been to receive them. It wasn't because he lacked something to eat. What he cherished was the clumsy but sincere kindness of an honest man trying his best to show affection.
But now everything was different.
The memory of overhearing those shocking words around the corner not long ago surged back into his throat. The coldness of being betrayed by someone he had considered family crept upward from the soles of his feet. His heart felt icy. He made no move to accept the gift. "I don't want any right now."
For the first time ever, Shi Jiajun had been rejected. He froze. A trace of helpless confusion appeared on his face. After thinking for a moment, he reached out to grab Qiao Nan's hand. "You must be bored. Come on, come on. They've set up a table in the backyard. Let's play a few rounds of cards."
Qiao Nan pulled his hand away before the man could touch him. "No."
Shi Jiajun looked at his listless expression. "What's wrong with you?"
Qiao Nan replied flatly: "I'm in a bad mood."
Shi Jiajun paused. "...Why? Did someone make you unhappy?"
Qiao Nan looked at him—at that completely oblivious expression—and for a moment felt an exhaustion like being surrounded on all sides. Those clumsy attempts at pleasing him, the familiar intimacy, the companionship from childhood onward—everything he had once believed in without doubt had now been completely overturned.
Even a bond like “brotherly and paternal affection” could be fake.
For a split second, it felt like he was back in his childhood again, alone in a dark room with no one to rely on. He wanted to laugh coldly, but couldn’t. All he could do was turn his gaze away in fatigue. “Yeah. Some bastard messed up something I’ve treasured since I was a kid.”
As he spoke, his unfocused gaze paused slightly. Through the crowded hall, in another corner of the venue among various social groups, a sharp gaze cut straight toward him.
Their eyes met. Qiao Rui, holding a champagne glass, kept his cold expression unchanged. His gaze, just like at home, was sharp enough to seem like it could carve a piece of flesh off him.
*****
Qiao Nan: “……”
What are you staring at me for?
Acting weird again, completely out of place.
Damn it, can you at least respect my sadness?
The faint sense of loneliness he had just managed to feel was instantly shattered by that stare. However, Shi Jiajun, who caught this exchange, immediately misunderstood.
He let out a relieved breath, brushing away the vague unease and melancholy that had just risen in him due to Qiao Nan’s distant expression and tone. He tugged at Qiao Nan’s sleeve and leaned in before Qiao Nan could dodge. “Nannan, tone it down a bit. I understand how you feel, but Ruirui is still your older brother. No matter how many conflicts you have, don’t show them in public.”
Suddenly being dragged into a rich-family drama plot, Qiao Nan froze for a moment. “…What?”
Shi Jiajun spoke earnestly. “I’m doing this for your own good. Your brother is far more scheming and capable than you. He already cut off your fallback routes long ago.”
Qiao Nan: “……”
“Don’t doubt it.” Seeing his silent expression, Shi Jiajun continued, knowing how hard it was for a young person to admit someone else was better. Fortunately, he had evidence. “Take image management for example—Ruirui is much smarter than you. Do you know how he’s been describing the thing you gave him recently…”
At first, Qiao Nan almost instinctively wanted to ask what exactly he had ever given Qiao Rui. Then he froze.
The image of his older brother rushing downstairs on the day he returned home flashed through his mind, overlapping with the recent “ghost-like appearances” and that persistent “Have you forgotten something?” gaze.
Suddenly, Qiao Nan lowered his head and opened his phone, sending a message to Mu Xiangxiang.
A moment later, he received a reply: “Copy this message and open Taobao link ******”
Out of the corner of his eye, he looked up. Qiao Rui had already turned away with his champagne glass, his expression still as cold and sharp as ever. On his impeccably tailored suit and tie, however, was pinned an absurdly out-of-place tie clip. He clicked the link. After a flashy red-and-gold page loaded, an exaggerated rhinestone product image and an outrageous price appeared.
That price…
Damn it! Is Qiao Rui seriously wearing something like this out in public? Is he an idiot?!
Half amused, half exasperated, all the coldness in his body vanished. He rolled his eyes toward the sky, reached into Shi Jiajun’s bag, grabbed a handful of mulberries, and tossed them into his mouth.
Shi Jiajun was still rambling on. Seeing him suddenly regain energy, he froze slightly and was about to offer the bag. But Qiao Nan had already lazily stood up from the sofa, hands in pockets, scanning the room. “Where did you say the card table was? I’ll play a couple rounds.”
Shi Jiajun met his amber eyes. For a moment, an inexplicable sense of loss rose in his heart, making him hesitate before speaking. “Didn’t you say you were in a bad mood and didn’t want to play?”
Qiao Nan turned to look at him. His expression was oddly calm. “Can’t I be in a good mood now?”
Shi Jiajun actually paused. “But didn’t you say something got lost? Don’t you need to find it?”
“Oh, that?” Qiao Nan glanced toward the crowd, his eyes briefly passing over his older brother wearing that ridiculous tie clip. “It’s nothing serious. Just something from when I was a kid. I was ignorant back then and treated something fake like it was precious.”
“But now I’ve got something real to replace it.” He smirked slightly. “Just forget the fake one. No need to look for it.”
Shi Jiajun looked at him. He couldn’t quite describe what he felt in that moment. It was as if the young man had quietly undergone some kind of transformation—subtle, but complete—becoming someone unfamiliar in both temperament and presence.
Whether it was good or bad, he couldn’t tell. Only that it made him strangely uneasy. Even the current calm, relaxed version of Qiao Nan somehow felt more distant than the earlier indifferent one.
Shaking off the thought, Shi Jiajun stood up, blaming himself for overthinking again.
******
At the card table, Qiao Nan leaned against the edge, looking at his cards with ease. Shi Jiajun stood behind him as usual, more familiar and friendly than before—and relieved to find that Qiao Nan was no longer as guarded or evasive as earlier. That alone was a relief.
At least he felt normal again.
Even if the earlier cold, withdrawn version of him could be understood, it had made Shi Jiajun uneasy. So uneasy that he hadn’t dared to fully implement certain plans in front of him.
Like joining forces to deal with Qiao Rui.
But now, the young man in front of him—carefree and slightly reckless again—restored his confidence that he could still be guided.
Amid the clatter of chips, Shi Jiajun sighed and asked casually: “Nannan, now that you’re grown up, have you thought about when you’re going to start working at the company?”
A stack of chips was tossed over. Qiao Nan’s eyes followed them as he rested his chin on his hand. “Doesn’t matter.”
Shi Jiajun sighed again. “You’re really careless. I’ll say something you might not like—your brother, at your age, was already able to handle things on his own. Do you know how much influence and connections he’s built in the company now?”
Qiao Nan glanced lazily at his cards, lips curling slightly. “How much?”
“Enough that it’s almost his own domain. Most departments are basically his people now. Your father doesn’t really interfere anymore either—he’s given most authority to him. If you keep drifting like this, you won’t even get a share of the leftovers.”
Around them, voices shouted “call or not!” and “are you in or not!” Qiao Nan leaned back, resting his chin. “So what? What am I supposed to do?”
Shi Jiajun looked at him for a while, as if weighing his words. Then he said slowly, word by word: “My division is still relatively stable. And the people under me still give me some respect.”
His voice was drowned almost immediately by the noise of chips clattering across the table.
Under the flickering lights, Qiao Nan lifted a hand to cover his cards, his expression unreadable.
Still giving you respect?
Shi Jiajun is being too modest.
At home, he had clearly heard his father regretfully mention handing that division to Shi Jiajun. It was said that the division under his control was so tightly run it was airtight.
Even the chairman couldn’t find a way in to make changes. Ahead, impatient voices urged the players to hurry. Qiao Nan raised his eyes, scanning the flushed, gambling-absorbed faces around the table.
Shi Jiajun asked in a low voice: “So? Do you want to come in and try?”
Qiao Nan was silent for a long time. Then he lifted his arm and swept all the chips piled in front of him off the table in one motion.
The group of impatient people who had been urging them on immediately fell silent under the pressure.
In the quiet, he slowly turned his head, met Shi Jiajun’s serious expression, and smiled faintly—
“Alright.”
“Uncle.”
*****
Shi Jiajun let out a long breath of relief. For a moment, he felt like it had been a long time since he’d heard the word “uncle” from him. The stiff, frozen atmosphere between them instantly melted, as if they had returned to their once-close relationship.
Qiao Nan left the card table and casually tossed the chips he had won to an assistant collecting things.
The two of them grabbed drinks and found a corner to rest. Shi Jiajun quickly made plans. “Since that’s settled, when are you free? I’ll arrange a suitable position for you immediately. Next week okay? After school, come to the company—I’ll personally take you around and teach you.”
Qiao Nan shook his head. “Next week I’m flying to City S for a week.”
“A week? For what?”
“Biology competition intensive training.”
Shi Jiajun: “……………………”
Shi Jiajun: “?????”
Qiao Nan smiled. “Anyway, I’ll report in on time after I come back.”
Shi Jiajun finally found his voice after a long pause, staring at his nephew in disbelief as he calmly talked about competition training.
Just moments ago he had stepped down from a gambling table, and now he was suddenly discussing something so aligned with core social values—it felt like something about him had gone off-script. Was he planning to become an exemplary top student? He coughed awkwardly. “Alright… I’ll get a few people familiar with the company to guide you then.”
Qiao Nan leaned back on the sofa. “That’s troubling you.”
“What trouble?” Shi Jiajun quickly tried to deepen the bond with his nephew. “I’m your uncle. Everything I have is yours anyway. There’s no need to be polite between us.”
At that, the young man raised his eyebrows. “Really?”
Shi Jiajun’s honest face showed a hint of indignation. “Of course! When did you become so distant with me?”
Qiao Nan smiled and spread his hands. “Alright then. Lend me your phone.”
Shi Jiajun: “For what?”
“Didn’t you say everything yours is mine? Link me to your payment account. I want to vote for a friend of mine in a talent show. My Alipay is empty.”
Shi Jiajun wasn’t sure what a talent show was, but how much could voting cost? This was an important future ally—this kind of emotional investment was nothing. He immediately handed over his phone and patted his chest generously. “Take it, spend whatever you want. Remember one thing—what’s mine is yours. No need to be so polite. If you ever run out of money, just deduct it from me directly.”
Qiao Nan accepted it with a smile. “Got it, uncle.”
He linked the account, opened an unknown video app, and entered the livestream of Lingering Melodies, which was already nearing its end.
Three minutes later— Ding. While sipping red wine, Shi Jiajun instinctively looked at his phone. A notification popped up:
[ICBC card ending in 5571 made a payment of 1,000,000.00 via Alipay at 19:26:49 on xxxx-xx-xx. Please confirm whether this transaction was made by you.]
Shi Jiajun, still holding his wine glass: “………………”
Shi Jiajun, rapidly starting to lose hair: “?????”
Under the live broadcast host’s excited shout—“Oh my god, our top-ranked popularity group Liberty has received another massive vote!”—Qiao Nan calmly turned to look at his uncle, who had already gone completely numb.
“Thanks, uncle.”
*****
Meanwhile, things on the other side of the villa were harmonious.
But Qiao Rui had spent the entire evening in a low-pressure mood. He had originally intended to get attention from his younger brother, but the guests at the Shi family banquet were all oblivious, and his brother didn’t come over to talk to him either—he stayed glued to Shi Jiajun the whole time, disappearing inexplicably for a long stretch in the middle. That made him very irritated.
The irritation didn’t dissipate even after showering. He changed from lying angrily in bed to sitting cross-legged in bed angrily. Looking at the tie clip on the bedside table—which somehow looked even worse after another night of wear—he grew more and more annoyed. Finally, he got up, put on slippers, and went out.
The second-floor corridor of the Qiao residence was very quiet at night, with only the ticking of a clock. He walked toward his brother’s room and tried the door handle.
Unexpectedly, it turned all the way open without resistance.
Qiao Rui immediately turned around, very skillfully slipped off his slippers back into his room, went out barefoot, and made sure his own door was slightly ajar so he could pretend nothing had happened afterward.
Then, as usual, he quietly opened his brother’s door and kicked aside the clothes and socks on the floor.
Under the dim moonlight, his brother’s sleeping face looked peaceful—completely unlike the infuriating version from daytime.
Qiao Rui snorted. Unhappy, he walked up to the bed, stood there with arms crossed, and stared for a while. Then slowly extended his “sinful hand”…
Just as his fingertips touched the soft hair— The closed eyes suddenly snapped open without warning, locking directly onto him with a sharp gaze.
Qiao Rui: “………………”
Oh no.
His heart skipped a beat. He instinctively pulled his arm back and, within one second, found his escape route and bolted—
From behind came an even faster shout: “Stop right there!”
Qiao Rui: “………………”
Qiao Nan: “Why are you running?!”
Qiao Rui: “………………”
Qiao Nan: “Get over here!”
Qiao Rui: “QAQ”
******
Late at night, the Qiao household, which should have been asleep, became lively once again.
Woken by the noise, Qiao Yuanshan came out in a daze in the coat he’d left by his bed and ran into Luo Meisheng poking her head out of the next room.
She glanced at him. “You’re not hot like that?”
“I’m wearing it inside out, see? The fur’s on the outside.” He grabbed his coat. “What’s going on this time?”
The two walked toward the commotion. Listening carefully, Luo Meisheng distinguished the situation. “Probably Nannan and Ruirui are fighting again.”
At the door, as expected, the two brothers were sitting cross-legged facing each other on the bed. Qiao Nan slapped the bedside cabinet in irritation. “…I’m about to go bald!!! I thought the house was haunted, do you even know that!!!!”
Qiao Rui, on the other hand, sat upright with his head lowered, his tall frame straight and rigid, facing away from the door like he was ready to accept punishment.
After quite a long back-and-forth, Qiao Youtian finally understood what had happened: the eldest son had sneaked into the younger son’s room in the middle of the night to tug at his hair and got caught red-handed. Of all absurd things.
Luo Meisheng felt in her pocket, pulled out a small bag of sunflower seeds, opened it, and started cracking them.
Qiao Youtian nudged her. “Share some with me.”
So the couple happily split the seeds and squatted at the door, watching the scene unfold with full attention.
Qiao Nan finally vented all the pent-up frustration he had accumulated for years. When he came back to his senses, he saw his older brother with his head lowered, expressionless but visibly dejected.
Thinking of how that guy had once brazenly walked around outside wearing that disastrous tie clip, Qiao Nan sighed, helpless.
Hearing his brother’s sigh, Qiao Rui pressed his lips together and looked down at his feet. His back straightened even more. He placed his hands neatly on his thighs, trying his best to look properly repentant.
After waiting for a long while, just as he thought his brother wasn’t done being angry and might start slapping the table again, Qiao Nan suddenly shouted toward the door: “Stop eating seeds!”
The crackling of sunflower seeds stopped. The room fell quiet for a moment. Then the younger brother got up from the bed and started fiddling with something.
A moment later, between lowered gazes and big feet, a phone with its screen still lit was dropped down with a thud.
Qiao Rui picked it up instinctively and turned it over. Only then did he realize the screen was open to a Taobao search page—filled with various styles of tie clips.
He looked up. “What’s this?”
“Pick whatever you like,” Qiao Nan said irritably from the bedside. “I’ll buy it. Hurry up.”
Qiao Rui: “………………”
His expression immediately softened. He turned back to the phone and began scrolling quickly.
Three seconds later, he looked up again, eyes sharp.
“Can I have two?”
Qiao Nan: “……………”
At the door, Qiao Youtian, who was holding his sunflower seeds but too afraid to crack them, suddenly perked up. “What about mine?”
Qiao Nan: “……………”
*****
That same night, in the master bedroom of a villa somewhere in City A, the dark room was suddenly lit up by a phone screen. As notification vibrations came in, the bedside table began buzzing nonstop.
A hand reached out from under the covers, grabbed the violently vibrating phone, and pulled it back in. On the screen:
[Payment notification: Your purchase of “UK imported XX brand diamond-studded 24K gold limited-edition tie clip” has been successfully paid. Amount: 58,999.00 RMB]
[Payment notification: Your purchase of “UK imported XX women’s wristwatch” has been successfully paid. Amount: 650,000.00 RMB]
[Payment notification: Your purchase of “Japan imported XX brand men’s spring runway jacket size XXXL” has been successfully paid. Amount: 38,888.00 RMB]
…………
A swipe down—over a dozen messages.
Shi Jiajun: “………………”
Half a minute later, the wife sleeping beside him suddenly shot upright, grabbed her husband with rolled-back eyes, and shook him violently. “Jiajun! Jiajun! What’s wrong, Jiajun!!”
“Wake up!!!!”
“Wake up!!!!”
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