Chapter 63: I Won’t Let Your Brother Find Out
From that night onward, Chi Wang and Xie Sicheng officially slept in separate beds (x).
Chi Wang planned to sleep in his own room for at least three days before returning.
That was the original plan, but Chi Wang couldn’t help recalling what happened the previous night. Feeling both intrigued and apprehensive, he silently extended his “sentence” to a week.
Throughout the entire day, Chi Wang was either on his way to study or on his way to his part-time job.
He tried hard to dilute the impact of those lingering thoughts.
However, to his relief, thanks to Xie’s “help,” Chi Wang didn’t feel restless in the following two days. Instead, he felt a sense of calm, like a cat whose fur had been smoothed.
At noon, Xiao Fu contacted him again. Actually, he contacted him every day, and at irregular times—there were at least 300+ messages throughout the day, and Chi Wang would set aside time to go through them.
Xiao Fu didn’t have much to say; he just wanted to hang out with him, eager to take him racing or skiing.
Could Chi Wang do such dangerous things? Of course not, so he refused again.
Xiao Fu was truly frustrated. “You won’t do this, you won’t do that—what exactly do you like?”
Chi Wang thought for a moment and replied, “Working? Brother, do you have any jobs for me?”
Xiao Fu: “…”
He said, “I can let you work? Are you kidding me? In a family, as long as one person works, that’s enough. You can be a second-generation rich kid.”
He then asked, “Why don’t you learn to drive? I’ll get you a car. Do you like Lamborghinis? At your age, a Lamborghini suits you perfectly.”
Chi Wang asked, “How much does a Lamborghini cost?”
Xiao Fu said, “Over ten million yuan, I guess.”
Chi Wang’s eyes widened in shock. Xiao Fu was really generous with him, considering that Xiao Fu himself was still driving a sports car with half the brand logo missing. “You’d better not. What’s the point of buying such an expensive car?”
Xiao Fu said, “To show off, of course.”
Chi Wang broke into a cold sweat. “Don’t corrupt my iron-like will and spirit. I don’t need that kind of thing.”
Xiao Fu asked, “Then what do you need?”
Chi Wang said, “High-quality part-time jobs.”
Xiao Fu: “?”
How did the conversation circle back to this? Wait, is he ever going to be done with this ‘working’ thing??
Xiao Fu cursed inwardly. It was all because of those bastards who raised his brother into this. Look at him—work, work, he’s become obsessed.
He switched to another chat window and sent a message to his subordinate, telling him to intensify their efforts.
He had already messed up Qiao Yuzhen and Chi Cheng, leaving one unable to go to work and the other unable to attend school—which was also because Chi Cheng was caught by his people abusing cats. Xiao Fu despised people who abused cats and dogs the most. He had those behaviors exposed and fanned the flames behind the scenes to blow it up. Without needing to take further action himself, Chi Cheng was already beaten up by cat lovers, making him unable to go out, socially dead.
Although not straightforward, this was Xiao Fu’s style; he enjoyed slowly grinding the meat with a dull knife.
As for the other person, Chi Kangnian, he was now cohabiting with another woman in another city, had a son, and was working as a Chinese teacher in a high school, living a happy life.
Ironically, the city where Chi Kangnian lived wasn’t far from where Qiao Yuzhen resided. He had actually built a new family right under the noses of Qiao Yuzhen and Chi Cheng.
And their relatives all knew about it; only Qiao Yuzhen and Chi Cheng were kept in the dark.
After getting into trouble and saddled with debts, Qiao Yuzhen tried to borrow money from relatives, but no one lent her any. She wanted to find Chi Wang, but Xiao Fu’s people prevented her from leaving the province.
Even as foolish as she was, Qiao Yuzhen realized someone was targeting her, but no matter how she racked her brains, she couldn’t figure out who would do this to her.
Xiao Fu didn’t want to bully women, but after all the years of bullying Chi Wang, how could he let her go! Moreover, she had stolen a child and caused their mother to die; beating her to death wouldn’t be too much.
He had found out that Chi Wang had been working since middle school to earn his own tuition and living expenses, and even had extra to give to Qiao Yuzhen and Chi Kangnian!
If they had truly raised Chi Wang, then Xiao Fu would have to consider how to deal with them. But these people had actually let Chi Wang support himself, and Chi Wang’s sleeping place was just a balcony—cold in winter, hot in summer—for over ten years. Only in middle school could he live in the dormitory and escape that shabby balcony.
At least when raising a dog, you’d give it some food and a decent place to sleep, right? In places he couldn’t investigate, how had Chi Wang survived? Xiao Fu didn’t even dare to imagine.
They had stolen a child and didn’t even treat him well—so why steal him? They caused his biological mother to die; even these methods were too gentle. If conditions allowed, he would have tied them up and cut them into pieces.
But now, in a society ruled by law, he couldn’t leave any black marks on his record, so he used soft methods to slowly grind them down, making them mentally and physically exhausted, wishing they were dead.
As for Chi Kangnian, he was the real culprit; his issues were no less severe than Qiao Yuzhen’s. Xiao Fu made him lose his teaching job, ruined his reputation, and those were just light punishments. He directly had him sent to prison on charges of rape.
The cost was minimal; he simply helped several female students seek justice and didn’t need to design anything extra.
Given this great convenience, Xiao Fu provided compensation of tens of thousands of yuan and job opportunities to the families willing to come forward, resolving the matter satisfactorily.
But now, angered, even though the man was already in prison, he spent some money to have people inside “take care” of Chi Kangnian. With that crime, he’d receive “special attention” inside anyway; he just spent a bit of money. Who could catch any fault? Dealing with such a person was just too easy.
Xiao Fu wanted to share his accomplishments with Chi Wang but was worried that Chi Wang might still have feelings for them, so he kept it to himself, not daring to say a word.
Since he didn’t bring it up, Chi Wang thought of it instead and asked Xiao Fu if he could recommend an inexpensive lawyer.
Xiao Fu asked, “What do you need a lawyer for?”
Chi Wang mumbled, “It’s for something. Don’t get me one that’s too expensive. Brother, you should have connections, right?”
Considering Xiao Fu’s stingy and thrifty style, Chi Wang thought he was the right person to ask.
Xiao Fu said, “Where are there cheap lawyers? Even those with a bit of reputation are expensive as hell. But our company’s legal team is not bad; we pay them annual salaries. What do you need a lawyer for? Tell me clearly before I’ll consider lending you one.”
Chi Wang immediately deflated and said, “Then forget it. It’s nothing important.”
Xiao Fu was exasperated, complaining that Chi Wang was treating him like an outsider.
Annoyed by his pestering, Chi Wang had to say, “It’s nothing much. I just wanted to ask a lawyer about my situation with my adoptive parents, whether I can send them to prison.”
Xiao Fu was surprised. “You want to send them to prison?”
Chi Wang felt a bit embarrassed, afraid that Xiao Fu would think he was ruthless. But if he told him their relationship wasn’t good, he’d feel awkward.
He didn’t like to play the victim, nor did he like seeing sympathetic or pitying looks from others. He didn’t feel he was pitiful.
No matter how difficult things were, he had overcome them on his own; didn’t that prove he was strong? Being pitied made him seem useless, and he really disliked that.
But bringing up these matters would still make Chi Wang feel a bit embarrassed. After all, others might think it was tragic upon hearing it, and their gazes would become strange, racking their brains to comfort him, which was really awkward.
Since Xiao Fu was his brother, he endured the embarrassment and answered, “They stole a child and caused our mother to die. Shouldn’t they go to prison?”
Xiao Fu hadn’t expected him to be so rational, surprised yet pleased. “Of course they should go to prison, but that’s too easy on them. Don’t you know how good prison food and accommodation are nowadays? Regular meals, regular work, even teaching them a skill. Tell me, with prison like that, can it deter bad people?”
Chi Wang: …
Obviously not; you’re someone who should be in prison yourself.
Chi Wang couldn’t help but ask, “Then what should we do?”
Knowing Chi Wang’s stance, Xiao Fu could now say the words he had been holding back. “You don’t need to worry about this; I’ve already taken care of it. Chi Kangnian has already been sent to prison, and I’ve arranged for people to ‘serve’ him three meals a day. You didn’t know, did you? Chi Kangnian found himself a mistress in a neighboring city. What’s more ridiculous is that the woman has a husband. Chi Kangnian got involved with a married woman; her husband is infertile, so she was ‘eating from both bowls,’3 used Chi Kangnian to have a son, and secretly brought the son back to her husband’s home. Chi Kangnian had no idea. Even after going to prison, he was hoping the woman would visit him, not knowing that she had already returned to her husband’s home with their son, living happily ever after.”
Chi Wang was stunned. But after thinking about it, he realized this was indeed something Chi Kangnian might do.
Both he and Qiao Yuzhen were somewhat foolish—foolish and malicious. Chi Wang often wondered how such rotten bamboo could produce a good shoot like him; it must have been genetic luck.
Xiao Fu continued, “Qiao Yuzhen and Chi Cheng won’t have a good end either. I want them to suffer continuously. That’s much better than sending them to prison. As long as you don’t feel soft-hearted, leave this matter to me.”
Chi Wang said, “I won’t feel soft-hearted, but I still owe them money. I’m thinking about whether to repay it. I promised to pay them back, and it wouldn’t be good to break my word.”
It’s not that Chi Wang was being overly benevolent; the conditions for severing ties had been agreed upon from the start. At that time, he had accepted those terms, and he didn’t want to go back on his word. What he could choose was to delay payment for now, let them suffer a bit, and pay them later.
Xiao Fu asked, “What money could you possibly owe them? They didn’t feed or clothe you; what expenses did they have?”
Chi Wang pursed his lips. He knew there was a lot of exaggeration in it, but he didn’t want to argue with Qiao Yuzhen anymore. Moreover, he did remember being sick a lot as a child and going to the hospital frequently.
After Chi Cheng was born, he no longer had the privilege of going to the hospital when he was sick.
Sometimes Chi Wang felt that they weren’t all that bad to him. At least they raised him and gave him a place to live. Although he had to do housework, compared to having a place that sheltered him from wind and rain, it wasn’t too much to ask.
But whenever such thoughts arose, he quickly dispelled them. Why was he even speaking up for them? They didn’t dare abandon him; if they could have, they would have dumped him long ago—they simply didn’t have the guts.
Chi Wang briefly explained to Xiao Fu in a sentence or two. Xiao Fu laughed angrily, “That’s it?? Bullying you because you were too young to remember. Let me investigate; I’ll find out so you can give up on them. And you are not allowed to pay them back. They think you’re a fool, and you’re just offering yourself up? There’s no such thing.”
Of course, Chi Wang didn’t want to pay either. After all, the evil deeds Qiao Yuzhen had done were evident. Paying her back would only make her happy. But since it was an agreed-upon condition, he felt a bit conflicted even if his bottom line was flexible. “…Then you investigate first.”
Xiao Fu said, “Wait for me; I’ll look into it.”
We’ll leave this matter aside for now. Given the circumstances, Chi Wang didn’t need to find a lawyer anymore; Xiao Fu had arranged everything clearly for him.
Chi Wang felt a bit conflicted. He hadn’t expected that, without his knowledge, Xiao Fu had already resolved this matter for him. He felt a bit pressured.
But he quickly thought that since Xiao Fu was his biological brother, such things would only happen more in the future, and he should get used to it.
So, this is what family is—doing things unconditionally for one’s relatives?
Chi Wang couldn’t think of how to repay Xiao Fu.
Being the upright person he was, Chi Wang even started to feel that hiding the fact that he was pregnant with Xie Sicheng’s child from Xiao Fu was a bit excessive.
But he didn’t know how to bring it up.
Rationally, he felt that this matter couldn’t be told to Xiao Fu; otherwise, it would be very troublesome. Emotionally, he wanted to be honest with him.
But for now, reason overruled emotion.
Chi Wang sincerely said to Xiao Fu, “Thank you, brother.”
Xiao Fu said, “If you really want to thank me, come and spend some time with me. I can take an early vacation for the New Year; let’s have a good time together, just the two of us.”
Actually, Xiao Fu found it strange that Chi Wang kept refusing him. So he had someone investigate what kind of part-time jobs Chi Wang was doing, and this investigation uncovered something significant: both of Chi Wang’s jobs were related to Xie Sicheng.
Xiao Fu was very annoyed that Chi Wang would rather trouble others than bother him.
He knew that Chi Wang hadn’t fully accepted him as a brother yet, and he didn’t blame him. Perhaps he had accepted too quickly himself.
Before Chi Wang appeared, in his past decades of life, Xiao Fu had indeed longed for siblings. So when Chi Wang truly appeared, it wasn’t surprising that Xiao Fu immediately accepted him.
Normally, when people encounter such situations, they wouldn’t naturally interact as close brothers but would treat each other as relatives who meet during holidays—nothing more. After all, they didn’t have the natural conditions of growing up together to cultivate a brotherly bond.
But how could Xiao Fu be satisfied with an ordinary relative relationship? He wanted Chi Wang by his side so he could watch over him all the time.
In short, Xiao Fu was very upset about the closeness between Chi Wang and Xie Sicheng. The dirty water he had tried to throw on Xie had obviously not worked; it even led to Chi Wang getting another job from Xie.
That bastard Xie Sicheng clearly knew that Chi Wang was his brother, yet he arranged a job for him, treating Chi Wang like a workhorse?
He himself wouldn’t arrange work for Chi Wang. As his brother, Chi Wang didn’t need to work at all!
Xiao Fu had many complaints but didn’t dare voice them to Chi Wang.
He knew he had many bad traits, his temper wasn’t great, and his conduct wasn’t exactly upright. And Chi Wang really resembled the image of a Young Pioneer he had seen on TV when he was young—upright, straightforward, and super cute. He didn’t want Chi Wang to know about his own shortcomings.
So even though Xiao Fu was unhappy, he kept it bottled up inside, only daring to weakly show Chi Wang an innocent image of a lonely old man.
But even with his prior efforts to pave the way, Chi Wang still refused him. “I’m sorry, brother. I’m not ready to spend the New Year together yet. Can I spend it with you next year?”
Xiao Fu felt genuinely hurt. He couldn’t help but ask, “Do you dislike me?”
Although he didn’t know why Chi Wang kept rejecting him, Xiao Fu thought he had found the reason. “I’ve already removed my tongue piercing and haven’t worn those things anymore.” He even dressed properly now, imitating Xie’s style, buttoning his shirts all the way up.
Chi Wang had no idea what he was thinking. Seeing him become self-conscious, he felt a throbbing in his forehead. “No, how could I dislike you? Brother, listen to yourself… Alright, alright, I’ll come spend time with you, but I can only stay for half a day.”
Xiao Fu wielded a reverse dragon-slaying saber: “There are still ten days until the New Year. Why not stay with me until then?”
Chi Wang: “…”
He had already planned to spend the New Year with Xie Sicheng.
Although he hadn’t said it out loud, he had already accepted this fact.
Chi Wang’s head started to ache again. “No, I’m really busy. I have to work.”
Xiao Fu sneered and added eye drops: “What work? It’s almost the New Year, and you’re still working? Your boss is treating you like livestock. That idiot boss, he should go to hell.”
“…” Chi Wang asked, “Don’t your company’s employees work during the New Year?”
Xiao Fu: “They do.”
Chi Wang: “…”
Xiao Fu said, “But that’s different; we’re a legitimate company.”
Listen to what you’re saying. Does that mean the companies I work for aren’t legitimate?
Chi Wang: “Forget it, let’s not talk about this. In short, I’m really busy this winter break and can’t spend time with you. Be good, we’ll spend the New Year together next year.”
Xiao Fu said, “Then come to my place for three days; that shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
Chi Wang didn’t want to spend even a day. Now that his belly was bigger, honestly, it was hard to hide.
Of course, he had a small frame and was tall. Wearing loose clothes could cover it up, but having to constantly be cautious about revealing his condition was not ideal.
Moreover, the food at Xiao Fu’s place didn’t suit his taste. If his vomiting increased, even Luo Lianyun could guess he was pregnant, let alone someone like Xiao Fu with sharp instincts.
Besides, as the months progressed, Chi Wang didn’t really want to go out except to school, fearing he might fall or bump into something.
Chi Wang sighed, feeling a bit troubled. After thinking hard, he decided to say directly, “Brother, three days is a bit too much; it would really affect my work. I can only spend half a day with you, have lunch together, and then I need to get back to work.”
Seeing his firm attitude, Xiao Fu reluctantly agreed to half a day.
After ending the chat, Chi Wang opened his chat window with Xie Sicheng and told him about this matter.
Xie said, “You’re already quite far along; it’s not ideal to go to your brother’s place.” He paused, “If you want to go, I’ll take you there.”
Chi Wang was startled. “No need! What if he finds out?”
Xie said, “I won’t let him find out.”
Chi Wang: “…”
- The “(x)” is a playful addition often used in Chinese internet slang to indicate sarcasm or an ironic correction, suggesting that the separation might not be as official as stated.
- To show off: The original term is (zhu?ng X), a Chinese internet slang meaning to show off or act cool. The “X” is a censored character, often standing in for a profanity.
- Eating from both bowls: The original phrase is (ch? li?ng ji? fàn), meaning to receive benefits or maintain relationships with two parties simultaneously, often implying infidelity.
- Young Pioneer: A member of a youth organization for children aged 6 to 14 in China, promoting good moral behavior and socialist values.
- Reverse dragon-slaying saber: A metaphor meaning to use someone’s own methods or words against them. Here, it implies Xiao Fu is pushing back against Chi Wang’s reluctance.
- Adding eye drops: The phrase (shàng y?n yào) literally means “applying eye medicine,” but it’s slang for slandering someone or making malicious remarks to provoke or instigate.
