At this moment, Ning Chen finished his long and exhausting day of work and drove his car back to the Ning residence.
Just as he was about to get out, a call came through. “About the thing you asked me to investigate last time, there’s been some progress. Do you want to hear it?”
Ning Chen turned off the ignition but kept his hands resting on the steering wheel. “Speak.”
“The matter involves the Ji family, so it’s been difficult to dig into. When this is all over, you’d better treat me to a nice meal.”
The voice on the other end paused for a moment, then continued, “As for those fifty million your brother used to buy that painting, it really wasn’t Ji family money. From what I found out, after your brother entered the Ji household, he only met the old master twice. It wasn’t until he returned from abroad last time that an account under Ji Corporation’s name was even opened for him.”
A trace of astonishment flickered through Ning Chen’s eyes. “Then where did the money come from? Or was he buying on someone else’s behalf?”
Ning Sui was always short on money. It wasn’t impossible that he might take part-time jobs, maybe working as a buyer at art exhibitions.
“That, I couldn’t find out. But if he was buying on behalf of someone else, the signature on the contract should have been the real buyer’s name. Yet according to what I uncovered, all the purchase records list your brother himself as the buyer.”
“There’s one more thing you should know,” the man added. “When I checked a few art galleries in Jiang City, I discovered that the fifty-million purchase wasn’t his first. He bought several times over the past two years, altogether, it’s close to a hundred million. If you check, you’ll find your brother is one of their top VIP clients, the kind who gets private viewings before new pieces are even released.”
Ning Chen froze, mouth slightly open in disbelief.
“A hundred million?”
His entire company’s annual revenue barely reached that figure.
“Who on earth gave him that money?”
“Can’t trace it,” came the reply.
“Then help me keep digging. See where those paintings ended up. For works that valuable, there should be a record somewhere.”
“That’ll be tricky, but I’ll give it a try.”
When the call ended, Ning Chen sat there full of confusion.
After bringing Ning Sui back to the Ning family, they had always given him a monthly allowance. But recently, Ning Chen had discovered something strange, over the past three years, not a single cent of that allowance had been touched.
He had assumed Ning Sui was making his own money outside, that maybe he didn’t need the family’s support. He hadn’t expected that Ning Sui simply didn’t care for such pocket change.
When someone could casually spend fifty million at once, what use did he have for a few thousand here and there?
But if it wasn’t the Ji family’s money, then where did it come from?
Could it be that he had befriended some secret rich patron?
And if so, what kind of relationship did they have for that person to spend so lavishly on him?
Could Ning Sui really be thinking that Ji Yucheng was still a vegetable, unable to control his affairs, and so took the opportunity to fool around with someone else behind his back?
If that was the case and the Ji family found out, the entire Ning family would be ruined along with him.
Still, the investigation wasn’t complete yet. He couldn’t jump to conclusions. For now, the best course was to keep it quiet, especially from the Ji family.
Otherwise, they would all be finished.
Frowning, Ning Chen got out of the car and slammed the door shut, feeling that neither of his younger brothers would ever stop giving him headaches.
At that very moment, Ning Yuanming was standing under the shower, rinsing the sticky milk tea off his hair and body, his expression dark and brooding.
Who would win or lose was still uncertain. Ji Yucheng would never wake up, and even if he did, he wouldn’t love Ning Sui.
Without the Ji family’s backing, Ning Sui was nothing.
After scrubbing himself clean for a long time, Ning Yuanming finally sat down at the edge of his bed. The frustration and suffocating pressure that had been building up these days made him desperate to talk to someone.
He scrolled through his contact list but realized there was no one he could confide in.
He had never told anyone that he was actually an imposter.
Not even his friends like Xu Tianxing knew the truth. Out of pride and vanity, he had even told them that Ning Sui was merely a distant relative.
For three long years, he had lived behind a mask of lies.
Now that he had quarreled with Xu Tianxing, he couldn’t go to him for comfort either.
As he scrolled further down, he came to his chat with Ji Zhilin. Their last message exchange had been over a week ago.
He hesitated, then typed, “Do you have time to grab a drink?”
He waited for a reply.
After what felt like forever, Ji Zhilin finally responded with a simple, “It’s too late.”
Ning Yuanming clenched his phone tightly, rage and humiliation boiling in his chest.
In Ji Zhilin’s eyes, he was the one spoiled by their mother and favored by Ning Chen, but only he himself knew how subtly that affection had begun to fade.
The sweetness that once filled his world had been sliced apart, leaving him with only fragments.
And all of it, every last bit of it, was because of the sudden appearance of Ning Sui three years ago.
With no one to turn to, suffocated by resentment, Ning Yuanming continued scrolling through his messages, until he saw that person’s chat.
He had been sending that person pictures and small talk for weeks, though he never received a single reply.
Maybe the other party didn’t even check their messages.
Still, he typed again, pouring out his bottled-up emotions as though he were shouting into a void.
Meanwhile, Ning Sui had just helped the butler move Ji Yucheng back to bed. Afterward, he turned into the bathroom to take a shower.
He had just taken off his clothes when his phone buzzed.
He picked it up and saw a WeChat notification, from Ning Yuanming.
It was a long message, almost like an essay.
“There’s no one else I can talk to. I hope I’m not disturbing you. I have a rival who’s gaining the upper hand, and I’m terrified he’ll take everything away from me…”
Ning Sui froze. His phone nearly slipped from his fingers. Why on earth was Ning Yuanming sending this to him?
Had he sent it to the wrong person?
He looked closer and realized, it wasn’t his personal phone. It was the work phone he’d taken from Lin Man some time ago, the one he had barely used since.
He had only just charged it tonight and turned it on.
When he tapped open the chat, he saw the unread count, 99+.
Apparently, Ning Yuanming had been talking to himself for quite a while, sending message after message, never realizing no one was reading.
He scrolled up and skimmed through them.
“It’s like my friend stealing his roommate’s phone, if my mom ever finds out I was the one who encouraged it, she’ll throw me out of the house… But if it were him who did it, would she? Of course not! Because he’s her biological son!”
“Is blood really that important? So important that a stranger can just walk in and destroy everything I had?”
Ning Sui sighed silently. If he didn’t stop him soon, Ning Yuanming might actually hit a thousand unread messages by himself.
He hadn’t expected the boy who always acted aloof to be such a chatterbox behind the scenes.
After thinking for a moment, he replied, “Jealousy comes from insecurity. You lack a sense of safety. Tell me, has he truly threatened your survival?”
Ning Yuanming hadn’t expected a response at all. When the message came through, he almost jumped. His fingers flew as he typed back, “He has! My mother and my brother used to belong to me alone, but ever since he showed up…”
For a moment, Ning Sui didn’t know what to say.
Ironically, the things Ning Yuanming claimed were his, his mother, his brother, his family, had originally belonged to Ning Sui in the first place.
Not that he cared much for them anymore.
He simply typed back, “But if you don’t provoke him, he won’t come after you, will he?”
That much was true.
Ning Yuanming lowered his gaze, shadows gathering under his eyes. Ever since Ning Sui had been recognized by the family, he had treated both Ning Mother and Ning Chen with genuine respect and kindness. He had never tried to seize anything back, never demanded to live at home.
He had spent all three years of university staying in the dorms.
Yet Ning Yuanming couldn’t admit any of this aloud. He didn’t want to sound pathetic.
He replied, “I’m just scared…”
Soon, another message came in.
“If you spend your energy watching others, scheming to bring them down, you’ll never be happy. Even if you squeeze him out of your life, what will you really gain? It’s better to focus on yourself. If you want your mother’s love, then show her kindness, don’t lash out at someone else. The more you target him, the further away she’ll drift from you.”
Ning Sui’s fingers danced rapidly across the screen as he typed, the message concise but full of meaning, Go focus on your own life and stop trying to dig pits for me to fall into!
Dad is busy making money. He doesn’t have time to babysit you!
When Ning Yuanming read that string of words, calm and detached in tone yet carrying the faint weight of admonishment, his first reaction was a flash of irritation.
Why was he being blamed again? Why did everyone always think he was in the wrong? Why wouldn’t anyone ever look at things from his perspective?
But as he stared at those words again and again, his tightly clenched fist slowly loosened. After a few moments, he had to admit to himself that what the other person said wasn’t entirely unreasonable. In fact, it sounded… sincere, even kind.
It was true that lately, every loss he suffered against Ning Sui came from the same place, his constant obsession with competing against him, his endless attempts to seize what didn’t belong to him.
The more desperately he tried to pull things toward himself, the more everyone around him, his mother, Ji Zhilin, leaned toward Ning Sui instead.
The other man had told him to focus on himself. Wasn’t that… a kind of concern? Otherwise, why would someone with a net worth in the billions spare even a few minutes to reply to his messages?
No one had ever spoken to him like that, calmly, like a patient teacher or an older friend, pointing out the things he refused to see.
And most astonishingly, that person didn’t seem to look down on him for being a fake young master. There was none of the cold ridicule he usually saw from others in high society, none of those contemptuous phrases like “a cuckoo occupying the magpie’s nest.”
For the first time in a long while, Ning Yuanming’s chest felt tight, and his eyes stung faintly. He gripped his phone a little harder.
“What should I do then?” he found himself typing. The question came naturally, like the words had slipped out of his fingertips before his mind could catch them.
He was lost. Truly lost.
For the past three years, all his energy had been devoted to opposing Ning Sui, competing with him, trying to outshine him. If he didn’t do that… what else was there left for him to do?
The reply came quickly. “Win a scholarship.”
Ning Yuanming blinked. The response was so unexpected that for a few seconds, he simply stared at the screen.
It felt as though he had been struggling in a pit of mud, hurling handfuls of dirt at others in hopes of climbing higher, only to have someone suddenly point out that there was another path beneath his feet, solid ground that he had never noticed.
He was too stunned to react right away. After a long pause, he finally regained his composure and hurriedly typed, “This semester’s scholarships are already done being awarded. When I get one next semester, could you maybe send me a voice message?”
By that time, Ning Sui had already finished showering. He glanced at the message, and a satisfied smile tugged at his lips.
In his mind, he said to 001, “The scholarships at S University aren’t easy to get. Yuanming’s grades are nothing special, and his little circle with Xu Tianxing is always fooling around. If he wants to earn a scholarship, he’ll have to bury himself in study for at least an entire term. That means no time left to scheme against me!”
001’s voice chimed proudly, “A’Sui, you’re brilliant!”
“Hehe.” Ning Sui grinned inwardly, giving 001 a triumphant mental high five.
Meanwhile, Ning Yuanming waited. Minutes passed, then half an hour. The chat remained silent. But he didn’t mind.
He knew his last request was presumptuous. For someone of that person’s stature, even taking a few seconds to reply in text was already an act of generosity. Expecting a voice message was probably overstepping.
Still, he couldn’t help but admire the man even more. It was no wonder he had built his fortune from nothing and reached such dazzling heights.
Even though Ning Yuanming had sugarcoated his words, hiding the uglier parts of the truth, the other party had seen straight through him, pointing out that his instability came from within, that jealousy was a symptom of fear. It was as if that person had known him for years, had already understood him down to the smallest corner of his heart.
And the advice he had given, win a scholarship, was something so simple, yet something Ning Yuanming had never even considered. It hit him like a heavy, awakening blow to the head.
If before this night he had only reached out to that person out of a desire to connect, to network, then now, in this silent hour where no one else would listen to him, his heart was truly stirred.
A faint sense of admiration, even longing, began to bloom in his chest.
No one knew who that person really was. The mystery only deepened his fascination.
Ning Yuanming’s mind started to imagine what he might look like. He pictured a man with gold-rimmed glasses, refined and elegant, with a calm and steady demeanor, exuding the warmth of a mature, dependable presence.
Perhaps he was the “fatherly” type, gentle and reassuring, unlike Ji Yucheng, who was cold, proud, and always kept others at arm’s length.
He had been messaging this man for only a month, and the other had already deigned to respond to him.
Unlike Ji Yucheng, who had always looked at people as if they were beneath him, dogs to be tolerated at best. Ning Yuanming had followed Ji Zhilin to the Ji residence countless times, and yet Ji Yucheng never even remembered his name.
Looking back now, Ning Yuanming could only laugh bitterly at how foolish he’d been, how blind he was to have once rejected Ji Zhilin for Ji Yucheng, only to end up in this pathetic position.
✦ ✧ ✦
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
You made it to the end. The translator would like a tiny coffee. ☕
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
← PreviousNext →
ChaptersChapter 1 · The WeddingChapter 2 · New Target!Chapter 3 · Moved OnChapter 4 · Personal Information of Ji YuchengChapter 5 · Liked Ji Yucheng for 3 Years?!Chapter 6 · Love Rival?!Chapter 7 · Domineering PossessivenessChapter 8 · Obviously Very CuteChapter 9 Part 1 · Can’t be SeperatedChapter 9 Part 2 · Can’t be SeperatedChapter 10 · A blonde Guy…Chapter 11 · Dangerously Close to love?Chapter 12 · Confrontation with Ji ZhilinChapter 13 · Accidental DiscoveryChapter 14 · System 009 upgradedChapter 15 · Battery charging!Chapter 16 · Young Master was MiserableChapter 17 · Did Ning Sui treat you like this before?Chapter 18 · Was this what happened last night before you went to bed?Chapter 19 · He really got to the bottom of thisChapter 20 Part 1 · Don’t look at him, he was shocked too!Chapter 20 Part 2 · Don’t look at him, he was shocked too!Chapter 21 · Because I like it so muchChapter 22 Part 1 · Pull up your pantsChapter 22 Part 2 · Pull up your pantsChapter 23 · Why does it sound like he’s jealousChapter 24 Part 1 · I will protect himChapter 24 Part 2 · I will protect himChapter 25 · He’s quite gentleChapter 26 · Young Master Ji suddenly started to stutterChapter 27 · Ning Sui’s timeChapter 28 Part 1 · They ran away as soon as they were scaredChapter 28 Part 2 · They ran away as soon as they were scaredChapter 29 Part 1 · Are you looking for death?Chapter 29 Part 2 · Are you looking for death?Chapter 30 · Hurry up and say your last wordsChapter 31 · Ji Yucheng collapsed into his armsChapter 32 · Mr. Ji, I never expected you to be such a good person.Chapter 33 · He’s so well-behaved when He sleeps…Chapter 34 · His expression was incredibly varied in an instantChapter 35 · How could it be Ning Sui?Chapter 36 · Does the young wife only like people in a vegetative state?Chapter 37 · State-based controlChapter 38 · The young master was so happy he dropped his phoneChapter 39 · You were 37 minutes lateChapter 40 · I don’t plan to get a divorce.Chapter 41 · Otherwise, would it be your turn?Chapter 42 · Both perverted and cuteChapter 43 · If they sneak away again, I’ll hold them even tighterChapter 44 · I sprained my ankle tooChapter 45 · A cat jumping on a lion’s head to play with fire.Chapter 46 · Your young master has fainted!Chapter 47 · Sui Sui, come downChapter 48 · Are you going to lock me in there?Chapter 49 Part 1 · I love you, Ning SuiChapter 49 Part 2 · I love you, Ning SuiChapter 50 · Give the snowman a heartChapter 51 · Miss you.Chapter 52 · To hold in one’s mouthChapter 53 · You are in the cloudsChapter 54 · Ning Sui hugged him for the first timeChapter 55 · Can you sit on my lap?Chapter 56 · It’s either you or it’s not.Chapter 57 · From this moment on, I am your vegetableChapter 58 · Young Ji YuchengChapter 59 · They kiss tirelessly.Chapter 60 · RipplingChapter 61 · You want to compare this?!Chapter 62 · It’s 001!Chapter 63 · I like everything about it.Chapter 64 · It seems to have been filled up a little more.Chapter 65 · Wedding rings should be exchanged between the couple.Chapter 66 · Love-struckChapter 67 · Why can’t we even be apart for a day?Chapter 68 · PerfectChapter 69 · A lifelong contract was madeChapter 70 · Extra 1Chapter 71 · Extra 2Chapter 72 · Extra 3Chapter 73 · Extra 4Chapter 74 · Extra 5Chapter 75 · Extra 6Chapter 76 · Extra 7Chapter 77 · Extra 8Chapter 78 · Extra 9Chapter 79 · Extra 10Chapter 80 · Extra 11Chapter 81 · Extra 12Chapter 82 · Extra 13Chapter 83 · Extra 14