The next day, when Ning Sui received a call from Ning Chen, he was just about to head out.
He had a hobby that reeked of money, snapping up certain famous paintings when they were undervalued, then selling them years later when their prices had soared.
Of course, it wasn’t always a guaranteed profit; sometimes he took losses.
But back in the orphanage, the one thing Ning Sui had always wanted to be was a painter. Unfortunately, paints, brushes, and anything remotely related to art were far too expensive.
No matter how many part-time jobs he worked, he could never afford them. When it came time to choose a university major, his financial situation forced him to give up on his dream and settle for computer science.
A path that promised stability. Becoming a painter had become one of his greatest regrets.
He didn’t plan to resurrect that childhood dream now, but it didn’t stop him from being an art enthusiast. Whenever there was an exhibition, he’d go take a look.
When he did this, Ning Sui would enter a state of flow. It made him just as happy as cuddling with his vegetative husband to earn “experience points.”
But the moment he got into the car, that joy was interrupted.
Glancing at the caller ID, Ning Sui wrinkled his nose.
For Ning Chen to call him of his own accord? Well, that was as rare as the sun rising in the west.
Meanwhile, Madam Ning really had checked herself into a hospital. She was already changing into a hospital gown and urging frantically, “Quick, is it connected yet?”
“It’s connected. Don’t say anything.”
Madam Ning immediately hushed, though she still leaned in toward the speakerphone.
Ning Chen said, “Mother is in the hospital.”
The system happened to be online and muttered to Ning Sui: “She’s not sick. She’s faking!”
“Faking?” Ning Sui found it a little funny. He truly didn’t understand what went on in the Ning family’s heads anymore.
Three years ago, no matter what he did, they hadn’t cared about him in the slightest. Now that he avoided them, they came chasing after him again and again?
Was this guilt?
But they had already made him marry in place of Ning Yuanming. What was left to feel guilty about now?
Or was it that they were just uncomfortable not having him play the obedient doormat anymore?
Ning Sui pulled a piece of bread out of his backpack for breakfast, unwrapping it as he replied casually: “Oh.”
Just “oh”?
Had he not heard clearly?
Ning Chen frowned. “Didn’t you hear what I said? She’s sick. Pack up and come take a look. Quickly.”
“I’m not a doctor,” Ning Sui said. “What good would it do if I went?”
“…”
“What… what did he just say?”
Madam Ning’s voice broke in shock. She could hardly believe her ears. Was this really something Ning Sui had said? His tone was colder than if he were speaking to a stranger.
No! That wasn’t right. With Ning Sui’s mild temperament, he would never even treat a stranger this indifferently.
Two years ago, when Madam Ning caught a bout of the flu, it was exam week for Ning Sui.
Yet he’d taken leave from school to go home, standing over the stove for half a day to make her steaming chicken soup.
That day, when she saw the dimples on his face as he smiled, her heart had been warmed.
Neither Ning Chen nor Ning Yuanming, one too busy with work, the other spoiled by family indulgence had ever shown her even one-tenth of the care that boy had.
It was around that time she had slowly begun to accept this child she hadn’t seen in eighteen years…
But now… now…
Madam Ning collapsed onto the hospital bed, her eyes reddening.
Seeing his mother like this, Ning Chen’s temper flared. He snapped into the phone, “Ning Sui, watch your mouth! Have you forgotten what your surname is?!”
Ning Sui thought for a moment and answered calmly: “Ah, I could always give this surname back.”
Children from orphanages usually took the surname of the director, or if they liked a nurse in charge, they might take hers.
Before entering the Ning family, Ning Sui indeed had not been surnamed Ning.
Perhaps Madam Ning never realized it, but the moment she decided to substitute him for Ning Yuanming, she had already abandoned him completely.
Leaving aside that he had a system, in this world, no mother would ever willingly marry off her son to a man with no future, a living vegetable.
Clearly, the one she cherished was Ning Yuanming. Not him.
Ning Sui had never known parental love as a child, nor had he received much of it in the past three years. Only those who had once owned something could feel the pain of losing it.
But he had never possessed it in the first place. To him, losing it was no different from shaking a pebble out of his shoe.
Ning Chen’s forehead bulged with veins. “Yes, yes, I admit making you marry in his place was unfair! But do you have to be so petty about it?! Let me tell you, if you keep this up, forget about inheriting a single cent from the Ning family! Originally, after your marriage, you were to be given a portion of shares. But now it seems…”
Ah. Money.
At the mention of money, Ning Sui immediately perked up.
He quickly calculated the value of those shares. At most five or six percent. In other words, just a few tens of millions.
There might be dividends later, but nothing impressive.
“Oh. That’s too little,” Ning Sui said regretfully. “I don’t think it’s worth my time.”
“…………”
Ning Chen’s blood rushed to his head. He had never imagined that his “brother” could be so infuriating. He nearly burst a vein.
Ning Sui hung up the call.
On the other end, Ning Chen, fuming, hurled the phone against the wall. It shattered into pieces.
Madam Ning had never imagined this reaction. She thought that if Ning Sui heard she was in the hospital, even if he still bore a grudge, he would at least come visit.
Her hands trembled as she clutched her chest, her whole body quaking.
Ning Sui… Ning Sui really meant to sever ties with them…
“What do we do?” Madam Ning looked helplessly at Ning Chen, her eyes brimming with panic. “Is he living unhappily in the Ji family? Why else would he hold so much resentment?
“After all, he’s only in his twenties. At this age, he should be free to meet someone he likes, not forced to marry a vegetable. How could anyone be happy like that? If only I’d known…”
Outside the ward, Ning Yuanming stood quietly, finishing her words in his heart.
If only she’d known, she would have sent me to marry instead… right?
He knew it! He knew she would regret it!
But why should she regret it?! Before Ning Sui came, they had been a family. Why did he have to come and tear everything apart?!
Clutching a thermos, his knuckles turning white, Ning Yuanming quickly stepped back a few paces before Ning Chen opened the door, arranging his face into one of innocent confusion.
“What happened?” He gestured toward the ward. “Why does it sound like Mother’s crying?”
“Isn’t it because of that brat Ning Sui!” Ning Chen snapped furiously. “Mother’s upset, so don’t disturb her. Leave the food and come with me somewhere.”
Ning Yuanming thought Ning Chen was going to punish Ning Sui or drag him over to apologize. But to his shock, Ning Chen actually intended to buy a painting at the art exhibition to give to Ning Sui.
Pressing at his temples, Ning Chen explained, “The car Mother gave him got returned. Maybe it was too flashy, and he didn’t like it. Mother told me to replace it with a painting of equal value. Yuanming, you and Ning Sui are at the same university, so you know his tastes better. Come help me pick one out.”
The composure on Ning Yuanming’s face almost cracked. His expression stiffened, but he forced himself to nod. “Alright.”
This exhibition had three halls. The first and second floors featured cheaper works by emerging artists.
The third floor, Hall X, showcased treasures that were rarely displayed, guarded heavily, and valued at several million or more.
When Ning Chen and Ning Yuanming arrived and signed in, they saw Ning Sui’s name in the registry.
They weren’t surprised. After all, visiting art exhibitions seemed to be his greatest hobby; he went to every one in Jiangcheng.
“He doesn’t have much money, so he should be in Hall 1 or 2. Let’s head to Hall X first, buy something, then find him..”
But before Ning Chen could finish, his gaze froze.
He saw that Ning Sui’s name was actually listed under Hall X and near the top, no less, which meant he had presented proof of substantial financial backing.
Ning Yuanming was stunned too. “He went straight into Hall X?”
This gave Ning Yuanming a strange feeling.
In his mind, as a poor university student with no real background or money, Ning Sui should have felt timid and out of place at an event like this.
At most, he should have been wandering around Hall 1 or Hall 2, where the works were in the range of a few hundred thousand. But going straight to Hall X?
Hall X was reserved for the industry’s titans. Didn’t he fear being embarrassed?
“Let’s go up and take a look.”
When the two of them went upstairs, they didn’t see Ning Sui.
Ning Yuanming let out a small breath of relief. That kind of feeling was hard to describe when someone you thought was a bumpkin turns out not to be, and moves with ease in a high-class setting, it stirs up an inexplicable sense of unease in your heart.
But now, the bumpkin was still a bumpkin.
There weren’t many people on the third floor. Ning Chen and Ning Yuanming began browsing the paintings.
The first work on display was a unique piece by the late Master Huang. It had once been exhibited abroad; it was freehand in style, full of life and rhythm.
Even Ning Chen, a man with no artistic talent who only ever cared about business, couldn’t help but be moved. He stood before it for a long time, immersed.
But then he looked at the price tag… ten million.
Silently, he withdrew the hand he had been about to raise to summon a staff member.
The Ning family might be wealthy, but they weren’t that extravagant.
Ten million for a single painting? Was someone insane?!
There were fewer works in Hall X, but all of them were expensive.
In the end, Ning Chen and Ning Yuanming chose Winter, a piece by a foreign painter, valued at three million, a very fine work already.
Before a purchase, the gallery required an order form and contact details. Ning Chen went over to register with the staff, when suddenly, he caught sight of another staff member carefully taking down the Master Huang piece he had just admired, carrying it reverently toward the curator’s office.
“It’s already been sold?” Ning Chen asked in shock.
And not just that one. Several paintings beside it were also removed together and carried into the curator’s private collection room.
“Yes, they were all purchased by a gentleman,” the staff member explained.
Adding them up came to several tens of millions, all bought in one sweep?
In Jiangcheng, apart from the Ji family, who else could spend so lavishly?
Could this be a potential business partner?
Curiosity pricked at him. Pretending to be casual, Ning Chen glanced at the signed documents.
But with just one look, it was as though lightning struck him. He froze on the spot.
At that moment, Ning Yuanming returned from another staff member with a certificate of authenticity. Seeing Ning Chen’s strange expression, he asked, “Big brother, what’s wrong?”
Ning Chen gave him a complicated look, his feelings difficult to put into words. After a pause, he said, “Those most expensive paintings… the buyer’s signature was Ning Sui.”
“That’s impossible.”
Ning Yuanming gave a short laugh. “Together they’re worth tens of millions. Do you think Old Master Ji would really let him waste money like that? Brother, maybe you saw wrong. Or maybe it’s just someone with the same name?”
“How could I see wrong?” Ning Chen frowned. “He’s been in the Ning family for three years. I know his handwriting perfectly well. And besides, where in Jiangcheng would you find a second person called Ning Sui?”
The smile on Ning Yuanming’s face froze instantly.
Tens of millions? That wasn’t a small sum.
But wasn’t Ning Sui just a sacrificial pawn, married off as a stand-in? Would Old Master Ji really allow him to spend like this?
Impossible.
In his heart, Ning Yuanming refused to believe it. He still thought Ning Chen must have been mistaken.
He glanced at the certificate in his hand. “So… are we still sending this painting?”
“We already bought it…. ” Ning Chen began, but halfway through, his expression turned ugly.
Ning Sui could buy paintings worth tens of millions, and he was planning to gift him something worth three million? Wouldn’t that be utterly humiliating?
With his face dark as thunder, Ning Chen turned and strode out.
Ning Yuanming lingered for a moment, his mood even more sour and unsettled after this unexpected turn.
…
Ning Chen got into the car first. Sitting in the driver’s seat for a while, heavy in thought, he finally couldn’t resist and called a friend.
“Help me check if the Ji family has issued a new black card recently.”
The other party replied, “Didn’t Old Master Ji just fly to Country W and hasn’t come back yet? Without his signature, how could a black card be issued? As far as I know, ever since Ji Yucheng’s accident, the family business reverted to Old Master Ji. And you know his character, strict to the point of being harsh, the exact opposite of Ji Yucheng’s easygoing style.”
That was exactly what puzzled Ning Chen.
Just now, he had assumed Ning Sui’s purchase was made with the Ji family’s money.
But thinking about it calmly, something felt off.
He had dealt with Old Master Ji often enough to know the man’s nature. A merchant never lifts a finger without profit.
Even with the Ji family’s wealth, Old Master Ji was shrewd and calculating. He would never lavish such generosity on a newly married grandson-in-law.
And remembering how Ning Sui had sneered that the Ning family’s money was beneath him, Ning Chen felt more and more certain that Ning Sui was hiding something.
“Just check for me anyway.” Ning Chen’s brows furrowed tightly.
✦ ✧ ✦
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
✦ A tiny offering to the translator may please the spirits of the Realm. ☕
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
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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