【DNA test results: Qin Chaoyue (pronounced cháo) and Qin Lang are not biologically related.】
A DNA test report lay on the desk, opened to the final page.
The atmosphere in the room had dropped to freezing point.
The woman at the head of the table had her hair styled in large waves. Her fingertip tapped the paper. Fair-skinned and beautiful, she parted lips redder than roses in March.
Her voice was cold and clear, carrying an absolute authority that required no harshness:
“Freeze every card and asset under Qin Lang’s name immediately. No real estate is to be transferred.”
“Revoke all of Qin Lang’s permissions and access rights within the company and the group. From this moment on, he is forbidden to inspect or review any business projects belonging to the Qin family or to me.”
“Announce publicly that, effective today, Qin Lang is no longer the Qin family’s young master, and we will bear no responsibility for any of his actions.”
“Also, send someone to investigate everything Qin Lang has done from birth until now. Trace it all the way back to when my mother was pregnant.”
Qin Chaoyue issued one order after another, swift and decisive.
“President Qin[1]In Chinese corporate settings, “President” is a common English rendering of a title used to address a senior company executive or business leader. It does not refer to a political office. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3711847_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3711847_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });,” a subordinate ventured from farther down the table, “Young Master Qin ran up a huge gambling debt in Country L[2]A letter-based designation used in place of a specific country name. The chapter does not establish which country it represents. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3711847_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3711847_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); last night—”
“Let him pay it back himself. He can sell his body, sell a kidney—whatever he likes.”
Qin Chaoyue raised her eyes and swept the room with another glance. “Was I not clear enough just now? From now on, there is no such person as Young Master Qin Lang.”
“Y-yes!”
…
Two days earlier, Qin Chaoyue had suddenly felt her heart flutter.
Could Qin Lang, the younger brother who was always stirring up trouble and causing endless headaches, actually not be her biological brother?
President Qin had always been a woman of action. Once she decided to do something, she did it.
Ignoring her staff’s odd looks, she immediately collected hair samples from herself and Qin Lang and secretly arranged for a DNA kinship test.
Sure enough, they weren’t related.
But if Qin Lang wasn’t her biological brother, where was her real younger brother now?
That night, Qin Chaoyue had a dream.
In the dream, there seemed to be a celebrity.
His name was “Jiang Lingye.”
He was quite good-looking and worked hard. After his debut, he had even risen to the ranks of the biggest stars. Yet in less than a year, he became mired in scandal after scandal.
After appearing on a reality show, not only did he fail to clear his name, he was reviled by millions.
In the end, the young man could no longer bear it and leapt from the rooftop of his company’s building.
His beautiful face burst into a splatter of blood.
—And that day was his eighteenth birthday!
After waking up, Qin Chaoyue’s heart was still pounding.
She called her long-suffering special assistant, who was on standby twenty-four hours a day. “Book me a flight back to China. Immediately.”
“And acquire an entertainment company in China. Not a small one. Do it right away.”
“Also…”
The dream was still vivid in her mind.
Whenever Qin Chaoyue thought of that handsome young man—
How the relentless scandals had left him gaunt and haggard, how the light had gradually faded from those eyes so like her mother’s, and how, in the end, he had lost all hope, leaving nothing behind but broken remains and blood…
Her heart twisted painfully.
Besides, the dream hadn’t ended there. She had a part in it too.
The Qin family went bankrupt, and she, exhausted in body and spirit, was run over and killed by a dump truck…
Dump truck, dump truck… She would never let that happen!!
At the thought, Qin Chaoyue added, “There’s a celebrity named Jiang Lingye. Investigate everything about him—not just his time in the entertainment industry, but his family and childhood too.”
Special Assistant Zhang, who had been dragged out of a groggy sleep, jolted fully awake. “Okay… Huh??”
“Hm?” Qin Chaoyue’s voice rose slightly at the end, already carrying a hint of danger.
“Yes! I’ll get right on it!”
The diligent Special Assistant Zhang thought: Oh my god, oh my god! Is the boss finally going to make a move on a young celebrity in the entertainment industry?
Ah, morals are declining, and the world has grown cold.
In that case, he’d just have to…
Clean up the young man’s reputation and deliver him to the boss’s bed!
Inside the variety show building, Jiang Lingye was getting a dressing-down from his agent.
“Jiang Lingye, do you still think you’re the top-tier star you used to be? Wake up!”
“Tell me, how much have all your scandals cost the company lately?”
“The company is still cleaning up your messes. The only reason we haven’t abandoned you and are still arranging work for you is out of consideration for our past relationship. Jiang Lingye, don’t be ungrateful!”
The young man opposite her merely curled his lips into a faint, expressionless sneer.
His attitude only made his agent, Yan Fangfang, angrier!
But the company had issued strict orders: she had to make him appear on this variety show alongside Zhuo Xi.
Threats and enticements hadn’t worked. She had no choice but to try another approach, coaxing him with renewed patience.
“Besides, if you appear on this show, the reality-show format will let fans get to know the real you. Won’t all those earlier scandals collapse on their own?”
“Then you can shake hands with Zhuo Xi, make peace, and put on a united front. Most netizens[3]A term for internet users, particularly those participating in online discussions and social media. It is commonly used in English translations of Chinese online culture, where public opinion on the … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3711847_1_3').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3711847_1_3', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); have short memories…”
The mockery on Jiang Lingye’s face became even more pronounced.
Zhuo Xi was a member of the same group as him.
Only recently, a new scandal had surfaced alleging that “Jiang Lingye assaulted a fellow group member.” The supposed victim was none other than Zhuo Xi.
He wasn’t stupid.
Jiang Lingye had seen everything the company had done lately. Arranging for him to appear on a variety show with Zhuo Xi was nothing more than treating him as a discarded pawn, allowing Zhuo Xi to climb higher by stepping on his shoulders.
They wanted to squeeze the last bit of value out of him!
How ironic.
Since signing with the company, he’d worked day and night without rest, earning it so much money. Yet now that he was mired in scandal, the company hadn’t even bothered to investigate whether the rumors were true before condemning him.
And it still expected him to be grateful for its loyalty and kindness?
Still, there was one thing Yan Fangfang had gotten right: he really did need this opportunity.
“Got it.”
The young man’s voice was a little hoarse. Clearly, he hadn’t been resting properly these past few days.
With the matter settled, Zhuo Xi happened to emerge after signing his contract. Yan Fangfang immediately hurried to his side, fussing over him.
She managed their entire group, and Zhuo Xi had recently gained plenty of sympathetic fans from the assault incident. He was riding a wave of popularity.
One was a discarded pawn; the other, a rising star. The difference was plain to see.
“Brother Ye[4]In Chinese, “Brother” (ge) can be used as a familiar or respectful form of address for a male who is not actually a relative. It often implies seniority or closeness, making its use here … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3711847_1_4').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3711847_1_4', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, we’ll be on another show together. Please take care of me.” Zhuo Xi, with his delicate, baby-faced looks, came over to greet him.
“Heh—”
Jiang Lingye gave a soft laugh. When he raised his head, his dark eyes were full of untamed defiance.
Even though Zhuo Xi’s popularity now surpassed his own, Jiang Lingye had never taken him seriously.
“Not hurting anymore? Coming right up to me like this—your skin must be itching. Want another beating?”
Zhuo Xi clenched his fists and forced a smile. “I know Brother Ye didn’t mean to do it. By the way, Brother Ye is going on My Brothers and Sisters too, right? I seem to remember you have a younger sister, but your relationship with your family…”
Jiang Lingye’s expression immediately darkened.
Yan Fangfang said, “The company has made its own arrangements for that.”
Just before going inside, Jiang Lingye glanced back at Zhuo Xi.
“You’re twenty-four this year, and I’m not even eighteen yet. I’m hardly in a position to have you call me ‘Brother.’ Stop pretending you’re younger than me.”
Zhuo Xi’s face turned alternately pale and livid with anger.
Jiang Lingye, just wait until the show officially starts!
…
My Brothers and Sisters was a reality variety show in which celebrities participated with members of their families.
The fact that none of his own relatives would be taking part was undoubtedly a relief to Jiang Lingye.
On the other hand, though—
The person the company had arranged for him was probably no better.
Yan Fangfang had let slip earlier that they seemed to have arranged an older sister for him—
Disheveled, vulgar, crude…
After everything the company had done lately, Jiang Lingye couldn’t help imagining the worst about this person. Having signed his contract, he entered the inner room, still walking with his head lowered as he thought about it.
“Raise your head.”
A woman’s cool, unhurried voice sounded. Strangely enough, the usually rebellious and defiant Jiang Lingye obeyed without thinking.
All at once, the cramped room seemed to light up. Jiang Lingye found himself looking into a pair of dark eyes that seemed strangely familiar.
“Not bad-looking.”
The strikingly beautiful woman was still appraising him.
“There’s a good chance you’re my younger brother.”
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