A conversation that should have clarified everything ultimately ended without resolution. Xiao Changyan pulled his younger sister Shen Jiaren into the study, shutting their unreliable parents outside the door.
Bang! The sound was loud enough to show that the siblings seemed somewhat resistant to the matter.
Shen Zhaoyue and Xiao Guanyun also began to look at each other in dismay. After thinking for a moment, Shen Zhaoyue stealthily reached out and poked the person in front of her with her index finger, her voice lowered so much that she was afraid the children inside might hear.
"…How about, how about for the sake of the children?"
For the sake of the children, not getting a divorce? And not marrying into a wealthy family either?
She cherished these two children born from her womb the most. Over the past fifteen years, Shen Zhaoyue had never done anything that would upset them.
Xiao Guanyun glared at her with frustration, as if disappointed by her lack of ambition, and grabbed the index finger she had poked him with, holding it firmly and seriously.
"For the sake of the children, we should marry into wealthy families! Not only should I marry in, but you should too! Can you bear to watch Changyan and Jiaren constantly worrying about the family in the future?"
He wrapped his arms around this wife of his—also the sister he had grown up with and never been apart from—and whispered persuasively.
"They're fifteen now. In three more years, they'll be adults at eighteen. As long as the two of us successfully marry into wealthy families, by the time they come of age, they'll have cars, houses, and money! They won't have to live like us, working odd jobs, enduring others' disdain, and being taken advantage of. Do you think I'm doing this for myself?"
Xiao Guanyun and Shen Zhaoyue didn't know who their parents were. From as far back as they could remember, they had grown up in an orphanage. Despite having no illnesses and being cute and good-looking, no one ever adopted them.
As children in the orphanage, they always had to ingratiate themselves with those who came to donate or adopt. With their looks, they could easily win people's affection, though the promises they received were always broken. Still, the two of them didn't mind.
Their dream was to grow up and marry wealthy people with their looks, leave the orphanage, and live a free, unrestrained life.
Although some things happened later that went against their plan to marry into wealthy families, Shen Zhaoyue became pregnant, and Xiao Guanyun couldn't let her harm herself. So, they got married and had children, and just like that, fifteen years passed.
But they never gave up on their dream. Moreover, they were determined that once they achieved a good life, they would also ensure their children rose above others! Hearing Xiao Guanyun's words, Shen Zhaoyue's expression immediately turned resolute.
"You're right! I can't let Changyan and Jiaren live the life we've lived. We can endure this wretched life, but if anyone takes advantage of them, I'll grab a knife and kill them!!"
That's right. Their appearance was the greatest gift heaven had given them. This good looks brought them many conveniences but also many troubles. Xiao Guanyun and Shen Zhaoyue had suffered deeply because of it. The thought that their children might also endure such things was unbearable.
"So, before they officially come of age and step into society, the two of us must fulfill our dream and marry into wealthy families! Only when we stand high will they not be bullied!!"
Xiao Guanyun clenched his fist, fiercely pumping himself up! Thinking about marrying into the Zhuge family, he added after a moment's thought.
"Otherwise, when I marry into the Zhuge family, why don't we just let Changyan take Zhuge Rui's surname? After all, I don't even know my own original family name. The surname Zhuge sounds very nice, and Changyan is so clever—Zhuge Rui is sure to like him. As long as she's willing to protect Changyan, he won't have to be bullied anymore."
Upon hearing this, Shen Zhaoyue immediately glared at Xiao Guanyun and snorted at him.
"Hmph! When there's something good, you only think of Changyan? What about Jiaren? Can't we change her name too? 'Zhuge Jiaren'—doesn't that sound lovely? If that doesn't work, I could change mine as well? 'Zhuge Zhaoyue'—that seems quite nice too. Do you think Sister Zhuge would agree?"
As she spoke, Shen Zhaoyue's eyes lit up. It was clear she wasn't just thinking about putting her husband on Zhuge Rui's household register—she was practically eager to move her entire family onto it and have them all change their surname to Zhuge.
"…I'll ask her for you." Xiao Guanyun thought it sounded reasonable too. The surname Zhuge just sounded intelligent, which might save their children from constantly thinking he and his wife weren't too bright.
Once he, Xiao Guanyun, and Shen Zhaoyue changed their names to Zhuge Guanyun and Zhuge Zhaoyue, it would sound like their worth had skyrocketed several times over!
"Then why don't you also ask for me—does Sister Zhuge like women? Actually, I'm fine with either gender. Sister Zhuge is beautiful and generous. If she could take a liking to you, she'd definitely like someone like me too. That way, our whole family could stay together!"
Shen Zhaoyue immediately started coming up with another silly idea, her eyes sparkling as she stared at Xiao Guanyun. In response, Xiao Guanyun simply raised his right hand and gently flicked her forehead. Watching her clutch her head in pain, he mimicked her earlier snort.
"Hmph! Trying to steal someone right from under me? Weren't you the one who insisted on marrying into a proper family? Zhuge Rui is mine. I'll find you a good man to marry into later. Besides, if both of us end up in the same family, it'd be a waste. You have to marry into another family to bring honor and money for our Changyan and Jiaren. That way, they'll have double the houses, cars, and savings!"
Resources shouldn't all be concentrated in one place. Xiao Guanyun thought his sister Shen Zhaoyue, with her delicate, lotus-like beauty, could definitely marry into another wealthy family. That way, they could secure two affluent backgrounds for their children—wasn't that better than putting all their eggs in one basket?
"Oh, right~" Shen Zhaoyue nodded foolishly, as if suddenly enlightened.
"Right, we can't both marry into the same family, or we'd end up with less money. I should marry into another family and get a villa for each of our children~"
The two of them were filled with anticipation for such a wonderful future and exchanged smiles. Then, Shen Zhaoyue frowned again.
"But what if Changyan and Jiaren don't agree?"
She pulled Xiao Guanyun and stealthily crept up to the study door, pressing their ears against it to eavesdrop. Although the house wasn't soundproofed very well, they couldn't hear anything through the closed door.
And inside the study?
Once Xiao Changyan entered the room, he sat down at the long desk he shared with his sister. He pulled out the latest set of senior-year math practice papers, handing one to each of them, and they began solving problems.
Shen Jiaren didn't say a word. Knowing her brother would turn to solving problems to vent when he was upset, she quietly joined him.
The room was utterly silent, with only the sound of two ballpoint pens moving across test papers. There was no conversation at all, leaving Shen Zhaoyue and Xiao Guanyun, who had been eavesdropping for a while, with no choice but to awkwardly leave the doorway, deciding to check on the children again tomorrow.
Afraid the children might be unhappy, the couple moved all the "gifts" Zhuge Rui had left on the table to their own room and began sorting through them.
In the study, the brother and sister duo soon finished a math test paper, then swapped to grade each other's answers. Shen Jiaren, holding a red ballpoint pen, marked a big "×" on one multiple-choice question.
Xiao Changyan's expression remained unchanged as red checkmarks appeared one after another under his hand. Both siblings were currently in their second year of high school, but they were already tackling third-year problems. They occasionally participated in competitions at school, usually for the prize money.
It was worth mentioning that Shen Zhaoyue and Xiao Guanyun had grown up in an orphanage in a small town. They had hurriedly fled to the vast Jinghai City, and to secure their children's education, they each took out loans to buy two school district apartments in Jinghai, totaling over twelve million yuan. No one knew where they had managed to get so much money.
Shen Jiaren and Xiao Changyan had attended separate schools since elementary school. Although their parents were unreliable, the two had somehow managed to obtain Jinghai City household registrations within six years of arriving. After that, they took out loans to buy two school district apartments, one under each of their names.
This way, both Shen Jiaren and Xiao Changyan could attend better public schools. However, the mortgages they took out when the siblings were in elementary school were still not fully paid off.
Now, with interest rates lowered, only 1.6 million yuan remained on the loans. According to the siblings' plan, the scholarships from their second and third years of high school, competition prize money, and college entrance exam scholarships combined would fully cover the remaining 1.6 million yuan.
But now, seeing their parents so determined to marry into wealth—not to mention their father's unclear feelings toward Aunt Zhuge or their mother's excitement at the sight of money—Xiao Changyan felt unsettled. It wasn't that he looked down on his mother for being money-minded; he simply felt useless.
If only he were truly as smart as everyone said, if only he could earn lots and lots of money…
In the silence, Shen Jiaren finished grading her brother's test paper and cautiously glanced at him. Xiao Changyan had always been aloof and distant, only speaking more at home. Now, his cold, porcelain-like face was sharply defined, his clear and sharp eyes sweeping over her. She treaded carefully.
"Brother, are you angry at Mom and Dad today?"
She put down her pen and timidly reached out to tug at her brother's school uniform sleeve—a gesture identical to when her mother, Shen Zhaoyue, acted coquettishly.
Only then did Xiao Changyan snap out of his thoughts, turning to look at his sister. He tried to force a smile but couldn't quite manage it.
"…I just feel useless."
If only he were truly the prodigy his parents claimed he was, he could surely earn a lot of money. Then his parents wouldn't constantly covet others' wealth or dream of marrying into a wealthy family. But was entering high society really that easy? What if his father got bullied? What if he couldn't help when the time came?
"But brother, you're also a child. Whatever decisions Mom and Dad make are for their own lives. Besides… if Dad didn't like Aunt Zhuge, he wouldn't have let Mom meet her. And he even brought up the idea of marrying Aunt Zhuge—this is something Dad tacitly agreed to."
Shen Jiaren had a keener sense of her parents' emotions and naturally felt that Dad liked Aunt Zhuge. Aside from the money, Aunt Zhuge's appearance and taste were exactly the kind Dad favored.
"Jiaren, if Mom and Dad don't get back together this time, and Dad marries Aunt Zhuge, then they'll truly be separated. Won't you be scared or sad?"
Xiao Changyan seriously discussed life matters with his sister, just like when they had agreed to use their scholarships for the mortgage. Often, the siblings Xiao Changyan and Shen Jiaren seemed more mature than their parents.
"No~" Shen Jiaren shook her head, smiling as she propped her chin on the desk with one hand and blinked. "Even if Mom and Dad separate, they're still our parents. Besides, they're just pursuing their dreams. Since their dream is to marry into wealth, and now they finally have the chance, why shouldn't we support them? Mom already supports it. As their children, we just need to support them too!"
"But…" Xiao Changyan wanted to say that marrying into wealth was like diving into deep waters, that rich people were clever, and that their parents weren't that smart—they could easily be deceived.
"Alright, brother! I know what you're going to say, but aren't we here?"
Xiao Changyan's worried heart slowly calmed down. Yes, Dad knew what he was doing. It was just his sister…
"What's your dream?"
It wouldn't be something like marrying into wealth like their parents, would it?
Xiao Changyan nervously stared at his sister, Shen Jiaren, not realizing his thoughts were being led by her.
This time, Shen Jiaren cupped her chin, her eyes sparkling. "My dream~ is to find a boyfriend when I grow up who has immense wealth, exceptional status, a successful career, a gentle personality who can take care of me and cook, a great body with eight-pack abs and a V-line, standing at 188 cm tall with great strength, handsome and cheerful…"
Xiao Changyan had been listening seriously at first, but as his sister's description grew more and more outrageous, he quickly raised his hand to interrupt. "Are you talking about one person??"
Could one person really have so many virtues??
Shen Jiaren burst into laughter, shaking with mirth. "Of course not just one person~ Brother, Mom and Dad just want to marry into wealth. Why don't you turn a blind eye? It's not like they're looking for eight girlfriends or eight boyfriends, right??"
!!!
"Shen!! Jia!! Ren!!"
Xiao Changyan gritted his teeth in frustration, forgetting all about their father's situation. He was utterly helpless against his sister, who toyed with him so effortlessly.
"Today, you're not allowed to sleep until you finish ten math test papers!!"
Author's Note:
Comments on the new story will receive red envelopes! See you tomorrow! This dramatic family is just so much fun~