He softened his voice while secretly hiding the bag with the bracelet behind his back.
“I can’t just rely on you to handle everything. I should share some of the burden.”
He sidled up with a grin: “Before, it was just you, one sister, holding things together for us. Now that there’s someone else to dote on me, aren’t you happy for me too? How about we pool some money together—consider it a token of your affection as my sister?”
Qiao Qingyan tugged at the corner of her mouth, looking like she was smiling, but her eyes were icy cold.
She should fork out money to help him win over his new sister? In Qiao Rongwei’s eyes, was she just a tool to be squeezed dry?
“I don’t have money.”
She said flatly: “Paying respects to your new sister is your business. Don’t drag me into it. I’m not your mother; I have no obligation to foot your bills.”
The moment those words left her mouth, Qiao Rongwei froze on the spot, his face falling.
In his view, Qiao Qingyan had always been soft-hearted and cared most about the family’s image.
Thinking this, he snorted and his tone turned sharp: “Come on, sis, you’re being way too stingy! I’m just asking you to chip in a little to show goodwill to our future family. Is it really that hard for you?”
“Fine, fine—just give me thirty, and I’ll treat it as a loan! Once I make it big later, I’ll pay you back every cent, okay?”
In truth, he had no intention of ever paying it back. That line was just his usual excuse to brush people off.
Qiao Qingyan listened to that matter-of-fact tone and nearly laughed out loud.
She’d heard this spiel so many times her ears had calluses.
“Borrowing” was just a figure of speech—no one had ever seen him repay a cent. In her past life, he’d taken tens and hundreds from her every day, loafing around and insisting on joining that pyramid scheme. When she tried to talk sense into him, he’d trot out this same line to shut her up.
In the end, he lost everything down to his last pair of underwear, then came crying and begging her to bail him out.
This time, she was thoroughly done. She wouldn’t clean up his messes anymore.
“Want to borrow money? Fine—but borrowing works both ways.”
Qiao Qingyan stared at him: “Qiao Rongwei, all the money you’ve taken from me before—shouldn’t we settle that too? Or were you just saying ‘borrow’ as a casual joke, for the fun of it?”
Qiao Rongwei stood there, speechless for a long moment.
Qiao Qingyan… was actually asking him to pay her back?
He broke down and shouted: “Sis, I’m your own brother! How can you be so petty with family?”
“Then how do you want to settle it?”
Qiao Qingyan remained unhurried.
“You were the one who offered to borrow the money. The IOUs you wrote are in black and white, with the amounts and dates clearly recorded. I never pressed you for a single day, never added a cent of interest. Now that I’m asking for it back, somehow I’m the one in the wrong?”
The man standing nearby, seeing how this was going, felt embarrassed and slipped away with a dry laugh.
“I get it now—you’re upset because I bought something for Sister Wanwan but not for you, right? Holding a grudge over something this trivial—you’re so small-minded it’s pathetic. You don’t deserve to be my sister!”
Qiao Qingyan heard this, and a bitter smile flickered in her eyes.
“Fine, then I won’t be your sister anymore. As for the money, let’s get it straight first. If you want to recognize Bai Wanwan as your only sister from now on, I have no objection.”
Seeing her indifferent expression, Qiao Rongwei’s heart suddenly lurched.
Could it be… she’d also come back from the future?
If she really knew what was coming, shouldn’t she be clinging to him and buttering him up?
After all, he was going to be a top-tier tycoon.
At that thought, he let out a cold laugh: “Fine, Qiao Qingyan, remember what you said today! You’re the one who chose not to be my sister. Don’t come crawling back to me later—I won’t look back!”
Qiao Qingyan’s expression didn’t change: “Don’t worry, I won’t beg you. So, the money—when are you going to pay it back?”
“If you can’t remember the amount, the IOUs are still under my bed at the work unit. Want to go take a look?”
Qiao Rongwei’s face turned purple with rage: “I’ll pay you back everything within a month!”
With his past-life experience, even if private business wasn’t allowed right now, he had plenty of ways to make money!
You’re short-sighted, Qiao Qingyan—don’t blame me for turning a blind eye when you’re in trouble later!
Qiao Qingyan gave him a cold sweep of her gaze.
“It’s settled. Write me a receipt. If the deadline passes and you haven’t paid, well—your dear sister is currently sitting in the police station. I wouldn’t mind having you join her for a few days.”
“Since we’ve burned bridges and are no longer family, if you owe money and don’t repay, we’ll handle it by the book.”
Qiao Rongwei’s head buzzed.
But before he could sort out his thoughts, Qiao Qingyan had already walked away.
That selfish fool had actually been a wake-up call. She hadn’t planned on staying anyway. Thinking about the timeline, the college entrance exam restoration was only about half a year away. Selling her job was no big loss.
Having some savings in hand meant she wouldn’t have to live under anyone’s thumb at her biological mother’s place, or bow and scrape to that stepfather and those brothers for scraps.
She found a well-connected intermediary, got the paperwork done quickly and cleanly, and didn’t even go home—heading straight to the dormitory at her work unit.
By the time it was nearly dark, Qiao Qingyan reached the unit’s entrance and spotted Auntie Zhou from next door standing there, looking around anxiously.
The moment she saw Qiao Qingyan, Auntie Zhou rushed over: “Qingyan! Come with me, quick! Your family’s in big trouble! Your dad asked me to hurry over and get you back home!”
Qiao Qingyan froze, about to explain that she no longer had any connection with them, but swallowed the words before they left her lips. There was no need to make things difficult for an innocent person, so she let herself be pulled along.
When they entered the village, she could see from a distance that her family’s doorstep was surrounded by a crowd so thick you couldn’t get through.
“My child only had a slight fever, but this reckless fool of yours jabbed him with a needle any which way, and now the boy’s on the verge of death! If you don’t give me a proper explanation today, I’m going to the police station to file a report! I’ll make sure this menace ends up behind bars!”
Qiao Qingyan steadied herself and looked carefully, then recognized the woman as the mother of the man who had been left paralyzed in bed after Qiao Rongze “treated” him a few times back then.
Qiao Dehai cowered off to the side, not daring to make a sound, while Qiao Rongze was already pinned to the ground by several burly men, unable to move.
He was still shouting: “It was just one mistake! Let me try again! I’m sure I can save him! Do you know who I am? I’m going to get into the medical program at Capital University in the future! The fact that I’m willing to treat you at all is a blessing from your ancestors’ graves!”
“Let me go! This is a medical dispute! I’ll call the police on you!”
Qiao Qingyan stood at a distance, letting out a cold laugh.
This kid was truly spoiled rotten, with not a single working brain cell in his head.
He’d stirred up a huge mess himself, and now that the family had come looking for a fight, not only did he refuse to bow his head and admit fault, he was putting on airs like he was the king of the world?
Sure enough, the moment the words left his mouth, a foot slammed into his stomach.
“A quack like you, and you want to get into Capital University? Dream on!”
The patient’s family member stomped hard on his wrist: “Pay up and we’ll call it even, or else I’ll cripple these hands of yours right here today!”
Qiao Rongze howled in agony: “My hands… don’t step on my hands!”
Qiao Rongkang and Qiao Rongwei had disappeared to who knows where. Bai Wanwan and her mother were huddled in the corner, trembling like sieves. Qiao Dehai was sweating profusely in panic, wanting to rush forward to protect Qiao Rongze but blocked by the crowd.
Just as he was begging and pleading in a low voice, he suddenly caught sight of Qiao Qingyan standing by, watching coldly.
“Yanyan! Hurry, save your brother!”
His voice trembled, almost pleading. “He’s a boy—if his hands are ruined, his whole life is destroyed!”
Qiao Rongze also gritted his teeth and looked toward her.
He remembered clearly—at this time in his past life, Qiao Qingyan had stepped forward to shield him, hadn’t she?
Back then, Sister Wanwan wasn’t close to him yet; only Qiao Qingyan would look out for him.
As long as she helped him one more time, he wouldn’t mind looking after her a bit in the future—he could fight for less when the family assets were divided, put in a good word for her with their father…
But what he never expected was for Qiao Qingyan to simply let out a soft sigh: “What can I do? When something goes wrong, someone has to take responsibility—that’s the rule no matter where you go. Besides, I cut ties with him long ago. What kind of brother is he to me?”