As soon as Qiao Xunan got home, he wanted to find Old Man Qiao, but he was afraid that Old Man Qiao would be upset if he saw how exhausted he looked. After all, Qiao Xunan hadn’t been at the company—he’d been spending time with Shi Zhuojing. Qiao Xunan was still somewhat afraid of Grandpa Qiao. When his father refused to invest in Shi’s company, he had thought of turning to Grandpa Qiao—which would have been tantamount to Grandpa Qiao slapping Uncle Qiao in the face.
“Under what pretext?” Grandpa Qiao asked.
“Well… it’s an investment,” Qiao Xunan replied.
“No,” Old Master Qiao said. “The Shi family’s company isn’t worth our investment.”
“Grandfather,” Qiao Xunan said anxiously, “without our investment, their company…”
“Will their company go under?” Old Master Qiao asked. “That’s a bad investment.”
The Shi family and the Qiao family weren’t exactly on good terms, and the Qiao family hadn’t built its current fortune by relying on the Shis. Old Master Qiao would never let the Qiao family’s assets go to waste like that; the Shi family’s company was a bad asset, and that was that.
“Grandpa, what if… I were to marry the Shi family’s daughter?” Qiao Xunan asked. “Could we then…”
“No.” Old Master Qiao refused once again.
“Grandpa, their family isn’t beyond saving. They…”
“No!” Old Master Qiao didn’t want to listen to Qiao Xunan’s nonsense. “Is that all you’ve been thinking about these past few days—the Shi family?”
“I…”
“Your older brother is still in the hospital. ” Old Mr. Qiao was displeased. “Have you given any thought to the Qiao Group?”
Old Mr. Qiao was worried about problems at the Qiao Group, while Qiao Xunan was only thinking about the Shi family’s company. Which was more important—the Shi family’s company or the Qiao Group?
Old Mr. Qiao thought poorly of Qiao Xunan, who was only thinking about the Shi family.
“Do you think you’re ready to inherit the Qiao Group?” Old Master Qiao asked.
“No, not at all.” Qiao Xunan did indeed have such thoughts; he figured that since his older brother was in a coma, his words might carry a bit more weight.
“Your father and mother don’t have just you as their only son,” Old Master Qiao said. “At a time like this, can’t you see who’s being sincere?”
Like Uncle Qiao and the others, Old Master Qiao had originally held a glimmer of hope for Qiao Xunan, but his actions had deeply disappointed them.
Qiao Xunan was preoccupied only with matters concerning the Shi family, not the Qiao family. He was neither a suitable heir nor a suitable older brother.
The Shi family was being too pushy, which made Old Master Qiao dislike Shi Zhuojing.
“If you want to be with the Shi family’s daughter, that’s fine—but using capital injection as a condition is out of the question,” Old Master Qiao said. He considered himself an open-minded man and wouldn’t force his grandson to be with someone he didn’t like.
Qiao Xunan tried to speak up, but Old Master Qiao waved him off, refusing to engage further.
When Qiao Yitong and Murong Yuchen returned to the Qiao residence, they happened to see Old Master Qiao waving his hand at Qiao Xunan. Old Master Qiao was resting on the lawn outside, and Qiao Xunan had managed to upset him greatly.
Qiao Xunan’s eyes lit up when he saw Murong Yuchen. Qiao Xunan knew he couldn’t be the head of the Qiao Group, but Murong Yuchen could be the head of the Murong Group. Qiao Xunan immediately walked toward Murong Yuchen, not giving Qiao Yitong a second glance. Qiao Xunan was only thinking about Shi Zhuojing’s illness; he wanted to make her happy and handle the matter well.
“Murong,” Qiao Xunan said with a smile.
“……” Qiao Yitong looked at her second older brother. Had he even noticed her?
“Tongtong,” Murong Yuchen said.
“Xiaotong, take these things back. I’ll have a word with Murong,” Qiao Xunan said, finally turning to look at Qiao Yitong.
Qiao Yitong remained silent. If Murong Yuchen dared to just dump everything on her, she’d tell him to get lost.
Of course, Murong Yuchen wouldn’t dare let Qiao Yitong carry the things back on her own; he intended to accompany her home.
“Tongtong, let’s go,” Murong Yuchen said bluntly.
“No need. It’s not that heavy; just let Xiao Tong take it back.” ” Qiao Xunan clearly didn’t grasp the crux of the matter; he still tried to take the items from Murong Yuchen’s hands so Qiao Yitong could carry them back.
Murong Yuchen wasn’t about to let that happen. He dodged Qiao Xunan’s hand and looked at him, saying, “I’m Tongtong’s fiancé—this is my responsibility.”
Qiao Yitong couldn’t be bothered to say anything; she simply walked away, with Murong Yuchen following right behind her.
Qiao Xunan was silent for a moment, then decided to follow them. He thought to himself that if the Qiao Group wouldn’t invest, he’d make Murong Yuchen do it instead. Since Murong Yuchen was with Qiao Yitong—who was his own cousin—Qiao Xunan figured Murong Yuchen would at least save him some face. After all, it wasn’t entirely impossible for Shi Company; if Murong Yuchen really wanted to, he could still turn the company’s fortunes around.
When they arrived at the living room of Qiao Yitong’s branch of the family, Qiao Xunan was still trailing behind them.
“Second Brother, you’ve upset Grandpa,” Qiao Yitong said.
“It’s just a minor issue,” Qiao Xunan replied, looking embarrassed.
“Let me guess what it is. Did you want Grandpa to order Uncle to inject capital into the Shi family?” Qiao Yitong rolled her eyes. Even if she weren’t the original author, she could figure this out—wasn’t Shi Zhuojing’s return to the country all about this? This was the main issue.
“Yes,” Qiao Xunan nodded. “How did you figure that out?”
“Is that even a question? Don’t you know what state the Shi family is in?” Qiao Yitong said.
“The Shi family is still doing okay.” Qiao Xunan looked at Murong Yuchen. “Can your family inject capital?”
“No.” Murong Yuchen didn’t need to look at Qiao Yitong or consult her opinion; he knew right away that this was out of the question.
The Shi family had approached many families long ago, but none of them were willing to support them. The Shis weren’t exactly upstanding people—they were notorious for going back on their word, lacked integrity in business, and their family members weren’t particularly capable, so they couldn’t manage the company properly.
If Murong Yuchen were to invest in the Shi family, it would be like throwing money down the drain—gone for good. The Shis would embezzle that portion of the funds and continue to claim losses, pressuring others to invest even more money.
“I’m not an idiot,” Murong Yuchen said.
“Xiaotong,” Qiao Xunan turned to Qiao Yitong again. “Zhuo Jing will be your second sister-in-law.”
“Even if she were my second sister-in-law right now, it wouldn’t matter,” Qiao Yitong said. “Second Brother, how deep do you think my feelings for Murong Yuchen are?”
Right in front of Murong Yuchen, Qiao Yitong dared to speak so bluntly to Qiao Xunan.
“……” Qiao Xunan looked at Qiao Yitong, then at Murong Yuchen. As soon as Qiao Yitong opened her mouth, she was still the same—she dared to say anything.
“You only care about your beloved’s well-being and not a bit about your own sister’s, is that it?” Qiao Yitong rolled her eyes. She didn’t usually do that, but facing someone like Qiao Xunan, she couldn’t help herself. “You’re asking my fiancé to do something even Grandpa and my eldest uncle refuse to do. Are you trying to drive me to my death?”
“No…”
“Can’t you just save that money for me?” Qiao Yitong said. “To put it bluntly, even if he has that money, it’s for his father-in-law, not yours. Murong Yuchen, are you engaged to me, or to my second older brother?”
“To you,” Murong Yuchen replied.
“Isn’t this a marriage alliance with the Qiao family?” Qiao Xunan interjected.
“There’s a difference in who we’re forming an alliance with,” Qiao Yitong said. “It’s an alliance with the Qiao family, not with the Shi family. Second Brother, you can’t just pressure him like this just because the Murong family is wealthy and Murong Yuchen has the final say. What’s the big deal? Just because he doesn’t do as you say, does that mean I can’t marry him?”
Hearing Qiao Yitong’s words, Qiao Xunan felt resentful. After all, he was her second older brother—why couldn’t she put herself in his shoes for once?
“If we lose money, I’ll cover it. Is that okay?” Qiao Xunan said.
“If we really do lose money, how are you going to pay it back?” Qiao Yitong asked. “You’ll have to invest your own money, too. Second Brother, you don’t really think you’re going to inherit the Qiao Group and become its head, do you?”
“I…” Qiao Xunan wanted to say that since Qiao Xudong was still in a coma, wasn’t it only natural for him to become the future head of the Qiao Group?
“Go on, admit it—do you really see yourself as the future head of the Qiao Group?” Qiao Yitong really wanted to reach out and poke Qiao Xunan on the head. “Our eldest brother is still alive—he hasn’t died. Even if he never wakes up, we still have our third brother.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Qiao Xunan said. “Once I make money in the future…”
“If you’re not with Shi Zhuojing in the future—if you two break up—will you still pay back the money?” Qiao Yitong said, “Wouldn’t you just say that it was an investment made by Murong Yuchen, and that it was the Shi family that lost that money?”
Qiao Xunan felt as though Qiao Yitong had become a stranger to him. “Little sister, you weren’t like this before, were you?”
“That’s right, I wasn’t like this before. But now that I have someone backing me up, I dare to yell at you, don’t I?” ” Qiao Yitong immediately guessed what Qiao Xunan was about to say. “Shi Zhuojing is your ‘white moonlight,’ not Murong Yuchen’s. If Murong Yuchen dares to invest in the Shi family—even if it’s done secretly behind my back—I won’t have him. He’s tainted; he’s still thinking about your ‘white moonlight’!”
Qiao Yitong planted her hands on her hips, refusing to give Qiao Xunan the slightest bit of leeway, regardless of whether Murong Yuchen might take offense.
Murong Yuchen wasn’t offended; he was willing to be Qiao Yitong’s pillar of support. Murong Yuchen knew Qiao Yitong wasn’t saying those things just to rely on him; she had simply grown disappointed in Qiao Xunan, which was why she’d deliberately spoken her mind.
“Everyone has to take responsibility for their own love—you can’t make others responsible for it,” Qiao Yitong said.
Murong Yuchen didn’t stop Qiao Yitong; she was free to speak her mind.
Seeing that Murong Yuchen hadn’t stopped Qiao Yitong, Qiao Xunan turned to him and said, “My little sister doesn’t understand business matters.”
“She may not understand, but even someone as clueless about business as she is knows not to invest in the Shi family—how could I possibly not know that?” Murong Yuchen didn’t like beating around the bush with Qiao Xunan; if it had been Qiao Xudong, he wouldn’t have said such a thing.
Murong Yuchen was close with Qiao Xudong, but his relationship with Qiao Xunan was rather ordinary.
“We can’t go through with this deal—it’s bound to result in a loss,” Murong Yuchen said.
Seeing Murong Yuchen’s cold expression, Qiao Xunan felt truly helpless and could only soften his tone. “Just consider it a favor I owe you.”
“A favor from you doesn’t carry that much weight,” Murong Yuchen replied.
Qiao Xunan had originally thought that since everyone knew he was set to become the head of the Qiao Group, they would give him some face—but in the end, not a single one of them did.
“The Shi family… they’re actually not bad…” Qiao Xunan said.
“They’re scheming against you,” Qiao Yitong said. “Why did Shi Zhuojing choose to come back now, of all times? She’s only been back a short while, and already she’s asking you to invest in the Shi family. Isn’t that obvious?”
“It’s not her fault—it’s her family’s,” Qiao Xunan frowned.
“Oh, she has her reasons—can’t we have ours?” Qiao Yitong said, “Second Brother, do you think I’m a lackey? Does that mean my fiancé has to be your lackey too?”
Qiao Xunan wouldn’t dare call Murong Yuchen a lackey—Murong Yuchen was the head of the Murong Group.
“Never mind, never mind,” Qiao Xunan said, and left.
After Qiao Xunan left, Qiao Xubei, who had been hiding nearby, stepped out. Qiao Xubei thought his sister was incredibly bold—she actually dared to speak to Qiao Xunan like that.
“Impressive, impressive,” Qiao Xubei said, giving Qiao Yitong a thumbs-up.
“Bro, whatever you do, don’t lend money to Second Brother,” Qiao Yitong said.
“I won’t, I won’t. I don’t have that much money on hand,” Qiao Xubei replied. “Apart from my necessary spending money, I’ve saved it all up. Buying a house, buying gold—I’m saving it; I can’t just spend it recklessly.”
Lending money to others for investments? No way.
The whole family knew just how shady the Shi family was, so there was no way Qiao Xubei was going to get involved.
Even with Qiao Xunan acting as a guarantor, Qiao Xubei wouldn’t dare.
“I’ll have to keep my distance from Second Brother for a while,” Qiao Xubei said. “Or else, I’ll just say I lost the money gambling.”
“Gambling? You’ll get beaten for that,” Qiao Yitong said.
“Getting beaten is better than losing money,” Qiao Xubei said, instinctively rubbing his butt. “A beating is just a few bruises. Grandpa’s getting old—he won’t hit too hard. Uncle won’t hit me, and if Dad does, he won’t hit too hard either.”
Murong Yuchen listened to the scheming of Qiao Yitong and her brother. These two really were close.
“There’s no need to hide,” Murong Yuchen said. “Qiao Xunan can’t become the head of the Qiao Group.”
Qiao Xubei needn’t fear offending Qiao Xunan; given Qiao Xunan’s current behavior, the elder Qiao and the others were bound to be dissatisfied. Let Qiao Xunan continue to be the perpetual second-in-command, Murong Yuchen thought. He believed the Qiao family would much rather have Qiao Xunan’s younger brother take the reins of the Qiao Group than let Qiao Xunan run it. Otherwise, the Qiao family would end up belonging to the Shi family.
“Brother-in-law,” Qiao Xubei had a sudden idea. “How about this: I’ll tell you I’m giving you the money, and you’ll help me make the investment? Second Brother can’t very well go to you to ask for my money back, can he?”
Qiao Xubei was growing increasingly convinced this was a good idea—after all, clinging to one person’s coattails was the same as clinging to another’s. If he couldn’t cling to Murong Ya’s coattails, couldn’t he still cling to Murong Yuchen’s?
“Just invest in something low-risk, low-return—it doesn’t have to be high-risk, high-return,” Qiao Xubei said. “It’s not that I don’t trust you; it’s that I don’t trust myself, haha.”
Qiao Xubei let out two awkward laughs; he truly didn’t believe in himself. Qiao Xubei was afraid of losing money—it would break his heart. Investing always carries risks; you can’t make a profit every time.
“Sure,” Murong Yuchen nodded. He didn’t mind helping Qiao Xubei with some investments.
“It’s a deal, then,” Qiao Xubei said, slapping his thigh. “You’re serious, right?”
“I am,” Murong Yuchen replied.
Qiao Xubei figured that between him and his sister, as long as one of them ended up with someone from the Murong family, that would be a win for them.
Qiao Yitong decided to go talk to the unconscious Qiao Xudong and tell him how Qiao Xunan had bullied her. She’d only just gotten engaged to Murong Yuchen, yet Qiao Xunan didn’t even stop to consider whether she’d done so willingly. As soon as she and Murong Yuchen started getting close, Qiao Xunan immediately saw an opportunity to secure investment for the Zhi family.
“Little sister,” Qiao Xubei nudged Qiao Yitong gently with his elbow. “What do you think?”
“Sure,” Qiao Yitong said. “You’re the one putting up the money, not him, so of course I’m in. If we make a profit, it’s yours; if we lose, it’s still yours.”
“Mm-hmm,” Qiao Xubei agreed. “It would be great if our eldest brother would just wake up.”
Qiao Xubei could follow Qiao Xudong in making some investments; Qiao Xudong was still happy to bring his younger brother and sister along. Qiao Xunan was far inferior to Qiao Xudong; Qiao Xunan didn’t think much about his younger brother and sister, but only about himself. That wasn’t to say Qiao Xunan was wrong—people naturally have to look out for themselves first, rather than for others.
After a while, Murong Yuchen left.
Qiao Yitong didn’t mention Qiao Xunan’s behavior to Old Master Qiao. She skipped her afternoon nap and went to talk to Qiao Xudong instead. Qiao Yitong wasn’t the type to cry and whine—that just wasn’t her style.
When Zhu Shanshan saw Qiao Yitong approaching, she was about to leave the room.
“Sister-in-law, no need to leave. I just want to say a few words,” Qiao Yitong said. “There’s nothing you can’t hear.”
“All right.” Seeing that Qiao Yitong had said that, Zhu Shanshan didn’t insist on leaving.
“Big Brother, you need to wake up soon. If you don’t, your little sister here is going to be bullied to death by Second Brother.”
“Uncle and Grandpa both refused to invest in the Shi family business, yet Second Brother actually went to my fiancé to ask for an investment. Isn’t that ridiculous?”
“By the way, Second Brother is your biological younger brother—you share the same father and mother, while I’m just your cousin. Big Brother, once you wake up, will you side with Second Brother or with me?”
“Wake up soon. I really don’t want Second Brother to become the head of the Qiao family. If that happens, our branch of the family will be kicked out in no time, and we won’t be able to see you very often anymore.”
……
Zhu Shanshan heard Qiao Yitong’s words. She never expected that Qiao Xunan would actually ask Murong Yuchen to invest in the Shi family.
Although the Zhu family wasn’t much to speak of, Zhu Shanshan had still heard some things about the Shi family. Her parents had said the Shi family was going downhill day by day, that they were still putting on airs, and that sooner or later they’d end up worse off than the Zhu family.
Zhu Shanshan didn’t know exactly how bad things were for the Shi family, but the fact that Uncle Qiao and Grandfather Qiao were both unwilling to invest suggested there must be problems with the Shi family’s company.
Under these circumstances, it wasn’t a good idea for Qiao Xunan to pressure Qiao Yitong’s fiancé into investing.
Zhu Shanshan felt helpless; the Qiao family was even more complicated than she had imagined. She had originally thought the Qiao family was relatively straightforward, but after a few days, she realized it was anything but simple. There were all sorts of internal issues within the Qiao family—far too many to count.
“Little sister,” Zhu Shanshan said, “we all hope your older brother will wake up soon.”
“Of course,” Qiao Yitong nodded. “My older brother is the true heir to the Qiao family; he’s better at balancing all these matters. With him away, it’s every man for himself.”
Qiao Yitong didn’t like Qiao Xunan’s recent behavior; he had eyes only for Shi Zhuojing. It was mainly because Shi Zhuojing had just returned, so Qiao Xunan was particularly excited. If some time had passed, Qiao Xunan wouldn’t care so much about Shi Zhuojing.
Hah, men!
Qiao Yitong couldn’t wait until then to say these things; she had to say them right now to provoke Qiao Xudong and snap him out of it sooner.
“Sister-in-law, you should talk to Big Brother more often about family matters. This family really can’t do without him. He’s been in a coma for so many days—he’s rested long enough.” ” Qiao Yitong said, “He has to be the one to hold this family together.”
“He’s so important.” Hearing Qiao Yitong say this, Zhu Shanshan felt certain that Qiao Xudong simply had to wake up.
“Sister-in-law, don’t worry. Big Brother is a responsible man. ” Qiao Yitong said, “You didn’t do anything wrong; he’ll take responsibility for you.”
“……” Zhu Shanshan wasn’t sure if Qiao Xudong would take responsibility for her, but she added, “Actually, I didn’t really do anything. I just talked to him and massaged his hands and feet. A caregiver could do those things too, and you all could talk to him as well.”
Zhu Shanshan had a clear understanding of herself. For the little she’d done, it would be enough for the Qiao family to give her some money; they weren’t obligated to make Qiao Xudong take responsibility for her. Zhu Shanshan understood this, and she had no intention of forcing Qiao Xudong to take responsibility.
If Qiao Xudong woke up, Zhu Shanshan was willing to leave the Qiao family; she could even be like a younger sister to him. Even if Qiao Xudong didn’t like her or didn’t want to take responsibility, Zhu Shanshan wouldn’t blame him—it wasn’t his fault to begin with.
Since Zhu Shanshan had come to live with the Qiao family, she no longer had to face her own family, and she was able to enjoy a carefree and happy life.
“Don’t underestimate your own strength,” Qiao Yitong said. “Big Sister-in-Law, don’t think you’re not good enough for Big Brother. You’re rational and level-headed—you’ll be able to accomplish so much more in the future.”
Unlike Jiang Wan’er, Zhu Shanshan was born into a wealthy family. Although her parents didn’t dote on her, it was precisely because of this that she had taught herself many things. Jiang Wan’er, who had only graduated from middle school, was a true Cinderella—she genuinely didn’t know how to handle those matters. Shi Zhuojing, on the other hand, was completely devoted to the Shi family. Qiao Xunan thought he still had feelings for her, but in reality, he hadn’t loved her that much for a long time.
If Qiao Xunan truly loved Shi Zhuojing, he wouldn’t have sought out a stand-in lover.
“Thank you for the compliment,” Zhu Shanshan said.
“It’s the truth.” Qiao Yitong said, “It’s the absolute truth—not a lie.”
“You’re great, too,” Zhu Shanshan thought sincerely.
“Big Sister-in-Law, I’m serious. Second Brother isn’t the head of the Qiao family—that’s still Eldest Brother,” Qiao Yitong said. “If Second Brother keeps acting like that, I don’t know how things will turn out.”
While Qiao Yitong said this, she was thinking to herself that her second brother could only ever be a department manager—Qiao Xunan wouldn’t be able to stir up much of a storm.
The male leads in these spin-off series, especially those who are brothers in the same family, aren’t usually very powerful; some are even supporting characters from other novels. Only after a novel becomes popular and performs well does the author consider turning it into a series.
Qiao Yitong was exactly like that. When one of her novels did reasonably well, she’d take a supporting character from it and expand the story into a new novel, calling it a “sister story” and claiming that readers didn’t need to have read the original to enjoy this one.
“Shi Zhuojing isn’t right for my second older brother,” Qiao Yitong said. “But we don’t need to say anything—he’ll figure it out on his own soon enough.”
“Mm-hmm,” Zhu Shanshan replied. She had no intention of getting involved with Qiao Xunan—it wasn’t her place to do so.
Qiao Yitong was just sharing her thoughts with Zhu Shanshan; she didn’t expect Zhu Shanshan to go talk to Qiao Xunan. Zhu Shanshan would never do something so foolish. Zhu Shanshan’s top priority right now was taking care of Qiao Xudong and talking to him. She could also spend more time chatting with Old Master Qiao; it was best for her to stay out of those matters.
Once Qiao Xudong woke up and they were married, Zhu Shanshan would still have plenty of time to deal with those issues later.
Qiao Yitong chatted with Zhu Shanshan for a while before finally leaving.
Qiao Xunan’s plan to have Murong Yuchen invest in the Shi family’s company eventually came to the attention of Uncle Qiao.
This left Uncle Qiao utterly speechless; he never would have imagined that Qiao Xunan would actually ask Murong Yuchen to invest in the Shi family’s company.
In the original novel, Qiao Yitong and Murong Yuchen didn’t get engaged so quickly, so Qiao Xunan didn’t approach Murong Yuchen so soon either. However, Qiao Xunan did approach Murong Yuchen in the original story as well. Since Murong Yuchen was a friend of Qiao Xudong, and Qiao Xunan had met with him many times, he assumed he still held some influence with Murong Yuchen.
At that time, Qiao Xunan told Murong Yuchen that Qiao Xudong was in a coma, implying that sooner or later he would become the future head of the Qiao Group. He asked Murong Yuchen to give him some face as the future head of the Qiao Group. There was no way Murong Yuchen would give Qiao Xunan any face—he might not even give Qiao Xudong any face, let alone Qiao Xunan.
When Uncle Qiao learned of Qiao Xunan’s actions, he summoned Qiao Xunan to his study. Uncle Qiao stared at Qiao Xunan with a cold expression and remained silent for quite some time.
Seeing that his father wasn’t speaking, Qiao Xunan didn’t dare to say a word either.
After a while, Qiao’s eldest uncle spoke to Qiao Xunan. No one knew exactly what he said, but it was enough to set Qiao Xunan off.
“In your eyes, my older brother is always the greatest, and I’m just useless!”
“I wasn’t asking for much—just a small investment.”
“If my older brother hadn’t fallen into a coma, would you have made me marry a girl from the Zhu family?”
“You’d only give it to me because my older brother didn’t want it!”
……
Qiao Xunan spoke those words loudly; while the study was indeed fairly soundproof, his voice was simply too loud.
Aunt Qiao had just arrived at the study door when she heard Qiao Xunan’s voice. Upon hearing what he said, she furrowed her brow; she didn’t think she’d treated Qiao Xunan all that badly.
When Qiao Xunan was young, Aunt Qiao had also hoped he would be more like Qiao Xudong, but Qiao Xunan didn’t have that much patience. As a child, Qiao Xunan would always say that since Qiao Xudong was there to handle those things, he didn’t need to do them himself. Qiao Xunan even told his younger brother, Qiao Xuxi, that they didn’t have to go through that hardship, and that their older brother should act like an older brother.
“Get out! Get out of here!” Uncle Qiao was furious; he wouldn’t listen to Qiao Xunan’s words.
Uncle Qiao didn’t bring up the responsibilities Qiao Xudong would have to shoulder—Qiao Xudong was still in a coma—yet Qiao Xunan went and said those things. He shouldn’t have spoken that way. Uncle Qiao didn’t try to explain it to Qiao Xunan; even if he had tried to explain it to him at that moment, Qiao Xunan wouldn’t have listened anyway.
Lately, so many people have been telling Qiao Xunan right to his face that he’s going to be the future head of the Qiao Group that he’s started to get a bit carried away.
The only reason people are fawning over Qiao Xunan like that is because his last name is Qiao.
Qiao Xunan is a grown man, his dad didn’t even slap him. His dad was so infuriated by Qiao Xunan that he didn’t want to see him right now.
Aunt Qiao saw Qiao Xunan storm out of the study, walking right past her. Seeing this, Aunt Qiao couldn’t help but shake her head—they really had spoiled Qiao Xunan too much.
The door was open, so Aunt Qiao walked inside.
“Did you two have a fight?” Aunt Qiao asked.
“He asked Xiaotong’s fiancé to invest in the company, yet he has the nerve to say we didn’t invest, which is why he turned to Murong Yuchen. ” Uncle Qiao was so furious he could barely stand. “Is he doing this to make people think there’s a major problem with the Qiao Group? If the Qiao Group’s cash flow is in trouble and we can’t inject capital into the company, does that mean we have no choice but to let Murong Yuchen step in?”
Uncle Qiao wondered what Qiao Xunan was thinking—did he even have a brain?
“She’s just a woman,” Uncle Qiao said coldly.
Uncle Qiao was deeply dissatisfied with Qiao Xunan’s actions and felt more strongly than ever that he couldn’t let Qiao Xunan be with Shi Zhuojing.
“The Shi family’s heiress—and the Qiao family. I didn’t make him choose between the two; I’ve already been more than generous with him,” Uncle Qiao said.
Uncle Qiao had originally stayed out of Qiao Xunan’s romantic entanglements, but Qiao Xunan’s current behavior was clearly affecting the Qiao family. Qiao Xunan himself hadn’t really noticed it yet; he still felt that others weren’t being friendly enough toward him.
“What about Xuxi?” Uncle Qiao asked.
“He’s still abroad, but he’ll probably be back soon,” Aunt Qiao said. “This time, he’s not there to compete—he’s there to watch his teammates compete.”
With what happened to Qiao Xudong, Qiao Xuxi’s mental state hasn’t been great. Qiao Xuxi didn’t force himself to compete; in his current condition, taking to the track could easily lead to trouble. Qiao Xuxi couldn’t help but wonder if he should quit racing. He could still race for fun now, but he couldn’t do it forever—racing could be considered a hobby.
For this race, people Qiao Xuxi knew had been preparing for a long time, so he decided to go along to support his friends.
Qiao Xuxi had never worked at the Qiao Group, and even if he were to join, it would take him a while to get up to speed. Besides, he didn’t know enough to guarantee he could do a better job than Qiao Xunan.
Unless absolutely necessary, Uncle Qiao did not want Qiao Xuxi to become the head of the Qiao Group.
It was all because, back then, they had been too protective of their son; they had all thought that having Qiao Xudong to hold things together would be enough. None of them had imagined that Qiao Xudong would fall into a coma, much less that Qiao Xunan would go to such lengths for Shi Zhuojing.
Right now, Shi Zhuojing had someone investigate Jiang Wan’er; she needed to know whether Jiang Wan’er was pregnant. If, by any chance, Jiang Wan’er were pregnant, Shi Zhuojing would never allow her to give birth to that child.
Shi Zhuojing didn’t want to become the mother of Qiao Xunan’s illegitimate child before she was even married.
Jiang Wan’er was unaware of Shi Zhuojing’s actions; all she was thinking about right now was finding a job. Jiang Wan’er wasn’t keen on dipping into the money Qiao Xunan had left her. She worried she might need it later; after all, the money wouldn’t last a lifetime, and she couldn’t just sit back and let it run out.
Qiao Xunan had failed to persuade Qiao’s eldest uncle and Qiao’s grandfather to budge, and Murong Yuchen was also unwilling to invest in the Shi family. Qiao Xunan had no choice but to use his own money to inject capital into the company. He actually went to see Qiao Xubei, saying he wanted to help him make money.
Qiao Xubei wasn’t a fool; he flatly refused.
“When my older brother was still awake, I asked him to help me with the investment,” Qiao Xubei said.
“You can get that money back,” Qiao Xunan said.
“No, no,” Qiao Xubei waved his hands hurriedly. “If I did that, wouldn’t I just be kicking him when he’s down? No, no. I’ll have to wait a while and see if my older brother wakes up. Besides, my future brother-in-law said he could help me invest. I only have a little money—I don’t have a job right now, so I haven’t saved much. Second Brother, why don’t you ask someone else? You know as well as I do—I’m just a good-for-nothing.”
Qiao Xunan felt as if he’d held out his leg for Qiao Xubei to grab onto—Qiao Xubei should have grabbed it—but Qiao Xubei didn’t latch onto his leg.
“Do you think I’m not as good as Big Brother?” Qiao Xunan asked, his tone sharp.
“Second Brother, that’s not the right way to put it,” Qiao Xubei said. “I’m not all that capable; I’ve basically been relying on you guys all along. With Eldest Brother in this situation, it wouldn’t look good for me to pull out my investment now.”
Qiao Xubei couldn’t very well say he’d given the money to Murong Yuchen—it hadn’t been that long—so he decided to use Qiao Xudong as an excuse instead.
Since he couldn’t count on Qiao Xubei, Qiao Xunan considered turning to someone else—but he felt that wouldn’t be right either. In the end, he reached out to a friend, who immediately asked, “Is the Qiao Group having financial problems?”
When his friend asked that, Qiao Xunan was taken aback.
“No, it’s just that my dad and grandpa don’t agree,” Qiao Xunan replied.
“You’d better not ask anyone else,” the friend said. “When you phrased it that way, I actually thought there was a problem with your company. If you ask others, they’ll think the same thing. Didn’t your little sister just get engaged to Murong Yuchen from the Murong family? If you do this, won’t your little sister’s engagement to him be for nothing? People will really think there’s a problem with your family!”
Hearing this, Qiao Xunan wondered if people wouldn’t think that way if Qiao Yitong hadn’t gotten engaged to Murong Yuchen. But he knew deep down that as long as Qiao Yitong was engaged to Murong Yuchen, people wouldn’t read too much into it for the time being. They’d simply assume that the Qiao Group was still stable, backed by the Murong Group—a powerful partnership.
It would be a different story if Qiao Xunan went to borrow money from others.
Perhaps Qiao Xunan took his friend’s advice to heart, or maybe he didn’t want to cause trouble for the Qiao Group—he was afraid it would reflect poorly on him. In any case, Qiao Xunan didn’t go to others for a loan, so he had no choice but to give the Shi family his own savings.
The Shi family was clearly not very satisfied with the amount Qiao Xunan offered; they needed much more money.
Early in the morning, before Qiao Xunan had even fully woken up, he received a call from Mr. Shi.
“My dear nephew, has your father agreed to the capital injection?” Mr. Shi asked.
“……” Qiao Xunan glanced at the clock—it was just past seven—and Mr. Shi was already this anxious.
“Has he agreed?” Mr. Shi asked again.
“My dad hasn’t agreed,” Qiao Xunan said helplessly. “I’ll have to invest my own money.”
“What about the others? What about your friends?” Mr. Shi was anxious; the Shi family’s company had too many problems and was short on funds.
“Dad.” Before Qiao Xunan could say anything, the call was hung up, and he heard Shi Zhuojing’s voice.
Shi Zhuojing had done it on purpose; she couldn’t let her dad keep talking—it was enough that he’d gotten halfway through his sentence.
Only after making sure the call had ended did Shi Zhuojing turn to her parents.
“What do you think? Will it work out?” Shi’s father asked.
“I’m afraid it won’t,” Shi Zhuojing said. “Qiao Xunan doesn’t have enough money on his own; the Qiao Group will have to step in.”
Shi Zhuojing didn’t know the exact details of the company’s situation, but she knew Qiao Xunan didn’t have enough money to cover the Shi family company’s financial shortfall—they’d need even more funds. The Qiao Group would have to step in; once word got out that the Qiao Group was injecting capital, those creditors wouldn’t pressure the Shi family company to repay its debts anymore.
“If you’d married Qiao Xunan long ago, we wouldn’t have to beg him like this now.” ” Shi’s mother was displeased. “If you’d married him, you’d have more say in the matter. Now, it’s hard to even get a word in.”
“If I really had married him, there’s nothing I could do if his family refused to help,” Shi Zhuojing said irritably. “Dad, Mom, the company needs a lot of money. If it were just a small amount, Qiao Xunan could decide on his own. But since it’s such a large sum, he can’t decide on his own.”
“His brother is in a coma—isn’t he supposed to become…”
“Dad,” Shi Zhuojing cut her father off before he could continue. “Dad, let’s keep this conversation within the family—don’t talk about it outside. I’ve been back for several days now, and I still haven’t even visited Qiao Xunan’s mother.”
Shi Zhuojing had originally planned to visit as Qiao Xunan’s girlfriend, with Qiao Xunan personally accompanying her. But for now, Qiao Xunan hadn’t agreed to get back together. Even though Qiao Xunan was treating Shi Zhuojing well at the moment, she felt it wasn’t nearly enough—she hadn’t become his official girlfriend yet, let alone his fiancée.
“Don’t forget that Qiao Xunan used to have a mistress,” Shi Zhuojing said.
“You’re better than that mistress in every way,” Qiao’s mother said. “That girl had no education and wasn’t particularly pretty—she was only chosen by Qiao Xunan because she looked a bit like you. She’s just riding on your coattails; she’s not much use.”
“Don’t underestimate anyone, no matter how insignificant they may seem,” Shi Zhuojing said. “Maybe she’ll pull off a masterstroke.”
Shi Zhuojing was now counting on Qiao’s aunt and the others to see her as superior to that stand-in mistress. After all, the Qiao family couldn’t possibly let Jiang Wan’er marry into the family. Jiang Wan’er wasn’t very educated—how could she possibly hold her own among the wives of the wealthy elite? Shi Zhuojing, on the other hand, had grown up in a wealthy family and knew her way around such circles; she was fully capable of upholding the Qiao family’s reputation.
Shi Zhuojing was already devising a plan—she had to make Qiao Xunan feel a sense of crisis. She was also a little afraid—afraid that by pressing him step by step, he might not take the bait. Never mind that; right now, she had no choice but to put pressure on Qiao Xunan. She didn’t have that much time to waste on him. If Qiao Xunan wanted to be with her, he’d have to make his intentions clear.
In Hong Kong, Qiao Xunan wasn’t the only one who could help the Shi family.
But since others were unwilling to assist the Shis, Shi Zhuojing had no choice but to pin her hopes on Qiao Xunan. Even if he wasn’t willing to contribute more money, he should at least formalize their relationship with her.
Qiao Xunan got out of bed, his head pounding. His actions had deeply displeased both Old Master Qiao and the Eldest Uncle. He couldn’t very well secretly embezzle company funds—the Qiao Group’s funds weren’t something Qiao Xunan could just move at will, nor did he want to.
This made Qiao Xunan extremely frustrated. He went out to drink with friends, unsure of how to resolve his current predicament.
“If you don’t figure something out, Zhuo Jing might end up with someone else,” someone said. “Her family is pressuring her. They only let her come back this time to use her as a bargaining chip for money. Without you, there are plenty of others.”