The emotions he had suppressed for a month finally erupted at this moment. With his face covered in filth, Qi Zhi cast aside his crutches and lunged toward Qi Siyuan. Grabbing the brat by his collar, he lifted him up, buried his head into a pile of cake, and rubbed it in ruthlessly.
“Since you love cake so much, I’ll let you eat your fill! Eat your fill!”
“…”
“What are you doing?!” The brat’s mother Qi Ran’s sister-in-law blanked out for a moment before pouncing over to snatch away Qi Siyuan, whose face was completely covered in cake.
The brat hadn’t expected Qi Zhi to strike back either. He dazed in his mother’s arms for a brief moment before letting out a loud wa and bursting into tears, instantly drawing the attention of everyone present.
“Qi Zhi, have you gone mad?!”
Seeing the meticulously prepared birthday party on the verge of being ruined, Father Qi’s face flushed red with rage. “Do you absolutely have to make everyone unhappy before you’re satisfied?!”
Qi Zhi didn’t give him any face whatsoever. Breaking down completely, he overturned a dining table nearby and roared at the top of his lungs: “Isn’t this exactly what you all wanted to see?! Didn’t you just want to use me to highlight Qi Ran’s excellence?! I’ll fulfill your wishes then!”
“…”
“…”
Fine food, wine, and glass cups shattered all over the floor. The crowd retreated one after another, looking at Qi Zhi in disbelief.
“What are you all looking at me for?”
Facing the crowd, Qi Zhi’s expression was frantic and wild: “Why aren’t you taking photos yet? Hurry up and take photos to post on the internet! Within ten minutes, the entire Haicheng business circle will have a joke to look at.”
“Everyone will say that Qi Zhi was unwilling to accept his lot, went mad, and ruined Qi Ran’s birthday banquet. A lowborn is a lowborn; he truly cannot be brought into polite society.”
“Everyone will sympathize with the kind-hearted Qi Ran, who finally returned home only to be bullied by a fake.”
“Isn’t this exactly what you wanted to see?”
“What are you all standing there for? Take photos! Laugh at me for overestimating my own capabilities!”
“Why aren’t you laughing? Why aren’t you all laughing?! Weren’t you discussing it quite joyfully just now? What are you acting all hypocritical for at this moment?!”
“Everyone laugh for me…”
“Shut up! Shut up!” Father Qi was so dizzy with rage that his vision went blurry. Disregarding the occasion, he rushed forward to slap him.
However, Qi Zhi caught him by the wrist.
Qi Zhi had completely thrown caution to the wind today, continuing his stormy output against Father Qi: “You still want to hit me? On what grounds are you hitting me? What qualifications do you have to hit me? Isn’t this precisely what you wanted to see?!”
“You…”
Father Qi felt a sharp pain in his chest, nearly passing out.
Qi Ran was also startled by this sudden outburst of madness, but he quickly reacted, stepping forward to support his father while remembering to maintain his persona: “Qi Zhi, I know you’re unreconciled, but you…”
“And what kind of thing do you think you are?”
Qi Zhi was truly driven mad with rage. Flinging Father Qi away, he exposed Qi Ran’s true colors in front of everyone: “Do you really think others can’t see your pretentious acting? All day long, all you know how to do is nag, whine, and play pitiful to beg for sympathy. If you have the ability, go beat to death the nurse who mixed up the name tags back then! What the hell are you putting on an act in front of me for?!”
“Did I crawl into the Qi family myself back then?”
“Did I swap the name tags?!”
“Why does everyone have to target me and loathe me?!”
“Is the Qi family that amazing? Is being rich that amazing? Every single one of you disdains me and says I occupied another’s nest. Do you really think I treasure this?!”
Taking off his formal suit jacket, he haphazardly wiped the cake off his face and slammed the jacket fiercely onto the ground.
If his ankle hadn’t been injured and inconvenient, Qi Zhi wished he could stomp on it a couple more times.
“Qi Zhi,” the shocked Qi Zhennan finally snapped back to his senses as well, stepping forward in an attempt to drag him away: “What are you doing? Do you have to make things look this ugly?”
His own parents were still here; he absolutely couldn’t leave a bad impression on his mom and dad.
Qi Zhi, who had nothing left, could be bullied, but he absolutely could not go mad like this.
“Don’t touch me,” in his state of madness, Qi Zhi didn’t give face to anyone, flinging Qi Zhennan away. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking. You clearly don’t like Qi Ran, yet you have to pretend to be deeply affectionate. Aren’t you just coveting the Qi family’s power and influence?!”
“And you still want me to wait for you?”
“I’m telling you, Qi Zhennan, even if I, Qi Zhi, reduce to begging on the streets, hit a dead end, and end my own life, it is absolutely impossible for me to hide in the dark like a light-shunning reptile, waiting for your ridiculous pity!”
“Wanting me to conspire with you in your misdeeds?”
“Go dream your grand dreams.”
“…”
“…”
“…”
The entire Qi family courtyard fell deathly silent.
“What a bunch of garbage.”
The resentment he had suppressed for a month was finally vented out. Qi Zhi gradually calmed down, and just as he was about to call Lu Yuan inside to take him away, a magnificent, limited-edition sports car arrived with a roaring engine and stopped right at the entrance of the Qi family villa, instantly drawing everyone’s gaze.
The person driving the sports car was a young man whose age fell somewhere between a boy and a youth. He wore amber-tinted glasses, and his appearance was exceptionally handsome.
It was none other than Lan An.
“Young Master… Young Master Lan?” Father Qi recovered his composure, recognizing Lan An, and went to greet him personally.
Lan An pushed open the door and stepped out of the car, lifting two identical gift boxes one red and one blue from the passenger seat. “Mr. Qi, Lan An has arrived uninvited. Am I welcome?”
“Welcome, welcome!”
Father Qi instantly forgot the unpleasantness brought by Qi Zhi, his smile stretching almost from ear to ear. “For Young Master Lan to be able to come, the Qi family is truly graced by your presence!”
Although he didn’t know why Lan An had come, and had come alone without bringing a single bodyguard or study companion, it didn’t stop the Qi family from feeling immensely honored.
Some of the other guests also recognized Lan An and came forward one after another to greet him.
Who in Haicheng didn’t know the Lan family? That was a prominent clan that held a significant place in Haicheng no, it should be said in the entire country, and even the whole world with industries spanning across the globe.
The current head of the Lan family had six wives, but only the First Wife was a properly married lady from a distinguished family, as well as a pure Huaxia person. Naturally, the children she bore were the most cherished.
And this Lan An was the third child, and the only son, born to the First Wife; he was also the legitimate youngest son of the Lan family.
Evidently, his status was honorable!
Father Qi had also been fortunate enough to catch a distant glimpse of him once at a business banquet not long ago. Back then, he had lamented that this child truly knew how to reincarnate well.
He hadn’t expected him to personally come to his door today.
This gave the Qi family far too much face!
Lan An exchanged a few more pleasantries, handing the red gift box to Father Qi. “A birthday gift for your esteemed son.”
“Young Master Lan is too generous,” Father Qi hurriedly accepted it with both hands, preparing to carry it into the house personally, while simultaneously casting a glance at Rong Li.
Rong Li understood instantly, hurriedly calling over domestic helpers to clean up the scene, while signaling the brat’s mother to quickly carry down Qi Siyuan, whose face was full of cake and who was now too terrified by Qi Zhi’s sudden madness to even cry.
As for Qi Zhi?
Rong Li walked closer, lowering her voice to issue a harsh warning: “Get lost for me immediately. Don’t ever come back from this day onward; the Qi family no longer has a place for you.”
Qi Zhi looked at Rong Li, his eyes devoid of sorrow or joy.
Rong Li was truly afraid he would go mad again. “If you still want to have a foothold in Haicheng, get lost quietly for me. If you offend our distinguished guest, see if I don’t beat you to death.”
Distinguished guest?
Lan An?
Rong Li didn’t know yet that the person who had injured Qi Ran previously was precisely Lan An, did she?
How ridiculous!
Qi Zhi laughed. Disregarding the pain coming from his ankle, he limped toward Lan An.
“What else do you want to do?” Rong Li was startled, terrified that Qi Zhi would truly offend Lan An, and hurriedly called out to Qi Ran and Zhang Dong: “Drag him down, drag him down quickly.”
But it was already too late.
Lan An had already walked over carrying the other gift box. As if he hadn’t seen Qi Zhi’s thoroughly disheveled state, he took off his glasses and personally handed the blue gift box to Qi Zhi: “Happy birthday, little crybaby.”
“…”
“…”
Father Qi froze entirely.
Rong Li, whose face had been distorted with rage just a moment ago, also opened her mouth wide in astonishment.
How did Lan An know Qi Zhi?
“You’re the… you’re the little crybaby,” feeling the gazes landing on him, how could Qi Zhi not understand? Lan An had timed his arrival perfectly to back him up.
Even if he had to leave the Qi family, he would walk out in a grand and dignified manner, rather than being kicked out like a stray dog.
Having been given the cold shoulder all morning, Qi Zhi’s heart had long been incredibly miserable, which was why he had exploded. At this moment, finally receiving a shred of regard even if this shred of regard was mixed with other things it still stimulated him to the point of wanting to cry.
“Ugh~”
Accepting the gift box, his mouth puckered, and tears rolled down pitter-patter.
Lan An didn’t find it annoying; instead, he was amused, pulling out a handkerchief to personally wipe the cake off Qi Zhi’s face: “You’re not entirely useless; you even know what ‘madness literature’ is.”
Lu Yuan was guarding right outside the door, and he knew everything that was happening within the Qi family residence.
He had thought Qi Zhi would endure until the end, but he hadn’t expected his small universe to explode, actually intimidating everyone.
Not bad!
As expected of the author capable of creating him.
…
It was one thing for Lan An to know Qi Zhi, but how could he also personally help him wipe his face?
Was their relationship that good?
Father Qi only felt his brain buzz. He hurriedly dragged Qi Ran to Lan An’s side as well. “Ranran, what are you standing there blankly for? Hurry up and thank Young Master Lan for the gift.”
“…”
Qi Ran was completely dumbfounded.
He knew Lan An was very rich, but he hadn’t expected his background to be this powerful. Not just his father, but so many guests present actually came forward one after another, desperately wanting to show their faces and curry favor.
What did this represent?
It represented that Lan An and everyone present were not of the same class.
Yet a Lan An like this not only looked after Qi Zhi everywhere at school, but had also specifically rushed over to back him up, even personally wiping Qi Zhi’s face.
By comparison, Qi Zhennan, who had originally been unattainable in his own eyes, became no longer enough to look at.
Qi Ran was consumed with jealousy, yet he didn’t dare to reveal a single fraction of it, still having to pretend to be pleasantly surprised as he thanked him: “Thank you, Young Master Lan.”
Lan An gave a flat “mm,” not even lifting his head.
Lu Yuan brought over a chair from somewhere. Lan An helped Qi Zhi sit down, half-squatted down to look him in the eye, and patted the blue gift box Qi Zhi was holding.
“Stop crying. Open the gift and take a look; do you like it?”
“Who opens a gift right in front of a guest?” Qi Zhi snatched Lan An’s handkerchief to haphazardly rub his face a couple of times, murmuring in a tiny voice.
“I don’t care,” Lan An said. “Open it and see. If you don’t like it, I can still change it for you. If today passes, I won’t care anymore.”
“Alright then, you said it yourself,” since Lan An didn’t care, Qi Zhi generously began to unwrap it.
Following the madness literature, everyone’s gaze returned to Qi Zhi once again at this moment, including the shocked Qi Zhennan and the mother and daughter duo, Liu Guifen and Qi Weiwei. Not a single person forgot his existence anymore.
Qi Zhi sniffled as he unwrapped the box, his eyes and nose red, looking like a rabbit that had suffered an immense grievance.