“Bro, have you eaten yet?”
Inside the executive lounge on the top floor of Xingchen Tower, Qi Junlin barged in carrying two bags of freshly made pan-fried buns.
Huo Zhiyuan frowned immediately.
“Why did you bring breakfast into the office?”
“Come on, Bro.”
Qi Junlin grinned.
“This is my territory now.”
“And this is the lounge, not the office.”
“I was worried you hadn’t eaten.”
Back when Huo Zhiyuan had personally mentored him, the rules had been endless.
One of the strictest was absolutely no eating inside office areas.
Ever since Qi Junlin had been placed in charge of a branch company, he’d completely let himself go.
Every now and then, he even deliberately tested Huo Zhiyuan’s limits.
It didn’t matter.
He knew how to admit defeat quickly.
And his older brother always doted on him anyway.
“I’ve already eaten.”
Huo Zhiyuan answered.
“You already ate?!”
Qi Junlin’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
“Bro!”
“You’ve finally descended to the mortal world!”
“What roadside stall or takeout place was blessed enough to earn the approval of someone as absurdly picky as you?”
“Tell me!”
“I have to go witness this miracle myself!”
He looked utterly incredulous.
His brother’s pickiness had reached almost pathological levels.
Even Grandpa couldn’t tolerate it.
His drinking water had to be ultra-purified.
His rice had to be premium Wuchang rice from Northeast China.
His vegetables had to be the freshest, most tender hearts available.
To cure that habit, Grandpa had even sent him to work on a farm.
The idea was to teach him the value of hard work.
Huo Zhiyuan planted vegetables.
Harvested vegetables.
Learned exactly how difficult farming was.
The result?
He became even pickier.
If the vegetables weren’t organically grown with traditional farm fertilizer…
He refused to eat them.
When Grandpa demanded an explanation, Huo Zhiyuan had calmly replied,
“If I have the means to choose, why shouldn’t I?”
“Having standards means having principles.”
“And every successful businessman has principles.”
Grandpa had been so furious his beard practically stood on end.
Perhaps that was exactly why, when it came time to decide who would undergo the family’s so-called “bankruptcy trial”…
Between Qi Junlin and Huo Zhiyuan…
Grandpa hadn’t hesitated for even a second.
He chose Huo Zhiyuan.
He wanted to see how someone carrying so many refined habits would maintain the life of a bankrupt man.
To Huo Zhiyuan’s credit…
He adapted quickly.
Whatever resources he had, he lived accordingly.
He even learned a few cooking basics from Aunt Sun, the family’s longtime housekeeper, before throwing himself into experiencing ordinary life.
Grandpa had been extremely pleased by that.
“It was a sandwich Xue Yanxin made.”
Huo Zhiyuan said calmly.
“It wasn’t bad.”
“…?”
Qi Junlin froze.
“Xue Yanxin?”
“Her?”
“She’s still around?”
“And she made breakfast for you?”
His entire worldview shattered on the spot.
That gold-digging woman hadn’t left?
She was actually cooking for his brother?
And…
His notoriously picky brother had just complimented her cooking?
What in the world happened?
Did my brother somehow put her under a spell…
Or did she put my brother under one instead?
“No way, bro. C, could she have been planted by the Fang family?”
“It’s not impossible.”
“Then why are you still keeping her by your side?”
“What are you afraid of? If she really is one of theirs, wouldn’t that make it easier to turn their own scheme against them?”
A faint smile played on Huo Zhiyuan’s lips. He looked completely at ease, calm and in control.
“But what if she isn’t?”
“If she isn’t…”
His eyes lowered slightly, a trace of impatience surfacing.
“You’re asking a few too many questions.”
“Since I’ve already said this much, I might as well finish.” Qi Junlin refused to back down. “Bro, that woman has never had pure intentions. Back then, she wanted your money. Now, who knows what she’s after?”
Qi Junlin genuinely worried about Huo Zhiyuan. He had never understood why, out of all the ways to repay a favor, his brother had chosen to marry her.
After my body?
The absurd thought suddenly flashed through Huo Zhiyuan’s mind, making even him chuckle under his breath.
“Old Master Xue has been gone for years. Sure, he once helped you, but all he really did was make a phone call. Afterward, when he got sick, you arranged the best hospital, hired top specialists, and did everything you could. Even though you couldn’t save him, you paid for his adopted daughter’s education and even funded her business. She lost all your investment, then forced you into marriage. You’ve already done more than enough. We’ve got bigger things to deal with now, shouldn’t you get rid of this…”
“Qi Junlin.”
Huo Zhiyuan’s expression instantly turned cold.
“When did you start talking like those people over there?”
“Whatever Uncle Xue did, no matter how small, he saved my life. A favor is a favor, and I will never deny it.”
“Bro…” Qi Junlin sighed helplessly. “I’m not saying you shouldn’t repay Uncle Xue’s kindness. If his adopted daughter were a decent person, I’d have nothing to say. But her… I’m just worried about you.”
“I know.”
Huo Zhiyuan let out a slow breath. He understood that his younger brother meant well.
“I know you’re concerned. Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.”
Qi Junlin could only sigh again.
Oddly enough, he found himself missing the brother who used to compete with him for power.
Back then, he had hated Huo Zhiyuan so much his teeth nearly cracked from grinding them together. Yet somehow, things felt less frustrating than they did now.
The feeling was hard to describe.
It was like watching the school’s perfect honor student, the handsome genius with a limitless future, end up being dragged down by a troublesome delinquent girl.
Ever since the misunderstanding between them had been cleared up, and Qi Junlin had learned the truth behind Huo Zhiyuan’s actions, he’d gradually become a full-fledged brother fanatic.
He admired his brother from the bottom of his heart.
Huo Zhiyuan possessed overwhelming ability and unmatched status, yet he remained humble and never flaunted either. If Qi Junlin had been in his place, he would have strutted around with unbearable arrogance long ago.
But Huo Zhiyuan was different.
He was modest, resilient, and incredibly patient.
Until the very last moment, he would rather shoulder every insult and misunderstanding than reveal his plans or defend himself. Even after the truth finally came out, he never sought revenge or demanded apologies.
Qi Junlin remembered how he and System Sister had once mistaken Huo Zhiyuan for the story’s ultimate villain. Together, they had come up with one ridiculous prank after another, trying to embarrass him whenever possible.
Huo Zhiyuan had known all along.
Yet he had never complained to Grandfather, nor had he retaliated afterward.
Instead, he simply smiled indulgently, treating all of it as childish mischief.
Qi Junlin still remembered the words Huo Zhiyuan had said to him that day.
“You weren’t as fortunate as I was. Grandfather and Uncle looked after me while I was growing up. You spent so many years wandering outside the family, you must have suffered a great deal.”
“Now that you’ve finally come home, I may be a little strict with you. But as long as you don’t cross my bottom line or betray your principles, you can do whatever you want.”
“If anything happens, your brother will take responsibility.”
Over the past two years, Huo Zhiyuan had guided and protected him like both an elder brother and a father.
The family affection Qi Junlin had been deprived of for so many years slowly filled the emptiness in his heart, and before he realized it, he had become completely dependent on his brother.
In his eyes, no woman in the world was worthy of Huo Zhiyuan.
Least of all Xue Yanxin, a shallow, gold-digging woman.
Perhaps System Sister would have been worthy.
To Qi Junlin, she had been his very first salvation, someone as extraordinary as his brother.
Back in school, when he was bullied for receiving financial aid, she had guided him step by step from within his mind, teaching him how to fight back.
She transformed him from an invisible target of bullying into one of the most popular boys on campus.
After he returned to the Huo family, she continued helping him through every challenge and every test his brother deliberately set for him.
It was just a shame…
She had left far too soon.
The day he officially became a member of the Huo family and the surname “Qi” was entered into the family genealogy, the system judged her mission complete, and she disappeared.
She never got the chance to learn that Huo Zhiyuan was every bit as kind and admirable as she was.
Two years had passed.
She had probably started a new life in another world by now.
I wonder if she’s ever thought about me.
Because…
I really do miss her a little.