Chapter 155: The Wealthy Young Master
A red mark had formed on An Qingyan’s fair cheek from where he had been sleeping on it. He rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. “They’ve probably gone cold by now.”
With that, he lifted the small plates covering two bowls. Both were filled to the brim with mini wontons in a clear broth, garnished with seaweed and chopped green onions. They looked very appetizing.
They were just cold.
Looking at the two bowls of wontons on the table, Song Shuman felt a mix of guilt and relief. Tears welled up in her eyes as she opened her arms and gave her younger son a hug. “It’s alright, we can still eat them. Mom’s hungry anyway.”
“Thank you, my dear.”
An Qingyan was a little bewildered. It was just a bowl of wontons. Why was his mother so moved? He smiled and said, “It’s okay. I’ll just go heat them up in the kitchen. It’ll be quick.”
“I’ll help you, Big Brother.”
“Okay.”
An Jing helped his brother carry the wontons into the kitchen. He stood beside him, watching the youth’s practiced movements, his heart filled with a mix of emotions. “Yanyan, did you have to do chores and cook often in the past?”
“Mm.” The youth’s profile softened under the light. A faint smile touched his lips as he said lightly, “When I was little, my… adoptive mother had to work to earn money, and my adoptive father didn’t care about us. I had to take care of my younger brother at home. With no one to help, I had to learn these life skills.”
By the time he was six or seven, he was already very skilled at chores like laundry and cooking. Lin Jianxiang was completely hands-off, and Zhou Yuelan didn’t really look after him either. If he hadn’t learned to cook, he would have had to go hungry when he was home alone.
As he got older, all the housework fell on his shoulders.
Children from poor families have to grow up fast.
He didn’t want to say much more about it. He smiled. “But I can only make a few simple home-cooked dishes.”
An Jing looked at the smile on his brother’s face. There wasn’t a trace of resentment for the past, just pureness. He was silent for a long moment before suddenly saying, “Yanyan, I’m sorry.”
The soup in the pot was already boiling, bubbling with heat. An Qingyan put the lid on and turned to look at An Jing behind him, his delicate brows furrowed slightly. “Big Brother, don’t say you’re sorry to me anymore.”
“You haven’t done anything to be sorry for.”
The youth’s expression was exceptionally serious. An Jing was silent for two seconds, then smiled gently and ruffled his hair. “Okay,” he said softly, “I won’t say it again.”
“Mm, the wontons are ready.”
An Qingyan turned to switch off the stove and ladled the wontons back into the bowls. Suddenly remembering something, he asked casually, “By the way, what kind of trouble did you run into on the road?”
“It was nothing,” An Jing said. “I bought a gift for you at the auction, but I only realized on the way back that I’d left it there. We had to go back and get it, so we were delayed.”
An Qingyan didn’t really believe this excuse. He had a feeling that his mother and brother were acting a little strange tonight, but he didn’t press for details. He just asked what gift An Jing had bought for him.
An Jing said he would find out in a moment.
An Qingyan’s cooking skills were indeed average, but to Song Shuman and An Jing, the ordinary bowl of wontons before them tasted like a gourmet meal. In the end, they didn’t even leave a drop of the broth.
After they finished the wontons, An Jing took out the gift. It was the designer watch he had his eye on at the auction earlier. It had been bought by some tycoon, but he had paid one and a half times the price to buy it from him.
It looked truly beautiful on his brother’s wrist. The several million yuan was well spent.
Anything from an auction was bound to be expensive. An Qingyan examined the exquisitely crafted, beautiful watch on his wrist, but he couldn’t bring himself to refuse it. It was a token of his brother’s affection.
He had to accept his new identity as a wealthy young master.
A wealthy young master… It had a nice ring to it.
“Thank you, Big Brother. I love it.”
“By the way, Big Brother, an actor from our production crew got injured. Did you hear?”
“Really?” An Jing asked.
“Yeah,” An Qingyan said. “The actor who plays the young master of the wolf clan. He was in a car accident today. He has a comminuted fracture in his arm and will need at least three or four months to recover.”
“That’s a shame. He’ll have to leave the crew, then.”
An Qingyan nodded. “I just recommended Yuqi to the director to audition for the role.”
“Lu Yuqi?” An Jing raised his eyebrows in surprise. Hearing Lu Yuqi’s name, he couldn’t help but think of what Lu Yuqi’s mother had told him earlier. “He can act?”
An Qingyan said he was a student at the Nancheng Film Academy.
So he’s my junior? An Jing thought. Though he’s younger by… one, two, three… forget it, I don’t know how many years. He cursed silently in his head with a smile.
After a moment, he pretended to casually ask An Qingyan if he had any idols he admired.
As for idols, An Qingyan really didn’t have any.
“Really? I thought all you young people had idols,” An Jing said, leaning back against the sofa with a natural expression. He then smoothly continued, “What about Lu Yuqi, then? Does he have an idol?”
An Qingyan didn’t think much of it. He thought for two seconds and shook his head. “An idol? I don’t think so. He’s never mentioned it to me.”
“Mm… the Cocky King’s idol is probably himself.”
An Jing chuckled and played along. “That makes sense.”
“Big Brother, why are you suddenly asking about this?”
“Hm… just curious.”
It was getting late. The two brothers chatted for a few more minutes before saying goodnight and heading to their rooms.
Hospital.
An Nanyi was destined for a sleepless night. He sat on the hospital bed, his mind a chaotic mess as he replayed the earlier events. He did have a fever, but the fainting had been an act.
He had deliberately worn only a long-sleeved T-shirt in the dead of winter. Both getting sick and fainting had a single purpose: to gain the An family’s sympathy, especially Song Shuman’s.
Song Shuman was a very soft-hearted person.
And she had indeed softened earlier. When he pretended to faint, she had even rushed him to the hospital. His mother definitely still had feelings for him.
But An Jing…
Thinking of the heartless words An Jing had said to him, An Nanyi’s brow furrowed in annoyance. He had no idea what kind of spell Lin Qingyan had cast on An Jing. In the past, his big brother would never have treated him that way.
As for whether he could return to the An family, An Nanyi wasn’t confident.
He spent the entire night in this state of unease.
The next morning, An Nanyi, who had barely slept, was lying listlessly in bed. When he saw the person who opened the door and walked in, he immediately sat up, excited.
“Big Brother, you’re here.” His voice sounded weak, and the sleepless night had made him look even more haggard. He coughed a couple of times after speaking, looking at the approaching An Jing with anticipation.
Has Big Brother changed his mind?!
An Jing’s face was expressionless. He stood by the bed, looking down at his former “brother,” and said in a flat tone, “I know you were faking it last night.”
An Nanyi’s body stiffened for a second before he flatly denied it. “I didn’t! I really didn’t…” He looked at An Jing with a face full of confusion and grievance, his words laced with disappointment. “Big Brother, why won’t you believe me?”
An Jing pulled a nearby chair over and sat down. His sharp gaze was almost tangible, as if it could pierce through flesh and see into the other’s heart. “Do you think your acting skills can fool me?”
An Nanyi fell silent for a moment.
“Then why did you still take me to the hospital?” he asked, grabbing An Jing’s arm excitedly. “You still have feelings for me, don’t you? Wasn’t I the little brother you doted on the most? Why are you treating me like this? Why… how can you be so heartless!”
The person before him seemed to have lost his mind. No matter what was said, it was useless. He kept saying he had done wrong, but in the end, he had no real remorse, no true understanding of his mistakes.
An Jing felt a sense of powerlessness. He didn’t want to say any more.
He pushed An Nanyi’s hand away and took a bank card from his pocket, placing it on the bedside table. “There’s a million yuan in this card. It’s enough for an ordinary person to live on for many years. After you take this money, I hope you will leave Nancheng.”
“Big Brother, I don’t want money! I just want to be with you all. You are my family. Where do you want me to go… where can I go?”
“Go anywhere. If you agree, this money is yours.” An Jing’s expression didn’t soften in the slightest. Letting him return to the An family was impossible. No one would agree.
This one million yuan was already the greatest extent of their kindness.
An Nanyi still didn’t believe it. “What about Mom? She still cares about me. She definitely won’t let me leave. I want to see her!”
“You’re wrong. She doesn’t want to see you.”
Song Shuman had wanted to come along, but she was afraid she would be too soft-hearted.
“This money,” An Jing said, “do you want it or not?”
He looked at An Nanyi quietly, waiting for his answer.
An Nanyi clenched his fists. He lowered his head in silence, biting his lip hard. Seemingly having accepted reality, he finally uttered a single word: “Yes.” After a pause, he added, “Don’t worry, I will leave Nancheng.”
“I hope you can keep your word. From now on, you and the An family have nothing to do with each other… Take care of yourself.”
After speaking, An Jing turned and left. As he stepped out of the hospital room, the tension in his expression eased. He let out a nearly inaudible sigh, but his deep gaze was resolute.
Let this be it. This is for the best for all of us.
I hope he doesn’t cause any more trouble.
“Master Gu, An Nanyi stopped the An family’s car at the entrance of the villa complex late last night. Mrs. An and the eldest young master got out of the car and met with him. It’s unclear what was said, but An Nanyi fainted afterward and was taken to the hospital by them.”
Gu Fei listened with an impassive expression, but his calm eyes grew colder without him realizing it. “And then?” he asked, his voice steady.
“Ten minutes ago, the eldest young master went to the hospital again to visit An Nanyi. He didn’t stay long. It’s not clear what he did; I didn’t follow him into the room for fear of being discovered.”
“Mm. Continue following An Nanyi.”
“Yes, sir.”
After hanging up, Gu Fei frowned with displeasure.
A pity ploy?
Had the An family still not made a clean break with An Nanyi?
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