Chapter 92
On New Year’s Day, Chi Aibei was picked up by Chi Wendong.
The Chi family was invited to a banquet, and the Chi parents wanted to bring Chi Aibei along. Chi Wendong hadn’t intended to agree, but the thought that he still hadn’t had a proper talk with Chi Aibei about the thing with Lin Xiu—and the little brat kept avoiding him whenever he brought it up—made him take the opportunity to bring him along.
During the ride, Chi Wendong didn’t mention the thing with Lin Xiu. Chi Aibei knew he was still angry.
Chi Wendong said, “The Meng family is hosting a banquet today, and Mom and Dad want to bring you along. If you don’t want to go—”
Before Chi Wendong could finish, Chi Aibei quickly said, “I’m going!”
Chi Wendong glanced at him.
Chi Aibei had intended to go to this banquet anyway. If Chi Wendong hadn’t suddenly picked him up, he would already be at the Meng house by now.
Chi Wendong thought it was because of Meng Huaiqing that he wanted to go. “Are you on very good terms with Meng Huaiqing?”
Chi Aibei: “It’s alright.”
In Chi Aibei’s world, everyone was just a stepping stone he laid out for Lin Xiu. Whether the relationship was good or not was just how it was.
Chi Wendong, however, didn’t think he and Meng Huaiqing were just “alright.”
Speaking of which, Chi Wendong couldn’t help but bring up Lin Xiu. “Where did Lin Xiu go?”
Chi Wendong had originally intended to pick up both of them, but Lin Xiu said he had things to do.
Chi Aibei said, “He went home.”
Chi Wendong was still angry at the guy who had abducted his brother. After asking that one question, he didn’t continue. Chi Aibei was about to mention Lin Xiu’s relationship with the Meng family, but just as he said “Brother Lin Xiu,” he was interrupted by Chi Wendong: “Follow me later and don’t run around.”
Chi Aibei swallowed his words. “Oh.”
…
The Meng family banquet was much larger in scale than the one the Chi family had hosted previously. Chi Aibei immediately sent a message to Lin Xiu upon arrival.
The Chi parents saw that Chi Wendong had only brought Chi Aibei and asked, “Where’s Lin Xiu?”
Chi Wendong: “He has family business.”
The Chi parents hadn’t seen Chi Aibei for almost a year. Looking at the boy who was constantly tapping on his phone and smiling, they suddenly felt he was a bit of a stranger.
Mother Chi hesitated for a moment before speaking somewhat awkwardly, “…Xiao Bei.”
Chi Aibei looked up and glanced at her, giving a slight nod. He was as distant as if he were meeting a stranger.
Mother Chi felt a bit hurt but still braced herself to continue talking to him. “How have you been lately? Are your studies very busy? Why don’t you ever come home?”
Chi Aibei: “No holiday.”
Mother Chi: “It’ll be the holiday soon. When it is, come back—”
Chi Aibei suddenly raised a hand and waved toward the distance. Meng Ying, wearing an evening gown, walked over while holding up her skirt. “Chi Aibei, you’re here. My grandpa wants me to take you over.”
The Chi parents were stunned to hear this.
Seeing Chi Aibei say something to Chi Wendong and then leave with Meng Ying, Father Chi asked Chi Wendong, “Is that girl from the Meng family?”
Meng Ying often attended banquets with Meng Huaiqing, so Father Chi had seen her a few times.
Chi Wendong also found it a bit strange. It was one thing for Chi Aibei to be on good terms with Meng Huaiqing, but how did even Meng Huaiqing’s sister seem to be on good terms with him? And that girl said just now that her grandpa wanted to see him—her grandpa was Old Man Meng, wasn’t he?
Mother Chi suddenly thought of something and tugged on Father Chi’s sleeve in delight. “Could Xiao Bei be in a relationship with that Meng family child?”
Father Chi thought about it and felt it was possible.
Chi Wendong glanced at them, thinking that their plan was going to fail. Not to mention they couldn’t climb as high as the Meng family, but that little brat didn’t even like girls.
Chi Wendong was suddenly curious about how they would react if they knew Chi Aibei and Lin Xiu were together. He was about to speak when he saw Old Man Meng emerge, supported by Meng Huaiqing and Meng Ying. Behind them followed Meng Yuanduo and Meng Yaqing, but the one pushing Meng Yuanduo’s wheelchair was Lin Xiu.
Father Chi was stunned. “Why is Lin Xiu there?”
Chi Wendong was also a bit surprised. Didn’t he say he was going home for family business?
Old Man Meng was at an age where he hadn’t attended such occasions for several years. Meng Yuanduo rarely appeared in public due to his mobility issues, and Meng Yaqing was said to have been working as a designer abroad all along, never meddling in family affairs—she didn’t even participate in banquets hosted by her own family—yet this time, the whole family was present.
A wave of commotion swept through the hall when Old Man Meng said he wanted to introduce the grandson he’d just found.
Someone recognized Lin Xiu. “Isn’t that the Chi family’s foster son? How did he become the Meng family’s biological grandson?”
While Chi Wendong was stunned, he saw Chi Aibei standing at the very front. He strode over and yanked the grinning, foolish Chi Aibei to the side. “What is going on?”
Chi Aibei said, “Huh? You mean Brother Lin Xiu?”
Chi Wendong glanced at Lin Xiu, whose gaze had followed them. “How did he suddenly become a member of the Meng family?”
Chi Aibei said, “It wasn’t sudden. He was recognized a long time ago. He’s the son of the Meng family’s Xiao Shu.”
Seeing he was so well-informed about the Meng family’s affairs, Chi Wendong frowned. “You knew all along?”
Chi Aibei said triumphantly, “I was the first to see the DNA report, besides Brother Lin Xiu’s dad.”
Chi Wendong: “…” Then the Meng family really doesn’t treat you as an outsider!
Chi Wendong looked at Lin Xiu again, who was being led around for introductions. He said sourly, “No wonder he dared to pursue you.”
Chi Aibei quickly added, “No, I was the one who pursued him!”
Regarding who pursued whom, Chi Aibei insisted on correcting it. Even with Lin Xiu, he had always emphasized that he was the one pursuing, refusing to let the order be reversed even on pain of death.
Chi Wendong let out an angry sigh. “Does the Meng family know about the thing between you two?”
Chi Aibei gave a shy smile. “They know.”
Earlier, Old Man Meng had called him over to ask if he wanted to go on stage with them and publicly announce his relationship with Lin Xiu. But thinking that Chi Wendong was still there, Chi Aibei feared his brother would be angry enough to die, so he declined for the time being.
Chi Wendong felt his smile was quite grating. “They didn’t say anything?”
Chi Aibei said coyly, “They did. They said they wanted to arrange an engagement for me and Brother.”
Chi Wendong: “!”
Engagement, my foot! He hadn’t even agreed yet!
Seeing Chi Wendong’s face turn dark, Chi Aibei quickly added, “I didn’t agree. I said I had to ask my brother first, and that it would only happen if my brother agreed.”
Hearing this, Chi Wendong’s expression softened slightly. He patted Chi Aibei’s head. “You’re still young; there’s no rush. As for Lin Xiu, suddenly leaping from poverty to becoming a young master worth billions… whether he’ll still treat you as well as before is uncertain.”
Before, he’d taken care of Chi Aibei because his circumstances were poor and he was supported by their family. Now that the situation had changed, Chi Wendong couldn’t guarantee Lin Xiu would still fulfill his previous promise, including taking care of Chi Aibei.
Chi Aibei: “He will.”
Chi Wendong glanced at him, about to say something, when Lin Xiu suddenly walked over and stood beside Chi Aibei. “Brother.”
Chi Wendong: “?”
Realizing that this “Brother” was addressed to him, Chi Wendong was so angry he almost couldn’t catch his breath. “Who are you calling Brother?”
Lin Xiu: “You. If you don’t like it, I can call you Chi Wendong.”
Chi Aibei couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Seeing Chi Wendong glare at him, he quickly pursed his lips, suppressing the corners of his mouth firmly.
As the protagonist of the day, every move Lin Xiu made was under scrutiny. Seeing him publicly take Chi Aibei’s hand, people around began to whisper, everyone curious about who this boy was—he seemed quite familiar with Chi Wendong.
The Chi parents were entirely focused on the fact that Lin Xiu had undergone such a transformation. Their minds were full of this overwhelming wealth, yet they hadn’t noticed that Lin Xiu and Chi Aibei were currently holding hands.
Chi Wendong quickly pulled Chi Aibei back to his side. He knew this couple too well; even if Chi Aibei were to be with Lin Xiu, it had to be of his own volition—he absolutely could not be offered to the Meng family as a commodity.
The Chi parents brought up the fact that Lin Xiu had been supported by their family. Although they didn’t say it directly, their words implied they wanted some recompense.
Chi Aibei felt a bit displeased upon hearing this, but Chi Wendong held onto him and didn’t let go.
Lin Xiu: “I haven’t forgotten. The Chi family helped me when I was in my greatest difficulty. In return, I will fulfill the promise I made at that time.”
Father Chi was somewhat delighted, but after the delight came a bit of confusion. “What promise?” Did they ask for a promise back then?
Lin Xiu glanced at Chi Wendong. “The agreement we made—to work for him for ten years after graduation.”
Working for Chi Wendong, not the Chi parents. This was the condition they had agreed upon back then. Even though he no longer needed the Chi family’s support, his promise remained unchanged.
The Chi parents were dumbfounded. They would have preferred for him to return to the Meng family and bring some good resources to the Chi family—what was with him staying in their family to work?
Lin Xiu’s words were meant to dispel the Chi parents’ unrealistic notions and also to address Chi Wendong. He knew what Chi Wendong was worried about. To someone who had been lonely for many years, Chi Aibei was his whole world. To make him let go willingly, he had to make him believe that no matter the time or place, his original words would never change.
Seeing Chi Wendong let go of Chi Aibei, Lin Xiu knew he had passed Chi Wendong’s test. Although he knew Chi Aibei would definitely find a way to coax him into relenting, for something like this, he still felt it was better for him to do it.
After the banquet ended, Chi Aibei didn’t go home with Chi Wendong but went back to the Meng house with Lin Xiu.
In the room, Chi Aibei was pressed against the door and kissed by Lin Xiu for a while before he pushed him away. “Brother, I have something to ask you.”
Lin Xiu had drunk a bit; he wasn’t drunk, but he still smelled somewhat of alcohol. “Why didn’t you agree when Grandpa brought up the engagement today?”
Chi Aibei was stunned. “Huh? I didn’t ‘not agree.’ I just said I had to ask my brother. I didn’t tell him in advance that we were together; if we went and got engaged privately, I was afraid he’d go mad.”
Lin Xiu: “He isn’t even your real brother.”
Chi Aibei thought he meant “not a biological brother,” and didn’t catch the underlying meaning. “You don’t understand how scary it would be if he went mad. Besides, he’s truly good to me. I can’t have not a single relative by my side, can I?”
Lin Xiu understood. He rubbed Chi Aibei’s head. “I’m going to take a shower.”
Chi Aibei grabbed him. “I haven’t asked my question yet. You said today you’d work for my brother for ten years, not for the Chi family, right?”
He’d heard Lin Xiu mention the “ten-year indenture contract” before and at the time had thought he’d sold himself to the Chi family, and had even been angry with Lin Xiu for a while. Hearing him mention it in front of the Chi parents today, Chi Aibei thought about it carefully; it seemed Lin Xiu had said he’d work for Chi Wendong for ten years.
Lin Xiu gave a small laugh. “You aren’t the only one in this world with foresight. Perhaps I have it too.”
Lin Xiu went to take a shower after speaking, leaving Chi Aibei standing there in a daze for a long time… What do you mean, ‘he has it too’? I have foresight because I have the plot in my hands; if Lin Xiu has it, where did his come from?
Thinking back to everything since meeting Lin Xiu, under his control, Lin Xiu’s life had been smooth sailing without anything strange. The only difference from the novel was that he knew how to box.
He remembered that in the novel, Lin Xiu had been beaten when he first entered prison.
By the time Lin Xiu finished his shower and came out, Chi Aibei had already fallen asleep on the bed. Lin Xiu walked over, lightly brushed aside his hair, and kissed his forehead. He then turned and stuffed the prepared small box back into his coat pocket.
Looking at the soundly sleeping Chi Aibei, Lin Xiu smiled helplessly. “Truly a mood-killer.”
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