Four Siblings in a Fierce Battle

"94?"

"Huh?"

"???"

The first person Cao Cheng saw upon returning home was The Third. Without a second thought, he nearly threw a sub-lock at her—but failed.

This was something Cao Cheng hadn’t anticipated.

A quick check left him stunned.

Only 94!

It didn’t meet the connection requirement for the master-sub lock.

Cao Cheng had imagined a thousand possibilities, but never that The Third would fall short.

This…

Disappointing?

A little, perhaps.

Mainly because he felt like he and The Third could do almost anything together—and not just the unwholesome stuff, but plenty of wholesome things too. She never refused him.

Yet she hadn’t even crossed the 95 threshold.

But then…

He spotted The Fourth and checked her.

94!

Still 94?

What a coincidence.

This got Cao Cheng thinking.

Could it be that without establishing that kind of relationship, the highest score was capped at 94?

Considering this possibility, Cao Cheng felt certain he was right.

The master-sub lock, after all, required the kind of bond Wei Xiaobao shared with his seven wives—only then could the link and binding occur.

Without that relationship, something was always missing.

So, following this logic, Cao Cheng could currently only bind with Ren Fanxing and Tang Xin.

The little mixed-race girl, Su Yue, should work too.

He’d check her data later to confirm.

……

"What’s with that look?" The Fourth noticed Cao Cheng’s gaze—distant, drifting, and contemplative.

Cao Cheng snapped out of it, shaking his head with a troubled expression. "I caught two spies at the research lab today."

"Huh?" The Fourth’s attention was instantly hooked.

Seeing Cao Cheng’s grim face, she assumed some confidential research had been stolen.

She knew Cao Cheng kept many projects unpatented, betting on others being unable to replicate them.

Because, frankly, patents were just a "gentleman’s agreement."

Take medicine, for example.

Develop a new drug, and if others respect your patent, they won’t compete for twenty years, letting you rake in profits.

After that, they’d produce generics.

That’s the law, and most people abide by it.

But…

If they don’t respect it? They’ll steal it in a heartbeat.

Drug formulas aren’t exactly top-secret. Most medicine instructions list molecular compositions—easy to reverse-engineer.

It’s all about playing by the rules.

But has India ever played by the rules?

Obviously not.

So, many of Cao Cheng’s projects weren’t patented or publicized.

Now, with two spies caught, who knew what had been stolen?

Judging by Cao Cheng’s expression, it wasn’t good.

Cao Cheng slumped onto the sofa, rubbing his temples.

The Fourth, unusually subdued, asked with concern, "Are you okay? Did they take something important?"

"Ugh." Cao Cheng sighed softly.

Soon, The Fourth began massaging his head, helping him relax.

Cao Cheng lay back, resting his head on her lap.

It was summer, after all—who wasn’t bare-legged?

The warmth against the back of his neck was heavenly.

Eyes closed, Cao Cheng savored the moment.

The Fourth worked without complaint, occasionally asking, "Feeling better now?"

The Third brought tea and fruit.

The Second, having just woken from an afternoon nap, came downstairs and narrowed her eyes at the scene on the sofa.

It looked like the head wife returning home to find two maidservants pampering the master.

Jealousy flared instantly.

But…

The Second quickly learned from The Fourth about the spies caught at the eco-park lab.

Seeing Cao Cheng’s demeanor, she also assumed something had been stolen.

Cao Cheng leaned into the luxury.

The three sisters bustled around him.

Until…

Eldest Sister arrived.

The sofa’s high back faced the door, and Cao Cheng was lying down, so she didn’t see him at first.

Only her three younger sisters were visible.

Eldest Sister glanced over, then bent to change her shoes.

"Fifth Brother isn’t back yet?" she remarked offhandedly. "Figures, probably handling the spy situation at the eco-park. My secretary mentioned he caught two today. Weird, though—apparently, they hadn’t done any damage or stolen patents. Yet Fifth Brother sniffed them out anyway… impressive."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Oh no.

Cao Cheng’s heart sank.

The act was up.

Of course Eldest Sister knew—Miracle Group’s operations were consolidated now.

She had an office at the eco-park too.

Plenty of overlap.

Plus, Cao Cheng hadn’t bothered to hide the spy incident, so her secretary catching wind of rumors was inevitable.

……

In a flash, Cao Cheng bolted upright, ready to flee.

But The Fourth yanked him back by the ear.

"Hey~~~ hey hey hey... ouch..."

Eldest Sister only noticed Fifth Brother standing up now.

She then saw The Fourth's actions.

Before she could process what was happening,

The Fourth spoke in a sinister tone: "Well done, young man, daring to scam your own auntie..."

The Third shook her head with a chuckle nearby.

She wasn’t angry—she already knew Fifth Brother had a mischievous personality. She just felt her emotions had been wasted.

Earlier, she had genuinely believed Fifth Brother had lost some groundbreaking technology.

Second Sister snorted coldly. Never one to back down, she also reached out and pinched Cao Cheng’s other ear.

Pulled left and right, they stretched him like a tug-of-war.

"Ahhh—"

"Stop, stop, let go!"

"Mom, save me!"

Ren's mother hurried out from the kitchen.

She had been cooking, preparing one of her signature dishes.

Meanwhile, Old Cao was outside pushing the stroller, taking the little "gas tank" for a walk.

When Ren's mother saw the scene, she scolded, "What are you doing? Let go! All you do is bully your brother. Aren’t you grown-ups? Can’t you act more mature?"

"Exactly, exactly," Cao Cheng nodded repeatedly.

Under Ren's mother's protection, Cao Cheng narrowly escaped.

But The Fourth wasn’t one to back down easily. "Mom, you don’t know how awful and shameless Fifth Brother is."

Second Sister instinctively nodded in agreement.

Ren's mother could tell from their expressions that Fifth Brother must have pulled another prank.

But...

Who was Ren's mother?

In Northeastern terms, the youngest son and the eldest grandson were the family’s most treasured.

The youngest son—Fifth Brother—was especially doted on.

Ren's mother scowled and glared. "No matter how bad it was, you can’t pull his ears like that! Do you know how much that hurts?"

"Exactly, exactly," Cao Cheng nodded again.

The Fourth fumed, pointing at Cao Cheng. "Stop pretending to be the victim! Mom, you don’t know—the moment he got back, he lied to us, saying two moles had been discovered at the eco-park. He even put on this miserable act, tricking us into serving him tea, massaging him..."

"Then we found out the moles hadn’t stolen any tech or patents at all! He just used it as an excuse to boss us around, treating us like maids!"

"..."

Ren's mother was speechless. But this was exactly the kind of thing the brat would do.

Cao Cheng, however, protested. "When did I treat you like maids? There really were moles! From start to finish, I never said anything was stolen—you all just assumed it!"

The sisters paused.

Come to think of it, he was right.

Cao Cheng had never actually said anything was stolen.

But...

The way he had acted all gloomy after mentioning the moles had clearly misled them.

Eldest Sister finally understood and couldn’t help but laugh.

Soon after,

Ren's mother had to return to the kitchen—her cooking couldn’t be left unattended. Before leaving, she ordered them not to bully their brother.

The Fourth leaped up, aiming a flying kick.

Cao Cheng barely managed to catch her in time.

If she had fallen, even an anvil would’ve cracked.

But in retaliation, The Fourth grabbed Cao Cheng’s ear again.

"Second Sister, help me pin him down!" she shouted.

Second Sister smirked and cracked her knuckles as she stepped forward.

Moments later, The Third joined the fray—though she was on Cao Cheng’s side, trying to pull The Fourth away.

The four of them tussled wildly.

Only Eldest Sister stayed out of it, watching them with exasperation.

How old were they?

Were they really acting like elementary school kids?

At the same time,

a shadow of concern flickered in Eldest Sister’s eyes.

...

Before long,

Eldest Sister did intervene—not to join the fight, but because their skirts were riding up, risking exposure.

She quickly pulled them apart.

If this kept up, who knew what might happen?

Cao Cheng’s short hair was now a mess, tousled by The Fourth’s grip.

The Fourth wasn’t much better—her hair was disheveled, making her look like a madwoman.

Second Sister and The Third were slightly more composed, though their dresses were wrinkled.

Eldest Sister scolded, "What kind of behavior is this? Go clean yourselves up..."

Before leaving, The Fourth jabbed a finger at Cao Cheng. "You just wait."

"I’ll be right here."

"Enough!" Eldest Sister’s icy glare silenced The Fourth instantly.

While she usually feared Second Sister, ever since Eldest Sister had recovered from her illness, her aura had grown more commanding—an unspoken authority.

Combined with the natural intimidation of an elder sister, The Fourth had no choice but to obediently head upstairs to change.

...

Not long after,

Old Cao returned, pushing the stroller with the little "gas tank."

With the baby back, the house regained its warmth.

Mainly because Cao Cheng now held the ultimate shield—The Fourth didn’t dare raise a hand, or even her voice, afraid of startling the youngest.

If she scared the baby, Ren's mother would step in.

The thought alone was terrifying.

...

Dinner came quickly.

Everyone ate heartily—perhaps the earlier scuffle had burned off energy.

Between bites, Eldest Sister spoke up.

"That plot of land—all the preliminary procedures are done. Construction can start soon. Has your research institute made any new breakthroughs? When will you break ground?"

All eyes turned to Mr. Cao.

This matter wasn’t kept secret—the entire family knew that Mr. Cao was planning to develop fourth-generation residences, even fifth-generation ones.

A completely new category of real estate luxury.

That’s why strategic partnerships had already been formed with numerous home appliance companies, and the homes would even incorporate artificial intelligence.

All of this required Mr. Cao’s leadership.

After all, his eldest sister wasn’t well-versed in such matters.