That night.
The two sisters drove back to Zhonghai from Sanjiang City.
Upon returning, the first thing the third sister did was drive home, while the second sister, Ren Fanxing, went straight to the Ren Corporation.
She arrived at the chief assistant’s office.
Bang!
She practically slammed the door open.
Ren Chenxi, the eldest sister, frowned slightly and looked up. Recognizing the intruder, her expression softened as she gently chided, "Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?"
Though it was a reprimand, her soft, delicate Wu dialect carried a tone that was half-scolding, half-fondness.
Ren Fanxing plopped down across the desk, her face icy. "I went to Sanjiang City yesterday."
The eldest sister paused, realizing Sanjiang City was Uncle Cao’s hometown.
With a hint of curiosity, she asked, "And? Judging by how furious you look, something unpleasant must’ve happened?"
"Extremely unpleasant!" Ren Fanxing nearly spat the words through gritted teeth.
Ren Chenxi chuckled lightly. "Tell me about it."
Soon,
she understood why her sister was so enraged.
She knew her second sister well—Ren Fanxing despised useless people, regardless of gender.
Even at home, when the two younger siblings slacked off in their studies back in the day, she’d discipline them without hesitation.
To this day, the third and fourth sisters still harbored an instinctive fear of her.
So,
when she saw Cao Cheng—a lazy, good-for-nothing who spent his days playing cards and chess, doing nothing productive, and seemingly leeching off the Ren family’s wealth—it was no surprise she was furious.
If Cao Cheng were her actual younger brother, she wouldn’t have been this angry—she’d have just beaten him up.
Once the beating was done, her temper would’ve cooled.
But because they weren’t close, she could only stew in silent rage.
Ren Chenxi smiled warmly. "I mostly agree with your impression of him. That kid really is a bit of a slacker. But there’s one thing you might’ve misunderstood."
"What?" Ren Fanxing frowned.
"Money."
Ren Chenxi explained with a smile, "I handle the accounts for Mom, so I know exactly where the company’s and family’s money flows. No funds have gone out or come in without my knowledge."
"I won’t deny that Mom did consider giving Uncle Cao some money."
"But as far as I know, Uncle Cao refused. He hasn’t taken a single cent from our family."
"At least not yet."
"So that 100,000 yuan must’ve come from his own savings."
Hearing this,
Ren Fanxing froze for a few seconds before scoffing again. "Then he’s still a loser. A college graduate who doesn’t work, lies to his dad about having a good job, and spends 100,000 yuan on leisure—this kind of ‘brother,’ I refuse to acknowledge."
"I get it."
Ren Chenxi nodded with a smile. "Then don’t acknowledge him. You’re all adults. No one’s forcing you to accept a sibling you don’t want. Even among blood relatives, plenty drift apart by this age."
"No one’s going to force you to call him ‘brother.’"
"Just don’t embarrass Mom, that’s all."
The eldest sister’s lack of pressure eased Ren Fanxing’s temper somewhat.
In this family, only Ren Chenxi could calm her down.
Glancing at the gold watch on her fair wrist, Ren Chenxi said, "It’s almost noon. Let’s grab lunch together later."
"Fine."
"Wait for me a bit then."
With that, Ren Chenxi returned to reviewing company documents.
Watching her eldest sister work, Ren Fanxing couldn’t help but notice how much she resembled their mother.
Then her thoughts drifted back to Cao Cheng in Sanjiang City—his carefree, leisurely lifestyle reignited her irritation.
Useless!
……
Ptooey!
Cao Cheng spat out a tea leaf, leisurely sipping from his thermos while studying the chessboard. He didn’t rush the red-faced old man across from him, who was agonizing over his next move.
This was getting amusing.
This old man…
Hopefully, he wouldn’t keel over from frustration.
Losing a game only cost him 10 yuan—hardly worth getting worked up over!
But judging by his expression, the emotional payoff would be worth it.
At this moment,
Cao Cheng had no idea that hundreds of kilometers away in Zhonghai, a girl—no, a ‘sister’—was cursing him as a good-for-nothing.
Of course,
even if he knew, he’d just scoff and mutter: What do you know?
Young Master Cao here has lived two lifetimes.
A century of experience.
Plus, he’s got a cheat system.
Ever heard of a protagonist’s halo?
This is what it looks like!
For someone like him, the park was just a beginner’s hunting ground. Did they really think he was just here to farm negative emotions from these old men?
Please.
He was fishing.
Who knew when he might bump into a retired grandpa with a stunning granddaughter and a ridiculously impressive background?
All Cao Cheng needed was to casually drop a few prophetic insights about future trends, and bam—instant VIP treatment, entry into high society.
Then he’d attend all those ‘elite’ banquets, where some arrogant young master would inevitably pick a fight, begging to be put in his place.
That’s when the emotional rewards would skyrocket.
Ever read a novel, lady?
(ˉ▽￣～) Whatever.
……
Evening.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, elderly women in the rundown neighborhood gathered outside, fanning themselves with palm-leaf fans as they chatted.
"Haven’t seen the Cao family’s man lately. Did he go on a trip?"
"I heard Old Cao ran into some trouble. Old Qian saw him leave in a hurry with luggage, like he was afraid someone was chasing him. When Old Qian asked if he was going far, you know what Old Cao said?" Aunt Wang lowered her voice dramatically, oozing suspense.
"What’d he say?" The surrounding ‘intelligence bureau’ aunties leaned in eagerly.
Aunt Wang smirked. "Old Cao said, ‘I’m going abroad!’"
"Whoa—"
"Abroad? That’s impressive!"
"Never thought Old Cao’s life would take such a glamorous turn."
"Pfft—"
Aunt Wang snorted dismissively. "Glamorous? You actually believe that?"
"Huh?" The aunties blinked.
Aunt Wang hunched forward, whispering, "Come on, you all know what the Cao family’s like. In this old cotton mill compound, they’re the only ones without steady jobs. Where’d he get the money to go abroad? Selling their house wouldn’t cover it!"
Nods all around.
"True."
"Right! Ever since the layoffs in the ‘90s, I’ve never seen Old Cao hold down a real job. Always flirting with widows or showing off his ‘talents’ to married women. Just because he’s got a pretty face—big deal!"
"Exactly."
The envy in some voices was palpable.
Aunt Wang smirked. "My guess? Old Cao got into trouble and fled."
"What?"
"How so?"
Aunt Wang leaned in conspiratorially. The others instinctively huddled closer, forming a tight circle to avoid eavesdroppers.
She continued, "A few days ago, some strangers were snooping around the neighborhood, asking about Old Cao. From what I heard, they questioned Lin the rice seller, Little Fang the breakfast vendor, the butcher… practically every shop around here got grilled."
"Oh yes, now that you mention it, I remember a young girl asking me about Old Cao too. I didn’t think much of it at the time... but now it seems there really is something fishy going on," Aunt Jin said, suddenly realizing.
"Looks like Old Cao really got himself into trouble."
"Oh dear, I always knew idle hands are the devil's workshop."
"Wait, that doesn’t make sense. If Old Cao ran away, why wouldn’t he take his son with him? Little Cao is still at home—I saw him just yesterday," one of the aunts wondered.
"Who knows? Even couples might abandon each other when disaster strikes, let alone just a father and son."
"Ah—"
Suddenly, one of the aunts shrieked.
The others jumped in fright.
Two stools toppled over, sending a pair of aunts tumbling to the ground, wincing in pain.
When everyone turned to look, they finally saw it.
Cao Cheng had somehow slipped into their circle unnoticed, crouching among them and listening with a mischievous grin.
The screaming aunt had been startled when she suddenly noticed him beside her.
[Ding~ Negative emotion +1]
[Ding~ Negative emotion +1]
[Ding~ Negative emotion +1]
[Ding~~~]
iaobai: "Councilor Dad, front me some funds. I want to hire ten thousand professional miners for a project!" [Five-Star Mission Issued: Capture the leader of the Blood Heaven Pirate Gang, who is on the run in the Radiant Star Sector. It is said the gang has over a hundred members. Proceed with caution.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, lend me the family's hundred-thousand-strong Lu Army!" [Seven-Star Mission Issued: Subdue a juvenile Void Dragon Beast.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, I'm taking your tamed Void Dragon Beast King out for a family reunion!" I said, System, don't you have any slightly more challenging missions? You're just not up to par! [Nine-Star Mission Issued: Become the Human Councilor.] Lu Xiaobai: "Dad, there's a small matter I'd like to discuss with you..."
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
g Yu was preparing for retirement when her organization decided to eliminate her. She transmigrated to a zombie apocalypse world. However, a tiny unexpected situation occurred: She somehow transformed into an adorable little girl?!
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
