Early Wednesday morning, Rong Yu heard that Rong Ruoyao had passed the preliminary round of the Haicheng Math Olympiad.
She didn’t pay much attention to such news, as it had nothing to do with her.
The first class was math, where yesterday’s quiz papers were handed back. The moment the papers were distributed, Ji Zhouye let out an excited shout: “Holy crap, I got 109! Did they mess up the grading?”
The math teacher smiled. “Ji Zhouye has shown remarkable improvement, going from single-digit scores last month to triple digits now. He’s easily the most improved student in Class 20.”
“Hehe, hehe.” Ji Zhouye scratched his head, grinning. “Thanks for the praise, teacher! I’ll keep working hard!”
He plopped back into his seat, wiggling a little before leaning toward Rong Yu and whispering, “Granny, since I’ve improved so much, shouldn’t I get a reward? How about granting me one request, huh?”
He shook Rong Yu’s arm like a child begging for candy.
Rong Yu couldn’t stand his antics and nodded impatiently. “Fine, one request. Go ahead.”
Ji Zhouye: “Granny, reward me with a million—no, wait, 500,000—or even 100,000 is fine. I’m not picky.”
Rong Yu: “No. Next.”
Ji Zhouye: “Then… I want the latest gaming console!”
Rong Yu: “No. Next.”
Ji Zhouye: “…”
He forced a stiff smile. “Granny, just tell me straight—what’s allowed and what’s not.”
Rong Yu thought for a moment. “Five Years of College Entrance Exams, Three Years of Mock Tests, or Huanggang Secret Papers. Pick one.”
Ji Zhouye: “…”
Might as well kill him now.
Seeing his silence, Rong Yu smiled sweetly. “Too hard to choose? Then take both. Adults don’t settle—they take everything.”
Ji Zhouye was utterly defeated.
He didn’t dare argue and could only accept his fate.
As soon as class ended, his phone buzzed in his desk. He glanced at it—Ji Liuguang was calling.
Instinctively, he looked at Rong Yu.
Last weekend, Fourth Brother had been beaten by both Granny and the Old Master before being kicked out of the Ji family. It was brutal.
He and Fourth Brother were closest in age and had been the best of friends growing up. Honestly, he couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for him.
Taking his phone, he stepped out of the classroom and answered.
“A’Ye, your Fourth Brother is broke,” Ji Liuguang’s voice came through the line. “Help me out.”
Ji Zhouye sighed. “I don’t have money either. I even had to borrow from classmates to buy game skins.”
“Then ask the Old Master for money,” Ji Liuguang suggested. “Just say you’re treating classmates to a meal. Spending a couple hundred thousand on dinner is normal—he’ll give it to you.”
Ji Zhouye silently scoffed. The Old Master’s private stash was all under Granny’s control now. Squeezing even 200 out of him would be a miracle.
The Old Master was easy to fool, but Granny? Not a chance.
And after what happened to Fourth Brother, he wasn’t about to cross Granny. If he got kicked out, he wouldn’t even know where to cry.
“Fourth Brother, I think you should just apologize to the Old Master,” Ji Zhouye said earnestly. “He just wants you to be more responsible. If you admit you were wrong, he’ll definitely give you another chance. We’re family—why make things ugly? Besides, the Old Master’s health isn’t great. If this drags on, he might get sick from stress. Even for his sake, you should—”
“Shut up!” Ji Liuguang snapped. “Who are you to lecture me? If you won’t help, fine. Consider yourself no brother of mine!”
He hung up abruptly.
Ji Zhouye’s heart sank.
He had hoped that with Fourth Brother back, things could go back to how they used to be.
How had it come to this?
He opened his digital wallet—just over 4,000, all earned through memorizing poems and vocabulary.
After a moment’s hesitation, he transferred the entire 4,000.
Ji Liuguang checked the amount and nearly laughed in disbelief.
Four thousand? Was he some beggar to be tossed scraps?
He scrolled through his contacts—most were classmates from his time abroad, with a handful of old friends from before he left.
Four years without contact had long severed those ties.
But now, with the Ji family cutting him off financially, no one was willing to help. His only option was to reach out to those old connections.
He started making calls.
As the Fourth Young Master of the Ji family, his circle had always been elite. People might not remember Ji Liuguang, but they’d never forget Ji Fourth Young Master.
Two calls later, he had a group of people heading his way.
After being kicked out, Ji Liuguang had been staying at a five-star hotel under the Ji family’s name, relying on his face to get by.
Rong Yu, keeping tabs on his whereabouts, turned a blind eye.
Soon, four or five wealthy young men arrived at the hotel and went straight to the presidential suite on the top floor.
“Fourth Young Master Ji, when did you return to the country? You should’ve told us—we’d have thrown a welcome party!”
“Wait, Fourth Young Master, what happened to your arm?”
Ji Liuguang lit a cigarette and smirked. “Got into a fight overseas. Came back to recover. It’s almost healed.”
A skinny man’s eyes darted around. “Why stay at a hotel instead of home?”
“The Old Master cut me off after the fight,” Ji Liuguang said, stubbing out the cigarette. “Sent me here to ‘reflect.’ Since we’re such good friends, lending me some cash shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
The moment “borrow money” was mentioned, their smiles froze.
Clearly, the Fourth Young Master was being disciplined harshly by the Ji family. Loaning him money would earn the Old Master’s displeasure.
But refusing would mean offending Ji Liuguang.
Even if he’d been kicked out now, he was still Ji blood. Eventually, he’d return—and then, revenge would be effortless.
The skinny man spoke first. “It’s not that we won’t lend, but our measly savings wouldn’t even catch your eye, right?”
Ji Liuguang thought bitterly that even 100,000 would be a fortune to him now.
All he had was the 4,000 from Ji Zhouye…
“Tonight, the Ji Group is hosting a celebration banquet in the hotel lobby,” the skinny man continued. “As a Ji, if you help secure a few deals, the company will surely give you a handsome commission. It’d win the Old Master over too—two birds with one stone, no?”
Ji Liuguang considered it.
He couldn’t actually negotiate business—he had no idea how.
But flashing his status as the Fourth Young Master would surely attract sycophants. A little bribery here and there, and he’d coast through this rough patch.
He stood up. “Let’s go take a look downstairs.”
The Ji Group was indeed holding an event there—a celebration and investment pitch for their newly launched Shanli Village Resort project. Many industry players had been invited.
Rong Yu, who had a hand in the project, decided to drop by for fun, bringing Duoduo along.
Rong Yu wore a soft pink gown while Duoduo was dressed in a snow-white princess dress. Hand in hand, they stepped out of the car and walked down the red carpet into the hotel lobby.
