Chapter 72

The old man noticed the look Qi Xu gave him and asked, “You thought I’d be against it? Your grandfather’s seen it all. So what if the person you love happens to be a man? So what if he’s Xie Lao’s grandson?”

He paused for two seconds, then admitted reluctantly, “The kid really is impressive. Out of all the younger generation, he’s the one I think has the most potential. His family background is just icing on the cake. I heard from that old Xie that his first pot of gold came from investing his New Year’s red envelopes—and he turned nearly a hundredfold profit.”

Qi Xu had never heard Xie Huai talk about that. Maybe to Xie Huai, that “first pot of gold” wasn’t even worth bragging about. Makes sense—money wasn’t what made Xie Huai extraordinary. It was who he was as a person.

He bragged every day about his “assets,” whether that meant walking around shirtless after showers or letting Qi Xu grope his abs when he was half-asleep. Or waking up with his collar hanging wide open to seduce him.

Qi Xu had lived the dream: beauty in his arms, no regrets even in death.

It probably wasn’t the best time to be drifting off like that while the old man was talking business—he quickly snapped back to the present.

The old man noticed his expression and asked, “What’s with that look—did you bully him or something?”

Qi Xu laughed. “Why do you assume I’d be the one doing the bullying? Ever think maybe he’s the one bullying me?”

The old man chuckled. “You? The little tyrant? Let someone else push you around? I should be more worried about which of you two ends up running the household.”

Then he sighed. “I know you’re both good kids. He’s got the Xie family behind him, and I want you to think of me as your backing. I may not have many years left, and I missed the first 18 of yours—but let me do something for you while I’m still here.”

Qi Xu’s grip on his teacup tightened.

He couldn’t help but think back to his previous life—every time they met, the old man would tell him: If you run into trouble, you have to let me know.

And then, on the day he was hospitalized, wearing an oxygen mask, the old man had said in a frail voice:

Grandpa might not be able to be your support anymore.

That was when he finally realized—this had been his grandfather’s deep-seated conviction all along. The old man had been holding everything up by himself, even when Shen Fengkai deliberately made things difficult and the whole team was scrambling. Even when Qi Xu ended up hospitalized with a stomach ulcer from skipping meals, he had never once said a word to his grandfather.

Qi Xu reached out and picked up the document on the table. “I’ll hold on to it for now. And stop saying you don’t have many years left. I’m only eighteen—you’re not worried I might go astray in a few years, blow all the family wealth? You’d better live to be a hundred, so you can be there to chase me around with a cane when I screw up.”

The old man was clearly moved. A few seconds later, he picked up his cane and said, “If you don’t take it, then I will chase you around with this. So disobedient.”

Qi Xu pressed the cane back down and took his hand. “Grandpa, I’ll listen to you, I promise. See? I’m taking it home now, aren’t I?”

“So you’re just gonna take it home and stash it away without signing, huh?” the old man replied huffily. “I figured you’d pull something like this. I already had the will drawn up.”

So the old man had prepared a backup plan. Whether Qi Xu signed or not, he wouldn’t be able to refuse it—he was determined to leave everything to him.

Qi Xu chuckled. “So does this count as mooching off my elders now?”

The old man would’ve been thrilled if Qi Xu mooched even more. Acting every bit the overbearing CEO grandpa, he pulled a black card out of his pocket. “Mooch all you want. If that’s not enough, I’ve got more.”

Qi Xu raised an eyebrow. “You CEOs just hand out black cards like candy, huh?”

The old man shot back, “Who else gave you a black card?”

“Xie Huai,” Qi Xu said.

The old man shook his head. “That brat beat me to it.”

There was no winning on the inheritance front—Qi Xu had no choice but to let his grandfather have his way and wait for the inheritance to kick in someday down the line.

To keep the old man from dwelling on it, Qi Xu deliberately went to the study to practice calligraphy—but wrote as terribly as he could.

Sure enough, the old man went off on him, forgetting all about the black card and the will, fully focused on whipping Qi Xu’s handwriting back into shape.

“You little rascal! When’s the last time you touched a brush? That’s chicken scratch—who the hell’s supposed to read that? You think you’re hot stuff just because you have a little foundation? Copy ten passages. Now.”

Qi Xu, for once, behaved himself. “I’ll start right away.”

Outside the study, Uncle Li covered little Shen Ziyang’s ears and said, “Young Master, let’s go outside and have some dessert. They’ve got that chocolate cake you like.”

The Shen estate bustled with life the whole day. Dinner was a full spread that catered to both the old man’s and the child’s tastes.

But it was Sunday, and the warmth would have to end. Shen Zhuohong had sent someone to pick up Shen Ziyang, and Qi Xu also had to return to school.

Xie Huai came to pick him up. As soon as he got out of the car, he spotted the old man and Qi Xu at the gate and greeted him politely. “Hello, Grandpa Shen.”

The old man waved them off. “It’s late—hurry and get back to school.”

Qi Xu said, “I’ll come home next weekend.”

The old man, ever the softie beneath the bluster, replied, “Back and forth all the time—aren’t you tired? New Year’s is almost here. Just come back during the break.”

He didn’t want to take up Qi Xu’s time. He knew how hard it was to start a business—especially while still juggling school.

“Huai, I’ve noticed this rascal’s getting lazy lately. Barely practicing his calligraphy. You need to keep him in line.”

Xie Huai glanced at Qi Xu and answered earnestly, “Yes, Grandpa. I’ll make sure he stays on track.”

Qi Xu rolled his eyes. Really? Already calling him Grandpa? Such a kiss-up.

After saying his goodbyes, Qi Xu followed Xie Huai toward the car.

He said, “Ah Huai.”

Xie Huai reached out and grabbed his hand—cold to the touch. Without a word, he slipped it into his coat pocket. “Mm.”

Seeing his indifference, Qi Xu asked, “Aren’t you going to say anything?”

Still holding his hand, Xie Huai replied, “I told you to wear a scarf. Why didn’t you?”

Qi Xu argued weakly, “It wasn’t cold when I left.”

Truth was, he had simply forgotten.

Behind them, the old man hadn’t gone inside yet. He had witnessed the interaction between the two as they walked away. Watching from the doorway, a faint smile appeared on his face—a sense of relief and quiet satisfaction.

After the car pulled away from the estate, Qi Xu turned back to look. His grandfather was still standing at the entrance, cane in hand, not yet having gone inside.

Despite the cane, the old man’s posture remained straight and proud. He had held up the entire Shen family his whole life, and made sure it stood firm at the top.

But people grow old.

Qi Xu wanted to stay by his side as much as possible in this lifetime, yet it still felt like it wasn’t enough.

Grandpa would grow older, while he himself would grow up—but no matter how fast he matured, it would never match the pace at which his grandfather aged.

Qi Xu murmured, “I want to spend more time with Grandpa.”

Xie Huai, as always, gave the answer Qi Xu could rely on: “Okay. We’ll stay with him together.”

—

Over at the Xie residence.

The butler entered and announced, “Master, the young master has returned.”

Old Mr. Xie put down his book and checked the time. “Back this late? Something happen?”

The butler continued, “Doesn’t seem like it. He didn’t come inside. He picked up Young Master Qi Xu at the gate and left.”

Mr. Xie paused, his expression thoughtful. “I remember Tingyao mentioned that recently, Huai moved all his things out of the house. Where did he go?”

“Zijin Bay,” the butler answered. “He moved in with Young Master Qi Xu.”

Mr. Xie removed his reading glasses and quietly wiped them clean. “Let Shen old man know—I’d like to invite him for tea tomorrow.”

The butler nodded and left. Mr. Xie sighed deeply.

—

Everything that happened at the Shen family didn’t disrupt Qi Xu’s usual life—he still couldn’t escape the pain of group projects.

In their group chat, all his teammates ever did was reply, “Received.”

If Qi Xu was already irritated, Li Yan was even more frustrated—he was the team leader. While other groups were already working on their summaries, theirs was still stuck on basic research. While other groups were finishing up, theirs was still tossing around memes and joking about asking for discounts like in group buys.

Li Yan unmuted his mic with passion and yelled into the group chat voice message:
“Everyone just stop trying—screw it, let’s all get a zero. The presentation’s on Monday and our whole group is a damn mess. What’s the point of even presenting?”

It was the first time Room 314 had seen him this pissed—he rarely lost his temper, but when he did, it was something else.

Feng Zhenjie quickly handed him a bottle of soda like a peace offering. “Don’t take it to heart, man. Chill out. We still have a few days—it’s enough time.”

Li Yan scratched his head in frustration. “I hate group projects.”

Qi Xu agreed calmly, “Same.”

Li Yan looked over. “Xu-ge, your group’s still not done either?”

Qi Xu was chewing on some candied fruit that Xie Huai had restocked for him, sounding utterly done with life. “Nope. It’s a mess.”

At this point, Qi Xu had a new wish in life—if he got to be reborn, he hoped it’d be to a world without group assignments.

Li Yan groaned, half-laughing, half-crying: “Group projects are hell for people who actually care.”

Xie Huai got up and walked behind Qi Xu, placing a hand on the back of his chair while using the other to scroll through his mouse. He caged Qi Xu in a loose embrace and asked,
“They’re not cooperating?”

Leaning back against the chair, Qi Xu’s head bumped gently into Xie Huai. “They’re ‘cooperating,’ technically. Just barely. They assume I’ll make up for what’s missing and pull the grade up. And I will—but I’m also going to report everything truthfully to the professor.”

Qi Xu wasn’t afraid of stepping on toes. After offending enough people, it just became part of daily life. He never let that internal drama drain him.

Xie Huai frowned at the screen cluttered with chaotic notes. “Mark each person’s contribution clearly on the presentation slides. If someone didn’t do their part, just say it.”

Li Yan and Feng Zhenjie exchanged looks and gave a big thumbs-up. These two top students were truly something else—if you crossed them, it was like slamming into a wall.

After Li Yan’s outburst, the group chat suddenly came alive. Everyone started panicking that he might actually quit, promising to finish their parts that very night.

Sure enough, by evening, Li Yan had received submissions from everyone. He skimmed through them and found them passable, then handed everything off to the group member in charge of making the slides.

Finally, with that stress off his chest, he decided to relax a bit and opened the school forum without much thought.

Ever since Qi Xu started keeping a low profile—well, ever since Shen Zeyu from the neighboring class took a leave of absence—Li Yan hadn’t really visited the forum. The last time was when Qi Xu received a bouquet of red roses and admitted someone was pursuing him, which caused a minor buzz online. Otherwise, the name “Qi Xu” rarely appeared anymore.

But as soon as Li Yan opened the forum tonight, he was surprised at how active it was. Even posts from months ago were being dug up. And they all looked… oddly familiar.

Every single one of them was about Qi Xu and Shen Zeyu.

He clicked on the most recent post and finally understood why the “real and fake young master” drama was trending again.

Tonight, Shen Zeyu had attended a product launch event for a Shen Group subsidiary alongside the company’s vice president. In the media coverage, Shen Zeyu appeared in a sharp suit, confident and charismatic—nothing like a college student, but every bit the image of a corporate heir.

After his leave of absence, those who once followed the drama between the two “young masters” had little gossip to chew on. But now that Shen Zeyu was reappearing in public as the apparent successor to the Shen family, it felt like the drama wasn’t over after all.

[Comment Highlights from the Forum]:

“Damn, is Shen Zeyu actually taking over Shen Group now? The fake young master’s about to win everything.”

“So the leave of absence was to go home and inherit the family business?”

“I heard he got into legal trouble and took time off to save face.”

“Am I the only one wondering how someone with no blood ties to the Shen family got into the company in the first place? Where’s the real heir?”

“Fun fact: As long as you own shares, you can get in. The real young master is probably just studying like a normal student.”

“If the fake heir’s stepping in, I’m smelling some real conspiracy here. Why him?”

“One was groomed carefully; the other got a regular education. Of course they’d pick the former.”

“So the Shen family bet everything on Shen Zeyu and gave up on Qi Xu, their actual son.”

Li Yan thought about showing all this to Qi Xu, but when he turned around, he saw him sitting at Xie Huai’s desk, talking about something he didn’t understand, working on something else he didn’t understand. The two of them were relaxed, smiling, chatting like nothing in the world could touch them.

And in that moment, Li Yan figured… there was no need.

What others do is their business.
As long as we live our own lives well—that’s enough.

 

Still, Qi Xu eventually found out about Shen Zeyu attending the subsidiary’s product launch—because it got pushed to him as a news notification.

He glanced at the headline with zero reaction and swiped it away.
What did it have to do with him?

Back in the dorm, he looked speechlessly at Xie Huai, who had just taken a shower and climbed straight into his bed.
“What’s going on with you?”

Li Yan answered for him, “Xu-ge, this one’s on me. I handed Huai-ge a water bottle, didn’t realize the cap was loose. He didn’t grab it properly and it spilled on his mattress. His bed’s not sleepable now.”

That excuse sounded very familiar—yet another flood at Gold Mountain.

Qi Xu raised an eyebrow. “You think this dorm bed can fit two grown men?”

Feng Zhenjie chimed in, “C’mon, we’re all bros here. Just squeeze a bit.”

Meanwhile, Xie Huai came fully prepared—he even brought his own pillow and was already making Qi Xu’s bed with practiced ease.

Qi Xu, leaning against the wall, gritted his teeth. “You’re not even worried about the bed breaking?”

Xie Huai replied seriously, “As long as we don’t do anything, it should hold.”