Qi Xu’s entrance instantly drew everyone’s attention.
The moment Shen Fengkai saw him, his brow furrowed sharply. He looked downright irritated, like Qi Xu’s very presence was unwelcome.
Where else was a college student supposed to go during break, if not home?
Qi Xu ignored Shen Fengkai’s glare—and everyone else’s shifty, calculating looks—and walked straight up to the old master.
“Grandpa,” he said, “I didn’t let them in.”
The old man had already been more than generous with those people outside. They still got dividends from Shen Corp every year—he’d done right by his late brother and could rest easy.
“This is your home,” the old man replied mildly. “You’re the one who decides.”
Shen Zhuohai hadn’t appeared for a while, but that didn’t mean he was out of the picture. He was still Shen Corp’s number two, and he always kept himself well-informed.
The fact that he’d handed the estate over to Qi Xu had stirred unrest among the Shen family’s side branches.
That included the fact that his son had a suspiciously close relationship with the Xie family’s grandson.
The old master seemed ready to hand the family business over to Qi Xu. To him, both Qi Xu and Shen Fengkai were his grandsons—whoever inherited, the benefit would remain within the family.
But Shen Zhuohai was clearly displeased with how Qi Xu had handled things. If outsiders got wind of it, they’d say the Shen family was fractured.
“They’re part of the Shen family’s extended branch. As a younger generation of the Shens, you should treat them with kindness. Even if they’ve gone too far, they’re still your uncles—you should learn to be more understanding. That’s something you need to grasp as a true member of this family.”
Qi Xu accepted a cup of floral tea from Uncle Li and took a slow sip to warm himself. Before he could respond, Shen Fengkai unexpectedly stepped in on his behalf.
“Father, they’ve been bleeding us dry for decades,” he said coldly. “They’ve caused countless problems at Shen Corp under our name. I spent a ton of effort cleaning up their mess. Now it’s come out that they’ve been conspiring to take over our assets—and you still think they deserve sympathy?”
He shot a sharp glance at Shen Zhuohai, who had remained silent the whole time.
Shen Zhuohai had, of course, heard the online gossip. He had personally orchestrated the reunion between Shen Zeyu and his biological father, Qi Guohui. If the scandal about the adopted son’s ambitions to collude with the extended family hadn’t broken, it would’ve been a brilliant strategic move.
But now that the move had failed, it was time for a new strategy.
Shen Zhuohai turned to Qi Xu. “Tomorrow, I’ll have someone take you to change your surname back. Walking around with an outsider’s name—what kind of image does that give?”
When they first reconnected, no one had brought this up. No one cared enough to. Only the old master had mentioned it once in private, and Qi Xu had declined. The name doesn’t matter, he’d said. What matters is that I’m your grandson.
After that, the old man never brought it up again.
But now, Shen Zhuohai was bringing it up for one reason only: to make Qi Xu’s inheritance of the Shen Corporation seem legitimate.
“No need,” Qi Xu said, laughing—not from amusement, but because it was so absurd it was funny. “You expecting me to take care of you when you’re old? You already have so many good sons. Isn’t that enough? A man shouldn’t be this greedy.”
It had been nearly three months since Shen Zhuohai had last seen Qi Xu—a normal stretch for a college student living on campus. But this time, their reunion didn’t feel like family at all.
He slammed his hand on the table. “You’re my son, Qi Xu. How dare you speak to me like this?”
Qi Xu gave a cold, dismissive scoff. “I don’t deny I’m your son. But I’m not some pawn of the Shen family, here for you to use to gain profits. I’m Grandfather’s grandson. I’ll care for him, support him when he’s old. The rest of the Shen family? They’re irrelevant to me.”
Those last four words—“irrelevant to me”—were like a knife through the fragile dream that Shen Zhuohai, Zeng Yun, and Shen Fengkai had of one big happy family.
Changing his last name was something Qi Xu had desperately wanted in his past life, at age 18. Back then, pride and insecurity plagued him—people would ask, Why don’t you carry the Shen name? For the next 28 years, he lived under the shadow of never quite belonging.
But in this life, Qi Xu had hardened. The only family bond that mattered was the one with his grandfather. He owed no one else anything.
Zeng Yun had been deeply hurt by Shen Zeyu recently and had lost all faith in her younger son. She’d only brought him to the estate today to plead for him one last time.
Now, after hearing Qi Xu’s words, she didn’t even get the chance to speak before realizing it wouldn’t matter.
“Xuxu,” she began softly, “I shouldn’t have blamed you without understanding the full story. From now on, I’ll—”
She stopped, then turned sharply to Shen Zeyu. “Apologize. Right now. How could you have done such a thing?”
Shen Zeyu, sensing he was no longer the golden child, grew frightened. His voice trembled. “I’m sorry, second brother. I shouldn’t have sent Qi Guohui after you. He was the one clinging to me—I was scared when I first met him. I know I don’t have inheritance rights, and Uncle Shen San and the others were trying to get information out of me. I was suspended from school… I said things I shouldn’t have. I’m really sorry. I swear I won’t bother you again.”
He then dropped to his knees before the Shen couple, eyes red with tears. “I’ve let you both down. I don’t deserve your love and care. I’ll leave the Shen family, but I’ll always be your son. I’ll still take care of you.”
Zeng Yun’s expression softened. She turned her head, unable to bear looking at him.
Qi Xu, however, glanced at him with utter indifference. “Don’t worry. You’ll pay for everything you’ve done.”
Something flickered in Shen Zeyu’s eyes. He dared to meet Qi Xu’s gaze. But those eyes—clouded, sunken—no longer looked like an 18-year-old’s. They were murky, already veiled in darkness.
Of course, Shen Zhuohai wouldn’t go so far as to expel Shen Zeyu from the family. But his shares? His position at Shen Corp? Gone. He could forget about ever stepping foot in that company again.
“You really went too far with all this,” Shen Zhuohai muttered. “Even if you were competing with your brother…”
Qi Xu had no interest in sticking around for their family drama. He didn’t want to see any more of their tearful performances. Rising to his feet, he turned to the old man. “Grandpa, I’m going back to my room.”
The old master gave a simple nod of approval.
But Shen Zhuohai slammed the table again. “Stop right there. Where are your manners? Your elders are still speaking. Or do we mean nothing to you?”
Qi Xu glanced back briefly. Shen Fengkai quickly tried to de-escalate. “Dad, he just finished finals today. It’s been intense. Let him get some rest.”
But Shen Zhuohai wasn’t listening. He kept going, full steam ahead. “Rest? Does he even care about school? I haven’t even brought up how he’s been corrupting Old Xie’s grandson. I tried to visit the Xies today, and they shut the door in my face. If this keeps going, the Shen-Xie family relationship will end with him!”
Just then, a loud crack broke the tension—the old master slammed his cane across the table, hitting Shen Zhuohai squarely.
The whole room fell silent.
Shen Zhuohai’s face turned pale.
The old man’s face darkened. “Aside from the friendship between me and Old Man Xie, can any of you honestly say you’d still be able to associate with the Xie family without using my name? Who my grandson likes and what he chooses to do is none of your damn business.”
Shen Zhuohai leaned on the table. “Father, that’s a bond built over decades. The Shen and Xie families still have ongoing collaborations. If—”
Before he could finish, Old Master Shen’s breathing grew heavy—he was clearly agitated at how they were still harping on about business interests at a time like this.
Qi Xu quickly stepped forward to rub his grandfather’s back, instructing Uncle Li to fetch the fast-acting heart pills. He turned to the others with a sharp edge in his voice. “Take your so-called dutiful sons and get out. Don’t make me say it twice.”
Shen Zhuohai still looked like he wanted to argue, but Qi Xu shot a look at Chen Wei by the door. The latter, along with the old house’s security team, politely escorted the group out.
Meanwhile, Shen Fengkai had received the accident investigation report that Xie Huai had sent him. The individuals directly involved had already been detained. As for the mastermind behind it, the authorities were still investigating.
But when he saw that the account used for the money transfer was overseas, he immediately thought of Song Ruoming—who had been sent abroad—and the country she was in. And then there was the aphrodisiac drug.
This wasn’t just an accident—it was an attempted murder.
Shen Fengkai no longer viewed Shen Zeyu the way he used to. That once naive and harmless little brother… had changed somewhere along the way.
Shen Zeyu didn’t get in the Shen couple’s car. Ever since the act of “reuniting father and son” had played out, he’d already moved out of the Shen household.
Shen Fengkai, unable to watch him spiral further, tried to reason with him. “Zeyu, stop making foolish choices. We’re lucky Qi Xu didn’t get seriously hurt this time. If something had happened to him, neither the Shen family nor the Xie family would’ve spared you.”
But Shen Zeyu dropped the weak, pitiful act he’d shown in front of their parents. His smile twisted into something almost unhinged. “The Shen family? Brother… you wouldn’t spare me either, would you?”
Shen Fengkai calmly replied, “Qi Xu is my biological brother.”
In that moment, Shen Zeyu felt like he’d lost his grip on something important—like it had blown away in the wind, forever out of reach.
He knew Xie Huai’s people had been investigating him, even risking a fallout with the Qin family just to stand up for Qi Xu. Thankfully, all of Zeyu’s transactions were conducted overseas, beyond the Qin family’s domestic reach.
A rare flicker of sincerity passed over Shen Zeyu’s face as he looked at Shen Fengkai. “Don’t worry. I said I wouldn’t show up in front of him again, and I meant it.”
Shen Fengkai’s heart softened. “I’ve bought you a plane ticket—two days from now. Go abroad, and don’t come back. I’ll speak to Xie Huai and explain everything.”
Shen Zeyu smiled, looking once more like the obedient younger brother he used to be. “Alright.”
He opened his arms. “Give me a hug, brother. This might be the last time we ever see each other.”
As the two embraced, neither noticed someone sneaking up to Shen Fengkai’s car… and attaching a tracking device.
—
After sending the Shen family away, Qi Xu stayed inside with the family doctor while he examined the old master. Once the doctor finished explaining a few things, Uncle Li led the staff out.
Qi Xu was pouring hot water when the old man suddenly spoke up. “That muddle-headed fool of a father of yours—don’t let him come around here anymore.”
Qi Xu set the cup down in front of him and replied, “He’s your son. It’s only natural that he visits. I don’t have the right to stop that.”
The old man countered, “What I want is for you to live freely.”
“I am living freely,” Qi Xu said with a small smile. “And I’m genuinely happy.”
It was the truth. His future was finally in his own hands, giving him a sense of purpose and fulfillment he never experienced in his last life.
And now, someone was walking alongside him—making sure he never had to face the road ahead alone again.
Everything was slowly falling into place.
—
After dinner, Qi Xu knocked on the gate of the Xie family estate next door.
The servant who answered hesitated when he saw him. “I’m sorry, Young Master Qi. The old master has already gone to bed.”
Still the same—doors closed, unwelcome.
Qi Xu didn’t push. He simply said, “Please let him know I’m not here for myself. I’m here for my grandfather.”
Several minutes later, the servant returned and opened the door. This time, he invited Qi Xu inside.
It was immediately clear that Old Master Xie hadn’t actually gone to bed. He was fully dressed and reading when Qi Xu entered. The old man calmly set his book aside.
The housekeeper brought in tea. Qi Xu got straight to the point—no stalling, no pleasantries. He knew full well the old master likely didn’t want to see him right now.
“Grandpa Xie, my grandfather would like to invite you for tea tomorrow.”
Old Master Xie was slightly taken aback, clearly unused to someone cutting straight to the chase with no lead-in, especially under the current strain between the Shen and Xie families—and from this child, no less.
But he was nothing if not shrewd when it came to other people’s grandchildren, and didn’t make a fuss. “Why didn’t your grandfather come ask me himself?”
“He wasn’t feeling well this afternoon,” Qi Xu replied, “so after dinner, he went to bed early.”
There’d been a commotion next door all afternoon—how could Old Master Xie not have noticed? But when Qi Xu came over and didn’t mention a word about it, the old man couldn’t help but be slightly impressed by how well the boy held his composure.
“You’re not going to say anything about you and A-Huai?”
Qi Xu knew Old Master Xie’s heart was even weaker than his own grandfather’s, so he didn’t want to push his buttons.
“I’d rather not risk sending you to the hospital.”
Old Master Xie frowned. “You’ve never thought about expressing your feelings for Xie Huai to me?”
Qi Xu considered it. The words he had in mind weren’t exactly polite, but he still said them. “What’s the point of telling you how I feel about him? Would that make the bet you forced him into magically disappear? Honestly, I don’t think you ever saw Xie Huai as your grandson—just as a bargaining chip between your two families.”
At that moment, Qi Xu no longer looked like just any 18-year-old. Old Master Xie didn’t see a kid standing in front of him—he saw someone calm, composed, and utterly unafraid. A talent in the making.
Just like his own grandson—sharp-tongued and clever.
He remembered when Xie Huai had once faced the entire family without flinching, saying, “Me agreeing to this doesn’t prove I’m anyone’s pawn. The wager was my own condition—I hope you’ll take it seriously.”
He’d taken everything they’d taught him and used it right back on them.
Old Master Xie gave a cold snort. “Compared to all the judgment you’ll face in the future just for having a same-sex partner, what’s a little wager?”
Qi Xu wasn’t good at sweet-talking. What he truly wanted was for the two old men not to let their friendship of decades break apart because of the two of them.
“What’s between me and Xie Huai is one thing. What’s between you and my grandfather is another. I’m not a Shen. I’m a Qi. I wasn’t raised by him, either. I just don’t want your decades-long friendship to fall apart because of us.”
Old Master Xie had been the first to know of Qi Xu’s existence. When Old Man Shen found him, the first person he told was Xie. He still remembered the sight of that old guy—eyes rimmed red, holding back tears.
At their age, there weren’t many things that could make them emotional anymore. And when he’d heard the kind of place the boy had grown up in, all he could do was sigh.
“So why can’t you two just break up? If you did, your grandfather and I could go back to being friends like before.”
Qi Xu countered, “Then I have to wonder how real your so-called decades-long friendship actually is. Even though Xie Huai and I have only known each other for six months, our feelings are solid. If your friendship can’t survive us, maybe it wasn’t that deep to begin with.”
Old Master Xie: “…”
The butler beside him kept his head down, lips pressed tight to keep from smiling.
The Xie family was strict with their kids—never had they seen one like Qi Xu, directly questioning an elder like this.
Old Master Xie and Qi Xu stared each other down. Eventually, the old man gave up, waved a hand, and said with resignation, “Fine. Go back and tell your grandfather I’ll come over tomorrow for tea.”
Qi Xu finally broke into a smile, back to his usual charming self. “Great. I’ll prepare the tea leaves for you.”
After Qi Xu left, Old Master Xie sighed. “That kid must’ve trained in face-changing—he’s got the entire Xie family wrapped around his finger. No wonder he and A-Huai get along so well.”
The butler added, “He’s got a good personality. You like him too, don’t you?”
The old man just shook his head and kept sighing.
