Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Luo Qianjian had left early in the morning to continue his internship at Star Entertainment – even though he had essentially fallen out with the rest of the Luo family, including Luo Gongyou, she could have easily expelled him from her company, Star Entertainment.

But thanks to his second sister's lingering thoughts of "family affection," she hadn't caused any trouble for his internship work. This was a characteristic mindset of the protagonist in classic overbearing tycoon literature: letting the villains jump around and even creating conditions for them to stir up trouble.

Luo Qianjian didn't care whether she caused trouble or not; after all, didn't he hold ten percent of the shares in the Luo Corporation? He could just transfer to the Luo Corporation for his internship, it would be the same.

However, since Luo Gongyou hadn't caused any trouble, Luo Qianjian didn't want to make things difficult either. Besides, the Yunling concert project wasn't finished yet, and he didn't want to give up halfway.

"By taking advantage of your second sister's company like this, won't she be furious when she finds out?" Yunling chuckled as he flipped through pictures of the concert venue.

Luo Qianjian glanced at the computer screen. "Is this venue that extravagant?"

Yunling shook his head. "I wasn't talking about the venue... My previous agreement with Star Entertainment was that I would sign an agency contract with the company, and they would show their sincerity by preparing this concert as the beginning of my career in the country. But the contract you gave me before... Honestly, when I signed it, I felt like I was colluding with you in a scam."

Luo Qianjian laughed. "Don't worry, I asked my lawyer, it's legal, no problem. As for taking advantage... Who made my second sister trust me so much, entrusting your project entirely to me? If I didn't take some advantage, I'd feel uncomfortable. By the way, do you really want to stay at Star Entertainment?"

Yunling sighed. "Before I knew Luo Hefeng was your eldest brother, I did think highly of Star Entertainment. But after finding out... If I still wanted to stay here, I wouldn't have signed the contract you brought."

"Speaking of which, has our eldest brother bothered you recently?" Luo Qianjian asked.

Yunling shook his head. "Rest assured, he hasn't come."

However, as the saying goes, "Speak of the devil and he appears."

After "reuniting" with Yunling at the engagement banquet that night, Luo Hefeng hadn't been idle. First, there was the "massive cheating gathering" at the hotel that night, then Luo Chen was hospitalized, and when Luo Hefeng returned to the Luo family's old residence, he found himself living with parrots. To avoid this terrible living environment, he chose to go on a business trip elsewhere.

Only after the business trip did the great Casanova Luo Hefeng finally regain some peace and suddenly remember his returning white moonlight first love. So, he hurried back to the city and came to Star Entertainment to see someone.

It just so happened that Luo Qianjian and Yunling were about to leave the company to check out the concert venue, and they ran into him in the parking lot.

"Yunling!"

Luo Hefeng strode over, then frowned at Luo Qianjian, his tone aggressive. "Why are you with Yunling? What do you want to do to him?"

Luo Qianjian smiled lightly. "Didn't Second Sister tell Eldest Brother? I'm in charge of Teacher Yun's affairs related to Star Entertainment. Oh, by the way, there's something I forgot to mention before, Eldest Brother, you should thank me. It was I who invited Teacher Yun to Shanting's engagement banquet, allowing you to see him again."

"You... You never had good intentions!" Luo Hefeng furrowed his brows, then said to Yunling, "Yunling, don't get too close to him just because he's my younger brother. His personality is strange and his actions extreme, I'm afraid he might hurt you..."

Luo Qianjian watched calmly.

Yunling's expression soured. "Luo Hefeng, I think Qianjian is great. My friendship with him has nothing to do with you, and neither do I have anything to do with you. If we must have a connection, you're probably now a tangled and repulsive part of my youth that I dislike. Strange personality, extreme actions, are you describing yourself?"

Hearing this, Luo Hefeng was greatly affected. He wanted to get closer to Yunling, but was blocked by Yunling's assistant, Zhu Hui.

Luo Hefeng became angry. "Get out of the way!"

Zhu Hui's face was cold and filled with disdain, but he didn't move.

Luo Hefeng could only step aside, looking at Yunling sideways, his heart aching as he said, "Yunling, did Luo Qianjian say something to you, making you misunderstand me... No wonder you knew about the ridiculous things I did in the past because I missed you, it must have been Luo Qianjian sowing discord, right, Yunling, listen to my explanation..."

"Enough, Luo Hefeng." Yunling looked at him, feeling a sudden sadness, genuinely puzzled. "How did you become like this? You did those things, yet you want to gloss over them with the phrase 'ridiculous things' and blame Qianjian for sowing discord. You also never listen to what I'm actually saying. I've repeatedly told you that I no longer like you, but you stubbornly define me according to your own understanding... Don't appear in front of me anymore, stay far away from me."

Being "true love," Luo Hefeng was heavily struck by Yunling's words, then left in a daze.

"Eldest Brother, don't come to bother Teacher Yun anymore." Luo Qianjian called out to him leisurely. "What you've done, including sleeping with Bai Yusheng while declaring your first love as true love at Shanting's engagement banquet, I've told Teacher Yun everything. You should save some face for yourself."

Luo Hefeng glared at him. "You!"

Luo Qianjian curved his lips. "Also, don't I have ten percent of the Luo Corporation's shares? If Eldest Brother does anything else that makes me uncomfortable, I'll sell these shares to... How about selling them to the Fu family?"

In this series of overbearing tycoon literature, City A had four major families: the Luo family, the Li family, the Gu family, and the Fu family. And to maintain the dignity of each protagonist, it was set that there was no ranking among them, the four families dominated the world with one hand – although logically it didn't quite make sense, but that was the setting.

Among them, the Luo family and the Li family had a decent relationship, and although they had less contact with the Gu family, they were considered old acquaintances without any grudges. The only one they had an ancestral feud with was the Fu family, and Luo Hefeng and the current head of the Fu family didn't see eye to eye, acting like mortal enemies in the business world.

"Luo Qianjian! Do you know what you're threatening? You want to sell the Luo Corporation's shares to the Fu family? Do you want to make our ancestors die of anger again!" Luo Hefeng was fierce.

Luo Qianjian said lightly, "Eldest Brother, I'm a materialist, believing that people can only die once."

Luo Hefeng was enraged but speechless, leaving even more dejectedly.

With no heart to return to the company to continue working, Luo Hefeng had his driver drive him back to the Luo residence. Only upon entering the old residence area did he remember that he was now living in the side residence, and the thought of those chattering parrots gave him a headache.

But since he was already back, Luo Hefeng didn't want to make a fuss and went straight to the side residence.

He noticed that the entire building was surrounded by nets with very small gaps. Unaware of the situation, he asked as he walked in, "What are these nets outside for? Haven't heard the parrots chirping..."

Luo Hefeng's words stuck in his throat, for he saw two snakes, one leisurely sliding past his feet, the other stopping as if sizing him up... Looking up, he saw another coiled on the nearby stairs...

"Where is everyone? Someone, come!" Luo Hefeng stood still, not daring to move, although he was both shocked and angry, he didn't dare to shout too loudly, for fear of startling the snake beside his foot...

The servants quickly ran over, casually driving away the snake beside Luo Hefeng, then said with a smile, "Young Master has returned. These pet snakes are harmless, don't worry. The nets outside are prepared for them. However, Miss Fourth, Miss Fifth, and Young Master Sixth seem quite scared, they've stayed in their rooms all day and haven't come downstairs."

Luo Hefeng gritted his teeth. "Why didn't anyone tell me about the snakes in the house?"

"They were only brought in this morning, Young Master returned at a good time," the servant said.

Luo Hefeng turned and walked out.

The servant asked behind him, "Young Master? Young Master, you've just returned, are you going out again? When will you be back?"

Luo Hefeng hurried away. "There's something at the company, I need to continue my business trip."

Two days later, Luo Gongyou, who had returned from her business trip, faced the pet snakes that had been living in the side residence longer than she had, in silence. However, she wasn't afraid of snakes, so she felt they were better than the parrots that disturbed her sleep.

Moreover, these pet snakes had good social etiquette; at least they didn't crawl onto the dining table, and if people didn't reach out their hands first, they wouldn't coil around them.

The servants taking care of the pet snakes were relieved – finally, someone saw the cute and sensible side of the little snakes!

Luo Suiyun, Luo Wenhuan, and Luo Shanting were even more distraught. Their eldest brother had run away again out of fear of snakes, and when they finally waited for their second sister to return, she was actually willing to cohabit with these terrifying creatures!

Fortunately, on the morning of the second day after Luo Gongyou returned, the servants packed up their belongings, carefully counted the pet snakes, and took them all away from the annex without leaving any behind. The fence outside was also removed, and Luo Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But in less than half an hour, that breath was choked back—new pets arrived, and this time, they were actually Tibetan Mastiffs! Tibetan Mastiffs!

Each one looked ferocious, not as sanity-draining as the snakes, but the physical sense of fear was even more intense.

"What is Qianjian trying to do! Does he want to open a zoo at home!" Luo Gongyou said as she left the annex, stating that she would be traveling on business again and wouldn't be staying there for the next few days.

Luo Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth wanted to cry, starting to consider whether they could use graduation trips as an excuse to stay away for as long as possible...

"But, Third Brother seems determined to scare us," sighed Luo Shanting. "Just like with the snakes before, Third Brother only replaced them with Tibetan Mastiffs after we had all seen them. Even if we temporarily hide away for a few days, we'll still have to face them when we come back..."

Unable to escape and unwilling to seek trouble from Luo Qianjian again, the three of them could only sulk in their rooms or leave early and return late.

A few days later, Luo Chen, who had been hospitalized for ten days, was finally discharged. He didn't return to the old Luo family residence but went straight to Liu Ruo's house—or rather, the place where Luo Chen secretly arranged for the Liu family to stay after they were expelled last time.

Now that he was divorcing He Ruyan and hearing that she hadn't returned to the old residence but was instead living outside with her young lover, Luo Chen stayed at Liu Ruo's house with a clear conscience. Moreover, looking at Liu Qingqing, Luo Chen felt a full heart of "paternal love."

Because they had been married for decades without a prenuptial agreement, now that they were getting a divorce, just sorting out the property list was a major undertaking. After that, they would have to negotiate a division plan, but Luo Chen and He Ruyan could never reach an agreement and would start arguing after a few words, so the divorce proceedings progressed slowly.

By the time Luo Qianjian helped Yun Ling finish organizing the concert, and Luo Suiyun, Luo Wenhuan, and Luo Shanting had their college entrance exam results out, filled out their applications, and were waiting for admission results, Luo Chen and He Ruyan were still entangled over property division.

During this period, the pets in the annex changed twice, from Tibetan Mastiffs to meerkats, and then from meerkats to the current various types of geckos.

Luo Hefeng couldn't take it anymore and approached Luo Qianjian again, not beating around the bush: "I want to make a deal with you."

Luo Qianjian sat on the swing in the courtyard and nodded calmly. "Go ahead."

"I want to buy the ten percent share you hold," said Luo Hefeng. "Anyway, keeping it in your hands doesn't serve much purpose. Apart from receiving dividends every year, you have no interest in interfering with company affairs. Even if you did, this ten percent isn't enough to let you influence the overall situation. I will buy it at a price one point higher than the market value. You can get a large sum of money in one go, without having to bear the risk of a stock price drop."

Luo Qianjian smiled faintly. "Go on."

Luo Hefeng paused, though unhappy with Luo Qianjian's unserious attitude, he thought about the matter at hand and continued, "The fact that Mom and Dad are getting a divorce, I've already tried to persuade them many times, but I haven't been able to convince them."

"Their divorce involves the division of many properties of the Luo family, especially since although I manage Luo Corporation now, I only have five percent of the shares that Dad gave me before. The other shares are essentially still Dad's. If Mom and Dad's divorce leads to changes in the equity structure, the stock price of Luo Corporation will inevitably fall. At that time, the value of the ten percent of shares in your hands will shrink. It's better to sell them to me while the market price is high."

"Moreover, you keep changing the pets in the annex, don't you just want us all to move out and give up our identity as members of the Luo family? If you sell the shares to me, I'll move out immediately."

Hearing this, Luo Qianjian chuckled. "With my ten percent, Eldest Brother, you'll have fifteen percent of the shares. Even if you can't walk sideways in the board of directors of Luo Corporation, walking upright a couple of times should be no problem. At that time, Eldest Brother won't have to care about whether you have the recognition of being a member of the Luo family. Moving out will be even freer. Of course, Eldest Brother would be willing."

Luo Hefeng wanted the shares in his hands, so he tried hard not to provoke a dispute. "Qianjian, don't act out of pique. Think carefully about how to maximize your interests."

"I have enough benefits in my hands now, I have no intention of making any changes, and I'm even less willing to let you have your way. So, Eldest Brother, there's no need to say more. The shares in my hands, even if they fall into negative territory, I won't give them to anyone else. Besides, with Eldest Brother supporting Luo Corporation, I believe there won't be a day when it hits rock bottom."

Luo Qianjian said with a relaxed smile, "Also, Eldest Brother, you made a mistake earlier. I'm messing with the annex because I'm happy. I don't hope for you guys to leave. If you're really all driven away, I won't have anything to play with. How boring."

Luo Hefeng's expression darkened.

"Although I'm not selling the shares, I'm still quite curious. Eldest Brother, how do you have so much money to buy ten percent of Luo Corporation's shares? You're not thinking of using your position as CEO and the name of the eldest son of the Luo family to draw funds from Luo Corporation, are you?" Luo Qianjian asked with interest.

Luo Hefeng frowned. "I have my own methods."

Luo Qianjian: "Sounds unreliable. Fortunately, I have no intention of selling the shares."

Luo Hefeng was both angry and bewildered. "Luo Qianjian, aren't you trying to destroy Luo Corporation?"

Luo Qianjian was even more surprised. "Not selling you the shares equals destroying Luo Corporation? Eldest Brother, with your logic skills, I suddenly start worrying about the depreciation of the shares in my hands."

Luo Hefeng gritted his teeth. "You..."

"In fact, there's a clear path right in front of you, I'm quite puzzled why Eldest Brother can't see it?" Luo Qianjian interrupted him, smiling faintly. "Mom and Dad are getting a divorce, and the property division is so complicated. As the eldest son and manager of Luo Corporation, shouldn't Eldest Brother help alleviate their worries and think of ways to maintain the stability of Luo Corporation?"

Luo Hefeng looked at him seriously. "What do you mean?"

Luo Qianjian sighed. "Isn't it clear enough? Although Mom and Dad and all the brothers and sisters value property very much—don't rush to deny it, you came to talk to me about shares, so denying the essence is meaningless—but Mom and Dad and all the brothers and sisters are embarrassed to emphasize this. They insist that family ties are most important in your hearts."

"Eldest Brother, together with Second Sister and the others, go and talk to Mom and Dad about family ties. Indicate that since they always doubt and speculate about each other in property division and can't reach an agreement, we, as children, might as well take the initiative to alleviate their worries. Let Mom and Dad directly divide the property among us children. They won't have to worry anymore and can quickly divorce and gain freedom. How good is that, isn't it?"

Luo Hefeng's expression was grave. "This won't benefit Mom and Dad."

"A family, what's the point of talking about benefits or not? How ugly does that sound?" Luo Qianjian tutted lightly. "Is it that we, as children, will suddenly become disobedient after inheriting Mom and Dad's property early? Don't Mom and Dad have that little bit of confidence in us? We are family. Moreover, we, as children, mainly want to alleviate Mom and Dad's worries. So Mom and Dad can directly give us those complex assets that are difficult for them to divide. We don't want everything."

"Of course, if Eldest Brother particularly wants Dad's shares in Luo Corporation, then you'll have to think about how to operate it yourself. But I believe that Dad, for the stability of the company, will certainly agree to Eldest Brother's demands."

Luo Qianjian raised his eyes. "In short, using the name of family to carry out coercion, aren't you all experts at it?"

Listening to Luo Qianjian's veiled yet sharp and straightforward words, Luo Hefeng felt he should be angry, should feel that the family ties between relatives had been offended.

But...

For a moment, Luo Hefeng couldn't spare the energy to be angry, focusing only on thinking... Mom and Dad might really be willing to directly divide the property among them?

After all, it's just an early inheritance.

Better than Mom and Dad continuing to tangle and argue, affecting the stock price of Luo Corporation.

...

After Luo Hefeng left, Luo Qianjian checked the time and then called the butler, indicating that he suddenly wanted to care about the health of his younger siblings.

So the butler contacted the annex and brought Luo Suiyun, Luo Wenhuan, and Luo Shanting to the outside of the main residence, then accompanied Luo Qianjian to the hospital.

In the car, looking at this third brother they hadn't seen for a long time, the three of Luo Suiyun were somewhat awkwardly restrained.

"Third Brother, the servant said you're taking us to the hospital?" Luo Wenhuan asked.

Luo Qianjian glanced at Luo Shanting's stomach and nodded with interest. "I heard that Shanting has had poor appetite and has been vomiting for the past two days. Let's take you all to the hospital for a checkup."

Luo Shanting pursed his lips. "Thank you for your concern, Third Brother, but... I was actually scared by the lizard... Third Brother, you didn't have to go through all this trouble. If it came down to it, having the family doctor come over for a quick check-up would have been fine. It's too much for you to specially take me to the hospital."

"It's not like that," Luo Qianjian smiled.

Luo Shanting and the others thought he was about to say something polite.

Unexpectedly, Luo Qianjian continued, "Geckos are one of the cuter types of lizards. How could Shanting be scared by them?"

Luo Shanting: "..."

"Still, let's get you checked out at the hospital," Luo Qianjian said with a smile.

To the surprise of Luo Suiyun and the others, Luo Qianjian first took them to a traditional Chinese medicine clinic, where an old Chinese doctor took their pulses, rather than going straight to their usual private hospital.

Though confused, the three of them didn't resist. They were already there, so they might as well follow the arrangements.

The pulse readings for Luo Suiyun and Luo Wenhuan didn't reveal any major issues, merely suggesting they should rest more and recover from their shock.

Luo Suiyun and Luo Wenhuan thought to themselves that they wished they could avoid being startled so often, but they couldn't control it!

Next was Luo Shanting. The old doctor felt his pulse for a while, stroking his beard and probing again carefully before frowning tightly. "This... feels like a slippery pulse... also known as a pregnancy pulse, which is typically associated with a woman being pregnant..."

Luo Suiyun and Luo Wenhuan were shocked once again, their eyes wide.

Luo Shanting was stunned for a moment before angrily pulling his hand back and standing up. "Enough! Third Brother, how could you play such a prank on me with an outsider? I thought you genuinely cared about my health. In the car earlier, I was so happy, thinking maybe the old Third Brother was coming back, and our family could reconcile. But... Third Brother, did you really need to go through all this just to tease me?"

Luo Qianjian clicked his tongue lightly. "Shanting, you should be happy. A man being pregnant will make medical history."

"Third Brother!" Luo Shanting bit his lip in anger, but still addressed him as 'Third Brother', maintaining politeness without using his name.

Luo Qianjian raised his eyebrows slightly. "How about we go to the hospital for an ultrasound?"

They arrived at the private hospital, had an ultrasound done, and then Luo Shanting was diagnosed as being a little over a month pregnant.

Luo Shanting found it hard to believe. His companions, Luo Suiyun and Luo Wenhuan, were even more shocked, repeatedly confirming with the doctor that this wasn't some kind of joke.

The doctor was almost ready to throw in the towel. "If you don't trust the results of our hospital and myself, you can go to another hospital for a second opinion. However, to be honest, I was also shocked when I saw the results. Before telling you, I double-checked them. Mr. Luo Shanting is indeed pregnant."

Luo Shanting's expression was complicated. He touched his stomach, feeling shocked yet... somewhat happy.

After the engagement party, he hadn't been able to contact either Li Zhijin or Li Jifeng. But if he was pregnant...

"Doctor, if my sixth brother had relations with a pair of identical twin brothers around the same time, wouldn't it be difficult to determine who the father is?" Luo Qianjian suddenly interjected with a smile.

Luo Shanting, who had just shown a hint of joy, paled.

Luo Suiyun and Luo Wenhuan were also taken aback.

The doctor was speechless.

For the first time in his career, he encountered a male pregnancy, and the situation was unexpectedly complex.

"If they're identical twins, theoretically, their DNA is the same. So... did the relations happen around the same time?" The doctor looked at Luo Shanting for confirmation.

Luo Shanting's face flushed red and then pale as he nodded.

The doctor sighed. "Well... there's no immediate solution, I'm afraid. Perhaps the twin brothers could have their DNA tested. If they turn out to be fraternal twins, there might be a way to distinguish between them. However, if they look exactly alike, the chances of them being fraternal twins are indeed slim..."

Luo Shanting rubbed his belly, tears falling from his aggrieved and bewildered face. "What should I do? Whose child is this, Brother Zhijin's or Brother Jifeng's? If I can't tell, does that mean the child will be born without a father..."

The doctor felt a pang hearing the two "brothers" from Luo Shanting's mouth, but he maintained his composure, preserving professional decorum and humanistic care. "Actually... you're only eighteen. Have you discussed this with your parents and elders at home? Are you sure you want to go through with the pregnancy? You're still in school, right?"

Luo Shanting instinctively looked at Luo Qianjian.

Luo Qianjian shrugged. "Why look at me? I'm not your elder, and weren't you just suspecting that I was colluding with the doctor to play a prank on you? Now you're looking at me with dependence. You change your face quickly."

Luo Shanting's complexion turned even paler.

After saying his piece, Luo Qianjian sat down in a chair in the examination room, watching the unfolding drama with interest.

In reality, the paternity of Luo Shanting's child could be determined, regardless of whether the original plot was known.

Because after Luo Shanting had relations with Li Zhijin, it was nearly two weeks before he had relations with Li Jifeng. This time difference, combined with the gestational age, was enough to determine whose child it was.

Especially since Luo Shanting was newly pregnant, the early stages of fetal development changed week by week, making it easy to determine the gestational age. Even in later stages of pregnancy, a relatively accurate gestational age could be determined, albeit with more complex testing.

Luo Qianjian had intentionally suggested that Luo Shanting had relations with the twin brothers around the same time, misleading the doctor into giving that answer.

But the doctor confirmed this with Luo Shanting again. Whether Luo Shanting was insensitive to the time difference or went along with the flow by answering that the relations did indeed happen around the same time, only Luo Shanting knew.

However, it seemed to make little difference. Neither Luo Suiyun nor Luo Wenhuan remembered the issue, and no one bothered to look at the examination report, which clearly stated the gestational age.

Given the level of medical knowledge possessed by the protagonists of domineering CEO novels, without someone reminding them, they would endlessly debate "whether Luo Shanting's child belonged to Li Jifeng or Li Zhijin" until the end of time.

Even if they saw the specific gestational age on the examination report, they wouldn't have the awareness to backtrack and calculate the dates. "Mathematics" was simply too challenging for them.

Luo Qianjian was filled with anticipation for the spectacle. While Luo Shanting was still asking questions to the doctor, he took out his phone and sent a message to the group chat—the "Family Group" that included both the Luos and the Lis, created during the preparations for Luo Shanting and Li Zhijin's engagement party.

Luo Qianjian: "Good afternoon, everyone. Would you like to have dinner together? To celebrate Shanting's breakthrough in physiological limits by becoming pregnant, mourn the fact that unfortunately, Shanting isn't sure whether the other father is Young Master Li the First or Young Master Li the Second, and rejoice that Young Master Li the First and Young Master Li the Second are friendly brothers sharing the same roots, so the problem shouldn't be too big."