Chapter 10: Clinging to the Thigh

**Chapter 10: Riding Coattails**

"What sugar daddy? I was talking about your little... ugh! That's not the point!"

Almost fell for this brat's trap.

Jian Song pointed at the young man’s nose and said, "Jian Ye, stop making baseless accusations! The whole family knows about your shady dealings with that gigolo. Cut the act!"

Jian Ye thought to himself that if Yu Wei knew he was seen as nothing but a pretty boy in the Jian family, he’d probably be just as furious and contorted with rage as Jian Song looked now.

"Even if you gave the money to that pretty boy, how could you lie to Grandpa and say it was for his gift? Doesn’t that eat at your conscience?" Jian Song crossed his arms, feeling smug about his little speech.

He glanced sideways at the old man, whose face had gone gray, and couldn’t help but smirk slightly.

Jian Ye, let’s see you worm your way out of this!

Ignoring Jian Song’s words, the young man touched the left side of his chest and looked at the old man. "Grandpa, I’ll give you the gift later in the main hall. I was being childish before and made you angry. I know I can’t make up for the pain in your heart, but I still want to do my best to show my filial piety."

"Grandpa..." His voice trembled slightly as he spoke. "I’ll listen to you from now on and never make you worry about me again."

Old Mr. Jian had initially been roused to anger by Jian Song’s exaggerated accusations, but now, under the teary eyes of his youngest grandson, his heart softened involuntarily.

Jian Ye had inherited all the best features from his parents—he'd hit the genetic jackpot.

For a moment, the old man felt dazed, as if he were looking at a young Jian Zhengshu.

Especially now that Jian Ye had dyed his hair back to its natural color, the resemblance was even stronger.

Jian Song, seeing that Jian Ye was completely ignoring him, felt like he was punching air. The old man was even starting to be swayed by Jian Ye’s act—his earlier efforts to stir up trouble were fizzling out!

Seeing this, Jian Song quickly interjected, "Grandpa, don’t buy Jian Ye’s act. You know exactly what kind of person he is. He’s definitely lying aga—"

"Enough," Old Mr. Jian waved his hand impatiently, cutting him off.

Truthfully, the old man wasn’t sure whether Jian Ye was telling the truth, but he didn’t want to dwell on it anymore.

At least Jian Ye had shown remorse for his past foolishness and expressed regret.

As long as the boy didn’t stubbornly cling to his mistakes, the rest wasn’t that important.

"Let’s all go inside. Arguing in the courtyard first thing in the morning—you’ve scared off all my birds!"

Old Mr. Jian’s birds were free-range. They would fly into the courtyard to eat at the right time and return to their cages to sleep at night—smart little creatures.

Seeing the change in the old man’s expression, Jian Ye knew the incident from last time was finally behind him and let out a quiet sigh of relief.

He could tell Jian Song was probably seething inside, so he deliberately walked ahead of him, swaggering and even throwing in a little hip sway.

After all, the old man was leading the way and wouldn’t notice his sudden change in demeanor.

Jian Song, trailing behind, nearly bulged his eyes out of his head.

Son of a—! Knew this brat was putting on an act in front of Grandpa! Now he dares to provoke me?

Jian Song couldn’t stand anyone showing him up, especially when he was already in a bad mood. If someone tried to out-smug him, he'd make damn sure to—

"Worthless punk, move your ass!" Just as Jian Ye was about to step over the threshold into the main hall, Jian Song kicked him from behind.

Jian Ye had long been on guard, knowing this guy couldn’t resist lashing out. Anticipating the move, he deliberately took a dive forward.

Jian Song's foot was just inches away from his back.

He clearly hadn’t made contact, yet the boy in front went flying like a cannonball into the center of the hall, crashing heavily to the ground.

"Ah!" Jian Ye let out a blood-curdling scream, using every ounce of his acting skills.

—

Inside the ancestral hall,

Jian Ye’s uncle, aunt, and the rest of the second branch of the family had already arrived.

His second cousin, Jian Shishi, was leisurely painting her flashy nails, looking utterly relaxed.

The elders sipped their morning tea, their cheerful facade barely hiding the tension simmering beneath.

The seemingly peaceful scene was shattered by the sudden arrival of the flying boy.

The crash startled everyone.

In an instant, teacups hit the floor, nail polish bottles rolled across the room, and gasps of shock turned into utter chaos—a cacophony of noise.

Jian Shishi stared at her new dress ruined by spilled nail polish, and stood up in fury, shouting, "Jian Ye! Haven’t you done enough damage already? Wherever you go, chaos follows!"

"Good grief... what on earth is happening now?" Aunt Zhu Yan smoothed her hair, her face pale with shock.

"A Jian family man who can’t even walk properly—what kind of disgrace is this?" Uncle Jian Zhengqing frowned sternly, his voice thick with scorn.

"Ah, elder brother, don't be too harsh," Second Uncle Jian Zhenghua interjected. "Xiao Ye is still growing—he might be calcium-deficient. We’ll have the kitchen fix him some tonics. Still, a boy his age shouldn’t be so weak."

"He’s just a sissy! A good-for-nothing! Letting some guy jerk you around like a puppet—how stupid can you get? Don’t you dare say you know me when you go out—you’re an embarrassment!" Jian Shishi, still fuming over her ruined dress, naturally had nothing kind to say to Jian Ye.

Beside her, Second Aunt Tao Xuemei tugged at her sleeve, signaling her to hold back—after all, the old master was present—and pretended to soothe her, "Enough, it’s just a dress. Your little brother didn’t mean it."

Jian Ye clutched his chest in pain, struggling to get up.

In this whole damn family, not a single person stepped forward to help him or even asked if he was hurt.

Since transmigrating into this world, this was Jian Ye’s first time returning to the ancestral home. One little test was all it took to reveal the cold indifference of this household.

These folks sure could yap. He’d waited forever for them to finish their speeches.

Finally, just as it was his turn to perform, Jian Song—who had followed in behind—spoke up again.

"You did this on purpose again, didn’t you? What the hell are you trying to pull?"

Jian Song hadn’t been able to join the “happy family” conversation earlier because Jian Ye’s stunt had left him utterly baffled.

He never touched him—yet Jian Ye went flying.

For a moment, he almost wondered if he’d unlocked the Kamehameha.

"System 748: All personnel present, lights in position, audience seated, stage ready. Host, it’s showtime."

"Jian Ye: Worry about your own Green Tea Points. You’re a terrible MC."

"System 748: Oh."

Faced with the barrage of hostility from all sides, the boy remained silent, slowly pushing himself up with his hands. Suddenly, as if realizing something, he panicked and frantically felt around his chest.

When he pulled out a pile of broken pieces, tears finally overflowed in large drops.

He sobbed uncontrollably, stammering through his words, "Grandpa... I'm... I'm sorry... the gift I wanted... wanted to give you... it's broken, boo hoo!"

Everyone looked over to see several pieces of celadon porcelain in the young man's hands—clearly, before breaking, it must have been a beautiful vessel.

Old Mr. Jian recognized it at a glance as a Ru kiln celadon teacup.

He was the family's most devoted tea lover and had amassed quite a collection of tea sets over the years.

Earlier, when Jian Ye mentioned spending his entire month's allowance on a gift for him, he hadn't thought much of it.

But now, seeing his little grandson sitting on the ground, clutching the celadon shards and weeping bitterly, his heart ached.

It felt as though what had shattered wasn't just an inanimate object, but the boy's very soul.

Old Mr. Jian had remained silent earlier, observing every bit of the scene where everyone turned against Jian Ye.

He suddenly realized he'd never paid attention to this child's circumstances before.

However others spoke of the boy, he'd never stepped in.

Whether those words were harsh or damaging to a child's spirit, he'd never considered.

Only when it all unfolded before him did he truly grasp how utterly helpless the boy was.

Yet faced with such cruel words, Jian Ye hadn't resisted at all—as if indifferent, or perhaps numb from long habit.

The only thing that seemed to matter to the boy now was the shattered Ru kiln celadon cup, his expression one of heartbreak.

In that moment, Old Mr. Jian saw the child's sincerity—he had genuinely wanted to give him a gift, and was genuinely remorseful.

"Quick, quick, help the young master up! Why is everyone just standing there?!"

At Old Mr. Jian's command, the servants sprang into action. The hall had been so charged with tension earlier that no one dared breathe.

Everyone knew perfectly well whose favor truly mattered in this household.

They'd all witnessed exactly how the young master fell—it was the eldest young master who'd kicked him hard from behind.

That kick had been downright vicious, probably delivered with full force—how else would the porcelain in the boy's arms have shattered?

But with all the masters and mistresses present, the servants hadn't dared voice the truth or help Jian Ye.

Only when Old Mr. Jian spoke did they finally relax, able to openly assist the young master.

As Jian Ye was helped up, his whole body still shook with sobs.

"Ye'er, come here." Old Mr. Jian's expression softened as he beckoned.

The boy hesitated but approached his grandfather, when an aged hand settled on his head.

Old Mr. Jian patted his grandson's head with unexpected gentleness.

"There now, dry your tears. Grandpa understands Ye'er's intentions." Old Mr. Jian picked up a shard from Jian Ye's hands and examined it. "This Ru kiln celadon cup was indeed top quality—it must have cost you your whole month's allowance."

Jian Ye muttered quietly, "It cost even more..."

Old Mr. Jian paused, then burst into laughter. "Is my grandson saying I don't give him enough allowance?"

Jian Ye pursed his lips: "I wouldn't dare… The allowance you give me is more than enough, it's just…"

"Just what?"

"It's just that today I broke something in cousin Jian Song's suitcase, and cousin Jian Shishi's dress also…" As he spoke, the boy cautiously looked up at Jian Shishi, looking like a scared puppy afraid of being scolded.

Old Mr. Jian was moved by this small gesture from Jian Ye—clearly the child hadn't done it on purpose.

If Jian Song hadn't forced Jian Ye to carry his suitcase, would the items inside have broken? And as for how Jian Shishi's dress got stained, doesn't she have any idea?

How could they blame Jian Ye for this?

Old Mr. Jian immediately made a decision: "Those are small things. Grandpa will compensate them for you, so stop worrying about it."

"Grandpa! Why are you taking his side?!" Jian Shishi protested loudly.

Jian Song was even more disbelieving: "Yeah, Grandpa! My camera and laptop had important photos and documents stored inside! You—"

"Shut up, both of you!" Old Mr. Jian roared, and the two instantly shrank back like quails.

Old Mr. Jian's aura was so powerful that even Jian Ye standing nearby trembled from the booming voice.

He really was the undisputed head of the family, the pillar of the Jian household.

This was someone he needed to stay close to!

"Author's Comments"

Jian Xiaogou: Ah—!!! (Cartoonishly flying through the air jpg.)

Jian Song: ??? Did I even lay a finger on you??! (Existential crisis jpg.)