Chapter 8 A-08

Chapter 8 A-08

Since both the uncle and aunt had one son and one daughter, forming a perfect family unit, Yun's parents, after welcoming Yun He into the world, also longed for the character "hao" (好)—a daughter to complement their son and complete their own family.

Unexpectedly, it was another chubby boy. They consoled themselves, believing they were simply not destined for a daughter.

As soon as the eldest cousin finished speaking, his biological sister rolled her eyes. "The youngest doesn’t need etiquette classes, and Yun Qian never attended them either. You should be worrying about yourself!"

The eldest cousin groaned silently in frustration.

Yun Xiu curled his lips into a smile and said to her, "Big Sis and Second Sis, no need to worry. Grandpa always calls on you last anyway."

Since their family had no daughters, addressing them directly as Big Sis and Second Sis avoided confusion and felt more intimate.

Yun Xiu took his second brother’s hand and introduced him to the older cousins: "This is my second brother. None of you better bully him!"

Excluding Yun He, the eldest cousin was the tallest among the younger generation. He looked at Yun Qian, who stood half a hand’s width taller than him, and shook his head repeatedly. "Of course not. We’re all family here."

That’s rich.

With that height, that build, and facial features so strikingly similar to Yun He’s, who would dare bully Yun Qian?

With his younger brother’s help, Yun Qian made the rounds, getting to know all his peers. Once they warmed up, they exchanged contact information.

At first, he still had reservations. Having grown up in a completely different environment from these relatives, he worried they might have little in common and suspected it might be his own fault. But all those concerns vanished in that moment.

Yun Qian tilted his head slightly and caught sight of the young boy’s bright, lively eyes and cheeks as smooth and pale as porcelain, reinforcing his earlier conviction—

*My brother is good; outsiders are bad!*

Since their family returned late, the round of reports to Grandpa ended with the eldest cousin. The three other cousins who hadn’t been called cheered with joy, while the eldest cousin looked utterly miserable.

Although they knew Grandpa Yun would likely question them again after the meal, it was like school exams—no student dislikes a notice postponing a test.

Yun Xiu and Yun Qian were the youngest in the family and were seated far from Grandpa Yun. Yun Qian ate relaxed and even took time to serve dishes suitable for Yun Xiu, helping his younger brother eat.

Zhao Limei had overthought it—the Yun family did not have a rule against talking during meals. They usually chatted lightly while eating.

Not too much, but they still talked.

The old man had a poor appetite and ate quickly. He set down his chopsticks and said, "Yun Qian will start school soon. Postpone the banquet; wait until he finishes his etiquette lessons before holding it."

Mother Yun had initially wanted to hold the banquet early so the children could return to school sooner. But upon second thought, if Yun Qian made etiquette mistakes at the banquet, she and Father Yun had thick skins and wouldn’t mind being laughed at—but they worried that Yun Qian, with his thinner skin, might take it to heart.

Grandpa didn’t ask Father Yun or Mother Yun for their opinion but instead looked toward Yun Qian at the far end of the table. "What do you think?"

Yun Qian didn’t particularly care whether the banquet was held or not. His household registration had already been transferred to the Yun family, and he had signed over a dozen property transfer agreements. With money, all worries vanished, and he wasn’t overly concerned about formalities.

Feeling a hand from the next seat rest gently on his thigh, he patted it reassuringly and nodded to Grandpa. "I’ll follow Grandpa’s arrangement."

Hearing him call him Grandpa, the old man tried to summon a warm smile but gave up when he couldn’t quite manage it. With a weary expression, he made the decision: "The banquet is tentatively scheduled for three months from now. By then, your etiquette lessons should be nearly complete."

With that settled, the adults moved on to other topics, and attention shifted away from Yun Qian.

Yun Xiu leaned in to whisper to his second brother: "Grandpa doesn’t dislike you; he’s like this with everyone. Later, you’ll receive a big red envelope from him, and also from Aunt and Uncle."

Warm breath brushed against his ear. The young boy sat lazily, slouching like an invertebrate, his shoulder pressed against Yun Qian’s, his hand resting on Yun Qian’s thigh. They were so close that if Yun Qian turned his head just slightly, his lips could gently graze and suckle the jade-like earlobe.

Yun Qian was startled by his own absurd and inappropriate thought.

Yun Xiu was his younger brother—how could he let his imagination run wild like this!

With the banquet postponed by Grandpa, Yun Xiu and Yun Qian still had a week before school started. The old residence was far from the company, and Yun He couldn’t work remotely every day, so the family of five returned home after staying at the old residence for two days.

Yun Xiu thought their current family dynamic would last for a long time and was already contemplating how to frame Yun Qian when Mother Yun suddenly announced that she and her husband were going on a trip.

"The weather is too hot. Your father and I are going to North City to escape the heat. If you need anything, ask your Big Brother, understand?"

Mother Yun, wearing a flowing dress and a sun hat that covered most of her face, stood with Father Yun, who was carrying their luggage, addressing the two younger ones sitting on the sofa watching TV.

"Mom, Dad, how long will you be gone?"

Yun Xiu was stunned. If he was going to frame someone, he needed an audience. With their parents gone, who would scold him?

It wasn’t that he didn’t pin his hopes on Yun He, but his Big Brother seemed like the strict type who would handle his younger brother’s mistakes himself without telling their parents and then supervise the correction. Yun Xiu’s ultimate goal was to be sent away—if the truth was covered up, that wouldn’t do!

Mother Yun laughed. "Is our little one going to miss Mom? It won’t be long, about two months. We’ll have to come back early to prepare for your second brother’s banquet anyway."

Yun Xiu felt like a bolt from the blue. Two months wasn’t long?!

But he knew he had no reason to make his parents stay. He said pleadingly, "Then I wish you a pleasant trip. Remember to think of us."

Yun Qian, more independent than Yun Xiu, wasn't one for long goodbyes and simply said, "Be safe."

Mother Yun smiled and gave each of the two children a hug before leaving with Father Yun.

After their parents left, Yun Xiu felt a bit down. But tasks couldn’t be completed overnight—everything needed a process of development. Since the path involving his parents was blocked, he decided to try the side quest involving Yun He.

His role as the cannon fodder seemed simple, but the high degree of freedom made the plot difficult to control. Any deviation could steer the storyline in an unpredictable direction.

Yun Xiu chose the safest approach: maintain his character persona while advancing both the main and side quests.

However, maintaining the persona required inference on his part. A person’s character is shaped by their upbringing, and Yun Xiu knew he couldn’t replicate it exactly—he could only try to be as similar as possible. So, he divided the tasks in this world into one main quest and three side quests.

The main quest was to frame the true young master. To make this main quest effective, he needed to advance three side quests: increase the parents’ favorability, decrease the eldest brother’s favorability, and gain a bad reputation.

The latter two side quests were self-explanatory in their purpose.

"Increasing the parents’ favorability" was because, ultimately, the parents were the decision-makers in the Yun family. Yun He could decide all company matters, but he couldn’t decide Yun Xiu’s fate.

If Yun Xiu acted obedient and filial in front of his parents, and then news of him harming his sibling behind their backs reached them, his parents would investigate on their own without him needing to push. Then, with just one strong push, the family would no longer tolerate him.

Yun Xiu mentally reviewed his task plan, feeling it was flawless and brimming with confidence.

In front of Yun Qian, he asked the housekeeper to prepare a lunchbox to bring to the company for Yun He later.

Yun Xiu tilted his head. "Second Brother, can you come with me to the company later? Let’s deliver lunch to Big Brother together~"

Yun Qian wasn’t too keen on delivering lunch to Yun He. *The Yun Corporation was a large company—surely it had a staff cafeteria.*

Especially with the scorching August heat, he worried his younger brother might suffer heatstroke on the way. But since Yun Xiu seemed so enthusiastic, he suppressed a pang of an unfamiliar feeling and agreed.

Yun Xiu didn’t like taking the car. After asking Yun Qian’s opinion, he had the driver drop them off at the subway station, and they took the subway downtown.

Away from the Yun family environment, Yun Qian visibly relaxed a lot.

The Yun family was wealthy, but he had grown up in a lively, ordinary neighborhood. A few days of luxurious living hadn’t yet accustomed him to having chauffeurs or dining at high-end restaurants where a single meal could cost over a hundred thousand.

There was one thing he didn’t say: being with Yun Xiu felt more relaxing than being with other members of the Yun family. This was also one of the reasons Yun Qian had accepted Yun Xiu so quickly.

Yun Qian didn't know this was because Yun Xiu had been a background side character, and simply thought they had clicked immediately.

City A is the most economically developed city in China, and every subway station is packed. The two waited through two trains before finally boarding a slightly emptier car.

Yun Qian held the lunchbox in one hand and used the other to box his younger brother in between the car wall and himself, preventing others from squeezing him.

As he watched the boy’s face, focused intently on playing a Candy Crush-like game, he suddenly felt that "Yun Xiu truly belonged in the Yun family." He could endure his own background, but he couldn’t imagine Yun Xiu being raised in similar circumstances.

The moment this thought surfaced, he inwardly scoffed at himself, feeling like a masochist.

The subway stopped at Chengbei East Road Station.

Yun Xiu pulled Yun Qian off the train just before the doors closed, said with lingering unease, "Next time we have to leave earlier. We can’t get caught in the rush hour again."

Yun Qian straightened his brother’s disheveled collar and smiled faintly, "This isn’t even peak rush hour. Next time I’ll take you on the subway at six."

Yun Xiu tilted his chin up slightly, "Whatever. By then, it’ll be you squeezed between people, not me."

He didn’t believe Yun Qian would ever let him stand on the outside.

Yun Qian chuckled but didn’t argue, acknowledging silently.

After exiting the subway station, the gleaming logo of the Yun Corporation was visible just across the street. They only needed to walk a few dozen meters to enter the company.

The receptionist at the front desk greeted them with a professional smile and asked, "Who are you here to see? Do you have an appointment?"

The original host had always been somewhat afraid of his eldest brother, Yun He, and avoided him like the plague. He had never once considered visiting the company for fun. So while the staff knew the Yun family had a younger son, no one knew what he looked like.

Yun Xiu shook his head, "No appointment. Let me see if I can get one now."

Receptionist: ???

Then she watched as the young man took out his phone, dialed a contact, and the call was answered in less than three seconds. A voice she both recognized and didn’t quite know came through the receiver.

"What’s wrong?"

Receptionist: !!!

The CEO!

Yun Xiu smiled at her and spoke into the phone in a voice eight times sweeter than usual, "Brother, Second Brother and I are downstairs at your company. I brought lunch that I made myself. Can we come up?"

The receptionist was stunned. Wasn’t it said that the boss hated people who put on airs?

Their boss was young, a self-made success, worth billions of dollars, and—most importantly—unmarried. Of course, some had tried to set him up through marriage.

Once, the son of a business partner came insisting on seeing Yun He. She was on duty that day and called to ask for the boss’s instructions.

Yun He had said, "Send someone who can speak coherently to discuss cooperation."

The visitor had been proposing marriage, not a business deal.

But they took the hint—the boss had no interest in an arranged marriage. The speculation spread, and eventually, it morphed into "Yun He dislikes pretentious people."

She had no idea how the rumor had gotten so distorted, but she’d agreed with her colleagues’ interpretation. And now what was she hearing?

The boss actually said in a softened tone, "Come on up."

Well, perhaps not gentle exactly.

Compared to how he usually spoke at the company, it was the difference between a warm spring day and a freezing winter.