Chapter 9 Pay Up!

Chapter 9: Pay Up!

After the two left, Yu Wei let out a long sigh. He had soaked in the bath for half an hour earlier, barely managing to decide to stay away from these 2D characters, find a small city to return to his old job at a small company as an accountant to survive. But after hearing Bai Sijia's words, Yu Wei couldn't help but waver again.

He was an orphan—no parents. Maybe he had them, but he never knew them—he never experienced family affection in his past life, and he didn't expect any in this life either. But now, Mr. and Mrs. Yu treated him well. Even though he wasn't close to the Yu family, he couldn't just do nothing knowing they were doomed.

Yu Wei was lost in thought when his phone, placed on the bedside table, vibrated twice. He drank the milk the auntie had warmed up, unlocked his phone one-handed, and checked his WeChat.

Lin Hao texted him, inviting him to lunch the next day.

The next day, Yu Wei arrived on time for the appointment. Lin Hao had picked a private dining restaurant. A staff member led Yu Wei down a maze of hallways to a private room and opened the door. As Yu Wei walked in and saw the two people sitting inside, he paused, rolling his eyes internally.

He thought Lin Hao wanted to discuss business cooperation, but since he had brought Lin Zerui, it was probably not about work.

"Xiao Wei, you're here." Lin Hao greeted him warmly. Yu Wei forced a weak smile, barely moving his lips, and walked into the room. The staff member behind him had already closed the door and left.

Lin Hao glanced at Lin Zerui next to him and subtly motioned for him to pull out a chair for Yu Wei. But Lin Zerui kept staring at Yu Wei, completely ignoring his dad. Seeing him just sit there, Lin Hao prompted him, "Don't just look—get up and pull a chair for Xiao Wei."

"No need." Yu Wei chose the seat farthest from Lin Zerui and sat down.

From the moment Yu Wei walked in, Lin Zerui was slouched in his chair, eyes locked on him, probing and studying him. At first, Yu Wei pretended he wasn't there, but by the end of the meal, Lin Zerui hadn't even touched his chopsticks and was still staring like he wanted to burn holes in Yu Wei's face.

Just then, Lin Hao heaved a heavy sigh. "Mr. Lin personally called to scold Zerui yesterday. He's probably upset—that's why he hasn't eaten a thing all day."

Yu Wei said nothing.

"I wonder how Mr. Yu knew you two met yesterday. Does he really not trust you to run the company and has someone tailing you?" Lin Hao seemed to realize what he'd just said and quickly covered his mouth. "Not that I'm saying he doesn't see you as a son. He probably just wants to look out for you."

It sounded like he was covering up a slip, but every word was basically saying Yu Cheng didn't really treat you as a son and had you watched.

It was obvious Lin Hao was trying to drive a wedge between them, but Yu Wei still took it to heart.

Last night, he could already tell that his adoptive parents didn't like Lin Zerui, and they had subtly hinted at Lin Zerui's flaws. Today, Lin Hao was blatantly driving a wedge between him and his family. He decided to meet Lin Zerui on the spur of the moment and didn't tell his driver or anyone.

Yu Wei wasn't interested in the intentions of either side. But if Lin Hao was right, and Yu Cheng had indeed handed the company over to him on the surface while secretly having him watched, then Yu Wei felt he needed to reconsider his decision from last night.

Lin Hao, seeing that Yu Wei was listening, didn't say more. When the meal ended, Lin Zerui hadn't opened his mouth once, acting as background scenery the entire time.

As they walked out after the meal, Lin Hao was in front, leaving the two of them alone.

"Yu Wei, you're ruthless enough." Those were Lin Zerui's first and last words to him today. After saying that, he strode ahead, leaving Yu Wei confused.

"Psycho."

...

That evening, Yu Wei returned home but didn't directly go to his bedroom. He had been thinking about Lin Hao's words all day. Since Lin Zerui was of questionable character, he found Lin Hao unreliable too—his credibility was too low.

He decided to ask Yu Cheng himself how he knew about the meeting with Lin Zerui.

Yu Wei got off work late, but no matter how late he came home, Bai Sijia and Yu Cheng would wait for him to eat together. Since he had transmigrated, Yu Wei had always found excuses to avoid eating with them. Even if he didn't eat, they would still ask. Today, as usual, they called him for dinner. Yu Wei didn't refuse; he washed his hands and sat down at the table.

Seeing him eat with them, Bai Sijia was clearly delighted. Yu Cheng had a poker face, but he was in a good mood—he ate two extra bowls of rice and frequently added food to Yu Wei's and Bai Sijia's plates.

The Yu family didn't have many rules at the dinner table. The three ate and chatted, enjoying a harmonious time together.

"Dad, how did you know I met with Lin Zerui yesterday?" Yu Wei asked casually.

"It was Lin Hao. He texted us in the afternoon, saying you were playing with Lin Zerui and might be home late."

Bai Sijia immediately asked the auntie to bring her phone, tapped it a few times, and handed it to Yu Wei.

Yu Wei: "..." So it wasn't Yu Cheng spying on him; it was Lin Hao who set it all up. No wonder they say "like father, like son." He could get to the bottom of it with just a single question. How could Lin Hao be so sure that Yu Wei wouldn't ask Yu Cheng and just believe his words instead?

Besides, what benefit was there for Lin Hao in driving a wedge between him and Yu Cheng? Other than work-related advantages, Yu Wei couldn't think of anything else.

After finishing lunch, Yu Wei got up to leave, but Bai Sijia called him back.

"Today is the 23rd. Pay attention. If you feel unwell, go find Uncle Wang immediately and come home."

Yu Wei didn't get it but nodded anyway.

Back in his bedroom, Yu Wei sent a message to Lin Hao. Whatever his motive, Yu Wei decided to play along.

"Since I'm not his biological son, it's natural for Mr. Yu not to fully trust me with the company. But Mr. Lin can rest assured—it won't affect our cooperation."

The other side replied quickly. "No need to be so formal and call me Mr. Lin. Just call me Uncle."

Yu Wei chatted with him for a while before receiving a call from Yu Song.

As soon as he answered, Yu Song's sobbing came through the phone. Yu Wei frowned and moved the phone away. "Keep it down. You're gonna make me go deaf."

Yu Song's voice cut off instantly, but two seconds later, he cried even louder.

"What's wrong? Did someone bully you?" Yu Wei asked, though inwardly he thought, "It's a miracle he didn't bully someone else."

"Bro, the figurine you gave me for my eighteenth birthday got broken by someone crashing into it."

Yu Wei was speechless. "Just buy a new one if it's broken. Crying over a figurine like that—so embarrassing." As a rich young master, was it really that big of a deal?

Yu Song cried even more sorrowfully. "It's different. The one you gave me is special."

Yu Wei: "How much? I'll buy you a new one."

"It's a limited edition. Fifty-three thousand."

"How much?" Yu Wei snapped awake, his voice breaking as he almost screamed. He rubbed his ear. "How much did you say?"

Yu Song repeated it, and Yu Wei almost fainted.

Fifty-three thousand yuan for a figurine, and it got smashed just like that. He ground his teeth. "He has to pay! Make him fork it over!"

Yu Song had originally called for comfort, but ended up comforting Yu Wei instead. He spent half an hour calming his brother down and promising that whoever broke the figurine would pay up before they finally hung up.

Author's Note:

Thanks to baby Jing Yu'an for all the bottles of nutrient fluid and mines~ Love you, mwa~

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Thanks to baby Huai Ju for the nutrient fluid~ Love you, mwa~

Thanks to baby Wu La Quan for the mines~ Love you, mwa~

I'll be posting extra-long chapters these days. Sorry for not updating on time—I was swamped with real life stuff. This won't happen again. Double updates or big chapters may drop anytime~