Chapter 3 Making a Deal

Chapter 3: Making a Deal

In the dimly lit room, Shi Yu sat on the floor, holding a carving knife meant for woodworking. His movements grew increasingly frantic, and the knife accidentally sliced across his finger.

Crimson blood seeped out. He stared at the failed piece in his hand, then hurled it forcefully into the corner. Reaching for the walking stick beside him, he used it to support himself as he stood up.

Shi Yu walked to the balcony and pulled open the curtains, only then feeling the suffocating sensation in his chest begin to dissipate.

Ever since he learned that Shi Ciye intended to give Xinke to Jiang Ji, he had been trapped in a restless, irritable state with no outlet.

Wood carving had once been the one thing that brought him peace. But after Jiang Ji appeared, even that couldn't calm him anymore.

His gaze fell on the small building nearby—the servants' quarters, where Jiang Ji used to live. More accurately, where he had forced Jiang Ji to stay.

Jiang Ji had come to the Shi family when Shi Yu was thirteen.

That year, Jiang Ji was seventeen. His parents had died unexpectedly, and the family's assets had all gone to pay off debts. Shi Ciye, as a friend of Jiang Ji's father, couldn't bear to see his friend's son left homeless while still a minor, so he took him into the Shi household, planning to support him until he graduated from college.

When Jiang Ji first arrived, Shi Yu had tried to win him over. But an ingrate was just that—Shi Yu had fed him well with fine food and meat, yet Jiang Ji had latched onto someone who offered him only two steamed buns.

An ingrate that couldn't be tamed didn't deserve to stay in the Shi residence.

Just as he was thinking this, he saw Shi Yu rushing out of the small building, brimming with excitement.

Shi Yu stared intently at the direction of Jiang Ji's room, lost in thought. In the dead of night, what was Shi Yu doing there?

Before he could reach a conclusion, the light in what had been Jiang Ji's room flicked on, and the window was pushed open from inside.

The moment Jiang Ji opened the window, he felt an intense gaze upon him. He looked up and met Shi Yu's eyes.

As the two stared at each other in silence, Shi Yu came back.

"Brother Jiang Ji, I found the toolbox—" Before he could finish, he saw the light in the room turn back on. He exclaimed happily, "Brother Jiang Ji, you're amazing! You fixed the light without even needing the toolbox."

Jiang Ji turned around. "I didn't fix it. It came on by itself. It's probably been too long since the power was connected—the voltage is unstable."

A flicker of embarrassment crossed Shi Yu's face. He stood still, head lowered. "Brother Jiang Ji, do you think I'm stupid? I'm sorry..."

Jiang Ji's gaze rested steadily on Shi Yu. "Why apologize? The light wasn't broken by you. Shi Yu..." He changed his tone. "Would you like to leave the Shi family with me?"

Shi Yu's head shot up, his eyes shimmering.

"That won't do. A substitute should know their place." Shi Yu leaned against the doorframe, shifting his gaze into the room. Seeing the large and small boxes piled inside, he asked with a slight smile, "Moving?"

When both people in the room turned their attention to him, Shi Yu walked slowly over to Shi Yu with the aid of his walking stick. "Wasn't it you who cried and begged, saying you'd do anything as long as you could stay in the Shi family? A liar must swallow a thousand needles, you know."

Shi Yu stepped back in fear. Jiang Ji pulled Shi Yu behind him and stood face-to-face with Shi Yu. "Young Master Shi, it was the Shi family who proactively offered to adopt Shi Yu, not the other way around. You've tormented Shi Yu all these years—haven't you had enough?"

Unexpectedly, Shi Yu let out a chuckle. "Tormented him?" He walked to the sofa and sat down leisurely, as if it were his own home. "Ask him—would tormenting him let him attend the best schools, wear the best clothes, and eat the best food?

If it weren't for me, he'd probably still be out there scavenging for trash. Even when drinking water, one should remember the well-digger. Jiang Ji, saying that now is meaningless."

Jiang Ji said, "You put him in the best schools, but let his classmates bully him. You gave him the best clothes, but always sent people to dirty them. You fed him the best meals, but he ended up malnourished. Is that what you call not tormenting?"

Shi Yu feigned grievance. "Brother Jiang Ji, how can you slander me like this? People at school bullied him because they heard he was a usurper. As for dirtying his clothes or not letting him eat—wasn't that all his own doing?

Every day, he wakes up busy trying to please everyone, busy making sure everyone knows he's a poor little thing who can't even get enough to eat."

He turned his head to look at Shi Yu cowering behind Jiang Ji. "Shi Yu, you want everyone to sympathize with you, so you can feel justified staying in the Shi family. I'm kind enough to help you, and now I'm the one being blamed. I'm the real pitiful one here."

Shi Yu immediately retorted, "No, that's not what I meant."

Jiang Ji's gaze sharpened. "Young Master Shi, what exactly do you want by coming here tonight?"

Shi Yu rested both hands on his walking stick and said with a grin, "Originally, nothing. I just wanted to pick a fight with you.

But now, Jiang Ji, let's make a deal. You give up your position at Xinke, and I'll let Shi Yu leave with you. From then on, the sky is high for birds to fly, the sea is wide for fish to leap—I won't bother you two ever again. How about it?"

Jiang Ji turned back to look at Shi Yu. "Shi Yu, will you come with me?"

Shi Yu's eyes flickered, then he gritted his teeth. "Brother Jiang Ji, I'm sorry. I can't go with you. I can't leave Mom behind. I'm sorry, Brother Jiang Ji!"

Having said that, afraid Shi Yu would force him to leave, he turned and ran out.

Shi Yu wore an expression of "I knew it." "See? I told you he's the one clinging on shamelessly."

Jiang Ji didn't offer any opinion. Instead, he crouched down again to continue packing his things. "Satisfied, Young Master Shi?"

Shi Yu's smile faded. "Of course not. Jiang Ji, I'm curious—how did you know Shi Yu wouldn't leave with you?"

Jiang Ji paused in his packing, then resumed his usual composure. "I'm not quite sure what you mean, Young Master Shi. Whether Shi Yu stays or goes is entirely his own choice."

Shi Yu watched Jiang Ji's back as he packed. Now, Jiang Ji had shed his immaturity and become increasingly composed—and increasingly unfathomable. It wouldn't be easy to find a handle on Jiang Ji to force him out of Xinke.

"Alright then. I won't disturb you further." He stood up and walked to the door, then turned back as if remembering something. "Oh, one more thing. Stop packing your things."

Jiang Ji thought Shi Yu didn't want him to take anything from the Shi household. "These are all my personal belongings. They have nothing to do with the Shi family."

Shi Yu said, "I mean, you probably won't be able to move out after all."

Jiang Ji finally put down the things in his hands and raised his head. "Young Master Shi, be careful not to lose the greater for the lesser. It's getting late. I won't see you out."

Shi Yu stared at the closed door, his expression inscrutable.

What did Jiang Ji mean...

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