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Chapter 37
“Shen Zilin! Over here!”
Qiao Cen excitedly waved when he saw the person, his loud voice easily drawing the attention of pedestrians around them, all of whom turned to look.
However, they didn’t recognize Qiao Cen because he was bundled up tightly. They all looked at the tall, handsome guy in black standing by the roadside, holding a phone, with admiration in their eyes.
The guy was very tall, easily over 1.8 meters, dressed in all black casual wear. His legs were long and straight, strikingly beautiful— the kind of figure that any girl would envy.
He wore a black cap, pulled low, so only his sharp side profile and attractive chin could be seen.
Although his face wasn’t fully visible, he exuded a unique charm that unwittingly drew the attention of passersby.
Two pretty girls stared at him for a long time, their expressions filled with admiration. They boldly approached to ask for his contact information, hoping to be friends with him.
However, the man politely rejected them. “Sorry, I have friends.”
The two girls were visibly disappointed, but when they saw Qiao Cen waving at them from a distance, they exchanged looks of realization, then walked off.
Before they left, one of them said, “Sorry to bother you, wishing you both happiness!”
The man in black, “…”
As they reached the car, Qiao Cen gave Shen Zilin a fist bump, then hugged him before saying, “Shen Zilin, welcome back!”
Shen Zilin replied, “Thanks.”
“By the way, were those two girls just asking you for your contact information?” Qiao Cen chuckled. “You’re quite the charmer. Even on the street, girls approach you. So, did you add them?”
“No.” Shen Zilin smiled, glancing at him. “I told them I had friends, and they stopped bothering me. They even wished us happiness.”
Qiao Cen stared at him, then suddenly realized what he meant. He raised his hand and punched him lightly, angrily scolding, “Damn, Shen Zilin, you have no shame!”
Shen Zilin helplessly asked, “What did I say wrong?”
“You—” Well, he didn’t say anything particularly offensive, but Qiao Cen glared at him. “Then why were you looking at me like that?”
“Isn’t it rare to talk to you without looking at you?” Shen Zilin said before Qiao Cen could jump in, “Do you want to keep talking to me outside the car? Aren’t you afraid of being recognized?”
“If you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have forgotten. Let’s get in the car.” Qiao Cen quickly opened the door for him. “My sister is still inside!”
Qiao Cen got into the driver’s seat, while Shen Zilin was about to sit in the passenger seat. However, someone was already sitting there.
Although he had never officially met Qiao Chuchu, he had seen her on a variety show with Qiao Cen and had a deep impression of her.
So, he sat in the back seat.
Qiao Cen eagerly introduced them, “Sis, this is my good buddy, Shen Zilin, who just came back from a training camp abroad. He’s amazing at gaming. We should play together when we have time.”
He then spoke seriously, “Shen Zilin, take a good look, this is my lovely, beautiful sister. We look very alike, don’t we? She’s really great—pretty, smart, and a fantastic cook. Being her brother is the best thing ever.”
The pride in his eyes was overflowing, and Shen Zilin clearly understood.
He smiled, his bright black eyes shining like stars in the night sky, “Hello, Sister Qiao, I’m Shen Zilin. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Qiao Chuchu nodded at him, “Hello, I’m Qiao Chuchu.”
【I didn’t expect Brother Qiao to have such a serious friend. He’s pretty handsome. Let me see if he has any bad habits. We need to make sure Qiao Cen doesn’t get led astray by him.】
Qiao Cen’s face was full of curiosity and gossip, eager to hear about Shen Zilin’s dark past.
Shen Zilin was confused. “?”
Hadn’t she said anything? Or was he imagining things?
【Huh, turns out there’s nothing. He really doesn’t have any bad habits and is an exceptionally outstanding person. From childhood to now, his grades have always been excellent, winning awards every year. He’s well-behaved and smart, the kind of kid everyone envies.】
【However, when it came time to choose a university, he had a disagreement with his parents. He resolutely chose to pursue esports, causing his parents to be furious and even attempt to sever ties with him. But his choice turned out to be right, as he later became the king of esports, bringing glory to the country.】
Shen Zilin’s fingers tightened. Her words brought up memories from his past.
Qiao Cen looked disappointed for a moment, but then his expression changed to excitement. He eagerly reached out, patted Shen Zilin’s shoulder, and said something random.
“Don’t overthink it. Sticking to your choice was the right decision.”
Shen Zilin wanted to ask about Qiao Chuchu, but saw that Qiao Cen blinked and turned away, clearly not wanting to talk further.
“?”
Did he know something?
After reading the information, Qiao Chuchu’s impression of Shen Zilin had increased by 100 points, and she felt at ease with her brother playing games with him.
She said, “I’ve heard about you from Xiao Cen a long time ago. You’re not what I imagined.”
Shen Zilin asked, “How am I different?”
“Your personality.” Qiao Chuchu remembered when she had played games with him on behalf of Qiao Cen before—he was quite fierce.
Shen Zilin smiled apologetically when he heard this. “Sorry, I won’t do that next time.”
“Oh, Shen Zilin, you’ve changed!” Qiao Cen quickly replied. “Next time, you’re not allowed to scold me. If you do, I’ll fight you!”
“Also.” He suddenly remembered. “Shen Zilin, you’re older than me and also older than my sister. You’re not allowed to call her ‘Sister Qiao.’“
His sister could only be his sister. No one else was allowed to call her that. Besides, Shen Zilin already had an older sister.
Shen Zilin thought for a moment and then asked, “Can I call you ‘Chuchu’?”
“Sure.” Qiao Chuchu nodded. “Then I’ll call you ‘Zilin.’“
Shen Zilin agreed.
—
The first meeting went smoothly, and Qiao Cen was very satisfied. They decided to go have a big steak dinner before dropping Shen Zilin off at home.
Because of the gaming issue, he had a falling out with his parents and was no longer living with them. Instead, he lived in a small community he had bought.
Qiao Chuchu and Qiao Cen helped him tidy up his place, and after that, they spent some time playing games together.
Qiao Chuchu got a taste of the feeling Qiao Cen had described—being carried by a pro player in games. This time, Shen Zilin wasn’t as harsh. He played steadily, guiding them with ease, and it was indeed a thrilling experience.
Through these sessions, Qiao Chuchu started to grasp the basics of the game and slowly began to enjoy it.
But she couldn’t play too much. The priority was still her studies, and she had to focus on getting Qiao Cen’s studies in order. The college entrance exam was only three months away, and time was running out.
Shen Zilin was very good at studying, and he happened to be on a break recently. Qiao Chuchu proposed a plan to help Qiao Cen with his review and studies.
He nodded in agreement. “I can do it, as long as he wants to learn. I can teach him all night long.”
“Help!” Qiao Cen groaned. “I don’t want to study for that long, and I don’t want to stay up all night. I need to protect my hair!”
He didn’t want to become a bald idol. That would be an extremely painful thing.
Qiao Chuchu nodded. “You don’t have to stay up all night, but during the day, you must study. Play fewer games. Also, remember to study during your work breaks. We’ll strictly arrange a study plan for you. I hope you won’t disappoint us.”
“Call your manager for the work schedule, and we’ll make arrangements.”
Seeing that they were serious, Qiao Cen had no choice but to accept their goodwill and called his manager.
The manager was very surprised but also agreed. “Sure, Xiao Qiao, you’ve finally decided to study seriously. That’s great. I’ll send you the schedule later.”
He had been worried about Qiao Cen’s grades for a long time, and now it seemed that his sister was going to take charge. As expected, it took the bloodline pressure of an older sister to manage her younger brother.
Soon after, the manager sent over the schedule and kindly added, “If you don’t have enough time for studying, just let me know, and I’ll reduce your work arrangements.”
Qiao Cen replied, “Thank you.”
Qiao Chuchu and Shen Zilin combined Qiao Cen’s work schedule for the next month and created a strict study plan for him, ensuring his grades would improve within a month.
When Qiao Cen looked at the study plan, he almost fainted. “Are you sure this is the right approach for me?”
“Sure, definitely, absolutely,” Qiao Chuchu said. “There’s not much time left for you. You need to hurry up.”
Shen Zilin smiled. “If your grades don’t meet the standard after one month, we’ll increase the study load. So, in order to make things easier next month, you need to study hard starting this month.”
Qiao Cen almost wanted to spit blood. “Shen Zilin, get lost. I shouldn’t have been looking forward to your return.”
“I will leave, but not now,” Shen Zilin whispered devilishly. “Come on, let’s start studying.”
Qiao Chuchu also said, “Come on, let’s study.”
—
After that day, Qiao Cen carried books with him wherever he went, constantly muttering to himself, but others couldn’t understand what he was saying.
Qiao Bo looked at him in surprise. “What’s going on with him?”
Qiao Chuchu smiled. “Big Brother, Xiao Cen has realized his responsibility. He will study hard from now on. If you have time, please supervise him and help him solve any difficulties.”
Qiao Bo smiled seriously. “Okay, I won’t go easy on him.”
Qiao Cen, who had never liked studying, finally started taking it seriously after Qiao Chuchu returned.
It was clear that Qiao Chuchu had done something remarkable to bring about this change.
Qiao Haiyi and Du Shuyu were also surprised by their youngest son’s change. “Is he really going to study hard now?”
“Yes, Dad, Mom.” Qiao Chuchu repeated what she had said earlier. “When you have free time, you can supervise his studies.”
She added, “By the way, Mom, could you help with the nutritional meals for Xiao Cen’s studies?”
“Of course, leave it to me.” Du Shuyu smiled. “Chuchu, thank you.”
“Thank you for coming back, bringing hope and warmth back to our cold home. We’ll take good care of our three children.”
Yang Yuze’s incident caused quite a stir online and had been a hot topic for a long time.
With the whole internet aware of the situation, his matter was even posted on Weibo, which was clearly manipulated behind the scenes by someone.
Meanwhile, Yang Yuze was severely retaliated against by the Jiang family, cutting off any chance he had to make a comeback. Under the charges of serious crimes and penalties, he was sentenced to forty years. Now at thirty years old, it seemed certain that he would spend the rest of his life in prison.
It was only now that he truly understood the consequences. Crying and begging to see Jiang Manrou, but she refused to meet him. With his heart full of anger and resentment, he entered prison.
His imprisonment once again stirred up a huge uproar online, sparking heated discussions and angry comments.
Dear Us variety show also once again topped the trending searches because of this incident. The increased traffic was good for the show’s ratings, but they faced a dilemma: they had to cut out all of Yang Yuze’s scenes from the show.
Director: “Sigh, this is too difficult.”
Why is it that every new guest seems to bring a scandal? Now he was afraid of inviting new guests, worried that two more bombshells would show up and affect the program’s image.
Suddenly, he had an idea. For the next guest, he decided to organize a pre-show gathering of guests, hoping that Qiao Chuchu could help him identify and remove any potential troublemakers.
Once he confirmed the new guests, he would proceed with this plan.
—
Qiao Chuchu had no idea about the director’s concerns. She was currently hosting a visit from Jiang Manrou, accompanied by Jiang Manwen and Tong Zhichen. They brought many expensive gifts with them.
Jiang Manrou kindly said, “Chuchu, I felt an instant connection with you the first time we met. I’ve wanted to visit you for a long time, but I’ve been busy with other matters and didn’t have the time. Please forgive me for the delay.”
Her family had been dealing with Yang Yuze’s issue for some time. Once they had thoroughly suppressed him and ensured he wouldn’t rise again, they could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Qiao Chuchu hesitated. “Hmm… you’re too kind. You don’t need to bring so many gifts when you come empty-handed.”
【What’s going on with the Jiang family? Do they all love giving gifts to others?】
Jiang Manrou understood that Qiao Chuchu might not realize her inner thoughts, which could be overheard by everyone. But since they couldn’t speak about these feelings openly, she knew that as long as she understood it herself, that was enough.
Jiang Manwen chimed in, “Exactly, Chuchu, don’t feel uncomfortable. It’s the right thing to do.”
She was extremely grateful to Qiao Chuchu for helping her sister see through Yang Yuze’s true nature, preventing even greater harm.
Even if the Jiang family had to give half of their fortune to Qiao Chuchu, it would be well deserved. She had done them an immense favor, a favor that couldn’t be repaid with just a few words of thanks.
“Chuchu, since Miss Jiang is so sincere in visiting, we’ll gladly accept your gifts.”
At that moment, Qiao Haiyi and Du Shuyu slowly walked down the stairs.
Jiang Manrou, Jiang Manwen, and Tong Zhichen greeted them together, “Hello, Mr. Qiao, Mrs. Qiao, we apologize for disturbing you again.”
Du Shuyu welcomed them warmly, “Guests are always welcome. No need for formalities. Please, take a seat.”
They hadn’t intended to come down, but there were some rules of high-society interaction they wanted Qiao Chuchu to understand, and they didn’t want her to be overly reserved. She should live happily.
Once the adults left, the atmosphere in the room clearly became a bit tenser. Jiang Manrou and the Qiao couple chatted for a while, during which they subtly conveyed that they loved Qiao Chuchu and wanted to be her friends, but they would never stab her in the back.
Of course, they were aware of this, and they didn’t dare to cross her, especially since Qiao Chuchu possessed an all-knowing gossip system, which was something no one could afford to offend.
They didn’t want to offend her, they just wanted to be her friends.
After the conversation, Du Shuyu and Qiao Haiyi left, giving the space to the younger ones. It was clear their conversation became a bit more relaxed.
They chatted about daily trivial matters and asked about Qiao Chuchu’s studies and life.
Qiao Chuchu felt that people from wealthy families weren’t as fierce as they were portrayed on TV, they were actually quite friendly.
By the end of the conversation, everyone exchanged WeChat contacts and became friends on WeChat.
—
That afternoon.
When Qiao Chuchu finished school, it was her parents, Du Shuyu and Qiao Haiyi, who personally came to pick her up. She was a bit surprised. “Mom, Dad, why are you here? Aren’t you busy today?”
Du Shuyu asked for her opinion, “It’s not a busy day for us. We’re going to attend a friend’s wedding banquet today. Chuchu, would you like to come with us?”
This friend was also one of their business partners, and they had a good relationship. They often interacted, and on the first day Chuchu was back, he had even brought a gift to their house.
It just so happened that Chuchu wasn’t home that day, so they didn’t get to meet.
“A wedding banquet?” Qiao Chuchu asked with some interest, “Is Big Brother and Qiao Cen going?”
【The friends of my parents who are close to them must come from good families. This kind of high-society banquet is full of gossip, and there’s always something to enjoy. But if I go alone with my parents, it might be a bit lonely. I won’t know anyone there.】
“Xiao Bo has work, so he can’t go. We haven’t asked Qiao Cen yet,” Du Shuyu immediately understood what her daughter meant. “He’ll probably go. We’ll go pick him up now.”
Qiao Cen’s focus was now on his studies. In order to avoid distractions, his manager had minimized his work schedule and pushed back any engagements that could be postponed, giving off the impression of a parent determined to see their child succeed.
Qiao Cen was attending an elite private school, and given his current fame, almost everyone at school knew him. The girls adored him, but the boys weren’t as fond of him.
Because of Qiao Cen, the attention of the girls was always on him, leaving the other boys with no girls to like. And those who liked girls no longer liked them either, so naturally, they were all upset.
Qiao Cen didn’t care about them. When he saw his family’s car outside the school and noticed his sister waving at him, he happily ran toward her like a puppy.
“Sis, why are you here to pick me up?”
The joy on Qiao Cen’s face couldn’t be hidden. He was so happy to be picked up by his sister after school.
“It’s not just me, Mom and Dad are here too.”
As Qiao Chuchu moved aside, Qiao Cen finally saw their parents sitting in the backseat. His enthusiasm for them was noticeably lower. He called out, “Mom, Dad,” and then got into the car.
Inside the car, he learned why his parents and sister had come to pick him up. It turned out that Uncle Ma was getting married again. Qiao Cen had always liked Uncle Ma, who would always give him toys when they met. Of course, he wanted to go to his wedding banquet.
“Alright, alright, I’ll go,” Qiao Cen said. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier? I didn’t prepare a gift.”
Qiao Haiyi replied, “We only received the invitation recently. There’s still time to prepare since it’s not too late.”
He added, “Old Ma is the kind of person who loves giving people surprises. You remember that from when you were little, right?”
“Ah hahahaha, yes.”
Qiao Cen awkwardly laughed, clearly not wanting to bring up the matter.
Qiao Chuchu, curious, picked up on the moment and couldn’t resist browsing through his past. She had to forcefully hold back her laughter.
【Wow, so little Qiao Cen used to be so timid. Even a moving big bear could scare him into crying. Hahaha, cough, cough, I didn’t mean to laugh.】
Qiao Haiyi and Du Shuyu exchanged a glance, both their eyes filled with amusement.
Qiao Cen: Wuu wuu wuu wuu wuu! This is so embarrassing!
He now felt that having a sister with a gossip system wasn’t always a good thing. Of course, it wasn’t fun when she dug up his embarrassing history!
The family had all prepared gifts and helped Qiao Chuchu and Qiao Cen change into formal attire for the wedding. After dressing up, their appearance and temperament instantly elevated.
Du Shuyu personally helped Qiao Chuchu adjust her dress and smiled as she complimented, “My daughter is really beautiful, I just can’t get enough of looking at you.”
“That’s because my mom is also beautiful, which is why I look beautiful,” Qiao Chuchu’s words made Du Shuyu smile even more brightly, and she playfully tapped her daughter’s nose, “Little girl.”
Qiao Haiyi asked, “Chuchu, when will your foster parents be back? We need to prepare for your welcome banquet.”
They had originally planned to hold a banquet the day they brought her home to announce her return. However, Chuchu said her foster parents were out of town for rural teaching duties, so they postponed it.
“Probably around June or July.” Qiao Chuchu didn’t really care about the banquet, “No rush.”
Since she said so, the couple could only listen to her.
—
Qiao Haiyi’s friend, Ma Bing, started in the jewelry industry and became a leader in the field, holding great status and influence.
However, his luck wasn’t great. He had lost three wives, and now he was marrying a fourth—a young and beautiful woman, looking to be in her early twenties. She was also a recently rising star in the entertainment industry.
Qiao Cen stared at the poster for a while. “Uncle Ma’s wives just keep getting younger. This time he’s got someone so young.”
He recognized this woman from when he saw her on a variety show. She quickly became famous and had constant resources flowing her way. Many people said she had climbed the social ladder, and it seemed to be true.
It turned out that Uncle Ma was the one supporting her behind the scenes, which explained how she became so famous in such a short time.
Qiao Chuchu nodded, “Yes, she’s really young.”
【So this is the life of the rich? His new wife could practically be his daughter. It’s like the saying [1]“old bull eating tender grass” is a colloquial expression used to describe an older man having a relationship with a much younger woman, typically in a romantic or sexual context. It … Continue reading’old bull eating tender grass.’ Wow, I wonder if he can keep up on their wedding night.】
Qiao Cen almost choked on his saliva. “Cough, cough, cough—”
Please, sister, stop thinking like that. He couldn’t handle it.
Qiao Chuchu looked at him confused, “What’s wrong with you?”
“I’m fine!”
Qiao Cen handed over the gift and they entered the wedding hall. The place was already filled with guests, all dressed in suits and shining jewelry, clearly people of high status. They exchanged toasts and chatted with smiles.
Qiao Haiyi and Du Shuyu each had their own social circles, so after giving a few greetings, they left.
Qiao Chuchu and Qiao Cen didn’t like to crowd around where there were too many people, so they found a quiet place to enjoy the food.
The pastries there were all made by a local dessert shop, and they tasted delicious.
Knowing that his sister loved sweets, Qiao Cen placed one of each flavor of pastry in front of her.
Qiao Chuchu wasn’t being polite. She was a bit hungry and happily took more.
Qiao Cen told her, “Sis, my manager just called. I’m going to take this call and I’ll be back in a minute.”
“Go ahead.”
After he left, Qiao Chuchu was left to find food on her own. As she went to the drink area, someone approached her.
The approach was quite cliched. He struck a pose he thought was cool but came off as a bit sleazy. “Hey, I feel like I’ve seen you before. Have we met before?”
Qiao Chuchu, feeling thirsty, was too busy looking for a drink to pay attention to him.
No one could have imagined that this obnoxious guy would keep hovering around her, even blocking her path by leaning his hand against the table. “Hey, little sister, I’m talking to you. It’s only polite if you respond.”
Only then did Qiao Chuchu look at him. He really did look as sleazy as he acted. “Oh, do you still like it this way?”
She smiled, and the obnoxious guy cried.
“Ow, ow, ow!”
“You—are you looking to die?”
The obnoxious guy jumped up, clutching his foot, hopping in place and howling in pain. His dramatic reaction caught the attention of many people nearby.
Qiao Chuchu said, “You have some unique hobbies. If you’re looking to die, just go to the bathroom. There’s none of that here.”
She had deliberately worn a pair of pretty heels to match her dress, thinking it would be useful for dealing with sleazy guys, as she’d seen on TV. It seemed the television dramas weren’t wrong—his reaction looked pretty painful.
“You—” The sleazy guy was so furious his head seemed to be steaming. “Do you know who I am? In this area, no one dares to mess with me. Do you know what will happen if you offend me?”
Qiao Chuchu genuinely had no idea, but she decided to check out the sleazy guy’s background.
Seeing she wasn’t responding, the sleazy guy thought she was intimidated and arrogantly said, “Apologize now, become my girlfriend, and go out with me tonight, and I’ll forgive you this time.”
Qiao Chuchu ignored him, happily lost in her own world of gossip.
【Oh, got it! This sleazy guy’s name is hilarious—[2]“Ximen Sabi” (西门撒畢) could be interpreted as a humorous or mocking name like “West Gate Fool” or “Silly West Gate.”Ximen Sabi, hahahaha, what a joke. His parents sure know how to pick names, hahaha.】
【And—】
【Wait, what? He’s really playing around, shoving a yellow eel down there!】
In the next second, the once lively wedding hall went completely silent. All eyes turned toward the scene unfolding.
References
↑1 | “old bull eating tender grass” is a colloquial expression used to describe an older man having a relationship with a much younger woman, typically in a romantic or sexual context. It emphasizes the age difference, with “old bull” representing the older man and “tender grass” symbolizing the younger woman. |
---|---|
↑2 | “Ximen Sabi” (西门撒畢) could be interpreted as a humorous or mocking name like “West Gate Fool” or “Silly West Gate.” |
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