Yang Le quickly booked the best restaurant nearby and drove the father and son over.

This might be the first time in Xie Ci’s life that he sat down to have a proper meal with his biological dad. After putting aside the identity of a “victim,” he was finally able to have a calm conversation with his father.

After finishing the meal, Xie Ci gave Xiao Fang a bath in the yard. When it was a little past three in the afternoon and he was getting ready to head back, Xie Qian started to feel anxious again.

Xie Ci noticed his unstable emotions and explained, “I have to move dorms tomorrow, so there’s a lot to do. I need to get back early to pack my things.”

Xie Qian asked, “Do you want me to help?”

“No need.”

Worried that his blunt refusal might hurt the old man’s feelings, Xie Ci added, “I’m already this old; if I need my parents to help me move dorms, my classmates will laugh at me.”

Xie Qian replied, “Then should I drive you back?”

Xie Ci said, “Aren’t you going to have class soon? I can just take the bus.”

After saying that, he noticed Xie Qian looking a bit down, and that expression was just like Xiao Fang with his droopy eyelids—more like a father and son than he and Xie Qian were.

Just as they were about to head out, Xie Ci suddenly thought of something and turned to Xie Qian, saying, “Starting this month, you don’t have to pay alimony to my aunt anymore. If you really have money to spare, just transfer it to me directly.”

Xie Qian caught the meaning behind his words: “Are you planning to stop living at your aunt’s house?”

Xie Ci nodded, “I’ll be living on campus for my entire senior year, and I’ll probably live on campus in college too. I won’t have time to go back to that house.”

Xie Qian thought about it and found it reasonable. The thought of being able to live with his son in the future made him feel a bit better.

“Then if you need to spend money on anything in the future, just ask me directly.”

Xie Qian had Yang Le bring over a bank card and some cash, handing it to Xie Ci. “It’s not safe to carry too much cash. If you run out, just withdraw more. I’ll have Xiao Yang transfer money to this card at a fixed time every month.”

Xie Ci glanced at it and accepted it without hesitation.

Xie Qian went to prepare for class, and Xie Ci walked to the entrance, squatting down to pat Xiao Fang’s head. “I’ll come see you again this weekend. While I’m not here, make sure to take good care of him for me.”

Xiao Fang whimpered a couple of times, rubbing against Xie Ci’s palm, and waited at the door until Xie Ci walked far away before Yang Le took him back inside.

The bus arrived at four in the afternoon, and since there was still a ways to go home, Xie Ci wasn’t in a hurry and decided to walk back.

“Hey, is that you, Xiao Ci?”

Xie Ci turned to the voice and saw an uncle in a slightly worn jacket, who was setting up a stall by the roadside, staring at him.

“It really is Xiao Ci! Long time no see!” The uncle waved at Xie Ci with a smile. “Wow, you’ve grown taller! Come over and let your cousin take a look!”

Xie Ci recognized him right away.

This was his cousin who used to bring them vegetables when he lived at his grandmother’s house. Sometimes, when there were issues with the plumbing or electricity at home, his grandmother would always send him to find this cousin for help. He was one of the few honest and warm-hearted relatives.

Xie Ci sat down on the folding stool that his cousin had set up and listened to him ramble on about the past while his gaze wandered over the stall in front of him.

Calling it a stall was a bit of a stretch; it was just a bedsheet laid on the ground with some children’s toys displayed on it.

Xie Ci roughly calculated that even if everything sold out, the profit wouldn’t exceed two hundred yuan.

“I heard you’re planning to kick your aunt’s family out of the house?”

The cousin peeled an orange and handed half to Xie Ci. “That won’t do! You’re old enough to understand; your aunt raised you, and it wasn’t easy…”

Xie Ci wasn’t surprised that this news had reached his cousin’s ears.

His aunt had that kind of personality; if anything didn’t go her way, she would rally everyone to morally pressure him into admitting he was wrong.

If this had happened before, Xie Ci might have just walked away, but he was no longer the boy who could be bound by morality.

Xie Ci took the orange and said, “I was raised by my grandmother. By the time I went to my aunt’s house, I was already old enough to take care of myself and didn’t cause her much trouble.”

The cousin replied, “That’s true; you’ve always been independent. Out of all the kids in the family, you were my favorite. It’s a pity you ended up with irresponsible parents. If I hadn’t failed in my business back then, I would have taken you to live with me. But your aunt has also worried a lot about you. If there are any conflicts, don’t really get angry with her. Just sit down and talk it out; after all, we’re family.”

Xie Ci didn’t respond, looking at the bustling street. After a moment, he pointed at a man in the distance holding a child’s hand. “If he gave you twenty thousand a month and a villa to raise his child, would you be willing?”

“How much?! Twenty thousand a month?! And a villa?!”

The cousin was so excited that his voice went up an octave. “Don’t say just one child; if he brought a few more, I’d take care of them just fine!”

Xie Ci nodded, eating the orange without saying anything more.

The cousin, realizing what Xie Ci was implying, widened his eyes in surprise. “Are you saying your aunt…?! But she’s never mentioned it!”

Xie Ci chuckled, “Why would she mention it? What if someone tries to take the child away from her?”

The cousin was suddenly at a loss for words, his expression changing rapidly.

If what Xie Ci said was true, it wasn’t about worrying that the child would be taken away, but rather about the money slipping away!

The wind was strong on this street, and after sitting for a while, Xie Ci decided to head back just as his cousin’s wife arrived with food.

Eating in a place like this, the food would get cold before you could even take a few bites.

Xie Ci suggested his cousin eat in a sheltered alley while he helped keep an eye on the stall for a bit.

In the alley, the cousin’s wife opened the lunch box and handed it to him, glancing at the stall and couldn’t help but laugh, “Look at how handsome Xiao Ci has grown! Just sitting there brings in business; he’s really a living advertisement!”

But the cousin’s mood was a bit heavy.

“I need to find a time to talk to Yu Rou.”

The cousin’s wife turned back to look at him. “What’s wrong?”

The cousin replied, “She’s very competitive; she always compared herself to her sister when they were kids. Xiao Ci must have suffered at her house; otherwise, he wouldn’t say such things.”

In front of the stall, Xie Ci was dealing with more and more customers, most of whom were middle-aged men and women holding children’s hands.

He had never set up a stall before, but listening to the children chattering away didn’t annoy him; instead, it felt quite fresh.

Across the street, a Land Rover pulled over.

Gu Yu Feng looked through the car window at Xie Ci, who was happily setting up his stall, and felt terrible.

He knew Xie Ci wasn’t doing well, but he didn’t expect it had come to the point where he needed to set up a stall on the weekend.

Sitting by the roadside, exposed to the wind and sun, with no place to shield himself, he had to force a smile to please customers just to sell a few toys.

He was Xie Ci; how could he endure such suffering?

Gu Yu Feng couldn’t take it anymore and said to his driver, Luo Bo Sen, “Go buy all the Ultraman toys from that stall.”

“Huh?”

Luo Bo Sen turned his head in confusion. “Didn’t you say you wanted to get back at him because he called you a pig?”

It sounded as childish as two kindergarten kids.

Gu Yu Feng replied, “What’s the point of getting back at such a pitiful person? Let him fatten up first.”

Luo Bo Sen: “……”

The little boss gave a firm order, and as a worker, he had to comply. Luo Bo Sen put on a hat and mask for a simple disguise and headed to the stall.

But business was too good; a circle of kids surrounded it, and he didn’t have a chance to make a move.

As the toys dwindled, he seized the opportunity when the previous wave of customers left, quickly grabbing the bedsheet and running off.

Just as Xie Ci was about to catch this troublemaker, a shadow flew toward him. He instinctively caught it and saw it was a familiar hundred-yuan bill, the kind that hadn’t been unwrapped yet, and immediately understood who was behind this.

“Hey! What are you doing?!”

Seeing the stall being robbed, the cousin dropped his bowl and chased after him. “Don’t run! Give me back my stuff!”

Xie Ci only felt a gust of wind rush past him, and by the time he called out to his cousin, this fierce middle-aged man had already chased over two hundred meters.

“Why are you calling me? I can’t catch up to him!” The cousin returned, panting.

“He didn’t steal anything.” Xie Ci handed him the stack of money he was holding.

The cousin was shocked, flipping through it back and forth, worried it might be fake. “You’re giving so much?! This isn’t a trap, is it?”

“Whether it is or not, it doesn’t matter; the stuff is sold out.”

Xie Ci looked at his cousin’s weathered face, which, despite being around the same age as his father, looked much older. “I remember you wanted to open a small noodle shop, right? Now you have the capital! The old street behind the high school has a good location, and the rent isn’t expensive. You should find a time to check it out.”

The cousin frowned, “But that’s a lot of money…”

“This is what he willingly gave; don’t worry about it. Feel free to spend it.”

As he spoke, Xie Ci glanced over at the Land Rover across the street. “There are always people in this world who love to throw money around.”

The cousin: “……”

Are there really such people?

Gu Yu Feng, who was being stared at through the glass, cursed under his breath.

He would eventually have to return this brainless assistant to his mother.

The car door opened, and Luo Bo Sen sat back in the driver’s seat, panting after making a big detour. “That was scary… that uncle ran so fast, I almost got caught!”

Gu Yu Feng was speechless and didn’t want to talk.

Luo Bo Sen handed a bag of items to the back seat. “I got it back; if I had waited any longer, I wouldn’t have been able to.”

Gu Yu Feng’s head hurt. “…Do you think this is a zero-dollar purchase in M country?”

Luo Bo Sen was confused. “I paid for it.”

Gu Yu Feng replied, “Next time you go out, don’t say you’re my assistant.”

Luo Bo Sen didn’t understand. “Why?”

Before Gu Yu Feng could answer, someone knocked on the car door beside him. He had a mouthful of curses ready but swallowed them back. “You’re more trouble than you’re worth.”

Luo Bo Sen thought he was praising him for running fast and excitedly asked, “What do you mean? I don’t understand idioms.”

“It means you’re stupid.” Gu Yu Feng rolled down the car window.

Luo Bo Sen: “……”

He should have known better than to ask.

As the window rolled down, Xie Ci stood outside, looking down at him. Gu Yu Feng smiled casually, “What a coincidence, running into the beautiful and charming Xie team here.”

Xie Ci raised an eyebrow slightly. “Looks like our fateful connection is quite deep. Do you have time to let me treat you to a meal?”

Gu Yu Feng asked, “Why the sudden invitation?”

Xie Ci replied, “I just came into some unexpected wealth, and if I don’t spend it, I won’t feel at ease.”

Gu Yu Feng: “……”

Damn.

At seven in the evening, Gu Yu Feng arrived home.

The hall was brightly lit, hosting a business cocktail party.

Gu Yu Feng, holding the tattered bedsheet printed with big peonies, walked through the entire hall without a care, heading back to his room.

“Hey, isn’t that the young master Gu who just returned to the country?”

A sarcastic voice emerged from the crowd. “Coming back so late; where were you picking up trash?”

Followed by a few unfriendly laughs.

Gu Yu Feng stopped and glanced over, spotting a few young people in their twenties, one of whom was his second uncle Gu Yong An’s son, Gu Chu Ran.

“That bedsheet looks so smelly; I really don’t know where you got it.”

“Young master Gu actually has a habit of bringing home garbage.”

“He doesn’t seem very bright; can he really handle the Gu family’s huge estate?”

Gu Chu Ran, holding a glass of red wine, elegantly smiled as he met Gu Yu Feng’s gaze. “Don’t say that; he’s still young and just got used to a new environment; it’s normal to be a bit out of sorts.”

Others around noticed the commotion and turned to look.

Gu Yu Feng and Gu Chu Ran were cousins, both of noble status, but in this setting, Gu Chu Ran was dressed in formal attire, exuding elegance, while Gu Yu Feng was in sportswear, holding an ambiguous package, making him seem out of place in this luxurious hall.

Not far away, Gu Yong Nian, who was socializing, noticed his son being bullied and signaled Lin Ying to help.

But before Lin Ying could get there, Gu Yu Feng made his move first.

Gu Yu Feng handed the bedsheet to Luo Bo Sen, signaling him to take out the items and display them on the nearest dessert table.

More people curiously gathered around, wanting to see what he was up to.

In front of everyone, Gu Yu Feng opened the packaging and took out the Ultraman toys, casually arranging them on the table. He looked at everyone and said, “Everyone here tonight are my father’s close friends. To thank you all for your support of my father, I specially prepared limited edition merchandise for this banquet—only ten available, each priced at one million, and they’ll be sold for half an hour. I hope you all like it.”

Luo Bo Sen, who was setting up the table, was speechless.

The little boss finally stopped pretending.

Gu Chu Ran and his group were completely taken aback by Gu Yu Feng’s bold move.

One of the boys who had mocked Gu Yu Feng earlier couldn’t help but retort, “What limited edition merchandise? Isn’t this just the broken toys sold at a stall? You’re unwrapping them in front of us; they sell for ten yuan outside, and you want to sell them to us for a million?! Do you think we’re all fools?”

Gu Yu Feng calmly replied, “Are the toys at the stall the same as the ones in my hands?”

The boy retorted, “They’re the same!”

Gu Yu Feng said, “You should take more time to learn and broaden your horizons; otherwise, decades from now, your Wang family will still be a small household, unable to stand on the big stage.”

The boy was so angry that he couldn’t curse in such a setting.

Gu Chu Ran didn’t rashly speak up, waiting with his friends to see Gu Yu Feng make a fool of himself.

Unexpectedly, a partner’s CEO soon approached the dessert table, picking up one of the toys and holding it with affection. “My son loves Ultraman; I want one!”

Once he said that, it was unstoppable. A crowd of people, all presidents of major corporations, surrounded the table.

“My daughter loves it too.”

“I need a decoration for my office; this is just right.”

“You’ve filled your place with them; let me have this one.”

To everyone’s surprise, the toys were snatched up in a frenzy, and within two minutes, they were all reserved.

Gu Chu Ran and his group looked extremely grim; the things they had just deemed trash turned around and sold for ten million, as if Gu Yu Feng had slapped them in the face in public.

In the back, a thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy saw his dad successfully grab a toy and returned with a victorious expression, quietly asking, “I thought you were pretty shrewd; why did you go and become a fool?”

The boy’s dad replied, “You don’t understand this, do you? In this situation, it doesn’t matter if it’s Ultraman or leftover clam shells; everyone will fight for it.”

The boy was shocked. “Why? Isn’t it too much to curry favor with the Gu family? Trying to get close will only make you look small, right?”

The boy’s dad pulled his son a bit further away and lowered his voice. “You noticed that the two brothers of the Gu family don’t get along, right?”

Seeing the boy nod, his dad continued, “Just now, young master Gu was bullied; whoever buys the toy is helping him out. He’s the only son of Gu Zong, and helping him is helping Gu Zong. Although it’s just a small favor and doesn’t count as a big deal, smart people will use this favor wisely. Given the Gu family’s current scale, even a little bit leaking out is worth far more than a million.”

The boy thought about it seriously and finally understood.

The toy wasn’t the point; Gu Yu Feng was clearly telling everyone—I’m giving you all a favor; it’s up to you how fast you can grab it.

Gu Yu Feng was actively presenting the opportunity to them, and that was different from groveling.

So, in that sense, the Ultraman was indeed a friendly price.

Gu Yong Nian watched this scene, smiling as he dealt with people coming to toast him. “My son loves to play; I hope you all don’t mind.”

He said this, but he showed no intention of stopping it.

By the time Lin Ying reached Gu Yu Feng’s side, the toys were already sold out.

Gu Yu Feng asked her, “I remember the Gu family has its own charity fund?”

Lin Ying replied, “Yes.”

“Then let’s use this ten million to establish a special fund.”

As he said this, Gu Yu Feng’s gaze swept over to Gu Chu Ran. “To help those poor children with poor eyesight and low intelligence.”

Lin Ying held back her laughter and agreed, “Okay, I’ll handle the follow-up.”

Gu Chu Ran was publicly humiliated, and at twenty years old, he still wasn’t mature enough, turning red with anger but could only swallow his frustration.

Gu Yong An, who had been watching the whole process, couldn’t keep a straight face and turned away with a serious expression.

In the second round of their uncle-nephew showdown, Gu Yu Feng won decisively.