Chapter 35: Have Your Standards Improved?

“Exactly! Wu Jin is so short-sighted. He sold out Brother Nan for just fifty thousand yuan!” Tao An blurted out angrily. But the moment he felt a chill in the air, he looked up and quickly corrected himself, “I mean, he betrayed Brother Nan.”

“Brother Nan, you’re practically a god! Who would dare sell you out?” Tao An fawned, clutching his pounding heart, terrified that Jun Nanye might decide to send him to mine ore in Africa.

Jun Nanye cast him a sidelong glance.

Undeterred, Tao An continued, “Brother Nan, shouldn’t we bring Su Wu back? He used to be your personal bodyguard. He only went to Cloud City to deal with the raw gemstones there.”

Wu Jin had been with the company for two years before becoming Jun Nanye’s driver that spring. Everyone thought he was honest and reliable—who would’ve guessed he was a silent, backstabbing dog?

“You dare tell Su Wu about this?” Jun Nanye raised an eyebrow.

Tao An immediately shook his head. “No, no! We can’t let Su Wu find out. If he does, he’ll raise hell! But Brother Nan, your safety—”

“I’ll have Qi Fei come over tomorrow,” Jun Nanye said, pinching the bridge of his nose. If his elder brother found out about today’s incident, he’d never hear the end of it. “Remember to keep your mouth shut about what happened today.”

“Don’t worry, Brother Nan. I won’t say a word. With Qi Fei around, I feel much better,” Tao An replied, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. Su Wu had only been gone a few months, and Brother Nan had already gotten into such a mess. If Su Wu found out, Tao An would be lucky to survive without getting skinned alive.

Just as Jun Nanye was about to get into the car, Tao An dashed into the courtyard, glanced around, and muttered, “Brother Nan, how can you sleep so soundly in this dump?”

Jun Nanye’s lips twitched. He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes to rest.

At the hospital, Jun Nanye sent Tao An to handle the paperwork and payments while he headed straight to Doctor Su’s office.

“Brother Nan, you’re injured?” Doctor Su asked curiously, noticing the haphazardly bandaged wound. “Who could do this to you? Knife wounds?”

He tore off the bandage and immediately saw it for what it was—a deep knife wound. Without proper disinfection, Jun Nanye would’ve been lucky to avoid an infection.

“Su Wei, just hurry up and bandage it. If you keep talking, I will bleed to death,” Jun Nanye reminded him, expression flat.

Su Wei, who was already cleaning the wound, fell silent.
Wasn’t I already doing that?

“Can’t you take better care of yourself?” he muttered as he worked. “You were always getting hurt before, but even after joining the Jun Family, it’s still happening. Don’t tell me this was Jun Fengjin’s doing?”

“Relax. It’s just a scratch,” Jun Nanye said dismissively. When Su Wei warned him it might sting, he didn’t even flinch. Instead, he asked, “I heard about your father’s condition. Need any help?”

“No thanks. I’m not cut out for business.”

“This is so delicious, Dad! Next time, don’t get up so early to stir-fry noodles. It must be exhausting.”

It was raining today, so Cheng Yuan couldn’t go for her run. She left for school at seven, contentedly patting her full belly. Her dad’s stir-fried noodles were the best thing in the world.

“It’s not tiring. I wanted some too,” Cheng Huaien said, looking at the empty plate with satisfaction. “Yuanyuan, there’s something I want to discuss with you.”

“What is it, Dad?” Cheng Yuan straightened up, curious. It was only 6:30; there was still time before school.

Cheng Huaien cleared his throat, trying to find the right words.

“Dad, have you decided to be with Aunt Yu?” Cheng Yuan asked, her eyes sparkling like peach blossoms. Her bright, unwavering gaze made Cheng Huaien visibly uncomfortable.

“Yuanyuan, I see Aunt Yu as a younger sister,” he said seriously.

“Oh,” Cheng Yuan replied, her voice tinged with disappointment. “Mom’s been gone for so many years. If you ever want to remarry, I’d fully support it!”

She made her stance clear.

“Yuanyuan, your mother was the only woman I’ll ever love,” Cheng Huaien said, glancing at her. “I know you were only five when she passed and don’t remember her well, but she truly loved you…”

“Dad,” Cheng Yuan quickly interrupted, pressing her hands together apologetically, “I was wrong. What were you going to tell me earlier?”

She shouldn’t have assumed he had moved on. In his heart, there would only ever be her mother. At first, she’d been interested in hearing those stories, but now… her ears were starting to grow calluses.

Cheng Huaien took out some money. “This is the profit from the clothes you left behind. Aunt Yu sold them all, and we split it evenly.”

Cheng Yuan happily counted the bills. Over three hundred yuan had turned into more than sixteen hundred—it felt like she’d struck gold.

“Oh right, we need to pay Aunt Yu too. She can’t help us for free,” she said, but Cheng Huaien explained, “Aunt Yu said Xiao Qing only took fifty yuan that day and felt bad splitting the profit. I told her we’d settle it once you got back, but she insisted on handing it over, saying she absolutely wouldn’t take any money for selling the clothes.”

“That’s fine,” Cheng Yuan replied. She knew Aunt Yu was the type who refused to take advantage of others. She didn’t press the issue. Frowning slightly, she added, “But the monthly break is still ten days away.”

Ten more days before they could sell another batch of clothes.

“Yuanyuan, I can go into the city to buy the new stock,” Cheng Huaien offered. Cheng Yuan’s eyes widened, and she swallowed hard.

I know Dad’s taste all too well. That outdated fashion sense… Even if he makes money, he still wears the same old shirt and black pants every day. He’ll never pick out anything good.

“Yuanyuan, just tell me which shops to go to. My eye for style isn’t great, but I can ask the owners for advice,” Cheng Huaien added, his face turning a bit red. He had never cared much about clothes.

“The wholesale market is huge, Dad. Can you even find the right shops?” Cheng Yuan pictured the maze of stalls.
Without someone familiar with the layout, it’s like searching for a needle in a haystack.

“I can,” Cheng Huaien said confidently.

He was eager to get started. Selling clothes meant earning money—and helping Aunt Yu. And money in hand always brought peace of mind.

“Alright, I’ll draw you a map,” Cheng Yuan said, pulling out a blank sheet of paper. She marked the market entrance and carefully listed the names of the shops they usually bought from.

Cheng Huaien stared at the route map and began silently committing it to memory. “Yuanyuan,” he asked, “do you know all the owners’ surnames?”

“Of course,” Cheng Yuan replied, clearly reciting them one by one.

He nodded solemnly, taking it all in. “Don’t worry, Yuanyuan. I’ll definitely pick out some nice clothes.”

“Dad, just focus on coats and pants,” Cheng Yuan reminded him. “Make sure you get all the sizes.” She even went over the markups in wholesale pricing in detail.