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As soon as Zhou Cong appeared, everyone in the booth—except Ji Huailuo—stood up.
“Young Master Zhou, what brings you here?” asked an older middle-aged man with a smile.
Zhou Cong replied evenly, “Uncle Yan, I could ask you the same.”
The man’s name was Yan Tai. He chuckled, “Came here for a meeting, didn’t expect to run into Huailuo.”
The younger man next to him was He Siming. “Are you here looking for Ji as well, Young Master Zhou?”
“Exactly,” Zhou Cong said with a faint smile. “I went to the Ji Family looking for Huailuo. Happened to run into his sister—she said he had a big argument with his Father and Aunt. She was worried something might happen and begged me to help find him.”
“Ah,” Yan Tai said, “With me around, what could possibly happen?”
Zhou Cong replied, “Well, I didn’t know you were here before. You’ve watched Huailuo grow up, Uncle Yan. Of course you’d look after him.”
He Siming offered, “Please have a seat, Young Master Zhou.”
Xu Zhiqiao squeezed herself between Ji Huailuo and the young woman, reaching out to snatch the glass from his hand. “Stop drinking!!”
Ji Huailuo was already quite drunk, his gaze unfocused. “Who are you?”
“Your sister,” Yan Tai laughed. “You don’t even recognize your own sister now?”
Ji Huailuo waved him off. “I don’t have a sister. My Mother only had me.”
Yan Tai smiled, “Your Father remarried and brought in an Aunt to look after you. This is her daughter.”
At those words, Ji Huailuo’s temper exploded. “Don’t mention her!! She’s just—just trying to steal the Ji Family company… even dared to, dared to shove me into finance to do grunt work…”
“What’s wrong with finance?” Yan Tai pretended to scold him. “I’m there holding it down. Sooner or later, it’ll all be yours!”
A flicker passed through Xu Zhiqiao’s eyes. In that moment, she finally understood why Zhou Cong had told her not to speak.
Zhou Cong ordered two glasses of water and said carelessly, “Sister, you should talk to Auntie too. After all, the Ji Family ultimately belongs to Huailuo.”
Xu Zhiqiao remained silent.
“Don’t make things hard for the girl, Young Master Zhou,” Yan Tai said with a chuckle. “She’s stuck in the middle. Not an easy spot to be.”
Zhou Cong lifted a brow. “Uncle Yan, do you have any good ideas? At the very least, we don’t want Huailuo clashing with his Father.”
Yan Tai pretended to think for a moment before responding brightly, “Huailuo’s young and hot-headed. Some time in finance might temper him. I haven’t taken on anyone new in years, but I’ll make an exception for Huailuo. I’ll train him personally—how’s that sound?”
Then, deliberately slowing his speech, Yan Tai added, “But as for the issues between him and his Aunt—I can’t help there.”
“You’re too modest, Uncle Yan,” Zhou Cong said vaguely. “If you’re willing to mentor him, that’ll give him the standing he needs at the company. You understand, right?”
He tossed a loaded glance toward Yan Tai, as if signaling something deeper.
Yan Tai understood instantly. “Rest assured, Young Master Zhou.”
“Then we’ll leave you to your business,” Zhou Cong said politely. “I’ll drag him back home.”
“Alright, alright.”
The three of them stood and took their leave.
Once they were outside, Zhou Cong turned to Xu Zhiqiao. “Did you get all that?”
Xu Zhiqiao, half-confused, asked, “Were you… making the conflict between my Mother and Big Brother sound worse?”
Zhou Cong smirked. “Isn’t that what your Uncle and Aunt were trying to do?”
“…” Xu Zhiqiao was stunned by his sharp perception. “How did you know?”
She hadn’t told him anything—just asked for help finding Ji Huailuo.
Zhou Cong took a slow sip of water. “Didn’t Huailuo and Yan Tai just spell it all out?”
Ji Huailuo said he was pushed into finance to do grunt work.
Yan Tai said he and your Aunt had personal conflict.
That alone makes it clear—it was Xu Shu who forced Ji Huailuo into finance.
And Xu Shu’s will represents Ji Shou’s will.
Which suggests there’s internal trouble at Ji Corporation.
Xu Zhiqiao opened her mouth, then closed it, then opened it again—completely speechless.
“What’s that look?” Zhou Cong frowned. “Close your mouth.”
“…”
Xu Zhiqiao silently prayed that Ji Huailuo would never end up in a face-off with Zhou Cong. Otherwise, he’d lose before he even knew what hit him.
“So—what now?”
“Yan Tai’s an old fox,” Zhou Cong said. “Everything about your brother is written all over his face. But we can’t tell him the truth.”
“Right, right.”
Zhou Cong continued, “The Ji Corporation is going to split into two factions—your Mother and Uncle Ji on one side, Yan Tai and your Big Brother on the other.”
That look he gave Yan Tai just now? That was the signal.
He was guiding Yan Tai to pull Ji Huailuo into his camp—to go up against Xu Shu.
Only by inflaming the conflict could they win Yan Tai’s trust. And only with that trust could Ji Huailuo access the corporation’s core financial records.
A war between the heir and the stepmother was about to begin.
“……”
“We can’t say anything outright,” Zhou Cong said, fixing his gaze on her. “We have to let your Big Brother realize something’s wrong on his own—got it?”
The moment Ji Huailuo started suspecting something, it meant the evidence was right in front of him—and Ji Shou and Xu Shu would have achieved their goal.
Xu Zhiqiao was silent. “But my Mother…”
“Your Aunt is married to Uncle Ji,” Zhou Cong said calmly. “Uncle Ji will protect her. You should be more worried about your idiot Big Brother.”
“…”
“Xu Zhiqiao,” Zhou Cong called.
“Huh?”
“Is your Big Brother smart?”
“…”
“Do you want a husband like him?”
“…!” Xu Zhiqiao almost laughed. “I want one like my Big Brother. At least I won’t have to worry about getting played behind my back.”
Zhou Cong’s face dropped. “I play dirty behind your back?”
Xu Zhiqiao said softly, “Don’t you?”
“…”
He did.
He definitely did.
Zhou Cong said coldly, “He’s your Big Brother.”
Xu Zhiqiao: “Oh.”
Zhou Cong: “So you like idiots, huh.”
“…!” Xu Zhiqiao turned away and grabbed Ji Huailuo’s sleeve. “Big Brother!! Zhou Cong called you an idiot!!”
Ji Huailuo suddenly bolted upright—then stumbled back down again. “Who! Who called me that?! I’ve survived under Zhou Cong’s tyranny with my virtue intact—you think I’m an idiot?! You have no idea how terrifying he is!!”
Xu Zhiqiao couldn’t help it. She leaned her head against his shoulder, trembling with laughter.
Zhou Cong: “……”
After a brief pause, he grabbed the collar of her shirt and hauled her upright. “That’s your real Big Brother—you need to lean on him?”
Xu Zhiqiao struggled in his grip. “Take my brother home. I’m going back by myself.”
“Need to keep some distance,” Zhou Cong muttered lazily. “What if he gets handsy with me…”
“My brother already said he can’t beat you.”
Zhou Cong bent slightly and suddenly pinched her cheek, tilting his head to study her. “You look thinner.”
“…!” The gesture was ambiguous, and the air carried the scent of alcohol. Xu Zhiqiao quickly pulled back. “Really?”
“Yeah,” Zhou Cong said. “My eyes are scales. Check your weight when you get home.”
Xu Zhiqiao muttered awkwardly, “Okay.”
Zhou Cong watched her for a while, expression unreadable. Then, out of nowhere, he smiled. “Or maybe… you’re just growing.”
“…”
That sounded… weird.
Zhou Cong pressed his lips together. “If only your brain would grow too.”
Not sure how to respond, Xu Zhiqiao reached for Ji Huailuo’s arm, trying to help him up. “Big Brother, let’s go home.”
Zhou Cong called again, “Xu Zhiqiao.”
“Mm?”
“The maid at the stables said,” Zhou Cong said lazily, “that white T-shirt you threw away? She washed it clean.”
Xu Zhiqiao’s skin bristled. “I threw it in the trash—why would she pick it up?!”
Zhou Cong remained calm. “I told her to.”
“……”