Chapter 04: Inheritance

In the afternoon, the classes were all general courses, and the classroom was packed with people.

Chi Yao deliberately took the middle seat in the third row where Ming Can usually sat, leaving the two seats next to him for her and Xu Jiayun.

When Ming Can entered the classroom, she didn’t even glance at him and walked straight to the fourth row, sitting apart from Chi Yao.

Xu Jiayun arrived a bit late with coffee in hand. When she sat down and saw Chi Yao sitting diagonally in front of her, she found it rather amusing. “The sun must have risen from the west today. Is Boss Chi planning to catch up on sleep right under the teacher’s nose?”

Chi Yao, blessed with naturally good looks and an easygoing, carefree personality, was someone all the girls in the class loved to talk to. Xu Jiayun was no exception.

As for the nickname “Boss Chi,” it was simply because his family was wealthy—extraordinarily wealthy, in fact.

Chi Yao stayed in the dorms during weekdays and went home on weekends. Many classmates had seen the luxury cars that came to pick him up—there were several worth tens of millions, each one different from the other.

Ming Can, however, was indifferent to these anecdotes about the wealthy heirs.

The Ming family was an old aristocratic family with a long-standing legacy. Over the past century, several generations had cultivated a profound foundation in Beicheng. Elegance, modesty, and dignity were ingrained in their very bones. This was vastly different from Chi Yao’s family, the Chi family, which had risen rapidly in the past twenty to thirty years, riding the wave of economic opportunity as a newly rich commercial power. Their values were worlds apart.

Chi Yao’s usual lazy and lackadaisical demeanor, in Ming Can’s eyes, exuded a sense of decadent indulgence born from sudden wealth—a hopeless, unredeemable kind of vibe. No matter how she looked at him, he seemed like someone who couldn’t rise to the occasion.

The afternoon was filled with consecutive general classes, yet Chi Yao surprisingly managed to sit upright for once. His tall and broad figure stood out conspicuously in front of Ming Can.

During the first class, Ming Can managed to keep her gaze straight ahead, pretending he didn’t exist.

By the second class, Ming Can’s phone vibrated in the desk pocket. A few messages had come in from Aunt Zhang, the family’s nanny.

It was Friday, and the first graders were dismissed at two o’clock. At this moment, Aunt Zhang was at the school picking up Miaomiao. There was a small petting zoo on the school grounds, and after school, Ming Miao dragged Aunt Zhang over to see the alpacas. Aunt Zhang took several photos of Ming Miao with the alpacas and sent them all to Ming Can.

In college classrooms, no one cared if you used electronic devices. At first, Ming Can placed her phone flat on the desk, casually looking through the photos. But as she scrolled, she suddenly propped up her phone and enlarged the pictures. Using the light streaming in from the window, she began seriously comparing Miaomiao’s face with the back of a certain someone’s head sitting diagonally in front of her.

By sheer coincidence, Chi Yao suddenly turned around, directly facing the screen of Ming Can’s phone.

He raised his eyebrow, smirking lazily. “What are you doing? Taking secret photos of me?”

Ming Can rolled her eyes. “Am I crazy?”

“Who knows.” Chi Yao rubbed the back of his head, then turned to Han Yihong beside him and said narcissistically, “You were right. My head really is handsome—it’s even captivated the class rep.”

Ming Can felt an urge to call the police and muttered sarcastically under her breath, “Just a silver spear with a pewter shaft.”

All show and no substance.

She tossed her phone back onto the desk. Xu Jiayun caught a glimpse of the photo on the screen and exclaimed, “What a handsome little guy! Is he your younger brother?”

Ming Can nodded. “Cousin.”

Xu Jiayun swiped her finger across the screen and landed on a full-face photo of Miaomiao. “Wow, you two look so alike!”

Her voice was louder than intended, and someone in the front row overheard. With great interest, Chi Yao turned around, his eyes darting toward Ming Can’s phone. “Let me see too.”

Ming Can promptly flipped her phone over, so fast it seemed like sparks could fly.

Her delicate brows furrowed slightly in discomfort, and her lips parted just enough to let out a low, dismissive hiss.

It was as if letting him see her phone for even a second would cut years off her life.

Chi Yao didn’t turn back immediately. Instead, he casually draped an arm over the edge of the desk, gazing lightly at Ming Can, savoring her haughty, indifferent expression that treated him as if he didn’t matter.

She had a pair of deep, jet-black pupils set within full, almond-shaped eyes—an exceptionally soft and beautiful eye shape. Unfortunately, she rarely opened her eyes fully, habitually half-lidding them. This caused the corners of her eyes to taper into sharp, straight lines, carrying an air of scrutiny and sharpness. Even the natural upward curve of her long lashes seemed to exude an innate arrogance.

The afternoon sunlight slanted in, casting a soft, velvety glow on her face, giving it an indescribable smooth, porcelain-like texture. Her vividly colored lips pressed together slightly in discomfort. Chi Yao, momentarily lost in thought, found himself admiring even her irritated expression as if it were a work of art.

There were plenty of boys in the school who liked Ming Can, but not many persisted in pursuing her. This was because Ming Can rejected people with decisive finality, leaving no room for hope and even going so far as to use harsh words. After wave upon wave of rejections, those who still stuck around, as Xu Jiayun put it, probably had a bit of a masochistic streak.

Just as Ming Can was about to lose her temper, Chi Yao finally had his fill of teasing and leisurely turned back around. The tips of his ears, peeking through his black hair, had turned noticeably red.

The phone Ming Can had flipped over on the desk was picked up by Xu Jiayun. She hadn’t had her fill of looking at the handsome little guy. Her five- or six-year-old cousin was so adorable that even a second-year university “auntie” felt her heart flutter.

The general course was utterly dull, and with a tall figure blocking her view in front, Ming Can felt no pressure as she decided to slack off. She leaned toward Xu Jiayun, and asked, “Is he really that good-looking?”

Xu Jiayun said, “I’m willing to wait for him for ten years… Hmm, ten years might not be enough? Then fifteen years.”

Ming Can replied, “I don’t agree.”

Xu Jiayun nudged her with her elbow. “He’s not your son. What does it have to do with you?”

Well, he actually is my son.

Ming Can unceremoniously elbowed Xu Jiayun back.

Hearing Xu Jiayun shamelessly praise Miaomiao for being so likable, Ming Can inexplicably felt a sense of satisfaction.

Unconsciously, it seemed she was becoming more and more immersed in the role of a mother.

Not long ago, before her aunt Ming Shu had left Beicheng, she had suggested taking Miaomiao to Shencheng with her. After all, Miaomiao was officially her adopted son. Ming Shu could care for him openly without worrying about others’ opinions. Even if her busy work schedule left her with no time to personally look after him, she could arrange for a nanny, driver, and tutor to be with Miaomiao around the clock, ensuring he would be well cared for.

To be honest, Ming Can had been tempted by this proposal and hesitated for a long time.

She was only 19 years old, still living in the ivory tower of academia, and hadn’t even been in a relationship yet. This sudden arrival of a five-and-a-half-year-old son could completely disrupt her current life and future plans, and, if she wasn’t careful, might even land her on the front page of social news.

Therefore, handing Miaomiao over to Ming Shu’s care seemed like the best option for Ming Can.

In the end, however, Ming Can politely declined her aunt’s kind offer.

She knew that if Miaomiao were entrusted to Ming Shu, he would undoubtedly be well cared for. But she also understood what it felt like to grow up without a mother by your side. Miaomiao would never want to be separated from her.

Ming Can was a strong-willed and deeply responsible person. She believed there was no challenge in this world she couldn’t overcome, and she couldn’t bring herself to treat her biological son like a burden and hand him off to someone else. Even though she didn’t yet feel any deep emotional bond with this little boy who looked so much like her, she had already decided to shoulder the daunting responsibility of raising him.

Yes, responsibility.

To Ming Can, Ming Miao was a responsibility she couldn’t avoid, a challenge she had no choice but to face head-on.

However, now, as she looked at the lively and adorable photos on her phone, Ming Can increasingly felt the emotional bond between her and Miaomiao becoming clearer.

It seemed like it wasn’t just about responsibility anymore.

Xu Jiayun was still endlessly praising, “This kid clearly inherited the excellent genes of the Ming family, and he looks so much like you. He must be incredibly smart!”

Ming Can: …

Her composure suddenly shattered, and she felt an overwhelming urge to stab someone.

In the front row, Chi Yao suddenly felt a chill run down his spine and instinctively turned around to glance at Ming Can—

Help! Such intense killing intent!

He broke out in a cold sweat, utterly clueless about what he had done to offend her this time.

–

There were many classes today, so by the time Ming Can got home, it was already evening, and she missed having dinner with Miaomiao.

At 7 p.m., Miaomiao had his second language class. He had a small study room just for himself, with a large projection screen on the wall in front of his desk. The teacher would appear on the screen to livestream the lesson for Miaomiao.

Most affluent families would hire private tutors to teach their children at home, but Ming Can didn’t want outsiders coming and going in their house. As a compromise, she opted for online lessons instead.

Ming Miao’s second language was Spanish, and Ming Can sat not far behind him, listening in on the lesson.

Today, the teacher happened to be teaching numbers from one to ten. Ming Miao memorized them quickly and pronounced them very accurately.

Next, the teacher brought out a few plush toys, placing them on the table. She asked Miaomiao to say the corresponding Spanish word for the quantity and then perform simple addition and subtraction.

The teacher placed two rabbit plushies on the table, and Miaomiao loudly said in Spanish, “Two!”

The teacher then brought out three turtle plushies. Miaomiao stared at them, counted carefully, and said, “Three.”

The teacher praised him, “Great job, Miaomiao! Now, how many little animals are there on the table in total?”

Miaomiao froze for a moment, his eyes widening. He began counting seriously, one by one: “1, 2, 3, 2, 1… Altogether, one.”

…

He couldn’t even count properly.

Ming Can let out a hopeless sigh. At this point, no matter how unwilling she was, she had no choice but to accept the fact that her son had absolutely no talent for math.

The Spanish teacher transformed into a math teacher, using all kinds of cute teaching aids to make learning fun. It took nearly half an hour just to help Miaomiao grasp the order and relative size of numbers within ten.

Ming Can left Miaomiao’s small study room. Her mood was relatively calm. In the parenting video she had watched yesterday, the teacher emphasized that when teaching children with less natural aptitude for math, it was essential to make good use of teaching aids and repeatedly reinforce concepts. With that in mind, she decided to research what teaching tools she could buy to help Miaomiao learn math at home.

As Miaomiao watched his mom open the door and leave, he could more or less guess why she was upset. Unable to stop himself, he silently asked in his heart, “Uncle 33, will I really never be able to learn math in the future?”

The system’s designation was 233 and didn’t have a gender. However, Miaomiao felt its voice sounded more masculine, so he politely addressed it as Uncle 33.

The system responded: [Host, you’ve already lost your innate talent for math. You’re currently at the level of an ordinary person, and your original mathematical knowledge has been wiped clean, meaning you’ll need to start from scratch. Only by diligently practicing your superpowers and increasing your ability level can the things you’ve lost gradually return. Essentially, your math talent is now bound to your superpower ability value.]

After a pause, the system added, [Do you regret it?]

As a superpower development system, in order to ensure the host worked hard to improve their superpowers, the system had to take something as collateral, binding it to the host’s superpower ability value as a form of guarantee.

As for what price to pay, that was up to the host to decide. The system didn’t know why Miaomiao chose his math talent. It merely conducted an evaluation, and once it deemed the trade feasible, it would strip the chosen price from the host.

As a system, it naturally preferred the cost to be something highly valuable to the host. That way, the host would be more motivated to improve their superpowers in order to redeem what was lost.

Ming Miao lowered his head, using a pencil to draw a messy-looking alpaca on the paper. The corners of his lips curved up excitedly. “Not regretting it at all!”

The system: …

Why did it feel like this kid had absolutely no intention of improving in math? Little one, the most important thing is to have ambition and strive for progress, you know!

Ming Miao said, “I understood what the alpaca was saying today! It spat at me while shouting, ‘Get lost!’ So amazing!”

The system: [As long as you’re happy.]

Ming Miao continued, “I feel like using my superpower didn’t drain much energy today. Does that mean I’ve gotten stronger again?”

The system replied, [The reason it didn’t drain your energy is because that alpaca only kept repeating ‘go away, go away, go away.’ There was no complexity to it. Host, if you want to improve your abilities quickly, you should focus on translating human language, especially with someone like your mom, whose words often don’t match her true feelings. I noticed you didn’t use your ability on her at all today—why is that?]

“Why…” Ming Miao’s mood dipped a little. “I just suddenly didn’t feel like listening.”

Although Ming Miao didn’t fully understand what crossing over meant, he knew that the world he was in now was no longer the same as the one he used to know.

The mom here didn’t know his dad, nor did she know him… She wasn’t the same mom as before. Yesterday, Miaomiao had used his superpower and clearly heard her say she didn’t want to see his dad. Today, he suddenly felt a little scared. He was afraid that if he used his superpower, he might hear her say she didn’t like him as her son either, or that she’d be better off without him.

The system could sense Ming Miao’s thoughts, and its usually cold mechanical voice softened slightly: [Then let’s forget about it for now. Your current ability level should be enough to handle a simpler human translation target, like one of your classmates. We can try that next week.]

Ming Miao’s eyes lit up. “Okay, yay!”

–

The next day, Saturday, Ming Can made a trip back to the Ming family home.

Since starting university, Ming Can rarely went back, and after taking in Miaomiao, she hadn’t returned even once. If it weren’t for her grandmother visiting and needing her company, Ming Can wouldn’t have bothered to go back today either.

Ming Can’s grandmother, Liu Zhongling, was the second wife of her grandfather, Ming Yuzhang. Ming Yuzhang and his first wife had two sons, and after their divorce, he married Liu Zhongling and had another son and daughter—Ming Can’s father, Ming Zheng, and her younger aunt, Ming Shu.

The Ming family, like all prominent and prosperous aristocratic families with numerous descendants, could not escape the battles for inheritance and the transfer of power.

Ming Yuzhang’s first wife came from a prestigious family, far superior to Liu Zhongling in status. Because of this, Ming Can’s eldest and second uncles initially received more of Ming Yuzhang’s favor. The eldest uncle had been groomed as the heir for many years. However, over the past decade, a series of investment failures under his leadership caused the family business’s growth to stagnate. Seemingly dissatisfied with his mediocrity, Ming Yuzhang elevated the second uncle to an equal standing with the eldest uncle. At the same time, he reassigned Ming Can’s father, Ming Zheng, to oversee the financial division under the Ming Group. This gradually resulted in the three brothers occupying separate spheres of influence, creating a situation of mutual rivalry.

As for Ming Can’s younger aunt, Ming Shu, she was born too late—nearly a full cycle younger than her third brother, Ming Zheng. By the time she grew up, the battlefield for inheritance had long ceased to have a place for her.

However, her age was only a secondary reason.

The main reason Ming Shu was destined to have no connection to becoming an heir was that Ming Yuzhang was inherently conservative and old-fashioned, favoring sons over daughters. In his eyes, the heir could only be a son.

Similarly, a son’s heir could only be a grandson.

Ming Zheng’s business acumen was no less impressive than that of his two brothers, yet he never earned Ming Yuzhang’s favor. One reason was the lack of strong support from his maternal family, and the other was that he had no sons—only a single daughter. In Ming Yuzhang’s view, this amounted to having no heirs.

It was the 21st century, yet these old aristocratic families in Beicheng still seemed stuck in the feudal era.

Ming Can’s mother had passed away years ago, and Ming Zheng had never remarried. Liu Zhongling’s visit to her son’s home today was, unsurprisingly, to arrange a blind date for him and persuade him to remarry soon to continue the family line.

Of course, these matters were not discussed in front of Ming Can.

At the dinner table, everyone tacitly avoided addressing the unspoken topic.

Ming Can picked up a piece of yellow croaker and, as if casually, said, “I remember Mom used to love this dish. Dad, next month is her death anniversary. How about we hold a commemorative art exhibition for her at the downtown gallery?”

Ming Zheng paused for a moment, then nodded. “I’ll arrange for someone to take care of it.”

Liu Zhongling sat silently on the side, saying nothing. Ever since Su Zhi Ning’s death, Ming Zheng, feeling guilty toward his late wife, had indulged his only daughter, granting her every wish.

Having been an only child for over a decade, Ming Can, spoiled from a young age and naturally domineering, didn’t want her father to remarry. She certainly didn’t want siblings who might divide her father’s affection.

Liu Zhongling simply assumed this was the mindset of a spoiled young girl—unable to understand the complexities of adult life. She didn’t realize that her father had already been drawn into the vortex of the power struggle and that everything he did, devoid of personal motive, was solely for the sake of securing his position.

Liu Zhongling, with a kind smile, picked up a bowl and spoon, ladled some crab roe soup for Ming Can, and asked about her studies recently.

Ming Can briefly summarized her courses and grades for the semester. Liu Zhongling clapped her hands and laughed, “As expected, the smartest child in our family!”

Ming Can suddenly found herself unsure of her grandmother’s intentions today.

Wasn’t she here to persuade her dad to go on blind dates and remarry? Why, after she deliberately brought up her mother’s death anniversary to muddy the waters, did her grandmother remain unmoved and even seem closer to her?

It was genuinely hard to decipher the underlying meaning in the words of such deeply calculating individuals.

Sigh, if only she had the ability to read minds.

Ming Can silently took a spoonful of the crab roe soup, letting the fresh, sweet flavor spread across her tongue, slowly melting away.

At that moment, she heard her grandmother turn to her father and say, “Ah Zheng, tomorrow is the ten-year anniversary celebration for Xinghe Bay. Take Cancan with you to attend.”

Xinghe Bay?

Ming Can suddenly looked up. “The Xinghe Bay Hotel owned by the Chi family?”

“You know about it?” Liu Zhongling replied with a smile. “Xinghe Bay’s core market has always been abroad. Starting last year, they began strategically shifting their focus back to the domestic market. That’s why, for this ten-year anniversary celebration, they’ve invited many domestic partners. Your dad, as well as your eldest and second uncles, were all invited to attend.”

Ming Can had just done her research last night, and the details were still fresh in her mind—

Xinghe Bay was a subsidiary of Xingchi Group, a conglomerate spanning hotels, real estate, and tourism, with a market value nearing 100 billion. The person in charge was Chi Yanyue, the second-in-command of the Chi family, primarily overseeing overseas operations. Chi Yanyue and his wife had a son in the United States, who held American citizenship. After the family moved back to China last year, the son was admitted to B University’s finance department as an international student…

Liu Zhongling had explained these matters to Ming Zheng earlier, but Ming Zheng seemed to feel that his daughter was still young and that there was no need to involve her in family interests or disputes so soon, let alone discussions about marriage. Thus, he had never brought it up with Ming Can.

Since his mother brought it up today, Ming Zheng had no choice but to explain: “Dad has recently been exploring potential industrial collaborations with Xinghe Bay Group. The tenth-anniversary celebration is being organized by Mrs. Chi, who happens to be my university classmate. We used to have a good relationship. When I chatted with her some time ago, I found out that her son, Chi Yao, attends the same school as you. It seems he’s even in your class?”

So it really was him.

Ming Can lightly clenched her fingertips and nodded.

In her heart, it felt as if a thunderstorm had rolled in, rumbling loudly. It cleared away the haze of uncertainty about the future, but it also left behind a series of puddles, some deep, some shallow, scattered across the ground.

She was only nineteen, and she was already being set up for a blind date?

Ming Zheng’s eyes curved into a smile. “Well, that’s quite a coincidence. Tomorrow, come with Dad to the celebration. You and Chi Yao, as members of the younger generation, can keep each other company. Since you’re already familiar with each other, you’ll definitely have plenty to talk about.”

Ming Can’s turbulent emotions quickly settled, her gaze becoming calm and clear. “Alright.”

---

Author’s Note:

PS: I’ve seen some comments saying the female protagonist is arrogant. I want to emphasize that I hope readers naturally immerse themselves into the perspective of the protagonist, not into the male characters she looks down upon. The female protagonist is indeed a bit arrogant, but she only looks down on men and views them through a tinted lens—she never looks down on women. For us girls reading a story with a strong female lead, there’s no need to insert ourselves into the male characters’ shoes. Just enjoy the protagonist’s perspective and have fun!

PPS: Losing one’s talent here is equivalent to becoming an ordinary person, not mentally impaired.

The system isn’t deliberately trying to make Miaomiao perform poorly academically. The specific reasons will be revealed later, as they tie into the core twist of the story. It’s not just to create early conflict (no spoilers for now!).