Bai Shuijin leaned closer to him. “Second Brother…”
Wang Muguang instinctively backed away. This little shorty was up to something again. “No.”
No 1.85m, no tanned skin, no athlete, nothing!
“It doesn’t matter if he doesn’t have tanned skin, white skin, yellow skin, I’m okay with all.”
“You’re really not picky, huh.”
Bai Shuijin looked shy. “I’m open to the system’s arrangement.”
“…”
Wang Muguang performed a banishing ritual. “Go, go, stop digging pits for me.”
If his elder brother found out, he would be in big trouble. He still hadn’t figured out what kind of feelings Wang Huanxiu actually had for Bai Shuijin.
If he liked him, then why did he always act cold and indifferent toward Bai Shuijin and barely said a few words to him? But if he didn’t like him, then why did he let Bai Shuijin get away with so much? You could also call it indulgence, and it showed in his behavior.
Bai Shuijin had been living with the Wang family for several months and still hadn’t been beaten to death.
It was obvious his brother had a different standard of expectations for Bai Shuijin.
Wang Muguang hadn’t forgotten how the two of them had left him behind in the bathroom at the hot spring resort yesterday. He seriously suspected his brother had done it on purpose, but he had no evidence.
“Second Brother, I didn’t dig a pit for you.”
“No, no. And clear all those images of handsome men out of your head.”
“Should I clear you out too, Second Brother?”
In a second, Wang Muguang curled up his lips in a smirk, suddenly full of narcissism. “You can keep me. After all, it’s hard to find another one like me.”
“Then that brother with tanned skin…”
“No.” Wang Muguang coldly rejected him. “Don’t even think about it. I absolutely won’t jump into your pit.”
Bai Shuijin argued with reason: “The pit I dug isn’t deep. Even if you jumped, it wouldn’t be a big deal.”
“But then I’d be short like you.”
Bai Shuijin: “…”
Okay, okay.
So it’s personal attacks now.
As expected, no one in the Wang family is a decent human being!
Bai Shuijin mumbled, “If you jump in and jump back out again, wouldn’t you be just as tall as before?”
“If I jump out and my brother breaks my legs, I’d still end up as short as you.”
“…”
The tanned athlete flew off like a cooked duck.
Wang Zhenzhu had been crying at home all afternoon. Wang Muguang was worried about his little sister. He couldn’t bear to see her cry, and he felt more uncomfortable than if he had cried himself.
He was spinning around the living room in anxiety like a donkey, when he suddenly turned and saw his older brother sitting on the sofa, reading a newspaper calmly.
“Big Brother.”
Wang Huanxiu didn’t speak.
“Big Brother!”
“Big Brother Big Brother!”
“I hear you,” Wang Huanxiu flipped a page of the newspaper, “Go lay some eggs in the chicken coop.”
At this moment, Bai Shuijin looked at Wang Muguang with a complicated expression.
Wang Muguang: “…”
He hadn’t expected Wang Huanxiu to be so calm about Zhenzhu crying.
Wang Muguang felt a little uncomfortable. He thought his brother would be outraged like he was.
“Big Brother, Little Sister has been crying for so long. Aren’t you worried?”
“She’ll stop crying once she falls asleep.”
Yes, she will stop crying once she is asleep.
But who knew when that would be? That girl had endless energy. Even after a full day at school as a child, she could still run around the garden chasing pigs.
It was a pig she raised herself. She bought it with her allowance because it looked cute, but unexpectedly she ended up raising it to over 200 kgs.
Wang Zhenzhu had always been kind. Even when she realized the pig would grow up and become ugly, she never abandoned it.
“Big Brother, you’re not worried about little sister at all?”
Wang Huanxiu put down the newspaper. “No one has ever died from crying.”
Wang Muguang choked, feeling rare discontent toward his eldest brother. The three siblings shared the same mother, but in terms of closeness, he and Wang Zhenzhu were tighter.
After their parents died in a plane crash, the three of them were split up. Fourteen-year-old Wang Huanxiu returned to the Wang family’s old house to live with their grandfather.
While ten-year-old him and seven-year-old Zhenzhu went to live with their maternal grandfather, their mother’s side of the family.
Back then, both sides had argued about how to raise the children. After getting married, their parents had become independent and only took them back to visit the elders during holidays.
Before that, the three siblings had always lived together. Before he turned ten, his memories were full of his eldest brother, who always looked like a little devil when coming back from school.
Their father used to laugh and scold him, saying they’d raised a little demon king. And it was true.
In their social circle, elite education was the norm and children were put through intense academic training from a young age. But although their parents had high expectations for Wang Huanxiu, they weren’t overly strict.
Studying was tiring, but it came with joy and Wang Huanxiu never got bored. And even if he did, their parents weren’t worried as Wang Huanxiu always found ways to escape and entertain himself.
Wang Muguang still remembered one time when he was in kindergarten, his brother ran out of school and came to pick him up, asking if he wanted to climb trees.
He’d never even heard of that before, so he immediately followed along.
Wang Huanxiu rushed into the teachers’ office to sign him out, saying their father had a broken leg and he needed to take his brother to the hospital.
Less than half an hour later, their supposedly injured dad showed up at the kindergarten full of energy and gave Wang Huanxiu a beating.
“…”
But the beating didn’t cause any rift between father and son. In the end, their father watched the two of them climb the tree.
He was very young at that time, and his brother basically carried him up. As he sat on a tree branch, he shivered and almost burst into tears the next second.
From below, their father and the bodyguards shouted at his brother, “Why did you bring your brother up there?”
Wang Huanxiu held onto him for balance and said, “The view from up here is nice. I wanted my brother to see it too.”
Although he was young at the time, he still remembered it.
It was not that the view from the tree was beautiful, but he was so scared that he peed his pants…
Back then, he thought he and his brother were the best in the world, and that they always would be.
But life didn’t go as planned, and it was clear that now wasn’t like before.
As teenagers, the three of them barely saw each other. During those sensitive, rebellious years, he rarely got to see Wang Huanxiu. It was so difficult he and Zhenzhu had to run to his competitions just to catch a glimpse of him.
He was always very busy.
After going there so many times, they eventually stopped going. They all grew up, had their own things to do, and couldn’t run around chasing after their big brother anymore.
But after their brother took over the family business, their maternal grandfather told them to move into Wang Huanxiu’s house.
They moved a lot of stuff over, but because of work and school, Wang Muguang and Wang Zhenzhu didn’t spend much time at home.
In Wang Muguang’s mind, he still clung to the beautiful memories the three of them shared. When they were young, they weren’t allowed to eat much chocolate, so they’d hide a piece and split it in the laundry room.
He could still taste that sweet flavor in his mouth.
But the current Wang Huanxiu didn’t seem like the kind of person who’d share chocolate with them anymore.
His indifference toward Wang Zhenzhu’s crying left Wang Muguang a little bitter. Time apart had weakened their bond, and back then, they were too young to do anything about being separated for those years.
“No, I have to go check.”
Bai Shuijin bit into a freshly peeled banana. “How? Your sister won’t let you in.”
“There’s always a way,” Wang Muguang stood up. “Her room is on the second floor. I’ll just climb up.”
Wang Huanxiu sipped his black tea and said indifferently, “You can’t even climb a tree, and you want to climb a building?”
“What’s so hard? I’ll get up there somehow.”
“Alright, go ahead.” The man put down his teacup. “It’s good timing. Zhenzhu just stopped crying, so you can cry instead after you fall.”
“…”
Bai Shuijin chewed the banana with his cheeks puffing out.
‘Laogong-ge is so sharp-tongued and so good with words.’
Wang Muguang was speechless. He might even break a bone if he really fell. But not seeing Zhenzhu made his heart and lungs itch in anxiety.
Just then, the butler rushed down from the second floor.
“Young Master Muguang! Young Master Muguang!”
Wang Muguang got up to meet him. “What is it, Uncle Zhang?”
“Good news, Miss Zhenzhu stopped crying.”
“Really? She has come to terms with it?”
Has she realized her second brother is better-looking than that Lu Ming guy!
“No, Miss Zhenzhu fell asleep.”
“…”
Wang Muguang silently turned to glance at Wang Huanxiu.
His big brother was truly prophetic.
Forget it. As long as she’s asleep, and not crying, that’s fine.
Wang Muguang finally felt relieved, but didn’t forget the culprit. “Butler, go check for me who this Lu Ming is. What right does he have to reject Zhenzhu?”
After hearing this, the butler didn’t move, instead looking at Wang Huanxiu.
If Wang Huanxiu didn’t speak, he wouldn’t do it.
Wang Muguang: “Big Brother!”
“I told you, go to the chicken coop and lay eggs.”
“…Big Brother, I want to look into that Lu Ming.”
Wang Huanxiu clearly disapproved. “Stay put.”
“So Zhenzhu was upset for nothing? I have to teach him a lesson.”
“Are you a gangster? People can’t even reject her?”
Bai Shuijin was gnawing on a banana beside them. The male protagonist of the Mary Sue novel rejecting Zhenzhu was his right. He didn’t do anything wrong. If Wang Muguang wanted to punish him just because he refused to be Wang Zhenzhu’s dance partner, that was definitely not right.
‘Little Uncle is indeed a brainless villain, and his current behavior is indeed quite villainous.’
But he didn’t expect Wang Huanxiu to actually see things clearly.
Wang Muguang had nothing to say after being criticized. Thinking about it, he was indeed making a mountain out of a molehill.
But he just couldn’t bear to see his little sister sad.
And after Wang Huanxiu’s words, he also felt a little heartbroken. Even though his thoughts weren’t right, Big Brother should at least be a little biased toward family.
Wang Muguang went straight back to his room. Wang Huanxiu didn’t look at him and was replying to messages on his phone.
Suddenly, a banana with only one bite left appeared in front of his eyes.
Bai Shuijin had saved the banana tip and brought it to Wang Huanxiu’s mouth. He sat beside him, smiling brightly. “Laogong-ge, I don’t want to eat the last bite.”
The banana root was hard, he didn’t like it.
Not eating it would be wasteful, which he felt wasn’t good.
Wang Huanxiu looked at him with cold eyes.
Bai Shuijin pressed the banana against his lips. “I am a gangster.”
“…”
In the end, the last bite of banana was swallowed by Wang Huanxiu.
“Laogong-ge, are you sad?”
Wang Huanxiu’s large hand holding the phone stiffened slightly, but the change disappeared instantly and he returned to normal.
“No.”
“Laogong-ge.” Bai Shuijin leaned toward him, rubbing up against him. His head bumped hard into Huanxiu’s chin. “Don’t be sad. I think you’re the best person in the world.”
The pain in his chin made him momentarily stop checking work messages. His eyes shifted to the top of Bai Shuijin’s head. Then he sighed helplessly, and the corner of his mouth subtly curled up.
.
Knock! Knock!
“Come in.”
The executive assistant strode in holding documents. “President Wang, these are the recently shortlisted projects. Please review and indicate if any should be eliminated.”
Wang Huanxiu looked through the recent projects and paused at one amusement park investment.
Although this project wouldn’t lose money, it wouldn’t make a splash either. The amusement park market was saturated. Without any fresh ideas to attract visitors, it might be fine at first but would sink into mediocrity over time.
“Eliminate the amusement park.”
The assistant asked, “All of them?”
“All of them.”
“Even Lu Corporation’s?”
“Do they have any outstanding features?”
Assistant: “Not particularly.”
Since the boss said to eliminate it, he shouldn’t have asked again. Lu Corporation’s main advantage lay in the land. Although they had offline ventures, they were more focused on gaming and software development. If their equipment couldn’t secure a major slice of the amusement park business, there really was no need to get involved.
Once they aligned, the assistant was about to leave the office.
“Wait.”
The assistant turned back. “President Wang, is there anything else?”
“How is the setup for Zhenzhu’s birthday banquet going?”
“Everything is progressing smoothly. If you want photos, I’ll compile and send them to you shortly.”
The venue for Wang Zhenzhu’s birthday banquet had been in preparation for a week already and Wang Huanxiu had inspected several locations.
He didn’t know what Wang Zhenzhu liked, nor did he understand the little details girls cared about. The design plans had been changed over and over.
This was her first birthday after coming back to his side, her bright and beautiful eighteenth birthday.
Wang Huanxiu glanced at the watch on his left wrist and said, “No need. You can go.”
The assistant left.
.
After locking herself in her room for another night, Wang Zhenzhu finally couldn’t bear the hunger and came out the next day to eat.
Her upper lashes were long and lower lashes thick, but her eyes were bloodshot from lack of rest.
She was naturally beautiful, and no less attractive than her two brothers. At seventeen, although she still looked youthful, her features were bold and dazzling, like a sparkling ruby, and her looks were as domineering as her brothers’.
Her brows and eyes bore some resemblance to Wang Huanxiu’s, with an innate commanding aura. Born with a silver spoon and raised in extreme wealth, she carried an arrogance that placed no one in her eyes.
Whether it was the Wang family or her mother’s Mu family, she was the only girl of her generation. Wherever she went, she was a shining pearl.
Her long chestnut hair like sea weed was shiny and well-maintained. Even without any makeup, she was still a stunning beauty at first glance.
Wang Muguang always treated her like a precious jewel, unwilling to let her suffer even the tiniest grievance. Her recent lovesickness made this second brother feel extremely distressed.
Wang Zhenzhu let out a low growl like a hungry dragon…she was so hungry she could eat a whole pig.
She went to the dining room, ready to feast, only to see the aftermath of a food massacre on the table.
At the dining table, Bai Shuijin had returned to his true form and was devouring everything in sight.
Wang Zhenzhu: “…”
‘Who is this?’
A slender figure appeared at the dining room entrance. Bai Shuijin looked up from his bowl and immediately recognized her as Wang Zhenzhu. He quickly wiped his mouth with a napkin, trying to leave a good impression.
“Hello, I’m Bai Shuijin.”
Wang Zhenzhu had never seen him before, but from the messages her second brother had sent, she knew he was the clown who married her big brother.
She had seen news about Wang Huanxiu getting married, and had thrown a big tantrum about it.
Her big brother got married and didn’t even tell her, anyone would be angry.
She sat down across from Bai Shuijin, her posture a bit arrogant. “I’m Wang Zhenzhu.”
In the Wang family, Wang Zhenzhu could be said to be the apple of everyone’s eye. If she wanted to ride a horse, Wang Muguang could immediately act as the horse for her to ride.
Only Wang Huanxiu and the “world’s most handsome” Lu Ming had ever refused her.
Even the old man catered to her every whim. If she asked for the stars, he’d think she was being considerate just for asking for one, not a whole skyful.
Bai Shuijin had long known about Wang Zhenzhu’s name. Even before they met, he had read about her many times in the book. But still, he said, “I know. I heard about you yesterday.”
Wang Muguang had told him that his little sister’s name was Zhenzhu, the treasured pearl of both the Wang and Mu families.
One sentence, and Wang Zhenzhu got upset. “They have never talked about me before?”
One was a workaholic, the other a narcissist, how were they supposed to talk about her? Bai Shuijin didn’t know how to explain it to Zhenzhu. After all, she wasn’t unaware that Wang Muguang, a narcissist, only ever cared about himself.
Not to mention Wang Huanxiu, who is forever entangled with his work.
Wang Zhenzhu let out a humph, her cheeks puffed out. “I knew they didn’t have me in their hearts. From now on, I won’t talk to them ever again.”
She sat there like a bubbling pufferfish, her face flushed pink with anger.
“Hey, how long have you been married to my brother?”
Bai Shuijin munched on a custard bun and counted the days. “It’s been a few months.”
She had wanted to dig deeper and ask if her big brother really hadn’t mentioned her even once in those months, but thinking about it made her mood worse. She was already in a bad mood these days, there was no need to make herself more upset.
So she changed the subject. “How does it feel being married to my brother? Has he loved you fiercely?”
“Pfft!!!”
Bai Shuijin choked on his milk. Do all rich young ladies speak this directly?
In this household, it was rare for him to blush. “Not really.”
“Is it you who can’t do it, or my brother who can’t do it?”
Bai Shuijin’s pupils trembled. How was he supposed to answer that?
“Uh…”
“Got it. My brother can’t do it.”
?? Bai Shuijin had no idea how Zhenzhu came to that conclusion.
“Actually, my laogong-ge is quite capable.” Bai Shuijin blushed.
Although he hadn’t tested it, his Laogong-ge looked very capable. He’d learned ballroom dance and had high physical standards, so he paid attention to body types. Wang Huanxiu’s waist alone looked like it had a lot of power.
Wang Zhenzhu sat in the dining room, staring at Bai Shuijin nonstop. Compared to the photos she’d seen online, he looked far more well-behaved in person. With black hair, black eyes, darker pupils, and fair skin…he actually looked very cute, and he had a nice figure too.
“Then how come he hasn’t? You look exactly like my brother’s ideal type.”
Bai Shuijin’s lips trembled. ‘His… his ideal type!’
‘Me?’
Wang Zhenzhu sipped on her hot milk. “You didn’t know?”
Wang Huanxiu liked cute things, he heard that from Wang Muguang, but he had no idea his appearance was Huanxiu’s ideal type.
Wang Zhenzhu looked at his reddening face and found it amusing. Like a cat spotting a hamster, she narrowed her jewel-like eyes.
Her brother has liked this kind since he was little. Although he has never been in a relationship, his preferences had always been toward someone like Bai Shuijin.
“My brother really likes your type. If you just say you want to kiss him, he’d definitely kiss you.”
Bai Shuijin was stunned. ‘Please stop talking.’
He pushed the untouched fried dough sticks toward Zhenzhu. “Sister, you eat.”
‘Please eat something and stop talking.’
Wang Zhenzhu happily accepted and started her elegant breakfast. After eating, she seemed to discover something interesting and started chasing Bai Shuijin around.
Bai Shuijin, who used to stir up trouble in the Wang household, now looked like he’d met his natural enemy and was running all over the garden like a free-range chicken. The two of them ran around without stopping for a second.
Wang Muguang was on a lounge chair on the first floor, reading a trashy novel while sunbathing, when he saw Wang Zhenzhu lifting her skirt and chasing Bai Shuijin all over the garden.
The last time Zhenzhu ran like that in the garden, she was chasing a pig.
Bai Shuijin tried to get rid of Wang Zhenzhu, but she used the straight-line principle and directly leapt through the bushes to grab him.
Bai Shuijin: “…”
The brain of a high school student is more useful than the brain of a college student.
“Why are you running?” Wang Zhenzhu slapped his head like a rubber ball, kneading and squeezing him. “Am I going to eat you?”
Bai Shuijin: “…Why don’t you just pretend I’m dead.”
Wang Zhenzhu: “…”
“This young lady is willing to talk to you…you should be grateful.”
So full of nonsense. You’d think she was her second brother reading those trashy novels.
‘You’re talking so much nonsense that if I didn’t know you, I would have thought you were your second brother reading trashy novels out loud.’
Bai Shuijin was exhausted and just lay flat on the ground. It was already spring; the garden was warm and full of blooming flowers. He pulled some rice from his pocket and scattered it.
Disperse!
Wang Zhenzhu almost got hit. “What are you doing? Attacking me?”
Bai Shuijin shook his head. “No, I raise sparrows.”
Sparrows didn’t fly south for the winter. On sunny winter days, they often came down chirping and hopping. After watching them for a while, Bai Shuijin started feeding them, and that lasted all winter.
‘Sparrows?’
Wang Zhenzhu sat down next to him. Not long after, something indeed rushed over.
She looked at the round, ball-like things on the ground that even bounced when they landed. “You mean those fat birds?”
The unit of measurement was very accurate.
Bai Shuijin: “…”
The spring sun felt warm and cozy. Looking at Bai Shuijin lying next to her, Wang Zhenzhu felt like he was living more freely than she was in this household.
“Have you been back to the old house?”
‘The old house?’ Bai Shuijin opened his eyes, they had just gone back a few days ago.
He nodded. His head was covered in bits of grass.
“Did those old things give you trouble?”
Wang Zhenzhu didn’t like the people at the old house, especially her third uncle’s family. His name was Wáng Wàng, and just like his name, he barked all the time. Last time she went back to visit, they even tried to push for an arranged marriage.
What era is this? Wang Zhenzhu wanted to scratch his face up. Since Bai Shuijin had her brother, she didn’t believe Wáng Wàng didn’t give him a hard time.
Bai Shuijin brushed the grass off his head and remembered how the family ambushed him and his school-uniform-wearing laogong-ge in the walk-in closet.
Compared to him, there was someone who wanted to disappear off earth even more.
He felt his laogong-ge might have psychological trauma from it.
“I was okay. The food there was quite good.”
“Who asked about the food? I asked if they gave you a hard time.”
Bai Shuijin: “They didn’t.”
Most people just followed Wang Huanxiu’s lead and didn’t make trouble for him. He remembered taking a picture in front of the indoor fountain at the old house.
It was his first time seeing an indoor fountain, and he found it fascinating. He even asked Wang Muguang to take a photo for him. He pulled out his phone to show Wang Zhenzhu.
“I was actually quite happy that day.”
He held the phone up to her, and Wang Zhenzhu immediately saw the pink bunny slippers on his feet.
Those were the ones she always wore when she visited the old house.
“What size are your feet?”
Bai Shuijin didn’t understand her question. “Size 41. Why?”
She wore size 39. Wang Zhenzhu pointed at the photo. “And you still say they didn’t make things difficult for you, they literally made you wear smaller shoes.”
“…”
