Only the person who wronged you knows how badly you were wronged

Qiao Shuyan and Fu Yanzhi walked into the banquet hall. Fu Yanzhi felt as though everyone around them was watching, and it made him uncomfortable. He had disliked attending banquets in his previous life. He didn't like strangers looking at him.

Qiao Shuyan sensed his discomfort and said softly, "Don't worry, little brother Xiaozhi. Your big sister is here."

Fu Yanzhi said nothing and merely nodded. Qiao Shuyan took him by the wrist and led him into the banquet hall. She headed straight for the bar, her fingertips brushing the cool wall of a stemmed glass as she poured herself half a glass of amber whisky.

Then she turned to Fu Yanzhi at her side, took a short glass, and filled it with clear orange juice. She gently pushed it in front of him. "You're still underage, so drink this."

Fu Yanzhi took the juice Qiao Shuyan offered him. He had barely taken a sip when a woman's voice came over.

"Miss Qiao, long time no see. I didn't expect to see you at the Fu Family's banquet."

A smiling female voice cut in. The woman wore a bright red fishtail dress and striking makeup. She raised her wineglass toward Qiao Shuyan, but her gaze fell first on Fu Yanzhi, soft but somewhat probing. "And who is this? He doesn't look like a face we usually see in our circle."

When Qiao Shuyan looked up, the curve of her lips was just right, neither distant nor overly warm. She turned slightly, naturally shielding Fu Yanzhi at her side, and spoke in an easy tone. "This is my younger brother, Fu Yanzhi. It's his first time at an occasion like this. I brought him along to broaden his horizons."

Following his sister's lead, Fu Yanzhi gave the woman a slight nod. The boy stood tall, his features still holding a trace of youthful awkwardness, but he showed no sign of timidity. He stood quietly beside Qiao Shuyan, his gaze resting on the space between the two women, and said nothing more.

The woman in red smiled and greeted Fu Yanzhi, then turned back to Qiao Shuyan to discuss recent projects. As they spoke, she glanced at him from time to time, as though gauging just how close the boy and Qiao Shuyan were.

Qiao Shuyan handled the conversation with ease, occasionally turning to tell Fu Yanzhi, "Try the desserts over there. They're quite good." She neither neglected her guest nor let the boy beside her feel ignored.

While Qiao Shuyan was still chatting with the woman in red, Fu Yanzhi spotted a familiar figure nearby. Xiao Yuelan spotted him as well.

Xiao Yuelan hurried over and smiled at Fu Yanzhi. "Little brother Xiaozhi, what are you doing here? Has your injury healed?"

"It's healed. Thanks for asking, Sister Xiao," Fu Yanzhi said.

Xiao Yuelan put an arm around his shoulders and said with a smile, "We're brother and sister. What do you need to thank me for? Oh, where's Qingqing? Why didn't he come with you?"

Fu Yanzhi smiled. "I came with Sister Qiao today, so I didn't bring my second brother along. He should be playing with our younger brothers now."

Only then did Xiao Yuelan notice Qiao Shuyan. She raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Miss Qiao, what a coincidence. We meet again."

Qiao Shuyan responded politely, "It is quite a coincidence. You look beautiful tonight, Miss Xiao."

Xiao Yuelan's lips curved upward. "Thank you, Miss Qiao. You look lovely today too. But what made you decide to bring little brother Xiaozhi to the Fu Family's banquet?"

"You may not know this yet, Miss Xiao, but I've adopted Xiaozhi and his younger brothers, so Xiaozhi is a member of the Qiao Family now. And while I'm at it, I'd like certain people to know that Fu Yanzhi isn't someone just any stray cat or dog can bully," Qiao Shuyan said.

Xiao Yuelan understood what Qiao Shuyan meant. She turned to Fu Yanzhi and asked, "Little brother Xiaozhi, who bullied you? Why didn't you tell Sister Xiao?"

Fu Yanzhi told Xiao Yuelan what had happened at the hotpot restaurant.

Xiao Yuelan was furious when she heard it. "Even beating him up was letting him off lightly. Don't worry, little brother Xiaozhi. If anything happens, come find Sister Xiao. I'll definitely help you."

Fu Yanzhi nodded. "Then thank you, Sister Xiao."

Just then, the banquet hall suddenly fell silent. Fu Chengyuan, head of the Fu Family, slowly walked onto the stage and cleared his throat. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried. "We are holding this banquet today, first, to thank you all for honoring us with your presence, and second, to make a formal announcement: the Fu Family intends to develop its business in Luo City."

He raised his hand and gently swirled his glass, sending faint ripples through the amber liquor. A faint but unmistakable smile played on his lips. "As we put down roots in Luo City, I hope our seniors and colleagues will look after us. Let me thank you in advance." When he finished, he inclined his head slightly. The crisp clink of his glass mingled with the sounds of glasses touching around him, settling into the whispers that followed the room's silence.

A round of applause rose from the crowd below the stage. Fu Li was also standing onstage, with his mother, Chi Tang, beside him.

From the stage, Fu Li spotted Fu Yanzhi, who had beaten him at the hotpot restaurant the day before, at a glance. He hadn't expected Fu Yanzhi to come to his door before he had even gone looking for him.

Fu Yanzhi had drunk a lot of juice that evening and suddenly needed the restroom. After telling Qiao Shuyan and Xiao Yuelan, he went there.

Fu Li came down from the stage and saw Fu Yanzhi heading toward the restroom. An idea suddenly struck him, and he followed Fu Yanzhi inside.

Fu Yanzhi had just entered the restroom and hadn't even opened a stall door when Fu Li followed him in. He folded his arms and blocked the entrance, a vicious smile on his face. "Well, what a coincidence. I haven't settled yesterday's score with you yet."

Fu Yanzhi frowned and looked at him coldly. "Fu Li, I didn't realize you really had that much nerve. Looks like I went too easy on you yesterday, since you still dare provoke me."

Fu Li sneered. "Do you know where you are? This is the Fu Family's place. Do you dare lay a hand on me?"

Seeing his provocative manner, Fu Yanzhi was just about to hit him when a good idea suddenly occurred to him.

Fu Yanzhi ignored Fu Li and went straight into a stall. Fu Li saw that Fu Yanzhi hadn't gotten angry and hit him. He had wanted Fu Yanzhi to get angry and beat him up so he could falsely accuse him of causing trouble at the Fu Family's place.

Seeing Fu Yanzhi enter the stall, Fu Li stamped his feet in anger and cursed outside. Just then, Fu Yanzhi cried out in pain from inside. "Ah! My stomach hurts! Quick, call a doctor!"

Fu Li froze. Before he could react, Fu Yanzhi rushed out clutching his stomach and slammed straight into him. Fu Li staggered and nearly fell, while Fu Yanzhi took the opportunity to fall to the floor, shouting, "Fu Li, why did you push me?"

The commotion drew people in from outside, and they gathered around to ask what had happened. Fu Yanzhi said weakly, "My stomach suddenly started hurting after I drank some juice, and when I came out, Fu Li pushed me."

Everyone looked at Fu Li. His face flushed red with anxiety, and he shouted, "I didn't push him! He ran into me himself!"

Qiao Shuyan ran over and helped Fu Yanzhi up, asking what was wrong with him now, her face full of concern.

Xiao Yuelan ran over and grabbed Fu Li by the collar, her eyes icy. "Fu Li, what did you do to Xiaozhi?"

When Xiao Yuelan suddenly grabbed his collar, Fu Li's expression turned ugly. He knocked her hand away and said, "Who the fuck are you to lay a hand on me? Remember, this is the Fu Family's place."

Xiao Yuelan snorted coldly. "Some Fu Family you are. You'd only just moved here yesterday, and you already dared bully my little brother at the hotpot restaurant. Today you want to get physical here too? Do you take me, Xiao Yuelan, for a vegetarian?"

Fu Li gritted his teeth, not daring to say anything else.

Xiao Yuelan walked over to Fu Yanzhi and patted his shoulder. "Little brother Xiaozhi, are you all right?"

By then, Fu Chengyuan had seen what was happening and came over as well. His brows tightly knitted, he swept his gaze over the crowd and asked in a low voice, "What's going on?"

Fu Yanzhi pretended to lean weakly against Qiao Shuyan and repeated the story of how Fu Li had shoved him.

Fu Li hurriedly protested, "Dad, he ran into me himself! I didn't push him!"

Fu Chengyuan looked at Fu Yanzhi's pained expression, then at Xiao Yuelan and Qiao Shuyan, whose faces were full of anxiety. He had already formed some judgment in his heart.

He turned to Fu Li and said sternly, "Whatever happened, causing a scene at a banquet is unacceptable."

Fu Li was about to argue again, but Fu Chengyuan raised a hand to stop him. Then he said to Fu Yanzhi with concern, "Child, go see a doctor first. Don't delay."

He also arranged for someone to fetch a doctor. Fu Yanzhi shook his head and said, "I'll go to the hospital myself, so I won't disturb you." Then he left with Qiao Shuyan and Xiao Yuelan supporting him.

Fu Li watched them, angry and frustrated, but he didn't dare lash out again.

Fu Chengyuan looked at Fu Li and said earnestly, "You need to rein yourself in from now on. Don't cause any more trouble."

Fu Li could only grit his teeth and agree. Meanwhile, the corners of Fu Yanzhi's lips rose slightly. For now, this little play had come to an end.

With Qiao Shuyan and Xiao Yuelan helping him, Fu Yanzhi got into the car. Once inside, he smiled and said, "All right, Sister Xiao, Sister Yan, you don't need to worry. I was pretending just now. So, was my performance convincing?"

Xiao Yuelan smacked Fu Yanzhi on the head. "Damn it, do you know you nearly scared me to death just now?"

Qiao Shuyan also smiled. "All right, as long as you're fine. It's getting late, so I'll take little brother Xiaozhi home first."

Fu Yanzhi nodded and said goodbye to Xiao Yuelan, and the car started. He leaned back in his seat, thinking that his younger brothers needed a car to get to school too. They ought to buy one, and Zheng Long should know how to drive.

Fu Yanzhi was still thinking about it when the car stopped. He saw they had arrived home and wanted to invite Qiao Shuyan in for a while, but she had something else to do and declined.

As soon as Fu Yanzhi entered, he heard his third brother shouting. "Do you even know how to play cards, Little Xingxing? We're on the same team! How could you bomb me?" Wen Shiming shouted from nearby.

Kong Fanxing said angrily, "I had a bomb. Why wouldn't I play it? Do you think I'm stupid?"

Wen Shiming was so angry by now that he was hopping mad. "I'm not talking to you anymore. You're going to make me die of anger."

"Well, I'm not talking to you either. You can't beat Second Brother and Brother Yueyue, so all you know how to do is bully me." Kong Fanxing turned his head away from Wen Shiming and went into Bo Qing's arms.

Bo Qing looked at Kong Fanxing climbing into his arms, then at Wen Shiming, whose face was red with anger. "All right, all right, we're all family. Stop arguing."

Fu Yanzhi walked in just then and said with a smile, "Why are you angry? Who upset you?"

Wen Shiming and Kong Fanxing turned toward him at the sound of his voice. "Big Brother, you're back!"

Kong Fanxing jumped out of Bo Qing's arms and ran to Fu Yanzhi.

"Big Brother, was the banquet fun today?" Wen Shiming came over and asked as well.

Fu Yanzhi patted their heads and briefly told them what had happened at the banquet, focusing on how Fu Li had tried to play a dirty trick on him, only to fall into his trap instead. Everyone burst out laughing.

"Big Brother, you're amazing!" Kong Fanxing looked at Fu Yanzhi admiringly.

"Of course. If anyone dares bully us in the future, Big Brother will teach them a lesson for you," Fu Yanzhi said with a smile.

Then he remembered buying a car and said to everyone, "I'm planning to buy us a car tomorrow. It'll make it easier to go to school and get around."

"Yay!" Kong Fanxing said. Fu Yanzhi looked at his younger brothers in the living room and asked with a smile, "Why do you all have paper strips stuck to your faces?"

Wen Shiming said from the side, "It's all because of a certain little idiot who bombs his own teammate whenever he has a bomb."

Kong Fanxing protested, "It's all your fault. You're the idiot."

Fu Yanzhi laughed. "All right, all right. Come on, Big Brother will play with you. I'll team up with Little Xingxing, and we'll cover your second and third brothers in paper strips."

Kong Fanxing was overjoyed to hear that Big Brother wanted to be on his team and hurriedly urged them to start.

The teams were now Bo Qing and Kong Fanyue, Wen Shiming and Feng Yunxiao, Fu Yanzhi and Kong Fanxing, and Li Huanhuan and Zheng Long.

The game soon began. With his excellent strategy and keen powers of observation, Fu Yanzhi led Kong Fanxing in keeping the others under pressure throughout.

Kong Fanxing was a little nervous at first, but with Fu Yanzhi's encouragement, he gradually relaxed and played his cards decisively.

Bo Qing and Kong Fanyue worked together seamlessly, playing their cards in an orderly manner;

Wen Shiming and Feng Yunxiao attacked fiercely, trying to disrupt their opponents' rhythm;

Li Huanhuan and Zheng Long refused to be outdone, watching for opportunities to strike back.

After several rounds, the game gradually reached a stalemate. As Fu Yanzhi played, he watched the others' expressions and movements, looking for an opening.

Suddenly, he seized an opportunity and played a beautiful combination with Kong Fanxing, putting Bo Qing and Kong Fanyue in a difficult position. Wen Shiming scratched his head anxiously, while Feng Yunxiao remained calm.

Before long, Bo Qing and Kong Fanyue's faces were covered in paper strips, making them look just like two Santa Clauses. Wen Shiming and Feng Yunxiao refused to be outdone and rallied to counterattack.

Li Huanhuan and Zheng Long also worked well together, occasionally playing beautiful combinations.

Kong Fanxing's little face was red with excitement. Clutching his cards tightly, he shouted, "Big Brother, I have a joker bomb!"

The corners of Fu Yanzhi's lips rose as he directed him. "Play it, bomb them!" Kong Fanxing immediately slapped both jokers onto the table, dancing with joy.

After a few more rounds, the outcome gradually became clear. Fu Yanzhi and Kong Fanxing won a complete victory, while everyone else's face was covered in paper strips, turning them into "paper-strip monsters."

Seeing how everyone looked, they couldn't help bursting into laughter.

Laughter echoed through the living room, filling it with warmth and joy. Fu Yanzhi looked at his younger brothers' innocent smiles, his heart full of warmth.

He knew that no matter what they encountered in the future, their family would stay close and face it together. Tonight's card game would also become a cherished memory for them.