Brother? Calling Me "Brother" Costs Extra

Top floor of Huo Corporation, CEO's office.

The shareholder meeting that had just ended had been like a smoke-filled war, and traces of tension still lingered in the air.

Although Lin Yu had lost the voting rights, he did not leave immediately. He stood at the entrance to the CEO's office, straightening his slightly disheveled tie, his eyes filled with an almost crazed anticipation.

[Mr. J is here.]

Lin Yu repeated to himself.

As long as the legendary Mr. J, who controlled hundreds of billions in overseas capital, arrived, Huo Si's arrogance from earlier would be utterly crushed. Mr. J hated it most when people touched those under his protection, and though Lin Yu was merely a puppet, he was still the one KM Group had put in the spotlight.

Even when beating a dog, one had to consider its owner.

"Huo Si, don't get cocky too soon." Lin Yu sneered at the tightly shut office door. "The real big shot is only entering the game now."

Inside the office.

Jian Ning was sprawled on the sofa, eating grapes Huo Si had peeled for him while staring at the red dot on the system panel.

The dot was moving incredibly fast and had already reached downstairs.

[System, are you sure he's my biological brother?]

[What if he's one of those wealthy illegitimate brothers who wants to kill me to keep me quiet? This little body of mine can't take a beating from him.]

System: [Rest assured, Host. According to big data analysis, Jian Xiu's—Mr. J's—"brother obsession index" is as high as 99.9%. His fixation on you is even more terrifying than Huo Si's possessiveness toward you. Simply put, he is... a psychotic-level little-brother fanatic.]

Jian Ning chewed his grape and shuddered.

[Psychotic?]

[Then I'd better cling tightly to Huo Si's thigh first.]

Just then, the elevator doors opened with a ding.

The atmosphere in the corridor instantly dropped below freezing.

Two rows of bodyguards in black suits and sunglasses stepped out of the elevator first, swiftly clearing the way.

Then, a gleaming handmade leather shoe stepped onto the carpet.

The man wore an exceptionally sharp-cut navy double-breasted suit. He was tall and straight-backed, even half a head taller than Huo Si. His features were deep and chiseled, carrying the cool severity of mixed heritage, while his narrow phoenix eyes were seventy percent similar to Jian Ning's.

But Jian Ning's eyes held mischief and liveliness, whereas this man's held the arrogant, cold-blooded disdain of someone who looked down upon the world.

The helmsman of KM Group—Mr. J, Jian Xiu.

The instant Lin Yu saw Jian Xiu, his eyes lit up. He hurried forward, arranging a wronged yet respectful smile on his face.

"Mr. J! You're finally here! Huo Si has gone too far! Not only did he detain Smith, he even froze our voting rights! You must—"

Before Lin Yu could finish, Jian Xiu did not even spare him a glance.

Without slowing down, he merely raised a hand slightly.

The bodyguards behind him immediately understood. They grabbed Lin Yu by the back of his collar like he was a chicken and flung him straight into the corner.

Bang!

"Get lost."

Jian Xiu spat out a single word. His voice was low and magnetic, yet as cold as the Siberian wind.

"You're in the way."

Lin Yu lay sprawled on the floor, stunned.

[Wait... I'm on your side! I'm your man!]

Jian Xiu had no time to bother with an ant like him. He clutched a document folder tightly in his hand, his gaze locked onto the CEO's office door.

His hand was actually trembling slightly.

Twenty years.

He had searched for a full twenty years.

And finally... he had found him.

Bang!

The CEO's office door was violently shoved open from outside.

Huo Si sat behind his desk. His brow furrowed as he was about to lose his temper, but the instant he saw the newcomer, his expression turned extremely grave.

An expert.

It was the dangerous aura that only those of the same kind could sense in one another.

Jian Ning poked his head out from the sofa, half a grape still in his mouth.

Their eyes met.

The air froze.

Jian Xiu looked at the youth sprawled on the sofa, appearing soft, helpless, and utterly defenseless.

That face perfectly overlapped with the face of their mother in his memories.

Those eyes held a trace of confusion and vigilance, but the tremor of blood ties made his heart—which had long since turned cold and hard as iron in the business world—instantly melt into water.

"Ning Ning..."

Jian Xiu's voice trembled. His hands, usually decisive and ruthless, now did not know where to rest.

He walked forward step by step, as though afraid of shattering a beautiful dream.

Huo Si abruptly rose to his feet and stood in front of Jian Ning, blocking Jian Xiu's overly heated gaze.

"Sir, trespassing is against the law, even if you're the owner of KM Group."

Huo Si's voice was full of hostility.

With his line of sight blocked, the tenderness on Jian Xiu's face instantly vanished, replaced by towering fury.

He stared coldly at Huo Si, his gaze sharp as blades.

"Huo Si. CEO of Huo Corporation."

"So you're... the pig that rooted up my family's precious cabbage?"

Huo Si: "?"

Jian Ning: "?"

[Pig?]

[Old Huo is a pig? Then doesn't that make me... cabbage that got rooted up by a pig?]

Jian Xiu slammed the document folder in his hand onto Huo Si's desk with a smack.

"Open your dog eyes and look carefully."

"I'm his biological older brother."

"Jian Ning is the young master of the Jian Family who was lost outside for twenty years. He is the sole heir of KM Group!"

Huo Si glanced at the paternity test report.

Though he had already suspected it, when it was truly confirmed, his heart still sank.

Trouble.

Not only was this man a love rival, he was also a brother-in-law with legal guardianship rights.

Jian Ning slipped out from behind Huo Si and picked up the report to look at it.

Mm, genetic similarity: 99.99%.

It was confirmed beyond doubt.

He looked up at the man before him, whose eyes were red with excitement and who appeared ready to pounce on him for a tearful embrace at any moment.

[So this is my bargain-bin brother?]

[He looks pretty rich, and... this suit is custom-made, right? That watch is a limited edition, right?]

Jian Ning sniffed, but instead of immediately putting on a tearful reunion scene, he held out one hand, palm up, in front of Jian Xiu.

A standard, slightly shy smile appeared on his face.

"Well... Mr. J, even if the report is real."

"Still... there are twenty years of emotional damages, child-rearing expenses, and a meeting gift..."

Jian Ning blinked.

"Don't you think it's time to settle the bill?"

Jian Xiu froze.

Huo Si's mouth twitched.

[As expected of you.]

Once Jian Xiu came back to his senses, not only was he not angry, he looked ecstatic.

Greedy for money?

Being greedy for money was great!

Jian Xiu was so poor that he only had money left! As long as his little brother wanted it, he could pluck the stars from the sky and turn them into diamonds!

"Take it! Take it all!"

Jian Xiu frantically began pulling things from his coat.

Black card? Take it!

Swiss bank cashier's check? Take it!

Transfer documents for several mines he had just bought? Take them!

He even removed the Patek Philippe worth tens of millions from his wrist and stuffed everything into Jian Ning's hands.

"Ning Ning, this is only pocket money!"

Jian Xiu held Jian Ning's hand, tears glistening in his eyes.

"Come home with your brother! I'll buy you islands! Planes! Yachts! If you want to buy Huo Corporation and turn it into an amusement park, that's fine too!"

At that moment, Huo Si, standing beside them, looked so grim his face was nearly black.

[Buy Huo Corporation as an amusement park?]

[Trying to steal my wife right in front of me?]

Huo Si pulled Jian Ning into his arms and looked coldly at Jian Xiu.

"President Jian, you've got quite the mouth."

"Jian Ning has already registered our marriage. He belongs to the Huo Household."

At those words, Jian Xiu's expression instantly turned savage.

"Registered your marriage?"

"Who approved that? Did you get the approval of me, his eldest brother?"

"My Jian Family's treasure—how dare you?!"

Two men worth hundreds of billions stood in the spacious CEO's office, separated by Jian Ning as tangible killing intent erupted between them.

The air seemed to crackle with sparks and lightning.

Jian Ning hugged the pile of black cards and watches, delighted beyond measure.

[Fight! Fight!]

[The harder you fight, the more valuable I become!]

[System, is this the legendary... beloved darling battlefield?]

Just then, Lin Yu, who had been forgotten at the doorway, finally crawled up from the floor.

Watching the scene inside, he felt like his entire world had shattered.

[Jian Ning is Mr. J's younger brother?!]

[Then what am I? I wanted to kill my boss's biological younger brother?]

[I'm done... This time, I'm really done for...]

Lin Yu tried to sneak away.

"Um..." Jian Xiu suddenly turned around, looking at him as though he were a dead fly. "Has the trash at the door not been dealt with yet?"

He waved a hand at the bodyguards.

"Throw him into the sea to feed the fish. Don't let me see him again."

Lin Yu: "Mr. J! Spare me! I'm your man!"

His voice grew more distant until it vanished near the elevator.

After dealing with the trash, Jian Xiu put on an expression so gentle it could drip water and looked at Jian Ning.

"Ning Ning, the air here is bad. Come with your brother."

"I've prepared a welcome banquet for you at the Burj Al Arab in Dubai. We'll fly over right now."

Huo Si tightly wrapped an arm around Jian Ning's waist, refusing to yield an inch.

"He's not going."

"We're going home tonight. Fix the bed."

Jian Xiu: "Fix the bed?"

Huo Si curved his lips into a provocative smile. "Last night was too intense. The bed collapsed."

Jian Xiu: "!!!!!"

Boom—!

Jian Xiu's rationality snapped completely.

"Huo Si! I'll kill you!!!"

The office descended into chaos.

In the end, Jian Ning had to step in, grabbing his husband with one hand and his biological brother with the other.

"Stop! Quit fighting!"

"It's fine if you don't want me to leave." Jian Ning looked at Jian Xiu. "Brother, do you have somewhere to stay in the country?"

Jian Xiu immediately nodded. "Yes! I just bought a courtyard house! It's right next to the Huo Household!"

Jian Ning: "..."

[Next door? Are you planning to lurk by the wall every day?]

Jian Ning sighed. "Fine. We'll all have dinner together tonight. My treat."

Jian Xiu was moved. "My little brother is treating! Anything is fine!"

Huo Si snorted coldly. "Put it on my card."

That night, at an upscale hot pot restaurant in the capital.

Inside a private room.

Jian Xiu and Huo Si sat on either side of Jian Ning, and the atmosphere was bizarre.

Jian Xiu kept piling food into Jian Ning's bowl. "Ning Ning, eat this tripe. It was flown in!"

Huo Si silently took the tripe away. "His stomach isn't good. He can't eat spicy food. Have this shrimp paste instead."

Jian Xiu glared at him. "Your stomach isn't good! My little brother is fit as a fiddle!"

Caught in the middle, Jian Ning's bowl had been piled into a mountain.

Just then, the system suddenly displayed a notification:

[Ding! A new plot clue has been detected!]

[Jian Xiu's return to the country this time was not merely to acknowledge his family. He also brought back a shocking secret.]

[Back then, the Jian Family parents did not die in an accidental car crash. They were murdered. And the clues to the culprit... point to a collateral relative of the Huo Household.]

Jian Ning's chopsticks paused.

Murder?

A collateral branch of the Huo Household?

How did this wealthy-family grudge end up with suspense and detective work too?

Jian Xiu seemed to have remembered the important matter as well. He set down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and his expression turned serious.

He pulled a yellowed old photograph from his pocket and pushed it in front of Huo Si.

"Huo Si, although I really hate you."

"For this matter, I need to borrow the Huo Household's intelligence network."

"This person..." Jian Xiu pointed at a blurry side profile in the photo. "Have you seen him?"

Huo Si lowered his head and glanced at it.

His pupils contracted slightly.

"This is..."

"Second Granduncle Huo of the Huo Household, Huo Zhen?"