Page 8

He paused, growing more self-righteous as he spoke. "I'm not going there to practice ball. I'm just playing around. There's no need to spend too much money."

Zhang Qiuwen was amazed. "What a thrifty and frugal rich kid."

In his mind, rich second-generation heirs were extravagant and decadent, surrounded by women and throwing money around, their lives utterly depraved. But Chi Ning was completely different.

What a pity. Brother Qin liked making friends with tough guys, not young masters like him. He definitely wouldn't tell him where the billiards hall was.

"Brother Xu's billiards hall is at No. 26 Yongning Road in Gangnan District. The storefront's huge," Qin Heng said.

Zhang Qiuwen: "..."

"Gangnan?" Chi Ning let out a small cry of surprise and smiled. "Isn't that very close to Gangnan International High School?"

Qin Heng saw the hope in Chi Ning's eyes and, slightly irritated, unzipped his black windbreaker. "What is it? Do you have a friend at Gangnan International High School? Do you need someone to pass along a message?"

Chi Ning's gaze moved between Zhang Qiuwen and Qin Heng before he belatedly asked, "You aren't students at Gangnan International High School?"

Zhang Qiuwen's stalled brain finally started working again. "Hahaha, of course not. Brother Qin goes to No. 1 High School too. He's in my class."

The smile on Chi Ning's face abruptly faded.

In his previous life, Qin Heng had personally told him that he was a scholarship student at Gangnan International High School.

But things were different now.

Either Qin Heng had lied in his previous life, or everything in this life had deviated to some extent.

If it was the latter, then perhaps the initiative of fate was no longer in his hands.

Whether Qin Heng had lied in his previous life was impossible to determine now, but whether the initiative remained in his hands could still be verified.

The silence was suffocating.

Both Chi Ning and Qin Heng looked terrible. Caught between them, Zhang Qiuwen trembled nervously. "I, uh... said something wrong?"

But it was only about where they went to school. What was wrong with that?

Chi Ning came back to himself and said lightly and distantly, "No, I was just asking. I'll be going now. Goodbye, you two."

Whether Qin Heng had lied in his previous life wasn't important, nor was where he went to school. In any case, they hadn't ended up together.

Saving his brother was more important. In this life, he didn't want his family destroyed again.

Chi Ning walked to the entrance of the night market street and took out his phone to call the driver.

Less than ten minutes later.

A silver-white business van pulled up at the entrance. Uncle Chen rolled down the driver's-side window. "Young master, it's hot outside. Get in quickly."

Chi Ning climbed in. The cool air-conditioning immediately dispelled the heat, making the lingering taste of bayberry in his throat even more distinct and sending his thoughts drifting toward Qin Heng's leg injury.

In weather this hot, continuing to stand there would probably be bad for Qin Heng's recovery.

Tsk.

Considering that he had brought him meals for ten years in his previous life...

Chi Ning took two hundred yuan from his pocket and handed it to the driver. "Uncle Chen, someone's selling chilled bayberry juice near West Street by the night market. It's too hot, and it isn't easy for the granny and the servants either. Buy it all and bring it back for everyone to share."

"Sure. What does the stall look like?"

Chi Ning said, "It's a bicycle. The seller has a scar over his eyebrow."

"Got it." Uncle Chen replied and quickly got out of the car.

Chi Ning tilted the air-conditioning vent that was blowing on his face upward and lowered his eyes in thought.

The way to verify whether the initiative was still in his hands was simple. He only needed to see who won the National Biology Olympiad.

If he didn't participate in this life, then the heir of Jiu Pharmaceutical, who had placed second in his previous life, would become first.

After the news report, Jiu Pharmaceutical's stock price should rise, while the Chi family's stock price, with its public image appearing to lack successors, would surely plummet off a cliff and might even trigger a wave of sell-offs.

He didn't know whether it was just his imagination.

His father didn't seem to care about the stock price. He would even leave the door open while scolding his brother, as though deliberately trying to let the media report it.

Chi Ning's breathing caught as a flash of insight streaked through his mind.

If his father had deliberately let the media slander his brother, and his brother's rebellion had been an act too...

Then the doting father's double standards and his rebellious brother bringing oil-fried shrimp cakes home didn't seem so strange after all.

He had always known he had no talent for finance, but he hadn't expected real business warfare to involve manipulating public opinion to control stock prices.

It was absurd, only slightly less absurd than pouring boiling water over a rival's money tree to kill it.

But why had his father and brother hidden something so important from him?

Chi Ning clenched his fist against his lips, his mind nearly blank.

If his guess was true, hadn't he inadvertently ruined his father and brother's plan in his previous life?

Click.

A faint latch sound rang out.

Uncle Chen opened the front passenger door, placed a box of bayberry juice on the seat, and fastened a seat belt around it. He smiled heartily. "Young master, I bought it all. There's still more than ten yuan left."

"Keep the change for yourself. Thanks for making the trip," Chi Ning said.

"Alright. I'll have my mother make your favorite pineapple cakes later." Uncle Chen walked around to the driver's seat, buckled up, and sped back to the Chi Residence with Chi Ning and a box of bayberry juice.

It was Sunday. After handling company matters, Chi Baichuan had returned home and was currently sitting on the sofa reading the newspaper.

With unfocused eyes, Chi Ning slowly shuffled over to his father. After struggling for a long time, he finally decided to ask directly, "Dad, have you and my brother been hiding something from me?"

Chi Baichuan paused in the middle of turning a page, his expression turning thoughtful.

"You aren't trying to figure out where your acting slipped, are you?" Chi Ning looked toward the granny in the distance, who was preparing to go to the kitchen and make pineapple cakes. His tone carried the world-weary air of someone who had seen through everything.

"The discord between you and my brother was an act, wasn't it? You deliberately argued in front of the media?"

Chi Baichuan wasn't angry. Instead, he looked appreciative. "You've grown up."

Chi Ning suddenly remembered what his father had told him two days ago—when you grow up, you'll understand.

He sighed and closed his eyes again. "Why didn't you tell me about something so important?"

Chi Baichuan reached out and stroked Chi Ning's head. "We've been acting for more than three years. Things are already nearing their end. If nothing unexpected happens, it'll be over soon. The company's affairs are too complicated for you. We were afraid you'd worry if you knew."

Chi Ning finally understood.

In his previous life, his father had never expected news of him winning first place in the Olympiad to be sensationalized so wildly, even causing the "matter" to fail.

After all, Olympiad champions had never drawn media attention in previous years. Reports only occupied a small corner of the newspaper, and all news would sink without a trace within a day.

Yet stories about him had occupied the entertainment pages for an entire week, truth and lies taking turns.

Once everything had completely failed, it was no longer appropriate to tell him the truth.

Because his parents and brother were afraid he would blame himself...

Chi Ning suddenly lifted his head and held back his tears. "Dad, don't hide major things from me in the future."

"Alright." Chi Baichuan patted his shoulder. "Have you decided about the Olympiad? Are you going?"

"I'm not going." Chi Ning refused immediately. "If Teacher Wang calls again to ask, just refuse him directly."

After a pause, he added, "I won't attend voluntary evening self-study sessions anymore either. Please let them know. After school ends at five-thirty, I'll go somewhere else to have fun for a while. I won't come home right away."

Chi Baichuan: "..."

"You want to play the rebellious young master?"

Chi Ning froze. "Um... I wouldn't exactly call it acting?"

He was planning to make it real.

Chi Baichuan wore an expression that said he understood and smiled. "Young people should have fun. When I was your age, I could already fly planes."

Mentioning flying planes made him think of riding motorcycles.

Thinking of his brother tumbling down a mountain road in his previous life, Chi Ning couldn't help mentioning it. "Street racing in the wilderness and on public roads is still too dangerous. What if someone tampers with the vehicle? If you're putting on an act, put on a different one. If my brother likes racing, you can let him go to a proper track."

"You really have grown up." Chi Baichuan looked gratified. "But the act has already reached this point. We can't stop it now."

That was true.

Chi Ning frowned in thought.

In his previous life, Yangcheng seemed to ban motorcycles around these years. After his brother died in the accident, the policy was fully implemented. In this life, it could be brought forward.

He wasn't good at finance, but he was quite good at writing papers and studying policy.

After all, academic papers were strange things. If the timing of publication was wrong, they could easily have been written for nothing.

Chi Ning considered his wording and said, "Has Yangcheng been promoting a motorcycle ban lately?"

"People in Taiguan District are always roaring through the streets late at night. There are many motorcycle taxi robberies and motorcycle accidents. We can absolutely push the media to make an issue of it. Once public opinion supports the government, the policies and regulations will follow quickly."

Then no one would be able to race in Yangcheng. If his brother wanted to ride, he would have to go to a proper track, and his brother probably wouldn't be exposed.

Chi Baichuan slapped the armrest. "That works. I'll make the call in a moment."

His youngest son's brain really worked well. Aside from being too guileless and easy to fool, everything else was great.

"Dad, there's something else. I think I'm too thin. It isn't healthy." Chi Ning bent his arm, trying to squeeze out some muscle, but unfortunately there wasn't any at all.

Even Chi Baichuan's pace of eating Hong Kong-style snacks slowed. He hesitated. "Should I have the granny stew pork trotter soup with goji berries and longan tonight?"

Chi Ning's mouth twitched. "No."

That thing was practically a death dish.

"I mean, can you help me find a kickboxing coach?"

Thinking of Qin Heng, who had deceived him in his previous life, Chi Ning gritted his teeth. "At the very least... I can't look this easy to fool."

Chi Baichuan thought it made sense. "That makes sense. Dad will definitely find you the best coach."

The knot in Chi Ning's chest loosened a little.

With a solemn face, he went upstairs to shower. After sprawling on his bed for a while, he changed into casual clothes and went downstairs, planning to use the allowance he had saved for more than ten years without touching it to prepare for future patent applications.