"Hua Jian! Please, stop talking!"

A day later, Xue Pan visited the Qin Residence for the first time.

"Cui Zhao's godfather is coming today. He's a cunning old fox, and he protects his own. Forget Qin Ci and me-even Uncle Qin has to show him some respect."

"If you run into him later, don't speak to him."

Jiang Yueming looked grim. He had organized the race in the South District that night, never expecting Qin Ci to get caught up in it too.

Xue Pan's eyes shifted slightly. "Cui Zhao tried to hurt Young Master Qin. Even if his godfather comes, does Mr. Qin still have to show him respect?"

Jiang Yueming glanced at him, thinking this kid was sometimes clever and sometimes stupid.

He offered a few pointers. "Cui Zhao's godfather is no ordinary man. That's why Cui Zhao dares to compete with Qin Ci. Besides, Qin Ci wasn't seriously hurt this time."

As they talked, they followed a servant into the elevator. Qin Ci lived on the third floor.

Qin Ci had been cooped up at home so long he was practically growing mold. His game ended in another game over, and he swore bitterly before tossing his phone aside.

"Well, our Young Master Qin looks pretty lively."

Qin Ci turned to look. A rugged-looking young man followed Jiang Yueming into the room.

He raised an eyebrow. "Xue Pan?"

"Hello, Young Master Qin."

He hadn't expected a low-level lackey to be so good-looking. Qin Ci studied him for a moment, feeling that he looked familiar.

Qin Ci frowned. "Have we met somewhere before?"

Xue Pan answered without a change in expression. "You must have mistaken me for someone else, Young Master Qin. That night on South Mountain was the first time I met you."

Jiang Yueming gave a suggestive chuckle. "You noticed too? He looks like that minor celebrity who got popular last year-the one who played a domineering CEO for Little Six's company. Remember? When you came back to the country, he tried to get into your bed. You thought he was too dark and beat him up."

Xue Pan's expression stiffened slightly.

Qin Ci frowned. "Fuck, he really does."

In the end, he held back the words "just my luck." After all, Xue Pan had genuinely saved his life. He wasn't some little nobody they could make jokes about.

"Forget his looks. This guy saved your life. I was scared shitless that night. If he hadn't dragged you out, you'd have been burned to charcoal."

Qin Ci smiled too. "Xiaoming said you're a student at Imperial University? What were you doing on South Mountain that day?"

In truth, he had already investigated Xue Pan thoroughly.

He was registered in a small town in Jiangnan, had grown up in an orphanage, and had earned a waiver for his high school tuition and miscellaneous fees through his athletic talent.

He had done well for himself. His academic grades were good enough, and his athletic ability had helped him get into Imperial University.

After enrolling at Imperial University, he had even done business with some petty thugs to earn money.

But to Qin Ci, that only made his background seem more credible.

Xue Pan answered respectfully, "Young Master Qin, I wanted to make money. Young Master Jiang gave me an opportunity and took me to South Mountain."

Jiang Yueming grew excited. "Things were so chaotic that day I didn't get a chance to tell you. Xue Pan won me a car from Cheng Jialou."

He went on and on, but Qin Ci lost interest after listening for a little while.

"If you need money in the future, tell me. There's cash in the house. Take two hundred thousand when you leave."

"Young Master Qin, I wasn't..."

Jiang Yueming immediately glared at him. "Young Master Qin thinks highly of you. Why all the fuss?"

Qin Ci held a cigarette between his fingers, resisting the urge to smoke it. "Cui Chengming is coming soon."

Jiang Yueming sat on the sofa to one side with a sly grin. "You really screwed Cui Zhao over this time. I heard Cui Chengming sent him up north. He said it was to oversee the business, but really, it was to give Uncle Qin an explanation."

Xue Pan's brow twitched. Cui Zhao's godfather was named Cui Chengming.

Was this why Hua Jian had arranged for him to get close to Jiang Yueming?

No wonder Hua Jian had been so mysterious on the phone that night, insisting that he stay close to Qin Ci.

He had said an incredible windfall was waiting for him.

Just then, a servant knocked on the door. "Young Master, Mr. Cui Chengming has arrived."

Qin Ci's expression darkened. "Have him wait on the first floor."

Jiang Yueming asked, "Should Xue Pan and I wait here for you?"

"Come with me." Qin Ci looked Xue Pan up and down. "You too."

Xue Pan followed silently, but just as Qin Ci was about to leave, he suddenly stopped. "Where's that guy who tuned the car and sat in my passenger seat that day?"

The breathtakingly handsome man Aunt Feng couldn't stop talking about seemed to have vanished into thin air.

Xue Pan shifted almost imperceptibly.

Jiang Yueming was puzzled too. "I've been so busy these past few days I completely forgot about him. What's wrong? Is there something suspicious about him?"

Qin Ci said coldly, "Have someone find him."

At the Xie Residence.

"Achoo!"

Xie Zhiwei glanced up at him. "Your second brother said you've been working part-time?"

Hua Jian rubbed his nose. "Yeah."

Xie Zhiwei frowned. "Is there something you want to buy? Is your card out of money?"

It was the weekend, and all the Xie Family children had gathered at home for once, because the head of the Xie Family had finally returned.

Hua Jian glanced toward the living room, where Madam Hua was directing the servants as they arranged fresh flowers.

He leaned closer to Xie Zhiwei and whispered, "My mom's still mad at me. Don't tell her you gave me spending money, eldest brother."

Madam Hua talks tough, and her heart's even harder. If she finds out eldest brother gave me money, I'll get kicked out penniless again.

After hearing that, Xie Zhiwei lowered his eyes and continued reading his documents, though a faint smile lingered on his lips.

A few days earlier, the contract with Bo had been officially signed, and the first project payment had arrived in the two companies' joint account at the same time.

He couldn't understand why Bo Lin had suddenly become willing to work with the Xie Family again.

But at least it had resolved the Xie Family's immediate crisis.

Then there was Shen Ling. Thanks to Hua Jian's unwitting warning, the Xie Family had escaped disaster.

But Xie Zhiwei was no pushover either. He had to repay Shen Ling in kind.

With that thought, Xie Zhiwei put down his documents and picked up his phone.

Beside him, Hua Jian was scrolling through short videos when his casual expression transformed into delight in an instant.

"Eldest brother, you..."

Seeing how happy he was, Xie Zhiwei said in a deliberately cool tone, "Buy whatever you want. My younger brother doesn't need to worry about money."

"Hehe, thanks, eldest brother."

Eldest brother gave me two hundred thousand, the same as second brother last time. But second brother's just a salaried worker, while eldest brother's a big-shot CEO. When you look at it that way, second brother's more generous.

Xie Zhiwei's smile froze. His second brother had transferred spending money to Hua Jian too?

Of course. If his second brother knew about Shen Ling, he must have heard Hua Jian's thoughts as well.

He clenched his jaw slightly. If he'd known, he would have transferred a million, so Hua Jian wouldn't think he was stingy.

Hua Jian knew nothing of Xie Zhiwei's irritation. He had just finished happily counting his money when a message from Xue Pan arrived.

Xue Pan: [I met Cui Zhao's godfather today-Cui Chengming.]

Xue Pan: [By the way, Qin Ci is looking for you. Did you offend him that day?]

Qin Ci was looking for the man who had sat in his passenger seat that night.

But Hua Jian hadn't worn glasses that night and had looked completely different from usual. Besides, he had given Old Feng a fake name, so Qin Ci wouldn't be able to find him.

Most importantly, Xue Pan, the only person who knew his identity, would never tell Qin Ci.

Hua Jian ignored the second message and sent Xue Pan a reply.

[Cui Chengming has a Supercar Club that he put Cui Zhao in charge of. Its drivers are all world-class. Qin Ci wants to take Cui Zhao on in racing, but he can't beat him.]

As soon as the message went through, Xue Pan replied: [You want me to get to know Cui Chengming through Qin Ci?]

Hua Jian raised his eyebrows in surprise. He hadn't expected Xue Pan to be clever enough to figure it out.

What he didn't know was that this had nothing to do with Xue Pan being clever.

It was simply that he had no secrets from Xue Pan.

Xue Pan had already heard every one of his thoughts. He wasn't stupid, and by connecting the dots, he had figured out the key to it all.

Hua Jian: [That depends on your ability. But here's a warning: if you get to know Cui Chengming, you'd better keep it from Cui Zhao.]

This time, Xue Pan didn't reply.

"Are you dating someone, Xiao Jian? You're so absorbed in your phone."

A gentle voice sounded behind him. Hua Jian came back to himself and turned around.

Xie Zhitan and Xie Zhiyan had come downstairs.

Xie Zhiyan looked gloomy, sullen, and indignant.

When the brothers had come home last night, Xie Zhiyan had made a fuss, demanding money from Xie Zhiwei.

"No, second brother. I'm chatting with a classmate."

But why is Xie Zhiyan still so clueless? He wants to sell his shares before he's even old enough, just to start a company for some worthless man? What a wastrel. If the late Madam Xie knew she'd given birth to such an idiot, she'd probably leap out of her grave in fury!

Xie Zhiwei's and Xie Zhitan's faces darkened instantly.

When their mother had died of illness, she had divided the assets in her name equally among her three sons.

They couldn't take possession of their trust funds and shares until they turned twenty.

Until then, they could only receive annual dividends.

Their third brother was still three months away from his twentieth birthday.

Yesterday, for reasons they couldn't fathom, he had demanded a substantial sum of money, even saying that if his eldest brother refused, he would put up his shares as collateral.

Xie Zhitan's eyes filled with anger. No wonder their third brother had refused to say what he needed the money for. It was because of Shu Yao again.

Since when has Shu Yao been interested in starting an entertainment company? He's just jealous of how much the Shu Family values Shu Yan and wants to compete with him out of spite. Honestly, doesn't Xie Zhiyan see that none of the other men around Shu Yao are giving him hundreds of millions to start a company? Even Qin Ci refused. Only Xie Zhiyan, with that screw loose in his head, would...

Xie Zhiyan's eyes widened in horror, and he cried out in anguish, "Hua Jian! Please, stop talking!"

His eldest and second brothers were going to beat him to death! He didn't want to die!

Hua Jian had been recalling the plot when the anguished cry startled him. Clutching his pounding chest, he said, "Third brother, I didn't say anything."