Ever since leaving the Qi residence, Hua Jian had been thinking about what kind of part-time job to get.
Making a few hundred yuan last until the Qi family paid him for tutoring would be tough.
Only when he discovered a separate art studio in his apartment did an idea come to him.
Soon, Hua Jian launched his second money-making venture: thirst-trap painting livestreams.
"Hua Jian" looked almost exactly as he had in his previous life.
Except that "Hua Jian" had narrower eyes with more upturned corners, a little different from the rugged good looks of his previous life.
After years of Mrs. Hua's relentless, belittling parenting, "Hua Jian" had become deeply unhappy with his appearance. He wore glasses and overly long bangs all day, hiding his face.
Insecure, hunched over, and shifty-eyed, he looked gloomy and unlikable-that was everyone's impression of "Hua Jian."
"And there's one more major difference." Studying his body in the full-length mirror, Hua Jian muttered, "This scrawny little body barely has any muscle. I couldn't even be a thirst-trap influencer."
This body had very little fat. It was thin enough to show V-lines and defined abs, but it lacked the pecs and biceps Hua Jian most loved showing off.
Hua Jian reluctantly abandoned the thirst traps.
But there was such a thing as atmosphere.
On Saturday afternoon, a streamer called "Ordinary Great Painter" went live.
The man on-screen was thoroughly covered up in a mask and baseball cap. The camera sat behind him to his right, capturing his exposed, sexy Adam's apple, fair skin, and slender hands with their well-defined knuckles and long fingers.
Once Hua Jian actually began painting, he focused intently and paid no attention to the livestream.
He was preparing a small gift for Qi Fanling to give her tomorrow.
In a vast, empty dance studio stood a lone little girl. She wore a simple dance outfit, her expression indistinct as she looked back toward the camera.
When the painting was nearly finished, Hua Jian put down his brush and rolled his shoulders. He bumped the phone stand behind him, finally remembering that he was livestreaming.
There were three viewers in the stream. Behind his mask, Hua Jian pursed his lips.
"That's it for today's stream. See you next time."
After ending it, Hua Jian checked his dashboard. His follower count was still zero. He sighed. "How annoying. If I could show off a little muscle, surely I'd have a few hundred followers by now?"
Setting aside Hua Jian's troubles, Xie Zhiwei was also furious in the CEO's office at the Xie Group.
"...The third young master and the Tan family's young master got into quite a fight over the son the Shu family recently found."
"The Tan Family's young master's head was split open, and he was just taken to the hospital. Madam Tan is vicious. She threatened to call the police and have the third young master arrested."
"Sir, do you think you should speak with the Tan family personally?"
Assistant Sun looked rather bedraggled. When Xie Zhiyan and Tan Xilin started fighting, Xie Zhiwei had been in an important meeting. The call had come through to him, so naturally, he had gone to check on things.
Who could have known that not only would the third young master be absent when he reached the hospital, but Mrs. Tan, who weighed over eighty kilograms, would charge up and scratch several bloody grooves into his neck?
"Let the Tan family call the police," Xie Zhiwei said darkly. "That bastard Xie Zhiyan is getting more outrageous by the day. Eating, drinking, and partying aren't enough anymore-now he's learned to beat people up!"
"Sir, the third young master was misled," Assistant Sun said. "That newly found young master of the Shu family is no innocent. Several young masters already caused a scene over him at the Haiping Hotel this morning."
He paused, then continued, "I heard Young Master Hua was there during the incident this morning."
Xie Zhiwei frowned. "Who, Hua Jian?"
"Yes. After leaving the Haiping Hotel, Young Master Hua rode back to the old residence in the same car as the third young master. They left separately around noon. I don't know where Young Master Hua went, but the third young master went drinking at a bar, exchanged a few heated words with the Tan Family's young master, and started fighting."
"I'm meeting Lu Zexi at six," Xie Zhiwei said coldly. "Send people out to find those two little bastards. Bring both Xie Zhiyan and Hua Jian to the bar to see me!"
"Yes, sir," Assistant Sun said quickly.
Just as he was about to leave, Xie Zhiwei said, "Let the bodyguards handle finding them. Take an hour and go to the hospital to have those scratches on your neck checked. Finance will reimburse your medical expenses."
Gratitude appeared on Assistant Sun's face. "Thank you, sir."
Not long afterward, Hua Jian, who hadn't had a moment's rest since transmigrating into this novel, was dragged out of his apartment again and taken to a bar.
How much more trouble did he have hanging over him?!
"Young Master Hua, please go inside," said the bodyguard in black. "The eldest young master is discussing business in private room 206."
Bars generally opened at eight or nine in the evening. It wasn't even five yet, and the place felt dull and lifeless without its usual bustle.
"You must be Young Master Hua. Please follow me."
"Thank you."
The bar was called UP. It seemed to have received a brief mention in the original novel.
Supposedly, its owner was a big shot from the capital, and everyone who came here was either rich or powerful.
Early in the story, shortly after the Shu family brought the protagonist shou, Shu Yao, home, the fake young master had humiliated him here.
Hua Jian studied the bar's decor. The owner clearly had good taste and had spent plenty of money.
The second floor was very quiet. Suddenly, he asked the manager leading the way, "I have a friend looking for a part-time job. Do you have anything a university student could do here?"
Startled, the manager turned to Hua Jian and asked cautiously, "Is this a boyfriend or a girlfriend?"
Hua Jian thought the question sounded odd, but answered anyway. "He's a guy. He knows a little bartending and looks decent. He could definitely serve drinks. What's your hourly rate?"
How could the manager of such an upscale bar fail to recognize that he was asking for himself under the guise of a friend?
But he still got the wrong idea.
His eyes shifted as he thought, and he immediately said, "Since he's your boyfriend, Young Master Hua, he must be excellent. Why not have him stop by when he has time and see what he'd like to do?"
Delighted, Hua Jian failed to notice anything wrong with the manager's wording.
This trip hadn't been wasted after all. He smiled. "Thanks. Tomorrow afternoon, then. I'll have him come over. Could I get your number?"
"Of course, of course."
By the time they exchanged numbers, they had reached room 206.
Xie Zhiwei was growing impatient inside when he heard a knock at the door.
Assuming Xie Zhiyan had arrived first, he snapped, "Get the hell in here already, you-"
But when the door opened, it was Hua Jian.
He froze, then frowned. "Why are you standing in the doorway? Come in."
"Big brother."
So this is Xie Zhiwei, the one Xie Zhiyan runs into the ground!
Xie Zhiwei jerked his head up. "What did you say?"
"Big brother, I didn't say anything."
So smart and capable, yet he just had to make an enemy of Shu Yao!
The corner of Xie Zhiwei's eye twitched. He simply stared at Hua Jian without speaking.
What are you looking at me for? It wasn't my fault!
Hua Jian's lips hadn't moved, yet Xie Zhiwei had heard his thoughts.
Realizing something strange was happening, Xie Zhiwei had an idea. "Do you know how Zhiyan met someone called Shu Yao?"
"No, big brother."
Isn't it just that Xie Zhiyan likes Shu Yao, but Shu Yao only keeps him as a backup? Xie Zhiyan gets arrested after smashing Tan Xilin's head. Sigh, what a shame. The other families start scheming against the Xie family after that, and it all goes downhill!
"Hua Jian!"
"Big brother, what's wrong?"
Xie Zhiwei took a deep breath. "Come with me to find Zhiyan."
"Okay, big brother."
What trouble has Xie Zhiyan stirred up now? The moment I get here, he makes me go looking for someone. He won't even give me any pocket money. Cheapskate.
"Wait downstairs," Xie Zhiwei said through gritted teeth.
The moment Hua Jian left, the room fell silent.
Xie Zhiwei thought back to the strange things he had just heard.
Zhi Yan had injured Tan Xilin's head. It was just a minor fight between youngsters. Would the Tan Family really dare call the police and burn bridges?
Although he didn't think the Tan family would go that far, the strangeness surrounding Hua Jian made Xie Zhiwei feel he had to prepare for the worst.
When Lu Zexi arrived, he happened to run into Xie Zhiwei heading downstairs.
"Where are you going?" he asked in surprise.
"Apologize to Bo Lin for me," Xie Zhiwei said hurriedly. "Something's come up that I have to deal with right now. I'll make it up to both of you another day."
"Hey! What happened?"
By the time he reached the hospital, the bodyguards had also arrived with Xie Zhiyan in tow.
"Big brother! I'm not apologizing to that bastard Tan Xilin! Stop pulling me!"
Dressed in a riot of colors, Xie Zhiyan looked defiant and arrogant. "I'll kill that son of a bitch! He gets a little cut on his head and thinks he can shake me down? Not a chance!"
Xie Zhiyan really is an idiot. If he knows they're trying to scam him, why doesn't he steer clear? What a shame. In the end, Xie Zhiwei can barely save himself, and all Xie Zhiyan does is go berserk, so he has no choice but to send him to a psychiatric hospital. Poor Xie family. How did they end up with a disaster of a son like this?
As the brothers argued heatedly, they heard Hua Jian commenting from the sidelines as though he were enjoying the show.
Xie Zhiyan stiffened. What the hell? His big brother was going to send him to a psychiatric hospital?
But Xie Zhiwei's eyes flickered. He had picked out the crucial point: the Tan family had deliberately set a trap for Xie Zhiyan.
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