Better to make things difficult for others than suffer yourself

He had gone to bed fairly early that night. Since there was little to pack, he went downstairs, where he found another woman in the living room: Chi Shuran's manager.

"Mr. Chi."

The manager greeted him first. She had not had much contact with this Mr. Chi, but when he was not smiling, he looked quite easy to get along with. When he smiled, though... it was better not to think about it.

Nothing good ever came of this gentleman smiling, and his tongue was extraordinarily sharp.

"Morning. Is Shu Ran still packing?"

"Almost done," the manager replied.

"Mm."

He headed straight for the kitchen. They were all up early to catch their flight, and the housekeeper had been given time off yesterday. If he wanted breakfast now, he would have to make it himself.

"Mr. Chi, I brought breakfast. It's on the table."

Sister Wang strode over to the table and picked up the soy milk and steamed buns sitting there. "I figured you wouldn't have time for breakfast with the flight today, so I bought some."

"Oh, and this is your first time filming a variety show. These directors love stirring things up. There might be tasks or hidden cameras at the airport, so sorry for the trouble, but please keep an eye on Shu Ran, Mr. Chi."

They liked stirring things up?

What a coincidence. So did he. But he would not be doing it just for the sake of it. He had heard a thing or two about what had happened in the entertainment industry over the years, and he remembered every one of those adversaries.

The variety show's task list had not been announced yet. Chi Shuran was a regular cast member, and to generate buzz, they would surely bring in a few people who would get people talking.

"The guest list is out, right?"

"Yes. Two of the male guests this time have had dating rumors with Shu Ran, and one of the female guests doesn't get along with her..."

At this, Sister Wang paused before continuing, "Mr. Chi, Shu Ran's public persona in the entertainment industry is that of a cool, commanding woman. Please pay extra attention during the show and make sure she doesn't break character."

"Who? What persona? Say that again?!"

A mouthful of soy milk caught in Chi An's throat, and he thumped his chest hard.

"A cool, commanding woman..."

Not knowing why Chi An had reacted so strongly, Sister Wang looked rather bewildered.

"Her? Cool and commanding?"

He recalled how Chi Shuran had clung to his arm and wheedled yesterday, and how she had fussed over a cake when she had just come of age.

She had looked like a little idiot. How could she have anything to do with being cool and commanding? She hardly even qualified as a grown woman!

"Why can't I be cool and commanding? Chi An! What exactly is your problem with me?!"

Having finished packing, Chi Shuran struggled downstairs with her luggage. At the sight of her outfit, Chi An lost his grip on his bun, and it rolled onto the floor.

His poor eyes. What on earth was he looking at?!

She wore a black camisole paired with shorts and a leather jacket, looking both fashionable and sexy. Her hair was tied in a high ponytail, its slightly curled ends giving her a playful, cute air. Her makeup was immaculate, and her eyes were bright and sharp, conveying confidence and independence.

Chi An stared wide-eyed at the unfamiliar girl before him, unable to help wondering whether his eyes were playing tricks on him.

Hearing her brother's words, Chi Shuran's lips curled into a smug smile. She planted both hands on her hips and struck a haughty pose. "Hmph. What, don't recognize me? Look at you, acting like you've never seen anything!"

Wiping the surprise off his face, Chi An nodded calmly. "I really don't. I remember my little sister being a little idiot."

He finished breakfast in a few bites and headed straight out, pulling his suitcase behind him. "Sister Wang, let's go. It'll be hard to get through the airport if it's crowded."

"Of course," Sister Wang said.

"Hey! I haven't finished eating!"

"Chi An! You're doing this on purpose!"

He completely ignored Chi Shuran's furious protests behind him. In an excellent mood, he walked with a spring in his step.

The main premise of "A unique 'journey' with family" was to give celebrities more opportunities to spend time with their families, and it explicitly required them to bring an older or younger sibling.

Although it looked like a travel variety show on the surface, the guests would actually live in different places for a while, earning corresponding rewards by completing tasks.

The production team had invited five celebrities, making ten people in total with the family members they brought along. Without a large enough house, there would be no way to accommodate everyone.

The five celebrities consisted of three women and two men. Both male celebrities had been involved in dating rumors with Chi Shuran, while one of the female celebrities had some bad blood with her. As for the remaining guest, Chi An did not know much about them yet.

Chi Shuran certainly had guts to agree to film this show. She already had a bad reputation. Running into this bunch would only get her even more abuse.

"Chi An, you need to watch that mouth of yours this time. Say as little as you can. Otherwise, the moment you open your mouth, you'll definitely earn me a whole bunch more haters."

Sitting in the car, Chi Shuran gnawed on a bun without any regard for her image. When she looked up and met Sister Wang's eyes, she shrank back, quickly finished her breakfast, then took out a mirror to touch up her makeup.

"You've reached this age and still haven't learned my ways."

"Sigh-"

Chi An shook his head helplessly. "Your big brother will teach you something today: better to make things difficult for others than suffer yourself."

"You have the Chi Family behind you, yet you've ended up like this in the entertainment industry... You really are something."

She was his own little sister, after all. If he really went too far with his words, she would definitely tell their parents, and he would get another lecture.

Listening in from the front, Sister Wang felt a sense of foreboding at Chi An's remarks.

Chi Shuran had told her before that her brother had a vicious tongue. He would even talk back to their father and was not remotely afraid of offending people.

She had not taken it seriously before, thinking that as her older brother, he would surely look after his little sister. Now, why did it seem as though the brother would be even harder to manage than the sister?

"I was proving my own abilities. Besides, I never hid my surname. There are so few people named Chi, but not a single person connected me to the Chi Corporation. What am I supposed to do about that?"

"The Chi Corporation doesn't operate in Z Country. Who would think of that?"

The car stopped outside the airport. Despite their early arrival, the airport was still packed.

Sitting in the car, Chi An looked inside the airport. His mild nearsightedness meant he could not quite make out what those people were holding.

"Who else has a flight today? Could it be another guest? I haven't heard of anyone having an event around here."

Muttering to herself, Sister Wang had the assistant take the luggage inside first, then handed Chi An a face mask. "The show hasn't started yet, so we need to keep things under wraps for now. Don't let anyone see your face."

"Are you sure it hasn't started yet?"