Jinx

Only then did Sun Zhe, who had been listening silently at the side, finally look at Wei Zisu.

Wei Zisu said, "Don't worry, Grandma. I have the money to pay the fine."

Hearing this, Grandma felt even more sorry for him. "The fine is no small sum. Will what you've earned from acting these past few years be enough? If you're having trouble, you must tell me!"

Wei Zisu nodded in agreement.

In truth, his money was nowhere near enough, but he would never ask Sun Liang's grandmother for money, not even if it killed him.

No matter what he said, Grandma refused to take back the heirloom jade bracelet.

"Zisu, don't think of this as something I'm giving my granddaughter-in-law. Just think of it as a little gift from Grandma. Whether you're the Sun family's daughter-in-law or not, I want you to have this bracelet."

Wei Zisu kept shaking his head. "How could I? Grandma, this bracelet is a Sun family heirloom. I can't accept it!"

Without allowing any argument, Grandma slipped the bracelet onto Wei Zisu's wrist and said, "It is not a Sun family heirloom. It belongs to my Wang family. I'll pass it on to whoever I please. The Sun family has no say in it!"

Only then did Wei Zisu remember that Grandma, like his maternal grandmother, had the surname Wang.

But whether they were Omegas or Betas, once they married and became wives, it was as though they lost their own surnames and given names. They would only be called Mrs. So-and-so or Madam So-and-so.

Grandma looked at the jade bracelet on Wei Zisu's fair wrist. Lustrous and radiant, it was dazzlingly beautiful and suited him so well that she was delighted.

"A jade bracelet belongs on a beauty. I like you, Zisu, and giving you things makes me happy. You mustn't refuse."

"But..." Wei Zisu still felt it was inappropriate.

Even if he was no longer the Sun family's daughter-in-law, Sun Zhe had a fiancée too. Grandma could give the bracelet to Sun Zhe's fiancée instead.

At the thought, he couldn't help glancing at Sun Zhe.

Sun Zhe was looking at him with a smile. "Zisu, since Grandma is giving it to you, just accept it. Otherwise, she'll be unhappy."

After turning it over in his mind, he could only accept it and thank her. "Thank you, Grandma."

After they left the old family residence, Sun Zhe insisted on walking Wei Zisu part of the way.

As they walked slowly along, Sun Zhe said, "Zisu, although you and Sun Liang are no longer engaged, we're still good friends, aren't we? After all, we knew each other long before you met Sun Liang."

"Of course!" Wei Zisu said. "Big Brother Sun, you don't blame me for this, and you're still willing to be my friend. I..."

Sun Zhe raised an eyebrow. "You what?"

Wei Zisu thought for a moment, then smiled mischievously. "I think you're a wise man."

Hearing this, Sun Zhe laughed heartily. "Then wouldn't you, as this wise man's teacher, be a super-wise man?"

Wei Zisu considered it seriously, then said without a trace of modesty, "That's true."

"Hahahahaha..."

Once they had finished joking, Wei Zisu added, "Big Brother Sun, don't keep calling me your teacher. It feels awkward."

Sun Zhe said, "If not teacher, how about my lifesaving benefactor?"

Wei Zisu shook his head helplessly and pleaded, "Big Brother Sun..."

A few years earlier, when he had just debuted, he had landed a commercial in which he played a merman. To achieve the best possible result, he had spent every day in the pool practicing swimming. Then one day, he had rescued Sun Zhe from nearly drowning in the pool and patiently taught him to swim.

To him, it had been a small favor, but after they became close, Sun Zhe was always calling him things like "lifesaving benefactor" and "teacher" in private. Nothing he said could make him stop.

"Hahaha, all right, I'll stop teasing you." Sun Zhe set aside his joking expression and said solemnly, "Zisu, even if we can't be family, I hope you'll always think of me as your big brother. Whatever happens, as long as you ask, I'll help you."

"Thank you, Big Brother Sun."

After Wei Zisu left, Sun Zhe stood where he was, watching his retreating figure, unwilling to leave for a long time.

Only when Wei Zisu had vanished completely from sight did he sigh and turn around. He discovered that Grandma had come to stand a short distance away at some point and was watching him with her arms folded.

Wei Zisu gathered all his savings, but they fell far short of the fine.

He thought of how much money he had sent his mother over the years. The family also had a factory that was still operating, and its profits had been quite good in recent years. He wondered whether his mother would agree if he went home to borrow some money.

On the way, he figured his chances of getting the money were twenty percent.

After he got home, his mother learned that he had broken off his engagement with the Sun family and cried her heart out. She said the factory couldn't survive without the Sun family's help, and that by breaking off the engagement, he was making the whole family starve along with him. She kept wailing that she didn't want to live anymore.

All right, the odds have dropped to zero.

Later, his mother threatened to hang herself or jump down a well. To soothe her, he gave her all the money he had intended to use to pay the fine. He had no choice; he felt boundless guilt toward his mother over his younger brother going missing.

Perhaps probability can sometimes be negative too? he thought.

Not only had he failed to get any money, he had sunk all his own money into it as well. Utterly broke, Wei Zisu was at a loss.

Money. He desperately needed money now!!

He called his agent, Sister Qian, and declared with feverish enthusiasm that he wanted acting jobs and variety shows. As long as it paid, he would take anything!

Sister Qian gave a disdainful snort, and her words snapped him awake like a slap to the face.

"Since your debut, you've made one film and three TV dramas, and not one of them has made it to release. And you want variety shows? Variety shows want popular stars, celebrities who generate buzz, or actors with upcoming releases. Which of those are you? As for acting jobs, with your reputation in the industry as a jinx, what roles do you think you can get?"

Wei Zisu smiled. "Sister Qian, I could play a jinx too."

On the phone, Sister Qian fell silent for a moment, then said impatiently, "You wouldn't even get cast as a jinx! If you want acting jobs, get your fiancé to throw money at them for you!"

With that, she hung up.