The dining room was quiet and deserted.
Even the butler standing nearby was secretly observing this young master.
They had all but given up on Xie Zhuzhou's manners and upbringing. As long as he could eat normally, that was enough. After all, he had grown up outside the family.
Yet Xie Zhuzhou ate more genteelly than anyone present, chewing slowly and thoroughly, neither hurried nor sluggish, as though he were more at ease than anyone else there.
Father Ji was a little surprised, and his older brothers were dumbstruck too.
Although such things were only to be expected of a member of the Ji Family, Xie Zhuzhou had grown up outside the family on his own. They had heard that the nanny and driver who served as his guardians before he came of age both lived in a small town.
Xie Zhuzhou: ...
Why were these people looking at him as though he were a monkey?
Unable to bear it any longer, Xie Zhuzhou put down his chopsticks, raised his eyes, and asked seriously, "Did you have something to say, brothers?"
Xie Zhuzhou was quite straightforward about addressing them this way. Although he was not used to it, he did not want to call them by their full names in front of the father the original owner had yearned for, so he could only maintain what little courtesy he had.
The three of them reacted differently when they heard their youngest brother call them his brothers.
Ji Wangchen showed nothing on his face, merely raising his eyebrows slightly.
A faint smile curved Ji Wangyun's lips. Had their father not been there, he could have tossed aside his chopsticks, walked over to ruffle Xie Zhuzhou's hair, and told him, "You cocky little brat. What a well-behaved act."
Even Ji Wangyan's gloomy face showed a trace of astonishment, though he quickly concealed it. As for Xie Zhuzhou, their father had said he might not want to fight for the inheritance, but Ji Wangyan found that hard to believe.
After all, every member of the Ji Family kept their thoughts deeply hidden.
Their eldest brother was currently defending his position in the ring, and almost anyone who stepped up to challenge him faced certain death.
But what if... Xie Zhuzhou had what it took to survive?
Ji Wangyun broke the silence with a smile. "We wanted to tell you to eat more so you don't faint from hunger again. If word gets out about what happened today, Father will definitely become a laughingstock."
Ji Wuqiu frowned and rebuked him mildly. "Enough out of you."
Ji Wangyun chuckled.
Xie Zhuzhou withdrew his gaze from Ji Wangyun's face, feeling only puzzled. Logically, they ought to reject him. After all, they shared a father but had different mothers.
After the meal, Xie Zhuzhou shut himself away, just as he had on the dating show.
He could not tell with the naked eye whether surveillance devices had been installed in his room. He would have to go out and buy detection equipment.
He said Wen Ruohuai had persecution delusions, but he was not much better himself. When he did not know whether the people around him were friends or foes, he had to be cautious.
Also, he must never give anyone his heart.
That was what the now-deceased mama had taught him during his time in the marquis's household.
In contrast to Xie Zhuzhou's calm.
Only the butler remained in Ji Wuqiu's study. "From now on, give him the same standard of treatment as the others. And go ask him what he likes and buy some of everything.
"Also, have the third son show him around here."
"Yes, sir."
Ji Wuqiu truly had no way to grow closer to his youngest son through conversation. Besides, with the boy already this grown, it was too late to talk about fatherly love and such. He might as well make it up to him materially.
Once his head cleared, Xie Zhuzhou decided to find some work to earn money. In his previous life, he had been deeply interested in treasure appraisal and ancient texts, so his memories of them were particularly vivid.
He could hunt down some genuine antiques, then sell them to collectors as a middleman.
Even if he really could not sell them, keeping them would be no loss.
He could also paint traditional Chinese paintings.
Perhaps because none of the money he had was his own, Xie Zhuzhou felt especially insecure and kept wanting to earn some himself.
Besides that, he could review the plot to make some money. He did not expect to become a Long Aotian and dominate the financial world. Maintaining the life he wanted would be enough.
Knock, knock.
A knock sounded at the door. Xie Zhuzhou slipped his phone back into his pocket and got up to answer it.
When he opened the door, he saw his tall third brother, who had delicate, feminine features and long black hair. He had not paid much attention to this brother today, nor had they crossed swords yet, so he did not know what sort of person he was.
"Father asked me to show you around the house. Are you free now?" His gaze swept over Xie Zhuzhou, finding not a single fault with him.
Cautious in speech and conduct, in poor health, fragile yet forceful-that was his first impression of Xie Zhuzhou.
Xie Zhuzhou nodded. "Yes. Sorry for the trouble."
"Let's go."
"Can I bring Aolai?" Xie Zhuzhou would absolutely bring along Aolai, the social terrorist.
Ji Wangyan lowered his eyes and cast a cold glance at Aolai, who was still beside Xie Zhuzhou's feet.
Aolai's canine body shuddered. He hid behind Xie Zhuzhou and poked his head out, looking utterly aggrieved.
"Of course."
With permission granted, Aolai happily joined the manor exploration party.
Ji Wangyan did not ask much of anything, only speaking when they passed scenery that needed an introduction.
Seeing so many green plants in autumn, Xie Zhuzhou silently marveled at how wonderful it was to have money.
When they returned from their stroll, Aolai was visibly happier. Only Ji Wangyan had talked himself dry. He glanced at Xie Zhuzhou and left without saying goodbye.
The butler stood straight-backed, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a tailcoat. Even the air behind him seemed to have become refined.
As expected of a high-class butler.
"Young master, a batch of clothing and shoes has been added to your dressing room, and all your daily necessities are now fully stocked.
"I have yet to offer you my good wishes: young master, welcome home. I hope you enjoy your life here."
"Thank you." Xie Zhuzhou nodded his thanks, the corners of his mouth lifting in a smile that vanished almost instantly.
The butler: ...
W-was this an upgraded version of the eldest young master?!
Meanwhile.
Old Master Ji sent people to bring Xie Zhuzhou back to the old residence, but he was more than one step too late. There was no sign of Xie Zhuzhou at the production team, the school, or even the villa where he had lived for twenty years.
"Father, why do you want to... have some wild brat enter a marriage alliance? Won't that make us a laughingstock?"
"What do you know?" an aged, weathered voice snapped. "You can't even get one thing done properly!"
Only a handful of companies remained under the Ji Family's main branch now. Their previous scheme against Ji Wuqiu had failed; they had tried to steal a chicken only to lose the rice, and he had swallowed up a large portion of their businesses instead.
While he was still alive, those established families would still show him some respect.