Li Xiangfu suggested, “Try to envision the image of me spinning on stage with my entire family gathered in front of the TV to watch.”
… That’s what we call social death.
Li Shasha closed his eyes, and when he reopened them, a gleam of optimism shone: “Dad, I’ve come back to life.”
Li Xiangfu nodded in satisfaction, then dialed the phone, saying, “Mr. Qin.”
A deep laugh ensued.
Li Xiangfu, though accustomed to Qin Jin’s ways, was momentarily taken aback by the discovery of the camera. Qin Jin rarely overtly expresses emotions, and the laughter seemed to indicate a moment of genuine joy.
“There’s a spare key under the doormat; you can open the door and enter.”
Lifting the edge of the doormat, Li Xiangfu indeed found a bronze-colored key.
“Aren’t you afraid of attracting thieves?”
“In the past, when Jiayu was at home, he often forgot his key.”
Hearing this, Li Xiangfu lowered his gaze. How could anyone be an impenetrable wall? After all these years, Qin Jin still remembers Qin Jiayu’s habits, suggesting there must be a part of him that misses him.
“If he returns, a moment of melancholy upon entering, my talent can promptly intervene.” Qin Jin’s tone turned slightly chilly, “Law enforcement fishing.”
“…,” the hint of sadness in his heart instantly dissipated.
Qin Jin continued, “If you’re not in a hurry, you can wait for me for twenty minutes, and we can have dinner together.”
Despite being on the verge of refusal, Li Xiangfu changed his mind in the moment, saying, “Alright.”
Li Shasha had already retrieved the key from under the doormat to open the door, and upon hearing a cough, he remarked, “I bet Dad is trying to find an excuse to enter the house. Coincidentally, I’m also curious.”
He pushed the door open.
The window sill was covered in a layer of dust, and the furniture’s dustproof covers remained undisturbed, showing no signs of recent visitors.
Li Shasha had been scrutinizing the family portrait, his head tilted up, since entering the room.
Li Xiangfu chuckled, “What do you see?”
Li Shasha responded, “Qin Jin actually has a dimple, can you believe it?”
Li Xiangfu lifted half of the dustproof cover, sat on the sofa, and remarked, “He also has a pair of peach blossom eyes.”
Li Shasha studied him carefully and then made a sipping gesture.
Rather than bursting into laughter at the system’s surprise, Li Xiangfu smiled.
Qin Jin’s demeanor effectively conceals his personal traits, and many times, just looking at him imparts a sense of solemnity, as if a leader were conducting an inspection.
Inadvertently spreading out his palm, Li Xiangfu warmed the cold metal with his skin, gently rubbing the side arc with his thumb. Shaking his head, he said, “The key to open the door has become a bait used by Qin Jin for fishing.”
Previously just skeptical, he now had a confirmed certainty that there was an unbridgeable gap between the two brothers.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Hlc Alc lr jmaejiis delaf mbcrlvfgjaf,” Ol Vtjrtj wjvf j regqglrlcu gfwjgx.
Ol Wljcuoe gjlrfv tlr fsfr, rjslcu, “Ktfgf jgf cb mjwfgjr lc atf gbbw, rb sbe mjc’a tfjg tlw fnfc lo sbe qgjlrf tlw.”
“Pa’r atf ageat,” Ol Vtjrtj lcrlrafv klat j rfglber ojmf, “Hlc Alc’r lcafcalbc lr rlwqis ab rajii jcv mbwqfi Hlc Aljse ab fcafg atf tberf, ktlif sbeg wbw jlwr ab iegf qfbqif jygbjv jcv mjqaegf atfw bc oliw.”
“…”
—
Qin Jin arrived a bit early, choosing not to come upstairs and instead sending a message directly.
Upon standing up, Li Xiangfu hesitated for a moment, capturing a photo of the family picture with his cellphone.
After returning the keys, he paused for a few seconds before leading Li Shasha downstairs. As they were about to push open the wooden door, Li Shasha suddenly said, “Daddy, I want you to carry me, pretending I’m asleep.”
Li Xiangfu calmly replied, “You only have the right to pretend to be dead.”
The entrance of the single-dollar door wasn’t suitable for parking, so Qin Jin’s car was parked diagonally across the store. Li Shasha finally met him when turning the corner.
For some reason, at the wedding banquet, Qin Jin didn’t pay much attention to Li Shasha, and this time was no different.
Li Xiangfu had always been puzzled by this.
He knew that whenever he appeared with Li Shasha, people’s attention would subconsciously focus on the latter.
…Look, this is the bargaining chip that the youngest member of the Li family uses to compete for the family fortune.
…I wonder how much of a role this child can play.
He could easily discern these speculations from the eyes that didn’t know how to hide.
Only Qin Jin did not.
The car was supposed to be heading to the neighborhood for dinner, but it drove for at least five or six minutes before stopping at a restaurant on the side of the road. Li Xiangfu had recently left the restaurant and wasn’t hungry, having had only a bowl of porridge and some cold dishes.
Qin Jin seemed exceptionally accommodating when they were together. Usually, others would rush to find a topic to talk about, but if Li Xiangfu didn’t open his mouth, Qin Jin would take the initiative to break the silence.
“Why did you suddenly think of coming here?”
Li Xiangfu replied, “When I returned from the birthday party, I received a few strange messages.”
He didn’t conceal the existence of ‘-‘ and voluntarily provided the chat messages.
Qin Jin examined the chat logs, his eyes moving down slowly, and to be fair, ‘-‘ hardly managed to say a few words.
As early as in the ancient village, Li Xiangfu had sidetracked to inquire about the relationship between Qin Jin and Qin Jiayu. The other party did not give a direct answer, and this time, he changed his approach to ask, “Are your brother and I really friends?”
Qin Jin put down the cell phone, and his knuckles gently tapped on the tabletop, as if defining the relationship was proving difficult.
The gaze from the other side was focused and clear, seeming to rewind to a few years ago.
It was a summer afternoon when Qin Jiayu stood at the door and introduced himself with a smile. “Brother, this is my friend.”
A friend?
Qin Jin heard the nuance in the word, his eyes sweeping behind the other party. Even before seeing his face, he had already labeled him as foolish and unlucky, apparently not thrilled about being entangled with a venomous snake.
“Hello, Brother Qin.” A carefree voice emerged from behind, and a youth with an ice cream stick in his mouth stepped forward, resembling a young gangster.
“My name is Li Xiangfu,” he clarified. “I’m not just his friend; I’m a close friend.”
Qin Jiayu promptly smiled and acknowledged Li Xiangfu with eyes like those focused on a novel toy.
“I want an ice-cold Coke.” The teenager stated nonchalantly, “Skipping class and climbing over walls will eventually catch the family’s attention, and I’ll probably be scolded, so I’ll cool down the heat first.”
Qin Jiayu responded, “I happen to have one; I’ll go get it for you.”
Li Xiangfu remained standing, leaning against the wall, and yawned casually, saying, “Please.”
Feeling bored, Qin Jin was about to avert his gaze when he unexpectedly caught a glimpse of some emotion flickering in the teenager’s eyes. Unfortunately, it was obscured by the excessively long bangs and couldn’t be discerned.
Probably due to these earlier observations, he paid more attention to that side while working at the computer. He realized that whenever Qin Jiayu lowered his head, the smile on Li Xiangfu’s lips would quickly tighten, and he would turn to stare at the other side with a blank expression.
It was a vacant stare, devoid of any personal sentiment, as if Qin Jiayu wasn’t even considered a toy in his eyes.
Seeing Qin Jin’s change in expression and assuming he was reluctant to speak, Li Xiangfu smiled and said, “Don’t push yourself; we can always meet and talk when you’re ready.”
After saying this, he leisurely savored his congee, adding, “Anyway, I am a man of leisure with plenty of time.”
The prize money from recent activities was sufficient to cover living expenses for a while.
The ease and relaxation abruptly ended after a minute when a phone call from Li Huaichen requested his presence at the company for an internship.
As the cold vegetables in his mouth turned bitter, Li Xiangfu promptly declined, stating, “I have money, I have children, and I won’t work without a good reason.”
Li Huichen disregarded his protests, saying, “Anqing mentioned that you’ve been receiving threatening phone calls recently. Dad and I discussed it and think it’s safer for you to work at the company.”
Li Xiangfeng pondered, unable to fathom the connection between the two.
“The company is under constant surveillance, outsiders can’t enter, and I’ll be with you during your daily commute.”
Taking a deep breath, Li Xiangfu hung up the phone directly, then smiled apologetically at Qin Jin, saying, “I have an urgent matter to attend to; I have to leave.”
He stood up but sat back down, stating in a serious tone, “Big brother wants me to work at the family company from nine to five for my safety. Is there any way to avoid this offer?”
Qin Jin nodded, “Yes.”
Li Xiangfu’s eyes lit up, then he heard him say slowly, “Come work at my company.”
“…”
Li Xiangfu’s smile vanished the moment he turned around.
Li Shasha followed behind, holding a box of small gold bars while maintaining a skeptical attitude, “Is Qin Jin serious?”
Li Xiangfu’s tone carried an unprecedented sense of helplessness, “It doesn’t matter.”
In any case, he would not be a laborer in this life.
– I don’t want to be a laborer in my life.
The deadlock over whether or not to go to the office lasted for two days.
On Monday, Li Shasha returned from school, expecting to witness a cold war, but the involved parties were nowhere to be seen. He initially thought Li Xiangfu had gone out for business, but by dinnertime, neither Li Xiangfu nor Mr. Li were present.
“Where’s Dad?”
Li Huichen was working late at the company, and Li Anqing usually skipped dinner, leaving only Li Xichun at the dining table.
“Accompanying your grandfather to the mountain to worship Buddha.”
Snap!
His hand slipped, and his chopsticks collided with the bowl’s edge, landing directly on the ground.
Auntie Zhang heard the noise and came out with a new pair.
“Why are they worshiping Buddha?”
“Businessmen are more or less superstitious,” Li Xichun remarked, “like seeking someone to read feng shui, burning incense, and worshipping Buddha; these are not uncommon every year.”
Li Shasha gazed at the sky outside, asking, “When will they come back?”
“It’s estimated they’ll stay at the temple for some time.”
Li Shasha, often philosophical and displaying an image of a small genius to the outside world, sometimes forgot that he was still a child.
Li Xichun couldn’t help but say a few more words, “Your father actively accompanied them to burn incense to avoid work. Your grandfather wants him to understand that idleness is also a form of suffering, so he decided to ‘purify’ for a few days.”
Li Shasha’s throat tightened, “Just the two of them?”
Li Xichun pondered for a moment, “There should be a few other elders from the circle.”
“Crazy…” Li Shasha muttered under his breath, shivering.
As a ten-faceted omnipotent host, Li Xiangfu held two terrifying titles, one of which was ‘Buddha Light.’
Initially, to earn this title, Li Xiangfu painstakingly mastered the tenth level of Sanskrit. He developed an ethereal voice that specialized in reciting Buddhist teachings through countless attempts.
This skill was originally intended to please the old patriarch of the house during power struggles, and its effectiveness was so astounding that the system almost disposed of him in those years.
The author has something to say:
Li Xiangfu: I have many surprises you don’t know about.
Qin Jin: …
Li Xiangfu: You’ll gradually realize them over your lifetime.
Thanks for the chapter! Buhahaha
It’s time to cook…. Let’s go!! Sanskrit scripture and daddy Liiiiiiiii