“Let him marry a stranger for commercial purpose? Keep dreaming!”
Shi Yunnan had just returned to the home country not long ago. At the moment, he was leaning against the hallway waiting.
The young servant coming out of the nearby study room with a tea tray couldn’t help but take a couple of glimpses when he met him——
The brown chestnut hair was a little long, the slightly raised tail hung on both sides of his neck, and the medium parted fringe couldn’t hide his delicate eyebrows.
The top two buttons of his shirt weren’t fastened, exposing the exquisite collarbones, oozing a kind of hot and captivating sex appeal.
Shi Yunnan noticed the servant’s gaze, and his tone rose, “Are you new here? You look quite unfamiliar.â€
The faint overhead light reflected the smile in his eyes, which tantalized people’s hearts.
The young servant was startled, and even the roots of his ears appeared red, “Second young master, I…â€
Before he could answer, there came a small chattering sound from the first floor——
“Why did the second young master come back during this critical juncture?â€
“Who knows? Wasn’t he always being detested whenever he came back? How many years has he been sent abroad, where is his place in this family?â€
“I heard that there was a problem inside the company, and the old master planned to call the second young master back for help.â€
“Help? You’re kidding me. With regard to his extravagance and debauchery¹ lifestyle while spending time abroad, he is more likely to come back and compete with the third young master for family inheritance.â€
[1- 花天酒地: [huÄ tiÄn jiÇ” dì] : Flower and wine, an idiom refers life indulge in alcohol and women.]
Taking advantage of the leisurely moment before the mealtime, the rest of the servants hid in the utility room on the first floor, chatting in a low voice. At this moment, the voice continued to come up in a steady stream.
The same year that Shi Yunnan’s biological mother died, he was sent abroad by his family’s elders when he was less than eight years old.
At first, Shi Yunnan would return home during the holidays, but soon there was a new wife in the family, and the other party openly and secretly pushed him aside.
Father Shi defended him on the surface, but secretly taking side of the wife who entered the door later, and even the head of the family, old man Shi, was indifferent towards his grandson.
Shi Yunnan’s thoughts of his own family wore down and disappeared, and he returned home less often.
In a blink of an eye, he became a dispensable person in this family, and even the servants dared to talk behind his back.
Shi Yunnan listened to these derogatory remarks, and the smile in his eyes cooled.
The young servant panicked and was about to go downstairs to stop them, but Shi Yunnan picked up the cup on the tea tray first, “I’ll use this.â€
The exquisitely crafted teacup drew a perfect curve in mid-air, and shattered to pieces with a bang on the first floor.
The ear-splitting chatter downstairs stopped abruptly and the servants ran out of the utility room to check on the situation.
Shi Yunnan leaned on the railing of the hallway with one hand, and warned them with a smile, “Why don’t you speak louder? I promise that the next cup will hit your head.â€
“Second young master?â€
They gossiped about him behind his back, as a result he was upstairs and heard everything clearly?
The servants felt guilty and immediately picked up the residue on the ground in a panic, not daring to say a word.
Click.
The door of the study was opened, and a spirited white-haired old man walked out of the room, accompanied by a middle-aged man.
With a close look, the two people’s eyebrows were very similar.
Shi Yunnan said lightly, “Grandpa, Dad.â€
After so many years of separation, the relationship between the grandpa and grandchild, father and son, were as good as strangers. But at home, these titles had to be nominally called out.
“What just happened? Such a big commotion?â€
“It’s nothing, it’s just that some people talk nonsense and make me unhappy.†Shi Yun Nan replied casually.
Old man Shi examined his grandson with a hawk-like gaze, and only after two or three seconds did he give the order with dissatisfaction, “What don’t you dress properly? Fasten the buttons before going downstairs for a meal.â€
In his early years, Old man Shi made his fortune by freight business. From single-handedly running long distances to large freight teams, and then to the national chain of freight companies… The wealth and achievements of the Shi family were all made one by one.
Old man Shi had been in power for decades and had a strong personality. Even now, he still had the final say inside and outside the Shi family.
Shi Yunnan got used to the stern and indifferent attitude of the other party, and arbitrarily closed his neckline. After the two elders went downstairs with their backs facing him, he blew a breath at his fringe and followed them downstairs.
At the dining table.
The servants who talked badly just now only dared to show up at this moment, and they all stood honestly at one side.
“Dad, this is the chicken soup that I personally cooked for you with a lot of medicinal ingredients added to it. It’s a great tonic.â€
A beautiful woman with a wealthy figure came out of the kitchen, saying extraordinarily nice words under her breath. The servant behind her presented the soup pot, and she hastily served a bowl of soup to the old man Shi, “Here, please have some and be careful of the heat.â€
Shi Yunnan held up the wine glass and discreetly stared at the courteous appearance of this beautiful woman.
The other party was his nominal stepmother, Xie Wei.
Less than a year after Shi Yunnan’s mother passed away, father Shi led this woman into the house.
Later, Shi Yunnan learned from the old servant’s gossip that Xie Wei was originally father Shi’s first love, but because the two families were unsuitable, they were forced to break up.
After mother Shi passed away due to illness, the extinguished flame ignited again, and the two reunited.
Not only that, when Xie Wei entered the Shi family back then, she also brought her and her ex-husband’s seven year old son.
According to normal logic, old man Shi should have strongly objected to this, but no one knew what kind of soft and hard tricks Xie Wei had used to force the old man to reluctantly agree with ashened face.
After so many years, Xie Wei had become a veritable wife in this family, and the child born to her and her ex-husband could actually be called ‘Third young master’.
Letting the child with their own blood live alone in a foreign country, and instead letting the outsider’s child stay at home as a young master?
Isn’t this laughable and ridiculous?
Shi Yunnan narrowed his eyes, and in the next second, he heard old man Shi on the main seat questioning him, “Yunnan, you’ve graduated for nearly three years, are you going to keep fooling around abroad?â€
His tone didn’t have the slightest amount of affection, it was more like a foreshadowing of a brewing storm.
Shi Yunnan pretended not to notice the hints, and shook the glass, “It’s pretty good abroad, grandpa, I’m used to it…â€
As expected, the old man snapped off before he could finish the sentence.
“What’s so good about it? I think your life as a young master is too comfortable. You are already twenty-four or twenty-five year old, what else can you do besides spending money? You simply didn’t know how to share the family responsibility.â€
Facing this sudden accusation, Shi Yunnan’s mouth twitched slightly.
Two years ago, when he had just graduated, didn’t he ask to help at the Shi company? But what happened? The old man said, “You’re hardly dry behind the ears², what do you even know? Go away and don’t bother!’ He was dismissed just like that.
[2- A person who is young and inexperienced]
At present, how come it was his fault again?
No one spoke, and the atmosphere on the dining table instantly reached a freezing point.
Shi Sheng’s gaze flicked between the grandfather and the grandson. After hesitating for a moment, he got up and pick up a whole piece of crucian carp meat for Shi Yunnan.
“Yunnan, grandpa does this for your own good. You have been abroad all these years, and we elders are not at ease.â€
“Come on, eat a piece of fish, I remember you love eating fish the most when you were a kid.â€
The long-lost concern from his father should have made his heart move, but it was a pity that Shi Sheng’s words and deeds of a ‘good father’ were too unnatural.
And Shi Yunnan had passed the age where he needed this kind of paternal love.
He looked at the steaming fish in his bowl, smiled faintly, and replied, “Dad, when I was eight years old, a fishbone got stuck in my throat, and the nanny was not there. You and Aunt Xie were busy going out on a date. I cried for a long time and no other servant helped me deal with it.â€
“This has left a psychological shadow on me, and I don’t like eating fish anymore. You don’t know?â€
“……â€
Shi Sheng got stuck, why didn’t he remember this?
When they looked at each other, his face finally showed a trace of embarrassment.
Perhaps because they hadn’t seen each other for a long time, Shi Sheng always felt that he couldn’t see through his own son.
For example, just now, listening to that heartless statement, there was an indescribable sarcasm, criticizing him for not being a good father.
Seeing that the atmosphere had solidified again, Xie Wei had to keep winking at her husband beside her, as if there was something urgent to announce.
Shi Yunnan took this scene into his eyes, and turned to old man Shi who still had a stern complexion.
He was temporarily called back home by Shi Sheng, claiming that the old man’s health suddenly became unwell, so that he, the grandson, must rush back. Now looking at the latter’s complexion, “sickness†was just an excuse to urge him back to the country.
“Grandpa, Dad, if you have anything to say, just say it.†Shi Yunnan was used to being straightforward while living abroad and was most uncomfortable with beating around the bush.
When Xie Wei heard this, she could no longer sit still, “Yunnan, please hear me out. There was a problem with the big project that the company invested in some time ago, and the capital chain used for turnover has collapsed. If we drag on, our family might be…â€
Facing bankruptcy.
These last two words, Xie Wei did not dare to mention in front of the old man who had a strong character, for fear of committing a taboo.
She looked around, confirming the acquiescence attitude of old man Shi and her husband before speaking as a matter of course, “We have already negotiated with the Luo family. As long as you and young master Luo are married, they can…â€
Shi Yunnan understood the implication of those words and finally let out his first snort of the night, “Are you kidding me?â€
At present day, although homosexual love and marriage had long become commonplace, was it normal to let him marry a random stranger for the sake of family interests?
Totally impossible.
“We’re talking to you about serious matters, why are we joking?†old man Shi finally spoke up.
He was traditional and rigid to the bone, and didn’t like this kind of same-sex marriage at all, but in the face of absolute family interests, he had to agree with this approach.
The Shi family had few children, and only Shi Yunnan, who had been fostered abroad since childhood, was the most suitable.
The marriage union between the two families was solely for the sake of benefits, not the apparent happiness of children and grandchildren. The Luo family would help the Shi family survive this crisis. In the future, the Shi family would not only exempt their freight costs, but also share the benefits for a period of three years… This were the marriage conditions that was agreed early on.
Since the Luo family didn’t mind the marriage relationship between men, how could they shirk off?
“Our family spent money to raise you for so many years, the time has come for you to put in some effort……â€
Shi Yunnan heard this stubborn tone, and the ridicule in his heart could no longer be controlled.
Who spent money on him?
He only knew that, since the age of fifteen, the Shi family had not sent a single penny to his card.
Throwing him away beyond the horizon when he was useless, and forcibly brought him back when it was urgent, they really treated him as some kind of product.
Shi Yunnan did not have the leisure to eat, so he slammed the chair back.
Creak.
The chair legs rubbed against the ground, creating a long and harsh sound, like a proclamation of Shi Yunnan’s actual mood.
“I’m tired after flying on the plane for more than ten hours.†Shi Yunnan got up and didn’t give anyone a chance to continue lobbying, “I’ll go back to the room and rest, you guys eat slowly.â€
Old man Shi saw the unwilling response from his grandson, and ordered in a deep voice, “You can’t avoid this matter. Think it over in the next two days, then I’ll contact the Luo family to arrange your meeting!â€
“Grandpa, if you want to see me, I won’t hide, but don’t get me involved in this.†Shi Yunnan drank the wine in one gulp, then turned around and walked towards the second floor, ignoring the crowd.
The servants who were eating melons looked at each other and couldn’t help but mutter in their hearts——
Second young master was actually going against the old man? They hadn’t seen him in a few years, had he eaten a bear heart and a leopard gut to be so courageous?
Shi Yunnan didn’t wait for old man Shi to throw a fit, he hid in his bedroom and locked the door. He took out his mobile phone and booked a flight abroad the next day.
Since this family had let go of him from the beginning, it was impossible for them to keep him now.
Shi Yunnan liked men, but wanting him to give up his happy life abroad and marry someone he had never met? And glorified it as a business marriage?
It was simply f*cking outrageous, and beyond ridiculous!
Keep dreaming!
Shi Yunnan spent a few minutes to suppress the ridicule in his heart, before washing up and going to bed.
Long international flight was the most exhausting.
Shi Yunnan planned to wait until he had a good sleep tonight and run away tomorrow with his luggage. Unexpectedly, he dreamt of a bizarre scenario——
Shi Yunnan dreamed that his life was just an unlucky supporting role in a book, and the protagonist of this book was his nominal younger brother, Xie Keyue, the ‘third young master’ in this family.
The other party was a soul from a different world. After an accident, he accidentally transmigrated into the novel titled “Transmigrating to Raise Ten Billions†and became the protagonist of the same name.
Because he was familiar with the plot development of the original book, Xie Keyue gradually got acquainted and made contacts with the big shots in the book, and established his own investment kingdom all the way.
He not only made it to the list of the richest people in China at a young age, but also gained the pursuit of countless admirers. He was an absolute shuangwen³ protagonist.
[3- 爽文 [Shuangwen] is a novel trope which the protagonists progress smoothly from the beginning to the end of the novel]
Shi Yunnan, who was a ‘fiction aboriginal’, was a completely opposite example.
Because he resisted and chose to escape from the marriage, this behavior severely aroused dissatisfaction between the Shi and Luo family. On the contrary, he also gave Xie Keyue a chance to get to know the young master of the Luo family.
After leaving the Shi family, Shi Yunnan, because of his own misfortune, coveted Xie Keyue’s wealth and connections.
While maliciously hindering the other party’s career development, he learned how to hug thighs everywhere and engage in business. Unfortunately, under the pressure of the other party’s ‘protagonist halo’, he only got a notorious reputation as a vain and profit-oriented person.
He was ridiculed and forsaken by Xie Keyue and others, he also owed a huge amount of foreign debt. Finally, he couldn’t bear these hardships and chose to end his life in a rental house.
……
This dream was particularly long, as if it had progressed from the beginning to the end of the novel, so vivid and absurd.
Shi Yunnan woke up, only to find that his whole body was soaked in cold sweat. He sat up and panted hard, his body was exhausted like going through a hard battle.
It was said that the more vivid the dream, the easier it was to blur the memory after waking up, but the contents of this “original book†seemed to be imprinted in his mind, and couldn’t be shaken off.
Time passed minute by minute.
Shi Yunnan sat on the bed, having a huge doubt about this realistic dream.
After all, he had really lived in this world for 25 years. How could his original perception be overturned because of a dream?
Just when he was caught in a dilemma, his mobile phone notification suddenly rang.
The author has something to say:
Ding! Little Fox is online!
Friendly reminder to the front row audience: Because our little fox has been raised abroad since childhood, his nature is very hot and wild! Please be prepared~
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