Chapter 35
At 11:30, Qi Heng finished his meeting. Wang Lin held her phone at the door and followed him as he came out.
“President.”
Back in his office, Qi Heng loosened his tie. When he left in the morning, it seemed like his tie was tied a bit tighter.
“What’s the matter?”
“Young Master is in the nearby Starlight Hotel.”
Qi Heng raised an eyebrow. “He hasn’t gone back yet?”
“I called the person in charge over there to ask, and it seems the first-floor banquet hall at the Starlight Hotel has been booked by a gaming company today. They’re apparently organizing some kind of offline gathering,” Wang Lin cautiously explained.
“That gaming company seems to be the one Young Master often spends money on.”
Qi Heng tapped his desk. “Have the bodyguards keep a close eye, let him enjoy himself for now.”
Once he’s had his fun, it’ll be time to return and face the consequences. He’s also a bit nostalgic for those times.
…
Starlight Hotel.
Qi Rui, accompanied by two bodyguards, followed the hints from the group and found the hall where the Lingyu Guild was located.
The hall was filled with people, and right in front of the entrance, there was a small stage. On the electronic screen behind it, scenes from various sects in the game were playing.
Qi Rui looked around, and after scanning the sea of people, he finally spotted Er Que, who couldn’t sit still. He walked over with his bodyguards and patted him on the shoulder.
“Yang Xiaohu!”
Qi Rui’s entrance was quite unique. It was rare for someone to attend a game meetup with bodyguards, so the members of the Lingyu Guild at the table couldn’t help but discreetly observe. When they saw Qi Rui approaching, some even began to wonder if they were in the right place.
However, the suspicions of the others were quickly dispelled when it became apparent that Qi Rui was acquainted with their guild leader, Er Que.
Speaking of which, when they first saw Er Que, the members of the Lingyu Guild were also shocked. The esteemed leader of the Lingyu Guild was, in fact, an underage chubby kid. The adults in the room suddenly felt their games were not as appealing.
Now, here was another obviously underage individual who appeared to be on good terms with their leader.
“Kid, are you [Surplus Year After Year] of our guild?” asked a well-groomed man with glasses, curiosity in his voice.
“Wrong,” Qi Rui said with a cool and aloof expression, “My in-game ID is ‘You’re the Dream of 30 Million Girls, Rui-ge.'”
“Whoosh.” Someone burst into laughter, having sprayed water out of their mouth. The in-game ID ‘You’re the Dream of 30 Million Girls, Rui-ge’ was well-known in the server as a big spender.
“Cough, cough, cough.” The well-groomed man’s composure couldn’t hold any longer. He recalled the massive red envelope Qi Rui had sent in the group chat and, with a sigh, asked, “Kid, do your parents know you’re spending so much money?”
“Oh no, what have I done?” A female player lamented, “I called a kid ‘Big Brother’ for the past six months.”
Qi Rui pushed Yang Hu forward and said, “Move a bit, let me sit here.”
Yang Hu adjusted his position and asked, “So, where did your uncle transfer you to this time? Liu Na couldn’t find you when she transferred to Jialin High School. She even asked me about your whereabouts!”
Qi Rui gave him a cold glare and replied, “Homeschooling.”
“You dropped out, Rui-ge?” Yang Hu exclaimed, drawing the attention of others. He quickly lowered his voice and said enviously, “Rui-ge, please teach me, how did you convince your family to let you drop out?”
“I didn’t want to, you know,” Qi Rui rolled his eyes. “If you like it, we can swap lives!”
“I’d love to, but if my dad finds out I dropped out, he’ll kill me,” Yang Hu sighed.
“The young one should read more books,” the refined man said as he handed Qi Rui and Yang Hu glasses of juice. When he noticed Qi Rui staring at him, he introduced himself, “My gaming ID is [Braised Pork Rice].”
“Rui-ge, I’m [Egg Fried Rice], and my real name is An Ruoxi,” a sweet female voice chimed in. Qi Rui turned to see a girl who was about his age, but she looked like a beautiful doll.
He clicked his tongue. He thought that [Egg Fried Rice] might be a guy, but it turned out to be a girl.
“What’s Rui-ge’s real name?” An Ruoxi asked sweetly.
“Rui-ge’s real name is Qi Rui,” Yang Hu answered quickly. “Ruoxi, didn’t you say you wanted orange juice earlier? This glass was just brought over by the waiter and hasn’t been touched yet.”
“I don’t like orange juice,” An Ruoxi looked straight at Qi Rui with big, sparkling eyes. “Can Rui-ge give me some of his mango juice?”
“This young lady,” one of the bodyguards picked up a glass of mango juice from a nearby tray.
“Our young master’s glass has been touched; this one is for you,” the bodyguard placed the mango juice in front of An Ruoxi.
An Ruoxi looked a bit uncomfortable, and she forced a smile. She asked, pretending to be curious, “Rui-ge, what does your family do? You’re even accompanied by bodyguards when you go out.”
“It’s because my uncle insisted on having them follow me,” Qi Rui picked up the juice and took a sip, trying to conceal his nervousness.
He felt his heart racing.
Qi Rui glanced around, “Why hasn’t Yu Fan arrived yet?”
The “Yu Fan” he mentioned was actually [Nian Nian You Yu].
“Don’t mention it, Fan-ge’s mom enrolled him in a cram school yesterday, and he left early this morning,” Yang Hu sighed. “He even asked me to take some photos of pretty girls at the event for him, but I didn’t bring my phone when I came out.”
Qi Rui sympathized and took out his own phone, saying, “Why don’t you use my phone to take pictures for him?”
“No rush,” Yang Hu patted Qi Rui’s shoulder. “We’ll take them once the event begins. I heard there’s a new expansion pack coming out today.”
After a few more words, the game company’s planner and the staff took the stage to begin their presentation.
Yang Hu took Qi Rui’s phone and started recording a live video for Yu Fan.
Qi Rui sat for a while but found it uninteresting and thought it would be more fun to play the game. He also realized that staying outside for too long increased the risk of being discovered. When Yang Hu handed the phone back to him, Qi Rui was eager to leave.
“Where are you going, Rui-ge?” Yang Hu asked in surprise. “The lottery is about to start, and I heard the first prize is a set of action figures for all professions.”
“No thanks, I need to go back to do my homework,” Qi Rui replied. He wasn’t particularly interested in the action figures, and he could always buy them when they were available in the game’s merchandise store. However, if he didn’t leave soon, his uncle might discover him, and he didn’t want to risk that.
With this in mind, Qi Rui didn’t delay any longer and immediately headed towards the entrance with his bodyguards.
Qi Rui regretted his decision. If he had known that the meetup wasn’t fun at all, he wouldn’t have taken the risk of going out.
Qi Rui returned to the Qi family’s old mansion. Inside, the household staff continued their work quietly, cleaning and maintaining the house. He walked into the hall, where two maids were mopping the floor.
“Where is Steward Sun?” Qi Rui asked.
One of the maids stopped her work. “The master’s car was rear-ended on the way, so the steward went to the scene.”
“What?” Qi Rui was surprised. He had thought that it was his uncle, Qi Heng, returning and had called the steward to the upper floor. He hadn’t expected this turn of events.
…
Qi Heng sat in the car with an unpleasant expression, while the woman outside continued to chatter and block his way.
“Sir, could you please leave me your contact information? I’ll transfer the money to you once I get back.”
“This lady,” Steward Sun Yi got out of the car, saw the frantic woman banging on their master’s car window, and immediately wore a stern expression.
He firmly gripped the woman’s wrist, causing her to cry out in pain. “What are you doing?”
“I’m just here to discuss compensation with the gentleman inside,” the woman said in a pitiful tone. Out of the corner of her eye, she tried to sneak a peek through the tightly sealed car window, but she couldn’t see the gentleman inside who had caught her eye at first sight.
While waiting at a red light, she unintentionally glanced at the adjacent car. She was guessing the price of the luxury car when the rear window slowly rolled down, revealing a flawless profile.
With just one glance, her heart fluttered.
But the red light quickly changed, and the window was rolled up again. As she saw the car about to leave, without much thought, she bumped into it.
She believed her conditions were not lacking, and she leaned so close to the car window just to get that gentleman’s attention. However, to her surprise, the gentleman inside showed no sign of getting out of the car.
Sun Yi pulled the frantic woman away and approached the car window. “Master.”
“Open the door,” Qi Heng spoke, and the driver unlocked the car door. Qi Heng got out of the car and walked straight to the car that the housekeeper had driven over.
“Sir!” The woman saw Qi Heng coming down and wanted to get his attention, but Sun Yi was faster and blocked her path directly.
“Madam, please control yourself,” Sun Yi said.
Sun Yi looked at the driver. “You take the sir back home; I’ll wait here for the traffic police.”
The driver nodded, opened the car door, and walked to the other vehicle. Shortly after, the car started and drove away.
The woman, disappointed to see her target getting farther away, became visibly upset. When she heard the surrounding gossip about her infatuation, her face turned dark, and she returned to her car in anger.
“This lady,” a belated police officer knocked on her car window, “someone reported an incident, stating that you’re suspected of intentionally causing a car accident. Please come with us.”
“What?” The woman was shocked. She opened her car door. “Are you making a mistake? It was just a rear-end collision.”
“I’m sorry, but please come with us for an investigation,” the police officer insisted.
Sun Yi adjusted his clothes, “I reported this incident. I have a reasonable suspicion that she intentionally accelerated, which could have harmed my employer.”
“While my employer wasn’t injured due to this rear-end collision, we can’t dismiss the possibility of her actions being a threat to him.”
“Let’s discuss this at the police station.”
The woman’s face changed abruptly. She attempted to return to her car, but Sun Yi was faster and grabbed her arm.
“Now you’re scared, huh?”
…
Qi Rui heard the sound of a car and quietly opened the door, moving outside to eavesdrop on the situation below.
“Master.”
Darn it! It really is my uncle coming back.
Qi Rui took a deep breath and immediately went back to his room. He quickly unplugged the computer and then discreetly moved to the outside to eavesdrop.
“Has Qi Rui returned?” Qi Heng took off his coat, and a servant took it from him.
“The young master is upstairs studying.” The servant replied.
“Tell him to come to the study,” Qi Heng said as he headed upstairs.
Qi Rui felt a chill down his spine and immediately retreated to his room. He took out his phone and opened the group chat.
[You’re the Dream of 30 Million Girls, Rui-ge: Help, it seems like my uncle has found out I sneaked out!!!]
Someone knocked on his door, “Young master, the master wants you in the study.”
“I got it.” Qi Rui tossed his phone on the table, not noticing a friend request that had come in.
“Uncle.” Qi Rui walked into the study, noticing that the door was open. He cautiously poked his head inside.
Qi Heng glanced at him and said coldly, “Come in.”
Qi Rui stepped over the threshold, feeling a bit anxious. “Uncle, I was doing my homework. What do you need?”
“Did you go out at noon?”
With that simple question, Qi Rui felt like he should just kneel down, a gesture he had performed countless times over the past month. It was surprisingly well-practiced.
“I messed up.”
“What did you mess up?” Qi Heng asked calmly.
“I shouldn’t have gone out,” Qi Rui said, hanging his head, “and I shouldn’t have lied to Steward Sun.”
Qi Heng tossed a stack of papers in front of him. “Take a look.”
Qi Rui looked perplexed for a moment, then picked up the papers and glanced at them. It seemed to be a record of his in-game purchases.
“You’re quite capable, spending nearly five million on a game,” Qi Heng remarked. “I bought this small company for a total of only three million.”
“Can you tell me where you spent all that money?”
“Just buying some enhancement stones and costumes,” Qi Rui admitted, a bit sheepish. “I never felt like I spent that much each time; I had no idea it added up to so much.”
And it was just five million; it wasn’t that much, he thought. It was just like some New Year’s money.
Qi Rui felt a little indignant. Qi Heng bought a company for thirty million, and he was making a fuss about five million.
But then, he looked up with surprise. “Uncle, you bought this game company?”
Wow, that meant he could pretty much customize any attribute he wanted, right?
“Dad! My official dad!” Qi Rui quickly crawled to Qi Heng’s feet, clutching onto his leg as if his life depended on it, tears welling up in his eyes. “As long as you have someone increase my game character’s enhancement luck to ‘S’ starting today, you’ll be my real dad!”
Qi Heng kicked him away, coldly saying, “I have your account deleted.”
Qi Rui widened his eyes as if struck by a bolt of lightning, unable to believe it. “My… My account is gone?”
Qi Rui desperately hoped he had misheard.
“Do you think I would lie to you?” Qi Heng calmly retorted.
“Uncle!” Qi Rui quickly got up from the ground, pointing his finger at Qi Heng, his eyes reddening. “You’re going too far!”
“Put your hand down.”
“I’m running away from home!” Qi Rui clenched his teeth. “You just don’t like me, so you’re deliberately messing with me. I only spent a little money, and you have my account deleted.”
“You’ve gone too far! You’re a tyrant!”
“Running away from home?”
“Yes!” Qi Rui declared firmly. “If you don’t restore my account today, I’ll run away from home!”
Seeing that Qi Heng was unfazed, he added with a malicious tone, “I’ll really leave!”
Qi Heng gave him a cold, indifferent look. “If you want to go, go. I think you need to try supporting yourself for once.”
An unexpected response. Normally, at this point, his uncle should have softened and agreed to return his gaming account.
Qi Rui visibly panicked for a moment, but he gritted his teeth and tried to sound resolute, saying, “If you’re going to kick me out, then I’ll… I’ll go find my mom!”
As he spoke, Qi Rui’s voice took on a tone of tears, as his mother had long since remarried and had a new family, so she wouldn’t care about him.
Qi Heng looked over at the young man who was pouting and refusing to back down, with tears welling up in his eyes. It seemed like he was just waiting for Qi Heng to say a word before bursting into tears.
A boy so delicate, on the verge of crying without any harsh words.
Qi Heng once again fondly remembered Qi Shao’s thick-skinned nature. Every time he scolded or punished Qi Shao, he would still brazenly come forward.
Qi Rui grew increasingly anxious while waiting. He was convinced that this time his uncle was determined to drive him away.
He felt wronged. Back in the day, he had wished to be as far away from his uncle as possible. But now, as his uncle seriously considered kicking him out, he felt extremely unjust and miserable.
Was it really necessary to drive him away just because he spent five million?
The worst-case scenario was that when he grew up and earned money, he could repay the five million to his uncle!
“Master.” Steward Sun knocked on the door.
Qi Heng looked up. “Come in.”
Steward Sun stepped over the threshold and slightly bowed. “Master, the matter has been resolved.”
Qi Rui couldn’t hold back a sob, which drew Steward Sun’s concerned gaze. He sounded sympathetic. “Young Master, what’s the matter?”
“Steward Sun, Uncle wants to kick me out,” Qi Rui said, looking at Qi Heng with earnest hope to see a hint of regret in his eyes. However, all he found was the same cold and unfeeling expression.
Steward Sun was taken aback. “Master?”
Back in the day, the Master had always disliked seeing the young master leave the Qi residence.
“Find a boarding school for him,” Qi Heng said in a calm tone, looking at Qi Rui. “Before college, I will cover your tuition and living expenses. However, once you enter college, you must earn your own living.”
He had come to realize that this world was fundamentally different from his previous one. Keeping a child confined at home, even with the best teachers, couldn’t compare to letting him experience life outside.
“Uncle!” Qi Rui cried out in disbelief. “Are you really kicking me out?”
“I’m just sending you to school,” Qi Heng replied calmly.
Qi Rui refused to believe it. “You’re driving me away.”
Steward Sun added, “Young Master, didn’t you mention wanting to go to school before?”
Qi Rui bit his lip, then ran out without saying a word.
Let him go. He won’t come back even if Uncle begs him with tears!
Steward Sun seemed a bit concerned. “Master, I’ve heard that children at this age often go through a rebellious phase. Is Young Master going through that too?”
Qi Heng glanced at the discarded bank statement on the floor. “Most ordinary families wouldn’t survive his kind of rebellion.”
Steward Sun picked up the statement. “Young Master is still young. In online games, you can encounter all kinds of people. It’s not unusual to be deceived out of some money.”
Wiping away his tears, Qi Rui returned to his room and absentmindedly picked up his phone. A friend request popped up. Not in a good mood, he simply rejected it. Then he opened the in-game chat group.
Someone tagged him, but there were too many messages for him to bother checking.
[You’re the Dream of 30 Million Girls, Rui-ge: Who tagged me?]
[In the Middle of a Myriad Blooms: Rui-ge, did you change your name? And you deleted us from your friends?]
He then posted a screenshot of his friend request list, showing that there was no record of this person.
After that, several other people chimed in, saying that they couldn’t find him as a friend anymore.
Thinking about this, Qi Rui remembered his impending move from the old mansion, and his eyes welled up with tears once again.
[You’re the Dream of 30 Million Girls, Rui-ge: My spending was discovered, and my uncle deleted my account.]
In the game, players can’t delete their own accounts to prevent potential losses from account theft.
After he sent this message, there was a brief pause in the group chat.
[Egg Fried Rice: @You’re the Dream of 30 Million Girls, Rui-ge, So, the game we’re playing is owned by Rui-ge’s family?]
Qi Rui sniffed and typed a few more words.
[No, my uncle bought it just to delete my account.]
