Qi Jingming: [I’ll be back in a few days. Spend a few more days with him before you die? He took several hundred million from me just to prepare a welcome-home gift for you.]

When Qi Jingming received the message, he was meeting with the head of the Fang family.

The two had just cheerfully discussed some business collaborations, and then during their afternoon tea break, they started on the topic of successors—a topic Qi Jingming once hated to hear but now delighted in.

Head of the Fang family: “Jingming, back when we used to sit here drinking tea, you’d be getting debt-collection calls from Xiuyi, and I’d be getting complaint calls about little Ji. The atmosphere between us was so harmonious.”

Qi Jingming: “The sea of suffering is boundless. I’m out first.”

Head of the Fang family: “But what about now? Your Xiuyi has started getting ‘Triple-A Student’ awards, while my little Ji is still causing me three disasters a day. Can you imagine how bitter I feel sitting here drinking tea with you!”

Qi Jingming: “How about adding some sugar to your tea?”

Head of the Fang family: “Fess up. How exactly did your Xiuyi change his personality? Can you share a copy with your big brother?”

Qi Jingming: “What a coincidence. How did you know I have a thirty-seven-year-old exclusive secret formula?”

Qi Jingming smiled. “One of a kind, in heaven or on earth. The effect is outstanding, works every time. Transfer me a 1% intermediary fee, and lend me your ear!”

…

Qi Xiuyi waited for a whole semester, but Qi Wendong never returned to the country, never came home.

Seeing that the final exams for the new semester were only three days away, Qi Xiuyi couldn’t hold back his resentment and grumbled to Qi Wendong during their video call.

“Qi Wendong, when on earth are you coming back? I’ve prepared a huge gift for you, when can you come back to see it?”

Qi Wendong was currently sitting on his hospital bed.

In front of him was a small, retractable table attached to the bed. Qi Wendong’s phone was propped up vertically on it, while he rested his head on one hand and used the other to scoop up porridge, blowing on it gently and eating his dinner slowly.

Qi Wendong replied casually, “Soon, I guess.”

Qi Xiuyi was extremely dissatisfied. “You’ve been saying that since summer vacation. It’s been almost a whole semester. When is your ‘soon’ finally going to arrive!”

Qi Wendong laughed. “This time it’s really soon. What, aren’t you worried you’ll flunk this final exam and get laughed at by me when I get back?”

Qi Xiuyi arrogantly crossed his legs and spun his pen. “Want to laugh at me? You definitely won’t have the chance this semester! Qi Wendong, you have no idea how well I’ve reviewed this semester!”

Qi Wendong: “Oh?”

Qi Xiuyi: “Didn’t I tell you before? The two subjects that had midterms this semester, I got first place in the major for both of them!!”

Qi Wendong was surprised. “Oh my, you can get first in the major?”

Qi Xiuyi: “Heh, Qi Wendong, I guarantee my final exam scores this semester will definitely surpass that guy in your class… Think bigger, maybe I can even get first in the entire major? Haha!”

Qi Xiuyi laughed heartily.

Qi Xiuyi then went on to chatter with Qi Wendong for a long time about which new friend he went out to eat with today, and what kind of frugal methods he had come up with to avoid shaking milk tea.

Finally, it was time for Qi Wendong to turn off the lights and go to sleep.

Qi Xiuyi said reluctantly, “Qi Wendong, you really have to come back soon. I’m waiting to take you to see the big gift!”

Qi Wendong smiled and agreed, “This time, definitely.”

Qi Xiuyi reluctantly believed him.

The next day was Friday. After school, Qi Xiuyi went home as usual.

He took out the textbooks for next week’s exams from his trunk and placed them on his desk.

Just then, Qi Xiuyi suddenly heard a series of footsteps from outside, dense and uniform, clattering downstairs.

Qi Xiuyi froze. He subconsciously felt that the footsteps were somewhat familiar.

A memory flashed through his mind. Qi Xiuyi’s eyes flew wide open. He immediately shot out of his room and rushed to the railing of the corridor.

Today’s sunset was exceptionally brilliant, paving a magnificent golden road from the open main gate of the Qi residence inwards.

At the start of the golden road, the door of a Latimaserati, a car they rarely used for daily purposes, was wide open.

The young butler was by the rear car door, respectfully bowing and extending a hand to steadily receive a hand wearing a white fluffy glove from inside the car.

The first thing that came into view was a pair of black long boots stepping out from the rear door.

Following that was a long, thick down jacket.

Then, a head of extremely familiar black curly hair came into view, as a young man was led out of the car by the butler.

The young man was bundled in the thick down jacket, wearing fluffy gloves, a scarf, and a knit hat, protected like a handful of snow in a greenhouse.

His soft, slightly curly hair was a bit longer than the last time he had seen it in person, completely covering his ears. The hair at the back of his head was casually tied into a ponytail, which was particularly conspicuous against the snow-white scarf.

The young man stepped through the main gate, his figure carving a long, thin shadow into the brilliant golden road.

Two lines of bodyguards stood with their hands behind their backs on either side of the gate. They stood tall and straight, their voices loud and resonant, shattering the dome of the sky as they shouted in unison:

“Welcome home, Young Master. You’ve worked hard!”

Qi Xiuyi stared blankly at the young man below. The bodyguards’ uniform shout instantly connected with his memory.

After entering the house, the young man on the first floor took off his hat, pulled off his scarf, and handed them along with his gloves to the butler beside him.

Then, he lifted his head, his calm gaze meeting the completely motionless gaze behind the railing.

His lips curved, and he spoke. His voice wasn’t loud, but it was clear enough to pierce through the chest.

He asked, “Is that my new room?”

The scene in his mind was not entirely the same as the scene in reality, but when that voice fell, they merged into one.

The voice he had thought of day and night finally, truly appeared by his ear. Qi Xiuyi’s head buzzed. For a moment, besides Qi Wendong’s figure, besides Qi Wendong’s voice, he could see and hear nothing else.

His body moved before his brain did. He took large strides, taking two or three steps at a time, then leaped down three or four stairs at once, rushing to the first-floor hall like the wind.

His eyes burned, his face overflowing with an irrepressible, joyous smile. He crashed into the young man like a cannonball and, amidst the butler’s panicked “Young Master Xiuyi, Young Master Wendong is now…”, he scooped Qi Wendong up and spun him around happily in the air!

Qi Xiuyi was ecstatic. “Qi! Wen! Dong! Why didn’t you tell me in advance that you were coming back!!”

The butler watched with his heart in his throat as Young Master Wendong was spun around by Young Master Xiuyi. His complexion, which was already two shades paler than he remembered, was now even whiter!

So much so that the moment Qi Wendong was put back on the ground, his figure swayed.

Fortunately, he grabbed Qi Xiuyi’s arm in time, barely managing to steady himself without falling.

He glared fiercely at Qi Xiuyi. “It’s been half a year, did you turn into a dog?? Even an Alaskan Malamute doesn’t know how to pounce on people like you!”

Qi Xiuyi hadn’t expected Qi Wendong to be so fragile now. He quickly took the initiative to steady him, afraid that a careless move would send his newly returned brother back to the hospital.

He was so happy to see Qi Wendong that he magnanimously decided not to be angry with him for the entire day.

Qi Xiuyi helped Qi Wendong take off his down jacket and handed it to the butler on the side. He held Qi Wendong’s shoulders with both hands and looked him up and down.

The more Qi Xiuyi looked, the unhappier he became. “You’ve lost so much weight, Qi Wendong! How many pounds did you lose? The food in Country D must be terrible, making you drink porridge every day. If I had known, I should have brought one of the family chefs over to cook for you!”

Qi Wendong slapped away the hand that was randomly pinching his arm and snorted lightly. “It’s my business whether I eat or not, whether I lose weight or not. What’s it to you?”

Qi Xiuyi followed behind Qi Wendong, almost habitually heading for the stairs. But then he saw that Qi Wendong had turned into the elevator midway. He immediately changed direction and followed him in.

He couldn’t contain his excitement and grabbed Qi Wendong, asking, “Qi Wendong! Why did you suddenly come back?”

Qi Wendong glanced at him. “What’s so sudden about it? Didn’t I tell you last night it would be soon? What, you don’t believe my words, Qi Xiuyi?”

Qi Xiuyi felt wronged. “You said the same thing during the summer vacation half a year ago. Can you blame me for this?!”

Qi Xiuyi pressed on, “Is the treatment over? Are you all better? You’re so thin now, what do you want to eat tonight? I’ll have the kitchen make it for you!”

Qi Wendong blinked slowly twice. It wasn’t until the elevator doors opened and he led the way out that he answered calmly, “Yeah, it’s over. I’m tired of the treatment, so I came back to rest.”

Qi Xiuyi didn’t quite understand what “came back to rest” meant, but he heard Qi Wendong say the treatment was over! He was all better!

Qi Xiuyi broke into a smile. “Ah… it’s good that you’re better!”

After getting out of the elevator, he remembered Qi Wendong’s “new room” comment from earlier and laughed out loud.

So when he passed his own room, he grabbed Qi Wendong. “Hey, where are you going? Didn’t you want to snatch my room again just now?”

Qi Wendong pretended to look into the room, then shook his head in disgust and walked away. “It’s such a mess. You want me to move in? No way!”

Qi Xiuyi wasn’t angry at all.

He excitedly followed Qi Wendong into his room, then followed him to the dining room. Even after finishing dinner, the words from his mouth didn’t stop for a moment, almost annoying Qi Wendong to the point of calling the butler to drag this pest away.

But Qi Xiuyi was completely unaware and said smugly, “This is what you promised me before. If I perform normally at the end of this semester, then your winter vacation is mine to command!”

He said enthusiastically to Qi Wendong, “By the way, Qi Wendong, I’ve prepared a big gift for you. I’ll take you to see it tomorrow!”

Qi Wendong turned his head. “Oh? What gift?”

Qi Xiuyi: “It’s no fun if I tell you in advance. You’ll know tomorrow!”

To present the gift in its best light to Qi Wendong, Qi Xiuyi rushed back to his room after dinner and secretly called the museum, giving a flurry of arrangements and commands.

The next day, for a rare change, Qi Xiuyi drove the car himself, taking Qi Wendong to the museum he had been secretly preparing for half a year.

The museum was not completely finished. Currently, only the first floor’s renovation and setup were complete. The upper floors were usually under renovation.

Of course, all renovations were halted today.

Qi Xiuyi, as if showing off, led Qi Wendong to the first floor, personally acting as a guide and explaining the history of each antique in detail. When they came across objects with interesting stories from his collection journey, he would spend more time on his own collection path.

Qi Wendong listened attentively, but after his major illness, his stamina was far from what it used to be. After just half an hour of walking around, he felt he couldn’t walk anymore.

Qi Xiuyi hadn’t had his fill of talking and was still eager for more, but he was more considerate of Qi Wendong’s newly recovered body. He led him to the nearest bench to rest for a bit.

This row of chairs was located in the northeast corner of the museum’s first floor. Qi Wendong sat at the very end of the bench, basking in the warm morning sun. His pale post-illness complexion seemed to be tinged with a bit of color by the sunlight.

Qi Xiuyi looked at him and was momentarily lost in thought.

But Qi Wendong didn’t notice his trance. He looked at the scenery outside the floor-to-ceiling windows behind him and commented, “The location selection is good. This is actually a seat with a river view.”

He smiled. “It’s a complete VIP seat.”

Qi Xiuyi was pulled back to reality by his words. “Huh? I didn’t hear you just now, what did you say?”

Qi Wendong didn’t like to repeat himself, so he leaned back on the chair and said lazily, “I asked, what will this museum look like when it’s completely finished?”

At the mention of this, Qi Xiuyi got excited.

He sat down next to Qi Wendong and began to tell him about his vision.

His ideas for the entire museum’s structure, which cultural relics would be placed on each floor, and how they would be categorized and displayed by theme…

These were all things he had been bottling up for half a year, wanting to share with Qi Wendong, but never had the chance.

Qi Wendong listened intently, not even realizing he had started to smile.

“A very nice museum. When your museum is completely finished, it will definitely be very popular.”

Seeing his smile, Qi Xiuyi’s spirits soared even higher. “Of course! The upper floors will be fully renovated in another six months. At that time, I’ll definitely let you be the first guest! …How about it, Qi Wendong? This gift is very special, isn’t it?”

Qi Wendong smiled faintly. “It is indeed very special. Thank you for the gift. I look forward to seeing it completed.”

After resting, Qi Xiuyi took Qi Wendong to see the rest of the arranged areas. But this time, he didn’t explain in too much detail, because Qi Wendong’s energy level clearly wasn’t enough to support him through a complete tour.

Qi Xiuyi couldn’t help but say, “It’s a good thing you didn’t get sick when we first met. Otherwise, it would be uncertain who would be bullying whom last year.”

Qi Wendong sneered, “Give me a break. A kid who still needs his brother to feed him milk online via video call shouldn’t be talking big here.”

After half a year apart, Qi Wendong’s mouth was still as sharp as ever, ready to throw some sarcastic remark at him at the slightest disagreement.

But perhaps because they had spent a long time together, or perhaps because Qi Wendong’s health was poor, he subconsciously felt that he should be the one taking care of Qi Wendong now.

Therefore, when Qi Xiuyi heard Qi Wendong’s sarcasm this time, the first emotion that surged in his heart was not anger, but a kind of joy that “Qi Wendong is full of spirit.”

He “tsked” and said, “What? I was just afraid you’d be bored in the hospital every day, so I kindly tried to relieve your boredom, alright!”

He led Qi Wendong to the car, condescending to be his driver for once.

He hadn’t brought a driver with him when they left in the morning, precisely so that he could chat freely with Qi Wendong on the way.

However, after chattering for a long time, Qi Wendong didn’t say a word back to him.

Qi Xiuyi was quite unhappy and glanced at the rearview mirror, only to find that Qi Wendong had closed his eyes at some point and had fallen asleep against the back of the seat.

Qi Xiuyi: “…”

Qi Xiuyi felt a little wronged.

What, was his exhibition that boring?

Qi Xiuyi’s driving skills were not bad. He drove steadily the whole way, not waking Qi Wendong up.

The car drove into the Qi residence. The butler came forward, wanting to welcome the two young masters out of the car.

Qi Xiuyi stopped him, got out of the driver’s seat himself, walked around the car to open the rear door, and gently caught Qi Wendong, who was leaning against the door asleep.

Qi Wendong was sleeping very soundly and didn’t wake up.

He mouthed to the butler to come and lend a hand, helping him get Qi Wendong onto his back.

The moment he got Qi Wendong on his back, Qi Xiuyi discovered that he was so light now.

He didn’t know how much Qi Wendong weighed before he got sick, but the moment he lifted him, he could clearly feel that this was not the normal weight of an adult male.

So much so that when he carried Qi Wendong up to the second floor and gently placed him on the bed, he even felt he still had energy to spare.

Qi Wendong…

Isn’t this a bit too light?

Qi Xiuyi felt a little downcast for a moment.

He sat by the bed, his mood heavy, and twirled a lock of Qi Wendong’s hair with his fingers, gently rubbing it in his hand, then gently brushing Qi Wendong’s cheek with the tip of the hair.

Qi Wendong…

He gazed at Qi Wendong’s quiet sleeping face, his heart aching a little.

Qi Wendong must have suffered a lot during his treatment in Country D alone.

The butler said in a low voice, “Young Master…”

Only then did Qi Xiuyi remember the butler’s presence.

He didn’t turn around, but whispered to the butler in a breathy voice, “You can go out first. I want to sit here for a while. Tell the kitchen to make more of Qi Wendong’s favorite dishes tonight, to help him recuperate properly.”

The butler hesitated, wondering if he should tell Young Master Xiuyi that Young Master Wendong had only drunk half a bowl of porridge last night after he had returned to his room.

But he felt that Young Master Wendong seemed to intentionally not want Young Master Xiuyi to know about this, so after some thought, the butler swallowed all his words and said, “Yes, Young Master.”

The night passed quickly.

On Sunday evening, it was time for Qi Xiuyi to return to school.

Qi Wendong looked at Qi Xiuyi’s appearance of not intending to go back to school and wanting to continue pestering him at home. His brows furrowed in great dissatisfaction.

“You’re not preparing for your exams? What if the first place in the major you were talking about gets snatched away? What are you testing on tomorrow? How many exams do you have next week? You’re not going back to school now, are you waiting to take the exams at home?”

Qi Xiuyi was stunned into a wooden expression by his barrage of questions.

Qi Xiuyi felt wronged. “Qi Wendong, you haven’t seen me for so long, don’t you miss me at all?”

Qi Wendong was puzzled. “How has it been a long time since I’ve seen you? Don’t we see each other on video calls every day?”

Qi Xiuyi was annoyed. “How can video calls count as seeing each other!”

Qi Xiuyi packed his trunk discontentedly, preparing to leave home with great reluctance.

He slowly moved to the door and looked back one last time with a wronged expression, hoping someone at home would kindly ask him to stay, so he could commute from home to prepare for his exams during the final exam week.

But he didn’t see anyone who wanted him to stay.

He only saw Qi Wendong standing by the railing, looking down at him in silence.

Seeing him turn back, Qi Wendong hesitated for a moment, then raised his hand and beckoned to him.

Qi Wendong called him, “Qi Xiuyi, come here.”

Qi Xiuyi was a little confused. He left his trunk at the door and trotted up to the second floor, coming to stand in front of Qi Wendong.

“What’s up, Qi Wendong?”

Qi Wendong’s eyes held a gentle smile he had never seen before, a gentleness that was richer than when he faced anyone else in the past.

Before Qi Xiuyi could react, he saw Qi Wendong suddenly step forward, open his arms, give him a light hug, and pat him on the back twice.

Qi Wendong’s voice was like a spring breeze brushing past his ear, saying softly, “Good luck on your exams.”

The hug lasted only a brief moment.

But Qi Xiuyi’s face flushed to a degree he himself hadn’t realized.

“Qi Wendong, you-you…”

Qi Xiuyi’s voice stammered. After a long while, he found he couldn’t speak. He let out a desperate, low “ah,” not even daring to look at Qi Wendong, covered his eyes, turned, and ran.

Only a long sentence was left behind in the room: “You just wait, Qi Wendong! I’m definitely going to get first place this semester and show you!”

Lin Chen rested his arms on the railing again, watching the flustered Little Young Master run out the door with a faint smile.

He sighed softly and murmured to himself.

This is the final reward, Little Young Master.