“Ten thousand gold per word.”

The words fell with an extremely heavy weight.

Qi Jingming: “…”

Qi Jingming asked with a blank expression: “Isn’t sixty million enough for you to earn?”

Lin Chen said: “Thirty million, plus sixty million, is just a little short of a round number.”

Qi Jingming: “You just ask for it. I thought I was your real dad.”

Lin Chen smiled: “It’s not out of the question to call you that again, good daddy.”

The more Qi Jingming drank, the more he felt the tea was bland. He simply sent Lin Chen upstairs.

After finding a thousand-word suicide note from Qi Wendong, Qi Jingming finished reviewing it and then sent Lin Chen out of the house.

Lin Chen asked: “You’re just kicking me out of the house like this?”

Qi Jingming: “Should I keep you for dinner instead?”

Lin Chen said: “Look how drunk your son is. Aren’t you going to let me go coax him? Free after-sales service, feel free to use it.”

Qi Jingming: “What if, after you coax him, he’s drunk today and on the rooftop tomorrow? That wouldn’t be good.”

Lin Chen smiled: “Slander.”

Before leaving, Qi Jingming showed great kindness and gave Lin Chen a can of the tea that Qi Wendong liked to drink most when he was at home.

Lin Chen was deeply moved and, on the spot, created and left behind the latest version of a p.a.i.d. after-sales service list, welcoming Qi Jingming to contact him at any time.

Qi Jingming kicked him out of the house.

…

Fang Lian’s ordinarily bad mood lasted from the morning until six in the evening.

Work that could be completed by others for a small amount of money, why did he have to do it himself?

This was unproductive busyness, a huge waste of resources, and a disrespect for efficiency!

If it weren’t for the fact that Fang Lian still held a sliver of irrational displeasure towards the sixty-million-dollar brother, and a corresponding sliver of worry about what to do if Xiao Ji was really hard to appease, Fang Lian would have turned and left the moment he heard the request!

However, when he gritted his teeth and endured until six in the evening, finished decorating the hall on time, and waited for Fang Ji to return from his museum visit…

He didn’t expect that the real torture was only just beginning—

Work, wait.

Six-thirty.

Check messages, no messages.

Alright, a polite inquiry. Perhaps he was held up by an unexpected event.

Might as well adjust tonight’s and tomorrow’s schedule.

No reply.

Work, wait.

Seven o’clock.

Fang Lian meticulously questioned the butler: “Who went to the exhibition? Do they have other plans after the exhibition ends? Does Xiao Ji usually come back on time when he goes out with people? How high is the probability of an outing with friends turning into a party? If Xiao Ji goes to a party, based on experience, how long does it usually take on average?”

The Fang family butler was very professional and answered each question.

Based on the information provided by the butler, Fang Lian calculated that Xiao Ji might be back around nine o’clock.

Fang Lian’s vision went dark. He readjusted his schedule for tonight and tomorrow based on the estimate of Xiao Ji returning at nine.

Work, wait.

Eight o’clock.

Endure.

Wait.

Nine o’clock.

Still not back.

Endure with effort.

Nine-thirty.

Endure with great effort.

It’s ten o’clock!!!

Fang Lian took a deep breath, his body so cold it felt like frost could form on it.

He adjusted his schedule once again.

He pessimistically estimated the situation for the night and, in a fit of pique, cleared his entire schedule until twelve o’clock, only starting to schedule things after midnight.

But this time, when arranging the next day’s schedule, he specifically added a new item—”Online analysis with Mom, Dad, and Sister regarding the reliability and credibility of the sixty-million-dollar brother’s suggestions.”

It was raining outside, so the butler stayed in the house to accompany the Second Young Master.

Seeing him so tired from waiting, the butler tried to comfort him: “Second Young Master, you’ve put so much effort into preparing a gift for the Young Master today. The Young Master will surely be very happy when he sees it.”

Fang Lian frowned.

Happy? For what? For this gaudy hall?

If Xiao Ji liked this style of decoration, he could have just told them, and they could have hired people to redecorate the whole house, couldn’t they?

Seeing his expression, the butler tactfully hinted: “Second Young Master, speaking of which, this seems to be the first time you’ve personally prepared a gift for the Young Master, right? Such a meaningful event, the Young Master will definitely write it in his diary and remember it for a lifetime.”

Fang Lian was puzzled: “How is it the first time? I remember I personally picked out a gift for Xiao Ji just a few years ago.”

The butler said patiently: “But this time, you personally set up the surprise.”

Fang Lian asked calmly: “Can you even tell who arranged these decorations? Whether it was me or a decoration team, wouldn’t it look the same? …Oh, the decoration team’s work would look better than this.”

The butler smiled helplessly: “Second Young Master, the sentiment contained within is completely different.”

…Sentiment?

Fang Lian paused his work in confusion, looked up, and tried to discern the slight difference brought about by “sentiment” from the decorations.

But obviously, he failed.

What was the difference?

…There seemed to be none.

He couldn’t see anything.

However, he did glean one thing from the butler’s words:

Xiao Ji might actually be very happy because of these decorations, at least enough to quell his anger.

…Quell his anger.

And then… let him once again become the object of Xiao Ji’s “it’s enough just to have my brother with me”?

Don’t misunderstand.

He wouldn’t compete for the title of “best brother” like children playing house.

He was purely displeased that Xiao Ji was emotionally blinded and “only wanted the fake brother.”

Rare and random thoughts filled Fang Lian’s work time for the entire evening, dragging his work efficiency down again and again.

Finally, at ten-thirty, his phone vibrated with a special notification.

Fang Lian’s eyes shot up. He had been waiting for this vibration all day!!

Liu Fang: [Xiao Ji is coming home soon. Get ready. Put away everything work-related before he gets home, don’t let him see it.]

Liu Fang: [Also, please quickly read: “Practical and Warm Family Communication Handbook” (Author/Lin Chen), Section Four: Younger Brother. The lines and conversation techniques applicable to you have been highlighted. Please study and memorize them carefully.]

Fang Lian: …

Fang Lian, woodenly: What… is this??

…

Fang Ji returned home in a rather unhappy mood.

Along the way, he had wanted to open his phone countless times to ask his brother if he had sent Qi Xiuyi home yet and whether he needed to have the driver turn back to pick him up.

But in fact, five minutes into his journey home, he had already asked his brother this.

To ask again would seem a bit clingy, a bit annoying.

But what if he didn’t ask?

…Just how long was his brother going to stay with Qi Xiuyi?

As a result of his hesitation, Fang Ji hesitated for the entire journey.

By the time he actually arrived back at the Fang family mansion, Fang Ji still hadn’t managed to send a second message.

When the car stopped at the Fang family mansion, the rain had already stopped.

The courtyard was wet, and the butler was directing two maids to clear the rainwater from the path in front of the door.

Seeing him return, the butler immediately came forward to greet him: “Young Master, you’re finally back!”

Fang Ji dazedly put down his phone and let out an “ah,” only then remembering that his Second Brother was waiting for him at home.

He belatedly became nervous and grabbed the butler, asking: “Uncle Li, why did Second Brother suddenly come back today?”

The butler smiled: “Isn’t the Second Young Master back specifically to see you? He even spent the whole day preparing a gift for you.”

Fang Ji: “…Spent a whole day preparing a gift? Second Brother? For me??”

Hearing these rare and unusual words, Fang Ji couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Fang Ji could believe that his Second Brother had waited at home for him all day.

After all, waiting at home didn’t affect his Second Brother’s online work; at most, it would only affect the scope of work he could do.

But to say his Second Brother spent the whole day preparing a gift for him?

How? By spending a day dealing with various famous brands on WeChat, asking about their latest styles, and communicating with them to have them rush a delivery to the house?

Fang Ji couldn’t think of any other possibilities.

But even when he thought of this possibility, he couldn’t help but be amused by his own fantasy.

What a joke.

You have to know, his eighteenth birthday present was picked out by his brother’s assistant and delivered to the house!

The butler didn’t explain much. He simply made a “please” gesture to the Young Master and opened the main door of the Fang residence for him.

Fang Ji looked up without any expectation.

However, the moment he saw the scene inside the house, he froze in place.

Warm-colored lights gently illuminated the entire hall.

Crystal wind chimes covering the entire first-floor ceiling made a clear and pleasant tinkling sound the moment the main door opened.

Nearly transparent threads were crisscrossed in the air, about two meters high. Dozens of exquisite pieces of jewelry hung at intervals on both sides of the entrance path, as if creating a special welcoming avenue.

On both sides of the path, eight giant plush toys, almost as tall as a person, were placed at equal intervals.

A small white bear, a Samoyed, a cat, a tiger, a penguin…

The eight extremely cute plush toys, four on the left and four on the right, seemed to be welcoming him home.

The bodies and heads of the animal toys were all adorned with strings of jewelry.

It looked almost as if…

Fang Ji hesitated: Is my vision blurry? Why does it feel like I’m seeing the animal toys cosplaying as me?

If the unfamiliar hall and unfamiliar decorations had only brought him a visual shock, then the Second Brother who was now walking towards him with a smile and open arms was what truly shocked Fang Ji to his core!

For the first time when they met, his Second Brother was not busy with his studies or work.

He was rarely wearing a house robe at home, and at a glance, he looked three-parts like a brother from an ordinary family.

His Second Brother opened his arms for a hug, his steps unhurried, his posture…

Fang Ji tried hard to understand the feeling. He felt that his Second Brother seemed to be trying hard to appear casual and natural, but objectively speaking, Fang Ji only found his Second Brother’s movements clumsy and stiff.

His Second Brother walked up to him and stopped.

His constantly open arms finally closed, giving his shoulders a big hug.

His Second Brother said to him, somewhat nervously: “Good evening, Xiao Ji. Welcome home.”