Fang Ji felt that his life had been a bit too lively lately.

His second brother, older sister, mother, and father had all flown back to the country to see him, as if in a relay race.

After his second brother had redecorated the entire living room as a gift for him, his sister had then decorated the second and third floors in the same style, also presenting it as a gift, just like his brother.

His mother, having somehow found out that he was recently considering creating jewelry music, bought him a vast array of various gemstones and even spent a whole night with him, tapping and listening to their sounds.

His father, on the other hand, had prepared some jewelry from a brand he had loved as a child and took him for an evening walk in the park he had frequented in his youth, which moved Fang Ji for the entire night.

To say that Fang Ji was unhappy in the face of his parents’ and siblings’ proactive efforts would definitely be a lie.

In all his years, he had never imagined a day like this would come!

This made Fang Ji strive to appear reserved and hesitant in front of his family, while also secretly running to his brother’s room every night after his parents or siblings left the country, excitedly sharing his thoughts and emotions of the day.

Fang Ji: “Oh my god, Mom actually knew I was trying to get into jewelry music recently. I haven’t even told Uncle Li about this yet! Hehe, look, brother, Mom got me so many gemstones. Especially this one, I’ve been trying to get it at auctions for so long and never succeeded. I don’t know how Mom got the connection to get it!”

Fang Ji excitedly handed the gemstone to Fang Chengyu and asked, “Do you like it, brother? It’s a waste to use such a good gemstone for music. I want to set it on a hairpin. How about wearing it in your hair, brother?”

Fang Chengyu helplessly pulled open his collar, revealing a jade-white necklace. The necklace, resting on his neck, made his skin look even more fair and translucent.

He then rolled up his sleeve, revealing a gold bracelet with exquisite carvings on his left wrist, and then pulled up his right pant leg to show a small gold chain on his ankle that made a soft, rustling sound with every movement.

Fang Chengyu said gently, “You’ve already put three pieces of jewelry on me, Xiao Ji.”

Fang Ji stubbornly retorted, “It’s only three pieces. Brother, you still look so bare. Adding a hairpin won’t hurt!”

Fang Chengyu said, “No, it’s too heavy.”

Fang Ji pouted, unhappily putting the gemstone away. “Fine, if you don’t want it, you don’t want it.”

Fang Ji continued to chatter with Fang Chengyu, “And Dad! Oh my god, brother, you would never guess, Dad actually found the manufacturer of my favorite bracelet from when I was six and had them remake that exact style for me!”

Fang Ji happily rolled around on Fang Chengyu’s bed. With a final roll, he ended up lying flat in the middle of the bed, propping himself up with his arms. By just lifting his head, he could see his brother sitting right in front of him, watching him with a smile.

Fang Ji rested his chin on his brother’s quilt-covered legs, joyfully telling him about his shock and emotion upon receiving the gift.

But as he spoke, his lips turned down in a pout.

He mumbled, “But! Brother, didn’t you ask me to set specific requirements for each of them before? I told all of them, but only Dad, after hearing my request, actually tried to bargain with me?! Hmph, I’m so mad. I’m not going to talk to him for three days.”

Fang Chengyu listened to the first half with a smile and the second half with a sense of speechlessness.

Fang Chengyu: “…Very good, Xiao Ji. You should be a little willful when you need to be.”

Fang Ji’s eyes curved, and he lay趴 on his brother’s lap.

Fang Ji said proudly, “But Xiao Ji won’t be willful with you, brother~”

Fang Chengyu smiled and bent down, scratching Xiao Ji’s chin. “Mm, Xiao Ji is such a good boy.”

When it was time, Fang Ji said goodnight to his brother, gave him a goodnight hug, and then left the room.

Lin Chen took out his phone and, with a blank expression, sent a message to Fang Yecheng.

Liu Fang: [First round action score = Xiao Ji’s satisfaction score 40 – 3 + action score 27 + speed score 0 = 67 points. Of which, the three points from Xiao Ji’s score were deducted for haggling over Xiao Ji’s request. Unfortunately, this time, Father Liu, you are at the bottom of the list. Please try harder next time!]

After sending the message, he didn’t look at Fang Yecheng’s reply.

He entered the group chat, announced Fang Dad’s score and the final ranking of the first round, and then tagged all members.

Liu Fang: [@All Members, to help the family members better grasp the progress of their relationships with Xiao Ji and with each other, starting from tomorrow (Monday), I will calculate everyone’s ‘Ji Interaction Monthly Score’ and post a ranking in the group. To make everyone clearer about the results of their actions at each stage, I will privately send each person their weekly score before 11 PM every Sunday. The final ‘Ji Interaction Monthly Score’ will be the average of these four weeks’ scores.]

The moment he sent the tag, the group chat exploded.

Fang Bro: [We have to calculate scores every week?!]

Fang Dad: [And the weekly scores aren’t even public?!]

Fang Sis: [And we have to be ranked every month?!]

Fang Mom: […]

Lin Chen watched the group messages with satisfaction for a while, then finally switched back to Green Letter, put down his phone, and fell into a deep sleep.

…

Fang Ji was shocked to find that after his parents and siblings had each returned to the country, their enthusiasm for him had not decreased but rather increased.

They would send him a message or two every day, asking about his current situation, or send him some gifts. Sometimes, they would even commission the housekeeper to create some “surprises” at home, such as arranging a huge heart shape with candles on the empty space in front of the villa.

Fang Ji: …

A little… a little touched, but not a lot.

Let’s not have any more awkward heart-shaped candles!

Fang Ji mumbled to his brother in a low voice, “See, brother? It’s not that they can’t find the time to reply to my messages or chat with me. Hmph, they just didn’t want to make the time!”

Although he said that, Fang Chengyu could clearly see that the smile on Fang Ji’s face had been more frequent these days than usual.

Even though Xiao Ji was busy with his final exams and preparing for his jewelry music during this time, so busy that he was run off his feet, his mood seemed completely unaffected.

However, Fang Ji’s energy these days was more focused on another matter.

He had been studying jewelry music every day, and the more he researched, the more he found that the gemstones he needed to buy to test their sounds far exceeded his and Fang Chengyu’s initial estimates.

He tried to collect the gemstones he needed through channels like auction houses.

But one look was all it took for him to be astonished. The total cost of these gemstones was an astronomical price that only his parents and siblings could afford.

If he insisted on acquiring all of them, then for every few he obtained, he would have to ask his parents and siblings for money.

Fang Ji: “…”

In the past, he would have had the nerve, of course.

But now? He had even done something like giving his parents and siblings the cold shoulder. If he reached out his hand for money now, what… what right would he have to be willfully distant with them?

Seeing his hesitation, Fang Chengyu gave him an idea: “If Xiao Ji is so hesitant, why not just open a jewelry company? You can use the jewelry business to support your jewelry passion. When you release your music in the future, it can also be used as publicity for the company.”

Fang Ji pondered this and agreed, “That’s a good idea, brother. Heh, it saves me from asking my parents and siblings for money every day… Hmph, they can make money, can’t I?”

Fang Ji was a man of action.

He wanted to first see if he could start the company on his own strength and savings, without relying on his parents and siblings.

He knew that his brother was not familiar with this either, so after thinking for a long time, he picked up his phone and called a friend.

Fang Ji’s friend arrived on a motorcycle.

Before the person and the vehicle had even entered the outer courtyard of the Fang residence, the roar of the engine had already reached Fang Chengyu’s room from several floors away.

Fang Chengyu curiously came out of his room for a look and was immediately drawn to the newcomer’s newly dyed wine-red ponytail.

The person was wearing a short denim jacket. When they swung a leg over to get off the motorcycle, the jacket flew up in the air, making a whooshing sound in the wind.

Oh, Li Yunhui.

Fang Chengyu recognized him.

As soon as Li Yunhui entered the house and saw Fang Chengyu, a polite and happy smile appeared on his face.

Li Yunhui took the initiative to greet him: “Hello, Teacher Chengyu!”

Fang Chengyu returned the greeting gently and went downstairs: “Hello, Yunhui. I heard you were the outstanding representative of this year’s graduating class and even gave a speech at the graduation ceremony?”

Li Yunhui smiled as he followed the housekeeper in: “That’s all thanks to the trust and choice of the teachers.”

The moment he stepped inside, he was startled by the threads and jewelry floating in the air throughout the living room: “Wow, what is this??”

Fang Ji came out from behind Fang Chengyu and raised an eyebrow at his words: “The Fang family’s special decoration, don’t you get it?”

After exchanging a few polite words with Li Yunhui, Fang Chengyu proactively found an excuse to go back upstairs, leaving space for the friends to chat.

When Fang Ji was with his friends, he always appeared more mature than when he was alone with his brother.

After chatting with Li Yunhui for a bit, he cut straight to the chase.

Fang Ji: “A’Hui, I want to start a jewelry company. I have no experience. Since you have a lot of free time recently, are you interested in helping me out? The profit sharing is negotiable.”

Li Yunhui was drinking tea, and upon hearing his question, he choked and coughed.

Li Yunhui: “Cough, cough, cough, start a jewelry company? And you want me to help you? … You’re not unaware of my situation these past few years. My dad won’t let me take over the family business, and if I try to start my own project, my uncles and aunts just humor me as if they’re playing along with me… Even if I dared to help, would you really dare to let me?”

Fang Ji said naturally, “I dare. Why wouldn’t I? If I didn’t dare, I wouldn’t have called you over.”

Li Yunhui: “…”

Li Yunhui thought seriously for a long time and finally squeezed out a sentence: “But jewelry? … Forget it, it sounds so boring, no fun.”

Fang Ji’s eyes widened: “How is it not fun? Hey, Li Yunhui, do you have any sense of aesthetics at all!”

Li Yunhui immediately said: “Stop. You just want to try not to rely on your parents and siblings and find someone else to get you started, right? As it happens, He has been doing great with his own startup these past two years. Why don’t you just go ask him for advice?”

Upstairs, Lin Chen, who hadn’t closed his door tightly: “?”