He was worried about the children in the orphanage, so he made some arrangements. Although the orphanage was handed over to the state, the subsequent directors were actually robot butlers he had sent. The reason for the frequent changes was that the state was very concerned about the orphanage and was likely to notice something amiss with the robot directors. When Ye Shi realized that the robots were about to be exposed, he took action to replace them, which is why things have been stable until now.
Not everyone in the reserves is as healthy as Ye Xu; many also suffer from illnesses or even disabilities. These problems are not difficult for the system to treat, but Ye Shi cannot openly cure people.
Therefore, Ye Shi planned to bring them back to the system space after their elemental affinity awakened. Some others had died prematurely, so they were brought back early to serve as shopkeepers while waiting for their elemental awakening.
As it turned out, Ye Xu, being a healthy person, lived a perfectly good life. All the other companions died one after another, but he remained unaffected. However, he was actually the first to awaken his elemental power, awakening not long after coming to Ye Shi's side.
Ye Shi waited and waited but no one came, and since he couldn't leave, he had no choice but to ask other systems to help bring the person in.
"Awakening the Light Element is useless; you still need to reach the UR level. You can't tell from a young child's appearance; it only stabilizes around age ten." Later, some children were adopted because they hadn't reached the required level and couldn't be trained to become heirs.
However, with so few UR characters, Ye Shi realized that using that level as a criterion was unreliable, so he broadened the scope to top-tier SSR characters. These characters cannot become heirs, but they can become shop managers and are worth developing.
Ye Shi felt he was quite lucky, managing to acquire five UR-level children, one of whom happened to be a spacetime-type.
"So the author has something to say: does that mean other elements can't be your successor?" Ye Xu understood. "Then the success rate of this training is quite low, no wonder others don't do it this way."
Ye Shi's face darkened: "You think you're so smart."
Ye Xu: Hehehe.
This poor kid is about to become another rebellious son, so Ye Shi decides to save him and prevent him from becoming as rebellious as his three older brothers.
"That's the gist of it. Right now, you're the only qualified one, the only son in the entire family. But you can't be too proud or complacent, or I'll find you a few more younger siblings, and then you won't be my favorite little one anymore. Your father has worried himself sick over you, so remember to be filial to your father in the future, okay?"
Ye Xu is just sarcastic, but he wouldn't actually go against his father. However, he's also a bit lazy, so expecting him to pick up the chores his brothers left behind seems unrealistic.
"Hmph, of course I know." Ye Shi never expected anything from Ye Xu.
Or rather, he had initially hoped for it, after all, Ye Xu was genuinely diligent, hardworking, and well-behaved during his work-study period, clearly a prospective corporate slave. Who would have thought that it was out of necessity, but after the contract system was implemented and he had the means, he relaxed and wanted to enjoy all the leisure he hadn't had in the first half of his life.
Now that he can't rely on his youngest son, Ye Shi decides to try a different approach.
Ye Shi remembered that his three eldest sons had always been saying they wanted a well-behaved younger brother or sister. Wasn't Ye Xu the perfect solution? As long as he restrained his true nature and pretended to be obedient, he could definitely fool his three rebellious sons. Then, for the sake of his younger brother, wouldn't he have to come back and work seriously?
After listening to his father's plan, Ye Xu thought it made sense. Pretending to be well-behaved wasn't going to be a problem for him. For the sake of a better future, he absolutely couldn't be mean to his brothers.
To be honest, Ye Xu didn't think he had a sharp tongue; he'd caught it from Mo Bei. He was sure that once he was far away from Mo Bei, he'd revert to his obedient nature.
"So, Dad, what kind of test is this for me?" Ye Xu asked.
Ye Shi: "If you manage to get your three older brothers back to work, I'll give you full access to the second-generation system. If you don't succeed, you'll continue as the store manager, and I'll promote you when they come back."
Ye Xu: "..." I'm definitely not his biological son.
Now that there's a path to promotion, Ye Xu decided to give it his all. But while his father is still alive, he needs to get something out of it—at least a tool to help him find his brothers' positions, right?
Ye Shi was very generous and directly opened a system store for him.
Unexpectedly, Ye Xu was surprised to find himself back with the shop. He had been thinking that Sister Xuan's efforts had been in vain. Upon closer inspection, he realized that the Time-Space System Shop was quite different from the Life System Shop. The Time-Space System Shop contained many strange and unusual items, making it seem rather unlike a proper shop.
"Alright, once my granddaughter is independent, you can go find your brother. I'm going back to work now." Ye Shi patted his son's shoulder and disappeared instantly.
Ye Xu didn't even have time to say anything; he hadn't even asked which product he needed to find his brother!
"Dad." Zhenzhen ran over as soon as Grandpa left. "Dad, I don't know how to play this. Can you teach me?"
Caught up in her daughter's clutches, Ye Xu quickly forgot her earlier questions. Oh well, she'd go back and study the online store slowly; she'd find it eventually. If she couldn't, she'd just come back and bother Ye Shi again.
—The End—