Wen Cheng swallowed hard, because he was about to climb onto the back of the most powerful character in the book, and the thought made him a little nervous.
Seeing that the weight on his back hadn't come down for a long time, Wen Qi turned his head slightly and said, "Wen Cheng, you have three seconds."
Startled, Wen Cheng rushed over and naturally wrapped her arms around Wen Qi's neck.
The tip of her nose was filled with the scent of cool wood. In her random thoughts, Wen Cheng suddenly felt that if a domineering CEO had to have a fragrance, it must be this one.
What Wen Qi smelled, however, was the lingering scent of lemon black tea, a aroma that seemed to have become synonymous with Wen Cheng. His Adam's apple bobbed, and finally, he wrapped his arms around Wen Cheng's legs, savoring this sweet torment.
Wen Cheng's curly hair scratched his neck uncontrollably.
Wen Qi's eyes darkened.
Just like his owner, he's both silly and good at attracting people!
At this moment, Wen Cheng was completely unaware of what Wen Qi was thinking about him; she was simply enjoying the moment and couldn't wait to post it on her WeChat Moments to show off!
On the way back, neither of them spoke much; perhaps they were truly exhausted.
Back at the villa, Wen Qi first went into the bathroom to wash off the sticky sweat. Wen Cheng comfortably lay on her tatami mat, scrolling through her phone. The sound of the shower coming from the bathroom filled her ears. Thinking of the noble body of Brother Qi that she had seen during the day, coupled with the sound of running water, Wen Cheng couldn't help but let her imagination run wild.
Hmm, her body is indeed beautiful; she has the kind of figure that looks slim in clothes but muscular when undressed—the kind of body you'd find in a novel.
Needless to say, Brother Qi's face is attractive to both men and women.
Wen Cheng isn't really sure about his sexual orientation right now. He's had a lot of people confessing their feelings to him since he was a child, mostly girls, but that doesn't mean there haven't been any boys. In his original world, Wen Cheng was three or four centimeters taller than he is now, and his frame wasn't particularly small. Often, boys who were shorter and fairer than him would come and confess to him, but Wen Cheng didn't feel anything for any of them. He treated both men and women the same. Sometimes, he even wondered if he was asexual.
Until today, after seeing Wen Qi's physique, Wen Cheng thought that it was actually quite pleasing to the eye.
Thinking of this, Wen Cheng frowned, pondered for three minutes, and concluded: My brother Qi is indeed the best!
Wait for Wen Qi to come out.
He was dressed very conservatively in a knee-length yukata, with a towel covering his head. His exposed black hair was still dripping wet, and his dark eyes quietly gazed at Wen Cheng.
Wen Cheng sighed in disappointment. She had hoped to get another look, although Brother Qi looked great now!
Wen Qi wasn't thinking about what Wen Cheng was thinking at the moment, because he had something very important to do tonight.
He urged Wen Cheng to take a shower, and then stayed with him until he fell asleep. Around 10 p.m., Wen Qi got out of bed, casually put on a coat, and went to the viewing pavilion outside. There were hardly any people outside at this time, which was a good time for a heart-to-heart talk.
After waiting for about three minutes, Wen Yunyi, dressed impeccably, arrived at the agreed location.
He called out "Big Brother" somewhat nervously.
Wen Qi, hands in his pockets, looked over and, without beating around the bush, asked directly, "Did you come down here today using Wen Cheng to ask me anything?"
Wen Yunyi's pupils contracted. Usually, when his older brother wasn't even in the mood to tease him, that was when he was at his angrier.
Wen Yunyi forced a smile, trying to calm himself down. "Big brother, why are you taking this so seriously? I was just joking this morning."
“But I don’t think it’s a joke. If you don’t ask, then I will.”
Wen Yunyi knew perfectly well that his elder brother was unlikely to say anything good right now, so rather than waiting to die, he decided to ask him first.
"Big brother, I'm the younger brother who has lived with you for over twenty years. Why are you being so biased now?" Wen Yunyi said, his eyes reddening.
Wen Qi remained unmoved.
"I don't believe I owe you anything over the years."
Wen Yunyi rubbed his eyes. "That's not what I meant. I'm just conflicted right now. I know Wen Cheng is getting better every day, but what I can't accept is that you're putting him first now. You've never treated me like this before. Can't I feel resentful?"
Wen Qi stared directly at Wen Yunyi, his cold eyes fixed on him. Wen Yunyi was so frightened that he took a few steps back, but his eyes still showed his resentment.
"I'm just treating you the way we always have, and you haven't had any complaints in the past twenty years. Why are you suddenly having complaints now?"
Wen Yunyi was speechless.
"Furthermore, we are discussing Wen Cheng's issue now. Your current perspective and ideas are all wrong. What does Wen Cheng owe you? He is the biological son of your uncle and aunt."
Wen Yunyi's eyes widened. His older brother had never spoken to him so directly before.
"Big brother,"
"You're not convinced? Then let me tell you, from an outsider's perspective, since you recognized Wen Cheng, your status at home hasn't declined at all. Your father invested hundreds of millions in your project this year, and your mother still treats you like a precious treasure. In fact, I can say that if Wen Cheng hadn't become more obedient and stepped down from her position as vice president, she wouldn't even receive the treatment a normal child would receive at home. You've seen all of this, right? If you were in Wen Cheng's shoes, do you think you could accept this?"
Wen Yunyi's lips trembled, unable to utter a single incorrect word.
"Also, has Wen Cheng ever tried to take anything from you? Including her ex-fiancé, your current boyfriend. Hmph, what is ten million? If Wen Cheng had been more careful and recorded your scheme back then and handed it over to both sets of parents, he would have gotten far more than ten million."
Wen Yunyi looked up in surprise. His older brother knew?!
Wen Qi tried hard to suppress his anger, but he couldn't forget the words Wen Cheng had said to him with a bitter tone at dusk that day.
"Even if it's your uncle and aunt's fault, you've enjoyed a life that an orphan could never have in this mistake. What about Wen Cheng, who deserves all of this? Before she turned eighteen, she only had secondhand books, clothes, and shoes donated by others. On her birthday, she could only afford a bowl of egg noodles. After she turned eighteen, she worked day and night to earn a living. Wen Yunyi, I ask you, what is there to be unbalanced about with him? Do you think he doesn't deserve to enjoy all of this now?" Wen Qi's words were like a sharp blade, cutting through the almost perfect reasons that Wen Yunyi had woven for himself.
"I, I," Wen Yunyi couldn't utter a single word.
Outsiders would also say such harsh things to him, but those people's words would only make Wen Yunyi fight back fiercely. But this time it was his elder brother who spoke, and every word he said was the truth from the bottom of his heart.
"Wen Cheng has never intended to cause you any trouble. On the contrary, he has been extremely kind to you. However, I don't want you to take this kindness for granted and then, like in a cycle, demand it again as if it were your due. Wen Cheng is also a human being. He can consider your anxieties. Don't just think about how fragile and miserable you are, or how your parents of over twenty years suddenly aren't your biological children. Relationships are reciprocal. Wen Yunyi, Wen Cheng doesn't owe you anything, and neither do your aunt and uncle. As your brother, I will acknowledge that your existence in the Wen family for over twenty years was absolutely genuine, and neither do your aunt and uncle. You can feel it yourself."
Wen Yunyi lowered his head, his shoulders beginning to tremble slightly.
Wen Qi took a deep breath. "I know you can't figure it out right now, but before that, don't keep testing others like this. Think about yourself first. When I first came to the Wen family, you treated me the same way. Do you remember?"
Wen Yunyi's eyes were red as he hurriedly explained, "Big brother, I was just ignorant when I was a child!"
"Aren't you still immature?" Wen Qi's sharp gaze fell on Wen Yunyi.
Wen Yunyi was suddenly stunned.
Wen Qi didn't stay long. After saying what he needed to say, he pulled his coat tighter and went back.
Wen Yunyi was left standing there stunned for a long time.
Chapter 48 Resilience in the Face of Adversity
After enjoying two comfortable days at the hot springs, Wen Cheng's eyes were full of reluctance when she returned. However, she didn't see Wen Yunyi on the way back, or rather, she didn't see him for the entire next day. Recalling what Brother Qi had told her the day before, Wen Cheng roughly understood that this matter was related to Brother Qi.
He just didn't dare to ask for the time being, and could only quietly stay by Wen Qi's side as a well-behaved younger brother.
On the way back, Wen Cheng invited He Haobo and Yao Xingwei to ride together, hoping to strengthen their relationship with Brother Qi. However, this idea was nipped in the bud as soon as it was proposed. First, Wen Qi, with a smile on his face, agreed.
Then Yao Xingwei shook his head like an electric fan.
"I...I...I...How could I be worthy of President Wen? Ah, no, I'm not suitable. I have my own car. My parents missed me so much, they specially called a car to pick us up!" Yao Xingwei's habit of stuttering whenever he saw Wen Qi remained unchanged.
Wen Cheng looked at Yao Xingwei's nonsense with a speechless expression. How could anyone believe such a thing?
Unexpectedly,
“Your father must miss you quite a bit, so I won’t keep you any longer,” Wen Qi said with a smile.
Wen Cheng: ? ? ?
In the end, Wen Cheng and Wen Qi got into the Bentley that had brought them there. Wen Cheng looked at Wen Qi's face with some difficulty, while thinking about how to tell his friends that Brother Qi was actually a really nice guy! And very easy to get along with!
The "friendly" older brother ignored his younger brother's distress and simply took out a small box of snacks from the cabinet.
Eager to see her friends, Wen Cheng immediately forgot her mission when she saw the snacks.
Halfway there, Wen Cheng finally remembered her investment project. At that moment, Wen Qi was sitting upright, quickly browsing documents on his tablet. Two days' worth of work had piled up, and Wen Qi, who hadn't even arrived home yet, quickly got into work mode.
Wen Cheng felt sorry for Qi Ge and made a decision in her heart to take Qi Ge out to play at least once a month. In ordinary months, they would travel around the surrounding area, and then take Qi Ge abroad for a trip during the annual leave. Thinking about it, he was really a thoughtful and considerate younger brother!
Wen Cheng indulged in self-admiration for a minute, then coughed very formally.
Wen Qi paused, "Don't tell me you caught a cold after just two days in the hot springs?"
Wen Cheng's forehead was starting to sweat, because Qi Ge's seemingly calm gaze seemed to say, "If you dare to catch a cold, I'll beat you up, no joke."
"Brother Qi, I'm here to talk about some important preparations!"
That's just like his uncle; he really does learn none of the good things and only the bad.
Even so, Wen Qi still cooperated and looked over.
Wen Cheng happily recounted her investment, and Wen Qi listened attentively to every detail she made without interrupting. After Wen Cheng finished speaking, she took a big gulp of strawberry milk, looking very proud of herself.
Wen Qi blinked, then very kindly asked some questions: "So, you invested in their studio and are using a profit-sharing model to recoup your costs later, how exactly are the shares divided with them, what is the final total profit, and how much of the profit will you, as shareholders, receive?"
Wen Cheng looked completely bewildered.
Wen Cheng only knew that Yao Xingwei was making a fortune from this project, but he didn't interfere with the specifics of how it was operated; he left it all to Yao Xingwei's team.
Wen Qi sighed. It wasn't that he blamed Wen Cheng. Wen Cheng's selection of this project was commendable. At least he hadn't misjudged it. Holographic technology would definitely be a leading indicator in the future game market. The problem was how to make money from it and how to manage the investment.
Wen Qi didn't intend to give these away for free.
"Here's what I'll do: I'll give you a week to prepare a detailed report and an investment plan. If I think it's satisfactory, I'll invest 300 million."
Wen Cheng's eyes widened. He had only wanted to get Brother Qi to invest tens of millions, but the big boss was indeed a big boss; his vision was different from theirs.
But doesn't this indirectly show that Brother Qi is still very optimistic about this project? If this project really succeeds in the end, he won't be far from his retirement!
Thinking of this, Wen Cheng readily agreed.
It was almost nine o'clock at night when we got home. My parents were already asleep. Aunt Li opened the door for them. Actually, they all went to bed early, and Aunt Li went to bed early too, since she had to prepare breakfast for them in the morning. She would go to the market early to get the ingredients.
Wen Cheng, understanding Aunt Li's hard work, told her to rest early and that she could just prepare something simple herself.
Aunt Li had long since gotten used to Wen Cheng's lack of airs these days, so she rubbed her eyes and let him be. However, she still asked the eldest young master for permission before leaving.
Wen Qi nodded, "Aunt Li, you should rest first. We'll just grab something to eat."
Aunt Li was finally relieved and went back to her room to sleep.
Wen Cheng skillfully tied on his own apron, a small, floral-patterned one with a huge rabbit doll embroidered on the chest—a combination of tacky, ugly, and childish. The first day Wen Cheng received it, he wanted to throw it away, finding the blue plaid apron Aunt Li had given him before far superior.
As a result, Wen Yin showed him her purchase history on the official website.
Wen Cheng's pupils dilated in shock. This ugly thing actually costs 30,000! Why not just rob someone!
Wen Yin also stated that her family didn't need these items, and Aunt Li was even less willing to wear such expensive clothes for work. If Wen Cheng didn't want them, they would have to throw them away.
Wen Cheng, who was obsessed with money, could only endure the humiliation and wear the clothes, brainwashing herself every day with the thought of "30,000 yuan, 30,000 yuan," and slowly got used to the ugly rabbit on her chest.
Wen Cheng's dinner was very simple. There was leftover chicken soup from last night in the refrigerator. Aunt Li's chicken soup had been filtered of oil, and it was light yet flavorful with the freshness of chicken, making it perfect as a soup base. Then she cooked three servings of noodles, blanched a few pieces of greens, fried two soft-boiled eggs, put three slices of ham in Qi Ge's bowl, and put the rest into her own bowl.
Two simple bowls of chicken noodle soup are ready.
Wen Qi looked at Wen Cheng's bowl, which was clearly a cup larger than his own, and piled high with ham slices, with a complicated expression.