The author lowered her head shyly: I hope you lovely readers will add this to your favorites~
Chapter 15 Protecting Brother Qi
After changing into her own uniform, Wen Cheng felt completely at ease, like a small fish jumping out of a water tank into the ocean, without her father and Wen Qi's occasional check-ins.
Wen Cheng is a good kid who knows how to repay kindness. Yesterday, the security guard treated him to a cucumber, so Wen Cheng ordered a bunch of spicy braised dishes and two cups of iced fruit tea.
The security guard looked at the duck family with complicated emotions. This meal must have cost them three or four days' wages.
"Wen Cheng, tell me, are you just here to experience life?" It's a common trope in TV dramas where some young masters don't want to inherit the family business but prefer this kind of boring and repetitive work. When questioned, they become restless and deny it, and then spend the rest of the day being somewhat suspicious.
The security guard, who often watches prime-time dramas with his wife, has already started fantasizing in his head.
Wen Cheng lowered his head shyly, not expecting his identity as a rich second-generation to be discovered so quickly. Did he really look that noble?
"Uncle, you knew about this?"
Looking at Wen Cheng's shy and bashful appearance, the security guard's last thought vanished. The young man was quite good-looking, but his brain wasn't very sharp.
The security guard patted Wen Cheng's shoulder solemnly, "I was just talking nonsense!"
......
Wen Cheng's face puffed up, gradually transforming into a small pufferfish.
"Little Cheng, save up some money. Finding a wife isn't as easy as it was in my day, especially for someone like you,"
Wen Cheng, curious, approached with a face full of questions, her little temper instantly vanishing.
The security guard smiled mysteriously at him: "Little Cheng, have you ever heard of a live-in son-in-law? With your looks, aren't you the kind of guy who's super popular right now, you know, a young heartthrob? All those rich young women would definitely like you!"
Wen Cheng retreated in terror!
If he's like this, then isn't his older brother more likable?
In a daze, Wen Cheng sent a message to Wen Qi, who was away on a business trip: Brother Qi, boys must take good care of themselves when they are out and about!
Wen Qi replied quickly. Wen Cheng had just put on her gloves when a message came in: "Very free?"
Wen Cheng quickly stole pictures from Tieba, found her colleagues who had worked overtime in the dark like her, and then quickly sent them to Wen Qi: Not idle at all!
Wen Qi was probably too busy, so he didn't pursue the matter further.
Wen Cheng finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Then I chatted with the uncle about our daily routine of eating duck feet. I must say, it was really spicy. Wen Cheng was sucking on her mouth as she ate, and then she saw a message in the group chat on her phone.
Just now, Wen Cheng was inexplicably added to a group chat, which contained two sharp-tongued individuals!
Wen Cheng's face immediately showed disgust. Those two were really insidious. They actually recorded his embarrassing moment and took turns mocking him!
Wen Cheng took a deep breath, resisted the urge to block them, and opened the messages.
[He Haobo]: Wen Cheng, I forgot to send you a video. I must say, my idol is so handsome! [Video]
Wen Cheng clicked on the link with a question mark on her face.
In the video, Wen Qi stands at the door, his face shrouded in a thin layer of frost. Even Wen Cheng, watching the video now, can feel his brother's domineering aura. Wen Qi isn't speaking to just one person, but rather greeting everyone in the bar. It's still the same voice that once challenged him for 7.5 million.
“Wen Cheng is my younger brother. If any of you have a problem with him, you don’t need to come to him. Just come to the company and find me. I will make an exception and see you anytime if you have this reason.”
Wen Cheng's eyes widened slowly.
Wen Cheng always thought of himself as rather carefree, his actions mostly stemming from an unyielding sense of responsibility. He wasn't a saint; he often wondered why nothing good ever happened to him, why no one was there to help him or speak up for him.
Then, in this moment of disappointment, Wen Cheng saw this sentence.
A wave of bittersweetness washed over her, and gradually, Wen Cheng's nose and eyes reddened, tears welling up uncontrollably. Wen Qi, who seemed colder than anyone else, became more ardent with Wen Cheng than anyone else.
"Oh dear, Xiao Cheng, what's wrong?" The security guard immediately became concerned when he saw Wen Cheng's aggrieved and tearful face.
Wen Cheng pulled out a tissue to wipe her eyes and said with a heavy nasal voice, "It's okay, I just cried from the spiciness. Next time, let's order a mild one."
"Okay, okay! I thought it was something serious. Uncle doesn't like fruit tea, but you can have this too. Uncle will treat you to barbecue skewers tomorrow!"
Wen Cheng nodded with teary eyes. He was indeed alright, but he just wanted to hug Brother Qi right now.
At noon, the security guard didn't eat in the company cafeteria. His home was very close by, and his wife would always prepare lunch for him in advance. Chatting with him today, I discovered he was a retired soldier, and his son also worked there, though the security guard couldn't remember exactly what his job was.
However, Wen Cheng knew that his son was a very filial son. Rather than letting his father stay at home idly enjoying his retirement, it would be better for him to find a slightly more relaxed job. So he applied to his boss for a job.
I don't know about other things, but Wen Cheng knows that her father values filial piety very much. This sentiment is enough to move him. In addition, the uncle used to be a soldier, so even without connections, he is very confident that he can get this job.
"Little Cheng, do you want to come back for dinner with me?" After getting to know Wen Cheng better, the security guard took a liking to the child.
Wen Cheng was about to agree when his phone received a message from Wen Yunyi inviting him to dinner.
Isn't this the infamous Feast at Hongmen?
Just as Wen Cheng was about to find a reason to refuse, Wen Yunyi sent her another photo.
The picture shows a fresh lobster, several sea urchins, and a plump tuna.
[Wen Yunyi]: I specially prepared seafood sashimi for my brother. If he's busy, that's fine, I definitely won't be sad~
Wen Cheng realized that when she saw these beautiful little animals, she had already lost completely!
After Wen Cheng rejected the older man and sat down in front of a famous seafood restaurant near the company, she felt as if a flock of crows were flying overhead, mercilessly calling out to her.
Idiot, idiot, idiot!
Sitting opposite him were Wen Yunyi, who looked shy, and Qin Zhou, who was just as clueless as him, but with a bit more fierceness.
At this moment, Wen Cheng just wanted to slap herself hard and tell herself, "Serves you right for being so greedy!"
Were they inviting him to dinner? They're clearly here to feed the dogs, to feed this lifelong single dog like him!
"Brother, I took the liberty of inviting Qin Zhou this time. You don't mind, do you? I just want you two to get to know each other better and put aside any past unpleasantness." With these words, Wen Yunyi seemed to have all the good things in the world.
Qin Zhou's previously unpleasant expression improved because of Wen Yunyi's words. After all, it was Yi Yi's intention, and he couldn't let her down.
As long as the person on the other end doesn't cause any trouble, Qin Zhou turned his probing gaze to Wen Cheng.
Wen Cheng nodded earnestly, her curly hair fluttering in the gentle breeze like rice paddies being blown about. Her bright eyes held no hostility. Qin Zhou suddenly had to admit that Wen Cheng was truly beautiful when she wasn't being mischievous.
So, while Qin Zhou was still in a daze, Wen Yunyi's anticipated pre-dinner battle was over.
Because all three staff members were leaving get off work in the afternoon, the food was served much faster than usual. At this type of restaurant, each table needs to make a reservation in advance, and then the chef selects the food for each table to ensure absolute taste and freshness.
The first dish served was a golden statue, with a plate of bright green wasabi in front of each person.
Wen Cheng looked at the meat with its varied textures and couldn't help but drool.
Qin Zhou's first chopsticks were naturally for Wen Yunyi. After skillfully dipping the chopsticks in wasabi, she elegantly placed them on his plate.
Wen Yunyi's smile held a shy blush, like that of first love. He softly thanked them, and when their eyes met, they were both filled with an unbreakable bond of affection.
That's right, Wen Yunyi's biggest purpose for this trip was to show off his affection for Wen Cheng and pretend to be generous? He knew how much Wen Cheng liked Qin Zhou before, how could he give up so easily! He didn't dare to offend his older brother, but he would do the things his older brother forbade him to do. After all, he was currently a fake young master, and if he didn't think about himself, he might be abandoned at any time.
Even his parents are growing to like Wen Cheng more and more, so he can't keep being so magnanimous.
Wen Yunyi elegantly finished chewing the fish before looking at Wen Cheng's reaction, and then froze.
"Smack smack, slurp slurp!"
Wen Cheng's mouth hasn't stopped since it started.
Wen Cheng ate an extra spicy duck dish this morning, so eating some cool, refreshing sashimi now is incredibly satisfying. There wasn't much fish, only about a dozen pieces, which Wen Cheng devoured like fried chicken nuggets.
When Wen Yunyi finished eating and looked up, there were only two pieces of fish left on the ice.
Wen Cheng felt their gazes and was very confused. He hadn't disturbed their sweet talk, so why were they looking at him like that? It was just that he had eaten a little too much, wasn't it?
"What's wrong? Is there not enough to eat? Sorry, I'm a little hungry. If it's not enough, we can order another plate!" Wen Cheng patted her chest, indicating that she was still very rich, so rich that even if the main characters in the future kicked her out of the Wen family, she could still afford to buy a small villa to retire in.
Wen Yunyi silently withdrew his gaze, while Qin Zhou watched Wen Cheng chew with great satisfaction, and suddenly felt a renewed appetite for the sashimi he was already tired of.
Then the dishes were served one by one. This time, without his family's interference, Wen Yunyi certainly wouldn't give up so easily. He enthusiastically talked to Qin Zhou about his family's annual summer vacations to the island, all in an attempt to make Wen Cheng feel inferior.
"So you ate crabs for three days straight?" Qin Zhou asked Wen Yunyi, her eyes filled with affection.
Wen Yunyi continued tirelessly, not forgetting to call out to Wen Cheng, "Yes, brother, you weren't home yet back then, so you don't know. It was crab season, and the housekeeper and the others brought in way too many crabs. We ate them for three days, but thankfully, big brother came back."
"And then?" Wen Cheng looked up with great interest when she heard the part about Wen Qi, her eyes seeming to hold a galaxy.
Wen Yunyi was somewhat surprised by Wen Cheng's focus, and then subconsciously blurted it out.
"Um, then the older brother just called a helicopter to bring in a lot of vegetables and fruits, and then asked us in a very sarcastic way if we were crazy?"
Pfft!
Wen Cheng could almost picture Wen Qi's expression at that moment, and couldn't help but laugh.
Wen Yunyi was furious. He had really been out of his mind. He had no intention of telling anyone how embarrassing and awkward he had felt at that moment! Especially Qin Zhou!
Wen Yunyi cautiously glanced at Qin Zhou and found Qin Zhou smiling happily, propping his head up as he looked at him. His eyes held a different kind of light, and the corners of his mouth were gently upturned, a stark contrast to his usual elegance and composure.
It was a very natural feeling, like tearing off a mask and returning to the bar where they first met. Wen Yunyi was stunned for a moment.
No, this is completely different from what he originally thought!
Wen Yunyi secretly encouraged himself, reminding himself that he couldn't let himself go astray like this.
Wen Yunyi suddenly put on a worried expression, "Brother, do you know? Big brother is actually quite cold, even heartless. You know he was adopted, and after his household registration was transferred when he was eighteen, he never called anyone 'Dad' or 'Mom' again."
The heat on Wen Cheng's face gradually subsided.
"Actually, the feeling that your older brother has been good to you lately, just like my previous belief that he was good to me, is inaccurate. What your older brother is doing is more like fulfilling his responsibilities as the eldest brother, so don't take it too seriously."
"Stop for a second!" Wen Cheng, who had been laughing and joking all along, suddenly became serious, and her eyes even carried a coldness that was very similar to Wen Qi's.
“Perhaps I’ve only been here for a month, which is not enough to compare with your decades of experience, but what I’ve seen is that Brother Qi goes on business trips even when he’s on vacation. Although he owns half of Wen’s shares, the business and finances he’s in charge of are still tied to the Wen family. We’re from the same root, and if one suffers, we all suffer. My brother has never complained about any of this. Although he’s not very talkative, he always makes time to have meals with his family. When he finishes a project, he’ll think about going home to stay and chat with Mom and Dad. Dad has always been proud of Brother Qi. I don’t think Brother Qi is heartless!”
When Wen Cheng said this, she was like a hedgehog with its pincers bristling. If it weren't for the string of reason in her mind reminding her that Wen Yunyi was still the protagonist and that going against him would have no good outcome, Wen Cheng might have said even more offensive things.
Perhaps because Wen Cheng hadn't attacked him so directly for a while, Wen Yunyi had become somewhat complacent. After Wen Cheng finished speaking with Wen Nu, Wen Yunyi even forgot to refute her and stared blankly at Wen Cheng.
Wen Cheng had only eaten half of his meal, and although most of it had already gone into his stomach, he didn't want to finish it because Wen Yunyi had spoken ill of Wen Qi earlier that day. He grabbed his phone, said goodbye, and stormed off.
Wen Yunyi and a somewhat embarrassed Qin Zhou were left behind.
Wen Yunyi hadn't expected this outcome. He had originally intended to start with Wen Cheng, to sow discord between him and Wen Qi. After all, that was how he felt about his older brother. So what if he brought Wen Cheng back in the middle of the night? It was just because Wen Cheng had become a biological child in the family.
Wen Cheng had only known Wen Qi for a few days, so why would she risk a falling out with him and start a fight?