Ch 44: How To Be A Good Lackey

Translated on Hololo novels.

Shao Ye nodded. “That’s what my uncle said.”

“Idiot!” Pei Tiancheng snapped. “And you just believe him because he said it? What kind of brain do you have? No wonder you get scammed!”

“My uncle wouldn’t lie to me,” Shao Ye shot back. His hand was already on the doorknob, pulling it open a crack, ready to run.

“Wouldn’t lie to you?” Pei Tiancheng scoffed. “If he’s not lying to you, who would he lie to? You look like the easiest person in the world to fool!”

He had always worried that one day Shao Ye would get sold off and still help count the money. Now it had actually come true. Maybe he hadn’t been praying to Guanyin at all, but to the God of Matchmaking instead. And that old god must have failing eyesight to be tying such ridiculous red strings!

Standing at the door, Shao Ye said firmly, “Anyway, my uncle might deceive anyone else, but he wouldn’t deceive me.”

Pei Tiancheng felt his blood pressure shooting up. Why wouldn’t this kid listen? That old fox Pei Fangyan had never once made a losing deal. By the time Shao Ye was chewed down to the bone and spat out, he’d better not come crying to him.

“You brain of yours!” Pei Tiancheng roared. “Did your uncle give you any guarantees? And you trust him this much?”

“Big brother doesn’t trust me that much? How about I draft a will today? Or just transfer my shares directly to Xiao Ye’s name?” Pei Fangyan’s voice suddenly came from outside the door.

Before Pei Tiancheng could stop him, Shao Ye had already pulled the door open. Seeing who it was, he asked in surprise, “Uncle, why are you here?”

“I finished my meeting, so I came to find you,” Pei Fangyan replied.

Pei Tiancheng cursed inwardly. What a clingy leech! He couldn’t even stay away for a moment. What was he trying to show off? Out loud, he asked in a less-than-pleasant tone, “How did you get in?”

Their neighborhood didn’t just let strangers in, did it? Which security guard let him through? He was going to file a complaint!

Beside him, Shao Ye gave a guilty laugh, scratching the tip of his nose. “Last time Uncle came over, I registered his face with the property management.”

Pei Tiancheng: “……”

Did his dear son’s loyalty really have to lean this far outward?

He forced a dry laugh. “Let your uncle come in. What are you doing standing at the door, letting the neighbors watch the show?”

Shao Ye hesitated. His father’s mood was clearly unstable right now, and he was ready at any moment to push his uncle’s wheelchair and make a run for it.

Pei Fangyan, however, wasn’t worried at all. He maneuvered his wheelchair inside, and Shao Ye watched nervously as he went straight up to Pei Tiancheng and asked with concern, “Big brother, what are you angry about?”

The nerve of this guy, asking that with a straight face! Pei Tiancheng gained a whole new understanding of just how thick-skinned Pei Fangyan was.

But in the very next moment, Pei Fangyan raised the bar even higher. He said, “Is Xiao Ye the one who made you angry? But I think Xiao Ye has always been very well-behaved. Could it be that big brother is being a bit too particular? Still, since you’re upset, I’ll apologize on his behalf. Please don’t take it to heart.”

Pei Tiancheng almost laughed from sheer anger. What did he mean, he was being too particular? And what right did he have to apologize on Shao Ye’s behalf?

He looked at Pei Fangyan and said with a tight smile, “So this is how you find a partner for your nephew?”

Pei Fangyan looked mildly surprised. “Big brother, you already know? I was planning to tell you this good news a bit later.”

Seeing his act, Pei Tiancheng grew even angrier. There was no way he hadn’t heard everything outside just now.

Good news? More like news that would send him straight to the afterlife!

Seeing how terrible his expression had become, Pei Fangyan continued, “Is there something you’re dissatisfied with, big brother?”

Pei Tiancheng couldn’t help but marvel inwardly at how Pei Fangyan could ask that with a completely unchanged expression. No wonder he could become head of the Pei family.

He let out a cold laugh. “Do you really think I should be satisfied?”

Pei Fangyan smiled. “Of course. Back then, you said you wanted to find Xiao Ye a highly educated partner. I asked if someone from MIT would be enough, and you said yes. Would you like to see my diploma?”

See his ancestors!

Pei Tiancheng felt his temples buzzing with rage. Was this really his fault for not specifying “female” back then? Who could have imagined his perfectly fine son would just turn like this?

In his mind, he had already cursed Pei Fangyan’s ancestors for eighteen generations, but on the surface, he didn’t dare go too far. At most, he could throw a few sarcastic remarks. He wasn’t foolish enough to chase after Pei Fangyan the way he might chase Shao Ye.

Reciting a few calming lines to himself, Pei Tiancheng finally managed to steady his emotions. Putting on the demeanor of an older brother, he said earnestly, “You and Xiao Ye… you’re not suitable.”

“What’s not suitable?” Pei Fangyan asked sincerely.

Pei Tiancheng wanted to ask him in return, what was suitable about it?

Pei Fangyan lowered his head, his voice slightly subdued. “Does big brother dislike that my legs can’t walk, or that I’m too old?”

“Dad!” Shao Ye stood behind Pei Fangyan, looking at Pei Tiancheng with disapproval, as if blaming him for saying something like that.

Pei Tiancheng felt wronged. What had he even said? He’d only said they weren’t suitable!

He was so angry he snapped at Shao Ye, “Go on then, call him Dad!”

Pei Fangyan looked up. “If you’re upset, take it out on me, big brother. Don’t scold Xiao Ye.”

Good heavens! Someone, please, take this monster away!

Pei Tiancheng’s blood pressure shot up. He could barely stand and dropped back onto the sofa. “You’re both men, and you’re uncle and nephew. If this gets out, what will people think?”

Shao Ye didn’t care at all. “Let people think whatever they want. It’s not like they’d dare say it to my face.”

If anyone really dared to gossip in front of him, they’d just be asking for trouble.

“It’s not like that…” Pei Tiancheng said. People might not dare gossip in front of his son or Pei Fangyan, but they would definitely talk behind his back. How was he supposed to show his face in his social circle after this? Just thinking about it made him want to crawl into a hole.

Pei Fangyan spoke up, “Big brother, are you determined to break Xiao Ye and me apart?”

Not necessarily, but as a great father who didn’t want to be labeled as someone who “sold his son for glory,” Pei Tiancheng felt he had to at least show some opposition. He pressed his lips together and said nothing for a moment.

Pei Fangyan didn’t mind. He continued, “Xiao Ye respects you very much as his father. If you insist on forcing us apart, it will put him in a difficult position. Of course, I understand that big brother probably doesn’t care much about Xiao Ye’s feelings.”

Pei Tiancheng: “?”

Couldn’t he just speak without stepping on him?

Pei Fangyan glanced back at Shao Ye and said, “But I would feel heartache. And you know what kind of person I am. In recent years, my mental state hasn’t been very stable. If Xiao Ye isn’t by my side, and I end up doing something… excessive, I hope big brother can be understanding.”

The smile on Pei Fangyan’s face grew even more sincere.

A chill ran down Pei Tiancheng’s spine. He looked at Shao Ye and saw him frowning, watching Pei Fangyan with concern. Wait, Pei Fangyan had just threatened his father right in front of him, and he had no reaction at all?

Did Pei Fangyan have some kind of intelligence-lowering aura? Ever since he showed up, his son seemed even more foolish. Where had that sharp tongue gone?

Pei Tiancheng took a long, deep breath and asked seriously, “What exactly do you see in him?”

Pei Fangyan answered without hesitation, “Xiao Ye is warm and cheerful, sincere and lovable, disciplined in his life, persistent and determined, hardworking and serious, and has a strong sense of responsibility.”

Shao Ye felt a little embarrassed from the praise. He scratched the back of his head and grinned. Was he really as great as his uncle said?

Pei Tiancheng wanted to ask the same thing. Was he really describing his son? Or was this some model student award speech?

After speaking, Pei Fangyan added, “Big brother, don’t you see all these strengths in Xiao Ye?”

Pei Tiancheng didn’t even want to respond anymore. Could this bastard just get out of his house already?

He picked up the herbal tea on the table and gulped down more than half the cup to suppress his anger, then asked, “So you’ll really give the Pei family to Xiao Ye?”

“Of course,” Pei Fangyan said.

Pei Tiancheng didn’t quite believe him. He could accept that his son was hopelessly in love, but if Pei Fangyan was too, then he’d suspect there was poison hidden underneath that love.

After thinking it over, he asked, “When are you making your will?”

“Dad!” Shao Ye called out. His uncle was still young, why was he talking about wills?

Pei Tiancheng glared at him. “Shut up.”

“I won’t!” Shao Ye glared back.

Pei Tiancheng slapped the sofa. “So what I say means nothing now, huh?”

Pei Fangyan reminded calmly, “Big brother, speak properly. Don’t scare Xiao Ye.”

Pei Tiancheng nearly spat out the tea he had just swallowed. What sin had he committed to deserve this today?

Pei Fangyan added, “A will can always be revised. Why don’t I just transfer all my shares directly to him?”

Pei Tiancheng quietly swallowed the tea he almost choked on and said, “Well… that would be a bit embarrassing.”

Shao Ye immediately exposed him. “Dad, maybe wipe that smile off your face when you say that.”

Could they not just be a normal father and son? Pei Tiancheng shot him another glare.

Completely ignoring his anger, and forgetting his original plan of using inheritance as leverage, Shao Ye said to Pei Fangyan, “No need. I already have enough money to spend. Giving me shares wouldn’t really do much.”

Pei Tiancheng almost laughed. Oh wow, his son was putting on the image of an independent, clear-headed man who wasn’t tempted by money in front of Pei Fangyan!

He wanted to fight for some benefits for this foolish son, but since the kid didn’t appreciate it, what could he do? He waved his hand at Shao Ye. “Get out, get out, just go.”

Looking at the two of them together was annoying.

Shao Ye found his dad a bit inexplicable. Why suddenly tell him to leave? But he had already come out to his father. Even if his dad still didn’t want to accept it, Shao Ye himself felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest, and he felt much lighter.

He happily returned to the old residence with Pei Fangyan.

Pei Fangyan hadn’t been joking about transferring his shares. As soon as they got back, he contacted his secretary and lawyer to prepare all the necessary paperwork.

But once the news spread, Shao Ye would inevitably become a target. His cousins had been working tirelessly at the company, some even ending up hospitalized, yet in the end they didn’t even get a sip of the rewards. Wasn’t it supposed to be that the harder you worked, the luckier you became?

Or was it that the harder they worked, the luckier Shao Ye became?

Pei Fangyan didn’t care what his nieces and nephews thought of him. He pushed aside all his work, took Shao Ye out to have fun for over half a month, and after returning, he checked into the hospital again. Recently, there had been new breakthroughs in this area of medical treatment in the country, and he wanted to give it a try. After all, he couldn’t keep relying on Shao Ye to do everything himself, what if he exhausted him?

Meanwhile, after learning that they had gone to watch a football match together, Pei Tiancheng didn’t sleep the entire night.

The next day, with dark circles under his eyes, he stood by the window and thought deeply that Pei Fangyan’s mental state might really not be normal.

He actually went to watch a football match with his son. Should he keep worshiping this “Bodhisattva” or not?

Pei Fangyan didn’t hide his closeness to Shao Ye in front of others, and gradually even those who were previously unaware began to notice something. No wonder Shao Ye could get so many shares, so he got to the top by selling himself? So what if he had a nice body!

The Pei family members were extremely frustrated, but they didn’t dare to voice their anger openly and could only complain in private. One reason was they were afraid of getting beaten, since Shao Ye’s fists were genuinely strong. The other was that he reported things too quickly. The scene at the birthday banquet, where their relative was sent off to Africa, was still fresh in their minds.

But accepting Shao Ye as the heir to the Pei family was absolutely out of the question. Why should he be? He hadn’t even changed his surname back!

And Pei Fangyan too, playing around was one thing, but actually planning to leave the Pei family to him, had he lost his mind?

For the honor of the family and its long-term future, they had to do something to change this terrible outcome. Since Pei Fangyan had set his mind on Shao Ye, then they would just make Shao Ye disappear.

So in the following period, they each tried their own methods: hiring kidnappers, sending bombs by mail, tampering with his car… yet nothing happened.

Shao Ye spent his days happily in the hospital accompanying Pei Fangyan through various rehabilitation exercises, completely unaware of all this.

Meanwhile, his cousins soon discovered that every scheme they plotted against Shao Ye ended up backfiring on themselves. Among them, He Jiahuai, who had always publicly claimed he had no objections to Seventh Uncle’s decisions, was especially unlucky. First, he was nearly hit by a flowerpot falling from upstairs. Then he was struck by a car and sent to the hospital. During surgery, someone even mislabeled a medicine bottle. If Su Yuexiang hadn’t noticed in time, it might have caused a serious medical accident.

He Jiahuai still hadn’t regained consciousness. With so many incidents happening in succession, it was hard to believe they were all coincidences. There were likely even more “accidents” waiting for him.

Although there was currently no evidence that Pei Fangyan was behind these events, Su Yuexiang instinctively felt that it was related to him. She went to the hospital, found Pei Fangyan, and pleaded with him to show mercy.

Pei Fangyan looked indifferent, sitting in front of the fish tank feeding the fish. Shao Ye had just gone downstairs to pick up a delivery and would be back later.

Seeing that he didn’t respond, Su Yuexiang added, “That’s still a human life, after all.”

Pei Fangyan scattered all the fish food into the tank, then turned to her and asked, “When you think this world is just a game, would you care about the life of an NPC?”

Su Yuexiang didn’t understand why he would think like that. After a moment, she nodded. “I would.”

Because she wasn’t sure whether it was the world that was wrong, or herself.

Pei Fangyan smiled. “But I wouldn’t.”

“And besides, they brought this on themselves, didn’t they?” he said.

Author’s Note:

【What did Seventh Uncle mean by that line? Does he know he’s in a game? Could he also be a player?】

: Just a gimmick from the official side. People were all talking about No. 6 cheating, and the moment Seventh Uncle says this, everyone’s attention shifts

: But Seventh Uncle is really crazy. One No. 6 livestream isn’t enough for him, he’s stirring things up in all five others too. He’s not choosing an heir, he’s playing battle royale

: I’m speechless at his tone. You “wouldn’t care” and you sound proud of it?

: Seventh Uncle: Doesn’t that just make me seem more seriously ill?

: I don’t just think No. 6 is cheating, I think Seventh Uncle is too. Why are all the other NPCs afraid of him?

: Because, uncle… I dare?

: That was cold

: Seventh Uncle is so “tea” when dealing with Shao Tiancheng. Why drink herbal tea when this is enough?

: I just want to know why No. 6 attracts him

: Didn’t Seventh Uncle already say? Warm and cheerful, sincere and cute, disciplined, persistent, hardworking, responsible

: Why doesn’t Shao Tiancheng ask where No. 6 works

: Spare the poor father

: From the koi in the viewing pool, you can tell No. 6 really is hardworking and persistent

: Really? I thought Seventh Uncle just liked his chest and butt

: How vulgar. Seventh Uncle has refined taste

: Oh, you’re not vulgar? Then what’s that post you made: “Guys, I’ve got a gym membership, now I just need to find myself a boss”

: Boss? You mean husband

: Top 😉

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