“I heard you sent Pan Qi Zhi back to the Pan family for the sake of that Chen family boy?”
Tao Minzhi probed.
“Yi Chen has come to bother you again?”
Si Ye did not answer Tao Minzhi’s question directly; instead, he brought up Si Yi Chen.
Tao Minzhi silently observed him.
After a moment, she spoke, “Yi Chen is still young. It is inevitable that he will be immature. As his elder, you should teach him more—he listens to you.”
“I do not see the slightest sign of remorse in him.”
Si Ye’s voice was indifferent.
After a few more words, he bid farewell to Tao Minzhi.
Once Si Ye left, Tao Minzhi’s expression turned cold.
“Go find out what Young Master Chen and Pan Qi Zhi did to Chen Xu.”
Si Ye’s words had made one thing clear to her—this matter was Si Yi Chen and Pan Qi Zhi’s fault.
Instead of repenting, Si Yi Chen had run to her to complain, which had only made Si Ye angry.
After Tao Minzhi’s husband passed away, only Si Ye and Si Yi Chen remained in the main branch of the family.
Si Yi Chen was the adopted son of her eldest son and a child of her own Tao family.
Aside from Si Yi Chen, no one else had the right to inherit the Si family.
Unless that child returned.
That night, Chen Xu lay on his bed, playing on his phone.
The group chat was still discussing plans for their trip to the beach.
Turning over, he was about to get up for a glass of water when he suddenly caught sight of a fountain pen on his bedside table.
Tossing his phone onto the bed, Chen Xu picked up the pen and turned it over in his hands.
Then, he removed the cap and drew a few strokes on a piece of white paper.
At that moment, he was completely certain—this pen was identical to the one he had given Si Ye for his thirty-second birthday.
He remembered that Si Ye had always used this brand of fountain pens, never changing for ten years.
When Si Ye turned thirty-two, Chen Xu had been struggling to find a suitable birthday gift for him.
Then, Uncle Zhong casually mentioned that Si Ye’s usual pen had broken, but the series had long been discontinued.
So, Chen Xu had personally flown abroad to the brand’s headquarters and bought the last remaining pen at a high price.
Si Ye’s birthday was on November 1st.
The weather was cold by then, and as a result, Chen Xu had caught a cold.
Fortunately, he had a strong constitution—after sweating it out overnight, he was almost fully recovered by the next day.
But not long after that, Si Yi Chen had burned him alive in a factory.
Chen Xu noticed that there were engraved letters inside the pen.
Narrowing his eyes, he examined them closely—
“S… Y.”
“Si Ye.”
The fountain pen Si Ye had given him… was actually Si Ye’s own.
Chen Xu stared at the pen in his palm in shock, as if he were holding a burning coal.
What does this mean?
Had his rebirth somehow caused a butterfly effect, making Si Ye’s attitude toward him change?
But he had not changed anything.
No—he had done something inappropriate that night when he blacked out from drinking.
He had even shamelessly asked Si Ye to spoil him.
But was Si Ye the kind of person who would just grant a request like that without hesitation?
No.
Si Ye was known for his cold and indifferent nature.
Over the years, Chen Xu had seen countless men and women throw themselves at Si Ye, hoping to climb up to him.
Yet, Si Ye had ruthlessly rejected them all.
As the Si family grew stronger, Si Ye’s authority became increasingly untouchable.
Countless people respected and tried to curry favor with him, but none could even get close to his coat hem.
Chen Xu could not figure it out, so he simply stopped thinking about it.
He pulled open his bedside drawer, put the pen inside, got out of bed for a glass of water, brushed his teeth, and went to sleep early.
Si Ye had been in a video conference until past 3 AM the night before.
As a result, he woke up late in the morning.
When he came downstairs for breakfast, Tong Jiaxi, Sun Wei’ang, and Si Yi Chen were already there.
As for Pan Qi Zhi—he had already been sent back to the Pan family the previous day.
No one in the Si family dared to sit at the same table as Si Ye.
Typically, the younger generation ate at one table, while Si Ye ate alone.
It was only during family gatherings on special occasions that Si Ye would sit with his uncles and aunts.
When Si Ye appeared in the dining hall, the three people who had been eating immediately put down their chopsticks and stood up respectfully to greet him.
“Hmm.”
Si Ye responded indifferently.
But he did not see Chen Xu.
Aunt Liu led the servants in bringing out breakfast.
Si Ye suddenly asked, “Has Xiao Xu not woken up yet?”
Aunt Liu, who had been setting the table, paused for a moment.
Then, she quickly recovered and replied with a bright smile,
“Young Master Xu got up early. He ate quite a lot for breakfast.”
Uncle Zhong stepped forward and reported,
“Young Master Xu said he was going out to travel with his classmates for a few days. He asked me to inform you.”
Si Ye recalled the students he had seen standing by the roadside yesterday.
Chen Xu was probably going on a trip with them.
There were both boys and girls, and he remembered that one of the boys—who had a rather silly smile—was Chen Xu’s close friend.
In the previous life, after Chen Xu’s death, that same boy visited his grave every year.
There was also a girl named Guan Qingqing, who had been very close to Chen Xu.
For a long time, Si Ye had assumed she was his girlfriend.
Si Ye nodded slightly and picked up his chopsticks to eat breakfast.
But his simple exchange with Aunt Liu sent shockwaves through the three people at the other table.
Si Yi Chen clenched his teeth and gripped his chopsticks so tightly that they snapped in half.
His palm was pierced, and blood oozed out.
Tong Jiaxi kept his head down, drinking his porridge, his eyes dark and stormy.
His foot still ached from last night—a painful reminder of Chen Xu’s ridicule.
The tiny bit of hope he had held onto—that Chen Xu was merely talking nonsense—was completely shattered by Si Ye himself.
Unlike Si Yi Chen and Tong Jiaxi, who were full of resentment toward Chen Xu, Sun Wei’ang was more surprised than anything.
He could not understand why Si Ye had suddenly become so focused on Chen Xu.
Was the Si family really about to change?
Instinctively, he looked toward Si Yi Chen.
Si Yi Chen noticed his gaze and glared back with bloodshot eyes.
No one can shake my position.
Chen Xu is nothing. I am Father’s son. Chen Xu will always be an outsider.
Consumed by jealousy, Si Yi Chen had completely forgotten about Si Ye’s warning.
As for the subject of all this attention, Chen Xu was already on the train, about to arrive at their destination.
“We are almost there! Grab your luggage!”
Ke Xinghao urged.
“Ke Xinghao, stop rushing me! Let me finish this last round of cards!”
Wang Chengyi, his face covered with losing slips, remained focused on his hand.
“Three.”
Guan Qingqing played one of her last two cards.
Seeing this, Wang Chengyi triumphantly threw down four cards.
“Haha! Four fours—BOOM!”
Guan Qingqing casually tossed her last two cards.
“A pair of jokers.”
Wang Chengyi stared in shock.
“What the—?!”
“Old Wang, your luck is awful. You are the ultimate unlucky player.”
Ke Xinghao laughed mercilessly.
Nearby, Ni Shanshan, who had her hair in a ponytail, walked over with a bright smile.
“Wang Chengyi, I think you should borrow the school heartthrob’s hand—he just pulled an SSR* for me!”
She sighed and pulled out her phone to share with her best friends about the super handsome guy she had just met—
And the best part? He was an EU King!1
Chen Xu and his friends transferred trains twice before finally arriving at their lodging.
They had booked a homestay—three girls shared one room, while the three boys shared another.
Just as he put down his luggage, Chen Xu’s phone lit up.
He picked it up and was surprised to see a message from Si Ye.
Uncle Si: Have you arrived?
This parental-style concern felt unfamiliar to Chen Xu, but he did not find it unpleasant.
Chen Xu: Just arrived at the place we’re staying.
Si Ye did not continue messaging.
Instead, he called.
Chen Xu’s heart skipped a beat as he stared at the incoming call notification for a moment before finally answering.
“Uncle Si…”
Chen Xu stood up and stepped onto the balcony to take the call.
Inside the room, Wang Chengyi and Ke Xinghao exchanged glances.
“Old Chen’s uncle is calling him?”
Wang Chengyi nodded.
“I heard him call out ‘Uncle’ just now.”
Although Ke Xinghao often called himself Chen Xu’s best buddy, he actually knew very little about Chen Xu’s family situation.
He had never met Chen Xu’s parents, and whenever there were parent-teacher conferences, Chen Xu’s seat was always empty.
Ke Xinghao’s own parents often said that if they had a son like Chen Xu, they would wake up laughing in their sleep.
Since Chen Xu never mentioned his parents, Ke Xinghao instinctively assumed that his relationship with them was not good.
As his friends, they had always avoided bringing up the topic, afraid of offending him.
So, who was this Uncle Si that Chen Xu just mentioned?
And from the way he sounded, it seemed like they had a pretty good relationship.
After all, the way Chen Xu had just called him Uncle Si was way too soft and obedient—completely different from his usual tough, cool demeanor.
Completely unaware of how obedient he sounded, Chen Xu was currently being interrogated by Si Ye.
From who he was with, to where he was going, to how many days he would be gone and where he was staying—
“The security in that area is decent,” Si Ye reminded him seriously, “but if you ever encounter a situation you can’t handle, don’t try to fight it alone. Call me immediately. Understand?” Si Ye made him answer everything in detail.
Chen Xu, who had lived to twenty-two in his previous life, was now being treated like a child and given instructions.
His ears grew a little warm.
“Mm, I got it.”
Chen Xu nodded obediently.
“Come home early. Don’t keep Uncle waiting too long.”
Si Ye’s voice deliberately softened, making Chen Xu’s heartbeat speed up.
Flustered, he mumbled, “Mm.”
A chuckle came from the other end of the phone, teasing and full of amusement.
The sound sent Chen Xu’s heart into further disarray.
Even after the call ended, his ears were still burning.
Lowering his head, he rubbed at his hot ears and thought to himself—
Why am I so easy to flirt with?
He stood outside for a bit longer to calm himself before heading back inside.
But as soon as he entered the room, Ke Xinghao asked, “Old Chen, was it really sunny outside? Your face is so red.”
Chen Xu shot him a glare and squatted down to organize his luggage.
Having been glared at for no reason, Ke Xinghao was utterly confused.
Why did Old Chen just glare at me?
Just then, Wang Chengyi came over from the girls’ room, looking excited.
“Just now, Fang Yuan said there’s a really famous bar nearby. Should we go check it out tonight?”
“A pair of jokers” (一对王) – In Chinese card games, the two jokers (big and small) are the strongest pair, capable of trumping almost any hand.
“SSR” – A gaming term referring to a rare, high-tier character or item in mobile games.
“EU King” (欧皇) – A slang term used in Chinese gaming culture to describe someone with extremely good luck, particularly in games involving random draws or gacha mechanics. Opposite of “Non-Chief” (非酋), which refers to someone with consistently terrible luck. ↩
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