Chapter 71
Wei Shixu glanced at the wooden box, his eyes instinctively drifting toward Quan Zhisui, who was standing in the corner of the hallway.
Quan Zhisui, however, was completely oblivious to his gaze, busy munching on small cookies, one after another.
Standing beside her, Zhuge Ying wore a puzzled expression.
Kong Mingze, oblivious to the subtle tension, noticed Wei Shixu looking their way and responded with a goofy grin.
Wei Shixu frowned slightly and took the wooden box.
Lu Qin beamed with delight. "This is for your grandfather. Don’t you dare open it and peek inside!"
Wei Shixu’s frown deepened as he turned and walked back to the classroom.
Lu Qin called after him, "Thank you! I’ll be going now. Goodbye!"
Everything seemed perfectly normal, with nothing out of the ordinary.
In the hallway, Zhuge Ying tugged at Quan Zhisui’s sleeve, wanting to say something but unsure how to phrase it. Perhaps she was just overthinking things.
Quan Zhisui continued eating her cookies, her face expressionless.
Zhuge Ying: "..."
Kong Mingze chimed in, "Wow, that girl from earlier was so tall! A whole head taller than both of you! Even taller than Ling Ruoyun!"
Zhuge Ying glared at him. "Do you want me to punch you?"
Kong Mingze protested, "Why can’t I just tell the truth? Athletes are tall, after all!"
Zhuge Ying, exasperated, turned and stormed back to the classroom.
On her very first day at Liang Secondary School, Lu Qin had already made a name for herself. The story of how Wei Shixu’s grandfather had saved her when she was a child quickly spread like wildfire.
The most concrete evidence of this was the fact that Wei Shixu had accepted the wooden box!
It was common knowledge that girls had been chasing after Wei Shixu since middle school, but he had never accepted anything from anyone. Even Zhou Chun, who had participated in two Model United Nations conferences with him and had some interaction, only communicated with him when it came to teamwork—and only when he was in a good mood.
He seemed to particularly dislike being liked by others...
It was strange!
The only exceptions were Kong Mingze and Quan Zhisui. Wei Shixu treated these two differently.
Everyone was curious about what was inside the wooden box and whether Wei Shixu would open it.
Quan Zhisui, however, paid no attention to the school gossip. As soon as the final bell rang, she grabbed her bag and left.
Wei Shixu immediately got up and headed to the back of the classroom, but he was too late to catch up with her.
In the blink of an eye, she had vanished from the classroom.
Zhuge Ying also left quickly, as she had student council work to finish. The video for the recent school sports day was almost done and would be released in a few days!
Kong Mingze had plans to play basketball with friends after school and left as soon as the bell rang.
Wei Shixu headed to the cafeteria alone, the wooden box in hand as he walked.
"Don’t peek inside?"
He smirked. How interesting.
That deliberate tone of hers was clearly a hint for him to look.
Wei Shixu took out his phone and called home.
Wei Jingsan was having his nutritional meal when he saw the call from his grandson. His first thought was that Wei Shixu had dialed the wrong number.
Although they were grandfather and grandson, their daily interactions were limited due to Wei Shixu’s long-term boarding at school.
"What is it?" Wei Jingsan asked after answering the call.
Wei Shixu toyed with the wooden box in his hand. "Grandfather, 12 years ago, did your private rescue team save a little girl from a kindergarten?"
Wei Jingsan was puzzled. "My rescue team goes out every year to save people. They’ve been involved in major natural disasters and man-made crises, traveling all over the country. How the hell am I supposed to remember who they saved 12 years ago?"
He then turned to Qian Butler. "Do you remember?"
Qian Cheng nodded. "Yes, I do. There was indeed such an incident."
Wei Jingsan immediately put the call on speaker. "Your Uncle Qian knows. Ask him."
Qian Cheng’s voice carried a hint of amusement. "Young Master, 12 years ago, the rescue team saved 15 girls and 17 boys—32 kindergarten children in total—from a collapsed kindergarten in Liangxi Town. I personally participated, so I remember."
Wei Shixu’s eyes gleamed with intrigue. "So it’s true..."
Qian Cheng continued, "Not only did we rescue them, but we also provided resources to help them develop their talents. For example, sponsoring their training in sports or arts. Now, two of those children have achieved success in their respective fields—one is a sports athlete, and the other is an art student."
Wei Shixu narrowed his eyes. "A sports athlete, huh..."
Wei Jingsan raised an eyebrow. "Why are you suddenly asking about this?"
His grandson wasn’t one for idle chatter. If he was calling to ask, something must have happened.
Wei Shixu replied, "A new transfer student arrived at school today. She claims you’re her savior and asked me to deliver a small gift to you. Coincidentally, she’s a sports athlete."
"Huh?" Wei Jingsan was surprised. "What kind of gift? Why didn’t she send it through the Wei Family’s official channels?"
At that moment, Wei Shixu passed by a trash can and casually tossed the wooden box into it.
"No idea. I threw it away," he said.
Wei Jingsan almost rolled his eyes. "You didn’t even look inside before throwing it away?"
Wei Shixu, now several meters past the trash can, replied coldly, "What if it was poison, a bomb, or some toy with a hidden camera?"
Wei Jingsan chuckled. "You’re really cautious!"
"After all I’ve been through, I have to be," Wei Shixu said emotionlessly. "I’m hanging up."
As the call ended, Wei Jingsan set down his chopsticks, his thoughts drifting to the past.
Seven years ago, Wei Jingsan had fallen seriously ill and was hospitalized, receiving a critical condition notice. During those three days, the Wei Family descended into chaos.
But it wasn’t the kind of chaos born from losing their patriarch—it was a frenzy of infighting over the family’s assets.
His children fought ruthlessly for control of the Wei Family’s empire, with no one sparing a thought for Wei Jingsan, who was fighting for his life in the ICU.
It was during this time that Wei Shixu was kidnapped.
The kidnappers were from Yan Ajiu’s faction, a rival of the Wei Family.
Young Wei Shixu disappeared for three days, during which two major events unfolded.
The first was Yan Ajiu’s attempt to exploit the chaos and infiltrate Wei Jingsan’s operations, causing significant damage to several of the Wei Family’s businesses in Liangxi Town.
The second was Wei Shixu’s parents, in their bid for the family’s assets, colluding with Yan Ajiu’s faction and using Wei Shixu as a bargaining chip against the rest of the Wei Family.
But Wei Shixu escaped on his own and returned to Liangxi Town.
By the time Wei Jingsan was transferred from the ICU to a regular ward, the Wei Family was in complete disarray. His legs were paralyzed, confining him to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. He spent the next three years in the hospital, recovering and reflecting.
During those three years, he came to terms with life and death and grew indifferent to familial bonds. Though his heart had turned cold, he couldn’t bring himself to harm his own flesh and blood.
He let his children fight among themselves.
But to his surprise, the one who emerged victorious was Wei Shixu, a 13-year-old boy!
The boy was exceptionally intelligent, and once he set his mind to something, he used his wit to devastating effect.
Expulsion, revenge, torment...
Wei Shixu employed every means at his disposal, even mastering the art of psychological manipulation. He orchestrated his parents’ divorce, sowed discord among his uncles, and shattered the already fractured Wei Family before dismantling them entirely.
In the end, he stood alone at the pinnacle.
When this 13-year-old boy gained control of the Wei Family, he walked into Wei Jingsan’s hospital room.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Wei Jingsan, by then, had given up on familial affection. He said, "Kill me, and the Wei Family’s empire will be yours alone."
He thought Wei Shixu had come to finish him off, lured by the immense wealth and power.
But instead, the boy said, "Grandfather, I’m going to school now."
How strange!
Even years later, Wei Jingsan found the memory of that moment utterly perplexing.
It was as if Wei Jingsan had been given a new lease on life. He soon left the hospital and returned home, resuming his fight against Yan Ajiu.
Now, Yan Ajiu was no longer alive, and his descendants’ influence in Liangxi Town had been driven back to a neighboring city by Wei Jingsan.
The Wei Family’s assets had not only been fully recovered but had also grown exponentially.
As Wei Jingsan reminisced, Qian Butler pulled up two photos on his phone.
"Mr. Wei, these are the two children," Qian Butler said, recalling Wei Shixu’s earlier call.
The photos showed a boy and a girl, now grown up and studying at Liang Secondary School. The girl was a long-distance runner, and the boy was an art student.
Wei Jingsan glanced at the photos and remarked, "You’re quite attentive to him, always so obedient."
Qian Butler smiled. "It’s not obedience—it’s reverence for the Young Master."
Wei Jingsan suddenly said, "What do you think his fate is? Should we find a master to calculate his birth chart?"
Compared to some rescued child, he was naturally more curious about his own remarkable grandson.
Qian Cheng hesitated, "Let's not. The young master would be upset if he found out we were looking into this."
"Hmph!" Wei Jingsan slammed his chopsticks down in frustration. "The food today is terrible!"
Qian Cheng forced a smile. "It doesn't taste good when it's cold. I'll have the kitchen prepare another serving."