Chapter 38: I Gave You a Chance
Chi Qian lowered her head, staring at the card, looking a little hurt.
Something inside Chi Chaoshen wavered, but just then he saw Chi Lisen’s personal car pulling up. He dropped a curt “Goodbye” and left without looking back.
Chi Qian didn’t even notice he was gone.
Her eyes were sparkling like stars as she looked at the bank card.
A million for just a few days of staying over?
Was there really such a good thing in the world?
Her second uncle was way too generous!
After a moment, though, Chi Qian realized this felt suspiciously like one of those “Here’s five million, now leave my son” soap opera plots.
Except this time, her second uncle hadn’t even said goodbye—he simply didn’t want her anymore!
Her sincerity had been wasted.
*
Back at the manor, Chi Qian quickly tossed aside the matter of being abandoned.
“Little White! Little Fragrant! Little Black!”
“I’m home!”
She dashed forward with excitement—only to have her grandfather snag her by the back of her collar.
“You’ve been away so long, I see your heart’s gone wild,” Chi Lisen said, putting on a stern face. “Come with me.”
Chi Qian drooped her head and followed him into the living room.
Before he could speak, she whipped something out of her backpack and held it up proudly.
“Grandpa, look! This is a gift I brought you from recording the variety show! Isn’t it cute?”
When Chi Lisen saw the little wooden turtle in her palm, his brow twitched, and his stern expression almost cracked.
“Why a turtle?”
“Because turtles live a long life! I hope Grandpa stays healthy and lives forever!” Chi Qian babbled on like compliments cost nothing. “Do you like it?”
Chi Lisen accepted the goofy little carving, nodded reluctantly, and said, “It’ll do. At least you had the thought to bring me something.”
“I have another gift too!”
“Another one?” He raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”
Chi Qian flung herself into his arms and gave him a huge hug. “Grandpa, I missed you so much!”
That soft little embrace shattered the last of his sternness, and the corners of his eyes crinkled with a smile.
Still, he pretended to grumble. “I think what you’re really waiting for is the gift I brought you.”
Chi Qian’s eyes lit up instantly. “I get a gift too? Thank you, Grandpa, you’re the best!”
At that, Chi Lisen completely gave up trying to keep up the tough act.
Butler Nan, watching from the side, smiled broadly at last and finally got to say the line he’d been saving, “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen sir smile like this.”
Chi Qian remembered the two big boxes of CEO-romance novels hidden under his bed and thought, Butler Nan really is persistent, huh.
Then she pulled out another wooden carving, this time of a parrot, and handed it to him.
Butler Nan was taken aback with joy. “A gift for me too? Thank you, young miss.”
Not long after, Chi Qian saw her own gifts.
An entire dressing room filled with the latest season’s designer clothes, drawers crammed full of sparkling jewelry, shoes, bags, accessories.
One wall was still bare, waiting for a designer to come measure her preferences for a fully customized setup.
Chi Qian spun in circles inside, dazzled by the glitter and shine.
What girl could possibly resist an entire room of bling-bling?
Grandpa really was the best!
But then Butler Nan arrived. “Young miss, don’t forget your summer homework. Sir will be checking later.”
Chi Qian: “Huh? Summer what? What homework?”
“…The assignments your tutor gave you before vacation. Sir said that even on break, you can’t neglect your studies.”
“……” Uh-oh.
She hadn’t done a single page!
Chi Qian wanted to cry. “Uncle Nan, must you shatter my joy in my happiest place?”
Butler Nan smiled kindly. “Young miss, every gift that fate bestows secretly has its price—such as summer homework.”
Chi Qian: QAQ
Fine, fine, she’d do it, okay?!
So on her very first day back at the manor, Chi Qian was already miserably making up the first week of assignments.
Meanwhile, Chi Chaoshen had arrived at an antique shop.
His friend led him into the warehouse and opened an old wooden chest.
With gloves on, Chi Chaoshen picked up a porcelain vase—famille rose from the Qing dynasty, Qianlong era.
“Where did this all come from?”
“From a wealthy family. Supposedly heirlooms passed down since the Republic era. Business went bad, so they had to sell them off to make ends meet,” the friend explained.
Chi Chaoshen said nothing, set the vase back down, and moved on to inspect the others.
“That rich businessman was desperate to get rid of these things for cash flow. I can’t hold onto them for long—other people want a look too. Pick what you like now, or they’ll be gone.”
Chi Chaoshen noticed a trace of soil on the bottom of a porcelain vase, and his expression darkened.
“Be honest with me. Where exactly did these things come from?”
“From a rich man’s house, of course. Would I lie to you?” his friend said, playing dumb.
Chi Chaoshen’s gaze went cold as ice.
“I already gave you a chance.”
Moments later, police sirens wailed in the distance.
His friend—and the entire crate of suspicious antiques—were hauled away in handcuffs.
After giving his statement, Chi Chaoshen drove back from the station to his apartment.
“Chi Qian, I bought fried chicken—you said yesterday you really wanted…”
He froze mid-sentence.
The only reply was the emptiness of the room.
He’d forgotten—Chi Qian had already gone back.
It was just that last night, after she saw that health channel commercial, she wouldn’t stop whining that she had to eat fried chicken, or she wouldn’t survive.
That’s why he remembered.
Chi Chaoshen set the bag of fried chicken on the table, sighed, and started tidying up the mess.
Beside the sofa lay a paper bag.
He picked it up—inside was a Taoist robe, a Taoist hat, and a flag with familiar characters on it…
Chi Chaoshen’s face shifted. “That Taoist that day—was it Chi Qian?”
So she had known all along, and deliberately disguised herself that way to warn him?
Smuggling antiques. A friend’s betrayal.
If he hadn’t called the police ahead of time, he would’ve walked straight into his friend’s trap, becoming part of the smuggling and money-laundering chain.
And then, there would’ve been no way out.
All of this—because of Chi Qian’s painstaking little warning.
She must’ve thought, as just a kid, he wouldn’t take her words seriously.
That’s why she dressed up as a Taoist priest.
She’d been looking out for him all along—and he still sent her away…
Pressing a hand to his brow, Chi Chaoshen suddenly felt at a loss.
He… wasn’t good at coaxing children.
Remembering a variety show Chi Fengxiao had mentioned, Chi Chaoshen turned on the TV.
*
At the manor, in the study.
Chi Lisen finished checking Chi Qian’s winter homework and casually picked up the little wooden turtle sculpture from the desk, rolling it in his hand.
Her homework was hard to fault. But…
Some of it was clearly high school material, and she got it all right.
So she’d just been lazy before, huh?
Chi Lisen gave a short snort, set the homework aside, and walked to the window.
On the lawn, Chi Qian was riding her pink pig, while Little White perched on Big Black’s head—they were playing bumper cars.
Childish to the extreme.
Chi Lisen: “……” Looks like he still hadn’t assigned enough homework.
Big Black, with all his strength, accidentally shoved Chi Qian right off the pig’s back.
She scrambled back up in a flash. “Little Fragrant, go get him! Win, and I’ll buy you a new bow!”
She’d only been gone a few days, and Little Fragrant had already gotten fatter.
If she kept it up, she really would get hauled into somebody’s kitchen.
Little Fragrant: Oink oink! I want a pink one!
Big Black: Woof woof woof! A mighty shepherd like me will never lose to a pink pig!
Just then, Chi Chaoshen walked up to the lawn—and witnessed the whole scene: ?
