Chapter 87: Who Stole My Rich Heir Life?!
And he wasn’t close to his brothers, either—aloof and solitary like a lone wolf.
If Chi Qian ever crossed paths with him, chances were high he’d grab her and make soup.
Chi Chaoshen was just about to warn her when the phone in his white coat rang.
He told Chi Qian to wait and turned to answer it.
“What is it? Has the setup at home been finished?”
“Not yet, almost,” said Chi Fengxiao quickly. “Qian Qian isn’t by your side, right? What I’m about to say—she absolutely mustn’t hear.”
Chaoshen glanced at Chi Qian standing in front of the fish tank. “Mm, go on.”
Chi Fengxiao took a deep breath: “This is serious. It’s about whether Qian Qian’s birthday banquet can even proceed.”
“Say it.” Chi Chaoshen’s expression grew heavy.
“The turtle in the wishing pool—it’s gone.”
“…What?”
Chi Fengxiao tugged his hair in panic. “It looks like it broke out and escaped. We checked the cameras but still couldn’t track where it went. To this moment, we haven’t found it.”
“Second brother, what do we do? Will Qian Qian cry herself to death?”
Chi Chaoshen instantly realized this was a big deal and began thinking hard.
Chi Fengxiao made a decision: “There’s only one way now.”
“Hm?”
“You stall her. Don’t let her go home these days. Then, on her birthday, I’ll disguise myself as the turtle and sit in the pool to fool her—hello? Second brother??”
Chi Chaoshen hung up with a blank face.
He knew this third brother’s brain wasn’t wired right.
But really, Qian Qian’s favorite turtle had gone missing. That was troublesome.
Maybe he should let Chi Fengxiao dress up. If he got beaten up, at least it’d distract her.
When Chi Chaoshen returned to Chi Qian, he overheard her whispering to the fish: “Seriously? You guys spy on people’s privacy too? Do you know my uncle’s safe code? If you pull it off, I’ll split half with you and buy premium fish food.”
Black lines slid down Chi Chaoshen’s forehead. “Chi Qian, breaking into a safe is illegal!”
What was this kid even thinking?
And plotting it right in front of him with the fish? At least wait until he left!
Chi Qian clicked her tongue regretfully, as if she’d nearly struck it rich overnight. “Second Uncle, who were you on the phone with?”
“Your third uncle. He asked which friends you plan to invite to your birthday banquet so he can get the invitations ready and send them out today.”
Chi Qian rattled off a list of names, even including Jiang father and son.
She beamed. “It only comes once a year. I’ll only fleece [1] them this once. Aren’t I great?”
Chaoshen: ? Fleece who??
Time flew, and Saturday arrived.
Chi Qian shared the same birthday as Gu Hua.
The Chi family side was still quiet, but the Gu family had already made a splash online.
For Gu Hua’s birthday, they even hired professionals to live-stream the party, and over a million viewers tuned in.
[Wow! Is this what the rich life looks like? So shiny it hurts my eyes.]
[Her dress is Haute Couture from Xiang, right? The latest release, super hard to get.]
[Princess Hua is gorgeous today, and Young Master Ling is so handsome!]
[That cake—does it have ten tiers?! My mouth is watering.]
The Gu family was very satisfied with the skyrocketing popularity.
It was Gu Hua’s first birthday party since returning home, so it had to be grand, special, and the center of attention.
Their little princess deserved it.
Sure, they weren’t as wealthy as the Chi family, but they could give her all the love in the world. Could the Chi family do the same?
Today was also Chi Qian’s birthday—did the Chi family even remember?
Chairman Gu and Madam Gu barely suppressed their laughter, and Gu Hua was no different.
The system reminded her this was one of the peak moments in the original novel.
Her birthday party was the ladder that would help her catch the male lead’s attention.
As for Chi Qian, the villainess, today was when she would completely become Gu Hua’s contrast, her stepping stone, and ultimately be forgotten like a background character.
In the book, Chi Qian supposedly lost everything on this day.
Just imagining it made Gu Hua want to laugh.
“Hey, some rich second-gen is secretly live-streaming Chi Qian’s birthday banquet! Go check it out!” someone suddenly shouted at the party.
“What? Today’s Chi Qian’s birthday too?”
“Bro, give me the stream link!”
“Me too, me too! I’m a die-hard fan of Qian Qian!”
Gu Hua: “?”
They were watching Chi Qian’s birthday live stream… at her birthday party??
Were they out of their minds?
The Gu family’s stream numbers plummeted as viewers flocked to the other rich kid’s broadcast.
At the Chi family estate—Blue-and-white walls draped with ribbons, a golden carpet stretched from the gate to the wishing pool, lined with seasonal flowers on stone pillars.
On the lawn, canopies shaded neatly arranged pink-and-white tables and chairs, every seat filled.
Guests were all top families close to the Chi family. Adults sat on one side, young people on the other, not disturbing each other.
“Guys, today I won’t be flexing my wealth. Let’s just take a look at the birthday banquet for Chi family’s little miss.” The rich streamer held up his phone, panning over the scene.
His hobby was live-streaming his riches, enjoying praise—or hate, either way worked.
In short, he was terminally bored.
The live chat exploded:
[Here we go! Damn, so many tycoons I’ve seen on the news!]
[Even the chairs are inlaid with diamonds… Who is it? Who stole my rich-heir life?!]
[I thought Gu Hua’s party was extravagant, but compared to this, hers looks like a countryside feast.]
[I heard Chi Qian’s mom cut ties with Chairman Chi long ago. Honestly her status in the family must be awkward—he probably doesn’t even like her.]
[But rich folks care about face, so they’ll put on a show at least.]
At that moment, a man in a navy-blue Tang suit stepped onto the stage—Chi Lisen.
The aura he carried was overwhelming, silencing the crowd instantly.
No tricks, just pure instinct.
A true boss only had to stand there to command presence.
Chi Lisen: “Thank you all for taking time from your busy lives to attend today’s birthday banquet. Please allow me to officially introduce—my granddaughter, Chi Qian.”
From the stone path across the lawn came the jingling sound of bells.
A vintage crystal pumpkin carriage rolled into view.
A real carriage.
White horses trotted in front, pulling a perfectly round, majestic yet charming coach. The bell chimes rang like a scene out of a fairy tale.
The young people present were left staring, dumbfounded.
[I—I’m on my knees. What is this ultimate dream scene?!]
[If this is what being “unwelcome” looks like, I want it too! Grandpa, look at me!]
[All this just for a birthday banquet? Won’t Chi Qian feel awkward? Not me though, my skin’s thick—let me ride it!]
Chi Lisen saw the carriage and his face carried a faint but satisfied smile.
Butler Nan had said that little girls all liked dreamy fairy-tale things—pumpkin carriages, crystal shoes, fairy dresses.
This carriage he had bought from an old royal craftsman in Country E. Since there wasn’t time to custom-make one, when he found a suitable piece, he bought it right away.
When Chi Qian stepped down from the carriage, she would surely look like a princess and stun the whole crowd…
A tall, strapping “princess” got out of the carriage.
The smile on Chi Lisen’s face disappeared.
Footnotes:
Fleece – 薅羊毛 (hāo yángmáo) refers to the practice of seeking out the best deals or maximizing one’s benefits, often at the expense of a larger entity. An English equivalent could be “squeezing blood from a stone,” which conveys the idea of extracting as much value as possible from a limited source.
