“He’s not.”

“Did I ask you? I’ll deal with you later.” Li Qingsong turned to Xu Jinghan with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I hear my brother spent 5 million to buy you?”

“Yes.”

“No!”

Li Qingci and Xu Jinghan spoke simultaneously. Li Qingci shut his mouth after a sharp glare from Li Qingsong.

“5 million? You really think my brother’s a sucker? Just because you have a pretty face, you think you can con people with it?”

Seeing Xu Jinghan being berated, Li Qingci steeled himself and decided to reveal the truth. It had been a quick-thinking act of charity to save someone. At worst, he’d be scolded again for his excessive sympathy. If Li Qingsong truly believed he’d gone astray, he might skin him alive.

“What? You’re going to say it was an act of charity again?”

…

Li Qingci nodded.

“If you wanted to do charity, picking up a beggar from the street would’ve been better than buying him. You might think it’s noble, but did you ever ask if Xu Ershao needed rescuing by a fool like you? You’ve always been overly compassionate. With your naivety, these good-for-nothing rich kids will play you to death without you even realizing it.”

Li Qingsong came swiftly and made decisions just as quickly. Before Xu Jinghan could interject and before Li Qingci could react, Li Qingsong had already dragged Xu Jinghan out and slammed the door.

Outside, Li Qingsong gave Xu Jinghan a severe beating. Before shutting the door, he kicked him once more. “Did you think my brother was an easy target? Consider yourself lucky I didn’t kill you today, out of respect for your family. What a joke.”

As he left, he added, “Don’t forget to pay my brother back.”

Xu Jinghan had no chance to explain before being locked out. At that moment, he deeply understood the saying “plans can’t keep up with changes.”

“Clear out all of Xu Jinghan’s things and throw them out,” Li Qingsong ordered, sitting on the couch.

Seeing Li Qingci’s stunned look, Li Qingsong grew exasperated. “Don’t you realize you’ve been deceived? You believe everything you’re told? This is a classic case of being sold and still helping count the money! How could our brilliant parents produce such a simpleton!”

Li Qingci asked, “Ge, did he really deceive me?”

Li Qingsong’s eye twitched as he gritted out, “What? You still don’t believe it?”

“I was planning to help him find a job, to make something of himself, turn over a new leaf, get on the right path…” Li Qingci said dejectedly.

Li Qingsong, frustrated beyond measure, nearly leapt off the couch, barely restraining himself from shouting at Li Qingci.

“Are you addicted to being a sucker? You still want to help him find a job?! Why don’t you just build him a golden house while you’re at it?! Do you think he’d settle for your measly salary? It wouldn’t even cover his pocket change.”

“Oh.”

Li Qingci realized he must be ill, as his first thought was, “Well, at least Xu Jinghan probably lived comfortably.”

“From now on, think things through before acting. Don’t be so eager to get conned again.” Li Qingsong sighed, “Haven’t you been deceived enough times in your life? Why can’t you learn?”

“Okay. Well, if that’s all, you can go now, Ge.”

“Alright. In the future, run things by me first so I can check them out. If I hadn’t heard about this from someone else, you’d still be in the dark. If this got back to Mom and Dad, you’d be punished by family rules. With your small body, you’d be bedridden for months.”

Li Qingsong looked around the apartment and nodded, “Your cooking’s not bad. Seems you’re managing life on your own quite well.”

“Xu Jinghan cooked everything,” Li Qingci replied, unsure of his feelings. Before Li Qingsong arrived, they were having dinner. Now Xu Jinghan had been kicked out, hardly having eaten anything.

“This young master can cook?” Li Qingsong scoffed.

“Yes, he’s been cooking for three whole months,” Li Qingci mused.

Li Qingsong thought to himself: This Xu Ershao certainly put effort into his con.