Chapter 103 The Unlucky Guys Around the Chosen One The Unlucky Brother is Heavy...

Jiangxi Province is quite far from my hometown. Even if I travel by car at high speed, it's already past midnight when I get home.

The grandparents and others, who had just drifted off to sleep, were startled awake by the knocking on the door. When they learned that it was their youngest son's family returning, they ran to open the door in surprise.

"What are you doing—"

"elder brother!!!"

As soon as the door opened, the child, who was being led by his father's hand, burst into tears and ran to a corner of the yard, knocking on the door and crying, "Brother, brother!"

Before Si Qi's parents could even ponder how their younger son knew where their older son was, they exclaimed in astonishment, "My son lives there?"

After the company prospered, the couple had a lot of money and didn't hesitate to take care of their child who was still in their hometown. A monthly living allowance of 200,000 yuan was the bare minimum, and they even spent money to demolish their small, dilapidated house and build a luxuriously decorated villa for their child.

As a result, the villa was built, but their son did not move into the villa. Instead, he lived in the storage warehouse next to the villa—a warehouse that didn't even have windows!

"Could it be that Xiaobao has gone to the wrong place?"

Just as the couple had this thought, a tall, thin boy with sunken cheeks and shabby clothes walked out of the warehouse. He was clearly wearing pajamas and slippers.

This was clearly an outfit worn by someone who was sleeping inside, and the couple's expressions immediately turned sour.

Awakened, the uncle's family realized the situation was bad and quickly said, "This child has a terrible temper; he's always making a fuss and doesn't want to live with us. We couldn't very well ask my parents to move out, so we went along with his wishes and let him live alone in the small house..."

Grandpa and Grandma immediately chimed in, "Yes, this kid has a really bad temper. Nobody makes friends with him at school, and he ignores everyone when he gets home. He even had a fight with us just now! Sigh, we just can't control him..."

They muttered to themselves how Si Ping's parents had arrived at such a convenient time, seizing the opportunity to speak ill of Si Ping. Meanwhile, Si Ping, who had been tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep and still reeling from the shock of death, rebirth, and what to do next, heard a child outside crying "Brother, brother!" Opening the back door, he was met with a pair of tearful eyes, and his heart trembled.

Although the person opposite you has a child's face, the guilt, pain, and longing in their eyes are so complex that they don't seem like a child at all.

Si Ping almost thought he was still dreaming when the child suddenly rushed over, hugged him, and cried bitterly, "Brother—Brother—I missed you so much!!"

"Brother, don't leave me..."

"Waaaaah, brother, I'm so sorry...!!"

Si Ping was bewildered, but after a long while he finally realized—his brother had also been reborn!

Seeing her younger brother's guilty and pained expression, she kept apologizing to him, saying that she shouldn't have hung up on his call for help, that she had witnessed his death, and every word she said blamed her for his death...

Si Ping, who hadn't quite sorted out his thoughts, instinctively became anxious.

He didn't call for help at all. He was just too tired. He had been busy for so many days, and after a night of socializing, he came home drunk. The house was empty, and he couldn't help but miss his younger brother and want to talk to him.

It's normal for his brother to hang up on him. It's 2 a.m. Who wouldn't be angry if their sleep was disturbed in the middle of the night? Besides, they were having a "conflict" at the time. His brother didn't want to be instigated by the shareholders to seize power in the company, so he had been avoiding him.

The empty beeping sound from his phone at that moment made him feel inexplicably heavy. The rising fatigue, the increasingly difficult breathing, and the darkening vision made him want to just fall asleep.

So he fell asleep, and when he woke up, he found himself in the classroom. It felt like a dream, and even now he still finds it unreal.

And yet, his brother actually felt that his death was caused by him? And he even felt extremely guilty about it?

The facts are clearly not like that!

The many thoughts that arose from his rebirth vanished in the face of his younger brother's tears. Si Ping's mind was filled with thoughts of how his brother could suffer such injustice.

He knelt down, hugged the child in front of him, gently stroked the hair that was wet with sweat from crying, and said again and again, "It's okay, it's alright, don't be afraid."

The child was not comforted at all. The fear of witnessing his brother's death in his past life, along with decades of self-blame, pain, and repression, made his eyes red with tears. The emotions that had been piling up inside him were completely released at this moment, and the little child cried pitifully.

Mr. and Mrs. Si could no longer care about their parents, brother, and sister-in-law fanning the flames. Seeing their youngest son crying so sadly, they felt heartbroken and came over to say, "Sweetie, what happened? What's wrong? Tell Mommy and Daddy, okay?"

Si Qi never sheds tears. Once, he accidentally got injured and bled a lot. He was in so much pain that he couldn't help but sob, but the tears of his friends around him made him stop crying. He kept comforting them, saying, "It's okay, I'm not in pain, don't be sad."

He rarely cries because he knows that if he is sad, many other people will be sad because of him.

But tonight, this sensible child cried as if he would cry all the tears he could in his life at home, in front of his brother.

How could parents not be heartbroken? They were truly afraid that something had happened to Si Qi.

"Sweetie, tell Mommy, what happened?"

Si Qi sobbed, "I...I'm fine, it's my brother..."

Mr. Si looked down at his eldest son, whose face was somewhat unfamiliar and who was thin and small, and frowned, saying, "I didn't have a chance to ask earlier, how come you live here?"

Looking at his parents, who had passed away just a few months ago, Si Ping's emotions were mixed: "I...I've always lived here."

Si Ping is not good at expressing his grievances to others. His childhood experiences have made him very introverted, and he tends to talk too much and too complicatedly.

But he has a younger brother, who looked up with tears in his eyes and complained on his brother's behalf: "I had a dream that my brother was having a hard time and was being bullied by a lot of people. I was so sad!"

Si Qi's parents instinctively picked up the crying Si Qi to comfort him, and looked at Si Ping, while also noticing the open door behind Si Ping.

A dim, yellowish chandelier was on in the room, revealing a wooden bed that took up most of the space and was worth no more than a hundred yuan. On the bed was a plain, bright red peony-patterned sheet, the kind only older people would typically like. Besides that, there was a messy, mismatched wardrobe, tables, chairs, and various other odds and ends, each item bearing the marks of life.

This is what my grandparents meant when they said I had a bad temper, was difficult to manage, and didn't want to live in the same house as them.

ridiculous!

Even if Si Ping is some kind of devilish troublemaker, his uncle's family should still move out so Si Ping can live in the house. After all, they built this house for him! Everything should belong to Si Ping!

Si's parents instinctively hugged their child tighter, a surge of anger rising in their chests.

To be fair, they didn't really care much about their child. But so many parents in the village work away from home like them, and so many people don't come home all year round, so why is Siping the only one living like this?

In an era when most people's wages were only three or four thousand yuan, Si Ping had two hundred thousand yuan for living expenses each month.

Judging from Si Ping's current state, he is living worse than those left-behind children, and the money never even reached his hands.

The couple were so angry that their temples bulged. Si's mother said to Si Ping, "I'm sorry, it was my oversight."

"……fine."

Si Ping had long known that the couple had no interest in taking care of their child; their minds were only on work and career, and they devoted all their energy to their dreams.

Even Si Qi, who is "pampered by his parents", rarely sees them at home.

What is he anyway?

Despite Si Ping avoiding her gaze, Si's mother was not discouraged. She pulled her husband along and gave a cold look to the adults in the distance.

Uncle Si Qi was very dissatisfied with this. Before Si's parents could speak, he frowned and said, "What kind of attitude is this? Your parents are so old, and they still have to help you take care of the child. You know what it's like for the elderly to take care of children. Si Ping is already better than many children in the village!"

"You're talking nonsense!" Taking advantage of her young age, the original owner of the body, who was acting like an old cucumber trying to look young, said directly: "My older cousins ​​are so fat and eat so well, while my brother is so thin and doesn't even have enough to eat!"

Upon hearing this, Si Qi's parents subconsciously looked at Si Ping again. They immediately noticed Si Ping's tall and thin stature, as well as his malnourished, yellowish, and dry short hair. They also saw the nephew and niece standing next to their brother and sister-in-law, whose size was at least twice as wide as Si Ping.

The gap between the two sides is so stark that it's impossible to say it wasn't intentional.

Once he realized his son had been abused, the anger that had been building up inside Si's father was finally ignited.

"You live with Si Ping and eat together, how come only Si Ping is so thin?!" Si's father said angrily, "If you don't want to raise him, you can tell me. I can easily hire a nanny and he won't turn out like this!"

"How dare you speak like that!" Uncle Si's face was fierce, and he rolled up his sleeves, ready to fight. His wife stopped him first: "Oh dear, what are you two brothers arguing about in the middle of the night? Can't you talk things out properly?"

After saying that, she went to talk to the original owner's parents: "You two, what time is it? You come here and start arguing with your family. What kind of behavior is that!"

Si Qi listened from the side, thinking to himself, "If he hadn't suddenly come over, would he have seen this scene before him?"

In the original timeline, Si Ping's parents did not interrupt Si Ping's studies while he was still in school. Instead, they called one or two months in advance to say that they would take Si Ping to live with them during the summer vacation.

The Si family grandparents were not close to Si Qi's father, who had always been aloof and unlikable. This was because Si Qi's father only had a primary school education and worked odd jobs in town, and they felt he wasn't as successful as Si Qi's eldest son, who owned a shop in town. They also favored their eldest son, who lived with them. They disliked Si Ping, who was forced to be raised by them, treating the then-infant Si Ping as a burden, feeling they were doing their best to feed him.

Later, Si Qi's parents became successful and made money. They even demolished and rebuilt their old house. Just as Si Qi's grandparents were starting to change their opinion of their youngest son, Si Qi's uncle felt that his brother's actions made him lose face and kept badmouthing Si Qi's father in front of Si Qi's grandparents.

He said his younger brother had been aloof and uncaring towards his family since childhood, that he hadn't visited his parents for years and was unfilial, that he didn't even care about his own son, Si Ping, let alone his own parents, and that the two elderly people would have to rely on him, the eldest brother, to take care of them in their old age...

The slight improvement in Si Qi's grandparents' opinion of Si Qi's father was immediately replaced by their dissatisfaction due to the long-term instigation by their eldest son and his wife.

What was their attitude towards Si Ping all those years ago? What was their attitude after Si Qi's parents started sending money but didn't come home?

It was common for Si Qi's parents to habitually favor their eldest son's two grandchildren. All the delicacies sent by Si Qi's parents were given to his uncle's family, and the living expenses sent to Si Ping were saved up so that his uncle could buy a car and a house.

This kind of life continued for many years, and the whole family had gotten used to it. It wasn't until Si Qi's parents suddenly called to say they wanted to take Si Ping back that Si Qi's uncle realized that Si Ping's condition was actually not suitable for his parents to see. He immediately changed Si Ping's room, bought him new clothes, and made sure Si Ping was well-fed and watered. In a month or two, he managed to fatten Si Ping up, so that at least outwardly there were absolutely no problems.

When Si Qi's parents saw Si Ping again after many years, because of how popular Si Qi had been since childhood, they never had the concept of "children being abused." They gave a large sum of money to the parents, brother and sister-in-law who had helped take care of the child, and then took Si Ping back home.

Si Ping had grown up accustomed to being ignored by those around him and had no idea that there was anything wrong with his past life, let alone tell his parents about it.

When he later realized he had been wronged, he had grown up. The long-term neglect from his parents made him believe that even if he spoke up, his parents wouldn't stand up for him; they would only be dissatisfied with his uselessness. So he kept it to himself and never brought it up.

Unexpectedly, after his rebirth, his parents' sudden midnight visit revealed the truth that he had never disclosed in his previous life to his family. His parents finally noticed what their eldest son had been through all these years, and their anger was ignited.

"I paid for this villa, and you brought your wife and kids to live here? Fine, I won't hold it against you. But you made my son live in the warehouse? Have you no shame?"

Pointing at the unfamiliar luxury car parked in the yard, Mr. Si flew into a rage: "I spend hundreds of thousands every month to raise my son and my parents, why should I also have to support you and your wife and children? Are you handless or footless or a beggar? With your meager income, can you afford a luxury car and a house? Where did you get this money from? Do you have the nerve to tell me?!"

Who do you think you are!

As Mr. Si spoke, his emotions began to surface.

He left home in his teens and never had a close relationship with his parents. He knew his parents were closer to his older brother, which was fine, since he didn't have much affection for his parents either. Without love, there was no resentment of being ignored; he couldn't care less who his parents liked.

But knowing something in one's heart is one thing, while parents openly displaying this attitude and telling him, "We don't care about you, so we can abuse your son as we please," is quite another.

They've taken so much money from him over the years, lived in the house he built, and still don't treat him and his son with any respect. What does that mean? Isn't this a slap in his face?

When a big boss who has weathered countless storms gets angry, his aura instantly overwhelms everyone present.

The night was very quiet, and Si's father didn't try to keep his voice down at all; his angry shouts carried far.

Many neighbors heard the noise, turned on their lights, and peered over.

Grandpa and Grandma Si noticed the commotion and tried to calm things down, advising Si's father to calm down and talk about it tomorrow. Si's father sneered and said, "You have no shame?" Pointing to the gate outside the courtyard, he said, "A few years ago, I donated three million to the village to build roads. The villagers are grateful to me and never forget to ask if I'm safe during holidays. And what about you? You spend my money and abuse my son. If word gets out, do you think the villagers will gossip about you behind your backs!"

Using filial piety to pressure him? What a joke! Even biological parents can't justify abusing their son!

Grandpa and Grandma Si looked grim, while Uncle and Aunt Si were rendered speechless by the jeers. The group stood there in the howling night wind, being relentlessly berated by Si's father. Uncle Si tried to retort, but was only dragged out and mocked even more fiercely. The two siblings, who had bullied Si Ping since childhood, were given a thorough dressing-down.

Si Qi and Si Ping stood aside, looking at their father's dissatisfied expression, knowing in their hearts that it wasn't like this in their previous life.

The conflict we're having tonight didn't happen then, and Si Qi's parents didn't have any issues with this family of relatives.

The eldest uncle of the Si family thought that since his younger brother's family was rich and could help him buy a car and a house, they could definitely help his children as well. So, for the next few years, he did a very good job of putting on a good show.

Si Qi's parents understood what their eldest brother and sister-in-law were after, and they didn't mind spending some money to get rid of them. As for the job, it was already arranged, so be it. In short, they just wanted them to stay away.

Things are different now.

The way those people were treating Si Ping was practically an insult to Si's father's dignity. If Si's father wasn't angry, he would be a saint.

Si Qi's mother didn't speak. These weren't her relatives, so she only focused on protecting the two younger ones.

“Don’t be afraid, baby,” Si Qi had never seen adults arguing like this before. Worried that Si Qi would be scared by his father’s anger, he comforted him, “It’s okay, don’t worry.”

Si Qi tugged at his mother's sleeve and reminded her, "Mom, my brother has suffered a lot of grievances here."

Mrs. Si looked at her eldest son standing beside her, understood what her younger son meant, and said seriously, "Xiaoping, since you're not happy here, why don't you come and live with your parents in Jiang Province?"

The teaching quality here is not as good as back home. If Si Ping hadn't been so reluctant to leave his hometown, his parents would have taken him away long ago.

However, when Si Ping said he didn't want to leave, it was probably because those adults told him to say it, and it might not have been Si Ping's true thought.

This child... is different from Si Qi, who has always been able to get along well no matter where he is. Si Ping only knows how to keep things to himself, he is not shrewd at all, and he seems a bit like someone who can be easily manipulated. Could it be that he will say he wants to live with his grandparents again later?

Just as she was thinking this, she saw Si Ping nod, look directly into her eyes, and say very firmly, "Okay."

After saying that, she added, "Can I talk to my brother alone?"

Without hesitation, Si's mother pushed Si Qi, who was standing next to her, over: "You two brothers haven't seen each other for a long time, it's good for you to talk for a while."

The original owner ran up to Si Ping and whispered, "Brother, are you alright?"

Si Ping smiled and said, "My brother is doing well."

After learning that his younger brother had also been reborn with him and rushed to see him, he was overjoyed.

Hearing her deceased brother say that she was doing well, the original owner's tears welled up again, and she kept wiping them away with the back of her hand: "Brother, I'm sorry..."

"It's okay," Si Ping said, putting his arm around his little brother who was still a tiny baby. "Is your brother's sudden departure scary? I should apologize to you."

He couldn't even imagine how his brother would face the suddenly empty house, the wolves and tigers in the company, and the troublesome relatives after his sudden death.

They must have suffered a lot.

“Brother…” The original owner choked up.

Even after his brother died, he showed no resentment and only cared about his own situation. This made his nose tingle, and he unconsciously recalled the grievances his brother had suffered because of him in his diary.

"It will never happen again." The child gripped his brother's hand tightly and said, "I will protect you from now on."

Si Ping chuckled, looked at his little brother who was still just a tiny toddler in front of him, and nodded, saying, "Okay."

Actually, even without Si Qi specifically mentioning it, whether in his past life or this one, he has always been protected by his younger brother. Didn't his brother notice at all?

The two brothers were whispering sweet nothings to each other, and in the dead of night, their father, who had been venting his anger, was exhausted.

He hadn't come here specifically to argue, and not wanting his two sons to stand by and watch him lose his temper, he said to his wife with a grim expression, "Pack Xiaoping's luggage; we're going straight back today."

Grandpa and Grandma Si watched as their father berated their eldest son in front of them. Although he didn't say a single word about them, it was clear to everyone that their father also harbored resentment towards them. He was implying that they favored their uncle's family, spending the money he sent to raise his son while treating his son like an orphan living under someone else's roof.

The elderly couple were humiliated. When they heard from Si's father that they didn't even plan to rest at home, have a drink of water, or stay overnight, and were about to leave with Si Ping that very night, they didn't say a word to stop them. It was as if they couldn't wait for Si's father to leave, and they had a lot of complaints about him.

Si's father didn't care at all. He was indeed a person who didn't value his family much. His parents were like that, his brother was like that, and even his son was like that.

His brother wasn't wrong about the divisive things he said to his parents; he was indeed too lazy to do any of the formalities and was only willing to pay people off.

He is willing to treat his wife with love and respect because she is his best partner, someone who is perfectly in sync with him in thought and action, and his absolute soulmate.

The reason she is willing to show Si Qi so much tenderness is because Si Qi never causes her trouble and has a perfect personality, which can provide her with a lot of emotional value.

If the company hadn't already had money when Si Qi was born, making it easy to hire a nanny, Si Qi would have suffered the same fate as his brother Si Ping, being abandoned and raised in their hometown.

It sounds a bit tragic, but that's the case with a large amount of child support every month. Even Si's father himself didn't expect that even though he gave the family hundreds of thousands of yuan every month, his parents could still raise his child like this. He thought Si Ping was living a good life back in his hometown.

It's utterly foolish of me to trust my family. With a dark expression, Si's father ordered the driver and assistant, "Go get a few suitcases for luggage."

Outside, the village chief and others, who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion at the Si family's house, heard this as soon as they entered and asked with concern, "What's going on? Are you moving?"

Si's father: "I'm taking my son back to live with me."

Si Ping's father didn't believe the villagers didn't know how Si Ping was treated. Si Ping looked so thin, almost malnourished. And when his grandparents talked and acted in the village, they would definitely show their favoritism towards Si Ping's uncle's family, instead of pretending to be impartial for over a decade.

The villagers didn't tell Si's father about this, probably because those were Si's biological parents and brother. Outsiders shouldn't speak ill of his parents and brother to Si's father because of a son that Si's father himself didn't care much about. They didn't want to do something good but end up making Si's father resentful.

In addition, Si's father's rise to prominence only occurred after Si Qi was born. Before that, Si Ping was left in his hometown and was disliked by the elders as a burden, and was not taken seriously in daily life for many years.

The villagers had long been accustomed to Si Ping's situation and probably never considered that while they were walking on the smooth cement road that Si's father had paid to build, they should also be concerned about how Si's father's biological son was doing.

Moreover, a child with little presence who was still in elementary school not long ago, is nowhere near as worthy of attention and flattery as his grandparents and uncle. Si Ping might not even understand what the adults are saying.

So when they suddenly heard Si's father mention that he was taking his son back at two or three in the morning, and that he had people packing his luggage overnight, the village chief and the others finally realized that Si's father was angry, and quite angry at that.

They said nervously, "Why are you in such a hurry?"

Father Si showed no respect for his parents, brothers, and sisters-in-law behind him, and recounted what he had just witnessed.

The village chief and others were "furious" and reprimanded the Si family members: "How could you do such a thing to Si Ping, who is only a little child!"

"His parents entrusted their child to you because they trusted you the most, but what did you do? You didn't even feed the child properly and made him sleep in a warehouse!"

The Si family members blushed, resenting the village chief for pretending. He knew about Si Ping's situation before, but now he was playing the good guy and speaking up for Si Ping.

Not long ago, when we talked to the village chief and the others, they were all very friendly and treated us like gods of wealth. Now they've turned on us faster than anyone else.

Although they themselves knew in their hearts that the village chief had been kind to them before because they were Si's father's family and deserved to be flattered, now that Si's father had clearly broken ties with them, it was obvious who the village chief was on.

But if Uncle Si and Father Si can argue back and forth, can they argue with the village chief?

He could only stand there, feeling utterly humiliated, being scolded by everyone as he watched more and more villagers gather at the door. He had completely lost face.

People were talking amongst themselves: "I never would have guessed that this family would mistreat Si Ping like this!"

"Their family has been living such a glamorous life these past few years! Big bosses from the city have come all the way here to pay them a visit and bring them gifts, all because of Si Ping's father! And what did they do? The whole family of six eats Si Ping's food, lives in Si Ping's house, and even kicks Si Ping out to the warehouse. They have no conscience at all!"

"I just don't believe that such a big villa wouldn't have a room for even one child."

"A few days ago, Si Qingshan (Si Ping's cousin) was bragging to my son that he had Australian lobsters that were flown in from Australia, and each one was at least as long as a human arm! It must have been bought by Si Ping's dad to give to Si Ping, right? But in the end, they all ended up in Si Qingshan's mouth, and Si Ping didn't get a single bite!"

"I can't believe they did that!"

"Si Ping is a pitiful child. He was skinny when he was little. His grandparents never cared about him. His clothes and shoes were all hand-me-downs from his older brother and sister. He was even mocked by those two kids for picking up their trash."

"Yeah, tsk tsk, it's good that his dad took him back, what a mess..."

The villagers pointed and whispered about the Si family's crimes, as if they had long been dissatisfied with them.

Uncle Si's face darkened. He wanted to retort, but he knew it was not a good time to offend more people, so he could only hold his breath as his chest heaved.

This is clearly just the beginning; one can imagine their situation in the village from now on.

On the other side, Si Ping's mother, who was helping Si Ping pack his luggage, saw Si Ping's living environment with her own eyes. Not only did he have almost no personal belongings that he needed to buy, but the stuffy and stale air in the room, and the furniture and furnishings that were worse than those in her maid's room, made her chest heave with anger.

She told Si Ping to take the stationery and textbooks with him, without even glancing at the other bedding and blankets. As she left, she said in a clear and undisguised voice, "Alright, no need to have Xiao Li and the others look for suitcases. There are only a few things in total."

As Si's father and the village chief were talking, they turned to look at Si Ping and the schoolbag he was carrying, and frowned, saying, "That's all?"

"That's all," Mrs. Si said with a sneer. "She's lived here for over ten years and doesn't even have a single thing of her own, just a few clothes!"

Even boarding students have more than this much stuff in their dorm rooms, but Si Ping lives in his own home, even worse off than boarding students.

The nearby villagers were in an uproar. Si's father's face darkened, and he gave his parents a deep look. "Fine, let's go."

The village chief quickly interjected, "Why don't you rest for a bit and leave when it's light tomorrow?"

“Forget it,” Si’s father sneered, “I don’t think that warehouse can accommodate my family of four.”