"Don't worry, I'll have Mom and Dad move back."
"That's good."
······
When Chen Zhuo returned home, Zhou Shanhuai and Song Xiaowen had already prepared the fish and were waiting for him. Upon seeing him return, Song Xiaowen hurriedly came forward, seemingly pulling Chen Zhuo back to the table, but in reality, she had already secretly observed Chen Zhuo thoroughly.
Only when I saw that everything about him was good did I finally feel completely at ease.
“Hey, you two never let me have a moment’s peace. Your dad just came back and said he was robbed on the way. I almost couldn’t breathe. I finally caught my breath, but then he said you were… well, Chen Zhuo, your dad said, said…” Song Xiaowen hesitated, unsure how to begin.
Chen Zhuo hugged her reassuringly and patted her back. "I'm sorry, Mom, for making you worry. We're all fine. I brought Chen Ke back because he said he bought back our old house and wants us to move back in."
"Huh?" This time, Zhou Shanhuai and Song Xiaowen were both stunned.
"No, no, he bought our old house back?" Zhou Shanhuai's voice was filled with undisguised shock. That house was worth a lot of money. Chen Ke, where did he get the money?
"Hmm, I've been thinking about it. Mom and Dad, let's move back first thing tomorrow morning. It's really not safe to live here, and we're not home during the day, so Mom is home alone all the time."
"Ah? I, I'm fine. There are neighbors around, and I don't go out, so there's no danger." After saying that, Song Xiaowen pulled Chen Zhuo and said seriously, "Chen Zhuo, if you don't want to move, we can stay here. Next time, we'll make sure Dad never takes the shortcut again, and then the danger won't happen."
Chen Zhuo knew that Song Xiaowen said all this because she was concerned about him, afraid that he would feel uncomfortable because the house was bought by Chen Ke. In the past, he might have felt that way.
He was determined not to live in the house his enemy bought, but after the lesson Chen Ke taught him today, he understood how far people could go for themselves. Since Chen Ke was willing to sell him for his own benefit, why shouldn't he live in the house Chen Ke bought? He was going to live there!
Not only did he want to stay there, but he also had to ask him for money. Wasn't he supposed to be learning from him? Shamelessness and selfishness were the first lessons he learned.
"No, Mom and Dad, that's our house, why shouldn't we live there? Let's do this: Mom, you pack your things at home tomorrow, and Dad and I will come back early tonight to move in."
“This…” Song Xiaowen looked at Zhou Shanhuai with a helpless expression.
Zhou Shanhuai shook his head at her and said, "Move, move. There's not even a place for you to plant flowers here. It's better to go back to the old house, where there's a garden."
Song Xiaowen: ······
Is the question now whether or not there's a garden?
Before going to bed that night, the two talked about Chen Ke again. Song Xiaowen hadn't asked about it at the dinner table, but she asked later that night: "Shanhuai, did Chen Zhuo come back with Chen Ke and run into you? So, did they make up or not?"
Zhou Shanhuai sighed inwardly, "It's not that easy. Although the amount of money Chen Ke took wasn't much, his actions were incredibly hurtful. In our situation at the time, the money he took was essentially our lifeline. He didn't even consider how we were going to survive. Besides, Chen Zhuo is his own brother. Even if he was heartless towards us, he abandoned Chen Zhuo as well. Tell me, if you were in his shoes, wouldn't you hate him?"
"Me? Probably. Even if we adopt them, for those two brothers, each other is the closest person in the world. Being betrayed and abandoned by the closest person, no one can bear it."
"Well, who can argue with that? We don't even know if these two brothers will ever be able to make up."
·······
"Make up as before? Where is the 'make up as before'? When he was a child, the original owner ignored Chen Zhuo and left him to his own devices. When he was short of money, he even sold Chen Zhuo to raise money. Later, when he was adopted, Chen Zhuo kept the fact that he was sold as a child a secret in his heart and wanted to get close to him, but he just went through the motions and didn't care about Chen Zhuo at all. And after that, it goes without saying that what you call 'make up as before'?"
The system said awkwardly, "Master, you really understand the original owner perfectly."
Chen Ke remained silent. Indeed, in the past, he could only learn about the original owner's life, personality, and thoughts through the system. But this time, through the original owner's body, he seemed to be able to truly understand his thoughts and his previous life.
"Master, are you going to play the role of a bad older brother in front of Chen Zhuo from now on?"
"People always believe what they see. The more they see, the more they will doubt what they used to believe. At that point, you don't need to explain anything to them; they will find a way to convince themselves."
"Master, I don't understand~"
Chen Ke: "It's normal that you don't understand because you're brainless. You'll understand when you grow a brain."
"Huh? When will I ever grow a brain?"
"...I don't know, maybe after this world, maybe many worlds later?"
"Ugh, I wish I had a brain..."
The system's aggrieved voice disappeared into Chen Ke's gradually calming breathing.
The next morning, Chen Ke strolled over to the Thirteen Factories, carrying a military water bottle that clashed terribly with his clothes.
I thought today would be a boring day spent sitting in the antique shop and dozing off, but unexpectedly, a customer came.
"Boss, do you buy antiques here?" A woman with exquisite makeup and wearing a cheongsam walked in gracefully, exuding charm with every glance.
But Chen Ke didn't even glance at it, secretly troubled.
Is it because I didn't choose a good name? Why are all the people who come here "fellow antique sellers"?
However, to prevent the loss of national treasures like the rabbit fur teacup, Chen Ke nodded and said, "We will collect them, but we won't collect ordinary cultural relics." Foreigners don't value ordinary cultural relics, and they have no chance of being lost overseas.
The woman was somewhat surprised to see that Chen Ke's gaze did not waver at all when he looked at her. After all, she was a star performer in Shanghai's dance halls, with countless men falling at her feet. Wherever she went, she was the center of attention.
"Hmph, boss, you're so rude, you don't even look at people when you talk to them."
Chen Ke, who had just been dusting off with a feather duster: ......
"What do you want to sell? Show it to me," Chen Ke said expressionlessly, looking into the woman's eyes.
Seeing this, the woman abandoned the worldly air she had displayed when she entered and gave Chen Ke a dignified bow. "I was just joking. I hope you won't mind, boss."
Chen Ke: "...If you don't mind, take out the antiques and let me see them." High-level creatures are indeed unfathomable.
The woman sat down directly and said, "The things aren't with me."
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