Chapter 440: Apology
Editor: Atlas Studios
Qi Haoran pulled Mu Yangling aside and said, “Although we’re married, we can’t be distant from Zijin.”
Mu Yangling said speechlessly, “Don’t you feel uneasy taking advantage of him?”
Qi Haoran asked blankly, “Why should I feel uneasy?”
Mu Yangling stared at him for a while and realized that he was really confused. She asked curiously, “If Zijin marries in the future, what if his wife has something to say about it?”
“You’re underestimating Zijin too much. He’s not someone who can be controlled by a woman.”
“But you still can’t let him be estranged from his wife because of this. Since Zijin treats you so well, you have to be considerate of him too.”
Qi Haoran said nonchalantly, “If he suggests it, we won’t take advantage of him anymore. As long as he doesn’t mention it, we’ll continue to take advantage of him.”
Mu Yangling instantly doubted her judgment. Could it be that she had actually chosen a scumbag?
She sized Qi Haoran up and didn’t realize that he had such potential. Wasn’t he screwing over his pal too much?
Seeing that she was silent, Qi Haoran thought that she was insisting, so he said seriously, “Ah Ling, you won’t go wrong listening to me. If you take the initiative to not take advantage of him, it will sadden him.”
Mu Yangling’s mouth fell open. “I’m saddening him by doing this?”
“Aren’t you making us feel distant? It’s just some advantages. I’ve taken advantage of him even more. Besides,” Qi Haoran said in an almost inaudible voice, “in the future, all this money will be invested in the West Camp. We’ll still be the ones taking advantage.”
Rather than quietly taking advantage of Zijin like that, it would be better to take advantage of him openly. At least in the end, everyone would know that they owed Zijin, and it would be easier for Zijin to claim credit when they were awarded for their contributions in the future.
Mu Yangling opened her mouth wide, then closed it again. In the end, she nodded and said, “Alright, I was short-sighted and narrow-minded.”
Qi Haoran raised his head proudly and said smugly, “Even without what happened after that, I can take advantage of him whenever I want.”
When the two of them came out, Fan Zijin still looked sulky. Seeing this, Mu Yangling apologized. She deeply reflected on her dirty thoughts and apologized for tainting his and Qi Haoran’s pure brotherhood. She swore that she would never stop Qi Haoran from taking advantage of him in the future.
Only then did Fan Zijin’s expression look better. Fan Zijin reluctantly forgave Mu Yangling, but behind her back, he still said angrily, “Am I that petty?”
Qi Haoran bent down and shook his head repeatedly. “No, Cousin is the most generous.”
“She simply wanted to sow discord. She couldn’t stand to see that we brothers are close.”
Qi Haoran hurriedly shook his head and said, “Ah Ling isn’t such a person. She just feels embarrassed because she keeps taking advantage of you.”
Fan Zijin pursed his lips in disdain. “Haven’t you taken advantage of me enough? When have I ever minded?”
“That’s right. I scolded her just now. She definitely won’t dare to mention this matter again in the future,” Qi Haoran said indignantly.
Fan Zijin looked at him suspiciously. “You scolded her? Really?”
“Of course it’s true. Since she’s already sincerely admitted her mistake, Cousin, please forgive her.”
Only then did Fan Zijin notice how Qi Haoran addressed him. He pursed his lips in disdain and sat on the chair with a cup of tea. “Keep bragging. Can you bear to scold her? How about this? If you can scold her in front of me, I’ll agree to forgive her.”
Qi Haoran was stunned. Then, he jumped up and said, “How could you do this?”
Fan Zijin pursed his lips and said calmly, “I knew you were coaxing me. I won’t forgive her if you don’t scold her.”
Qi Haoran immediately said, “I’ll go back and scold her again. If I scold her outside, won’t she lose face?”
“It’s alright. I don’t mind her crying,” Fan Zijin said.
‘But I mind.’
Seeing that Qi Haoran’s face had turned red from holding it in, the frustration in Fan Zijin’s heart after being provoked by his stepbrother for so many days finally dissipated. Indeed, as long as he wasn’t happy, he could bully Qi Haoran.
Fan Zijin waved his hand generously and said, “Alright, go do what you have to do. Get Ah Ling to come over every three days for an inspection and check the accounts every ten days. After the 15th, I’ll go to the academy and start to study in seclusion.”
Fan Zijin sneered and said, “Does he really think he can ride on my head just because I haven’t been in Lin’an Prefecture for a few years?”
Qi Haoran immediately asked, “Did Fan Zixiao bully you again? I’ll help you teach him a lesson.”
Fan Zijin waved his hand and said, “Can he bully me? But it’s really annoying to have him constantly jump around me. I can take the opportunity to move out to study at the academy.”
If it was in the past, even if Fan Zijin was disgusted, he would still insist on staying in the Fan Residence. If he wasn’t at ease, he didn’t want the others to live comfortably either. However, on the trip back, his eldest cousin’s ambitions would constantly appear in his mind. Why did he have to be calculative with those people when his world was so vast?
Why should he waste time on those people?
Therefore, Fan Zijin decided to move out this time so that he could live more comfortably and focus more energy and time on his own matters.
Fan Zijin asked in a low voice, “Didn’t Eldest Cousin give you a mission? You can’t just focus on playing.”
Qi Haoran promised, “Don’t worry, I’ve already started on it. If I don’t go around and play, I really won’t be able to go about tackling it.”
That was true. Qi Haoran had just returned and there were still many people watching him. It was a little difficult for him to do anything now, so he could only play around.
The two of them discussed some things before parting ways.
Mu Yangling had already flipped through half of the account book. When she saw the two of them come out, she closed the booklet and was a little embarrassed when facing Fan Zijin. Fan Zijin waved his hand indifferently and said, “I’ll leave the business in Jiangnan to you next year.”
“A year? Isn’t it enough until the end of the Fall Quarter Examinations?”
Fan Zijin looked at her in disdain. “After the Fall Quarter Examinations is the Spring Quarter Examinations. Do you think I have time to manage these things? If you’re going to manage these things, you naturally have to manage them until the end of the Spring Quarter Examinations next year.”
Mu Yangling couldn’t help but ask, “Are you so confident that you’ll definitely pass the Spring Quarter Examinations next year?”
Fan Zijin couldn’t even be bothered to reply.
Mu Yangling was about to be defeated by their arrogance. The two cousins were surprisingly similar in this aspect.
Fan Zijin said, “Considering two years’ Spring Quarter Examinations will be held together, Lin’an Prefecture will probably be very lively this year and next. Didn’t you want to buy land? You can look for it now. You might be able to find a good deal. If you want to buy more, you can look again after the Spring Quarter Examinations. There might be a surprise.”
“Why before and after the Spring Quarter Examinations?”
Fan Zijin revealed a mouthful of white teeth and said, “That’s because before and after the Spring Quarter Examinations, many students need money to buy connections. There are always students from Lin’an who don’t have enough money and need to sell their land to raise money.”
Mu Yangling was stunned. Then, she nodded thoughtfully and asked, “Will anyone sell test questions?”
Fan Zijin rolled his eyes and looked at Qi Haoran. Qi Haoran hurriedly explained, “Ah Ling, this is cheating. Once it appears, corpses will be everywhere. Don’t talk nonsense. Those students just pay and use their connections to find out who the main examiner is. Then, they will spend a lot of money to buy his previous essays and theories to read.”