Qin Xin’s first instinct was to protect his comfort object. The rolled-up black T-shirt lay quietly beside his pillow, having brought him a full night of peace and reassurance.
“What did you say?” Qin Xin had just woken up, his mind still foggy.
Fang Feiyu sprawled beside him, wailing dramatically.
“Look, look! This one right here!” he shoved his phone over. “The stock gurus online said not to panic. They said it’s just a technical correction! What do you think?”
“What do I think?” Qin Xin propped himself up on one arm and sat up, helplessness written all over his face. He understood perfectly why Fang Feiyu didn’t believe him. If someone who had never traded stocks suddenly told people a market crash was coming, who would take him seriously?
Even if a time traveler really did appear and warn investors in advance, nobody would believe it. After all, people willing to hold their positions only trusted their own judgment… or the so-called experts online.
“But… but…” Fang Feiyu sounded utterly heartbroken. He stared at his phone as though he no longer recognized the market he’d been watching every day. “But I’ve been making money this whole time!”
“That’s survivor’s confidence talking.”
Qin Xin glanced at their reflections in the mirror. He and Fang Feiyu didn’t look alike, and their builds didn’t match either. Feiyu took after his father, Fang Bo, tall, broad, and sturdy. As for Qin Xin, he had always been frail. Standing next to him, he looked almost half as substantial.
Twenty-two-year-old Fang Feiyu…
Just about to escape the greatest disaster of his life.
Patiently, Qin Xin explained.
“The reason you’ve been making money isn’t that you’re good at trading stocks. It’s because the overall market has been strong. During a bull run like that, who doesn’t make money?”
“But…” Fang Feiyu tossed his phone onto the bed.
“Can you actually read any of those charts? Do you even understand what those experts are talking about? Feiyu, justtrust me. It’s time to cash out. If you don’t run now, you’re going to get trapped.” Then Qin Xin changed his tone. “Unless…”
“Unless what?” Fang Feiyu immediately grabbed onto the lifeline.
“Unless you sell everything and buy the stocks I tell you to buy,” Qin Xin offered him a clear path forward.
“You don’t even understand stocks!” Fang Feiyu still clung stubbornly to his investment philosophy. “I’ll wait and see. What if it goes back up tomorrow? It’s just a technical correction. No big deal.”
“Then keep watching.” Qin Xin stopped trying to persuade him. “Oh, and whatever you do, don’t listen to those experts. Don’t try to buy the dip or gamble on a rebound. This disaster has already started. The market won’t fully recover for another two years.”
Let him lose some money.
Sometimes pain was the only teacher people listened to.
As long as Qin Xin was around, Fang Feiyu wouldn’t repeat his previous life’s fate: losing everything, exhausting his savings, sinking into despair, and eventually leaving the city behind.
And it was Fang Feiyu’s misfortune that had indirectly led to Qin Xin’s awakening.
Back then, Fang Bo had been devastated by what happened to his son. He’d drunk himself senseless one night and accidentally let slip that there was something wrong with Qin Xin’s medication. From that day forward, Qin Xin had gradually reduced his dosage and stopped treating Uncle Fang’s words as unquestionable medical advice.
But the damage was already done.
The deficits in his body were difficult to recover from, and neither his physical health nor his mental state could easily withstand such a revelation. The person who had cared for him since childhood…
Was the very person responsible for making him sick.
Then, one revelation led to another. Without Qin Xin even asking, fate had begun unveiling the truth on its own. But for now, however, his priority was simple:
Resolve the mess surrounding Lin Fanxing’s family.
………………..
After stopping the herbal medicine, Qin Xin’s appetite had noticeably improved, and he felt hungry every day. Once upon a time, a single bite of toast was enough to fill him up. Now, he suspected he could eat ten slices of buttered toast and five fried eggs without difficulty.
And that still wouldn’t be enough. A man who had never truly understood hunger before had suddenly developed cravings, especially for meat. But of course, he couldn’t eat like that at home.
At least not yet.
Until he was certain his situation was safe and stable, Qin Xin needed to remain cautious, for he couldn’t afford to alert the enemy. So he chose to sneak food outside instead. Even the youngest Best Actor in the country had fallen to this level… his fans would never believe it.
So Qin Xin found a roadside stall that looked relatively clean. His body felt like a withered plant on the verge of death, desperately in need of water. As he drank preserved egg and lean pork congee, he began sorting through the mess surrounding Lin Fanxing’s family.
His younger brother had encountered a fraudulent talent agency and been lured into a trap. Their parents favored the younger son and, somehow, convinced Lin Fanxing to shoulder the debt and take the blame for him. The tragedy followed: Lin Fanxing lost an eye, and from that day on, the brothers became bitter enemies.
In later interviews, Lin Fanxing had indeed said that he hadn’t been in contact with his brother for a very long time, and that was where the problem lay.
He had cut ties because of his hatred, but why hadn’t Xiaoxing ever tried to explain? One phone call, just one, and the canyon-like misunderstanding between them could have been cleared up. Yet he never did. His older brother didn’t look for him, and he likewise drifted away. So it made sense that from Lin Fanxing’s perspective, his younger brother was nothing more than an ungrateful parasite and a leech.
The next time the brothers’ names became linked was the day everything fell apart.
There had to be things Qin Xin still didn’t know. Even as someone who had been reborn, there were gaps in his knowledge. But he vaguely remembered that Xiaoxing’s rise to fame had a great deal to do with Urban Star Magazine. Under editor Zhang Yan’s leadership, Urban had leapt into the ranks of first-tier magazines, and one month later, Xiaoxing appeared on its cover.
At that time…
His Fanxing was still lying in a hospital bed.
By the time he finished the congee and ham sandwich, Qin Xin had also finished his deductions. If not for Lin Fanxing, he wouldn’t have wanted anything to do with Xiaoxing’s affairs. But yesterday’s reunion between the brothers had made one thing obvious:
Lin Fanxing still cared about his brother.
………………………….
Meanwhile, Lin Fanxing stared at the breakfast spread in front of him and found it impossible to enjoy. He hadn’t slept all night. Now, lying down, he tossed and turned. Sitting up, everything tasted like chewing wax.
Wow.
So his parents had started screwing him over this early.
Lin Fanxing really wanted to comfort himself: It’s fine. See? The sooner you saw them clearly, the sooner you could cut ties. They never loved you anyway.
But then again… Let’s not turn suffering into entertainment.
Forget it.
Let’s treat a funeral like a celebration instead. This was great news, wasn’t it? After an entire night of “rebirth,” Lin Fanxing had mostly managed to talk himself into feeling better.
His phone vibrated again. Qin Xin, whom he’d been neglecting, had come looking for him once more.
Xiao Xin: [Fanxing Ge, what are you doing?]
[Working.] Lin Fanxing replied perfunctorily.
Xiao Xin: [Why is there always work… You don’t even chat with me anymore…]
Fanxing: [If I don’t work, who’s going to support the family? You?]
Xiao Xin: [Sure. Once I film my next movie, I’ll finally get my own paycheck. I’ll support you!]
Fanxing: [Haven’t you already filmed movies before? You’re broke?]
Xiao Xin: [My parents keep all my earnings. When you’re underage, your guardians collect them.]
Fanxing: [Sorry, but I don’t like financially dependent men. Unless you transfer me 500 yuan to prove your strength.]
The moment someone opened their mouth and asked for money, Lin Fanxing stopped believing a word they said. In his previous life, he’d believed a man’s sweet talk and genuinely thought that a movie emperor like Qin Xin didn’t have any liquid cash.
You’d starred in so many productions. How could you possibly have no money?
Feeling sorry for men was the beginning of bad luck, and spending money on men was the beginning of disaster.
Therefore, he, Lin Fanxing, was going to become a gold-digger!
Xiao Xin: [I still have a few hundred yuan here. I’ll send it to you first. What’s mine is yours.]
A moment later, Qin Xin sent a 520-yuan red envelope. The old Lin Fanxing wouldn’t have dared accept it. Forget 520 yuan… even 52 yuan would have made him feel guilty. His sense of unworthiness had always kept him firmly in check.
But why wouldn’t he accept it now?!
Not only would he accept it, but he’d also become a manipulative little green-tea gold-digger while he was at it!
Fanxing: [I knew Little Xin was the best. The other men in the entertainment industry are all so filthy. Only Little Xin is different.]
Xiao Xin: [Fanxing Ge, how am I different?]
Fanxing: [It’s just… on the surface you’re very gentle, but deep down you’re actually very lonely. You want someone to understand you, get close to you, and see through all the strength you’re pretending to have…]
After sending that message, Lin Fanxing happily drained an entire bottle of milk, his appetite recovering. The lines weren’t particularly sophisticated, but men always fell for this sort of thing.
This life, you’re going to spend your money on me. Don’t even think about taking advantage of me.
Having said that, Lin Fanxing opened a food delivery app and ordered some cooling patches for Little Fei, who would be coming to pick him up later.
By the time the real Qin Xin arrived, Lin Fanxing was already ready to go.
Outside, the blazing summer sun scorched the streets, and heat waves rose from the pavement, warping the air. Even though Qin Xin had switched to a short-sleeved shirt, sweat was already pouring down inside his helmet.
“Little Fei, you’re way too skinny, aren’t you?” The moment he climbed onto the motorcycle, Lin Fanxing wrapped an arm around his waist. Now that they were completely familiar with each other, his restless hands were back in action, poking here, pinching there.
“Look at your arms. You’re like a stick insect…”
“…”
“A… stick insect?”
In that instant, Qin Xin no longer wanted to live. In fact, he felt like lying down on the ground and giving up.
“Don’t worry. I’ll buy you some protein powder. I’m very experienced at raising people.”
“…”
Suddenly, Qin Xin felt life was worth living again. But…
“Raising people?” he asked. “Who have you raised before?”
“I used to raise pigs back in the countryside,” Lin Fanxing answered sincerely.
“Raise pigs…”
Qin Xin’s vision went back to black. Forget it. Maybe he really shouldn’t live anymore.
Just as he was caught in another cycle of dying and reviving in his imagination, a sudden cool sensation touched the back of his neck. Startled, he whipped around and reached up instinctively.
A patch was stuck to his skin, cool and refreshing, like the fever patches he’d used when he was sick.
“Mint cooling patch. I bought a whole bag of them. Use them without worry!” Lin Fanxing said, patting him on the back.
All right then.
Maybe life was worth living after all.
Qin Xin concluded the life-and-death battle in his head and climbed back onto their little motorcycle. Well, not technically theirs… It was actually that unlucky fool Fang Feiyu’s motorcycle.
To save time, Lin Fanxing arranged to meet his brother downstairs at their apartment building, but the two of them hadcompletely different feelings about returning. Xiaoxing had only been away for a week, but Lin Fanxing stood downstairs and looked up at the familiar building.
He hadn’t come back in two years.
“Brother!” Xiaoxing rushed over and threw his arms around him, and this time, Lin Fanxing didn’t dodge. He accepted the hug, but apparently, yesterday’s beating had been a little too fierce. The moment Lin Fanxing casually lifted a hand to wipe away some sweat, Xiaoxing immediately shrank his neck in fear.
“Brother… are you still angry?” he asked quietly. His handsome face had become a disaster zone. One eye was swollen black and blue, and the brow bone and eye socket that Lin Fanxing had hit yesterday were mottled with bruises.
“Shouldn’t I be angry?” Lin Fanxing replied.
His anger had merely changed direction. How could Xiaoxing have fallen for such an obvious scam? But then again… In his previous life, hadn’t he also failed to notice when Qin Xin deceived him emotionally and financially?!
At the end of the day, it was easy to judge from the sidelines, and Xiaoxing had never lacked love. His family had protected him too well, leaving him with no real-world experience.
Lin Fanxing, on the other hand, had lacked love all his life. He’d learned early how cruel and deceptive people could be. Yet somehow, when it came to romance, he was the one who got tricked.
Sure enough, people only thought they were immune to scams because they hadn’t encountered one tailored specifically for them. The two brothers seriously needed an anti-fraud app installed directly into their brains.
Sigh.
What a world.
Sigh.
With scams running rampant these days, anti-fraud awareness ought to be branded into the collective consciousness of the people!
Xiaoxing’s friend and classmate, Kong Yue, had come along as well, so the four of them went upstairs together. The elevator stopped on the tenth floor, and Lin Fanxing stepped out first.
After he pressed the doorbell, Lin Fanxing quickly heard his father’s voice from inside.
“Coming, coming!”
Lin Dong walked over and opened the door, but the moment he did, he froze.
Why were there four people outside?
And why had both brothers come back together?
“Who is it?” Zhou Fu happened to be passing through the living room. She poked her head out and froze as well.
“Dad!” Xiaoxing cried as he strode inside. “Why didn’t you tell my brother?! Didn’t I already bring the money home?!”
Zhou Fu reacted more quickly. The instant she saw both brothers standing together at the doorway, she realized the secret had been exposed.
“Oh, what are you talking about? What money? Come inside first…” Then she suddenly stopped.
“Wait! What happened to your face?!”
At her shout, Lin Dong, who was standing closer to Lin Fanxing, finally noticed the bruising around his son’s eye. Immediately, he roared in alarm:
“What happened?! Who hit you out there?!”
“Fanxing!” Zhou Fu was even more unreasonable, immediately dragging Lin Fanxing to her side without asking any questions. “Why didn’t you keep an eye on your brother?! Did you get someone to beat him up?!”
She had already reached her conclusion.
Of course.
Lin Fanxing must have found out his brother had brought home the money. Now he had convinced his little brother to come back and demand it.
Lin Fanxing had just lifted a foot to step inside. Then, in an instant, he no longer wanted to enter. Near the entrywaystood a cabinet, and on top of it sat a large decorative vase. So Lin Fanxing turned around and looked at Little Fei.
“Go on,” he said.
“Smash my house.”
T.N: There will be no updates next week; I need to prepare for an important exam. Thank you!
T.N: If you like his novel, you can read up to chapter 24 on my Patreon, with new updates coming every week!
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