“You’re welcome, we’re friends, aren’t we?”
Zhuo Yue’s voice was gentle.
This was truly a strikingly beautiful girl, raised in affluence from a young age, which gave her the confidence to speak softly and slowly.
Speaking quickly or loudly doesn’t solve problems; what matters is whether someone is willing to listen.
Looking at such a Zhuo Yue, a flash of jealousy crossed Zhao Qian’s eyes.
Zhao Qian was jealous of Zhuo Yue to the point of madness because Zhuo Yue was prettier and wealthier. Zhao Qian’s monthly allowance had a limit, while Zhuo Yue could freely use Sara Zhuo’s secondary card, spending more some months and less others, yet Sara Zhuo never scolded her.
Beautiful and rich, Zhuo Yue was also popular at school.
Zhao Qian couldn’t compare to Zhuo Yue in any way, except for one thing: Zhuo Yue was an illegitimate child.
This thought brought Zhao Qian immense satisfaction, her smile growing brighter. “Yes, yes, we’re friends. I had a problem, and you helped me with ideas. When you’re in trouble, I’ll help you too. I’m the most loyal person!”
Zhuo Yue smiled gently, her tone innocent. “But why do you hide this from your brother? My brother and I share everything. I never hide anything from him, and he supports whatever I do.”
Zhao Qian’s sense of unfairness was instantly stirred by Zhuo Yue’s words.
Both had brothers, yet their treatment was worlds apart.
Though Young Master Zhuo wasn’t as handsome as Xie Qian, he was very good to his sister Zhuo Yue. Zhao Qian didn’t fancy Young Master Zhuo, but she wished she could swap brothers with Zhuo Yue.
Unaware of Zhao Qian’s inner turmoil, Zhuo Yue continued, “Alright, everyone’s different. Your brother cares about you. Next time you overspend, just gloss over it. Even if he finds out one day, a little charm will fix it.”
Zhao Qian mumbled in agreement, but her anger grew.
If charm worked, why was she forced by her brother to stay close to the Zhuo siblings?
In the end, her brother just didn’t care enough.
She only liked Xie Qian, but her brother didn’t support her and wanted her to build a relationship with Young Master Zhuo. She couldn’t defy him on this, but surely she could follow her heart in other matters, or life would be suffocating.
Watching Zhao Qian’s expressions shift like a spilled paint palette, Zhuo Yue lowered her head and smiled.
Zhao Qian was foolish, but sometimes amusing, a good companion for passing time.
Sara Zhuo knew why Zhao Dong sent Zhao Qian here, and the Zhuo siblings knew too.
At first, Zhuo Yue found it laughable, mocking Zhao Dong’s wishful thinking. Unexpectedly, Zhao Qian had no interest in her brother and was instead fixated on Xie Qian.
After uncovering Zhao Qian’s feelings, Zhuo Yue felt a bit depressed.
“Xie Qian” was a shadow over her and her brother. The Xie family refused to acknowledge them as their children because of Xie Qian’s existence.
To spare Xie Qian’s feelings, they discarded her and her brother like trash.
Was Xie Qian really that great?
She and her brother should have been surnamed Xie too.
If the Xie family gave them a chance, spent time with them, and judged them fairly, they would see that she and her brother were no less capable than Xie Qian.
The key question was: how could the Xie family be persuaded to give them that chance?
Looking at Zhao Qian’s ever-changing expressions, Zhuo Yue decided to use her as a breakthrough.
This was an opportunity to catch the Xie family’s attention without causing too much resentment.
She was too foolish not to use, a gift from fate itself.
If it went wrong, it would be Zhao Qian acting on her own, unrelated to anyone else.
Having applied sunscreen, Zhuo Yue swam happily in the family pool for an hour while Zhao Qian sat by the poolside, chatting sporadically.
Zhuo Yue responded sometimes and ignored her at others, not stopping Zhao Qian from rambling until she grew annoyed.
When the sound of a sports car’s engine reached her, Zhuo Yue’s expression lit up again.
Her brother was back!
Sure enough, a young man soon walked through the villa to the backyard—Zhuo Yue’s brother, Zhuo Chen.
Seeing him, Zhao Qian stiffly said, “Big Brother Zhuo,” and hurried off.
Zhao Qian truly didn’t like Zhuo Chen.
From his looks to his demeanor, he didn’t match her taste at all.
“Brother!”
Zhuo Yue clung to the pool’s edge, looking up at Zhuo Chen. He ruffled her wet hair. “What was Zhao Qian saying to annoy you? Her brother is the one begging us now. You don’t have to indulge her if you don’t like her!”
Zhuo Yue shook her head. “It’s not like that. Her brother is clinging to us, but we also need his help in China. Brother, don’t you think it’s unfair? I don’t mind, but you’re older than Xie Qian. When Daddy and Mommy were together, neither was married. You’re the beautiful result of their love. Why won’t the Xie family acknowledge you?”
Yes, why wouldn’t they?
Zhuo Chen wanted an answer too.
He hadn’t always been surnamed Zhuo.
As a child, he and his mother lived in a grand house, opulent like a palace on TV, with many servants, older siblings, and a father.
His siblings were kind, playing with him and giving him gifts. His father was delighted.
Then one day, his father died. His kind siblings turned cold, kicking him and his mother out of the house and suing, claiming he wasn’t his father’s child. They lost the lawsuit, and his mother got only a small share of the estate.
A widow and orphan in a foreign land with some money were easy targets, especially since his mother was beautiful.
Many men wanted to be Zhuo Chen’s stepfather, but he later learned their motives. They didn’t care about fatherly love; they wanted wealth and beauty.
His mother naturally scorned them all.
She told him he had a father and could be surnamed Xie, taking him back to China to meet Xie Jinghu.
Xie Jinghu was far superior to those would-be stepfathers.
But Zhuo Chen still couldn’t be surnamed Xie because Xie Jinghu already had a wife and child, with no plans to divorce. So he remained surnamed Zhuo.
Being surnamed Zhuo wasn’t bad.
But as his sister Zhuo Yue said, choosing not to be surnamed Xie was entirely different from being denied it.
If he and Xie Qian were placed on a level playing field to compete, and he lost, he’d accept it.
But the Xie family wouldn’t even give him a chance. How could he accept defeat willingly?
When Zhuo Chen spoke again, his tone softened. “Fair or not, we can’t control what others think.”
Zhuo Yue’s pretty face was full of defiance. “We’ll know only if we try. I’ll accept defeat only after trying!”
Zhuo Chen asked what she planned to do, but Zhuo Yue kept it secret.
“Girls have their ways. Just wait and see. If it doesn’t work, we lose nothing!”
Zhuo Chen ruffled her hair again, making Zhuo Yue tilt her head to dodge, their sibling bond warm and affectionate.
…
Across the Pacific, the Zhuo siblings shared a warm moment, while at Shanghai’s airport, Detective Luo arrived with just a backpack as his entire luggage.
Xie Qian had booked him the fastest flight, and Detective Luo reached Shanghai before Wen Ying left.
Fresh off the plane, without even a sip of hot water, Xie Qian called, telling Detective Luo to start work immediately.
“Things have changed.”
The disturbance at the book signing, though suppressed, had been reported by the media.
Though the media claimed they heard it from attendees, Xie Qian was still unhappy. Anything out of his control was a potential danger. He urged Wen Ying to leave Shanghai immediately to avoid trouble, but she refused.
“This news isn’t location-specific. Leaving Shanghai won’t escape it and will make me look guilty. Either way, I’m the victim, right?”
Wen Ying’s Shanghai itinerary was only three days, and this was the third.
This time, Xie Qian ignored her arguments and shut her down. “The news isn’t location-specific, and you’re the victim, but Shanghai is where it happened. Ignore the media, and they’ll lose steam. If they chase you, a phone interview will do. Don’t forget you have four more cities for signings. Are you going to disrupt the entire schedule?”
That was unacceptable.
The other four signings were already promoted. Canceling would upset the booksellers, and Wen Ying didn’t want to disappoint her readers.
Despite the sabotage at the Shanghai signing, Wen Ying’s sales power was unaffected. *The Galaxy and You* alone sold over 4,000 copies that day.
Besides the new book, many copies of *Teen Idol* were sold too.
This was what the media should have focused on, as Wen Ying broke the record for young authors’ book signings.
