Chapter 420 - 439: The Wolf of Zhongshan, Rampant with Success

The expression on Qian Song’s face perfectly embodied the old saying: give a scoundrel power, and he’ll run wild.

He’d only just been officially acknowledged, but he was already acting like he was about to become the boss, daring to say and ask for anything.

Why was he so bold? Because the process of Qian Duoduo forcing Qian Xingxing to "verify his identity" had been incredibly satisfying for him.

It made him feel as though he’d won his father’s boundless affection, and that Qian Xingxing was nothing but a discarded pawn. How could anyone not get a big head in a situation like this?

Riding this high, he’d asked to "borrow" Jiang Jiujiu, fully expecting Qian Duoduo to back him up. But contrary to his expectations—

Qian Duoduo harshly reprimanded him.

"If you want to manage something, go pick a small company. Don’t set your sights on Xingxing."

"You know full well why I let you into this family." Qian Duoduo stood up, his gaze turning ice-cold as he looked at Qian Song. "Even if your surname is Qian, I will only give you one chance."

"Don’t do anything unnecessary."

"Xingxing, come here." After reprimanding Qian Song, he turned to Qian Xingxing, his tone suddenly gentle. "Come to the study. I have something to tell you."

With that, he led Qian Xingxing upstairs, leaving Qian Song standing alone. A twisted, ferocious expression warped his features. Once the two of them disappeared from sight, his face fell.

Heh.

...

Inside the study, Qian Duoduo once again resorted to a gentle approach.

He first patted Qian Xingxing on the back and had him sit down. Then he began to praise him. "Xingxing, you’ve really grown up. You know how to manage a company and devise strategies."

"You know when to build hype, when to let it cool down, and what needs to be done at every step."

"The excellence you’ve shown has both surprised and amazed your father."

He acted as if nothing was wrong, as if he believed a few kind words could make everything disappear.

Qian Xingxing wanted to fly into a rage, to shove everything off the table in front of him, to scream at his father to shut his disgusting mouth. But Qian Xingxing was in a very bad position.

Now was not the time to offend Qian Duoduo directly. He couldn’t even show a hint of resentment. He could only lower his head, letting the interplay of light and shadow conceal his hidden hatred.

"Xingxing, you don’t need to worry about Qian Song."

"Bringing him into the family doesn’t mean anything else. It’s just that his existence was discovered, and with the annual conference coming up, our group can’t afford a scandal. So we had to make a preemptive move."

"But you must believe me, you are the one your father loves most. You are the sole heir of the Qian Family."

As he spoke, he took Qian Xingxing’s hand. "When your mother passed away, I promised her I would take good care of you."

The heartfelt words flowed past his ears, but Qian Xingxing could no longer bring himself to wonder how much truth they held.

He opened his mouth, but in the end, all that came out was a soft "mm," and he said nothing more.

Silence spread between the father and son.

In the end, it was Qian Xingxing who stood up first. "Dad, is everything settled? Can I go back to the subsidiary now?"

"Why are you in such a hurry?"

"The subsidiary is at a critical juncture."

"Is it because there’s a new person in the house? You want to prove yourself?"

"Yes." Qian Xingxing replied obediently. "I want to get that streamer into the top three to prove to everyone that I’m the most outstanding person in the Qian Family."

The most outstanding person in the entire Qian Family.

His words were pointed, but Qian Duoduo clearly didn’t realize they were meant to include him. He just thought it was childish competition for favor, so he smiled and said, "It seems there are benefits to Qian Song joining the family after all."

"It’s made Xingxing even more competitive."

’One sentence, and he’d managed to disgust two people.’

’First, he was being compared to an illegitimate son.’

’Second, in his father’s words, Qian Song was nothing more than a tool. Apparently, he wasn’t favored either and wasn’t much of a threat.’

’It was just disgusting.’