96: Chapter 96 Giving that kid a little treat
"What do you want to say?"
Ji Shuyue looked back at Ji Shuo.
Ji Shuo quickly avoided her gaze; it was not the first time he had stumbled over this.
"Sister, even if we don't have the same father, we at least have the same mother, right?"
"Spit it out, and stop dragging me into this."
"Then I'll be blunt. You treat Su Jingzhou as cannon fodder, but aren't you also cannon fodder for the Family? I just feel there's no need for you to be so invested in the Family's affairs."
"If you do it well, they won't remember your contributions."
"If you mess it up, they'll be the first to push you out to take the fall, and then they'll pin all the blame on you."
"That's only because you're not striving for success!"
"What's the point of me striving? From the moment we were born, it was destined that we would only ever be cannon fodder for the Family."
"Then have you ever thought about leaking this to Ji Gang?"
"He's currently worrying about not having any impressive achievements on his record."
"Wouldn't this be a godsend for him?"
"Huh? Sister, you can't be serious. You can't handle outsiders, so you're starting to target Family members?"
Ji Shuyue rolled her eyes.
"Ji Shuo, you're different from me. You are not without a chance to escape the fate of being cannon fodder. You must know that once Ji Gang dies, you will be Father's only son."
"When that time comes, if he doesn't support you, who else can he support? He's already that old; is he going to have another kid with our mother?"
Ji Shuo's eyes lit up: "You mean... Right, why didn't I think of that? Sister, if you weren't my sister, I would definitely be the first to kill you."
"Get lost. If you talk nonsense again, I'll be the first to kill you."
...
Su Family.
Su Jingzhou's study.
In the study, which was full of cybernetic aesthetics, stood an antique desk. Su Jingzhou sat behind this desk, staring blankly at the sky outside the skylight.
He wore gold-rimmed glasses, and the skylight made the lenses shine brightly.
Ling Xiangjun, wearing a black qipao, knocked gently on the study door and walked straight in.
"Jingzhou, what happened? Why were you in such a rush to have me come back?"
"Was it your idea to arrange for Little Yuan and that kid to enter the Imperial Capital Martial Arts University?"
Su Jingzhou sat up straight, the light disappearing from his lenses, revealing a pair of sharp eyes.
Ling Xiangjun nodded. "I wanted to break that kid's arrogance and make him understand that for someone like him, no matter how good his talent is, if he doesn't rely on aristocrats like us, he's on a dead end."
"News just came from Zixing. Ten minutes ago, he took care of Chen Qi."
"Is he crazy?"
"He didn't die."
"Is there a difference between dead and alive?"
"Why don't you ask why he took care of Chen Qi?"
Ling Xiangjun was stunned: "Why?"
"Because Chen Qi has already spread the word that he wants to be our son-in-law. Do you think this is a good thing or a bad thing?"
"This..." Ling Xiangjun thought for a moment. "He really spread the word?"
"I'm asking you if this is a good thing or a bad thing."
"Since you're asking like that, it must be a bad thing."
"Hmph, you're not too stupid."
Ling Xiangjun did not show any Life Qi. She walked over and sat on the armrest of his chair, her hand gently resting on his shoulder, her voice becoming even gentler.
"I know, in your eyes, I don't have much insight, but as the saying goes, when a husband and wife are of one mind, they can cut through metal. I just need to follow you honestly, and even if it's wrong, I have no regrets."
Su Jingzhou held the hand she had placed on his shoulder. "Next time something like this happens, you must tell me first."
"Now that Chen Qi has spread the word, the First Branch and the Second Branch will definitely take action."
"And the Ji Family will definitely intervene."
"Why is the Ji Family involved again? Haven't the Ji Family and the Chen Family always been at odds?"
"When the power of a Family reaches our scale, there are no more allies or enemies, only interests. As long as there are common interests, they are allies. If there are no common interests, they are enemies."
"Whether it's the hatred of a murdered father or the vengeance of a stolen wife, all of these must give way to the interests of the Family, understand?"
"I understand, but why would the Ji Family be involved?"
"Does that even need to be asked? After Chen Qi let those words out, as long as they aren't stupid, everyone can see that this is a great opportunity for our Su Family to have internal strife. Including the Chen Family."
"It's just that Ji Shuyue was the closest, so she saved that kid from Chen Tianfang's hands."
"Since that's the case, why did she save that kid? Wouldn't it be more beneficial for her if he died?"
"If that kid dies, we lose our only bargaining chip. At that point, whether or not to marry off the two sisters will be up to the Old Lady. By then, the First Branch and the Second Branch will eat the meat, and we'll be lucky to get a sip of soup."
"Then what should we do? Do we really have to tear our faces with the First Branch and the Second Branch at this time?"
"You're worried now? Next time you encounter something like this, will you still act on your own?"
"No, I won't ever again."
"Sigh, hurry up and let the eldest girl form a contract with that kid! Let everyone go and cause trouble for that kid, and buy us some time first."
"But that kid, other than having some talent himself, has zero background. How many days can he hold out for us in this kind of situation?"
"Every day counts. We must take advantage of this time to quickly find a Family for them to marry into. As long as it's not the Chen Family, anyone will do."
"Jingzhou, what if that kid can kill Chen Qi?"
"What's the point of just killing one Chen Qi? The Chen Family doesn't only have one Chen Qi."
"But if he can kill the first, he can kill the second, the third."
"You want me to invest in him? Does someone like him deserve it?"
"At the very least, we can use him as a shield. Didn't you have this intention when you asked Xiao Tang and her sister to form a contract with him? And in the process, the value of our two daughters can be fully demonstrated. To put it bluntly, it's letting him advertise for our two daughters."
"By then, it won't be us looking for sons-in-law, but the sons-in-law coming to us. At that time, whether we raise the price or let that kid stir up the muddy waters, we will have more choices. In any case, that kid's existence will create a variable in the whole matter. It won't be like now, where you can see the end of everything at a glance."
Su Jingzhou fell into deep thought.
Perhaps this really was an opportunity to turn defense into offense.
Hesitation leads to disaster. He immediately gave a cold smile. "Then let's give that kid a little sweetener first."
"You mean?"
"For the upcoming placement test, Xiao Tang can't participate. If we want that kid to kill Chen Qi in the test, we have to equip him with a wingman. Qiu Jie made quite a few products back then; let's pick another one and send it to him."
"I think we should just let that kid go to the village and pick one himself. I heard from Little Yuan that that kid's talent skill cannot unconditionally improve a War Princess's talent; the War Princess herself must have enough potential. And those little girls look the same to us, we can't tell who is good or bad, so even if we want to pick, we don't know how."
"Fine, I'll leave this to you."
...
Imperial Capital Martial Arts University.
On the way back to the dormitory, Su Qingtang walked with a heavy heart.
She wanted to turn back and look at the brat behind her, but she was worried that the brat would notice her looking at him.
He is so talkative in front of his sister, why did he become a mute in front of me?
The more she thought about it, the more she felt she lacked Life Qi. Finally, she stopped, turned around abruptly, and said, "Hey..."
The word "hey" had barely left her lips when her vision suddenly went dark, and she bumped into that brat's chest.