After finishing dinner, Cui Leilei hid beneath his blanket and spent the entire night planning through his tears.
The following morning, he looked at his reflection in the mirror. The dark circles beneath his eyes made him resemble a giant panda.
He took a deep breath, then carefully dressed himself up until he looked handsome and presentable.
After meticulously concealing every trace of exhaustion from his face, Cui Leilei gave himself a thumbs up in the mirror before strolling toward the dining room with his hands clasped behind his back.
After confirming that the busy members of the household had already left for work and that the family dog walker, Old Cui, had gone out to take his beloved canine grandson for a walk and help him digest his food, Cui Leilei finally concluded his roundabout probing.
He took a sip of walnut milk, then waved slyly at the butler, Old Li, signaling for him to lean closer.
“Old Li, tell the cleaning department to stop for now. I’ll clean my parents’ room myself. I want to show them a little filial devotion.”
Old Li froze for a moment upon hearing this.
Then he concealed the amusement in his eyes and calmly fulfilled his duty as a butler who was always ready to meet the young master’s requests.
“Of course, Little Young Master.”
Afterward, Old Li expertly leaned close to Cui Leilei’s ear and shared some information in a mysterious whisper.
“Little Young Master, I have the latest intelligence for you. Remember that enormous airplane you were interested in before? What model was it again? Chairman Cui said that he’ll buy it for you once you graduate. Then the two of you can travel around the world together. It will be absolutely spectacular.”
Hearing this, Cui Leilei felt even more ashamed.
He already had two private jets registered under his name.
His parents had given them to him as eighteenth birthday presents.
And the reason he wanted two was nothing complicated.
Cui Leilei liked white but he also wanted gold.
As luck would have it, the company had enjoyed excellent profits that year and the family had also moved into a new home with a private landing pad.
So his father had simply waved his hand and bought them both.
Even his exceptionally calculating eldest brother hadn’t said a single word of complaint. He had even personally taught Cui Leilei how to fly a plane.
And then…
Well, there was no then.
If Cui Leilei could actually learn how to fly a plane, a sow could probably take to the skies.
In the end, Cui Leilei had taken photographs with the planes, shown them off to others and decided that private jets were outdated.
He had switched his interest to luxury cruise ships instead.
But fashion always came full circle.
These days, the wealthy young masters and spoiled rich kids had once again developed a taste for competing over private jets.
So Cui Leilei had started clamoring for a new plane, intending to retire his old ones and give them to his eldest brother.
As his guilt continued to grow, Cui Leilei became even more determined.
If the power of the plot truly couldn’t be avoided, then Cui Leilei, the “intelligence lowering” culprit responsible for all the chaos, had to stay as far away from the Cui family and Yancheng as possible.
That way, at the very least, he could ensure that his parents would have a place to live out their old age.
At the very least, the fruits of their hard work and sweat could be preserved.
They wouldn’t be sent to a psychiatric hospital.
They wouldn’t have to endure tens of thousands of people pointing at them, laughing and mocking them for having something wrong with their heads, for choosing a vicious fake son over an outstanding biological son.
The more Cui Leilei thought about it, the more determined the light in his eyes became.
He downed the rest of his milk in one go, then straightened his back and strode toward the cleaning supply room with an imposing air.
After changing into professional cleaning equipment, he dragged a vacuum cleaner behind him and marched toward the second floor, where the Cui couple lived.
The moment he pushed open the bedroom door, Cui Leilei’s eyes twitched violently twice at the sight of the redwood furniture that filled his vision.
His body reacted instinctively and he retreated three swift steps backward.
His father, who had just returned from walking the dog, appeared behind him like a ghost.
“Keep going, son. Let your father properly experience your filial devotion.”
Hearing the unmistakable gloating in his father’s voice, Cui Leilei slowly swept his gaze across his parents’ bedroom.
His expression became increasingly complicated.
He really shouldn’t make plans late at night!
Every time night came, his brain seemed to stop functioning properly. He had actually forgotten the most important detail.
They weren’t living in the small villa anymore, the one where he had been able to run barefoot up and down the stairs as a child.
They had moved into a big, big, BIG mansion.
The Cui family had made their fortune in real estate.
As a property tycoon, Chairman Cui had fully demonstrated what it meant to be a nouveau riche real estate magnate.
After becoming wealthy, he had spent a fortune buying an enormous plot of land measured in mu.
He had commissioned a world renowned designer to create the property with painstaking attention to detail and the entire process, from construction to interior decoration, had taken a full five years.
Therefore, as the master suite, this room’s area…
Well, the area was perhaps a little excessive.
“Do you need a floor plan?”
Cui’s father leisurely wandered over to his son and silently admired the rapid changes in his expression for a while. He forcefully held back his laughter and asked with considerable thoughtfulness.
“Do you need a list of cleaning precautions? Your father has some expensive postmodernist paintings here, worth tens of millions. If you break one, I’ll deduct it from your New Year money.”
Cui Leilei fell silent for quite some time.
Then he slowly turned his head toward his father, who had become increasingly unrestrained and youthful ever since retiring, as though he were getting younger with every passing day.
His voice was filled with resentment.
“Yes. As long as you pay me enough per hour, I’ll clean!”
Cui’s father looked at his puffed up, angry son, waved his hand and actually told Butler Li to go fetch the floor plan.
Cui Leilei simply sat down on the floor and began using his finger as a pen, drawing and writing all over the floor plan.
Come to think of it, apart from the times when he had pretended to be obedient and swept the floors for pocket money as a child, he had always been quite particular about his personal privacy.
Unless something truly earth shattering happened, he never entered his parents’ bedroom.
After all, this was the room belonging to the two senior chairmen of the company.
The couple also weren’t accustomed to discussing business in a study. They often held their discussions in the bedroom, leaving documents and other important materials lying around.
Back in the day, there had even been a stupid business partner who had attempted to use Cui Leilei to steal confidential information.
The idiot clearly hadn’t thought things through.
Didn’t he realize that although Cui Leilei might look a little foolish, he was a child who had been reborn?
He might not have the intelligence.
But he had certainly eaten more salt and gained more experience, than that idiotic business partner!
He even understood battle tactics.
As he desperately searched for his own strengths, Cui Leilei lifted his head, then lowered it again.
With a grand sweep of his hand he began formulating his cleaning strategy.
For example, he could temporarily abandon the small study inside the suite, which was mainly used for appearances, along with the nostalgic karaoke room and other non strategic areas.
As for the remaining operational zones, he would divide them according to priority, distinguishing between what needed to be handled urgently and what could wait.
First, he would head straight for the bathroom.
It was a crucial area where his parents washed up every day. There was a chance he might discover a stray strand of hair there.
Next, he would target the dressing room and vanity table.
He should be able to find hair strands attached to small objects such as combs.
And finally, as a last resort,
He would conduct a complete, thorough cleaning of the entire house.
As the final, final resort, he could head straight to the kitchen, take a lovingly prepared lunch from the chef, launch an attack on Tianyi Clothing’s headquarters, deliver the heartfelt meal to his busy mother and conveniently help clean the small lounge beside her office.
After adjusting his battle plan, Soldier Cui slowly clenched his fists and gave himself an encouraging gesture. Then he charged straight into the bathroom.
======
Three hours later, Cui Leilei had obediently finished cleaning according to the instruction manual. He immediately sprawled out across the carpet, too exhausted even to wipe the sweat from his forehead. He could only lie there and groan.
“This is way too much! How can it be so huge?”
And he still hadn’t found a single strand of hair. He had practically been on the verge of digging up the drains yet he still hadn’t managed to find one.
“I’m so pissed off, ahhhhhhh!”
Looking down at his son, who had collapsed on the floor in a starfish position and was staging a complete strike, Cui’s father burst out laughing. He took out his phone, recorded a video and uploaded it to the [Three Drag One, Precision Intellectual Poverty Alleviation Group (4)], intending to amuse the two extremely busy members.
After finishing his conversation in the group, Cui’s father looked at Cui Leilei, who was still lying on the floor. Seeing the confusion in his son’s eyes, he remained silent for a moment before speaking earnestly.
“Now you understand why your father has always told you to study hard, don’t you? Your mother and I pursued academic qualifications for a reason. Once you’ve studied and gained knowledge, you won’t have to suffer through this kind of hardship! Back when your mother and I were still starting out, how many times were we cheated because we didn’t have enough education? Every bit of cleverness we possess now was bought with our blood, sweat and tears after being deceived.”
As he spoke, Cui’s father slowly sat down. He raised his hand and gently rubbed Cui Leilei’s head, feeling the soft, comfortable strands of his son’s hair beneath his palm.
The sharp, ruthless glint that had accompanied him as a self made businessman gradually melted into an overwhelming tide of paternal love. He wished he could cram every danger and cruelty he had personally encountered in this world into Cui Leilei’s head, so that his son could learn how to grow up and more importantly, learn how to avoid being hurt.
The moment Cui Leilei heard this, he realized that his father had misunderstood him.
He immediately sprang upright like a carp leaping out of water and sat properly.
Then he pushed his handsome face right in front of his father’s, staring at him without blinking as he tried to make his sincerity visible.
“Dad, I really haven’t caused any trouble. I’ve also passed the age where I keep buying luxury goods and I’ve already finished writing my thesis proposal. I suddenly decided to clean the house because I wanted to show you my filial devotion. I wasn’t trying to act spoiled.”
He had also genuinely wanted to experience the hardships of working while studying.
But Cui Leilei didn’t dare say that last part aloud.
After all, in the novel, Cui Leilei had ultimately been driven out of his home and starved to death not long afterward. He had never gotten the chance to experience the physical hardships and bitterness of life.
But during the three hours that had just passed, Cui Leilei had genuinely experienced what it meant to be exhausted both physically and mentally.
Even with the assistance of advanced household appliances, simply wiping down the mirrors had required an entire list of procedures. Time and again, he had nearly wanted to give up.
“Then wouldn’t accompanying your father on a walk with the dog and taking a stroll together count as filial devotion? Helping your father urge your older brother to get married would count even more.”
Cui’s father took advantage of the opportunity to explain the plans he wanted for his son.
“After that, you should work hard to prepare for the postgraduate entrance examination. Once you pass the written test, you can easily get through the interview and the arts examination with that face of yours. With a postgraduate degree, you could take the examination for a public institution position or become a teacher. Wouldn’t that be respectable? That’s the kind of filial devotion your father dreams of receiving.”
By the time he finished speaking, the hopeful light in Cui’s father’s eyes was completely undisguised. His gaze had even become almost feverishly intense.
Although he was a highly renowned and successful businessman, when it came to his hopes for his children, especially a son like Cui Leilei, who occasionally acted a little spoiled, Cui’s father honestly wanted nothing more than stability for him. He wanted his son to have a smooth and peaceful life.
After all, parents would eventually leave their children behind. They couldn’t protect their children forever.
And when he looked at every profession and industry, the most secure option was ultimately working for the country. It was an iron rice bowl that could last a lifetime.
“Or you could become a university student soldier, just like your older brother and go into the military to gain some experience. Your father can put aside his pride and use whatever connections I have to help you make arrangements. With your looks, along with your ability to sing and dance, staying at the military arts academy would be pretty good, too.”
As the endless stream of words reached his ears, Cui Leilei listened to the very things he had once dismissed without a second thought.
He dug his fingernails hard into his palm, forcing himself not to cry aloud.
He truly didn’t dare think about it.
If this really was a world inside a novel, why would his parents become the kind of people described in the story, people who blindly believed whatever they heard and spoiled Cui Leilei without any reason?
The married couple might not have been exceptionally wise and perceptive but they were, at the very least, the founders of a listed company.
So how could they become so intellectually impaired and foolish, just as they had been portrayed in the novel?
The doubts in Cui Leilei’s heart grew increasingly intense. His fingers were already digging into the tender flesh of his palm.
Using the pain spreading from his palm, the sharp, persistent ache that felt like ants gnawing at his skin, Cui Leilei forced himself to glance at his father’s completely bald head.
That fashionable head.
That head shining brightly like a lightbulb.
His heart broke with despair.
Without bothering to hide his sobs, Cui Leilei buried his head directly in his father’s arms.
“Dad, I… I understand everything you’re saying but I’m really not a good student. I can’t do it.”
Dad, could you please grow just one strand of hair for me to pull out?
Let me first figure out whether I’m actually your biological son. Let me first find out whether Shen Qian really exists in this world. Please?
I haven’t graduated yet.
There are still three months until the novel begins in June. That’s enough… enough… enough time for me to finish cleaning the house.
Completely unaware that his precious son was plotting something enormous, Cui’s father lowered his eyes and looked at Cui Leilei, who was still curled up in his embrace.
His son looked aggrieved and disappointed, nothing like the rebellious child he had once been, the one who had skipped classes and played truant at the drop of a hat.
Cui’s father helplessly sighed.
“All right, all right. Your father was wrong. We won’t talk about these things anymore. As long as you’ve put in your best effort and have no regrets, that’s enough. Besides, a diploma isn’t the most important thing. Our Leilei has talent too, doesn’t he? You young people don’t all describe it as having a ‘face of unparalleled beauty’?”
As he spoke, Cui’s father couldn’t help sighing with emotion.
“If only you had been a daughter, Leilei.”
Hearing this, Cui Leilei was overcome with guilt.
“Dad, I’m gay. Are you especially angry about that?”
“I am angry. I worked so hard planning to divide the company between you children, one person each, without favoring anyone and everything would have been perfectly arranged but what happened? You’re gay, so I can just retire directly without having to do anything anymore.”
Looking at his son, who had immediately brought up his sexual orientation, Cui’s father felt that he had finally discovered the reason for Cui Leilei’s current obedience.
It was still because of the incident involving the cheating.
His son had not only been cheated on but had also been broken up with and dumped!
Thinking about his precious child’s less than smooth romantic history, Cui’s father gritted his teeth and forcibly suppressed the murderous intent rising inside him. He pulled a tissue from the coffee table and carefully wiped the tears from the corners of Cui Leilei’s eyes before immediately offering him comfort.
“Try looking at it from another angle. At least I still have a retirement life of my own. Otherwise, I’d have to worry about grandchildren, great grandchildren and all the generations after that. I’ve made money and I also want that wealth to be passed down from generation to generation. I want our family to become like those so called top tier aristocratic families and wealthy clans, the kind that are incredibly impressive, instead of being mocked as nouveau riche.”
“So, you should also look at it from another angle and let your father give up his obsession.”
As he spoke, Cui’s father curled his finger and lightly tapped Cui Leilei on the forehead.
“Children and grandchildren have their own blessings, you know? Otherwise, I could end up fighting with your older brother alone. He’s already in his thirties and still a bachelor. Your Uncle Ma and Uncle Li’s grandsons are already old enough to run around and play. Every time I mention this in my social media posts, I lose face.”
After complaining about how his elderly concerns had left him unable to fit in with his friends, Cui’s father lowered his head and glanced at Cui Leilei. Then he quietly confessed the rather outrageous thought he had once entertained.
“I wanted you to be a daughter because I was thinking that good things shouldn’t be given to outsiders. It would also have helped improve the beauty genes of our old Cui family.”
Hearing his father’s heartfelt confession, spoken so openly and sincerely, Cui Leilei connected it with the plot he already knew.
His blood immediately began to surge with excitement and a resolute light burst into his eyes.
“Dad, you’ll definitely achieve your goal!”
He had completely failed to notice the slight implication hidden within his father’s words.
The moment the words had left Cui’s father’s mouth, he had already regretted them so much that he nearly wanted to bite off his tongue and slap himself.
Unexpectedly, Cui Leilei hadn’t paid the slightest attention to the latter half of his statement.
Instead, he looked as though he had been injected with chicken blood. He stood tall and proud, full of vigor, as if he were about to transform into an eagle and soar into the sky.
Cui’s father quietly exhaled in relief, then cheerfully said, “All right, all right, all right! Little Stone, a person should always make their actions match their words. So now that you’ve rested enough, hurry up and go clean.”
“Okay, Dad!”
As he spoke, Cui Leilei made a beeline for the large bed in the bedroom.
Just now, when his father had tapped him on the forehead, a sudden flash of inspiration had struck him.
There were too many clothes in the dressing room.
Pass!
The bed was the true treasure trove for hidden strands of hair.
“Dad, I’ll take the four piece bedding set off the bed first and throw it into the washing machine!”
After tossing out that explanation, Cui Leilei immediately and decisively picked up a pillow.
The next second, he saw a long strand of hair lying on the pillow. The root was even slightly white.
Cui Leilei let out a deep breath of relief. He carefully reached out and picked up the hair.
But the instant his fingertips touched it, his pupils suddenly contracted.
For some inexplicable reason, a thought emerged in his mind.
Destroy it.
