Chapter 39: Chapter 33: The Child from Another Family

Hearing Zhao Jincheng’s cry of surprise, Xue Wenhui looked over as well and saw the word “Accounting” printed in large letters.

“I was placed in this major. My scores weren’t high enough to get into the Martial Arts Academy.”

Seeing their reaction, Zhao Rui quickly explained.

Zhao Jincheng and his wife only half-understood, but they knew getting into Dongqi University was a good thing regardless.

They immediately stopped fussing over his major and began excitedly calling friends and family to share the good news.

To be honest, Zhao Rui hadn’t actually met any of these relatives since recovering the memories of his past life.

But every family had its little dramas. All in all, their large, extended family got along reasonably well.

There were three brothers in Zhao Jincheng’s generation. The eldest was a businessman, a small-time boss with assets in the tens of millions.

He ran a factory that manufactured shoes and hats for other companies, as well as a lumber processing plant.

The second was Zhao Jincheng, an ordinary office worker in the finance industry. Though not fabulously wealthy, he was comfortable enough.

As for the third brother, he was the impressive one: a Seventh Level Martial Artist, a member of the County Martial Arts Association, and a shareholder in several companies.

Of course, that wasn’t the main point. The real kicker was that he had a son—Zhao Rui’s younger cousin—who was only sixteen, the same age as Zhao Ke.

He was already a Fifth-level Martial Artist and one of the top ten students in the county.

Wherever there are people, there is a Jianghu, and what were family squabbles if not their own kind of Jianghu conflict?

But, to put it plainly, it was all just a matter of fawning over the successful and stepping on the weak.

Zhao Rui had it a bit better. After all, he had been a Third-level Martial Artist. While not outstanding, he was still in the Martial Artist ranks. With university ahead of him, his prospects for gradual development were considered decent.

But his younger brother, Zhao Ke, was not so well-regarded. He was often put down and bullied by their cousin.

His dad wasn’t powerful, and he himself had no talent.

Wasn’t that the perfect recipe for a punching bag?

As a result, at every family gathering, his older cousins from the eldest uncle’s family would also take turns mocking him.

It made his younger brother, Zhao Ke, utterly detest their so-called family gatherings.

’Thinking about it now, I almost suspect my little brother is the protagonist of one of those novels I read in my past life.’

—The down-and-out young master of the family with zero Martial Arts Cultivation, who one day receives a divine gift for the Martial Dao, proceeds to kick his Third-level Martial Artist older brother, steamroll his Fifth-level Martial Artist cousin, furiously slay the campus bully, and win the heart of Yaru…

Ahem!

No wonder his brother held such a grudge and was so dead set on cultivating the Martial Dao.

Anyone in his shoes would feel resentful.

Lost in thought for a moment, Zhao Rui’s gaze toward his brother softened with a different kind of emotion.

’My poor little brother!’

Just as his mind was wandering, Zhao Jincheng handed him the phone.

“It’s your third uncle!”

Zhao Rui took the phone and answered, “Third Uncle!”

“Congratulations, Rui. Reaching Level 4 by graduation shows you really put in the work. Your third uncle is very happy…”

Zhao Rui’s third uncle, Zhao Jinze, said with a laugh over the phone.

“Thanks, Third Uncle. You should come visit when you’re free. I haven’t seen my younger cousin in ages!”

“Oh, him… He lost a match recently and is still stewing over it, so he’s been in secluded training all summer. I’ll tell him later to head over to your place for a couple of days.”

“Yeah, sounds good, Third Uncle!”

After a bit more small talk, Zhao Rui handed the phone back to his dad.

’Human relationships are complicated. It’s never as simple as good or bad.’

’It’s all just a matter of familiarity and personal preference.’

Zhao Rui’s family spent the entire morning basking in their joy. It wasn’t until after ten o’clock, when Tian Yaru called, that he hopped on his bicycle and sped over to her place.

’Being happy is one thing, but I still have to earn a living!’

Before long, he arrived at the gate of Tian Yaru’s villa. A Toyota Alphard he’d never seen before was parked out front.

After locking his bike to the wall near the gate, Zhao Rui stepped into the villa’s courtyard.

The moment he pushed open the front door, Tian Yaru rushed to greet him with a delighted expression. Without a word, she grabbed his backpack and began pulling him toward the study.

“You’re finally here! You’re holding up my review session. I’m docking your pay for this, you know!”

Her words left Zhao Rui completely confused. His eyes scanned the living room.

The living room was filled with guests. Besides Tian Mufang and his wife, there was another couple with a girl around Tian Yaru’s age.

Zhao Rui had just managed to call out a greeting to his employers before Tian Yaru dragged him into the study.

Watching this unfold, Tian Mufang turned to the guest family with an apologetic, awkward smile. “I’ve spoiled her rotten. She has no manners at all!”

“It’s no problem. It’s a good thing she loves to study,” the male guest replied with a smile, then added casually, “And that young man just now?”

“Oh, that’s her tutor. He’s an excellent teacher!”

Ms. Song explained with a smile.

“Oh, that’s a great idea. We should hire one for our Yi Yan later…”

the man said with a smile, looking at the girl beside him.

“Yi Yan is such a good student, and a martial arts genius, too. Not at all like our Yaru…”

The adults continued to make small talk along those lines.

In the study, Tian Yaru pulled her head back from where it had been pressed against the door, her lips pursed in a resentful pout.

She grumbled, “It’s the same thing every time they visit. I’m so sick of hearing it. So their daughter’s a genius, big f—… big deal!”

Tian Yaru’s face flushed. She stuck out her tongue for a second, then quickly changed the subject. “Can you stay a little later today? I’m worried they’ll end up staying for lunch.”

“Sure!”

Zhao Rui readily agreed. ’As long as you pay for the overtime!’

“Despicable!”

Tian Yaru immediately gave Zhao Rui the finger.

Though the gesture wasn’t exactly elegant, he had to admit—the girl’s fingers were long and slender, like the white of a spring onion. Her pale pink nails were trimmed into perfect, rounded shapes, making them quite beautiful to look at.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep