Chapter 2

The day the sale proceeds arrived, 1.2 million yuan went straight into my brother’s account.

They quickly bought the home in the school catchment.

When signing, my sister-in-law claimed she alone qualified to purchase it and registered it only in her name.

Mom stormed over and made a scene for half the day.

My brother shut the door and soothed her all evening.

“What’s mine and hers between a married couple?”

“Her house is my house. Won’t it all go to your granddaughter eventually?”

Mom was unhappy, but couldn’t bear to blame her son. She only grumbled that his wife was calculating.

At home, Chen Zheng locked the certificate for our nearly sold house in the safe.

He didn’t leave immediately.

“What if they come asking again?”

He spoke slowly. The wariness in his eyes hadn’t gone.

I went to the safe and checked its code.

“This is for our son.”

“No one can take it.”

Soft footsteps sounded outside.

Our son had been listening at the door. Hearing that, he quietly ran away.

At dinner, he put a piece of rib in my bowl.

For the first time since I returned to this life, he reached out to me.

A month later, a business plan appeared in the family group chat.

My brother wanted a franchise for an internet-famous restaurant. He needed eight hundred thousand yuan to start and wanted to mortgage the shop Dad left.

Mom specifically asked my opinion.

In my previous life, I investigated and found the franchisor entangled in lawsuits. I rushed to her house that night to stop them.

She slapped me in front of him, saying I envied his ability and feared he would do better than me.

This time, I read the whole plan and replied once.

“Qingwei is capable. A man building a business shouldn’t be timid. Mom, you must support him wholeheartedly.”

She quickly sent a voice message, full of pride.

“Your brother is the capable one. Once the restaurant makes money, don’t regret not investing today.”

I deleted the file and went back to helping my son with his homework.

Of course I wouldn’t regret it.

I knew the first thing my brother would do after taking her retirement money wasn’t renting premises or negotiating a franchise.

He would buy himself a luxury car.

03

The very day the eight hundred thousand arrived, he paid a deposit on a luxury car.

Mom saw the debit notification and stormed to the restaurant.

He led her around the unfinished premises, then pointed to the parking space outside.

“Image is what matters in business.”

“If I drive some wreck…”

Her face was still taut.

Seeing her silence, he helped her sit and began spinning more promises.

“When we make money, the first thing I’ll do is buy you a big house.”

“Then hire a maid. You won’t need to do a thing.”

Her anger melted.

Afterward, she told everyone he had vision. The car was for business meetings.

On opening day, he spent two hundred thousand yuan hiring an influencer to livestream.

Our uncle handled purchasing. A cousin managed operations. Two older male cousins barely visited but drew salaries every month.

All the relatives thought they had landed a windfall.

In less than six months, the restaurant had been drained of every yuan.

The franchise headquarters stopped supplies. Employees blocked the entrance demanding wages. The bank began pressing for repayment of the shop’s mortgage.

When creditors cornered Mom at home, she finally called me.

As soon as I answered, she ordered:

“Transfer five hundred thousand first. Help Qingwei pay wages.”

I opened this month’s household accounts.

“The eight hundred thousand and the shop mortgage money are all gone?”

She faltered.

Perhaps knowing she couldn’t justify it, she sounded less forceful.

“Who doesn’t lose money in business? He’s only temporarily short of cash.”

“You and Chen Zheng both earn salaries. It isn’t as though you can’t find five hundred thousand.”

“We can.”

I sent her the old agreement.

“But this concerns you and the person who received the property.”

“What right does a daughter married out of the family have to interfere in her brother’s business?”

Only ragged breathing came from the other end.

After holding back a while, she cursed.

“Will you only be satisfied when creditors drive your brother to death?”

I transferred her fixed monthly living allowance.

“Here’s my share. Not a yuan short.”

“As for his business, he can take responsibility himself.”

Mom hung up.

That evening, he called from another number.

At first, he was very pleasant.

He said he only needed a three-month loan. Once his cash flow recovered, he would repay me with interest.