Chapter 165: Chapter 165: Must Be Arranged

Ling Zhiwei was relentless. "You have to come out for lunch tomorrow," he said. "You’re treating, and it’s only right!"

"You’re a university student now! We have to celebrate! You have to treat me!"

He repeated himself, then added another line.

"You won’t? Then I’ll post on the school forum. The title will be, ’Shocking! New Student in Debt Before Even Enrolling, an Elder Brother Forced to Beg’!"

He burst out laughing before he even finished, doubling over with laughter.

On the other end of the line, Shanshan couldn’t help but laugh too, but she still retorted.

"If you’re willing to embarrass yourself like that, do you really think I can get out of this meal?"

"You’re mistaken, Fourth Brother. Dad said I’m still a minor, so I don’t count as an adult."

Shanshan said this with a perfectly straight face, and hearing it, Ling Zhiwei actually felt a bit deflated.

He scratched his head. ’Forget it,’ he thought.

He was already thrilled that his sister was coming to the university anyway. Missing one meal wasn’t a big deal.

Just as he was about to give up and casually say, "Alright then," he heard a soft laugh from the other end of the line.

To his surprise, Shanshan’s tone took a playful turn.

"But I guess I can’t really get out of a meal to celebrate me going to university. So, Fourth Brother, where should we go?"

Ling Zhiwei’s eyes went wide, and he almost dropped his phone.

"Now *that’s* what I’m talking about! We have to go somewhere nice!"

"Absolutely! I’ll take care of it!"

He immediately opened a restaurant booking app and scrolled for a long time before picking a place with high ratings and a nice atmosphere.

As he sent her the address, he didn’t forget to add a comment.

"I’ve had my eye on this place for a while. It’s got a great reputation, and it’s not cheap, so don’t you dare feel bad about the cost!"

After sending the text, he even recorded a voice message in an exaggerated tone.

They agreed to meet at their usual spot.

Shanshan had just gotten out of a taxi and was still finding her footing when Ling Zhiwei rushed over to her.

He was strong, scooping her right up and spinning her around twice, which made Shanshan shriek in surprise.

Passersby all turned to stare.

Ling Zhiwei didn’t care at all, loudly announcing as he spun her around, "My little sister got into our university! We have to celebrate today!"

His shout was so loud it summoned their entire family.

Before long, a line of eight people stood at the restaurant’s entrance, all of them beaming.

Seeing the crowd, a waiter quickly switched their reservation from a small private room to the largest one.

The room was filled with family. Ling Zhiwei stood there, stunned and a little confused.

He had only planned to have a meal alone with his sister and show her around the area.

He never expected his parents and all their relatives to show up.

Even his youngest cousin was there, sitting in a chair in his school uniform, munching on an apple.

He scratched his head and looked at Shanshan, only to find her chatting and laughing with their mother, not looking surprised at all.

He stopped worrying about it and took the initiative to welcome everyone to their seats.

When ordering, he made sure to ask about the elders’ preferences and avoided the spicy food that Shanshan disliked.

Throughout the meal, he kept putting food on everyone’s plates and telling funny stories about school.

Shanshan listened quietly, occasionally chiming in, her eyes shining brightly.

Halfway through the meal, Ding Qin quietly took her hand and whispered, "With your Fourth Brother looking after you here, we can rest a little easier."

No one in the Ling Family noticed that in the private room right next to theirs, another table of people was also drinking and celebrating.

Their table was laden with seafood and foreign liquor, the air thick with smoke.

"Now that this deal is signed," one of them slammed the table and laughed heartily, "our performance for the second half of the year is secured!"

The others chimed in in agreement, their glasses clinking together.

At this table, however, the celebration was for business. They had just closed a major deal.

The contract had already been faxed back to the company, and the finance department was already processing it.

They had been negotiating the development rights for a commercial plot in the East City New District.

The middle-aged man leading them, his face flushed with success, raised his glass. "To our future!"

Everyone echoed in unison, drinking heartily.

At the corner of the table sat a printed-out project proposal.

The atmosphere here was nothing like the lively warmth of the Ling family’s gathering.

The air was thick with the scent of opportunism.

It mingled with the aroma of food from the Ling family’s room.

"Yingzi, I’m not trying to find fault with you, but look at what Jiajia has become. She’s got such a foul, stubborn temper. Someone raises their voice a little and she’s ready to fly off the handle. Isn’t this all because you spoiled her? You should have disciplined her long ago."

The speaker was a woman in her early forties with permed hair and a gold necklace.

Liu Yingzi kept her head down, clutching a napkin in her hand.

The only sound in the room was the hum of the air conditioner.

Everyone else was silent, pretending to be engrossed in their food.

Liu Yingzi’s head was bowed, her complexion ashen.

She had deliberately worn a newly bought blouse today, hoping to look more presentable.

But now, her shoulders slumped, and her whole body seemed to shrink into the corner.

Her nose began to sting, but she forced the tears back.

’This is someone else’s territory. At this dinner table, the host makes all the rules.’

"Yes, yes, you’re right about everything, Sister-in-law. I’ll be sure to teach her properly from now on."

The moment the words left her mouth, she felt a wave of humiliation.

She glanced at her daughter beside her and saw that Cao Jiajia’s expression had already darkened.

She immediately reached out under the table, grabbed her daughter’s wrist, and squeezed it hard.

’We’re living under someone else’s roof right now. We have to keep our heads down when we can.’

’For my child to have a future, what’s a little scolding?’

’I can just grit my teeth and endure it.’

She knew that if she talked back to these people today, they would have to move out tomorrow.

Rent was expensive outside, and jobs were hard to find.

But Cao Jiajia couldn’t swallow it.

’She couldn’t care less about this whole stupid school business anyway.’

’Just two more miserable years, and then I’m out of here. I’ll just head south to find work.’

’Who would want to stay in this crappy place and take this crap?’

She stared at the fish-fragrant shredded pork in front of her, not taking a single bite.

The criticisms buzzed in her ears like annoying flies.

After being forced by her own mother to listen to the tirade, she finally choked out, "I’m going to the bathroom."

Then she bolted out of the room.

The hallway lights were glaring. She took a deep breath and walked nonstop toward the restroom.

As she passed the elevators, she glanced up at the floor indicator and silently memorized the number.

She pulled out her phone, opened a map app, and quickly marked the route to the nearest train station.

The sun slanted down, its warmth landing on her shoulders.

She hadn’t been sitting for more than a few minutes when she caught sight of a familiar figure approaching out of the corner of her eye.

The figure was tall and slim, dressed in a clean white shirt.

She recognized him—Ling Zhiwei. Her heart skipped a beat.

"Brother! What a coincidence! Are you eating here too?"

Ling Zhiwei froze, his brow furrowed slightly as he stopped in his tracks.

He stopped and stared at the girl who had suddenly appeared before him.

"Who are you? Calling me ’Brother’? Do we know each other?"

Cao Jiajia’s face fell, the smile frozen on her lips. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

She swallowed, her throat suddenly dry.

"I... I’m Cao Jiajia. Shanshan’s... sis—"

She knew her relationship with Ling Xueshan wasn’t exactly something to be proud of, maybe even a little shameful.

’But I still have to try.’

"Stop, stop! Don’t even say it! Our Shanshan doesn’t have any sisters. She has four older brothers, and that’s it!"

Cao Jiajia’s lips trembled, and her eyes instantly turned red.

A wave of grievance welled up in her throat, making it hard for her to breathe.

But not only did Ling Zhiwei feel no pity, he actually took two steps back.

"And another thing, don’t call me ’Brother.’ I only have one little sister, and that’s Ling Xueshan. Our family doesn’t acknowledge people who’ve been kicked out of school."