RBNR Ch5: Your Future Wife

Barbecue restaurant.

They said they wanted an afterparty, but the group felt it wasn’t lively enough, so they called over more friends. Familiar faces, unfamiliar ones, and even those in early romances who brought their partners—the massive group gradually swelled to twenty or thirty people.

Amidst the noise, Tu Yisen asked, “That friend you lived with, the one named Yueyue, from the last time I went to pick you up. Should we call him out?”

Qin Bao, holding a beer bottle, answered, “We’ve cut ties.”

Qin Bao was often absent from school and didn’t have any close classmates. Aside from being familiar with this group of childhood friends, the people he could call friends were few and far between. Li Nanyue used to have a spot there, but not anymore.

“I was hoping to get to know him better!” Tu Yisen’s eyes widened. “Why? Why did you suddenly cut ties with him for no reason? You haven’t deleted his phone number, have you?”

Qin Bao: “…”

Actually, when it came to offending him, Li Nanyue hadn’t offended him that severely. After all, growing up, this wasn’t the first time he had encountered this sort of thing.

When he was in elementary school, there was a teacher who was exceptionally good to him, gentle and enthusiastic. When he was sick, the teacher even came to his home personally to care for him. His mother was often out sketching and not home, and Mr. Qin left early and returned late. He had loved the teacher like a family member. When tutoring sessions ran late, the old master would even specifically let the teacher stay the night.

Until one day, Qin Bao, deep in sleep, heard his mother’s scream.

It turned out that when she returned home late at night, she actually found a fast-asleep Mr. Qin and the scantily-clad teacher in the bed of her own bedroom. The teacher insisted she was groggy from sleep and had walked into the wrong room when getting up in the night, but the sexy lingerie she was wearing clearly lacked persuasive power.

Mr. Qin couldn’t explain himself no matter how he tried, and because of this incident, the couple broke out into a fierce argument.

Later, he encountered other similar incidents. Li Nanyue’s wasn’t considered the most outrageous.

Qin Bao had just been angry at the time; now he felt it was unnecessary to dwell on it.

Shan Yiming sent Shan Yike off first. Finally getting a free moment, he walked over and said to Qin Bao, “I just ordered a few skewers of lamb tenderloin for you, non-spicy. This place makes them pretty well. For dessert, there’s sweet buffalo milk tofu pudding, peach gum with snow swallow, and Drunken Eight Immortals. Which one do you want?”

They were all things Qin Bao loved to eat.

“Drunken Eight Immortals, I guess.”

Shan Yiming was about to go order it.

Qin Bao suddenly called out to stop him. “No need.”

Shan Yiming was already used to taking care of him. “Ah? What’s wrong? I saw you barely ate anything just now.”

Qin Bao moved his lips, saying strangely, “You go have fun. You don’t need to look after me. I’m grown up enough; I can order whatever I want myself.”

Tu Yisen sighed in exaggerated surprise, “Yo, something’s not right.”

Shan Yiming also agreed. “It is a bit off.”

Qin Bao opened a bottle of beer for each of them. “Drink. Can’t alcohol shut your mouths?”

Later, more and more people arrived, and the gathering didn’t break up until 2 AM.

During this time, several people came to ask Qin Bao for his contact info, people of all genders. Some were purely attracted to his looks, while others had recognized him. Qin Bao didn’t give it to a single one.

Tu Yisen blocked one for him, saying, “Don’t waste your effort. This handsome guy is taken. He’s not making friends, his heart is sealed and his love is locked!”

Qin Bao shoved his head. “You’ve got a serious illness.”

When it ended, the Shan family called a driver to pick them up and dropped Qin Bao off on the way.

He slept straight through to the next afternoon.

Half-asleep and half-awake, Qin Bao dreamed of the banquet scene.

Beneath the Alpha’s thin eyelids was a pair of ink-like eyes. Holding a goblet in his hand, he spoke to the people next to him with a cold and sharp expression, looking towards him from afar.

Those fingers were fair and slender, joints distinct, with the veins on the back of his hand slightly bulging, full of a young man’s sense of power. Neatly dressed, only a section of his clean white sleeves was rolled up, exposing a frivolity completely different from this vanity fair beneath his steady exterior. Looking closer, he wore an unbranded watch on his wrist.

The watch’s dial was deep blue, the hands very minimalist. It seemed to have no special design; one could only tell it was quite valuable, possessing an indescribable low-key restraint.

The faint scent of narcissus lingered.

Even after waking, it still remained at the tip of his nose.

Qin Bao was a bit annoyed. He thought he had only been paying attention to the other’s face, not realizing he had actually noticed even these little details.

How could it be like this?

Did he just like that watch that much?

In the blink of an eye, half a month passed, and school started for his second year of high school.

Qin Bao caused a sensation when he entered the school gates. For the first time, he was chased into the classroom while hiding under a hat.

It turned out that a print ad he shot for a well-known brand in the first half of the year had been launched over the summer. Now, his figure could be seen everywhere on the streets and online.

Qin Bao was considered famous during his first year of high school. People in the school only knew he was good-looking and worked part-time as a model. His name was frequently posted on the confession wall. Now that the ad was popular, and the new students had rushed in to register, Qin Bao suddenly experienced the troubles of being a “celebrity.”

The news spread wider and wider. After school, even more people came to block Qin Bao; he could barely leave the classroom.

In the end, Tu Yisen ran down from the seniors’ floor, squeezed into the crowd, and dragged him away.

Tu Yisen: “If it’s going to be like this from now on, how are you going to go to school?”

Qin Bao was also a bit troubled by this. “I can only arrive late and leave early. I’ve already applied for it with the teacher.”

Anyway, he was always asking for leaves of absence before, sometimes for a whole week at a time. His situation was special; as long as he didn’t fall behind in his studies, the teachers would agree.

Another annoyance was that Tu Yisen’s arm was still resting on his shoulder, having been placed there when they broke out of the crowd.

Qin Bao was tactful enough and said very obediently, “Could you please remove your arm, thank you.”

“Forgot.” Tu Yisen sheepishly took it away and asked, “Taking time off all day is so troublesome. How much longer are you planning to play at this?”

Running off to be a model for no good reason, waiting to be sold like merchandise, being pointed at by others.

No one considered this a real career, nor did anyone think Qin Bao could stick with it for long. It was just a passing whim.

Qin Bao: “I’m not playing.”

His face was completely serious; Tu Yisen wanted to laugh.

Qin Bao frowned. “What are you laughing at? You think I can’t make it?”

Tu Yisen raised his hands in surrender. “No, no, how could I think you can’t make it? With your bearing, you’re more than qualified to be a star. I was just asking. Anyway, I still have to stay here for another half a year. If anyone blocks you again, just call me.”

Qin Bao was finally satisfied. “Thanks in advance.”

Tu Yisen was going to play billiards, and having nothing else to do, Qin Bao followed him.

The club was full of acquaintances, but Shan Yiming wasn’t seen. Someone said his family found out about him participating in motorcycle races, so he was grounded recently. Qin Bao had wanted to ask him something, but since his messages were never replied to, he turned to Tu Yisen instead.

“You said last time that you knew someone from the Feng family.”

Qin Bao bit his cola straw.

“That cousin of Feng something-Yu.”

Tu Yisen pocketed a ball in one shot and answered during his showboating: “Feng Chengyu.”

Qin Bao slowly “remembered.” “Oh… right, Feng Chengyu.”

Tu Yisen asked, “Why are you asking about this?”

Qin Bao said, “On the day of the banquet, I saw Feng Chengyu wearing a really nice-looking watch. I wanted to buy the same model, but I couldn’t tell what brand it was, so I wanted to ask someone.”

Tu Yisen retracted his cue stick, waiting for the opponent to hit the ball. “There are brands you don’t know?”

“Yeah,” Qin Bao said. “Can you ask?”

Tu Yisen said, “Why couldn’t I? Just wait for me to finish this game, and I’ll help you ask.”

After finishing the game, Tu Yisen went to make the call, and Qin Bao took over his cue stick.

Qin Bao didn’t play this often; his skills were terrible. Combined with his absentmindedness, he lost quite ugly.

Tu Yisen returned, clicked his tongue, told him to move aside, and added, “Feng Chu said his brother hasn’t been back in the country for long, and he doesn’t have his new phone number yet. He might see him on the weekend. He’ll definitely help you ask when he sees him, but you have to give him an autograph.”

Qin Bao nodded but was puzzled. “I’m not a star.”

After thinking about it, he felt this deal wasn’t a loss and agreed, “Fine. It’s just writing a name, I’ll practice when I get back.”

When the weekend arrived, Qin Bao still hadn’t received a call from Tu Yisen.

He had work today. As soon as he appeared at the shooting location, many people cast glances his way. Since he had gained popularity, Brother Lu was in a good mood and personally bustled about by his side.

This was an accessible luxury fashion brand. There were five models participating in the shoot. Throughout the day, Qin Bao changed into over a dozen outfits. Originally, he was a bit restless, but the fierce competition and high-intensity work quickly stole his attention.

Things were also very busy on Feng Chengyu’s end.

Even though it was the weekend, he was in meetings all morning, and in the afternoon, he had field visits. When he finally got some free time in the evening, he rushed to the Feng family’s old mansion to participate in the family meeting regarding its renovation.

The century-old mansion had an antique charm. It was here that the Feng family had laid down its roots and branched out. The statue of that founding father still stood in front of the ancestral hall.

Feng Chengyu’s parents did not inherit the family business and had never participated in such activities. The other two heavyweight figures of the Feng family simply had no time to participate. Thus, their branch sent Feng Chengyu as their representative.

The main house of the mansion was dilapidated; simple maintenance and repair would suffice. But the courtyard had a foundation sinking issue. To thoroughly solve it, it could only be completely redone. The uncles proposed taking this opportunity to remove the original landscaping, modernize the courtyard, and along with the east and west courtyards, divide them into independent areas according to the population of each branch.

“Chengyu,” a representative uncle said. “Since your great-grandfather’s generation, someone had proposed this suggestion, but it was dragged out without any action. Now there are more and more people in the family. During holidays, festivals, and Tomb-Sweeping Day ancestor worship, this mansion becomes a chaotic mess. It’s better to separate things as early as possible. You just got back. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can listen more to the opinions of the elders.”

Except for an elderly great-uncle with mobility issues, everyone in the Feng family did not live in the old mansion.

Even Old Master Feng’s main branch had moved out of the old mansion decades ago.

As soon as these words came out, everyone burst into discussion. Not a few people saw the central theme of this meeting: “dividing the family property.” Old Master Feng’s branch produced one Alpha after another, each at the height of their power. In reality, they had long widened the gap with the collateral branches. The reason they dared to bring this up was, first, they felt the main branch had left them in the dust; everyone was uncorrupt and upright, meaning they couldn’t scrape up a drop of benefits. They were worried that a long night would bring many dreams. Second, they were picking the soft persimmon to squeeze. Since the two heavyweight figures didn’t show up, Feng Chengyu, this junior, should be very easy to manipulate.

“Alright.”

Feng Chengyu replied very amiably, but his statement had nothing to do with being amiable.

“I have heard all your opinions, and I express my opposition.”

He sat at the very end of the long table, dressed all in black. As the only Alpha among the younger generation currently allowed at the table, he was calmer and steadier than anyone imagined.

“The old mansion preserved until today is the root of everyone in the Feng family. It’s a beautiful memory we mutually maintain, and we have an obligation to pass the family spirit on to the next generation. A sinking foundation can be repaired, and destroyed landscaping can also be restored.”

“You are right, there are more and more people in the family. I believe there will only be more in the future. It’s impossible to repeatedly divide up ‘territories’ time and time again.”

“There is also a way to solve the chaos during holidays. We can simply calculate the number of participants in advance and prepare for it like an official external event.”

That uncle said, “It’s not as simple as you think. We have to do this several times a year, and we can’t trust outsiders with it. Everyone is busy nowadays. Who has the energy to worry about this? It’s better to just divide it up so everyone has their own area. It’ll save everyone trouble.”

A junior auditing the meeting raised his hand weakly. “I’m not afraid of trouble. I’m willing to help organize the activities.”

Voices rose from all around.

“I can also make time.”

“Yeah, there are so many of us, we can totally take turns organizing it.”

Surprisingly, those speaking up were all young people.

“What are you bunch of kids interrupting for?”

That uncle’s face changed color, as did the several elders beside him.

This plot of land was becoming more and more valuable. It wasn’t that they planned to sell it immediately, but securing their claim early always had benefits.

Feng Chengyu spoke again, his tone gentle yet leaving no room for doubt. “When Grandpa was alive, he said that all affairs in the family, big or small, emphasized equality for everyone, and everyone had the right to voice their opinion. How about a vote? Regardless of age, one person gets one vote. Very fair.”

His skin was a cool white, his looks resembling his father, Professor Feng, but his speech and bearing were exactly like the late Old Master Feng. He was elegant, carrying an unconsciously revealed sense of indifference, permeated with a ruthlessness that couldn’t be easily detected.

“If there are no other suggestions, then let’s start voting now. Votes from those not present will be counted via phone.”

The meeting came to a close.

Feng Chengyu walked out of the main hall and stood beside a Buddhist pine tree, smoking a cigarette.

His cousin Feng Chu leaned in. “Brother, you were so handsome just now! Those shameless jerks actually have the nerve to call themselves elders! My grandpa earnestly instructed us ages ago that no matter what happens in the future, we can never lay a finger on the main house. I don’t know where they got the gall. Just now, as soon as they heard we’d call the Marshal to tally votes, they were so scared their calves cramped.”

Feng Chu’s grandfather was Old Master Feng’s biological brother. The latter entered politics, while the former chose to enter business, but the relationship between the two families had always been very close.

“Can you really spare the energy to organize activities?” Feng Chengyu didn’t accept his flattery. Exhaling a puff of white smoke, his deep facial features became blurred. “It’s easy to say, but hard to do well.”

The one who first raised his hand to speak earlier was Feng Chu.

Feng Chu was a Beta, silly and straightforward since he was young. “Hehe, it should be fine. Aren’t I planning to apply for a planning major? When I organize an exhibition or something in the future, I can consider this as advance practice.”

“Good.” Feng Chengyu lowered his eyes to look at him, encouragingly saying, “Keep it up.”

Having received encouragement, Feng Chu felt delighted. After chatting, he still didn’t leave. “Brother, I also want to ask you something.”

“What is it?”

“Ah, actually it’s not me asking, it’s my future sister-in-law who wants to ask.”

Feng Chengyu furrowed his brows, not quite understanding. “Who?”

“Qin Bao.” Feng Chu rubbed his head. “That Xiao Bao from the Qin family, your future wife.”

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Author’s note:

This child Feng Chu has been a sweet talker since he was little.