"Uncle... please don’t make fun of ." Ruan Xingwen was sowhat helpless.
This uncle of his seed very proper on the outside, but in reality, he was an avid follower of gossip in private, sotis acting as a keen mber of the public, sharing rumors or even calling the police. After all, he did have so minor power.
The voice on the other end of the phone continued its accusation,
"Still arguing! Tell , since you entered the entertainnt industry, how long has it been since you returned to the old house? How long since you called ? You’ve completely forgotten about , your uncle! They say the entertainnt industry is a world of temptations; I bet you’re blinded!"
"Uncle, I went to Jingxi for work last month and visited the old house. Did you forget? I even brought you a decent vase, rember? Maybe we should have you checked at the hospital? Already getting forgetful at thirty-sothing?"
The person on the other end paused noticeably, then a voice ca through, annoyed and flustered,
"Alright, you rascal! Don’t think I can’t tell! You’re calling senile! You, you, you... wait until you co back, I’ll deal with you then!"
He was indeed a bit forgetful, but that’s because he had too much to deal with! That’s why he needed his assistant to remind him of his schedule, and every ti Xingxing couldn’t win an argunt with him, he’d use this to mock him!
"Alright, Uncle, I was wrong. I actually need your help with sothing."
Hearing his uncle clearly a bit embarrassed, Ruan Xingwen seized the chance to admit his mistake and bring the conversation back to the main issue.
"What, having a hard ti now? Or running out of money? Just say how much you need, your uncle is wealthy!"
Though bragging, he knew that Xingxing wouldn’t co to him for money just because he needed it. Ever since his sister and brother-in-law had their incident, Xingxing had never asked the family for money, nor sought help.
And the family never restricted his choices either, just like when he entered the entertainnt industry before graduating, the family supported him as long as Xingxing was happy.
But this ti, he had misjudged.
"Uncle... could you lend so money?"
After hesitating for a while, Ruan Xingwen finally spoke up.
His uncle, who had just been certain Xingxing wasn’t short of money, was caught off guard and didn’t know how to respond.
"Well, Uncle, if it’s inconvenient, never mind, I’ll ask soone else." Ruan Xingwen’s tone noticeably lowered.
"What nonsense! How could it be inconvenient! How much do you need? Is a hundred thousand enough? I’ll transfer it right away, still the sa account, right?" he said, calling an assistant over to transfer the money to Ruan Xingwen.
"Wait, Uncle, I need a bit more than that."
His uncle didn’t mind, thinking how much more could it be? He wasn’t short of cash.
Ruan Xingwen continued and stated an amount,
"Five million, is that okay?"
His uncle was stunned again. What trouble had this kid gotten into? Why ask for five million all of a sudden when he never asked for money before? Although five million wasn’t much, he was worried Ruan Xingwen might have picked up a bad habit like gambling or drugs.
Sternly, his uncle questioned,
"Xingxing, be honest with your uncle, have you picked up any bad habits?"
Ruan Xingwen couldn’t help but laugh and cry, amazed by his uncle’s erratic thinking. Are all artists like this?
"Uncle, what are you thinking? I terminated my contract with the company and need to pay a penalty."
The voice on the other end sighed in relief,
"Phew... that’s a relief. You scared . As long as it’s not a bad habit. Do you need it urgently? Should I transfer it now?"
"No need to give it to , just transfer it directly to the company’s account. Make sure to keep the transaction record. If you give it to and I transfer it to the company, the bank will charge a fee!"
He sent his uncle the account number via WeChat while speaking.
The other party received the ssage and instructed the assistant to transfer the money.
"It’s been transferred. Look at you, been in the entertainnt industry for years but haven’t even made a profit, now you’re even calculating transaction fees? How about coming back to Jingxi to help run the company?"
The uncle’s voice was full of tempting persuasion.
"Stop, stop, I’m not going back. That business is Grandpa’s legacy to you. I don’t want to take over that and have people gossiping behind my back..."
Ruan Xingwen shuddered at the thought and decided he’d rather stay and be a minor celebrity here.
"Oh, my dad too, why give it to and not to our elder brothers? Insisting on the incapable one. I have to keep a stern face every day, it’s exhausting."
Despite complaining over the years, Uncle had always remained at the cultural center Grandpa left behind, like an eagle destined to roam freely, willingly confined now within the humble abode on land.
"Uncle, if Grandpa were still here, he’d certainly be very happy."
The other end of the call fell silent. After a few seconds, it resud,
"Alright, the money has been transferred. I have things to attend to here, you go do your thing. If you have ti, co back to the old house and stay with for a while."
Ruan Xingwen nodded in agreent, and the other party hung up.
Ruan Xingwen leaned back on a street bench, stretched his limbs with a long yawn. He looked up at the bright blue sky, feeling as free as a bird breaking its shackles, finally able to fly freely.
After savoring the sight for a while, Ruan Xingwen stood up and walked towards ho. It was a bit far, but he felt good today and wanted to breathe in so fresh air.
Halfway there, Ruan Xingwen had to give in and stop at a bus stop, intending to take the bus for the rest of the way ho.
His body now felt too easily fatigued, and who knows how long it’ll take to recover. He had an endorsent to handle in a few days too, hoping it wouldn’t cause any delay.
As he pondered, the bus arrived. He boarded, found a vacant seat, and watched the scenery whisk by.
Ruan Xingwen’s contract termination was processed swiftly. Since it was an amicable separation, no legal proceedings were needed, and the process was complete once the penalty was paid.
Thus, from the mont his uncle sent the money, Ruan Xingwen was free.
All within a little over an hour, which included the ti it took for Ruan Xingwen to travel from ho to the company.
anwhile, on the third floor of a building in Tis Garden,
"That rascal Yu Xiaozhe, he ca to see and couldn’t even wait until I woke up to leave! Just because he can see , I can’t see him, huh?!"
Yu Yue looked at the old man’s angry deanor, feeling a bit resentful toward his brother,
"Exactly! Why not wait for Grandpa to wake up before leaving? And why not take too to endure Grandpa’s wrath all by myself? This is utterly insane!"
Resentful though he was, he had to comfort the old man, since he was getting on in years and couldn’t afford anger.
"Grandpa, my brother was rushing to join the crew, wasn’t he? You’re quite far from the airport, if he waited for you to wake up, he’d definitely miss his flight, and that’d be bad."
"Besides, I’m still here to accompany you, right? Are you saying you only like my brother and not ?"
Saying this, he put on a pitiful expression.
The old man was just missing his grandson whom he hadn’t seen in a long ti. Now that his other grandson was there, he was naturally happy.
"Then you must co with to the park, just so I can show off to Old Zhang, humph, even if his granddaughter is great, she doesn’t have ti for him; my grandson is better!"
Yu Yue dared not refuse,
"Alright, alright, Grandpa’s word is law. Shall we head out now? And maybe have breakfast on the way!"
Before the old man could respond, another person, hardly noticed before, spoke up to stop them,
"Grandpa Yu, Mr. Yu, I’ve already made breakfast, it’s keeping warm in the kitchen, better not eat out, it’s unhealthy."
Only now did Yu Yue rember there was such a person, recalling last night’s conversation with his brother, he turned his gaze towards the person and spoke,
"I’ll give you three months’ extra salary, but please ensure to leave before we return."
Seeing the person turn pale and about to rebut, Yu Yue’s face darkened, his voice carrying a warning,
"You’ve crossed the line."
With that, he turned to support the old man out the door.
The old man said nothing to this. When it ca to outsiders, he trusted his family more.
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