Chapter 65
The child had begged and pleaded to learn, and as a good person, Wei Yu felt it would be wrong not to fulfill his wish.
As for the clothes, that could be set aside for now—they could just ask his family for compensation later.
Wei Yu smiled and bent down to pat Liu Chanyi’s head. “Good child, I see your desire to study. You’re very sincere, and I’m pleased.”
The child looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to say that he would teach him.
Unfortunately, just as Wei Yu was talking, he made a sudden turn in the conversation. “But I can’t let you join the lessons recklessly just because you’re sincere!”
Liu Chanyi panicked. “Just tell —I’ll learn! I’ll pay the entrance gift!”
“Eh? That’s a bit much, that’s a bit much. I don’t charge anything,” Wei Yu said with a grin. “But we can write a contract.”
A contract?
Liu Chanyi was montarily stunned.
Yes, he was a child and didn’t usually pay much attention to the world around him, but he was smart. Even if he wasn’t well-versed in worldly affairs, he knew that contracts weren’t sothing you casually agreed to.
As if knowing what he was thinking, Wei Yu continued, “Since you want to learn from , then you need to change your habit of not speaking or interacting with others. The contract will be about that—it’s your promise to . If you can’t do it, we’ll have a punishnt. How about that?”
Liu Chanyi pressed his lips together.
He hesitated for a few seconds, then finally gave a small nod.
“Tut tut tut.” Wei Yu wagged a finger at him. “Look at you. What did I just say? Not replying is rude.”
The child’s ears instantly turned red from being caught and scolded to his face.
Liu Chanyi opened his mouth slightly, his black eyes glistening like he was about to cry.
Wei Yu, with his thick skin and no sense that he was bullying a child, kept up the gaslighting-style pressure. “Ah, don’t think I’m tricking you just because you’re young. You have to understand, in this day and age, it’s hard to find a good teacher—especially one as talented in both literature and martial arts as . I’m a once-in-a-century prodigy!”
The Eighth Prince, who had walked over to see what they were doing: …
The Eighth Prince stared at Wei Yu’s back, confused and shocked by what he was hearing.
Why is it that every ti he thinks he understands how shaless his Ninth Brother can be, the guy still manages to outdo himself?!
He had to admit, though—it was kind of admirable. He actually wanted to learn that kind of shaless joy.
Wei Yu heard footsteps behind him.
He turned around and greeted his Eighth Brother without batting an eye.
The Eighth Prince said, “What are you two talking about… Cousin, why do you look like you’re about to cry?”
Could his Ninth Brother really be bullying a kid?
Leaving that aside, his cousin clearly wasn’t in the mood for chit-chat.
Liu Chanyi acted like he hadn’t heard the Eighth Prince’s question and just kept quietly staring at Wei Yu.
Wei Yu, in turn, simply looked back at him.
Their eyes t.
One gaze was full of hesitation and inner struggle; the other was aningful and deep.
Wei Yu used his eyes to send a ssage to Liu Chanyi: See? There you go again. Being rude.
The child understood. His brows furrowed into an eight-shape from the internal conflict.
But he didn’t stay conflicted for long. After the Eighth Prince glanced back and forth between them suspiciously a couple of tis, Liu Chanyi finally turned to look at him.
“Cousin, it’s my fault. I’m not crying. I want to take His Highness the Ninth Prince as my teacher.”
Eighth Prince: …!
“What is going on with you two?!”
The Eighth Prince suddenly felt like his brain wasn’t working. He held his head and looked from his cousin to his Ninth Brother, wondering if this was all a dream.
His cousin actually wanted to take his Ninth Brother as a teacher?!
That’s… a generational ss-up, right?
The Eighth Prince sank deep into thought.
In the future, how was he supposed to refer to them if he was caught in the middle?
Wei Yu patted his Eighth Brother on the shoulder and said with heartfelt persuasion, “Eighth Brother, kids grow up. They have the right to choose their teachers. As the elder, you shouldn’t interfere, you know?”
The Eighth Prince snapped out of it and shot him a sidelong glance. “What did you see in my cousin?”
Wei Yu: …
How annoying, this Eighth Brother.
“Nothing. I’m a talented and accomplished man. I’ve got money and power. What could I possibly want from a kid? You’re slandering .” Wei Yu kept a straight face.
He wasn’t after money—he was after the person.
The Eighth Prince thought about it and figured that made sense, but sothing still felt off.
If Wei Yu didn’t want anything from his cousin, why would he go out of his way to chat with him so long and even take him in as a student?
No one shows that much kindness for no reason—it’s either flirtation or manipulation!
“Ninth Brother, the Liu family’s third branch only has this one heir. Don’t you go ruining him,” the Eighth Prince warned. He couldn’t see Wei Yu’s true intentions yet, but that didn’t stop him from laying down the law.
“Eighth Brother, don’t you trust ?” Wei Yu looked heartbroken at his lack of faith. He tilted his chin at Liu Chanyi. “Chanyi, what did we agree on just now? You’re going to study under . Now, what do you say to your cousin?”
He probably wouldn’t answer, right?
That’s what the Eighth Prince thought… only to be imdiately proven wrong.
His usually unresponsive cousin looked up, put on a serious little bun face, and said earnestly, “Cousin, I will begin studying under His Highness today. Please inform Grandmother for .”
Eighth Prince: …
Stunned. Utterly stunned.
How did his Ninth Brother manage to make his cousin so obedient?!
Wei Yu only smiled and said nothing.
If you offer what soone truly wants, they’ll give their all for you. It’s just about playing to their interests.
—
With Liu Chanyi temporarily settled, they just needed to enter the palace to express thanks before making more concrete arrangents.
Judging the ti left until court was over, Wei Yu played a few rounds of chess with his Eighth Brother.
Not Go—they weren’t fans. They played Five-in-a-Row.
Back when they were kids and bored in class, Wei Yu would often play Five-in-a-Row with his Eighth Brother under the table.
Around noon, Wei Yu stopped playing.
“Let’s go, Eighth Brother. It’s about ti. Royal Father is probably reviewing morials at the Hall of ntal Cultivation. Let’s head into the palace and thank him.”
The sooner they finished, the sooner they could return. While they were still free from official duties, they could squeeze in so more fun.
The Eighth Prince, unaware of Wei Yu’s true thoughts, thought he was genuinely eager to see the Emperor and expressed his feelings emotionally.
“Ninth Brother, you’ve really grown up.”
Wei Yu: ?
Totally confused. What was going on in his Eighth Brother’s head?
Wei Yu returned to the residence to change clothes. When he ca out, he saw his Eighth Brother’s carriage already waiting at the gate. He lifted the curtain and got in.
The carriage swayed along the road toward the imperial city. Wei Yu didn’t have many thoughts, but his Eighth Brother clearly had a lot to say.
“Ninth Brother, in a few days we might be given official posts. Aren’t you nervous?”
What was there to be nervous about? Thinking about work, Wei Yu not only wasn’t nervous—he was already considering screwing up on purpose so the old man would fire him.
Wei Yu turned sideways. “What’s there to be nervous about? No matter how nervous you are, your salary won’t change.”
The Eighth Prince seed not to hear him and muttered to himself, “Maybe after thanking the Emperor, we should ask Fifth Brother what we need to prepare…”
Wei Yu rolled his eyes.
So idle.
He had the classic fresh-graduate mindset—completely unprepared for the harshness of the real world!
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