Divorcing and Returning Home with My Child to Inherit a Billion-Dollar Fortune - Chapter 9

Lu Ming took a long stride to walk side-by-side with Qi Ji as they entered the banquet hall.

The scene was somewhat chaotic. There weren’t enough drinks or pre-dinner desserts, and the dishes prepared by the chef seemed insufficient. It was clear that even Qi Xiancai had not expected so many people to show up today.

Moreover, Qi Ji recognized several faces he had seen countless times on the local financial news. Although he had never met them in person, they were familiar. He wondered to himself: Is some big shot coming today? Did his uncle’s family somehow manage to climb a high social ladder without anyone knowing?

“Let’s go. I’ll take you to meet the elders.”

Qi Ji was still holding Lu Ming’s hand, not quite realizing the intimacy of the gesture. He simply pulled him through the corridor toward the small guest lounge in the back. While the front was a mess, the people in the back were as anxious as ants on a hot pan.

Qi Xiancai was pacing back and forth in the small lounge, shouting into his phone with extreme impatience. “I don’t care! Do you have any idea how important the guests coming tonight are? No matter what method you use, no matter how much extra it costs, find the freshest and best ingredients. We cannot lose face!”

“What ‘important guests’ are coming?” Qi Ji asked, letting go of Lu Ming’s hand as he stepped forward.

An assistant quickly brought tea. “President Qi, please have some tea. And this is…”

“Lu Ming,” Lu Ming introduced himself, proactively reaching out to take the tea. Curious gazes from the small hall immediately fell upon him.

Qi Ji never discussed his private affairs with anyone. He and Lu Ming had a contract marriage, but except for He Zhaolin, everyone else believed it was real.

Sitting on the sofa were his eldest aunt and his stepmother. The two seemed to be on excellent terms, chatting animatedly. Seeing Qi Ji arrive, the aunt put on a wide smile and motioned for him and Lu Ming to sit.

Qi Xiancai had three children: the eldest son, Qi Yu, was an Alpha, while the younger son and daughter were both Omegas. At this moment, three Omegas were squatting in the shadows near the stair corner, observing the situation in the hall and whispering with interest.

“So that’s your brother’s Alpha? He’s quite handsome, not at all the mess you described,” Qi Ying remarked, offering an objective first impression.

Qi Hao rolled his eyes. “He looks decent enough, but he’s just an insignificant little streamer who can’t hold his own in polite society.”

“Let’s go mess with him later!” Qi Zong said with a giggle.

Qi Ying was speechless. “Qi Zong, do you have a death wish? Don’t cause trouble today, or I’ll tell Dad!”

Qi Xiancai hung up the phone, calmed his nerves, and finally greeted his guests. “Qi Ji, you’re here!”

“Uncle.”

Lu Ming followed Qi Ji’s lead. “Hello, Uncle.”

“Ah, good. Lu… Xiao Lu!” Lu Ming squeezed out an awkward yet polite smile.

Qi Xiancai couldn’t hide his excitement. “I only received the news this afternoon. The eldest young master of the Su family—the former wealthiest family in G City—is coming. I’ve already sent Qi Yu to the airport to pick him up.”

“The Su family?” Qi Ji fell into deep thought. The Su family had been wealthy for three generations and was true old money. However, ten years ago, they expanded their business outward and had rarely returned to G City since.

When things are out of the ordinary, there’s bound to be a catch. He didn’t know if the arrival of the Su family’s heir was a blessing or a curse.

“What’s wrong?” Lu Ming sensed his unease and lowered his head to whisper.

“The Qi family has no business or personal ties with the Su family. Ten years ago, the Su family was already the richest in G City, and they are even more powerful now. I can’t think of a single reason why a Su would lower themselves to attend this birthday banquet.”

While everyone else was buzzing with anticipation for Su He’s arrival, only Qi Ji was filled with doubt and a strong sense of crisis. There was a reason why he, an Omega, was the one leading the Qi family.

Qi Xiancai said excitedly, “Qi Ji, if our family can latch onto the Su family’s coattails and seize this chance, we can break the stalemate and soar!”

Qi Ji remained impassive. “And how do you plan to ‘latch on,’ Uncle?”

“In our family, don’t we still have three unwed Omegas? Marriage is the fastest way to move up.”

Qi Ji felt a surge of displeasure. He asked with a cold face, “Have you asked the three of them for their opinions?” If the three were smart enough, they would reject such an arrangement; a powerhouse like the Su family was not necessarily a good match.

“I’m willing!” The first to speak up was his half-brother, Qi Hao.

“With a family background like the Su’s, who wouldn’t be willing? I’m just afraid Young Master Su won’t look twice at us,” Qi Zong added, showing a sliver of self-awareness.

Qi Hao chimed in again, “Brother, just because you settled for a third-rate streamer doesn’t mean you should stop me from finding someone better, right?”

Qi Ying smiled playfully and stuck out her tongue. “I mostly care about looks. If he’s more handsome than Brother Xiao Lu, I’ll consider it!”

Lu Ming shrank into the corner of the sofa, propping his forehead with his hand. He felt itchy all over and didn’t dare look them in the eye.

The stepmother glared at Qi Ji with hostility. “Qi Ji, this is the most important opportunity for your brother. You cannot obstruct him! In fact, you must support him fully! Once your brother marries into the Su family, won’t you benefit as well?”

Qi Ji’s fists tightened, his chest heaving with suppressed fury. For the sake of decorum, he forced himself to stay calm. “Do any of you have a brain? Why would the Su family lack Omegas for marriage? Are they crazy, or are you?!”

“Brother, what do you mean by that?” Qi Hao stepped up to Qi Ji, fuming. “Do you look down on me that much? I get it. You’re jealous that we’re prettier and younger than you. You’re afraid we’ll marry better than you did!”

Qi Ji stared at him, so speechless that even his anger had evaporated. “Besides marrying an Alpha, is there anything else left in your head?”

“What right do you have to talk to us like that? When you were fooling around in a hotel with this kind of Alpha behind Brother Zhaolin’s back, you should have realized you have no standing to criticize us. It’s truly embarrassing!”

Lu Ming finally understood why Qi Ji had such a short fuse. If this were his brother, he would have picked him up and thrown him out of the house to fend for himself long ago.

“He didn’t ‘marry’ me; I married into his family. I eat his food, drink his water, and live in his big villa,” Lu Ming said with a straight face. “Confidence is good, but I think your brother is better looking than you. You might be young, but your brother is financially independent, smart, and courageous. Compared to his abilities, your youth seems utterly worthless. I truly don’t understand how someone can use age as a point of comparison. Is it because you have no other virtues to speak of? Ah, how pitiful!”

Qi Hao’s face turned red with rage. His beauty was his greatest pride, and this man said Qi Ji was better looking? He refused to accept it!

“You—Lu! Have you no shame? An Alpha with perfectly good limbs living off a spouse like this, and you’re even bragging about it in front of everyone? Haha, how hilarious! Only my brother would settle for someone like you; I certainly wouldn’t!”

Lu Ming put on a hurt expression. “Is your brother insulting me? Am I really that terrible? Hearing these words makes me feel like my heart is breaking!”

Qi Ji’s patience had reached its limit. He stood up and stepped toward Qi Hao.

Qi Hao swallowed hard, finally feeling afraid. “W-what are you doing?”

“Come here!” Qi Ji grabbed his brother by the neck and dragged him toward a side room.

“No! Help!! Mom! Mommy, save me!! That animal Qi Ji is going to kill me!”

The stepmother let out a shrill, earth-shattering wail. “Oh my god! Hao’er! Qi Ji, you monster, you’re hitting your brother again! Let him out! Hao’er!!” She pounded on the locked door, tears streaming down her face. “Won’t someone help? Can’t you hear my son crying in there? Heavens, what a misfortune for this family!”

The eldest aunt had to go through the motions of helping, saying pleasantries outside the door. “Qi Ji, your brother is immature. Don’t take it to heart. A few hits are enough; don’t take it too far.”

“No! I’m calling the police! I won’t allow a single finger to be laid on my son!!” The stepmother pulled out her phone, truly intending to call the police.

“Sister-in-law, you can’t call the police! We have to think of the bigger picture. Young Master Su is about to arrive. This would make us a laughingstock!”

“It’s not your son being hit, so of course you don’t care!”

“Look at how you’re talking…”

Qi Zong shivered as he heard the muffled cries and the sound of things being smashed in the bedroom. He asked quietly, “Dad, do we really not need to step in?”

Qi Xiancai let out a cold laugh. “Let him hit him. It’s better if that face gets ruined; then wouldn’t the chances for you and Ying’er be even greater?”

“Oh!” Qi Zong’s eyes lit up. “Qi Hao deserves it. Of all people to provoke, he had to go after his brother.”

Qi Ying studied Lu Ming, who was sitting on the sofa leisurely playing on his phone. She gained a new perspective of him. He was a handsome Alpha, but he was also a soul-seducing “male vixen.” With just three sentences, he had managed to get Qi Ji to drag his brother away for a beating. What a strategist!

Amidst the chaos, the door clicked open. Everyone who had been shouting and crying fell silent.

Qi Ji walked out while adjusting his sleeves and buttoning his suit. Everyone instinctively made way, silent as mice. Once he had walked a bit further, the stepmother rushed into the bedroom with red eyes, only to find her precious son with a swollen eye and a bloody nose, looking utterly miserable.

“Mom, I can’t attend the banquet now! Qi Ji is so cruel! He’s ruined my path to marrying into a wealthy family! I hate him!”

“Don’t cry, baby. Don’t cry. One day, the two of us will be the masters of this house!” As she spoke, her eyes flickered with immense hatred.

Lu Ming carefully tidied the stray hairs on Qi Ji’s forehead and massaged his hand. “Your hand must hurt, right? Even though your brother’s bones are soft, force is reciprocal. I was really afraid your brother’s head might have hurt your hand; you can tell just by the way he talks that he lacks any sense of propriety.”

Meeting Lu Ming’s deep, gentle eyes, Qi Ji’s heart softened inexplicably. “Don’t take what he said to heart.”

“I won’t. No matter what, he is your brother.”

“Mm.” Although the Alpha was only twenty, he was considerate enough to make one’s heart ache.

Qi Ying, standing behind them and eavesdropping, was so shocked her eyes almost popped out. Bones are soft but force is reciprocal? Afraid the head hurt his hand? Is this even human speech? Isn’t Qi Hao the one who was beaten into a miserable state? Even more absurdly, the cold-blooded Qi Ji had completely succumbed to his sweet words and gentle offensive! If Teacher Lu opened a class on “Tea Art,” it would surely be a hit, Qi Ying thought, giving Lu Ming a secret thumbs-up.

Just then, the butler ran in frantically. “They’re here! The Eldest Young Master and the Young Master of the Su family have arrived!”

Qi Xiancai nervously straightened his suit. “Come, let’s go out together to welcome them.”

Lu Ming followed along, but his wrist was suddenly pulled back by Qi Ji. “Stay in the back. The bird that sticks its head out gets shot.”

Lu Ming nodded thoughtfully.

As evening fell, several luxury Rolls-Royces pulled into the courtyard, their surfaces gleaming under the setting sun. The car at the front belonged to Qi Yu. He stepped out first and opened the door for the car behind him. Today’s guests had all come in hopes of catching a ride on the Su family’s ship to make a fortune.

A pair of polished rhino-leather shoes stepped out. A tall Alpha in a silver-grey suit emerged. He wore rimless titanium glasses over his fair skin, giving him a refined, scholarly, and high-class appearance.

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