Shao Nan rolled his eyes. “Actually, there’s no need to make it so complicated. We can just behave like our normal selves around outsiders. We just have to make him realize that we’re terrible and make him think that we don’t know anything and we’re very expensive to raise. Let’s show him that other than spending money and being troublesome, we have no merits at all.”

  “That’s true. It’s not like we want to become bad kids for real. We can’t really sacrifice our excellence for him!” Shao Xi’s eyes lit up. “Little Nan, you’re always so wicked. But I like it.”

  Shao Nan grinned. “It’s all for the sake of leaving with Mommy.”

  Shao Nan and the others all looked at Shao Dong and waited for him to decide. Shao Dong nodded. “This is a solution, but we have to think about the details. We can’t just recklessly make a move.” At the very least, they couldn’t let Shao Qihai discover their scheme, or it would be useless.

  “Let me think about ways to spend money,” Shao Nan said seriously.

  In the past, they used to think of ways to save money and earn money. This was the first time they had to think of ways to spend money.

  “I wonder if he has money. If we ask for it but he doesn’t, what if Mommy gives it to us in the end?”

  “Then let’s first find out if he has money or not and how much he has.” Shao Dong then added calmly, “You don’t have to rummage through his luggage. There’s not much money in there.”

  Little Bei looked up. “Brother, you’ve rummaged through it? When did you do that?”

  “Last night, while he wasn’t paying attention. We should be focusing on his bank account and other places. In addition, I didn’t see anything linked to his new wife or children. Maybe what he said was true.”

  Shao Qihai, who had finally finished washing the clothes and returned, dried them in the sun and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He was about to relax when he suddenly sneezed.

  “Once means someone is missing me, and twice means someone is scolding me, right? Is someone missing me again?” Shao Qihai secretly glanced at Mu Jingzhe, but she was busy.

  Shao Qihai was embarrassed. Just as he was about to say something, he sneezed again. “So someone’s been scolding me… Could it be Ji Buwang?”

  Ji Buwang… was indeed scolding Shao Qihai.

  When Ji Buwang had learned that the kids had started school, he had wanted to take this opportunity to go to Great Eastern Village to look for Mu Jingzhe, but he had ended up meeting the distracted Shao Qiyang instead.

  Although they had been quite at odds previously, upon seeing him like this, Ji Buwang immediately stopped the car. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

  Shao Qiyang looked at Ji Buwang and his expression became a little strange. “What? You still want to help?”

  “Tell me about it.” He listened to see if he should help.

  \r \r \r

  Although Ji Buwang didn’t say it out loud, his meaning was clear. Shao Qiyang felt increasingly more conflicted.

  The person he’d always found an eyesore looked like someone who shared the same affliction as him now. He sighed. “You might as well worry about yourself instead of me.”

  “Me? What’s wrong with me?”

  “My brother isn’t dead. He’s back.” Shao Qiyang didn’t keep him in suspense.

  Ji Buwang paused. “Who’s back?”

  “My older brother, Shao Qihai.”

  “Shao Qihai didn’t die? He came back?” Ji Buwang repeated, finally digesting the news with difficulty. “What happened? Wasn’t he supposed to be dead?”

  He had just accepted the news of Shao Qihai’s death not long ago. Why was Shao Qihai alive again?

  It was good that he was alive, but he was Mu Jingzhe’s husband. Was… Wasn’t this a mess?

  Ji Buwang was shaken by the news. As he looked at him, Shao Qiyang could understand. “I wasn’t notified beforehand either. He just appeared in front of us all of a sudden yesterday. He’s alive.”

  Ji Buwang and Shao Qiyang looked at each other, and neither of them said anything. However, the two men who had been competing against each other suddenly had a common language, the kind that didn’t need to be spoken.

  “So you’re here in a daze?”

  “What else does it look like?”

  “I don’t believe it. I have to take a look personally. One moment he’s dead, and the next he’s alive. Is it so easy to come back to life? Can Shao Qihai die and live as he pleases?”

  Ji Buwang got into the car and was just about to leave when Shao Qiyang quickly pulled him back. “Are you really going?”

  “Of course. Aren’t you going back? How long are you planning to hide for?”

  Shao Qiyang gritted his teeth. “I’ll go back too!”

  He opened the passenger door of Ji Buwang’s car and got in. Ji Buwang asked, “No, are you taking my car?”

  “Of course. Why would I expend so much energy to ride behind you when I can just sit in your car?”

  “Alright then.” Ji Buwang didn’t care anymore, so he drove away. However, the car suddenly broke down when they had just reached the county city. After the engine was turned off, it couldn’t be started again.

  “Why did your car turn off at such a critical moment? It’s not even as reliable as my bicycle.”

  “It’s an antique. My dad gave it to me a long time ago.”

  Since the car couldn’t be started, in the end, they had to use Shao Qiyang’s incredible bicycle. Because there was only one bicycle, regardless of whether Shao Qiyang was willing or not, Ji Buwang sat on the back seat of his bicycle.

  The road from the county city to town was nice, and there was a gentle breeze. Although he was anxious, it felt pretty good. Ji Buwang thought to himself, ‘No wonder women like to sit on the back seats of bicycles.’

  After experiencing it once, Ji Buwang felt that he could also buy a bicycle in the future to carry Mu Jingzhe.

  While looking at Shao Qiyang’s not too broad but tall back, Ji Buwang frowned. “Have you carried Jingzhe before?”

  Had Jingzhe hugged Shao Qiyang’s waist and sat on his bicycle?

  Shao Qiyang replied in a muffled voice, “No.”

  He wanted to lie and say that he had, but upon thinking about it, he realized that he really hadn’t. He had only carried the children before, and so had Mu Jingzhe.

  Ji Buwang felt better, but after a few seconds, his expression changed.

  Because they had entered the bumpy part of the dirt road, Ji Buwang had no choice but to grip Shao Qiyang’s clothes tightly. That wasn’t all. He even wrapped his arms around Shao Qiyang’s waist and hugged him firmly.

  Shao Qiyang almost fell into a ditch. “Let go. Why is your grip so tight?”

  “I can’t let go. It’s too bumpy.” Ji Buwang refused.

  “Still, don’t hold on so tightly. You’re crumpling my clothes. Besides, aren’t you hugging me too tightly?”

  Why would two men hug each other so tightly? Wasn’t that super awkward? It wasn’t as if he was Jingzhe.

  “I don’t want to either, but this is a really bumpy road. I’ll fall off.” Ji Buwang expressed that he didn’t want to do this either. Wasn’t this just a safety consideration?

  “You’re not going to fall off. Little Dong and the others are much braver than you. Relax a little. My bicycle is very stable.”

  “Oh.” Ji Buwang relaxed his grip slightly. Shao Qiyang had just let out a breath of relief when the bicycle jolted again because of a small ditch. Ji Buwang immediately hugged him tighter than before, even using both hands this time.

  “That gave me such a scare. I really almost fell off.”

  Shao Qiyang was truly speechless. “You…”

  “I didn’t do it on purpose.” Ji Buwang awkwardly let go of one hand. “I’ve never ridden a bicycle on such a road.”

  When Shao Qiyang thought of Ji Buwang’s noble aura and then looked at the fair, tender arms hugging him, he was completely speechless.

  On the other hand, Ji Buwang thought about it and suddenly said, “Why don’t I sit in front of you? That way, perhaps I won’t fall off?”

  He had seen some men put a girl or a child in front of them and protect them with both arms. It was safer that way.