" Secretary Quan ." Huo Zhou looked at the two people in front of him and whispered , " Guangyu is

visiting here for the first time, so you take him around."

Before Quan Quan could respond, Wu Jun across the table sneered, "What, are you afraid we'll bully him?" He then put on a stern face, glaring at Huo Zhou. "Huo, do you think I won't dare to hit you?!"

Huo Zhou completely ignored him, just looking at Wu Yu, "I know there are still many misunderstandings between us. Why don't we find a place and talk it out?"

Actually, Wu Yu didn't want to talk to him anymore. Huo Zhou's evasion the previous night was so obvious, could they really resolve anything today?

However, Wu Jun seemed to have something in mind. With a slight change in his gaze, he suddenly pushed Wu Yu, "Go talk to him properly."

"I..." Wu Yu wanted to say something, but then Wu Jun gave him a signal with his eyes, and Wu Yu nodded to Huo Zhou, saying, "Alright, let's go over there." He gestured casually to a simple little bar on the island.

Huo Zhou also exchanged a glance with Quan Quan, then looked at Qiao Guangyu with a hint of concern, but still followed Wu Yu.

Qiao Guangyu had been hiding behind Quan Quan the whole time. He felt extremely innocent. Just stepping out of the door, he could see the White Moonlight, and he even brought his parents along. The way the White Moonlight’s brother looked at him was simply terrifying!

"Let's go too..." Qiao Guangyu tugged at Quan Quan's clothes from behind.

Wu Jun sneered, "You want to leave? There's not much space on the island. Where else do you think you can go? Besides, even if you return to the city, I can find you easily, kid."

Qiao Guangyu: "... I'm twenty-five already, not a kid anymore, thank you."

Wu Jun also pointed to the coastline, "How about we chat there too?"

Qiao Guangyu looked to Quan Quan for help. He was hoping Quan Quan could find a way to get him out of this. He really didn't want to deal with Wu Yu’s parents!

Unexpectedly, Quan Quan agreed, "Sure, I also have some matters to discuss with Manager Wu."

Qiao Guangyu: "..."

Wu Jun: "..."

Perhaps it was Quan Quan's serious expression, or maybe Wu Jun, who had initially just wanted to tease Huo Zhou's little lover, also couldn't help but straighten his face.

The three walked to the quiet and deserted beach. Wu Jun was prepared for the questions Quan Quan would soon ask, but he didn't expect the first question to be directed at Qiao Guangyu, "I remember you lost your father when you were very young, is that right?"

Qiao Guangyu was a bit puzzled but answered the question seriously, "I don't remember seeing my father. My mom told me he passed away when I was very young."

"Have you ever seen a picture of your father?" Quan Quan asked again.

Qiao Guangyu looked at him with a bewildered expression, feeling a bit embarrassed. He glanced at Wu Jun, and suddenly a strange guess rose in his heart, making his voice tremble slightly as he spoke. "I... I've never seen what my dad looks like... When I was little, my mom lied to me, saying my dad was Wu Yan Zhu. All the photos at home were of Wu Yan Zhu, even ones of him and my mom together. I almost believed it! It wasn't until I grew up that I realized the photos were edited. It made me sad for a long time..."

Qiao Guangyu felt he was so silly in his childhood, how could he have believed his mom's nonsense.

Wu Jun laughed, "Your mother seems quite interesting."

Quan Quan gave Wu Jun a meaningful look before turning back to Qiao Guangyu and posing another question: "Have you ever considered the possibility that you might be born out of marriage?"

Qiao Guangyu promptly shook his head in denial: "That's impossible. My mother would never be involved in an extramarital affair; she detests mistresses the most! Besides, she even showed me her marriage certificate, albeit altered with Wu Yan Zhu’s photo..." Wu Jun's eyes twitched at the mention of how much the kid's mother adored Wu Yan Zhu... It was indeed peculiar.

Quan Quan continued to ask Qiao Guangyu, "Although you don't have a photo of your biological father, there should be photos of your mother, right? Do you have them on your phone?"

Qiao Guangyu occasionally felt nostalgic about his mother late at night, so he kept her photos on his phone. Upon hearing this, he immediately retrieved them from his album and handed his phone to Quan Quan, who then passed it to Wu Jun.

Wu Jun, puzzled, took the phone and found himself unable to look away from the photos.

Quan Quan continued, "Young Qiao is twenty-five this year, born on April 19th, a typical generous and chubby Aries. Twenty-five years ago, his mother, Ms. Qiao, left home and settled in a small town near the province, where she gave birth to young Qiao and led a hidden life. She was forced to leave her family but dared not go too far."

"Because she had two other sons here."

Snap

Wu Jun lost his grip and dropped the phone. Yet, he seemed stuck in place, his face filled with inexplicable horror, as if brewing a storm.

"My new phone!" Qiao Guangyu, without even processing Quan Quan's words, saw his phone hit the ground and felt heartbroken. "Brother, can't you handle the phone properly? I bought this new iPhone with my own money, and it took me ages to get it!"

Quan Quan: "Hmm, you should address him as big brother."

"Huh?" Qiao Guangyu was still a bit puzzled.

However, Wu Jun, thunderstruck, stared at Qiao Guangyu with eyes as if struck by lightning, breathing heavily as if on the brink of an explosion.

Startled by his reaction, Qiao Guangyu quickly backed up against Quan Quan, "What's going on? Did I offend him? Is my mom really a third party? Am I a love child of the Wu family? This is such a melodramatic plot! I don't even know you guys and never thought about fighting for any inheritance, please spare me!"

The sudden revelation of family ties, coupled with Wu Jun's darkened expression, left Qiao Guangyu incoherent. When he saw Wu Jun take a step forward, he instinctively retreated.

"You're overthinking it," Quan Quan turned and patted his shoulder reassuringly. "He's really your brother, same father, same mother."

Wu Jun rushed forward in three steps and hugged Qiao Guangyu tightly, then... burst into tears.

Being embraced tightly by a seemingly formidable man who was now sobbing uncontrollably left Qiao Guangyu utterly bewildered.

With patience, Quan Quan explained, "Three years ago, while investigating Second Young Master W’su lifestyle, I stumbled upon an old case involving the Wu family over twenty years ago. It was rumored that at that time, Mr. Wu intended to form an alliance with the Sun family, causing a citywide uproar. However, the two families not only failed to form an alliance but also became enemies. Someone from the Wu family went missing as a result. A few months later, the search was mysteriously called off, and the missing person notices vanished from the streets, as if the Wu family had never lost anyone. At that time, I found it strange. By timeline, the Miss Sun was obviously a newcomer, and the marriage alliance failed. So, who was the birth mother of the eldest son Wu and the second son Wu?"

Wu Yu was already in his thirties, and Wu Jun was older than his brother, so when the alliance was being discussed over twenty years ago, the brothers were already born.

"From this, I speculated that Mr. Wu had already been married before the Sun family, but it was unclear if this unfortunate wife was coerced by the Sun family or left for other reasons. Young Qiao doesn't resemble his mother; he looks like Wu Yu, who, in turn, resembles Mr. Wu. First and Second young Masters Wu don't resemble each other because First young master Wu takes after his mother's appearance. Among the three of you, only Wu Jun inherited more of his mother's features. Therefore, Mr. Wu intended to have the son who resembled him and owed his long-lost wife the most, inherit the Wu Group."

"However, ashamed as I am, even though I often see Wu Jun’s face, I find it hard to associate him with Ms. Qiao... After all, their personalities are too different..."

Wu Jun always had that intimidating and easily irritable demeanor, so it was no wonder Quan Quan initially overlooked his appearance.

Qiao Guangyu struggled to peel the tearful Wu Jun off himself, sweating profusely. "Secretary Quan, are you sure about this?! It's quite far-fetched to claim we're brothers just based on looks..."

"If you don't believe it, you can undergo a DNA test," Quan Quan raised an eyebrow, sounding somewhat cheerful. "I'm so sure because yesterday, while helping the boss sort through the 'tokens of affection' Wu Yu had given him, I saw that box containing a 'missing person notice' from over twenty years ago."

That box had been preserved by Huo Zhou for a long time, containing various trinkets Wu Yu had given him over the years, from a pair of shoes to a keychain. It had remained untouched for years, collecting dust in a corner.

Back when they were young and passionate, Huo Zhou and Wu Yu had once searched the streets together, holding up that missing person notice in their quest for the one they loved, never complaining no matter how tired they were.

But now, even the deepest love had soured. Perhaps Huo Zhou had long forgotten his youthful days, and the Wu Yu in his memory was not the same as the present Wu Yu.

—If Huo Zhou had been more attentive, standing in front of Qiao Guangyu's mother's grave, he would surely have found the photo on the tombstone very familiar.

Quan Quan carefully took out that missing person notice. The photo on it had blurred somewhat over the years, but it still vaguely resembled Qiao Guangyu's mother. There aren't many people who look alike in this world; either they're twins, or there's some other connection.

What were the odds that both of the Wu family's sons had no mother, and Qiao Guangyu had no father?

Wu Jun's nose was twitching, gripping Qiao Guangyu's hand like a wild animal protecting its prey.

Qiao Guangyu finally realized that this Wu family eldest was tough on the outside but soft on the inside, especially protective of his family. When he first saw Huo Zhou, he almost rolled up his sleeves to fight, all to defend Wu Yu's honour.

But he still didn't quite feel anything about this sudden appearance of a brother. Perhaps it was too unexpected, leaving his brain insufficiently equipped to process it. He could only dumbly allow himself to be embraced and held by the other.

"Oh, by the way," Wu Jun suddenly remembered something, "Where's our mom?"

"...She's gone," Qiao Guangyu replied awkwardly.

Quan Quan succinctly explained to Wu Jun about the three-year "substitute contract" Qiao Guangyu had signed with Huo Zhou to pay for his mother's medical treatment.

Wu Jun exclaimed, "Damn it, Huo Zhou, you better not run! Watch me beat you to a pulp!!" He rolled up his sleeves and stormed toward the small bar to confront Huo Zhou. It was infuriating that both his brothers had been entangled with such a scumbag!

Qiao Guangyu, sensing trouble, immediately grabbed him around the waist, sweating profusely. "Bro! Big bro! Calm down!"

"I can't calm down! I'm not done with that surnamed Huo!" Wu Jun clenched his fists, trembling. "Whoever tries to stop me from hitting him will get it from me!"

Qiao Guangyu looked at him expressionlessly. "Oh, then hit me."

How could Wu Jun possibly lay a hand on this recovered brother of his? He was torn between advancing and retreating, feeling so frustrated he was about to explode. His eyes turned red with anger, bearing no resemblance to his gentle and charming mother.

Wu Jun's hand trembled as he pointed at him. "You... You're just like your second brother, unable to let things go!"

"I'm not unable to let things go!" Qiao Guangyu unintentionally raised his voice, comparing himself to his brother. "Huo Zhou still owes me two million. If you beat him up, who's going to give me my money?"

Wu Jun: "..."

Quan Quan: "It's true, Huo Zong still owes Xiao Qiao two million in the final payment."

 

Translator : DarNan