The Love Reality Show's Big Boss and Little Sweetie - Chapter 45

“What are you doing here?” Qi Liao didn’t seem like he was meeting his own elder brother, but more like facing a debt collector, his brow deeply furrowed.

Qi Yuan feigned hurt: “My dear brother, both you and your car plunged into the sea. I was so worried I couldn’t sleep all night, gained a few more white hairs, and rushed over first thing in the morning. My back aches, my legs are cramping from the long car ride. And yet, you say such things to your own flesh and blood? Your brother’s heart is shattered.”

A vein throbbed at Qi Liao’s temple. “Speak human language.”

“Was what I said not human language?” Qi Yuan asked Mu Chi, “Can you not understand my words?”

Mu Chi chose to stay silent; being called “future brother-in-law” had already fried his nerves.

Qi Yuan sighed: “Forget it. I can’t expect someone with a goldfish’s memory to understand the words of a high IQ like mine.”

Qi Liao retorted sarcastically: “Then you’re really putting up with a lot. The fishbowl isn’t welcoming to high IQs, please leave.”

Qi Yuan smiled faintly, unmoved, and stepped into the small courtyard as if it were his own home. “Ri Yue Entertainment has been acquired by me. This show is under my control now. I suggest you be a bit more polite to your benefactor.”

“…”

Show Director: F*ck.

【Big bro is so handsome, so domineering!】

【This is a real domineering CEO!】

【OMG, he looks refined, but he’s even more arrogant than the Great Demon King!】

【Calling Mu Chi ‘future brother-in-law’… is he for real? /doge】

【What an amazing brother, coming immediately after hearing his little brother had an accident】

【The Great Demon King’s attitude towards him is kinda puzzling】

【Could there be other hidden history between these brothers? munching popcorn.jpg】

Qi Yuan entered the small courtyard, inspected it like a superior, and commented: “A bit shabby.”

Qi Liao mocked: “This impoverished place can’t accommodate your esteemed self. Please lift your 200,000 custom-made leather shoes, lest they be sullied by the ground here.”

Qi Yuan remained impeccably elegant, unshaken. “It’s not that bad. If my dog son can stay here, of course I can set foot here too.”

Diyi Shuai turned into a sycophant: “Woof woof woof!”

Qi Yuan smiled and nudged him with his foot. “My son agrees too. So clever, understanding your dad’s words.”

Everyone: “…” If even a dog can understand him, what does that make them?

“Diyi Shuai!” Qi Liao’s face was full of impatience. “You’d better recognize who your real master is.”

The yellow dog’s ears perked up. It wagged its tail and trotted over to Qi Liao’s side, fawningly rubbing against his leg. Qi Liao gave it a light kick: “Stupid dog.”

Di Yi Shuai: “Woof~”

Regardless, Qi Yuan was a guest. Ying Xuan specially brewed a pot of tea to serve him. Qi Yuan sat in the single armchair in the living room, crossing his legs—his legs impossibly long—exuding an aura of noble authority from his hair down to the tips of his leather shoes.

“Just some crude tea, pardon it;s simplicity.” Ying Xuan clearly had experience entertaining people of high status.

“Thank you.” Qi Yuan picked up the teacup with his slender fingers and took a small sip. “Not bad.”

“You came here because of Qi Liao’s racing accident, right?”

“Yes. Pity he doesn’t appreciate the concern.”

“Such matters are better handled privately.”

Qi Yuan smiled understandingly: “True. My brother has a terrible temper. Has he caused you any trouble?”

Ying Xuan chuckled: “Not at all. He’s been a great help to everyone.”

The two exchanged polite, measured words, the scene resembling a business meeting.

Before leaving, Qi Yuan said to Qi Liao: “I’m at the Sunset Hotel. Come find me after the livestream ends tonight.”

Qi Liao didn’t respond, but he didn’t refuse either.

Qi Yuan added: “Bring your wife along.”

Qi Liao: “…Get lost.”

【Ahhh! Mu Chi has been officially recognized as the future sister-in-law by big bro!】

【Not necessarily… What if Qi Liao brings Hao Wenrou to the hotel tonight…】

【Some people still haven’t given up hope】

【Sniffle, my Great Demon King x Little White Flower CP!】

【Sniffle, my Aloof Male God x Little White Flower CP!】

【The Fire and Water CP is winning big!】

【*Takes a small bite of the brothers CP, hehe*】

【…Some people really aren’t afraid of getting beat up】

After Qi Yuan left, Qi Liao took Mu Chi to claim the prize, leaving no room for other fantasies from the netizens. He said: “Come with me to see my brother tonight.”

Mu Chi’s face felt warm. “I’m not your wife, I’m a man.”

Qi Liao expressionlessly turned the steering wheel. “My brother likes to run his mouth. He even calls Diyi Shuai his son. If even a third of what he says is true, it’s because his mouth has been blessed.”

Arriving at the organizer’s office, they signed a form and received a card they could use to exchange for the corresponding 500,000 prize money at the bank. However, processing fees and taxes reduced it to about 450,000.

Mu Chi was already very satisfied. He cherished the bank card worth 450,000, declaring generously: “I’m treating everyone to a big meal!”

At noon, everyone gathered at a four-star restaurant and enjoyed a meal costing several thousand yuan.

After the big meal, Mu Chi suddenly thought of Xia Yang and grew somewhat worried. “Tomorrow is Sunday. I wonder if the loan sharks will come for him. Should I lend him some money?”

Mu Chi glanced at Qi Liao’s expression; he didn’t seem displeased. On the contrary, Qi Liao laughed softly: “You think lending him 100,000 will solve his crisis? It’s useless. The loan sharks want his car and his house.”

“Then what should we do?” Mu Chi’s concern for Xia Yang was just that of a neighbor. Even if they were strangers, he would still want to help.

But in Qi Liao’s eyes, it seemed somewhat unusual. “You care about him that much?”

Mu Chi appealed to reason: “Are you just going to stand by and let a future racer be bullied and crushed by loan sharks?”

Qi Liao remained unmoved, his demeanor strikingly similar to his brother’s. “There are plenty of suffering people in this world. I only extend a hand to children. Adults should be self-reliant.”

“Oh.”

Qi Liao didn’t keep him in suspense. “Don’t worry, now that my brother is here, he’ll be fine. You should pray for the loan sharks instead, that they won’t lose too badly.”

“?”

By evening, even before the livestream ended, Qi Liao informed the others and took Mu Chi to the Sunset Hotel.

On the way, two cars tried to cut them off simultaneously. Not wanting to engage, Qi Liao stepped on the accelerator, speeding through just before the light turned red. Mu Chi, his heart still racing, asked: “Was that the loan sharks?”

“Maybe it was Nail Guy.”

Whichever group it was, a deep grudge had been formed.

Riding the summer evening breeze, they drove along the grey-blue coastline towards the sunset-drenched mountains. After getting out of the car, Mu Chi admired the view for a moment. “The sunrise here is beautiful, and so is the sunset.”

Qi Liao: “It’s just the people who aren’t so beautiful.”

“…Just a few individuals. We can’t let them affect our mood; it’s not worth it.”

Qi Liao smiled: “Mm.”

Approaching the Sunset Hotel lobby, the manager personally came to greet them and escorted them to the rooftop open-air restaurant.

This open-air restaurant only opened at sunset, offering the best viewing spot. Paired with the deep, melodious sound of a cello, it created a quiet, flowing atmosphere tinged with a sense of regret for time irretrievably lost.

Qi Yuan sat on a black wrought-iron chair, wearing a white dress shirt and black trousers, his handsome, noble face looking indifferent as he sipped a glass of red wine. It was hard to tell if the sunset was redder, or the wine.

Mu Chi: “Big bro’s style is really high-end.”

Qi Liao: “He’s just putting on an act.”

Qi Yuan gave a thin, unmoved smile: “Could you please keep your whispers down? I can hear you.”

Mu Chi, remembering his persona, nodded coolly. “Understood.”

Qi Yuan: “Besides, I’m not the one putting on an act; you are.”

“…”

Qi Yuan raised his hand and made a gesture. The cellist stopped playing, set down the instrument, and gracefully exited.

A server asked softly: “Shall we serve the dishes now?”

“Go ahead.” Qi Yuan made a gesture of invitation. “Have a seat.”

Qi Liao sat opposite him, pulling Mu Chi to sit beside him. “The table’s too small.”

Qi Yuan: “Because it’s a table for two.”

“Then you sit somewhere else.”

“…” Qi Yuan took a sip of his wine, ignoring him. “You’re still as rude as ever.”

From Mu Chi’s perspective, Qi Yuan didn’t seem like the type to stand on ceremony. The server carefully arranged the placements; thankfully, it was just steak and red wine, any more and there’d be no space.

Mu Chi had never eaten such high-end steak before. Watching Qi Liao pick up his knife and fork, he carefully mimicked how to cut it.

Qi Yuan looked intently at Mu Chi. “Future brother-in-law, you are truly good-looking.”

Mu Chi was so startled he nearly sent his knife flying across the table.

Qi Yuan flinched back, alarmed. “That’s too dangerous. Be careful.”

Qi Liao sneered: “Not as dangerous as your mouth.”

Qi Yuan shrugged with a smile, unbothered. “Then I must praise you. Your taste is excellent, picking such a wife.”

Qi Liao set down his knife and fork, swapped his already cut steak with Mu Chi’s, and continued cutting. “If you keep feminizing Mu Chi, I might just use your mouth for target practice.”

Qi Yuan defended himself: “I’m not feminizing him; it’s just a term of endearment.”

“Terms of endearment are for personal use, not for others to say on your behalf.”

“Fine, my apologies.” Qi Yuan cut a small piece of steak and chewed it slowly, only speaking again after swallowing. “So, does that mean you admit it?”

Qi Liao paused, his fork stabbing sharply into a cherry tomato. “Whatever you have to say, say it after the meal.”

Qi Yuan wasn’t in a hurry either, leisurely enjoying his steak and wine. As dusk fell, a few candles were lit, creating a stark contrast with the stars gradually filling the night sky.

“Whenever I look at the night sky, I think about how insignificant humans are,” Qi Yuan mused, like a literary youth.

Qi Liao: “But your mouth is quite significant.”

Qi Yuan: “…Little Brother, if you keep ruining the mood like this, I will genuinely get angry.”

Mu Chi couldn’t help but giggle.

Qi Yuan: “Never mind. If it can amuse the beauty, it’s worth it.”

Mu Chi stopped laughing. Qi Liao also lost his smile: “Get to the point. Did you find out anything?”

Qi Yuan gestured. His assistant brought over a tablet and pulled up surveillance footage. “That Nail Guy started throwing nails onto the track right when the final began. A full ten nails, each twenty centimeters long. He came prepared.”

Mu Chi was shocked. Nail Guy had actually thrown that many nails? His plan was to randomly puncture the tires of everyone except himself. As long as his car was slightly slower, and a car ahead randomly ‘exploded’ (blew a tire), he would stop, then covertly kick the nails into the sea.

But the nails were black, hard to distinguish clearly at night. So, he succeeded and failed because of the nails; Nail Guy still left behind nails as evidence of his crime.

“What about the loan sharks?” Qi Liao asked.

Qi Yuan: “They were in cahoots with Nail Guy, colluding from the start. Once this gets exposed, even without solid evidence, it’ll make them take a hard fall.”

“My car must be compensated.”

“Then we negotiate first, make them pay through the nose.” Qi Yuan pondered. “Then we can just find some evidence, enough to put them away for life will do.”

“Deal.”

Right in front of Mu Chi, the two brothers finished formulating their plan to pull the rug out from under their enemies, squeeze them dry of value, and then discard them, stunning Mu Chi for ten thousand years. He couldn’t help asking: “It’s all legal, right?”

Qi Yuan smiled profoundly. Qi Liao said: “The evidence is real, the law is real, the crimes they committed are real. Don’t worry about the rest.”

Although naive, Mu Chi wasn’t a true goody-two-shoes. He nodded. “As long as evil gets its due retribution.”

“Let’s go back.”

“…Gege, I really need to pee.”

Mu Chi went to the restroom. After finishing and coming out to wash his hands, Qi Yuan was there too. This big brother, impeccably dressed in his suit, had a faint, pleasant scent of men’s cologne up close.

Mu Chi was encountering such a refined, elite man for the first time. If he weren’t Qi Liao’s refined scoundrel older brother, he might have developed a favorable impression.

“You don’t like me, do you?” Qi Yuan suddenly said, his eyes smiling but the warmth not reaching their depths. “Because Qi Liao told you I’m a refined scoundrel?”

Mu Chi: “Uh, no I don’t.”

“You’re a very clumsy liar.”

“…”

“Perhaps if I tell you one thing, your opinion of me will change.”

“What is it?”

Qi Yuan looked at Mu Chi through the mirror. “This face of yours is indeed the type Qi Liao likes.”

“…”

“Do you know why he joined this dating show?”

“No.”

“Because he owes me money.”

“Owes you money? How much?” Mu Chi thought, even brothers keep clear accounts. If it happened to be around four or five hundred thousand, he would work hard to help Qi Liao pay it off.

Qi Yuan smiled faintly: “He maxed out three of my credit cards. Spent one billion. I almost had a heart attack and needed emergency hospital treatment.”

Mu Chi: “………………………… O-one *billion*?”

Mu Chi felt like he was about to have a heart attack too.