Chapter 142: Blinded by Greed

"It’s no trouble at all, Uncle. We’ve arrived home now, and it’s getting late. Please take back the things you brought and head home."

Shi Weifang added, "Yufen, it was my fault in the past. I have a two-bedroom apartment not far from Qingming, and the neighborhood is quite nice. You and Qingqing should move in there. Qingqing is a bright girl with a promising future; we shouldn't let her live in such cramped conditions!"

His wife tugged at him discreetly and whispered, "What nonsense are you spouting? That place has already been rented out..."

Shi Weifang shot her a glare. "Is our niece's education more important, or a bit of rent money? Qingqing, your uncle has treated you poorly in the past. Today, I promise you: whatever I eat, you shall eat. You will be just like my own daughter to me..."

His heart was burning with anxiety. If the crown prince of the Zhan family ordered a boycott against him, then unless the prince himself lifted it, Shi Weifang would have no future in the capital. He would likely struggle to survive in other cities, too. The power of the Zhan family was simply too immense. Unless he could move abroad... but if he had the capability for that, he would have left long ago; he wouldn't have waited until now.

Shi Qingqing let out a soft laugh. "Uncle, you make it sound as if I’m a pet you’re keeping. If your income is good this month, I eat what you eat; if your income is bad next month, will you just eat me instead?"

"No, that’s not what I mean! I mean I will treat you like my own flesh and blood, just like Pengyu. If I find success in the future, I can even give you some shares. How does that sound?"

Shi Yufen finally managed to interject. "Big Brother, why are you saying these things to a child? She doesn't understand any of this! Besides, our Qingqing says she isn't close to the Zhan family's crown prince. You’re putting her in a difficult position; she can't help you even if she wanted to."

Shi Qingqing looked at her mother with appreciation. Her mother was still the sensible one, not blinded by greed. The rest of the Shi family were all obsessed with money.

Suddenly, Shi Weifang sank to his knees right in front of Shi Qingqing.

"Qingqing, you can't just stand by and watch me die! Your mother and I are siblings. Since you know the crown prince, you must help your uncle!"

Shi Qingqing was startled, as were her aunt and Shi Yufen. Shi Yufen hurried to help her brother up. "Big Brother, get up! What does this look like?"

Shi Qingqing had plenty of things to do—she had four gaming accounts to level up for others and couldn't afford to waste time like this.

"Uncle, kneeling to me is useless. If you want to kneel, you’d be better off waiting at the school gate to kneel before the Young Master’s car. I really only met him once; we aren't close! If I truly had some special relationship with him, would my mother and I still be living here?"

Shi Weifang looked around and realized she had a point.

Beside him, his elegantly dressed wife wore a look of disdain as she pulled him up. "Husband, you’re grasping at straws." She leaned in and whispered into his ear, "Just look at Qingqing’s face—how could the crown prince possibly be interested in her? Huihui is much prettier than she is. Plus, look at Qingqing’s temperament: stubborn, eccentric, and always acting strange. Who could stand that? Perhaps she really has no relationship with the prince. We’ve come for nothing; we’d be better off going home and thinking of another way..."

Shi Weifang’s hope crumbled. He cast one final glance at Shi Qingqing, then turned and walked away, his face etched with defeat.