Jiang Ying gently urged him from behind.

Qi Sen shoved the bank card into Tao-Tao’s hand, then looked back into the room one last time.

His gaze lingered on the faint corner of the blanket he could still see. His heart ached.

Can-Can was still so little.

She didn’t yet understand how long and unpredictable life could be—that sometimes, there are things you just can’t change, no matter how much you wish otherwise.

In his past life, in this one too… he was destined to leave her behind, to walk alone into a place he knew full well was a bottomless pit.

Qi Sen wasn’t naive.

His biological parents had never once shown any affection toward him, yet now they were suddenly so insistent he come back home. Something was definitely wrong.

But so what if it was?

He was just a powerless teen. In front of the mighty Qi family—the wealthiest in Guhai City—he was nothing more than a grasshopper in their grasp, easily toyed with and utterly helpless.

In this world, only money and power give you the right to speak.

Qi Sen’s eyes grew darker and darker.

Silently, deep in his heart, he made a vow:
Someday, I will become someone even more powerful than Qi Xiuming.

—

Qi Sen followed behind Jiang Ying toward the elevator. They were nearly there when—unexpectedly—Can-Can came running out.

Tear-streaked and still in her pajamas, she appeared before him, arms raised high.

“Second Brother, this is for you,” she said.

Qi Sen took the round plastic toy from her tiny hands.

It looked just like the one Tao-Tao had brought to him the night before.

“I thought you really liked this? You should keep it,” he said.

But Can-Can shook her head firmly.
“This is for Big Brother.”

“This is a dragon egg. All the other kids wanted to buy it, but I got the last one.” She smiled at the memory, lifted her chin, and declared seriously,
“Second Brother, dragon eggs are our dragon clan’s treasure. There’s nothing in the world more valuable than this.”

She had been so, so happy when she found it yesterday.

Second Brother liked gold and jewels, so she always gave him all the treasures she could.

She used to do that back when she was a little immortal. Even now, with not a single coin in her little pocket, she still did the same.

Last night, when she was upset, she remembered what her daddy had once said:

“Rule #1 in the Book of Growing Up: Daddy and Mommy love me most, and Big Brother, Second Brother, and Third Brother all love me too.”

Can-Can had memorized it dutifully, her voice serious.
“And I love Daddy and Mommy, and Big Brother, Second Brother, and Third Brother the most too.”

“Now that Second Brother is going to the house with all the gold and jewels, don’t be like before and never come see me, okay? Remember to come visit a lot.”

Then she tiptoed up, planted a kiss on Qi Sen’s cheek, and dashed away.

As she ran back to the room, a memory surfaced from her past life—back when she was a hundred years old and met Second Brother for the very first time.

She had overheard:

“Can-Can has always been spoiled and unruly. How can someone like her be allowed into the noble Nine Heavens to play with the Little Celestial Heir? My sister lacks manners and decorum—she’ll only cause you trouble. As for me, I’ve long admired the Peach Grove’s beauty in the Nine Heavens. Please let me take this post instead.”

After Qi Sen left for the Nine Heavens, Can-Can had cried in her mother’s arms, asking if Second Brother didn’t like her anymore.

Her mother, eyes red, had hugged her tightly and whispered over and over:

“How could he not love you? But sometimes, the more someone loves you… the more they have to scold you. The more they have to leave you behind.”

Even now, Can-Can didn’t really understand what her mother meant.

But it didn’t matter.

She understood one thing clearly:
Second Brother loved her.

And it was those words that gave her the courage to run out and give him her most precious treasure—the dragon egg.

—

Behind her, Qi Sen stood still, staring at the little plastic toy in his hand.

Then suddenly… he smiled.

It really was a treasure.

It held Can-Can’s precious, earnest love for him.

Jiang Ying’s voice broke through his thoughts as she repeatedly urged him toward the elevator.

Afraid her son might change his mind and refuse to come home.

Qi Sen held the dragon egg tightly, unmoving.

His heart churned with a thousand thoughts.

In his past life, he had abandoned Can-Can and left her behind.

Why was he about to make the same mistake again?

For the first time, Qi Sen wanted to be selfish.

He didn’t want to go.

He wanted to throw aside everything—Can-Can’s school registration, Pei Shen’s hospital bills… all of it.

But he couldn’t.

If no one adopted Can-Can, she’d be sent to an orphanage. Just thinking about that made something twist painfully in his chest.

He knew what that world was like.

He’d lived there once.

Qi Sen frowned. Once again, he thought of that lazy, sharp-tongued Gu Chi.

If only he were here…

Just as that thought crossed his mind, an unmistakably familiar voice thundered down the hallway, filled with righteous fury.

“Qi Sen, you ungrateful brat!! How dare you try to abandon your precious little sister—did you ask your dad for permission first?!”

“Every time Can-Can cries, I’m kicking your ass once!!”

Last night, Gu Chi had forgotten to charge his phone. This morning, after a few minutes of charging, he immediately called Tao-Tao.

The moment he heard Qi Sen was planning to abandon Can-Can—his brain just exploded with rage.

This traitor!!!

His eyes landed on Jiang Ying. In a flash, Gu Chi switched gears, put on his best face, and clapped a friendly hand on Qi Sen’s shoulder like he was afraid his son might run off with her.

He smiled gently.
“Qi Sen, use that genius brain of yours for a sec—ask yourself: is being the son of the richest man in Guhai City really better than being the son of me?”

He emphasized those three words—Guhai City—with great dramatic flair.
“They have three extra syllables. That alone makes their status ten thousand miles beneath mine.”

Like a kindergartener bragging about whose dad was cooler, Gu Chi gave it everything he had.

“He can maybe let you boss people around in Guhai City. Me? I can help you take over the entire country!”

“Well? Feeling tempted?!”

Author’s Note:
It’s finally time to unlock the “Happy Child-Raising” story arc!