We Weren’t Fated, I Just Played My Cards Right - Chapter 36

Dong Qi’s runaway route was nothing short of inspired. His credit card records showed that on the night he left, he had checked into a five-star hotel just ten minutes from home—shelling out five thousand yuan for a single night.

The next morning, he hit a nearby mall, buying four pairs of shoes for ten thousand yuan and a new gaming console for three thousand.

Any guilt Dong Zhenghao had felt about driving his son to run away evaporated instantly. His only thought now was: That little brat just needs another beating. When I find him, I’ll give him two more.

Jiang Li looked at the spending records and found it hard to claim her son had suffered any hardship.

Especially when she returned home and discovered he had taken his gaming console with him—a brand-new model released this year, nowhere near outdated yet.

So, the new console he bought was actually for his runaway companion, Zhang Yang.

“How on earth did you raise this child? All these years just to spite me? I might as well have raised a roast pork bun!” Dong Zhenghao roared at Jiang Li.

Jiang Li was equally displeased: “Qiqi was raised by his grandmother since he was little. When did I ever get a say?”

Even if she had wanted to raise him, she never had the chance.

“If you’re going to fight, fight. What did roast pork buns ever do to you?” Liu Mumu walked right between them, carrying a bag of shengjianbao.

Dong Yue followed behind, half a shengjianbao stuffed in her mouth. Jiang Li glanced at her daughter but said nothing.

In the past, she would have scolded her for such poor manners, but now she had grown used to it.

Habit was a terrifying thing. Liu Mumu had only been in the household for less than half a year—how had she managed to change the entire family like this?

Even Old Dong had started beating their son with a rolling pin. For over a decade, he had been just like his mother, believing their son could do no wrong.

Dong Yue handed her paper bag of shengjianbao to Jiang Li. She hadn’t eaten all morning while checking surveillance footage, stopping a “domestic dispute” next door, and then being blamed by her husband for failing to raise their child properly. She was starving. She scrutinized the shengjianbao as if they were bombs before reluctantly picking one up and taking a bite.

Surprisingly, it tasted pretty good.

Dong Zhenghao, who had been gearing up for another argument, suddenly felt left out. Watching his wife and daughter share a bag, he sidled up to his eldest daughter, hoping to trade some father-daughter affection for a couple of shengjianbao.

For the moment, the runaway Dong Qi was forgotten by his family, all busy eating buns.

*

“Dong Qi, where are we going next? Still staying at the hotel?” Zhang Yang asked curiously from the taxi, clutching the gaming console Dong Qi had given him and wearing the new shoes he’d bought for him.

Zhang Yang’s upbringing was similar to Dong Qi’s—both raised by doting grandparents.

The difference was, Dong Zhenghao’s current wife was Dong Qi’s birth mother. But Zhang Yang’s father’s wife wasn’t his real mom.

His birth mother had died years ago in an accident while pregnant with her second child—she fell at home and didn’t survive the hospital trip.

Just over two months later, his father brought his stepmother home. So, Zhang Yang’s personality differed slightly from Dong Qi’s, and his allowance was much smaller.

Dong Qi hadn’t been particularly close to him before—this friendship had formed purely through their shared runaway adventure.

“No more hotels. We’ll go to my grandma’s for lunch. My dad’ll come pick me up by afternoon anyway.”

He figured it wouldn’t take more than two hours before his parents showed up at his grandma’s. His mom would definitely cry and apologize, and as for his dad—no need for apologies, just buy him the sports car he wanted.

He’d already bragged to his classmates that his dad would get him a sports car this year. How could he go back on his word?

Zhang Yang looked at him enviously. “Lucky you. My dad’s still on a business trip. My grandma would never let him come back for me.”

“What about your stepmom?” Dong Qi asked curiously.

Zhang Yang immediately made a disgusted face: “Don’t mention her. Just a homewrecker. My business is none of her concern.”

He’d already told his dad he didn’t want to live with that woman, but his father wouldn’t listen. This time, even if his dad disagreed, his grandparents would kick her out.

After saying this, he asked Dong Qi: “Your parents treat you pretty well, don’t they? Why did you leave?”

Dong Qi thought of Liu Mumu and instantly mirrored Zhang Yang’s expression. But after hesitating, he didn’t explain, only saying vaguely: “Bad exam results. Had a fight with my family.”

Zhang Yang, who attended the same school but was in a different class, knew exactly what level Dong Qi was at and immediately looked at him sympathetically.

When the two arrived at Jiang Li’s parents’ house, the elderly couple had just gotten dressed and seemed about to go out.

Seeing Dong Qi bringing along a young friend, Grandma Jiang quickly ushered them inside, asking repeatedly: “Qiqi, what brings you here? Where’s your mother?”

Dong Qi threw himself into his grandmother’s arms and said with great grievance: “Dad hit me because of my bad grades. I don’t want to stay at home anymore. Now the whole family listens to that Liu Mumu, and even Dad takes her side.”

Hearing her grandson’s words, Grandma Jiang’s expression darkened: “I always said that child of Xiao Dong’s first wife was no good. She even tried to drive a wedge between Jiang Li and our Jiajia before.”

“You’re right,” Grandpa Jiang responded absentmindedly, glancing at his watch. “We’ve only got twenty minutes left. We need to hurry or we’ll be late.”

As if reminded, Grandma Jiang pushed her grandson away, saying to Dong Qi: “You and your little friend stay here for now. Grandpa and Grandma need to go out for a bit. We’ll be back by noon.”

Dong Qi quickly asked: “Where are you going?”

If they left now, what if his father came looking for him? There’d be no one to back him up.

“Just going to buy some things,” Grandpa Jiang answered vaguely.

“Then we’ll come too,” Dong Qi said immediately.

Although Zhang Yang didn’t want to go, this was after all Dong Qi’s grandparents’ house, so he didn’t voice any objections.

Thus, Grandpa and Grandma Jiang led the two teenagers to their shopping destination.

A very dilapidated residential building. Just upon reaching the second floor, they could see a piece of paper pasted on the peeling wall with crooked characters reading “Shuanglin Health Products Company.”

His grandparents had come for a lecture.

The “classroom” already had over thirty people inside, all elderly of similar age. They sat quietly on wooden benches, eagerly awaiting the “professor’s” arrival.

Dong Qi’s grandparents had clearly been attending these lectures for a while, as their seats were already assigned.

The first thing the two of them did upon entering the classroom was to take out their phones, turn them off, and place them on the desk, as if waiting for inspection.

However, since they had brought two kids along today, they dragged two more chairs from the back. Once everyone was seated, Grandma Jiang whispered, “When the professor starts lecturing later, you must not make a sound, understand?”

Dong Qi was already considering calling the police. Unfortunately, he had forgotten to bring his charger when he left home, and now his phone battery was at 3%. Before he could even dial 110, it automatically shut down.

As for Zhang Yang, his situation was even worse—he hadn’t even brought his phone.

He had even left the house wearing just slippers. Dong Qi didn’t even want to look down on him; their intelligence levels were clearly not on the same plane.

With no phone, Dong Qi had no choice but to sit quietly and wait for the so-called professor to begin.

Before long, a man in his thirties, wearing an ill-fitting suit, sporting a center-parted hairstyle, and looking somewhat presentable, stepped onto the podium.

At first, he seemed a bit nervous, stumbling through his lecture while constantly promoting their product. Eventually, he pulled out a black pill.

Even though Dong Qi hadn’t attended college, he knew a real professor wouldn’t act like this—this guy was probably self-proclaimed.

And the man was full of nonsense. He claimed the pill could cure cancer, rheumatism, heart disease, pneumonia—basically any illness you could name.

Zhang Yang was dozing off, half-asleep, while Dong Qi rolled his eyes so hard they nearly disappeared. Seriously, if you’re going to scam people, at least put in some effort?

Come to think of it, his grandparents were usually quite sharp—how had they fallen for this?

No one knew Dong Qi’s thoughts, but the students sitting in the front rows were clearly anticipating this part.

The professor first took out three boxes of the medicine, announcing that only three boxes would be sold today.

What followed was a scene of frenzied bidding that left Dong Qi stunned.

Each box contained ten pills, with a minimum price of 1,000 yuan per pill.

What truly shattered him was seeing his grandfather splurge 20,000 yuan to win a box. The old man happily retrieved his prize while the other students watched with envy and jealousy.

The other two boxes were sold for similar prices, much to the dismay of the remaining students. Then, the professor reluctantly produced three more boxes.

By the time the one-hour lecture ended and break time arrived, nearly everyone had gotten their hands on the “miracle cure.”

Dong Qi was numb at this point—he felt like he’d just witnessed a whole new level of absurdity.

During the break, students were allowed to stroll along the second-floor hallway. Dong Qi, needing to use the restroom, told his grandfather and went to look for one.

After searching the second floor without success, he headed to the third floor.

The entrance to the third floor had a sliding metal gate, currently open. This floor also seemed to belong to the health supplement company, likely housing offices or similar spaces. Spotting a restroom sign at the far end of the hallway, he started walking toward it when he overheard voices coming from a slightly ajar office.

Two men were speaking—one was the professor from the lecture.

The professor said, “Bro, we’re rich! Over 400,000 in just one day. Why bother refining gu anymore? Just leave the gu inside them. Once they experience the effects of the pills, they’ll keep throwing money at us endlessly!”

The other man, a stranger, retorted, “You don’t understand a damn thing. Once we perfect the Longevity Gu, we’ll have all the money we could ever want. Why waste time on these small profits?”

The professor seemed to disagree with him and retorted, “That thing has been in our hands for years, and we still haven’t succeeded. You told me our family had connections with a powerful clan, but where are the benefits? I’m still just running errands everywhere.”

A loud “slap” echoed from inside—likely the professor being struck. The unfamiliar man’s voice was icy: “Don’t forget who brought you back, gave you food, clothes, and taught you skills. Otherwise, you’d still be a fraud rotting in jail!”

Dong Qi didn’t dare listen any longer. Covering his mouth, he silently retreated from the second floor.

Unnoticed by him, his clothes brushed against the iron sliding door, picking up a layer of red rust. Strangely, the rust gradually seeped into the fabric, disappearing without a trace.

His heart pounded wildly as he descended the stairs. He wanted to tell his grandparents what he’d overheard, but their attention was entirely fixed on the medicinal pills, leaving no room for his words.

Five minutes later, a man who resembled the professor but was slightly older came downstairs. With regret, he announced that the professor had to attend a meeting, forcing the session to be postponed. The next class would be announced in the group chat.

Disappointed, the attendees gradually dispersed.

Finally free from that eerie place, Dong Qi climbed into the car and urgently recounted the professor and the man’s conversation to his grandparents.

Unsurprisingly, he was met with three identical looks of disbelief—his grandparents and Zhang Yang staring at him as if he were a fool.

Zhang Yang even mocked him, “Haha, Dong Qi, did you wake up confused? Or did you read too many novels last night? What nonsense about gu magic?”

Not only did Zhang Yang dismiss him, but even his grandparents refused to believe him. Dong Qi was furious.

Liu Mumu at home spent her days spouting mystical fortune-telling nonsense, and his father practically worshipped her like a deity. So why couldn’t gu magic exist?

Yet no one listened. Jiang’s parents would rather believe in miracle pills than heed his warnings.