Xie Yihuang Also Harbors Ambitions

As Xie Yihuang spoke, a hint of sentiment colored her tone: “Honestly, my grandmother’s partiality is just a reflection of many rural elderly women. My grandfather knows her character well, but he's always acted out of a desire to avoid personal loss, letting her take the lead in conflicts. Now that you've stepped in, he knows full well that his strength is no match for yours, so naturally, he'll keep my grandmother in check.”

With that, Xie Yihuang gave Grandpa Qi a thumbs-up. “Thinking about it, Grandpa, you’re truly impressive. This method of leveraging another’s strength is absolutely effective.”

Grandpa Qi laughed heartily. “Are you praising me or poking fun at me, you little rascal?”

“Of course I’m praising you,” Xie Yihuang answered seriously.

Grandpa Qi pointed at her. “You’re sharp beyond your years. But after this, at least your family and the old house can get along on the surface.”

Only on the surface, though; in reality, cracks had already formed.

Xie Yihuang was well aware of this and waved her hand dismissively. “It doesn’t matter. What we need is just to get by. As long as everyone stops making things difficult for each other, we’ll have time to focus on climbing up. My parents can’t make it, but I can. Once I reach a certain height, even if they wanted to cause trouble, they wouldn’t be able to.”

Grandpa Qi looked at his granddaughter with curiosity. “Didn’t you always say you wanted to be lazy? Why are you suddenly thinking about climbing upwards?”

Xie Yihuang chuckled softly. “I used to think, with you all around, I had nothing to worry about. But Grandpa, you need to take care of your health. You shouldn’t be overworked. Trust me—since you’ve made me the heir, I can’t let you down.

I finally understand: a lifetime can be spent muddling along or striving. If the family is safe and sound, I could afford to slack off. But now, a dilapidated house has caused so much discord—clearly, we’re not strong enough.

Someone once told me that being a salted fish isn’t scary, but if you have no capital, you’ll end up as a dead fish. I think that’s absolutely true. I don’t want to be a dead fish, so I have to strive, to take control into my own hands.” As she spoke, it was as though a radiant light shone from her, revealing the sincerity of her words.

She paused. “Though I don’t know what my future holds, and my goals aren’t clear yet, one thing is certain: I will be the heir of the Qi family. Not just the heir—I’ll be a good one.”

Xie Yihuang was lazy by nature, but once she made up her mind, she never wavered.

As she’d said, she wasn’t sure what her future held, but for now, she was determined to be the Qi family heir.

Her decision had been made days ago, especially after witnessing Grandpa Qi’s recent meeting with Second Uncle Qi. Grandpa Qi had simply shown up and spoken a few words, resolving the matter. If it were another family, even if Second Uncle Qi stepped in, he wouldn’t have acted so decisively. That’s the difference between those in power and those who are not.

Xie Yihuang didn’t fully understand what it meant to be truly powerful, but she felt a budding ambition: she wanted to stand where her voice would be heard. She didn’t care what that position was, as long as it meant no one would dare to belittle her or those she cared about.

Grandpa Qi laughed, knowing that once Xie Yihuang made up her mind, her learning would progress twice as fast.

Indeed, over the next period, Xie Yihuang’s studies advanced rapidly. Perhaps it was her photographic memory, but she quickly outpaced her peers.

Hunan Province, outskirts

Yu Shangchen faced the person before him, a lazy glint in his eyes. “You’ve been running for so long, but you still don’t get it? Do you really think you can take what I want?”

The man opposite panted for breath. “Yu Shangchen, are you even human? You’ve chased me day and night for half a month! Can’t you let me rest for a moment?”

Yu Shangchen made a hush gesture. “You’ve got it wrong. I didn’t chase you for half a month. If you hadn’t stolen my Purification Pearl, would I have chased you at all? Besides, you wouldn’t know I was after you if you hadn’t run. Since you know I’m chasing you, you shouldn’t have run.” Reasoning like this, Yu Shangchen felt he could always find an argument.

His expression shifted. “Not just anyone can take my things. You’ve had the Purification Pearl for half a month now—have you managed to subdue it?”

The man froze. What Purification Pearl? He’d merely taken it on impulse, and now, because of this inexplicable thing, Yu Shangchen had pursued him for two weeks. The most terrifying part was that Yu Shangchen was doing it deliberately; he could have caught him right away, but instead kept a steady pace behind. If he ran faster, Yu Shangchen sped up; if he slowed down, Yu Shangchen slowed as well. It was like a cat-and-mouse game, with Yu Shangchen as the cat and him as the mouse doomed to be toyed with.

“I surrender. I’ll give it back—I don’t want it. Just take me in.” He was done running. Being a thief wasn’t easy, and he must be the unluckiest one yet.

He pulled out a jade box and tossed it back to Yu Shangchen.

Yu Shangchen took it, opened it, and saw that the Purification Pearl was unchanged, just as it had been. He put it away, then looked at the man sprawled on the ground, walked over, and nudged him with his foot. “Get up. I’ll take you to the nearest police station.”

The man sat up at once, his face glowing with delight. “Really? You’re taking me to the police station? That’s wonderful! I’m finally free!”

A thief eager to go to the police station—certainly not a scene the officers there expected.

Yu Shangchen handed the man over to the police, showed his credentials to prove his identity, and provided evidence that the man was a thief. The rest was none of his concern.

Leaving the station, he walked to a nearby payphone, dropped in a few coins, and dialed a number. “Has anything happened recently?”

The call was answered by Yu Huacheng. “I figured it was about time for you to call. The special talent department has been established, the main unit has a permanent location, and several discovered talents have checked in. As for the others, you’ll have to find them yourself.”

Yu Shangchen was silent for a moment. “So you’re basically running things with nothing in hand.”