"All right, all right," Qin Jiqun cut in. He was worried his wife would be at a disadvantage; after all, they were outnumbered.

After smoothing things over, he turned and asked with a beaming smile, "Second Brother, how much did you pay for this house?"

No matter how you looked at it, they still had their sights set on the house.

Qin Zhonghui said, exasperated, "Ji Qun, I’ve told you so many times. Our neighbors are just letting us stay here temporarily. We have to work for them in return."

"What do you mean, ’work’? Isn’t it just cooking and cleaning the house? You guys must have struck it rich. How much do you make a month?"

Money was all they could talk about.

They were utterly consumed by greed!

With a cold expression, Qin Zhonghui said, "It’s not much, just enough to get by. We’re mainly living here because it’s convenient for business. Ji Qun, why do you keep asking how much I make? What about you? Still sitting around at home, doing nothing? Are you still expecting Mom and Dad to provide for you?"

But Qin Jiqun just grinned shamelessly. "Well, Mom and Dad are always happy to give it to me. It’s not like I can do anything about it."

"And you have the nerve to take it when they do?"

"What am I supposed to do? If I don’t take it, Mom and Dad will get upset."

Qin Jiao couldn’t help but sneer. ’That has to be the most creative excuse for blatant favoritism I’ve ever heard.’

’The shameless always get their fill.’ 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

She sat nearby, making sure her parents weren’t taken advantage of, while also keeping a close eye on the troublemaker, Xiao Tao.

The kid wandered through the living room and kitchen, then even tried pushing open the door to Qin Zhonghui and Su Yun’s room. But Su Yun had already locked it, so he couldn’t get in.

Then, holding some snacks he’d swiped from the kitchen, the boy headed upstairs.

Qin Jiao stood up, grabbed her schoolbag, and walked toward the stairs. Meanwhile, Feng Lan was still picking on Qin Na, and Qin Jiqun was still shamelessly pestering his second brother about how much money the family really had.

Neither of them noticed their little terror heading upstairs.

Xiao Tao first went into Qin Na’s room and had a look around. Qin Na was very frugal, so there wasn’t much in her room. Xiao Tao swiped her watch and then went to knock on Xiao Shi’s door.

Lately, Xiao Shi had become much more outgoing, but the trauma of being bullied by Xiao Tao as a child ran deep. So he hid in his room, too afraid to open the door.

When no one opened the door, Xiao Tao immediately started kicking it.

"Qin Shi, open this door!"

"If you dare kick that door again, I’ll throw you down the stairs," Qin Jiao said flatly from behind him.

Xiao Tao jolted and spun around to look at Qin Jiao. She was standing in the shadows where the light was dim. The corner of her mouth curled up slightly, but the effect was terrifying.

Xiao Tao trembled, his fat jiggling along with him. "You wouldn’t dare!"

"Try me."

Xiao Tao chickened out.

The little brat usually acted like he feared nothing, but in reality, he was just a bully who picked on the weak and feared the strong, with his parents and grandparents always there to back him up.

Now that his backup wasn’t around, he caved instantly.

He snorted and turned to leave, but Qin Jiao’s sharp eyes spotted the watch clutched in his hand. She immediately grabbed his wrist. "Aha! So you’re a thief!"

"I did not! Let go of me!"

Xiao Tao thrashed, punching and kicking, but he was no match for the incredibly strong Qin Jiao. She grabbed the boy by his collar and dragged him from the second floor down to the first.

The moment Xiao Tao reached the living room on the first floor and saw his parents, he immediately launched into his well-practiced tantrum.

"WAAAAH! Qin Jiu hit me! She’s trying to kill me! WAAAAH!"

’Seeing his pathetic display, Qin Jiao really wanted to smack him one!’