Powerful Investment Chapter 44: Social Death

Chapter 44: Social Death

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

 

Looking at Lu Yao’s determined, victorious expression, Ji Jin felt like a vulnerable, innocent Omega who had been tricked into marriage and pregnancy. He immediately raised his hand to open the car door but found it was already locked.

In front of him, Lu Yao showed a triumphant grin, like a big gray wolf baring its teeth.

“You can’t do this, I’ll get angry,” Ji Jin threatened, holding Ji Xingxing. “Before we go in, let’s hurry back to the dorm.”

“I’ll get angry! I’ll get angry!” Ji Xingxing loudly shouted, hands on hips in Ji Jin’s arms.

However, by the time Ji Jin said that, it was already too late. The Lu family gate had opened, and Lu Yao seized the opportunity to drive into the small garden.

Ji Jin’s heart sank as he looked back at the closing gate of the Lu family estate, feeling like he had been tricked into a little valley he would never get out of.

The garden wasn’t very large. Lu Yao parked the car right at the gate. It was about four or five in the afternoon, and the sun was already tilting westward.

“Get out of the car, brother,” Lu Yao unbuckled his seatbelt and scooted over to Ji Jin. “If you’re still angry, hit me twice. I promise I won’t dodge.”

To be honest, looking at Lu Yao’s triumphant face, Ji Jin really felt like slapping him a couple of times. But in the end, he just snorted coldly and didn’t say anything more.

“Brother! You’re home?!” Before either of them moved, the driver’s side window was suddenly tapped sharply. A boy in a neat dark blue suit curiously peered inside.

The boy looked only a year or two younger than Lu Yao. Since Lu Yao was about twenty-one or twenty-two, the boy seemed around eighteen or nineteen—about the same age as Cheng Pian.

“Who is this…” Ji Jin was startled. The boy looked somewhat like a younger Lu Yao from three years ago, about fifty percent similar. With his lively energy and sparkling eyes, he looked even more alike—about sixty percent.

“That’s my little brother, Lu Zhi,” Lu Yao said, feeling a bit of a headache coming on.

“Brother, hurry up and open the door! Who’s in your car? Is it the so-called future sister-in-law?!” Lu Zhi’s voice was piercing, and he persistently tapped the window, demanding Lu Yao to get out quickly.

Even before meeting face to face, Ji Jin was shocked by this scene. Even Ji Xingxing widened his eyes and shyly cuddled Ji Jin’s leg, making a dodging gesture.

In the end, Lu Yao couldn’t resist and opened the car door to grab something from the back seat, then turned and said, “Brother, you should come out too.”

Ji Jin carefully opened the door holding Ji Xingxing. Lu Zhi was already waiting at the door.

“Hello, Brother Ji,” Lu Zhi suddenly transformed, standing straight with an impressive aura. His voice became gentle, a stark contrast to his earlier chattering childish image.

“Hello,” Ji Jin nodded, then set Ji Xingxing down. Ji Xingxing, wearing a black-and-white panda outfit today, clung shyly to Ji Jin’s leg. He looked quite like a real panda.

“Brother Ji, come in quickly. It’s cold outside. Mom and Dad will be so happy to see you,” Lu Zhi smiled brightly, hooking Ji Jin’s arm and leading him inside.

Lu Yao watched his brother being taken away by his younger brother and could only sigh resignedly and follow behind.

As soon as Lu Zhi opened the door, Ji Jin saw a gentle and dignified lady waiting at the entrance—it must have been Mrs. Lu. She wore a dark red qipao, looking elegant and noble.

Near Mrs. Lu stood a man in casual home clothes, holding a teacup and a newspaper. He looked more like the Ji family’s father, an older official-like figure.

“Dad! Mom! Look! Brother Ji is here!” Lu Zhi called out loudly upon seeing the Lu parents at the door.

“Uh… hello, uncle and aunt,” Ji Jin greeted politely, feeling the usual obedient child habit kicking in when facing elders, despite being a fierce competitor in the professional league.

“You’re Ji Jin, right? Come in, come in,” Mrs. Lu looked very gentle. Ji Jin could sense that she was probably an Omega.

Ji Jin glanced back at Lu Yao for help, but Lu Yao pretended not to understand and grabbed Ji Jin’s arm from Lu Zhi’s hand.

“Dad, Mom, this is the gift Brother brought for you,” Lu Yao announced as if he had just come home. Otherwise, his parents wouldn’t even have acknowledged him at the moment. He then handed over the items in his hand.

—When did I buy a gift?! Ji Jin desperately signaled at Lu Yao with his eyes. He didn’t even know he was going to meet the family, so how could he have prepared anything in advance?

—I prepared it for you, Lu Yao winked and secretly rubbed Ji Jin’s wrist to reassure him.

“You’re here anyway, what’s the big deal about gifts?” Mrs. Lu smiled happily as she took the gift. “Come inside and sit down, don’t just stand at the door.”

Ji Jin quickly held Ji Xingxing’s hand and followed the Lu family inside.

The first floor of the villa was a large living room, furnished with a complete set of sofas that looked very luxurious. Lu Yao led Ji Jin to sit down together, while Ji Xingxing sat carefully in Ji Jin’s arms, observing the surroundings. Mrs. Lu sat beside them.

“Lu Yao, Lu Zhi, come with me to the study,” Mr. Lu called them away before they had even settled down. Before leaving, Mr. Lu smiled gently at Ji Jin and spoke softly, “Xiao Ji, you stay here with Mrs. Lu for a while. Have dinner here before you leave.”

Ji Jin thought: I just called her “auntie,” and now I have to call her Mrs. Lu already?

Ji Jin nodded and showed the most obedient smile he had ever had. He could sense Mr. Lu was probably an Alpha, and his scent was very strong and stimulating, suggesting he was a very dominant person in daily life.

Although his scent-based guess wasn’t entirely accurate, seeing the surprised expressions on Lu Yao and Lu Zhi’s faces, Ji Jin figured Mr. Lu’s reaction was definitely different from usual.

“Don’t mind those Alphas for now, let’s talk,” Mrs. Lu patted Ji Jin’s shoulder and then looked down at Ji Xingxing in Ji Jin’s arms.

The moment Mrs. Lu saw Ji Xingxing, she was briefly stunned, but her good upbringing quickly made her recover. She smiled and said, “So this is Ji Xingxing, Lu Yao has mentioned him many times. He’s really adorable.”

“Xingxing, say hello to grandma,” Ji Jin rubbed the little head of the dazed Ji Xingxing and told him to greet her.

“Hello, grandma, I’m Ji Xingxing, three years old!” Ji Xingxing had been trained by Ji Jin on how to speak politely to elders, so he behaved exceptionally well. Plus, his naturally cute little voice made everyone like him instantly.

“Hello, little Xingxing!” Mrs. Lu tilted her head and replied warmly, then casually added, “Xingxing looks like you, and also a bit like Lu Yao when he was young.”

Ji Jin was terrified by this comment and felt his breath lighten. How could he have forgotten that he shouldn’t have brought Ji Xingxing here? Although Lu Yao was a hopeless cross-eyed, so it wasn’t obvious that Ji Xingxing looked like him, the Lu parents definitely had sharp eyes and might notice.

“Ah… really?” Ji Jin awkwardly laughed it off.

“Xiao Ji, don’t be too nervous. Just treat this as your own home,” Mrs. Lu said softly. “Although this is your first time here, Lu Yao has told us about you many times.”

“Ah… is that so?” Ji Jin still felt very embarrassed.

“Before Lu Yao started gaming, he admired you a lot and always told us how amazing you were,” Mrs. Lu said with enthusiasm. “Later, he insisted on joining the youth training camp to play esports.”

“Back then, he had a big argument with his dad. You know how Alphas are, so controlling. The family was waiting for Lu Yao to inherit the business and treated him as the heir. But in the end, they couldn’t stop him from chasing his dream, so they let Lu Zhi take over instead.”

Ji Jin thought: At first, I thought Lu Yao was an orphan, and I cared for him a lot, but it turns out his family owns billions to inherit.

“Then he said he liked an Omega, his team captain. Unfortunately, the captain didn’t like him back and frustrated him for a long time. We wanted to support him, so we watched your post-match interviews every day back then,” Mrs. Lu said softly.

Ji Jin blushed when he heard this. The post-match interviews from three years ago… his performance…

“So hard, traveling all the way to win second place,”

“Keep it up, try to win second place again,”

Or—

“I didn’t plan to win the championship this year, but since I didn’t win, well… it’s still a championship,”

“Sorry, I wanted to play a few more rounds, but the opponent didn’t give me the chance, so I won,”

And at that moment, his future boyfriend’s parents were sitting in front of the TV watching him…

Ji Jin felt like he was socially dead.

Just then, the housekeeper brought in tea and juice. Ji Jin took a cup of juice for Ji Xingxing, then awkwardly gulped a small sip himself, almost choking.

Mrs. Lu laughed lightly, not exposing Ji Jin’s embarrassment. However, the conversation turned even more awkward—

“Lu Yao told me you’re… expecting again, and you went for a prenatal checkup today. How are you feeling? How’s the baby? Can you handle work?” Mrs. Lu asked with motherly concern.

“So-so… so-so,” Ji Jin felt like today was a disaster.

“Is this your prenatal report? Can I take a look?” Mrs. Lu pointed to the medical file placed on the gift box.

Ji Jin covered his face: Here we go.

Mrs. Lu happily opened the report and carefully read it.

The little panda Ji Xingxing nearby couldn’t help himself. He waddled over to Mrs. Lu and tugged her sleeve cutely, saying in a baby voice, “Grandma, show the baby! Show the baby’s sister! There’s a sister! Two!”

Mrs. Lu chuckled at Ji Xingxing’s coquettish manner. “How do you know there’s a sister?”

“Uncle said there’s a sister!” Ji Xingxing said confidently. “I want a sister!”

Mrs. Lu, who knew some medical knowledge and could read ultrasounds, naturally understood how many babies there were and their genders.

“There is a sister. Little Xingxing, you have to protect your sister in the future,” Mrs. Lu patted Ji Xingxing’s little head.

“Okay!” Ji Xingxing’s eyes brightened again. Now he looked even more like Lu Yao, practically a miniature version of him.

Mrs. Lu was stunned again. She turned and asked the housekeeper to bring an album from upstairs, then meaningfully said to Ji Jin, “I have photos of Lu Yao from when he was little. Would you like to see? They’re quite interesting.”

Seeing Mrs. Lu’s expression, Ji Jin knew it would be hard to keep Ji Xingxing’s identity a secret.

He even wanted to cover his own face. He was unmarried and unmarked, and this was his first time meeting the family—bringing along three kids all at once.

What kind of way to meet the parents was this?!

 

Author’s note:

Ji Xingxing: The disguise is about to be blown!

 

 

 

 

 

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