novelraw Chapter 86: The Runaway Dad (11)
Chapter 86: The Runaway Dad (11)
The quintuplets have a great relationship, so when it came time to choose universities, Qi Yudong naturally thought they would all go to the same one. However, he inadvertently discovered that one of his brothers was a “traitor.”
“Fourth Treasure , you’d better come clean. Which university did you apply to?”
Fourth Treasure looked at the furious First Treasure, carefully shrinking his large 1.8-meter frame, giving him an innocent look.
Qi Yudong: “If you don’t confess honestly, I’ll punish you severely!”
Fourth Treasure felt wronged: “What’s the big deal with applying to a school? We’re still going to live together, so you don’t need to worry about me.”
Qi Yudong: “Hah! Don’t flatter yourself. Why would I miss that brat like you? Hurry up and tell me what major you applied for, or I’ll really get rough!”
Fourth Treasure made a face: “I won’t tell you until you make a move, bye…”
He tried to run away, but unfortunately, Qi Yudong was faster and grabbed him, threatening to throw him on the sofa.
“You little brat, you’ve got some guts! You dare to apply for the music department without consulting us? You better confess. What are you planning to do after you graduate from college?”
The other three brothers, after hearing “music department,” shifted their attention to Fourth Treasure . Fourth Treasure smirked, feeling guilty, and said, “We’ll talk about what happens after graduation when we get there. I haven’t even started university yet.” The others had already figured out why Qi Yudong was angry. Fifth Treasure looked at Fourth Treasure in surprise and asked, “You’re not seriously planning to become a celebrity, are you? Didn’t you say singing was just a hobby?”
Fourth Treasure winked cutely: “It’s just a hobby, I’m just getting deeper into it. Don’t overreact.”
Third Treasure narrowed his eyes, looking at Fourth Treasure , absolutely certain there was something more to this. How could he not guess what Fourth Treasure was thinking?
“Why not learn something more refined? Why do you have to go into the entertainment industry?”
Fourth Treasure broke free from First Treasure’s grip, giving a sheepish smile: “I didn’t say I have to go into the entertainment industry. I just want to join in the fun.”
First Treasure: “Joining in the fun isn’t allowed either. Do you think your face belongs to only you!”
Fourth Treasure hummed: “If it doesn’t belong to me, does it belong to you?”
First Treasure was so angry he wanted to kick him, but just then, Qi Sheng came back. Fourth Treasure saw him and immediately rushed behind him, excited.
“Dad, look at First Treasure, he’s bullying me.”
Qi Sheng was confused: “What’s going on with you two?”
First Treasure complained: “Dad, can you believe him? He wants to become a celebrity!”
Fourth Treasure argued: “I didn’t! I just applied for the music department. First Treasure is totally overreacting.”
After speaking, he leaned on Qi Sheng’s back and started acting cute and playing the spoiled brat: “Dad, look at them, we still have a few years before university! I didn’t even say I’m definitely going into the entertainment industry. It’s just First Treasure making up excuses to bully me!”
Qi Sheng had a rough idea of what was going on. He clasped his hands behind his back and patted Fourth Treasure : “This act of yours won’t work. You need to discuss this with your brothers. I can’t handle it.”
Fourth Treasure pretended to cry: “Dad, how can you bear to see your cutest Fourth Treasure being cruelly bullied by those big bad brothers? Oh…”
Before Fourth Treasure could finish his dramatic act, First Treasure interrupted him: “Enough with the act! Stop being so dramatic and come over here!”
First Treasure didn’t have the patience to deal with him. He was determined to make Fourth Treasure change his university application today.
“You can do whatever you want, but you can’t go become a celebrity!” If Fourth Treasure ran off to become a star, the other four brothers wouldn’t have any peace.
“Then how about I become an internet celebrity?”
Second Treasure, who had been quiet up until now, spoke up: “No, you don’t want that.”
First Treasure rolled up his sleeves, pretending to threaten him: “Say it again! What do you want to do?”
Fourth Treasure shrank back, looking obedient and cute: “I haven’t decided whether to go into the entertainment industry yet. For now, I’m just continuing with music. Who knows, maybe I’ll become a violinist in the future?”
First Treasure raised an eyebrow: “Really? I don’t believe that for a second!”
Fourth Treasure hummed: “It’s really true! I promise Dad, if I really go into the entertainment industry, I’ll dress up so much that even he won’t recognize me! I swear!”
After saying that, he raised three fingers dramatically.
First Treasure was still a bit unhappy, but didn’t want to interfere too much with Fourth Treasure’s passion. He just grunted and sat back on the sofa across from him.
Qi Sheng took the tea from Fifth Treasure and looked at them, seeing that the brothers had stopped arguing. He confirmed: “Did you all reach an agreement?”
First Treasure, unwillingly: “He’s already applied. It’s not that easy to change it now.”
And just like that, the storm passed. The four brothers from the Qi family still applied to the same university, while Fourth Treasure chose the nearby music academy.
To avoid angering his brothers, Fourth Treasure didn’t dare to act recklessly. At least during school, he didn’t engage in any major public appearances. Of course, what he did privately was a different matter.
It’s worth mentioning that each of the brothers chose different majors. First Treasure chose finance, Second Treasure chose physics, Third Treasure went for artificial intelligence, and Fifth Treasure, for some unknown reason, chose history.
Compared to the other three majors, Fifth Treasure ’s classes were clearly the easiest. So, aside from Second Treasure , Fifth Treasure often found himself helping the other two brothers with their work.
First Treasure: “Fifth Treasure, you don’t have any classes today, right? Come help me with a class.”
Fifth Treasure refused: “I’m not going. Why don’t you go to class?”
First Treasure: “I have things to do. Come on, help me out, and I’ll give you a big red envelope.”
Fifth Treasure : “How big?”
First Treasure: “Don’t worry, it’ll be more than the New Year’s money Dad gives us.”
Fifth Treasure was intrigued and agreed to help. A similar conversation also happened between Third Treasure and Fifth Treasure, so despite being the one with the lightest load, Fifth Treasure ended up being the one with the longest class hours.
First Treasure had no choice. His dad’s rules were still in place. Even though universities in China had developed over the past couple of decades, some traditions were still preserved, like answering questions or being penalized for skipping class. Luckily, he had identical brothers who could cover for him, so it wasn’t a big deal!
Third Treasure skipped class even more than First Treasure because, as a top expert in artificial intelligence, Third Treasure had long surpassed most people’s level. Occasionally, he would have Fifth Treasure cover a class just to add to his class hours.
Fifth Treasure not only helped his brothers with classes but also occasionally went to Fourth Treasure’s school to attend activities for him, making him the best backup.
Of course, Fifth Treasure wasn’t without his own things to do. While helping First Treasure and Third Treasure with classes, he would often sneak in and sketch comics in his little notebook. As a result, their classmates would often discover that the tough First Treasure could actually draw comics, and that Third Treasure, a genius in AI, had the time and heart to draw comics as well.
Of course, some people who knew the brothers better would snicker: “This must be fake!”
Luckily, all five brothers had good grades. Even though First Treasure was busy with his entrepreneurial work, he still managed to keep himself in the top five of his major every time there was an evaluation! (Imagine the poor First Treasure who had to work overtime every night after his day job to study!)
Qi Sheng watched as they were all busy and thriving. He turned a blind eye to their little side activities. As for their professors, they weren’t here, were they? (Good grades do come with perks.)
In the blink of an eye, four years of university passed. In those four years, the five brothers had achieved a lot. First Treasure didn’t need much explanation—he had always been trying to find ways to make money since he was little. Now, he finally had the opportunity to shine, and his company was flourishing. Second Treasure and Third Treasure were both top talents in their respective fields. Fourth Treasure had secretly released several singles and even had a sudden idea to become a director. As for Fifth Treasure , he had become a rising star in the world of comics and was now an absolute powerhouse in the two-dimensional (2D) world.
There were no surprises with their studies or careers, but the only noteworthy thing was that one of them had finally managed to find a partner.
As someone who ran between two schools and juggled several majors, Fifth Treasure had the widest social circle among them. As a result, he successfully managed to get a girlfriend.
Fifth Treasure’s girlfriend, Ji Yan, was also a comic artist. The two met at a comic exhibition and gradually got to know each other, eventually becoming a couple.
To Ji Yan, her boyfriend was perfect in every way, except for one small issue: every time he changed clothes or hairstyles, she had to double-check from a distance of two meters to make sure she had the right person, otherwise, it would be so awkward if she hugged the wrong person.
What bothered her the most was when all five brothers were together. Ji Yan was a shy girl, and the first time her boyfriend took her to his apartment and she faced all five of his faces at once, she nearly ran away from embarrassment.
Although she knew beforehand that her boyfriend had five brothers, and had met one or two of them occasionally, facing all five of them at once was an overwhelming experience.
When she got back from that visit, she realized two things. First, she had to stay sharp at all times; otherwise, her boyfriend wouldn’t even recognize her! Secondly, their future kids were going to be in for a rough time. Their biological father would have to carefully figure out who was who, because from her brief experience, these five brothers would definitely tease their future kids about such things. Ugh, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for them.
“Yan Yan, Second Treasure is coming back tomorrow, and we’ll finally all be together. Do you want to come with me to dinner?”
Ji Yan shook her head like a rattle drum: “I’m not going. I’ll only go when there are at least three faces I can recognize!” Otherwise, with everyone looking like her boyfriend, she wouldn’t know if she was happy or tortured.
Fifth Treasure knew that his girlfriend had been traumatized by the last gathering, so he didn’t push her. That evening, once again, it was a singles gathering for the five brothers.
Fourth Treasure, like an untamed wild horse, stood in front of the mirror, snapping selfies. Third Treasure couldn’t help but comment: “Do we really need a mirror? If you’re trying to show off, just look at me.”
Fourth Treasure ignored him and continued admiring himself in the mirror. After a long while, he said, “For you guys, I always have to disguise myself. Even though I have a beauty that could start a dynasty, I’m always being criticized by fans for being hard on the eyes. How can you live with yourselves?”
First Treasure heartlessly replied: “We’re fine with it.”
Fourth Treasure huffed, feeling downhearted. He was clearly a perfect blend of beauty and talent, but he had to hide his looks because of the pressure from his four devilish brothers. He had to endure the world’s cruel criticism!
Oh, why was heaven so cruel to him?
The other four brothers could read his inner monologue just from his expression. Even Second Treasure , who had the best temper, couldn’t resist criticizing him: “You’re going to be a director, not an actor. Why all the drama? Do your actors know what’s going on?”
Fourth Treasure replied: “A director who doesn’t know how to act isn’t a good director!”
The few singles Fourth Treasure had released made him incredibly popular, gaining him countless fans. His fans praised him to the skies, calling him rare and unparalleled. Feeling quite flattered, Fourth Treasure began to show off. He donned a scruffy, homeless-looking hairstyle, large black-framed glasses, heavy dark circles under his eyes, a bold mustache around his mouth, and wore an old-fashioned outfit, all while graciously accepting compliments from his fans.
The fans collectively fell silent. “Is this what all artists are like? This is such an eyesore! Give me back my dream man!”