Chapter Twenty-Two: Nannan’s Whispers

(T/N: Not QC’ed yet, ignore the minor mistakes! Will upload the QC’ed version in a day or two due to difference in timezone!)

Nan Wei felt rather vexed recently.

Ever since his own elder brother had changed his surname and abandoned the family for almost ten years, that took away the most of his family’s attention during that period of time. But recently, for some unknown reason, the family was focusing on him again. They were even more annoying than when he had just become independent. They used gentle and forceful methods, threats and promises, and if none worked, they’d use family ties, making Nan Wei incapable of peacefully operating his online shop.

Yep, Nan Wei was a certain x.x.xbao online shop owner.

Nan Wei had been operating his online shop for almost five years. It started out under his cousin’s name and even the investments in the early stage were borrowed from his cousin. When he started university, the taking over process took him about two to three years. Nan Wei managed the business well. Very quickly, he even returned the money he borrowed from his cousin. Today, he only needed to entertain his clients appropriately and he could easily earn two to three hundred thousand during the slow business period. Even so, in his family’s opinion, he was fooling around without a decent job. They even insisted to let him work at their company as a CEO’s secretary to earn a five-figure monthly salary at best.

He would be an idiot if he really agreed to that. Nan Wei knew long ago that his family’s mindset was incorrect. Otherwise, why would his elder brother abandon the family?

A child was like a magical kind of organism. Sometimes, they could easily see through the ugly exteriors of the adults. His elder brother was a perfect example – which led Nan Wei to foretell his own future ever since a young age –

Worst comes to worst, he could become like his elder brother – he could change his name, leave the family, and pursue his dreams.

Just like a hero.

Come to think of it, Nan Wei never understood his family. It was not like there wasn’t anyone who wasn’t willing to take over the company. That young lady from his second uncle’s family was a very suitable candidate. Putting aside her status that met the criteria, the most important thing was that she was willing to inherit the company. Then why not simply let her take over? That was like a win-win situation!

All these things were easy for Nan Wei to consider, but alas, his family members did not have the same thoughts as him. The older generation’s mindset was to protect the family’s vast wealth for the next generation, which was why they could not understand why their grandchildren did not want to carry any of that “burden”.

Sigh…

It’s so difficult to be a human…

Two days ago, Nan Wei went to meet his “missing in action” elder brother. Nan Wei did not even get to drink much but he received a whole chunk of problems from that.

After painstakingly thinking that he finally did not need to get involved in his family’s inheritance battle, who would have thought that he would end up helping someone else fight their family’s inheritance battle?

And his remuneration? Just a fourth of leftover cake!

Sighs…

Nan Wei sulked as he cooped himself up in his apartment to eat the cake.

If this drama continued on, how could he continue to operate his shop? He just wanted to be a tiny, tiny x.x.xbao shop owner, why was that so difficult?

Just when Nan Wei thought that things couldn’t get any worse, the world proved to him that there was no ‘worse’, there was only ‘more worse’.

He had been doing illegal business this entire time, but no one had ever questioned him. The only one time he was caught by the original owner was about a year and a half ago. Back then, he had managed to get rid of that guru. Never did he expect that after such a long period of time, that designer guru would contact him again out of the blue!

Speaking of this designer guru, Nan Wei also had lingering fears after dealing with him.

Normally, people like him who dealt with similar models was afraid that the original owners would come knocking on their doorsteps. In a way, those major brands were used to getting their products plagiarized. So, when Nan Wei started his business, he even went to consider the opinions of certain jewelry group. In the end, those people didn’t even give a d.a.m.n about such cheapskate imitations. That was why Nan Wei happily launched his similar model business.

From a young age, Nan Wei was fascinated with beautiful jewelry and ornaments. Yet his family only allowed his education to be business-management related. Compared to becoming a large-scale corporation’s CEO, Nan Wei would rather design the things that he liked. Obviously, his family did not let him study design like he had wanted to. After retaliating a few times, he toned it down. On the surface, Nan Wei was an obedient child, learning everything that his family wanted him to learn. But secretly, he had learned how to design and draw with the help of his cousin.

Day after day, under the false image of an obedient child, there was a unbreakable rebellious streak in him. He was just like a cicada pupa storing all his energy to break through his sh.e.l.l at the single crucial moment.

When the family was in grief and heartbroken over his elder brother’s betrayal, never had they expected for the obedient Nan Wei to know how to be well-prepared to cut off one’s means of retreat way better than his own elder brother.

When Nan Wei’s elder brother left the family, he had nothing. The drama was so widespread that his elder brother had to completely change his name. But when Nan Wei cut ties with his family to became independent, he had skills, a x.x.xbao online shop that generated hundreds of thousands of dollars every month, and the apartment in the metropolis that his great- grandfather had left him when he pa.s.sed away.

When his elder brother left, it was tragic. When Nan Wei left, it was cheerful and lighthearted.

The Nan family watched helplessly as Nan Wei left them, and yet they couldn’t even provide any conditions for him to stay behind.

He was like a full-fledged bird, singing aloud as he escaped the golden cage, flying off into the faraway land without any restrictions.

Nan Wei once thought that he had nothing that he wanted to pursue. It was not like he wanted to fulfill his childhood dream of becoming a designer. After all, there were too much things that he had missed. No matter how hard he tried to catch up, it was impossible for him to become a professional designer.

This online shop that was under his cousin’s name ever since his high school days was significantly important to him. Even if it was something that his family looked down on, it was his everything in life.

If possible, he would rather not get involved in troublesome family conflicts. He just wanted to be a tiny, tiny x.x.xbao online shop owner.

When that guru – SI’s famous ace designer, FISH, requested him to draft a drawing for him, he almost thought that someone must have hacked into FISH’s account.

At that time, Nan Wei wasn’t sure what he was thinking, but he did not ignore the request and even continued the conversation with that supposed hacker.

After a short conversation, Nan Wei felt that something was wrong. Was there such a thief who didn’t want money but forge a drawing?

This person…. Could it really be FISH himself?

Nan Wei was aware of his designing standards. Occasionally, some people from the same trade did request his drafts and he would joyfully agree to it. Designing was his hobby after all. If there was an opportunity to display his talent, he would gladly agree to it.

But, that did not mean that he could design something for SI! Putting those small businesses aside, he could even a.s.sume that maybe those companies were scouting out new talents. But SI? That was S City’s top jewelry group!

Even if he said that opportunities were hard to come by, before he could grab it, he had to have the capability first, right? Of course, he knew where his standards were at, but to make him draw for SI? How different was it from asking him to go on a worldwide concert tour right now?

Icantdothissobsob.jpg

Plus, even if SI’s chief designer really fractured his bones, no one would believe for FISH to not have at least eight or ten a.s.sistants behind him. Yet FISH had approached an unknown person like him for help. What did that mean?

Something was definitely wrong.

When something unusual happened, there had to be some devil behind it. Nan Wei’s vast experience since youth immediately allowed him to sense it –

It was the scent of a troublemaker!

FISH still did not know what his real ident.i.ty was, so even if he had directly went to SI’s boss to tell on him, it wouldn’t be a difficult task at all. But why would he do that?

SI was his cousin’s adversary; Nan Wei shouldn’t help the outsiders. If SI’s chief designer was in trouble, then of course, his cousin would be happy as well.

At first, Nan Wei aimed to reject FISH’s request. But he suddenly recalled his cousin’s recent troubles.

FISH was SI’s ace. If Nan Wei could get close to FISH, then wouldn’t he be able to get more information for his cousin?

Fine, let us all be pretentious and create chaos, let us all become spies!

So, when FISH offered him five hundred thousand for a single draft, Nan Wei happily agreed.

A draft for five hundred thousand? FISH sure was bold.

The most expensive design that Nan Wei ever purchased was about five hundred dollars. It was from the neighboring shop owner that also sold similar models for clothing brands for those who requested them. The target was NN’s latest coat. Ultimately, that coat generated a few thousand dollars worth in of sales. Nan Wei did not feel that he was on the losing end. His standards were there: the real NN coat only sold a few selections per month and could easily generate around the same amount as the fake one.

Tsktsktsk. With money, one could do whatever one pleased.

The next day, at about the same time, Nan Wei received a folder from FISH. It included a sketch and a long list of files.

Oh right, FISH had a side account. What was it called again? Fish and Hamster – you can’t have both? That name was seriously hilarious. Anyone could easily realize that it was named by the one getting laid.

[Fish and Hamster – You Can’t Have Both]: I’ve sent you my instructions. How long will it take you to finish it?

[Nannan]: Dear, the delivery only happens after 24 hours~

[Fish and Hamster – You Can’t Have Both]:… Good luck to you then. I’ll go offline first.

[Nannan]: No, Guru wait! Reachout.jpg

[Fish and Hamster – You Can’t Have Both]: What’s wrong?

Nan Wei did not forget his goal of obtaining more information. This guru had gone offline at about six in the evening yesterday, saying that he needed to take a bath and sleep. Seriously, what the h.e.l.l was that? That was the reason why Nan Wei could only quickly chat awhile more while FISH was still online.

[Nannan]: Did you draw the sketch? Isn’t it quite decent?

[Fish and Hamster – You Can’t Have Both]: My bones weren’t fractured then.

[Nannan]: Okay then. Oh yeah, this isn’t the seasonal fall product design, right?

[Fish and Hamster – You Can’t Have Both]: Nope. This is an order that SI and YL are competing for.

Nan Wei was shocked. Wasn’t this the order that his cousin was talking about?

With that conjecture, Nan Wei quickly opened the instructions in the folder. The more he read, the more he felt that it was that mysterious millionaire’s order.

Nan Wei’s standards were indeed lacking, but considering that he had already plagiarized so many major brands in the market, he did judge drawings. This sketch that he was looking at was high-cla.s.s, but the amendment requests were surprising.

For a moment, Nan Wei couldn’t tell if those strange amendments were good or bad choices. But his sixth sense told him that this was it – it was that mysterious millionaire’s order. This was SI’s ace, that young designer that had become famous with his outstanding talent. This was FISH’s authentic draft.

Gosh… if such things were leaked to his cousin……

If FISH’s drawings were revealed to his cousin, it was technically illegal. But FISH gave him this drawing and requested him to finish it. Without any concrete evidence like how the two of them did not have any sort of business contract, if he finished the drawing and gave it to his cousin instead , then wouldn’t that mean the SI was done for?

Until then, no matter how FISH looked into it, it would be hopeless. Even if he dared to reveal that he had used a subst.i.tute artist, who would believe such fairy tales?

Nan Wei quickly drank a cup of coffee to calm himself.

[Fish and Hamster – You Can’t Have Both]: Oh yeah, I can tell you the truth, but you must not tell anyone else.

[Nannan]: Enlighten me, Guru.

[Fish and Hamster – You Can’t Have Both]: This drawing was meant for YL. I’m preparing to be an undercover designer for YL.

Nan Wei spurted his mouth full of coffee onto his computer screen.

As the brown liquid dripped onto the keyboard, Nan Wei even forgot to save that two hundred eighty dollar mechanical keyboard that he had just purchased from some x.x.xbao shop.