Rebirth from the Ashes

Su Mushi heard from someone in the afternoon that Pei Xu had skipped class with other students from the International Class. He was apprehensive and felt that it must be related to the gambling, so he took an early leave and went home.

When Su Mushi arrived at the living room, he heard a harsh and angry voice coming from the study, so he ran over terrified.

“Dad, it’s really not me. Shi was the one who begged me and insisted that I set up this bet. You know how hung up he was about ‘The Smiling Nation’. He just wanted to use this opportunity to get back at them.”

“Shi asked you to do it? Why would you just do as he asked?”

“He’s my brother and he begged me, so what else can I do? Shi said that the ratings will definitely not exceed 2%, and when the time comes, we can make money and you’ll be happy. How would we know that the ratings exploded?”

The conversation continued in the study. Su Muyan argued that it was Su Mushi who begged him to set up this bet and put all the blame on his brother, shirking off the responsibility.

Su Mushi stood at the door and listened to the argument. It was pathetic and ridiculous. He clenched his fist tightly and hatred surged in his eyes.

‘Ha! What a good brother! I can’t believe I trusted him wholeheartedly. When everything was fine, Yan’s a good brother, but when things went wrong, he put all the fault on me saying that I forced him to set up the bet?! I even thought of taking on the responsibility if something were to go wrong so that Yan won’t have to suffer with me… But look what he did?! He betrayed me and put all the blame on me. Since that’s the case, don’t blame me for being unkind.’

The bickering in the study was getting more intense, interspersed with the sound of things being smashed.

Su Mushi sneered. His eyes were blood-red as he pushed open the door. He looked like a demon that had just crawled out of hell and he had a sinister smile. “Dad, I proposed this bet, but Second Brother made the call.”

‘Well, this is only fair. Since we did this together, we should also share the responsibility. I was so ridiculously naive to think that my good brother would exculpate me from this…’

Su Muyan looked at him incredulously. “Third Brother, what are you talking about? You were the one who wanted to set up the bet. If you didn’t beg me, I wouldn’t have done such a thing!”

Su Mushi sneered mockingly. “Is that so? Second Brother, how did I force you to set up the bet? Did I hold a gun to your head?”

Su Muyan was annoyed. “Third Brother, you said at that time that you’ll take the blame for whatever happened. What are you saying now? You don’t wanna admit that it was your fault?”

Su Mushi smirked, “Second Brother, that’s not right. Even though I suggested it, you agreed because you wanted to show some achievements to Dad, isn’t that right?”

“I…” Su Muyan’s face turned red. “You’re spouting nonsense! Clearly, you’re the one who holds a grudge against ‘The Smiling Nation’ and you’re dragging me down in the process. My achievements in music are already enough for Dad!”

This matter had escalated. The two of them no longer cared about brotherhood and tried to drag one another through the mud.

“Shut up!” Su Yi swung the whip in his hand and beat his sons ruthlessly.

‘Look at these imbeciles! When things go wrong, they only know to pass the buck to each other. How did I raise such irresponsible bastards?! Even now, they’re blaming each other for such a small matter. How would they not kill each other when they fight for the family fortune in the future? Will they also kill their father to seize power?!’

Su Muyan and Su Mushi did not dodge the beating and stood in place, letting their father beat them as they glared at each other like they were looking at their mortal enemy.

Su Muxuan heard something had happened and rushed home. When he pushed open the study door, he saw Su Mushi and Su Muyan standing with their clothes torn by the whip. He quickly stopped his father. “Dad, do you wanna kill them?”

Three billion yuan was not a small amount to the Su family. It would be difficult to fork out so much at once with their current cash flow. If they suddenly liquidated this much money, it would be a considerable blow for the Su family’s business operations.

Su Mushi endured severe pain and strained his neck to look at his father. “I’ll pay whatever I owe.”

This was the first time he was whipped. It was extremely painful. No wonder Shen Xi would faint when she was beaten with a whip.

“You wanna pay?! How are you gonna pay?” Su Yi flung the whip again. He was so infuriated that he wanted to whip the two of them to death. This would be better than letting them lose their family fortune.

Su Muxuan went forward and stopped him. “Dad, this is not the time to be angry. We have to discuss how to solve this matter first.”

Su Yi was ruthless and fierce when beating them, so that vented off some of the pent-up anger in his heart. After all, these two were his sons. Even if he was exasperated, he could not possibly kill them.

“Dad, private gambling is against the law. We can just threaten them with this and make it a big deal. Let’s go all out and get the police involved. We can return the principal to them, then find a scapegoat for this. We’ll say that we don’t know anything and that the scapegoat did it behind our backs.”

On the way back, Su Muxuan had already thought of a solution.

This way, the Su family would only suffer temporarily. With a scapegoat, they could get away unscathed and they would not have to pay so much. Over time, this scandal would fade away.

“Su Mushi, tell your big brother who are the people involved in the bet!” Su Yi gave a reprimanding roar.

‘Do you think I haven’t thought about it?’

They had to look at who was behind these kids. Those involved were the rich and influential second generations in the Capital. This group of kids were fearless, so they would certainly not fear the Su family.

Su Mushi was so scared that his body trembled. He replied honestly, “They’re from my school’s International Class, the group of rich second-gen students led by Pei Xu.”

Su Muxuan’s face which was smug earlier turned glum. “Dad, that group of people can’t be messed with. Third Brother, how could you even pick a fight with them?”

He knew who the International Class students were. They were a bunch of cynical and feral youths who happened to be the elites in China, the second generation of power and wealth. If they went against them, it would not be easy to get away unscathed.

Su Muyan sat on the side with his head hung low. He did not speak and only felt hatred and indignation in his heart, which made his eyes look vicious.

If he had known that things would turn out this way and even if Su Mushi was on his knees begging him, he would not have agreed to this.

Now they knew the bettors were not ordinary people but a gang of lunatics from the International Class, they would have to pay up even if they did not want to, especially if they were hell-bent on making a fuss.

“Dad, I’ll pay back the money. Just wait until I become popular. I’ll take on more variety shows and TV series roles. In a few years, I’ll be able to pay it off.” Su Mushi was confident.

The entertainment industry was such a lucrative business that it would be easy to make money anywhere. When he had become a first-tier celebrity after winning various film and television awards, any regular drama could make him hundreds of millions.

He would take up more ads and variety shows as well. In a few years, he would be able to pay off three billion or even five billion yuan.

“Shut the f*ck up!” Su Yi slapped him. He had a sinister look in his eyes as he asked, “Don’t your sister and Pei Xu have a good relationship?”