Chapter 1: Whoever Doesn't Strike First Is a Loser

Chapter 1: He Who Doesn't Strike First is a Grandson

It was another fruitless day.

Qin Yike got off the bus and walked leisurely toward home, looking relaxed and carefree.

The phone in her bag suddenly rang.

Seeing the name on the screen, Qin Yike hurriedly pressed the answer button. "Hello..."

"Daughter, where are you? Your grandma and your little uncle are here. It's an emergency!" Qin Weiming lowered his voice, reporting the news to his daughter from the bathroom.

"What's going on?"

"They say they're looking for connections to arrange a job for you. I'd be crazy to believe them. Your mother is convinced! If I hadn't stopped her, she would have handed them her bankbook already!"

Qin Yike let out a cold laugh. "Stay steady. I'll be there soon!"

Putting down the phone, she jogged toward home, thinking to herself: *What is it like to have a pair of unreliable parents?*

Her father was relatively reliable. Although he didn't have much ability, was a bit timid, and was henpecked, at least his values were upright and he wasn't a fool!

Her mother, however... sigh, it was hard to put into words!

Qin Yike arrived home in a flash. As soon as she reached the third floor, she heard voices coming from inside. They lived in an old building with poor soundproofing, and a very familiar, loud voice was blathering away.

She knew instantly that Li Chunlan had arrived.

Qin Yike took out her keys, opened the door, and walked in.

Sure enough, Li Chunlan was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, talking animatedly with spit flying, while her parents sat obediently in chairs nearby, listening. Sitting next to her was a middle-aged man—who else could it be but that spendthrift, Deng Xinmin?

Seeing her return, Qin Weiming visibly breathed a sigh of relief and secretly signaled to her with his eyes, implying that the visitors meant no good.

"Yike is back?" Grandma Li spoke in a sarcastic, unpleasant tone.

"Yes, Grandma." Qin Yike changed her shoes and set her backpack on the floor. "You guys keep chatting, I'm going to my room." She truly couldn't stand this old woman, but since the visitors were elders, she couldn't just start a confrontation immediately. Therefore, Qin Yike planned to use a strategy of retreating to advance.

She knew Li Chunlan well.

As expected, Li Chunlan seemed very dissatisfied with her attitude. Her sparse eyebrows bristled, and her eyes widened. "What kind of attitude is this? Caijie, is this the fine daughter you raised? She's far too disrespectful!"

See? She was looking for trouble.

Li Chunlan was a bitter, sharp-tongued old woman who favored boys over girls and loved to assert her presence in her daughters' homes. She doted on her youngest son but was harsh toward her two daughters, and by extension, was unfriendly to her sons-in-law and granddaughter.

Generally speaking, when relations are bad, it's better to keep distance so everyone can be at peace. But this old woman did the exact opposite; she loved dropping by her daughters' houses whenever she could! Not only did she visit, but she also used the pretext of "honoring her elders" to squeeze benefits out of her daughters to satisfy her need for importance.

Over the years, her two daughters had been heavily exploited by her, and in the end, all the money ended up in Deng Xinmin's pocket.

Deng Caijie was long accustomed to her mother's unreasonable behavior. She reflexively scolded Qin Yike, "You child, why this attitude? How long has it been since you've seen your grandmother? Why are you being so inconsiderate? Do you know why your grandmother and uncle came here? It's all for your job!" Toward the end, her tone inevitably carried a hint of pride; at critical moments, her own family was the one that came through.

Hearing Deng Caijie's words, Qin Yike showed a look of suspicion. "About a job?"

"Of course! Your grandmother pulled some strings at the county hospital. She said there's an interview—just a formality—and then you can start working." Deng Caijie was beaming with joy. She only had this one daughter and naturally hoped she could stay by her side.

Qin Yike looked at Li Chunlan and her son. The more she thought about it, the more something felt wrong. This mother and son had always only known how to scavenge benefits from others; when had they ever been so kind-hearted as to worry about her employment? Besides, Deng Xinmin was an irredeemable loser and Li Chunlan was just a woman who loved to make scenes. How could they possibly have the connections to find her a job, let alone at the county hospital?

"This job... I assume it won't be cheap?"

Qin Weiming held up two fingers. "Two hundred thousand!" That was the going rate these days, so it wasn't necessarily expensive. The key was that he didn't believe a word his mother-in-law and brother-in-law were saying!

Qin Yike sneered. She knew it wouldn't be that simple! Whenever money was involved, this pair would never let it go. They claimed it was about finding a job and smoothing over relations, but in the end, there was no telling whose pocket that money would fall into. When the job failed to materialize and the money couldn't be recovered, one was her biological mother and the other was her biological brother—could Deng Caijie actually kill them?

"Don't trouble yourselves with the job matter." How could it be such a coincidence? She had just graduated, and immediately they were claiming they could arrange a job. They were trying to fool a ghost.

"You child, why are you so ungrateful! Do you think I'd lie to you about money?" Li Chunlan was displeased. Her face darkened, and she glared at Deng Caijie as if everything was her fault.

Having been suppressed by her mother for a long time, Deng Caijie shuddered at the glare. She instinctively said, "Mom, she's just a child, she doesn't understand anything. We can make the decision. Fine, I'll get the two hundred thousand to you tomorrow. The job matter is settled."

Deng Xinmin's face erupted in pure ecstasy. Although he tried his best to hide it, he couldn't escape Qin Yike's eyes.

She knew it wasn't that simple!

Qin Yike gave Deng Caijie a flat look and asked bluntly, "Deng Caijie, let me ask you: how many times has this happened?"

Everyone in the room froze.

"You... how can you speak to me like that!" Deng Caijie was panicking, and a reprimand slipped out instinctively.

Deng Xinmin, who loved to stir up trouble, was eating an orange while chiming in: "Sis, it's because you spoiled her. She has no respect for her elders; she needs a lesson." As he spoke, he tossed the orange peel directly at Qin Yike's feet, as if in provocation.

Without a second thought, Qin Yike grabbed the water cup next to Deng Caijie and hurled it straight at Deng Xinmin!

With a loud *clatter*, the cup hit the wall behind Deng Xinmin, leaving a splash of water.

"Shut your damn mouth! No one's calling you a mute if you just stay quiet!"

Deng Xinmin was shaken. He looked at Qin Yike with an unfriendly gaze. "You brat, I'm your uncle! Who do you think you're talking to? Believe it or not, I'll slap you!"

Qin Yike didn't buy his act at all and shouted back, "He who doesn't strike first is a grandson!"

Hey!

Deng Xinmin was nearly fuming with rage, but he didn't strike immediately. As a child raised with indulgence, he knew the best way at a time like this was to use others.

Deng Caijie was the person he intended to use.

"Sis, I'm her uncle! There's a whole generation between us! She just called me a grandson."