Chapter 5 Who Runs the Company
The living room felt heavy.
Mom saw me return alone and asked sadly, “Why did Ji Chengzhou really leave? Will he come back for dinner?”
Dad comforted her. “He’s the most hurt. Give him time. I’ll talk to him in a few days.”
Hurt my ass—he’d looked eager to escape.
But a bigger problem loomed.
Who would run the company?
When Dad was in charge, we nearly went bankrupt.
Things only turned around when Ji Chengzhou started helping while still in college.
He’d skipped grades—we were classmates in middle and high school. Our universities were just across the street from each other.
But those four years, we barely saw each other.
I was busy partying. He was busy working.
After college started, I finally escaped his study supervision.
I went full hedonist—gaming in the dorm or traveling everywhere.
Ji Chengzhou juggled classes, learning to manage the family business, and starting his own tech company.
He made insane money. Under him, Ji Group more than doubled in size.
The tech startup he co-founded became a unicorn—more profitable than Ji Group itself.
The day he graduated, Dad retired and handed him the CEO title.
I was just a trust-fund photographer taking random gigs, completely clueless about management.
Ji Zhishu perfectly inherited the Ji family genes—failed the college entrance exam, ended up in vocational school.
Mom and Dad looked awkward when they heard that.
Not because they judged his education, but because they felt sorry for the Zhao parents—both teachers.
In the end, I volunteered.
“Mom, Dad, don’t worry. I’ll do even better than Ji Chengzhou.”
Remembering how he’d called me an idiot as he left, I swore I’d prove myself.
I’d make him kneel and call me Older Brother.