Gao Changze noticed that the Zhang Family Head's expression was displeased, yet he did not reprimand Qi Ao. This gave Gao Changze a clue.
This relative probably wasn't that close.
Feeling apprehensive about the Qi family was one thing, but as a grandfather, not being able to say even two words, the relationship couldn't be that good.
Look, not only was he unable to vent his temper, but he also had to coax him.
Gao Changze became even more certain of his guess.
The servant brought the gift, which was a set of clothes.
Gao Changze recognized it as high-grade protective clothing, made from the silk and fur of monsters, which was quite expensive. To fit a child, it had to be custom-sized and made from specific materials; some materials that were harmless to adults could not be used for children. Of course, the price also skyrocketed.
The little brother was naturally disappointed; it wasn't a wooden sword, nor a training outfit, nor a secret manual.
He took the gift, politely thanked the giver, and then stuffed it into his backpack.
Qi Ao's uninterested expression made the Zhang Family Head's eyebrows twitch, wondering if he couldn't recognize the value of the gift.
A perceptive servant was about to step forward to emphasize the value of the protective clothing and how much the family head valued the second young master.
"Oh, right, Mom asked me to bring you a gift."
Having received the gift, the little brother finally remembered the instructions before leaving.
The Zhang Family Head watched him put his small backpack on the ground and squat down to rummage through it. His evaluation of the boy dropped even further—no manners, not knowing how to properly handle gifts. And he was short-sighted, unable to discern the quality of things.
Until the little brother started pulling things out one by one, his expression stiffened.
That backpack was a spatial superpower-enhancing item.
The Zhang family could afford it, but they would only give a small space to a child who had awakened a superpower and performed exceptionally well.
"A pen... why is such an ugly pen in there?"
The little brother pulled out a pen and casually placed it by his foot.
"...Glasses, whose are these?"
He scratched his head and put them aside as well.
The little brother hadn't thought much when he put things in, so now he had to rummage through them one by one.
The Zhang Family Head vaguely guessed something and used his superpower to touch the items, receiving feedback.
They were indeed superpower-enhancing items!
Several items at his feet were superpower-enhancing items!
And according to the feedback, these items were not useless!
A pen with divination abilities, glasses with x-ray vision, a pair of magnets with long-distance sensing...
The doll he pulled out made the Zhang Family Head's emotions unstable—a decoy doll!
This was something that could save a life.
Although its effect was only to share damage, having it in a crisis was better than nothing.
Most importantly, from its style, it looked like it was from Sakura Island, indicating a high possibility of coming from Qi Yuan.
The Zhang Family Head had thought that the Qi brothers were not on good terms, and even on the first visit, Qi Yuan didn't bother to come because of his brother.
Qi Yuan, who was always on the front lines cleaning up monsters, didn't leave behind any life-saving items, but gave them to a child, showing how much he valued him.
"Here it is, this one."
The little brother struggled to lift a fruit gift box with both hands and handed it to the servant beside him.
The servant looked at the Zhang Family Head on the seat, waiting for his command.
The elders exchanged glances, wondering why, with so many superpower-enhancing items, they were giving a fruit gift box.
The Zhang Family Head also felt suspicious, gripping the armrest, pondering the inner meaning. It was impossible to say that Qi Yuan didn't know about this gift, and it was even likely that he prepared it.
Suddenly, a gleam of light flashed in his eyes.
This was a warning and a means of sowing discord.
A clever move to kill two birds with one stone.
First, by passing by without visiting, he would cause dissatisfaction, making them look at Qi Ao unfavorably. When they vented their negative emotions on Qi Ao, he would inevitably become estranged from them.
At this point, Qi Ao would bring out the gifts.
Qi Yuan had calculated Qi Ao's character, knowing he would inadvertently reveal the superpower-enhancing items, and they would realize Qi Yuan's importance to his brother, thus no longer daring to underestimate Qi Ao.
Finally, the fruit gift box represented a gift of modest value but still respectable.
In other words, the Zhang family's intentions were clear to Qi Yuan, and he hoped everyone could be decent. Maintaining basic courtesy was enough, don't push your luck.
Young as he was, he had many tactics. It's a pity he wasn't a member of the Zhang family. Although his methods were still a bit immature, he miscalculated one step—they never spoke ill of Qi Ao from the beginning, so there was no estrangement.
But for his age, he was already highly skilled.
"Accept it."
The Zhang Family Head signaled the servant to accept it and then called Qi Ao over, "Grandpa likes your gift."
The game of chess, of course, goes back and forth.
As long as Qi Yuan values this brother, he will remain steady, as blood relations cannot be erased.
...
[Gao Changze: Initially... Finally, the Zhang Family Head... Overall, it went smoothly.]
[Gao Changze: Yuan Ge, this tug-of-war really stunned your brother.]
[Gao Changze: No wonder you left directly without any worry, I thought you had full trust in my abilities.]
[Gao Changze: The Zhang Family Head's haughty face at the beginning, and then smiling like a kind grandfather next door at the end, I wouldn't know if he learned Sichuan opera face-changing.]
[Gao Changze: But is this okay? Your brother might get swayed.]
Do you even know what you're saying?
Qi Yuan just woke up, confusedly reading the messages Gao Changze sent last night, piecing them together to understand vaguely.
What does this have to do with him?
If they were in front of him, he could say that his superpower influenced their minds, and whatever they imagined was his fault, but they weren't even in the same city, and he's still blamed?!
He got out of bed, scoffing at Gao Changze's concerns.
Joking, his brother would only be filial to the extreme.
If the little brother was dissatisfied with this temporary stay, when he returned, he would receive half a grandfather from his brother.
He had no particular feelings about the Zhang family, good or bad, and he couldn't make too many judgments about the victims' families.
After being deceived by his father, his mother only dated and didn't marry.
If Uncle Zhang had proposed directly instead of beating around the bush, the misunderstanding wouldn't have occurred.
"You have a child, and I have a child. I think it would be better for Xiao Yuan to have a brother to support each other. What do you think?"
"Xiao Yuan wants a brother, why didn't he tell me? Sure."
This was the "surprise" his mother carefully prepared for him when he was young, and the result of his questioning.
Even now, he could still remember the confusion at that time, and the other party's feelings could be imagined.
He could only pray that the Zhang Family Head could withstand the little brother's filial piety, otherwise, there would be another victim in the Zhang family.