"Wow, Ye Qiu, top scorer in science!" Ye Zhe patted Ye Qiu on the shoulder and said, "This time you’ve really given everyone a big surprise. Why haven’t Uncle and Aunt ever mentioned it before? Ye Qing just got into a provincial key school, and they praised her to the skies. Are they afraid you’ll get arrogant? But you’re usually pretty low-key."

Ye Qiu replied with a calm expression, "They don’t know my grades."

Ye Zhe was taken aback, "You’re doing so well in school, and you haven’t told your family about it? Didn’t Uncle and Aunt ask your teachers?"

Ye Qiu gave him a small smile, "You know, in our family, my sister is more favored."

Ye Zhe opened his mouth but didn’t say anything, because he already understood the situation. Even he, being his father’s own son, found that his dad knew more about his cousin’s affairs than his own. So what about Ye Qiu?

He whispered, "I noticed cousin didn’t speak to you all day today, did you guys have a fight?"

"Yeah, you could say we fought," Ye Qiu nodded.

Ye Zhe instantly showed an admiring expression and gave a thumbs up, "Impressive! Didn’t Uncle and Aunt scold you?"

Ye Qiu rolled his eyes, "Is that possible?"

"They must be really willing to let things slide. If I became the provincial top scorer, my mom would hold me up high. Sigh, it seems like in our family, girls have the upper hand. Look, today we’re supposed to be celebrating you, but Grandma still only gave a red envelope to cousin. Are you jealous?"

"It’s Grandma’s money; she can give it to whoever she wants. Or maybe you should ask if Aunt’s upset, considering your family is wealthier and usually she’s the one who contributes more."

Ye Zhe was stunned and looked up to see that indeed his mom’s expression was not looking too good, while his dad was grinning broadly, seemingly oblivious to the situation.

He shook his head and chuckled a bit, "Like you said, now it’s Grandma’s money; she can give it to whoever she chooses."

Ye Zhe’s mom, Chang Qiao, was indeed feeling unhappy. Although the old couple lived separately, thanks to their business, her family had made some money over the years. She was always the one who showed more filial piety.

And yet, the old couple showed favoritism. She’s not saying that it was wrong for Grandma to give her eldest granddaughter a red envelope, but she had just given her some as respect money, and as soon as it was in her hands, she gave it to the eldest granddaughter, while the second grandson got nothing. Wasn’t this intentionally making people upset?

There was nothing she could say, as her husband also doted on his niece. She couldn’t help but feel bitter, thinking, "Your daughters in the Ye Family are so precious, let’s see how filial they’ll be in the future!"

"Ye Qiu, why are you still so quiet? Learn from your sister. In the real world, it’s not all about grades," said Ye Qiu’s grandma, frowning like his father.

"I know, Grandma," Ye Qiu replied good-naturedly.

"You’ve really brought honor to the Ye Family this time; here, this is from Grandma. Use it sparingly."

Before Ye Qiu even took it, he knew the red envelope was much thinner than his sister Ye Qing’s. He didn’t take it, not because he despised it, but not wanting Aunt to be more upset. His sister had already gotten the bigger share; if he took more, what was that about?

"Grandma, no need. I took a part-time job over the summer, so I have money."

However, his good intentions were misunderstood. Grandma got angry, "What, upset because yours is less than your sister’s? Your sister is a girl, and you’re jealous of a girl’s share?"

"That’s not what I mean. It’s just that I’ve grown up, and since I’m an adult who can earn money now, I would feel guilty taking your money, Grandma. You should keep it for yourself; it’s Aunt who gave it to you as respect money." He gently coaxed.

Hearing this, Ye Qing immediately felt awkward. She couldn’t decide if her brother Ye Qiu was saying it on purpose.

She had just received Grandma’s red envelope, and he didn’t want it. Then he said he can earn money, and said the money was Aunt’s respect money for Grandma. What, was he implying that she’s taking the elderly’s pension money?

Ye Qing was both saddened and angry at her brother’s dissatisfaction. They were siblings, wasn’t he supposed to protect her? Instead, he made things difficult for her. Recently he had even wanted to distance himself from her. Did he think that in the future, he’d be more successful than her?

All she did was ask him to do a few things; don’t all sisters boss their brothers around? But not him. Could it be that he secretly got a girlfriend and she taught him this? He never used to rebel before.

The more Ye Qing thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed. She even started thinking that she would never approve of such a sister-in-law. Not only that, but her parents wouldn’t agree either.

She just had to wait; these days marrying a man requires a lot of money. Her brother was still a student. Even after graduation, how much could he earn in the first few years? Getting by would be enough challenge; if the family didn’t support him, he might break up, or the girlfriend might not endure it.

She had this plan in mind, and her previous anger abated because she believed that eventually, Ye Qiu would come to her for help. He was her brother; what brother doesn’t protect his sister? What brother doesn’t listen to his sister? He was likely deceived by some other woman.

She had already stated that her future sister-in-law must get her approval!

"Grandma, if my brother doesn’t want it, then keep it for yourself. I still have your red envelope, he won’t starve," Ye Qing affectionately linked arms with the Old Lady. She had always been sweet-tongued, which somewhat justified the elders’ favor towards her this time!

Whether her filial piety was genuine or fake, the fact that she could make the elders happy was enough reason for everyone to favor her. To all of this, Ye Qiu never objected. He was just frustrated that in their past life, even though Ye Qing relied on him, she showed no gratitude, and no one in the entire family recognized his efforts.

So in this life, he wanted to live for himself just once; as long as it wasn’t him, it didn’t matter who supported Ye Qing.

He knew that despite Ye Qing’s words, she would never really use the money given to her by the family for him. Though she made it sound nice, ever since they were young, the only money spent was her pocket money; when did she ever spend her money to buy him anything?

But others didn’t think so. They all believed that among the younger generation, Ye Qing was the most sensible. The Old Lady was instantly delighted by her words and even gave her the red envelope that Ye Qiu hadn’t accepted.

"Good, good, Qingqing is indeed the loveliest. Keep the money; boys are always extravagant, so keep an eye on your brother."

"Thank you, Grandma. Don’t worry; I definitely won’t let my brother spend it recklessly," she promised with a smile.

Ye Qiu spoke directly, "Let me clarify, this money is yours. It has nothing to do with me, and I won’t spend it. In the future, don’t take elders’ money under the guise of doing me a favor."

The Old Lady immediately glared at him, "Fine, don’t spend it, it’s Qingqing’s money."

"Alright, as long as it’s not my concern," Ye Qiu, who was now quite indifferent, irritated everyone but brought a slight smile to both his aunt Chang Qiao’s and cousin Ye Zhe’s faces.