This Rich Second-Generation Heir Just Wants to Live Off Someone Else

When he woke up one day, Ji Zhiheng never imagined he would go back to the days before liberation.

He was about to parachute into a senior leadership position at the family business, setting off on the path to becoming a domineering CEO, a rich third-generation heir. Then, one day, he got incredibly lucky and caught the latest wave of transmigration.

A shabby earthen house, a father who lived by luck, a mother-father whose whereabouts were unknown, an older brother who got pregnant by accident while chopping wood in the mountains and ruined his reputation, a two-year-old nephew who could play a skeleton demon to perfection, and Ji Zhiheng himself, who had imitated the romantic poets and ended up deeply in debt, then got expelled by his tutor... This family was a ship tossed in a storm, on the verge of collapse.

The original "Ji Zhiheng" had left a huge mess behind after being clubbed by thugs. Ji Zhiheng was utterly speechless. He spent three days and nights wiping his face, opening and closing his eyes, only to find the dilapidated house still there. In the end, he accepted his fate.

His first priority was paying off the enormous debt. But as a scholar who couldn't even fight a chicken, he didn't want to haul bricks or work in the fields or mountains. What kind of work would make money the fastest?

Ji Zhiheng thought it over and over, then finally decided to make use of the resources available to him: live off someone else!

Just as Ji Zhiheng was looking for a target, a rich young master came looking for him first.

The other man's terms were simple. "Ji Zhiheng, our status is worlds apart. I chose you because you seem like an honest man. If you agree to a few conditions, I'll make sure you enjoy endless wealth and splendor."

Ji Zhiheng got it: Oh, this young master had picked him because he was lowborn and had no influence.

"What are the conditions?"

"First, if I marry you, we'll put it in writing. You can't touch a single bit of my dowry. After we're married, the money I earn is still mine, and you can't stop me from continuing to do business. We'll simply treat each other with respect."

Ji Zhiheng got it: a prenuptial agreement, with separate lives after marriage. Wasn't this a straightforward marriage of convenience?

"All right."

"Second, after we marry, I'll continue living in the city. I won't move back to the village."

Ji Zhiheng got it again: Oh, separate residences after marriage. They were getting married by agreement, so who cared whether they lived together? They had no feelings for each other anyway. Living apart would be more comfortable. What a wonderful marriage!

He had to agree.

"All right."

"Third, I'll give you one hundred taels a month. You'll be entirely responsible for dealing with the elders pressuring us to have a child and anything else of that sort. Also, as my husband, I expect you to fulfill your corresponding duties."

Ji Zhiheng got it yet again: Oh, he just had to put on a show when needed and give his employer face. Easy enough. If he was drawing a generous salary, of course he had to help his boss solve problems.

"All right."

Good heavens, such a deal really existed? He was in. Absolutely in. As long as his boss didn't go bankrupt, he could do this until the end of time!

Only later did Ji Zhiheng learn that money was hard to earn and a life of luxury came at a price. What happened to keeping our lives separate after marriage?

What happened to only needing to keep up appearances?

Who the hell was this person who kept throwing silver at him and sulking until he got into bed with him every day?

Who was the person who threw silver at him until he passed the county and provincial exams... and eventually became a first-rank official?

And who was the one who racked his brains every day to prepare surprises, and made him deal with humiliating their foes every few days?

One night, Ji Zhiheng sat in the courtyard and rubbed his face hard. He happened to see his father sitting on a wooden stump, looking deeply troubled. Only later did Ji Zhiheng learn that he wasn't the only one in this family living off someone else.

It turned out that living off someone else could be an inherited family trade, passed from father to son.

There was a rumor that Meng Qingze, son of the capital's richest imperial merchant, was an arrogant young master. He had even turned down a marriage proposal from the legitimate son of the Left Chancellor. Everyone in the capital said Meng Qingze must think he was above the heavens.

A twenty-year-old old bachelor. If his family weren't sitting on a mountain of silver, who would want him with all that money stink clinging to him? Even if he was nine-tenths handsome, what made him think he could match the young master who topped the capital's Ten Great Talents? He was getting on in years. Did he still think he was some kind of prize?

And he even dared to say that anyone who wanted to marry him had to agree to three conditions. What an outrageous nerve!

Tch. Just wait. With conditions like those, if he ever got married, we'd all eat shit standing on our heads.

Meng Qingze knew what people said about him. He had already decided to remain unmarried for life, until he met a poor scholar who would "obey his every command."

Meng Qingze clearly remembered their first meeting. When the other man looked up at him, he wasn't dazzled by his status or his looks. The only reason the man's face twisted as he tried to "chat him up" was that Meng Qingze had stepped on the hand he was reaching out to use to pick up a copper coin, knocking him off balance.

"Hey, are you deaf? You're standing on my hand! I've shouted at you several times. What's wrong with you? Look at what you've done to my slender, delicate hand. It really hurts."

Meng Qingze, pushed off balance: Slender, delicate hand? Hah. Man, congratulations. You've got my attention.

Later, Meng Qingze "rented" himself a husband for a hundred taels a month. Not only did he get a handsome little husband, but the man also knew how to charm him and be romantic.

Birthday gifts, wedding gifts... Every one was the sort of thing that made the other young masters and ladies green with envy.

When people gave him a hard time and mocked him, his little husband stood up for him and soundly humiliated a whole group of provocateurs.

Yes, he reeked of money and couldn't compose poetry. So what?

His little husband could!

Not only could he, he was good enough to crush those Imperial College prodigies who fancied themselves the capital's greatest talents!

He was skilled at the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and excelled at both literary and martial arts. What young master wouldn't like a man so gifted in every way?

Anyway, the more Meng Qingze looked at him, the more smitten he became.

He couldn't take it anymore. Merchants never make a deal at a loss. They were already married. If he didn't kiss him, sleep with him, and have a child to inherit the family business, wouldn't he be losing out terribly?

A man's greatest appeal lay in his ability to solve problems. Meng Qingze adored men like that. His little husband was so amazing. For the sake of his future, Meng Qingze made up his mind to help him pass the provincial exam.

But who could have guessed his little husband would be so capable? He kept rising higher and higher, until he became the youngest first-rank official in the history of the Great Zhou. Let everyone who had laughed at Meng Qingze for being unable to marry take a look now.

See? Not only had he married, he had married the best man in all of Great Zhou. Who wasn't green with envy now?

A wealthy third-generation heir, both scholarly and martial, gong x a beautiful business prodigy, shou

Reader's guide: The gong has a System, and modern objects will appear in the story. If that's not for you, feel free to leave now. Maybe we'll meet again in another book. ~~(=^▽^=)

This story is also known as "Living Off Someone Else: A Family Trade Passed from Father to Son"

Theme: Knowledge is power. Why not start over?