Chapter 433: 429. A Request as an Older Brother! (Seeking subscriptions, monthly tickets!)

Qi Guanghuan did not expect Zhang Ran to say this, and for a moment he was stunned on the spot. He had come this time prepared to rely on Zhang Ran, but he had not expected that Zhang Ran would actually have something for him to do.

"What? You're unwilling?" Zhang Ran took a sip of tea, glanced at him, and said.

Qi Guanghuan came back to his senses and hurriedly said, "No, no, being able to do things for Mr. Zhang is my honor. Please tell me, Mr. Zhang."

Zhang Ran said indifferently, "It's nothing major. Just find the evidence of Zhuo Fan's crimes from twenty-seven years ago for me."

Since Qi Guanghuan and Qi Lin had come, Zhang Ran would not let them off so easily—not for himself, but to stand up for his younger brother, Gong Nan.

Qi Guanghuan also knew what Zhang Ran was talking about, but he was in a very difficult position at this moment. "Mr. Zhang, you are making things difficult for me. Where am I supposed to find such evidence?"

Zhang Ran said calmly, "I'm making things difficult for you? Then why didn't you say that when your family was making things difficult for my brother for so many years?"

Gong Nan opened his mouth, but seeing Zhang Ran's calm face, he ultimately said nothing.

He was not an ungrateful person, and he understood that Zhang Ran was venting his anger for him, so he would not say anything at this moment, nor would he make Zhang Ran look like the bad guy on both sides.

"Mr. Zhang, I know that Xiaonan may have suffered some grievances in our family over these years, but we really never made things difficult for Xiaonan. We have always treated him as family," Qi Guanghuan said hurriedly.

"Family? Family that you order around and boss about?" Zhang Ran said coldly.

He then stood up and pointed at Qi Guanghuan and Qi Lin. "If it weren't for the sake of my brother, do you think you would have even been able to enter the front door today?"

Qi Guanghuan and Qi Lin were both a bit too afraid to speak. At this moment, Zhang Ran's aura was surging, pressing down on them until they both felt a bit panicked inside.

"I understand my brother's personality. Although we haven't seen each other for nearly forty years, I know it very well. But what I want to tell you is that my brother's good temper is not capital for you to bully him!"

"Yes, he didn't have a backer or a background before, so he had to endure it when he was bullied. That is his personality. But I am telling you now: now that my brother has me as his older brother, no one can bully him."

Qi Lin was silent for a moment, then finally said, "Mr. Zhang, these are all my faults. If there is anything, just come at me. I accept the punishment."

Zhang Ran looked at her and said, "No, it's not your fault. You are my brother's wife. I can tell that my brother actually likes you quite a bit; otherwise, no matter how good his temper is, he wouldn't have stayed like this for so many years."

"I won't interfere in the affairs between you two as a married couple, and I can't interfere, but your family cannot bully my brother. Do you understand?"

Qi Lin did not know what to say for a moment. She subconsciously looked at Gong Nan, and at this moment, Gong Nan was also looking at her. Both of them were a bit dazed.

Zhang Ran ignored the two of them and looked at Qi Guanghuan. "This is my only condition for you. If you agree, then for the sake of my brother, this matter will pass, and you can continue as you were.

If you don't agree, then forget it. I believe my brother won't blame me when the time comes."

After finishing, he stopped paying attention to him and looked at Qi Lin again. "Sister-in-law, you can rest assured too. As long as you and my brother remain husband and wife in the future, you won't have to worry about anything."

Zhang Ran drew a very clear line. He was only secretly taking a stance on the affairs between the couple to slightly bolster Gong Nan's position; he would not interfere with the specifics.

But the rest of the Qi Family?

Heh!

Qi Guanghuan was a bit panicked at this moment, but he also understood that this opportunity was actually given by Zhang Ran for the sake of Gong Nan.

At this moment, Qi Guanghuan truly felt incomparable regret—regret that he had not treated Gong Nan better in the past, and that he had not spoken up when Gong Nan was looked down upon by Qi Lin's parents.

Although he had not treated Gong Nan badly, that was all it amounted to.

If he had gotten along well with Gong Nan and truly developed the bond of a nephew-in-law and an eldest uncle, then he believed Zhang Ran would not have put forward such a request this time.

"Mr. Zhang, I agree to your terms," Qi Guanghuan finally said in a low voice.

"Mm, then if there's nothing else, you can head back first," Zhang Ran said, directly starting to shoo them away.

Qi Guanghuan did not have the thick skin to stay at this moment; after saying a few words, he left.

After Qi Guanghuan left, Zhang Ran looked at Gong Nan, thought for a moment, and said, "Xiaonan, can I have a word with your wife?"

Gong Nan said, "Of course you can."

Zhang Ran then signaled for Qi Lin to follow him. They did not walk far, just nearby, to a place where Gong Nan could see them.

"Sister-in-law, if I said that I want you to divorce Xiaonan now, would you be willing?" Zhang Ran suddenly said.

Qi Lin did not know what was going on, and upon hearing this, she felt a sudden pang of pain in her heart. But the next moment, she recovered; as a strong career woman, she still possessed extremely strong self-control over her emotions.

Qi Lin said calmly, "If this is your condition, Mr. Zhang, then I have no choice."

Zhang Ran smiled. "It's not a condition, just the concern of an older brother for his younger brother. I am asking about your heart."

"If you truly don't like Xiaonan, then there is no need to continue maintaining this relationship. I can tell that Xiaonan has actually lived very tiredly all these years.

Although he likes you, this kind of liking is not the entirety of life. I hope that in the days to come, he can live more easily and more freely. Do you understand what I mean?"

Qi Lin fell silent. Of course, she understood what Zhang Ran meant. At the same time, she was also questioning her own heart.

Did she truly not like Gong Nan?

After a long while, Qi Lin opened her mouth and said, "Mr. Zhang, I won't lie to you. I really don't know if I like Gong Nan or not, but I have discovered that I can no longer live without him now. I don't know if this is liking, but..."

Zhang Ran did not let her continue. "Fine, that sentence is enough. As his older brother, I only want to say one thing: the feelings between a husband and wife are not a one-person affair, and there is no need for feelings to become a burden for two people. That makes life exhausting for everyone.

I only hope that you can be more considerate of Xiaonan in the days to come. This counts as a request from me as his older brother."

Qi Lin looked up at Zhang Ran. She could feel the sincerity in Zhang Ran's eyes at this moment.

Thinking of Zhang Ran's assertiveness earlier—her own Qi Family's most formidable eldest uncle hadn't even dared to breathe loudly in front of him—yet now, Zhang Ran had used the word "request" to her.

"It is Gong Nan's good fortune to have an older brother like you," Qi Lin suddenly said.

Zhang Ran shook his head with a smile. "It's not anyone's good fortune; it's fate, and it's good fortune for both of us."

"Mr. Zhang, I have taken all your words today to heart. Please rest assured, if staying with me is truly a painful thing for Gong Nan in the future, I will not tie him down," Qi Lin said, taking a deep breath.