C12 The Confidentiality of the Stamps

The room was silent, a stillness that belied the tumult in Chu Jun's mind. He lay in bed, hands cushioning his head, eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling. Everything was familiar, yet it all felt eerily unreal.

He was indeed back. His father was safe, and with the company's newfound financial windfall, they could weather the storm and keep the family intact. But what next? His father had intercepted the money. How could he carry out his plan to reclaim it? The internet boom was on the horizon, and missing the chance to capitalize on it was not an option.

He had to find that money.

Over and over, he combed through his memories. In his past life, he was a mere clerk at the City Annals Office, a position with plenty of idle time spent reading and surfing the web. His head was filled with big money-making events, yet in this current time, they seemed irrelevant.

Eyes closing almost without his consent, he drifted off.

"Jun, time to wake up!"

His mother's voice jolted him awake. Daylight had crept in; the ceiling light had been on all night. He dressed in a flash.

"Dad, Mom!" Fresh from washing up, he joined Chu Yunhe and Ma Yan at the breakfast table. They were already eating, though their weary expressions betrayed a restless night. The impact of yesterday's 14 million cheque lingered.

"Jun, eat quickly, you've got school soon!" Ma Yan said, ladling porridge into his bowl. Chu Jun's smile faded at the mention of school, a wave of numbness washing over him.

The nostalgia of his school days didn't extend to the looming college entrance exams. He was about to revisit that high-pressure sprint, an atmosphere so daunting it sent chills down his spine.

It wasn't the exams he feared, but the suffocating, tense air that preceded them.

His family had once faced a catastrophe: his father's suicide, his mother's ensuing illness, and her eventual passing during his freshman year of college. He had funded his education by tutoring high school students, mastering each exam question until they were etched in his mind. The college entrance exam held no terror for him, which was precisely why he had turned down the guaranteed placement at the Post and Telecommunications University just the day before.

"Hu!" With a long exhale, Chu Jun finally allowed himself to relax. Memories of familiar classmates and teachers filled his mind, stirring a sense of anticipation within him.

"Mom, Dad, I'm finished eating. Off to school now!" Chu Jun was a quick eater. He grabbed his schoolbag from his room and, upon opening the door, stopped dead in his tracks.

"Hey there, Jun, off to school?" The man, in his early thirties, carried himself with an air of distinction and greeted Chu Jun warmly, lifting his hand to pat him on the shoulder. But before his hand could touch down, Chu Jun deftly sidestepped.

"Yunpeng, what brings you here so early?" Chu Yunhe approached with curiosity.

"Brother, the workers have encircled the company again!" Chu Yunpeng's face was etched with distress. He spoke in a hushed tone, his expression fraught with concern.

"Don't worry about it. You'll come with me to withdraw some money later. Jun, you should've called out for help!"

"Second Uncle!" Chu Jun's voice was tense as he spoke. Instead of heading out, he tugged on Chu Yunhe's arm. "Actually, Dad, there's something I forgot to mention. Could you step over here for a moment?"

"What's going on?" Chu Yunhe was clearly puzzled but allowed his son to pull him toward the bedroom.

"Yunpeng, you haven't had breakfast yet, have you? Come, eat something!" Ma Yan invited Chu Yunpeng, promptly setting out a bowl and chopsticks from the kitchen.

"Oh! Sure!" Chu Yunpeng nodded absentmindedly, his gaze fixed on the now-closed bedroom door. He had caught a glimpse of Chu Jun's glare earlier and couldn't shake the feeling that it held an inexplicable mix of anger and resentment.

"Keep it a secret? But your Second Uncle is family. Don't you trust him?" Chu Yunhe's brow furrowed in response to his son's words, his face clouding with displeasure.

Chu Yunpeng wasn't his blood brother, yet in Chu Yunhe's heart, he was as close as any brother could be. During the famine that swept the nation, Chu Yunhe had lost all his siblings, leaving him the sole survivor. Without the aid of Chu Yunpeng's parents, he might not have made it through those harrowing times.

Chu Yunpeng, the cousin who wasn't even five degrees removed, had been tagging along behind him since they were kids, playing at his heels. Their bond, strengthened by gratitude and brotherly love, was naturally deep. So when he made it big, he brought Chu Yunpeng into his own company without hesitation. There's a saying, "It's better to use the familiar than the new, and better still to use family." He entrusted him with the company's most important affairs. But now, his son was cautioning him to be wary of his cousin, and it irked him.

"Dad, where exactly did this money come from? If word gets out and reaches that old antique dealer, we could be in for a serious fight, maybe even a lawsuit! Please, just take my advice: it's best to keep our finances under wraps. Just take out a bit of the money for now, and don't go spreading the word outside!"

Chu Jun could tell by his father's face that he was resistant to the idea. There were many things he couldn't outright say, so he had to find another way to express his concerns.

"Indeed! But that's your uncle we're talking about. Doesn't he understand the gravity of the situation?" Chu Yunhe nodded at his son's words, realizing the potential chaos if the antique dealer got wind of their business.

"Dad, we trust Uncle, but you know how often he's out drinking and networking. What if he slips up while tipsy? Better to avoid extra trouble, or better yet, avoid it altogether!"

Moved by his son's sincere plea, Chu Yunhe finally relented with a shrug, "Alright, I won't mention it to him."

Chu Yunpeng sipped his millet porridge pensively. Recalling the hint of information Chu Yunhe had let slip earlier, he deftly shifted the conversation. "By the way, sister-in-law, did my brother mention he was withdrawing money? I thought he had invested everything in the company."

"Haha, I managed to get a little support from a friend, just enough to tide us over for now!" Chu Yunhe, stepping out of the room, felt his son bump his arm and quickly chimed in.

Ma Yan was taken aback by her husband's remark, her mind swirling with questions, but she kept her thoughts to herself and simply smiled.

"Dad, Mom, Uncle, I'm off to school!" Chu Jun breathed a sigh of relief and headed out the door, but not without casting a backward glance at Chu Yunpeng.

Chu Yunpeng bore an undeniable responsibility for his father's death, a burden that Chu Jun, his nephew, couldn't overlook. It was even said that without Chu Yunpeng's involvement, his father would never have faced such a dire fate.

Yesterday, Chu Jun's mind was a whirlwind of chaos, consumed with finding the funds to rescue his father. But upon encountering Chu Yunpeng unexpectedly, a flood of memories rushed back, igniting a fierce anger within him that he couldn't suppress.