MWCBTC Chapter 3: “Bones May Break, But Tendons Stay Connected”

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When Qiao Chen woke up, he was drenched in cold sweat, clearly not in a good state.

Staring at the white ceiling, he realized it had only been a dream.

But it had felt too real—so real that he could still feel the tightness in his chest. Despite thinking he had grown used to everything, deep down, he still couldn’t help but feel resentful.

Resentful of the unfair treatment.

Qiao Chen and Qiao Yu were twin brothers. Qiao Yu, being the older one, was born thirty-six seconds earlier. Though their personalities differed, their appearances were nearly identical—but the way they were treated was like night and day.

Maybe because Qiao Chen had absorbed more nutrients in the womb, Qiao Yu was born slightly smaller and weaker.

But really, this so-called “weakness” only existed in contrast to Qiao Chen’s seven-pound birth weight. At five pounds, Qiao Yu wasn’t fragile—and he quickly made up the difference after birth.

Still, favoritism doesn’t need logic.

Their mother had always favored Qiao Yu—not that she treated Qiao Chen badly, but in comparison, her love toward Qiao Yu made Qiao Chen seem pitiful.

In a family, a mother’s attitude often shapes how others treat the children. Their father, being a man, didn’t show clear preference. After all, they were both his sons. But over time, he subconsciously began to favor Qiao Yu too, influenced by his wife.

This influence seeped into every part of life: the household staff, the teachers at school, classmates, even friends and relatives.

In the Qiao family, Qiao Yu was always first, and Qiao Chen was forever second. Equality didn’t exist.

The phrase Qiao Chen heard most growing up was:

"When you were in the womb, you stole your brother’s nutrients, so now you have to give way to him."

Because of that, Qiao Yu could take anything that belonged to Qiao Chen—but Qiao Chen was never allowed to take anything that belonged to Qiao Yu.

As a child, Qiao Chen didn’t understand. He just thought, I took my brother’s nutrients, so I should let him have what he wants. I can always play with something else.

As he grew older, Qiao Chen noticed that their parents preferred Qiao Yu. Was it because Qiao Yu had a more likeable personality?

He tried speaking like Qiao Yu to his mother—but she wouldn’t scoop him up for kisses. She’d just pat his hand and say, “Such a good boy.”

Later, he tried winning affection through his achievements—but no matter how excellent he was, those who didn’t want to see it would never notice.

Because even Qiao Yu’s modest efforts brought him overwhelming support from the whole family, while Qiao Chen’s hard-won successes were met with a mere, “Xiao Chen, you’re really good.”

Eventually, Qiao Chen gave up on those pointless struggles. He came to understand one thing: the difference between loving and being loved.

To put it simply—Qiao Yu could just stand there and do nothing, and everyone would love him.

While Qiao Chen could try everything, but only earn a casual compliment.

Time taught him to adjust his mindset. He told himself not to care what others thought—just be himself.

So, when he was older and went to college, Qiao Chen chose to study abroad. Naturally, their parents couldn’t bear to let their darling Qiao Yu go so far away—so he stayed in the country.

Perhaps it was the distance from the Qiao family and from Qiao Yu that made Qiao Chen’s college years feel peaceful. Not joyful, but at least not unhappy.

Ironically, when he returned to the country a few days ago and saw his parents at the airport, he was genuinely surprised and touched. They remembered when I was coming back? They came in person?

But that feeling vanished the moment they told him about the stand-in marriage.

In that instant, anger, frustration, and injustice surged within him—a storm of emotions. Yet, in the end, Qiao Chen didn’t say a word. He just nodded and said, “Okay.”

Just like before, he compromised.

Because what else could he do? They were family. Even if the bones are broken, the tendons still connect. No matter how biased they were, they were the parents who had raised him for over twenty years.

Qiao Chen curled his lips in a bitter smile, mocking himself inwardly. Qiao Chen, you’re not as detached as you thought, are you?

He blinked, pulled himself together, and got out of bed.

No use thinking about things he couldn’t change.

When he went downstairs, a housekeeper auntie was cleaning the living room. She was probably hired by Qin Shen.

Qiao Chen walked into the living room and politely greeted her, “Hello, I’m Qiao Chen.”

“Good morning, Mr. Qiao,” she replied flatly, without even looking up. Her tone was neither warm nor cold.

Qiao Chen glanced around and didn’t see Qin Shen, so he asked, “Where’s Qin Shen?”

This time, the housekeeper raised her head and gave him a meaningful, scrutinizing look before replying stiffly, “I’m not sure.”

Qiao Chen wasn’t stupid. He was especially sensitive to hostility—and this housekeeper clearly didn’t like him.

Realizing this, he didn’t push further. He gave a small smile and went to the kitchen to make himself some breakfast.

Meanwhile, the housekeeper watched him from behind with eyes full of contempt.

This woman’s last name was Cai. She had been working in Qin Shen’s home for three years now, mainly responsible for cleaning and preparing meals three days a week. She didn’t live in.

Why did she dislike Qiao Chen?

Simple—because of Qiao Yu.

Yes, she had been recommended to Qin Shen by Qiao Yu, who had done her a huge favor.

Qiao Yu was kind-hearted. When he found her struggling on the streets looking for work, he brought her here. The pay was good, the work was easy, and her employer was easy to deal with—she’d stayed three years.

But now, this kind, generous Qiao Yu had his fiancé taken by his own younger brother. This Qiao Chen clearly wasn’t any good.

Like everyone else, Auntie Cai had misunderstood Qiao Chen—and despised him for it.

Qiao Chen had a rough idea why she was so cold toward him. Fine. Let it be. There’s no way to explain it anyway.

After making himself a simple sandwich, Qiao Chen changed his clothes, grabbed a document folder, and went out job hunting.

Yes, he needed money to live.

Aside from tuition and living expenses during his first year of college, he had never asked his family for money—and he wouldn’t now.

China had changed rapidly. After five years abroad with no visits home, Qiao Chen found himself overwhelmed. Everything felt unfamiliar. He stepped outside but didn’t know where to go.

Eventually, he settled down in a nearby shopping mall café, opened his laptop, and began researching the job market.

He had majored in fine arts in university, and his drawing skills were top-notch. There were plenty of job openings in this field. He decided to focus on the ACG industry:

Anime, Comics, and Games.

He actually found this area pretty interesting.

After browsing a bit, he submitted resumes to a few companies: Windmill Animation, An Studio, and Deep Alley Games.

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