Yu’s memories of childhood centered around her younger brother.

Yu set his backpack aside, took a book from the shelf, and sat down in a chair to read. Though his eyes stayed fixed on the pages, his thoughts had already wandered far away. He still remembered the day before his departure. He and Xiao had promised to see the newly released movie together the next day, but the promise was never fulfilled. The parents he was on the verge of forgetting suddenly came to find him, and everything happened so abruptly.

Had this been in the past, he would have been overjoyed. When he was younger, other children were always picked up from school by their parents, but for him, it was always his aunt. Over the years, he had never once sat at the dinner table with his parents. But in the end, they were so busy that they sent him to stay with a friend’s family. At that moment, he truly felt despair, thinking his parents no longer wanted him.

When they spoke to him as a child, Yu had already learned how to disguise the anger and sadness in his heart. He nodded quietly in agreement. That day, for the first time, he sat at the same table as his parents, but ironically, there was no joy in his heart—only endless sorrow.

The next morning, his parents had packed his luggage early and loaded it into the car, just waiting to send him away. How eager they were to be rid of him. Did he hate them? He wasn’t sure. Perhaps he had already grown numb.

When they delivered him to that place, he felt utterly lost. He didn’t know how to express what he felt then. What surprised him most was Xiao’s presence—the girl who sat beside him in class turned out to be the daughter of his parents’ friends.

He wasn’t sure if he should feel lucky or something else. In any case, the girl was delighted to see him. She dragged him all around that palace-like house, introducing the purpose of every room. She seemed to remember everything perfectly. Then again, with a family so wealthy, how could they spend money on anything without value?

Just like his own parents—perhaps it was because he couldn’t do anything, and that's why they didn’t want him. If only he became stronger, would they come back for him?

Yu, still a child, didn’t understand. Immersed in his own world, Xiao tugged at him, chirping, “Yu, hurry up! This is the kitchen—if you’re hungry, you can find something to eat in the fridge! Oh, right! Want to see my room? Let’s go, it’s upstairs. I’ll ask the butler to arrange your room next to mine, so you can come play with me! Hehe.”

Without waiting for a reply, she pulled him upstairs. They reached her room, and she opened the door. “Look, this is my room! My brother helped me set it up. Isn’t it pretty?” Yu stared, dumbfounded. The room was indeed beautiful, filled with things he had never seen before. For a moment, he felt a pang of loneliness, but Xiao seemed to notice.

She smiled and took his hand, coaxing, “Don’t be like that! When my brother comes back, I’ll ask him to make one for you too, okay?”

Yu remained indifferent, but inside, he was a little excited. No one had ever noticed whether he was happy or not, yet this girl saw his mood at a glance. Was his disguise not good enough?

“It’s not that,” Xiao said, letting go of his hand. She walked over to the princess sofa and sat down, her delicate face glowing with a warm smile, her eyes lowered as she continued, “You see, this room is beautiful, right? My house is big, with lots of servants, but no one cares about how I feel. My parents are always working, and I only see them during the Spring Festival. I hate it! They always leave me alone at home. Sometimes my brother is here, but it’s not enough. I want them to be with me every day—isn’t that greedy?”

She gently kicked the ball at her feet, as if laughing, yet almost choking with emotion. Listening to her, Yu felt a slight ache—at least her parents made time for her, while his own...

Disappointment, and more than that, sadness welled up in him. Suddenly, someone hugged him, and the warmth slowly thawed the heart that had been cold for so long.

He heard Xiao’s childish voice whisper, “But none of that matters! Because from now on, we can play together and eat together. Hehe. I have someone to keep me company! Yay!”

Yu gazed quietly at Xiao. She was the kind who easily got hurt but recovered quickly. Watching her, it was hard to believe that just a moment earlier she’d been pouring out her sorrow to him. It was because of her that he could forget the pain of being abandoned. Yu let her drag him around in circles.

Lost in thought, Yu didn’t notice the sorrowful gaze behind him. Ouyang Xianyi stood watching Yu’s back, the warmth that always lingered on his face gone in an instant. His brother was still the same—preferring to daydream rather than talk to him.

Three years had passed. From the first time they met, Yu had always avoided him, intentionally or otherwise. Why? Had he done something to make his brother dislike him? Xianyi kept asking himself what he could have done to make Ouyang Xianyu hate him, but no matter how hard he reflected, he couldn’t figure it out. Surrounded by a dark aura, Xianyi began to hate himself.

While the two brothers were lost in their thoughts, their mother’s voice rang out from downstairs, “Older brother, younger brother, dinner’s ready! Come down quickly!”

—Extra Note—
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