The real young master thought he was hated by everyone

Li Heng was a premature baby.  

When he was first born, he was extremely weak, even lighter than most girls, and had a gentle temperament. Unlike the twins, who would cry whenever they were apart from people and needed constant attention.  

Usually, quiet and well-behaved children are subconsciously overlooked by their parents. The saying goes, “The child who cries gets fed.”  

However, Mrs. Xie particularly adored her well-behaved youngest son, whom no one could resist. She carried him everywhere and even went through more than ten professional nutritionists, treating him with extreme care.  

When he was three or four, the little boy was as cute as jade, with eyelashes longer than those of his cousins of the same age. He smiled at everyone, and his voice was sweet, often being mistaken for a girl by unaware business partners.  

Whether or not he was a girl didn’t matter. Her well-behaved and sensible son, who sat on the living room sofa every day waiting for his parents and brothers to come home, was just as precious.  

The dress was bought at the suggestion of a close friend.  

She even took many photos back then, as a small way to make up for her earlier regrets.  

Recalling a certain amusing incident related to the dress, Mrs. Xie couldn’t help but smile. In the end, she didn’t hold back. “Our little darling is indeed more delicate than many girls.”  

He was back then, and still is now.  

Her compliment made the teenager feel inexplicably embarrassed.  

Perhaps because he was too young when he was kidnapped, and after being abandoned at the orphanage, he had experienced many memorable things in that family. But he had no memory of the things Mrs. Xie was telling him about.  

He also didn’t remember the older neighbor boy, who, thinking he was a girl, played house with him and said he would marry him when they grew up.  

“…Because Mom is very beautiful,” he replied somewhat shyly, his voice very soft.  

He did resemble her more, not just in his eyes but also in his facial features. When they stood together, no one would doubt their blood relationship.  

Mrs. Xie was overjoyed by the compliment.  

“Before you were born, to please me, your father even bought dresses for Shenzhi and the others, making them wear them to sing for me.”  

She couldn’t help but reveal some embarrassing stories about her other two sons. “They didn’t look cute at all wearing them and were so reluctant when we took photos.”  

Unlike her little darling, who wore whatever he was given.  

“When we go back to the old house for the New Year, I’ll find those photos for you.”  

She smiled and said, “Remember to take lots of pictures with your phone and save them. If they don’t listen to you, you can use the photos to threaten them.”  

Li Heng was intrigued by what she said and couldn’t help but feel curious.  

Xie Shenzhi, Xie Sizhi, and he had all worn dresses.  

So, what about Xie Duzhi?  

Had he ever been made to wear one?  

He was naturally curious about him.  

Perhaps because the person wasn’t present, when he asked Mrs. Xie about this, his face didn’t feel as hot as he’d imagined, and his tone wasn’t awkward either.  

Mrs. Xie was first surprised, then burst out laughing uncontrollably.  

After so many years of living together, the adopted son had long become an inseparable part ofthe family.

So much so, that she suddenly realized neither she nor Xie Duzhi had ever formally explained this to Li Heng.  

“ Duzhi never wore a dress,” she said with a smile. “When he came to our family, he was already seven years old and very strong-willed.”

Back then, because her youngest son had been kidnapped and there was no news, she couldn’t sleep for nights on end. Her mental state deteriorated. Xie Zhuwei, who had always been reserved, quietly went to the orphanage one day and brought home a boy without saying a word.  

However, she couldn’t bring herself to transfer all her guilt and maternal instincts onto this highly intelligent, mature child, who was so different from her missing son, Li Heng.  

When Xie Duzhi first arrived at their home, he addressed her with formal politeness as “madam.” Then, without hesitation, he knocked on Xie Zhuwei’s study door and told him that, rather than focusing on adoption, it would be better to see a doctor, take medication, and seek help from a psychologist.  

At the same time, Xie Duzhi made an offer: he would commit to working at the Xie family’s business once he reached adulthood and generate a certain amount of value each year in exchange for them adopting him.  

To prove his capabilities, he predicted the trends of several stocks in one go and offered to sign an agreement if they didn’t trust him.  

Mrs. Xie, however, decided to keep him without signing any contracts or agreements.  

She simply felt that this child was too clever, too rational for his age, and had likely experienced something that stripped away his childhood. Coupled with thoughts of her missing son, she couldn’t help but feel an extra sense of pity.  

It was as if fate had intertwined.  

She raised him with care, and he gradually became more “human,” less detached. In return, Duzhi found her little darling.  

“Come to think of it, he is the one who found you,” Mrs. Xie said, not hiding the truth. “If it weren’t for him, it might have taken me much longer to learn where you were.”  

 In a way, you could say that Xie Duzhi is a benefactor of our family.  

Li Heng was just learning now that it was Xie Duzhi who had found him, not Mrs. Xie herself. For a moment, his emotions were complex.  

He had to admit, even though Xie Duzhi was completely different from the version of him in his dreams, some deep part of him still harbored a subtle, inexplicable fear of him.  

At the very least, whenever he called him “brother,” it wasn’t as natural as calling Xie Shenzhi or Xie Sizhi. He always felt a brief moment of awkwardness before saying the word.  

…It shouldn’t be this way.  

“But I haven’t even thanked him properly,” he murmured, feeling his conscience gnaw at him.  

Xie Duzhi had even given him a valuable gift upon their first meeting, yet apart from verbal thanks, he hadn’t done anything else to show his gratitude. He hadn’t observed him closely enough either.  

His long lashes fluttered slightly as he looked up, hopeful, toward Mrs. Xie.  

Mrs. Xie found herself at a rare loss for words, unable to offer immediate help.

Of course, she wanted to see all the children get along harmoniously and have a close relationship. She was even in favor of her youngest son giving gifts to show his gratitude.  

The problem was, as a mother, she also had a hard time knowing exactly what Xie Duzhi liked.  

Aside from work, it seemed he had no other interests. He rarely expressed any desire for anything.  

Unlike Xie Shenzhi, who loved photography, or Xie Sizhi, who collected cars, Xie Duzhi’s preferences were much less obvious.  

She couldn’t possibly suggest that her little darling buy some stock and transfer it to him, right?  

While that could be a thoughtful gesture, it felt too formal, too cold and practical.  

“…You could give him a few books,” she suggested after thinking for a moment. “He took some philosophy electives in university and also knows German.”  

Alright, philosophy books.  

Li Heng quietly noted it down.  

His salary had just been paid, and although next month’s rent was still due, perhaps he could find an online dealer who sold beautifully bound original language books.  

“Thank you, Mom. I’ve got it,” he said, thanking Mrs. Xie.

To make sure he didn’t forget later that night, he even pulled out his phone and carefully set a reminder in his notes app.  

He was so obedient that Mrs. Xie couldn’t help but chuckle.  

Taking out her own phone, she quickly adjusted the camera angle and snapped a photo of him.  

Once the new photo was set as her lock screen, she formally asked her youngest son for his contact details, added him as a friend, and pulled him into the family group chat.  

Barely a few minutes after joining the group, Li Heng’s phone froze for a second—  

It was stuck on the screen with the red packets that Mrs. Xie had privately sent him.

Under her expectant gaze, he had no choice but to slowly tap on each red packet and accept them, feeling a bit numb by the end.  

His notification list also showed several new friend requests.  

Feeling a small amount of guilt, he quickly accepted the requests from Mr. Xie, as well as Xie Shenzhi and Xie Duzhi.  

At that moment, Xie Duzhi had just finished a meeting.  

Looking at the message on his chat screen that read, “You are now friends,” he tapped the screen a few times and sent a message.  

Xie Duzhi: Stay at home tonight.  

Xie Duzhi: I can finalize your contract then.