The real young master thought he was hated by everyone

That night, when Li Heng was welcomed back into the Xie family, realizing how different his dreams were from reality, he didn’t lose sleep despite his mixed feelings of uncertainty and cautious optimism.

But after Xie Duzhi nodded and said goodnight to him, he lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to close his eyes.

It felt as if the moment he shut his eyes, he’d hear that soft, emotionless voice of the young man lingering in his ears.

Xie Duzhi hadn’t made any promises, only murmured a soft “Hmm” and said, “Alright.” Yet, strangely, it gave an immense sense of reassurance, as though everything was under control.

Whether it was repeating a year or transferring schools, the process of getting him into the college entrance exams didn’t seem important at all.

All he needed to do was trust and wait for the final result.

That’s the kind of impression Xie Duzhi gave off.

But precisely because of this reliability and sense of security, Li Heng couldn’t help but feel a rising unease.

He quietly crawled out of bed, opened the suitcase standing by the wardrobe, and pulled out his old class notes and incorrect homework problems. Flipping through them, he reviewed everything seriously.

He remembered most of the material and could instinctively recite the formulas and solve problems.

But many details had faded with the passage of time since that summer of his senior year, leaving only a hazy, mocking impression.

Although he knew that learning is a process, either you keep progressing or you fall behind—the thought of Xie Duzhi still made him feel a subtle sense of shame and guilt.

In his current state, he might barely make the passing score for the college entrance exam, let alone achieve his previous results.

In that case, it would feel like he was letting down Xie Duzhi’s efforts and arrangements.

No one should be responsible for another person’s entire life and future.

But Xie Duzhi had already taken that responsibility.

The only thing he could do was try to repay the favor, doing his best not to waste this heavy burden of care.

… At the very least, he had to make Xie Duzhi feel that his efforts were worth it.

When he opened his eyes the next morning, his notebook and the half-written notes he had scribbled in the middle of the night were still beneath his arm.

The handwriting on the note was fragmented, but one could vaguely make out the names of study guides.

He glanced at the time—almost noon.

After washing up and going downstairs, he bumped into Mrs. Xie watching a drama on the sofa, and his ears couldn’t help but turn red.

Explaining his fondness for sleeping late now seemed a bit like he was making excuses.

“Are you hungry?” Mrs. Xie’s eyes lit up as soon as she saw him come downstairs. She paused her show and said, “There’s still some fried rice in the kitchen. I can heat it up for you.”

He shook his head and sat beside her, feeling his face heat up.

“I’m not really hungry.”

“You should still eat something. They’ll be back late tonight, and dinner will be a while,” Mrs. Xie took his hand and said, “Skipping meals is bad for your stomach.”

“You barely have any meat on you.”

She continued, “How about I cook some dumplings? They’re pufferfish stuffing, really fresh.”

Given the two options, Li Heng reluctantly chose the fried rice, which was relatively less effort.

“Can I go out today?” He planned to buy a few sets of practice tests that afternoon.

“Let A-Qin take you,” Mrs. Xie asked where he wanted to go. “Do you want me to go with you?”

“I’m just going to buy some study materials,” he answered honestly.

“I can go by myself,” he quickly added. “I’ll come right back after.”

Mrs. Xie’s face immediately showed an understanding look. “I remember now. Duzhi mentioned this to me earlier this morning.”

“And also about studying abroad.”

“Wouldn’t that be too…” Li Heng hesitated, unable to fully express his thoughts.

He could only look at her with wide eyes. “It feels like taking a shortcut.”

Mrs. Xie chuckled.

She hadn’t expected him to be so concerned about this, but she felt a sense of relief. At least he was such a sincere, well-behaved boy, pure and unspoiled, with not a trace of arrogance.

Otherwise, with how indulgent Xie Duzhi was, Li Heng would eventually get into trouble.

Studying abroad could be done properly—by going through an agency, hiring tutors, following the regular application process, and maybe asking acquaintances to help as a backup plan. That would be much better than just sponsoring a library.

Although she wasn’t in a position to criticize, as a mother, she had at least the basic sense to know what was right and wrong.

It was just blatant favoritism.

She didn’t expect him to achieve great things or have an illustrious career; she only wanted him to live happily under the protection of his family, free from illness and worry, leading a smooth life.

“Do you want to study abroad?” she asked him.

Li Heng instinctively shook his head. “I haven’t thought that far ahead.”

Mrs. Xie quietly sighed in relief. “I also think it’s good to stay home and study. You can still come back for meals on the weekends.”

With her saying that, Li Heng felt the weight on his shoulders grow even heavier.

The city had four well-known universities. If he remembered correctly, Xie Shenzhi and Xie Duzhi both graduated from F University, while Xie Sizhi barely made it into T University.

Whether it was F University, T University, or the other two, none of them were within his current academic reach.

It seemed like getting into one of them was more of a dream.

He pursed his lips, feeling secretly troubled.

After hesitating for a moment, he decided to give Mrs. Xie a heads-up. “I might end up going to a university outside the city.”

“How could that be?” she was surprised. “If you’re worried about choosing the wrong major, we can hire a few more counselors to help with the application process.”

“Counselors?” he wasn’t sure, but it seemed like the term was self-explanatory.

This was the first time he knew such a profession existed.

He fell silent, and after a while, slowly said, “But the school might not be that great.”

Universities in big cities generally had higher admission scores than those in smaller areas.

He felt that if he worked hard during this period, as long as the exam wasn’t too difficult, he had a chance of passing the line and getting into a university… even if it was just a lesser-known one.

His face grew serious.

Mrs. Xie was momentarily stunned, but soon, she couldn’t help feeling a surge of affection.

“Whether it’s me, your dad, or Duzhi and the others, none of us will think less of you if you don’t get into a top school, nor will we think you’re stupid or that you’ve disgraced the family.”

“Everyone has things they’re not good at.”

She paused to think. “For example, I’ve never been good at crafts. Your dad isn’t great at sports, your older brother never learned how to ride a bike, and your second brother is tone-deaf.”

“You might just not be particularly good at studying.”

Mrs. Xie remembered that Li Heng’s grades had been excellent in his old town, ranking in the top hundred. Even if he didn’t get into a prestigious school, he would surely do well enough.

Perhaps he had struggled so much that even in front of his family, he didn’t dare to relax.

“But…”

“There’s no ‘but.’” her gaze grew firm. “No matter if your grades are good or bad, if you’re excellent or not, which school you attend or what career you pursue, in my heart, you will always have just one identity.”

She paused for a moment, swallowing the bit of emotion rising in her throat.

“You’re my child.”

That’s what she said.

Li Heng scratched his head, lowering his head slightly.

His nose tingled, but his heart was warmed.

The truths Mrs. Xie had said, he already understood in his heart.

But somehow, hearing someone else say it made all the difference.

He felt like he suddenly had a bit more confidence.

“No one’s perfect,” she continued to comfort him patiently. “All you need to do is pursue what you want to do, without putting too much pressure on yourself.”

His response was a heavy “Mm,” thick with emotion.

Li Heng sniffed, trying to steer the conversation in a lighter direction. “Mom, you didn’t seem to mention anything about Duzhi.”

“…” Mrs. Xie honestly couldn’t think of anything that Xie Duzhi wasn’t good at.

It was probably because he gave her the impression of being able to do anything.

He made millions in the stock market in middle school using leverage, started his own company in high school, skipped a grade and ranked third in the city…

If she had to name a flaw, it might be that he wasn’t very talkative, but being quiet didn’t mean he was bad at communication.

“Your brother Duzhi,” Mrs. Xie thought hard, “He’s not very good at… interacting with family.”

Of course, that was just relative.

“What? Mom, are you talking about things that the third brother can’t do?”

This was Xie Sizhi, who had just entered the house.

He was holding an overwhelmingly large bouquet of flowers, struggling to squeeze through the door, but his eyebrows were raised high.

“There are so many things he can’t do!” He was eager to slap his thigh. “I’ve mentioned before that he has major flaws.”

Under Li Heng’s curious gaze, he grinned with ease, sitting down next to him and handing him the bouquet. “Do you like it? Your second brother specially picked it for you.”

The floral scent overwhelmed Li Heng, and he instinctively nodded.

Xie Sizhi’s mood instantly improved.

“As long as you like it. Now, let me tell you all about your third brother’s flaws. Don’t bother with him, and definitely don’t ask him to hang out.”

Mrs. Xie couldn’t even be bothered to roll her eyes at him.

She gracefully stood up, deciding to remind Auntie Zhen to prepare a pig’s trotter stew and some claypot rice as a snack for her youngest son.