The real young master thought he was hated by everyone

“Mom, how about wearing this one tomorrow?” Mrs. Xie tried on another dress.

The dress she was wearing was a modernized traditional Chinese design, embroidered with gardenias on the collar and hem. Paired with her freshly cut shoulder-length hair, she looked at least ten years younger, almost like a progressive young lady from an old period drama.

Li Heng, with a serious expression, carefully compared this dress to the previous ones in his mind before finally nodding firmly.

“This one looks better.”

According to Mrs. Xie, they hadn’t met in person for many years. Although they kept in touch through letters and phone calls, each conversation was brief due to the time difference, and video calls often ended abruptly due to poor signal. It never felt the same as when they used to chat all afternoon, sharing secrets until they fell asleep.

He thought the previous dresses had seemed too formal. Given that this aunt—whom he had never met or, according to local customs, should call his “godmother”—was his mother’s close friend, if she dressed too formally when meeting her at the airport, it might create a sense of distance.

In contrast, this dress felt softer and more approachable, without losing its elegance. It might even remind her of their school days together.

“Alright, I’ll wear this one.” Mrs. Xie smiled, linking her arm through his. “Come with me to the airport tomorrow to pick her up, okay? She always complains on the phone that I’ve been hiding you away and not letting her meet you.”

For a moment, Li Heng wondered if he had misheard something.

But Mrs. Xie had indeed said “meet you to play.”

“Though now you don’t have as much baby fat on your face, she’s going to say I haven’t been feeding you properly when she tries to pinch your cheeks.” Mrs. Xie sighed, her gaze falling on his face again.

“You look thinner.”

But the truth was that from 30 days before the college entrance exams until after they finished, his weight had actually increased by over 10 pounds.

Toward the end of his studies, even his chubby deskmate had slimmed down significantly. He might have been the only one in the class who had gained weight, thanks to the constant supply of nourishing soups from his mother and Aunt Zhen, maintaining a steady increase in weight.

“Well, it might be that I’ve grown taller,” he thought for a moment and decided to counter with this reasoning. “That’s probably why I look thinner.”

“That could be. I’ll have Aunt Zhen make some soup for you,” Mrs. Xie mused. “If you don’t get enough calcium while growing taller, your bones will ache later.”

With that, she started calling for Aunt Zhen, who was busy in the kitchen making snacks.

“Mom, what should I wear tomorrow when we pick up Auntie?” He quickly interrupted her before she could say more. “Is what I’m wearing now okay?”

“Let me think.”

Mrs. Xie’s attention was successfully diverted. “This outfit won’t do. It’s not good enough. That cream-colored shirt you have, paired with a scarf, would look much better.”

“Wait here while I go upstairs and check if your short cape would go well with it.”

She said this while turning away, clearly preparing to go upstairs and put together a few outfits for him to try.

Li Heng let out a long sigh of relief as soon as she turned around.

“Mom, can you also tell Uncle Fu not to keep giving Xiaozhi snacks? Spoiling him isn’t good.”

Though, in essence, he was just swapping one hassle for another, he really didn’t want to drink any more of the love-filled nourishing soups from his mother and Aunt Zhen, at least not for a while. Even the tastiest soup is hard to handle when you’re drinking several large bowls every day.

He sat back down on the sofa, intending to sneak in a little phone time and message his deskmate to ask which school and major he was planning to apply for. The two of them had similar scores, with his deskmate ranking a few hundred spots ahead.

The class group chat was as lively as ever. One particularly geography-savvy classmate had even organized a travel group, planning to take a short trip before they officially submitted their college applications.

The chat window showed that “the other person is typing.”

While waiting for a reply, Li Heng thought he heard faint barking outside—though there shouldn’t be any stray animals around here.

But the barking grew clearer, as if it were right at the front door.

He instinctively stood up, wondering if a dog had somehow wandered in from the garden. Feeling a bit uneasy, he decided to open the door and check.

Dogs have a keen sense of smell and are loyal creatures. What if someone had lost their pet and it had managed to find its way back, perhaps driven far away in a car? It wouldn’t be impossible.

The weather in June was always beautiful, with a clear blue sky and bright, scorching sunlight. As he opened the door, the sunlight momentarily dazzled him, and then he saw the figure standing at the entrance.

A young man, a full head taller than him, looked a bit surprised.

His mouth was slightly open, and judging by his movement, he had just been about to ring the doorbell.

Sweat beaded on his forehead, and a few strands of his bangs were damp.

But the most eye-catching feature was the long eyeglass chain hanging from his glasses—and the cardboard box he was holding in his arms.

A furry little head poked out from the box, revealing a pair of triangular ears and shiny black eyes, with two lighter patches of color above them.

The fur was black.

When it saw someone, the dog barked without fear, wagging its tail inside the box.

It was a black Shiba Inu.

“…Excuse me, who are you?” Li Heng froze for a moment before realizing he should ask the stranger standing at the door.

“You…” The young man looked hesitant, with an expression of uncertainty on his face. The eyeglass chain swayed slightly.

The golden chain glinted under the sunlight, almost blinding.

Li Heng was momentarily dazzled again.

He didn’t notice the light spots falling on his face as he stepped aside, ready to invite the young man in to talk. It was hot outside, and since the security guards had let him in, he was clearly someone the family knew.

At this time of day, only Li Heng, Mrs. Xie, and Xie Sizhi, who was painting in the studio, were home.

Li Heng figured the young man was probably a friend of his second brother.

“…Xiaozhi?” Mrs. Xie’s voice called out from behind.

Hearing the familiar, warm tone, Li Heng instinctively turned his head, thinking their Siamese cat had once again snuck downstairs, trying to slip away to the garden to roll around on the grass unnoticed.

“Mom, what happened with Xiaozhi?”

He quickly realized, with a touch of embarrassment, that his mom wasn’t talking about the cat. She was referring to the young man standing at the door.

He had just called her “Aunt Bai.”

Li Heng’s mind went blank, his face flushing hotly, with only one thought left: he wished he could disappear into a hole.

He must have looked ridiculous and rude.

“Mom mentioned this before—this is your childhood neighbor, Luo,” Mrs. Xie said, not at all bothered, smiling as she encouraged him to greet the guest.

She almost ran down the stairs, pulling him closer to take a good look at him from head to toe, affectionately asking how he had been doing all these years abroad and why he hadn’t come with his mother.

The young man answered her one by one, explaining that he had made a last-minute decision to return to China early, which was why he had come alone.

“Good thing, you’re looking more like your mother now.” After thoroughly inspecting him, Mrs. Xie finally relaxed. Then she remembered that he hadn’t even come inside yet, so she quickly stepped aside, inviting him in.

After calling him “brother” out of instinct, Li Heng’s face remained frozen in a state of mild shock.

He trailed a few steps behind the two adults as their conversation flowed into his ears, and his recently rebooted brain began to show signs of overloading once again.

“Is Xiaozhi the dog?” He heard the young man asking Mrs. Xie.

“No, Xiaozhi is the Siamese cat,” she answered cheerfully. “When he asked me earlier, I was startled too, until I remembered that your names sound the same.”

“The cat’s name uses the character ‘Zhi’ for chirping,” she added, before noticing the box in his hands. “Why did you bring a dog, though?”

“It’s a gift for your son,” the young man replied, placing the box beside the sofa before sitting down. “He once said he wanted a dog when he was younger, right?”

Mrs. Xie tried to recall, “Oh, you mean when he used to watch that cartoon and liked the loyal Dalmatian in it?”

“That sounds familiar.” A look of realization crossed her face. “For a while, he kept clinging to his dad’s leg, shouting ‘dog, dog!’ We even redecorated his room with a Dalmatian theme and bought loads of toys.”

“It’s impressive that you still remember,” Mrs. Xie’s expression softened even more.

“I was originally planning to give him a Dalmatian, but the return trip was rushed, so I couldn’t get one in time,” the young man smiled, showing no trace of the earlier fleeting disappointment.

Then he turned to the younger boy, as if seeking his long-lost neighbor’s approval.

“Do you like Shiba Inus?” If he didn’t, the dog could always be returned to the pet shop.

Li Heng couldn’t bring himself to say no.

Even if he couldn’t remember much from his childhood, the well-behaved dog sitting in the box, panting and wagging its tail, was simply too cute. No one could bear to reject such an adorable puppy.

“Thank you, Brother Luo,” he said quickly in a small voice, still feeling a bit awkward about what had happened earlier.

Though how to distinguish between “Xiaozhi” the cat and “Xiaozhi” the person would be Mrs. Xie’s dilemma going forward, he would always be reminded of today whenever he called for the cat during their usual playful moments.

All thanks to Xiaozhi (the cat), who, knowing someone was always tracking him with GPS, had gotten into the habit of sneaking off to the garden ever since returning home.

“I’m glad you like him.” The young man smiled again, and his eyeglass chain swayed.

Li Heng noticed a small mole under his right eye, something easy to miss if you didn’t look closely. He couldn’t help but glance a few more times.

“Does Shenzhi know you’re back?” Mrs. Xie suddenly remembered her eldest son, who was away on a business trip, with some regret. “You two were always so close, always taking classes together—even your violin teacher was the same.”

“It’s a shame he’s not home; otherwise, you two could have reminisced about the old school days.”

“I got the address from him. Since I’m back in the country now, there will be plenty of time to catch up later,” the young man reassured her. Then, as if something had come to mind, he turned his head slightly.

Catching the gaze that had lingered on him for some time, his eyes softened with a gentle spring breeze as he asked, “Did you like the birthday gift?”

“I wasn’t sure what your current hobbies are, but I remembered how you used to sit in the music room every time Shenzhi and I practiced the violin, so I took a guess and gave you one.”

As for the effort it took to acquire the violin from that collector, it didn’t seem appropriate to mention now—at least not yet.

Li Heng finally realized that the precious violin sitting in Xie Duzhi’s villa all this time was from him.