The real young master thought he was hated by everyone

Through their conversation, Li Heng learned that this former neighbor brother of his was named Luo Zhijun.

The same “Zhi Jun” from the line, “Zhi Jun, the immortal spirit, knows no cold or heat; meeting after a thousand years still feels like yesterday.”

However, the last character of his name, “Jun,” had recently been dropped, and now he was known simply as “Zhi.” 

Mrs. Xie had always called him “Xiaozhi,” so this change didn’t significantly affect her, but judging from her expression when she learned about it, she seemed a bit dazed yet relieved, indicating that something must have happened in the past.

But the two of them tacitly chose not to mention it.

As a backdrop to their conversation—at least that’s how Li Heng perceived it—he found it hard to immerse himself in the atmosphere, even though the discussion was almost entirely centered around him.

It felt like a scene from a television show where the protagonist’s family visits relatives during a holiday, and the children, after years of separation, end up being present during the small talk.

Consequently, the topics naturally became somewhat limited.

As they chatted, it was easy to fall into discussions about how the child used to be.

Li Heng felt his current mood resembled that of the child from the TV show: embarrassed, awkward, and filled with a sense of “So that’s how I was when I was younger” and astonishment.

It was all quite complex.

However, he didn’t dislike Luo Zhi, this former neighbor brother.

Since going abroad, Luo Zhi had been studying music and was now a well-known violinist. Having been immersed in music theory for years, he exuded a calm and stable aura, giving off a gentle impression akin to jade—polite, neither overly familiar nor distant despite the years apart.

Mrs. Xie remarked that his personality hadn’t changed much over the years and was still very much like when he was a child.

“If only Xie Sizhi had half of your thoughtfulness,” she mused, thinking of her second son, unable to suppress her sentiment. “I’d have fewer worries.”

“He is more talented than I am,” Luo Zhi replied with a slight smile. “Even abroad, I often hear people talk about him. They say he has a high artistic talent, is meticulous, and possesses an almost divine intuition.”

At this point, the young man pressed his lips together, saying, “Speaking of which, the painting he won the award for was of you, Auntie Xie, right?”

That painting, which won Xie Sizhi an international award and made his name soar, was titled “Mother.” 

In it, Mrs. Xie sat by the window, half of her figure obscured by a photo that seemed to hold time itself, with letters and thread overflowing from the angled cabinet beside her. 

Her gaze was directed outside, where roses bloomed in the garden, suffused with the spirit of spring, as if she was simply enjoying a leisurely moment. 

Yet, on closer inspection, the reflection in her eyes depicted another scene—a child playing on the grass.

That painting now hung above her bed, framed with great care, and the glass was cleaned multiple times a day.

She felt embarrassed by his praise. “How can he be called meticulous? It’s thanks to you professionals giving him face that he has some recognition.”

Luo Zhi shook his head, his smile tinged with a hint of helplessness. “You just don’t notice because you’re always with him.”

“He probably only acts a bit childish in front of you,” Mrs. Xie mimicked the gesture of getting goosebumps. “Don’t let him hear you say that, or there’ll be trouble at home.”

From the content of their conversation, Li Heng felt certain that his second brother had a good relationship with Luo Zhi, or at least they were very close friends in the past.

After all, it was hard to explain why this neighbor brother from his childhood knew so much about him and said so many good things about him.

After exchanging pleasantries, they talked for several hours.

Around four in the afternoon, Luo Zhi mentioned that he had to leave for something and still hadn’t unpacked his luggage. However, Mrs. Xie firmly insisted he stay.

“You’ve come all this way; you must stay for a few days before leaving.” She spoke while calling Aunt Zhen to prepare extra dishes for dinner. “ Ling is coming back tomorrow; we can all go to pick her up together.”

“I remember you used to love Aunt Zhen’s braised tofu and carp soup. I’ll have her cook a few extra fish,” she continued.

“I really haven’t had Aunt Zhen’s soup in a long time.” Luo Zhi nodded with a smile, not wanting to be overly polite. “Then I’ll continue telling you about what happened when my mom visited Bavaria…”

Clearly, Mrs. Xie inviting the young man to stay was a hospitable decision.

Yet, as Li Heng slowly ascended the stairs while holding the box containing the black Shiba Inu, he felt as though he was caught in an unwelcome situation.

Just because Luo Zhi liked soup, why did Mrs. Xie have to pull him into it too?

Even if it was just ordinary fish soup, it wouldn’t contain any of those so-called nourishing ingredients like goji berries or ginseng.

He still didn’t want to accept it.

But before he could figure out how to avoid being watched while drinking soup that evening, he first needed to find a room to temporarily settle the dog without letting Xiaozhi discover it.

Xiaozhi had been bullied by stray dogs in the neighborhood before and had developed some fighting skills.

This little Shiba Inu was too small and wouldn’t stand a chance against the Siamese cat.

After placing the dog in the last room on the right on the third floor and greeting Uncle Fu, he went back downstairs.

Soon, the other family members would be returning home from work, and he couldn’t stay in his room for long.

Just as he reached the corner of the stairs on the second floor,he heard an unusually loud scream coming from downstairs.

The voice belonged to Xie Sizhi.

He must have come out to find something to eat, tired from painting or hungry.

“What are you doing in my house?!” 

“Get back! Get back! You’re not welcome here!”

…It sounded like his second brother and neighbor brother’s relationship wasn’t as good as he had thought.

It could even be described as poor.

Li Heng paused, curious about what was happening but instinctively reluctant to get involved in the trouble below.

Luo Zhi wasn’t entirely wrong; Xie Sizhi was always a bit childish in front of his family, making it hard to see him as a suave and talented painter.

If he went down now, he’d surely be caught in the middle of his second brother’s antics again.

But in the end, curiosity won over his hesitation.

He acted as if he knew nothing and went downstairs, only to find that the living room contained only the two of them, with Mrs. Xie absent.

She might have gone to help Aunt Zhen in the kitchen or to cut roses in the garden.

No wonder his second brother was so confident earlier.

He blinked and called out “brother” innocently.

Luo Zhi remained calm, sitting on the sofa with a glass of cool tea, his eyeglass chain gently swaying with his movements, giving off an inexplicably relaxed vibe.

In contrast, Xie Sizhi looked ready to explode, visibly agitated as if he might leap up at any moment.

“…Li Heng, why are you calling him ‘brother’?” Xie Sizhi felt a strong sense of confusion. “Do you know who he is?”

“Of course.” Li Heng replied, realizing that he didn’t even need to ask. The other party could narrate the backstory as if pouring out beans.

“The Luo brother who used to live next door when we were kids, he just returned to the country today.” He shared everything he knew and then asked, “Doesn’t second brother remember?”

Xie Sizhi indeed remembered, which was why he was so angry to see Luo Zhi.

Before the younger brother was born, his relationship with Luo Zhi hadn’t been that delicate. Although they weren’t as close as he was with his own brother, they were the type who would jump in without hesitation to help each other out in a fight.

The problem arose with the arrival of the younger brother.

With the younger sibling’s birth, he was no longer the youngest in the family.

As a steadfast man, Xie Sizhi felt a sense of obligation and responsibility to care for and protect his little brother.

From the time the little one started babbling to the time he could clearly express himself, and then to his first wobbly steps, Xie Sizhi experienced an immense sense of achievement and a bloated vanity.

However, Aunt Luo next door was like a second mother to him, and Luo Zhi was like a half-son of his own mother.

So, when the little one began to walk and was often carried to visit, he felt as though his brother was being taken away from him, that he was no longer just his alone.

Of course, the twin brother, Xie Shenzhi, didn’t fall into that “others” category.

After all, they were twins.

Even now, Xie Sizhi still held onto this notion. A large part of his resentment toward the third sibling stemmed from this feeling.

He believed he was quite the sensible child. Even though his brother had indeed been somewhat taken away by outsiders, and he no longer called only him “brother,” he should be generous.

Luo Zhi was not considered an outsider; they were also good friends, so temporarily sharing his brother with a good friend shouldn’t be a problem.

Until that day, when he returned home early from school and overheard his mother chatting with Aunt Luo about how obedient the little one was, how clingy he was, and how Luo Zhi was attentive and caring toward his brother.

“I wanted to pinch him, but he wouldn’t let me.”

He heard Aunt Luo exclaim, “He’s so well protected.”

“If your little one were a girl, I’d definitely want to give him to our little Luo as a child bride.”

“I thought about that when I was pregnant with the little one, imagining if it were a girl, we might even arrange a marriage.”

He heard his mother say, “Even if they grow up and find their own partners, the bond of having grown up together as siblings is still wonderful.”

His brother was going to be taken away?

Children actually understand much more than adults think. Even when he confronted them and asked why they wanted to give his brother away, they quickly changed their words, saying they were just joking.

But this incident left a deep impression on him, and he began to see Luo Zhi in an unfavorable light, always feeling a sense of crisis that his brother might be taken away.

Moreover, Luo Zhi received far more accolades than he did.

He discovered that his mother had taken photos of his brother in a little dress and even called Luo Zhi to take a picture together after they played house.

Remembering what the adults had said before.

From then on, Xie Sizhi unilaterally declared a break with Luo Zhi.

Years later, when he saw the old friend again, the first thing that came to his mind was still that incident.

He snorted coldly and found a spot on the sofa to sit down.

“We used to fight together, how could you forget?”

His tone was decidedly off.

After saying this, he snorted a few times and cast a sidelong glance at the person sitting across from him on the sofa.

“How old were you when you met him? What could you possibly remember? Don’t let mom say something, and you think there’s really such a person, and then you go calling him brother.”

He looked at Luo Zhi, but spoke to his little brother, “You can’t know what he’s really thinking.”

“… But,” Li Heng hesitated, not realizing he was actually the cause of the conflict.

He had merely thought that perhaps there had been some trivial, innocuous misunderstandings between the two of them as kids that would seem amusing in hindsight.

“But what?” Xie Sizhi quickly shot him a glare, filled with disappointment. “Do you have any idea you were almost sold to Aunt Luo’s family back then?”

“How could you help count the money if you were sold?”

“… What?” Li Heng didn’t quite understand what he meant by “sold.”

The young man, who had been quietly observing since earlier, coughed and explained, “It was just a little joke between the elders. I believe the adults have probably forgotten all about it.”

That was clearly an indication he didn’t want to mention it.

However, there were still other people present, specifically Xie Sizhi.

“… No, did you know it was a joke back then, and you told him he should marry you when he grew up?”

Xie Sizhi looked incredulous. “Luo Zhijun, are you still human? How could you joke like that with my little brother?”

Thanks to this reminder, Li Heng finally remembered that during one shopping trip, his mother indeed mentioned the dress incident.

A dress, the neighbor brother.

Connecting this with the earlier mention of “Xiaozhi,” he realized he was even less capable of acting naturally around Luo Zhi.

“Didn’t you consider what would happen if he took it seriously and ended up with a gender identity crisis?”

Trust me, apart from you, no one would take that seriously, second brother.

In his despair, Li Heng thought strangely and calmly.

“Would you be responsible for him? Clearly not!”

… What responsibility?

When Xie Duzhi opened the door, he thought he had misheard.

Behind him was Mrs. Xie.