The real young master thought he was hated by everyone

The airport pick-up process went unusually smoothly; they didn’t even need the driver they had called to help with the luggage, as Ms. Luo only brought a very small suitcase when she got off the plane.

Inside was a gift she had brought.

She was completely different in style from Mrs. Xie, with big wavy hair, bright red lips, and oversized tassel earrings. As soon as she saw Li Heng, she enthusiastically hugged him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

“Adorable!” she took off her hat and sunglasses and casually tossed them to her son, Luo Zhi. “Sweetheart, you’ve grown so much!”

She had an oval face, almond-shaped eyes, and looked very young, giving off an impression of being generous and full of vitality.

After hugging him, she turned and hugged Mrs. Xie, exclaiming how much she missed her, and started walking toward the terminal while sharing interesting stories about passengers she had encountered on the plane.

Including Li Heng, everyone present found it hard to interject.

Following the two ladies, he quietly asked Xie Duzhi, who had come along to pick them up, whether there was lipstick on his face. He felt a strange sense of relief.

Ms. Luo’s enthusiasm was overwhelming.

Perhaps it was because she had lived abroad for a long time, her way of thinking was influenced by the more open culture there, or maybe she was just naturally this kind of person.

For a moment, he even felt that she might pinch his cheeks and make some remark about how he wasn’t as amusing as when he was little—anything was possible.

“Third Brother, did you catch what Aunt Luo said at the beginning?” 

Once he confirmed there was no lipstick on his face, Li Heng felt slightly more at ease, thinking that the gazes from the passersby didn’t seem so strange anymore. However, he was still a bit concerned about what the word was that Ms. Luo had exclaimed upon seeing him.

His English listening skills weren’t very good, and his vocabulary was limited. He had been caught off guard, momentarily stunned, and even remembered the pronunciation.

Xie Sizhi was almost finished with a painting he was working on and had specifically said he didn’t want to squeeze into the same car as Luo Zhi, so even though they were at home, he hadn’t come to pick them up. Coincidentally, Xie Duzhi had a day off, so the three of them, along with Luo Zhi, came together.

He didn’t realize that as he asked the question, he leaned slightly closer to the young man beside him, speaking in a voice quieter than usual, subtly excluding the other person present.

He instinctively felt that his relationship with Luo Zhi wasn’t very intimate, and given that the question was about Ms. Luo, saying it aloud felt a bit awkward.

Xie Duzhi clearly enunciated the word again before explaining, “Adorable.”

“It’s more colloquial and carries a deeper meaning than ‘cute.’”

The young man could sense that Mrs. Xie’s friend didn’t like him.

From the moment they got off the plane, her gaze had only briefly rested on him, merely to confirm his presence, and then that lady, who was somewhat well-known in the fashion world, completely ignored him, treating him as if he were invisible.

He didn’t care about Ms. Luo’s opinion of him or what had caused her bias.

But it didn’t stop him from thinking that the adjective “adorable” was quite fitting.

Appropriate and precise.

Upon returning to the Xie family home, Ms. Luo saw the flowers arranged in the most prominent position in the living room and happily hugged Mrs. Xie, affectionately rubbing against her several times.

“Your flower arrangements are still so beautiful—so pretty and natural.”

Xie Sizhi had been waiting in the living room for her. Seeing her, he greeted her as if he had completed some mission, saying, “Hello, Aunt Luo,” and then added that he had to go paint, promising to catch up with her properly next time.

He escaped so quickly that he resembled a rabbit. As he went upstairs, he didn’t forget to pull his somewhat confused younger brother along, making an excuse that he needed him to model.

Li Heng was dragged to the third-floor studio, where he saw the Xie Sizhi locking the door with an expression of grave seriousness, looking almost like he was preparing for battle, and then he suddenly let out a breath of relief after locking it, which struck Li Heng as amusing.

“Second Brother, are you really that afraid of Aunt Luo?” he asked, while noticing the painting propped up on the easel, unconsciously moving closer.

Xie Sizhi had painted a family portrait featuring all six members of their family standing together neatly, with a castle and fireworks in the background. The composition resembled the photos they had taken during the days after the college entrance exams when they went to the amusement park, but the light and shadow in this painting were better, and the atmosphere was more beautiful.

Moreover, it was hard to say that the artist hadn’t included some personal feelings in the piece—within this family portrait, he himself was squeezed in next to Mrs. Xie, not Xie Duzhi.

Their father, older brother, and third younger brother were ruthlessly sent to the other side, with Xie Shenzhi standing the farthest away, at the very edge.

Li Heng speculated that the reason might be related to the time when Xie Shenzhi had snatched a few pieces of steak from him at the dining table after returning from a business trip.

But he really liked this painting.

“What do you mean by ‘afraid of Aunt Luo,’ you ungrateful brat?” Xie Sizhi rolled his eyes. “Second Brother is doing this for your own good, to prevent you from not knowing what to do later.”

“If she drags you into conversation and you don’t remember anything from your childhood, and then Mom is busy catching up with her, she definitely won’t be able to pay much attention to you.”

Although he didn’t want to agree, Li Heng had to admit he made a valid point.

Being drawn into casual conversations by adults about childhood memories shouldn’t be that awkward.

But the problem was that he didn’t remember the past, and the enthusiasm of the neighbor aunt from his childhood felt overwhelming.

In comparison, the feeling he got from Luo Zhi, whom he hadn’t seen in many years, was much more comfortable. If he had to compare, he even felt that ten Luos combined wouldn’t match the kind of fondness Ms. Luo had shown him.

This was actually a bit strange because when Ms. Luo saw Xie Sizhi, she only displayed a moderate level of familiarity; she neither rushed to hug him nor eagerly grabbed his hand to say something, as if she only cared about him and Mrs. Xie.

Logically, she should have been more enthusiastic to see Xie Sizhi—after all, she had seen him grow up for almost a decade, and in terms of emotional connection, he certainly couldn’t compare to her.

But Xie Sizhi didn’t seem to find it strange.

“Sweetheart, why are you looking at me like that?” The young man casually picked up a paintbrush. “I still have to paint; you can just play around. Just don’t bring the cat over; you can mess around with anything else.”

In his studio, there were plenty of other paints, blank canvases, and a plaster statue to use as a model, all of which could keep him occupied for a while.

“I don’t quite understand,” Li Heng admitted. “It seems like you’re quite familiar with Aunt Luo, but not too familiar, and it looks like it’s the same on her end.”

“That’s not unusual, right?”

Xie Sizhi replied lightly, secretly making his own hair on the painting a little more lush to visually appear a bit taller than Xie Shenzhi, finally satisfied as he began to refine the next color block. “Aunt Luo likes Mom, not us.” 

Not expecting such an answer, Li Heng froze for a moment, wanting to say something, “But…” 

“Oh, right, you don’t know.” Xie Sizhi remembered he hadn’t gossiped about it with his brother yet. “Aunt Luo has been a good friend of Mom’s since elementary school. They went to the same middle school, high school, and even applied to the same college. She has always viewed Mom as a goddess, her white moonlight. When our parents got married and went to pick her up, Aunt Luo almost didn’t get to enter the door.” 

“She probably still thinks Dad doesn’t deserve Mom,” he said, counting on his fingers as he spoke. “After all, look at Dad; he can’t talk, is awkward, and knows nothing about jewelry or skincare. Besides making money, he doesn’t seem to have any other strengths. If I were…” 

He suddenly realized it was inappropriate for a child to say such things, and coughed lightly. “In short, Aunt Luo is good to us and cares for us simply because we are Mom’s sons. Do you understand what Second Brother is saying?” 

Then he saw the boy nod and made a shushing gesture. 

“Just don’t let Mom know; she doesn’t like hearing that.” 

But how do you know, second brother? 

Li Heng wanted to ask, but he figured it was normal for someone with many friends to know some gossip about their parents’ generation. 

Besides, one could sense the difference in attitude. 

“Then Aunt Luo likes me; is it because I resemble Mom more?” he pondered for a moment and spoke. “She’s much more enthusiastic toward me than she is toward you.” 

Most of the souvenirs in the suitcase were almost all his, except for Mrs. Xie’s. 

Xie Sizhi wore a teachable expression. “That may be part of the reason, but I still think the main reason is that you’re adorable.” 

“You should say that the first reason is that Mom is good-looking, so Aunt Luo loves her through you,” Li Heng rebutted, trying to clarify the causal relationship. “The focus is still on Mom.” 

After defending his position, he became curious again. “Was Mom especially popular before?” 

“Of course,” Xie Sizhi replied immediately. “But she was completely devoted to Dad and ignored all those buzzing flies outside.” 

“—Do you think that’s why Aunt Luo was so opposed to their marriage? Because she felt Dad was always putting on airs and pretending to be reserved, even though he liked Mom? He let Mom, a girl, pursue him.” 

He threw out even more explosive news, watching Li Heng’s reaction while feeling a bit smug, “Can’t imagine that, can you?” 

It was more than just being unable to imagine. 

After hearing all those gossip about their parents’ generation, Li Heng felt that he couldn’t quite connect his parents’ images with the stories, especially Mr. Xie’s. 

He found it hard to envision scenes like “Mom riding a bicycle with Dad” or “Mom riding a motorcycle to send a sleepy Dad to a research report.” 

It just didn’t feel very real. 

“But Aunt Luo actually…” he began, eager to share more about their neighbor aunt’s experiences with someone in the family. 

To say “tortuous” would be an understatement, especially compared to their parents’ love. 

As he was about to say something, Xie Sizhi unintentionally glanced at the time on the wall, pressing down on his urge to share. 

“It’s almost time to eat; let’s go have dinner first. After we eat, I’ll tell you more,” he said. 

But instead of going downstairs with his brother, he insisted on finishing the painting of Xie Shenzhi first. 

“Remember to ask Aunt Zhen to save some beef brisket in the kitchen,” he reminded before Li Heng left, “So I can cook some noodles later if I get hungry.” 

Li Heng gave him an “OK” gesture. 

The living room was empty. After asking Uncle Fu, he learned they were chatting in the bedroom on the second floor. 

Li Heng volunteered to call them for dinner, running upstairs. He had not yet reached the door of his parents’ bedroom when he heard a disapproving voice. 

It was Ms. Luo’s. 

The bedroom door was only slightly ajar, not completely closed. 

“No matter what the matter is, he always acts on his own accord without considering your opinion.” 

“Adoption is the same; even now, don’t you think that the child he adopted from the welfare institute is a substitute for Li Heng?” 

The boy felt his scalp tingle and involuntarily held his breath. 

The bedroom fell silent for a long time, and there was no more sound. He suddenly felt a bit sad. 

Just as he was preparing to pretend he hadn’t heard anything and knock on the door to call them for dinner, he heard Mrs. Xie’s slow but firm rebuttal. 

“…That person is always clumsy. He loves me dearly but can never find the right way to express it. He has always been like this, and you know it.” 

“But this matter is definitely not his fault. It’s just an unpleasant start but a beautiful ending to an unexpected situation.” 

Mrs. Xie paused. “I have never regarded Xie Duzhi as a substitute for Li Heng.” They are both my very good children.” 

For some reason, despite her showing utmost support, a trace of unease stubbornly lingered in Li Heng’s heart. 

They all thought Xie Duzhi was a great family member, a good son, a good brother, a good elder brother, but others might not share the same sentiment. 

He took a deep breath, preparing to wait for the conversation to end before knocking on the door. However, his peripheral vision unintentionally caught a silent figure at the corner of the staircase. 

The person seemed to have just prepared to go downstairs, only to notice him standing in the second-floor corridor, stopping in confusion and looking over.