The real young master thought he was hated by everyone

“It’s the Moon: How could this happen! [Shocked duck meme.jpg]

“It’s the Moon: I think I got a notification from the show saying the audition schedule is being moved up. Even if you come back to the country, I won’t be able to meet up with you to hang out QAQ”

“It’s the Moon: Song recommendation, ‘Missed Opportunity.'”

“It’s the Moon: Either way, I still wish your grandpa a speedy recovery!”

Gu Mingyue’s messages came so quickly that they filled the screen before Li Heng had the chance to respond.

He was currently waiting in the airport lounge for his morning flight at 8 a.m., with some time left before boarding. He hadn’t expected Gu Mingyue to already be awake.

The original plan had been for him to go on a highlands trip with him, perhaps with their classmate joining as well—until late July, then return home. Mrs. Xie had already given her permission for the trip.

Uncle Fu had even stocked up on Rhodiola rosea supplements at home, said to help with altitude sickness, reminding him to take them daily to prepare.

But plans can never keep up with changes.

Just as he returned home yesterday, he was informed that his grandfather, far away in Europe, had suddenly fallen ill and needed someone to care for him.

Without any time to prepare mentally, he was assigned the task of looking after his grandfather.

After all, the other family members were all too busy, and as a soon-to-be college student, he was one of the only two who seemed to have free time.

The other one with free time was Xie Sizhi.

But his second brother showed extreme reluctance at the thought of going to Europe.

The reason was that their grandparents’ town was quite remote, with little to offer apart from scenic views: no convenience stores, no shopping centers, and no bars.

The only grocery store was several kilometers away, requiring a drive to get there, closed promptly at 8 p.m., and shut entirely on holidays.

“I think killing me directly would be faster.”

The young man seated to his right muttered the words, looking utterly defeated and spiritless. “Why can’t Grandpa just hire a caregiver? It’s not like we’d be much help over there.”

His affection for his little brother and respect for elders weren’t enough to outweigh his distaste for countryside life in Europe.

He had no love for pastoral charms; he just wanted to enjoy life in the city’s dazzling nightlife, racing with friends at midnight or hanging out at bars.

“Second Brother, maybe we’ll be back sooner than you think,” Li Heng suggested, unable to find much else to console him.

Originally, it wasn’t necessary for Xie Sizhi to accompany him on this trip.

After all, his “free time” was only relative to the rest of the Xie family.

In truth, he actually had quite a lot to worry about—a looming art exhibition theme alone was enough to give him a headache, not to mention a few competitions scheduled for the end of the year that required coordination and confirmation.

But this was Li Heng’s first time traveling abroad, and with his clumsy English, learned solely for test scores, how would he fare in a foreign country if communication problems arose?

Hiring a translator last minute was possible, but with the decision made so suddenly, it would be hard to vet and assess anyone’s character. After much consideration, Mrs. Xie decided it would be more reassuring to send her second son along.

“…You don’t get it, sweetheart.”

Xie Sizhi wore a mixed expression, both amused and exasperated. “Our grandmother is a warm and welcoming lady. She won’t let us return that easily.”

“We might end up staying until the end of August.”

Europe did have some interesting places, but he didn’t know exactly what illness had befallen his grandfather, and with his “sweet little tag-along” in tow, he couldn’t just run off immediately upon landing.

Realizing this, his urge to escape surged again. In a self-pitying tone, he muttered, “Forget it, reincarnation might be faster.”

Li Heng: …

He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but his second brother seemed even gloomier now.

Thinking it over, he sent Gu Mingyue another message, wishing him luck with the audition, and then mentioned he’d be boarding soon. He then switched off his phone screen.

“Maybe you really don’t have to come with us, Second Brother,” Li Heng suggested tentatively. “You could say you have other commitments.”

“Third Brother will be around all month. If I run into any problems, I can call him.”

Hesitating, he added, “And if it’s just helping out with Grandpa, I should be able to handle it alone.”

If he stayed put at his grandparents’ home, there wouldn’t be any communication barriers to worry about.

After all, even after all these years abroad, their accents were still as familiar as they’d been back home.

“Second Brother isn’t that irresponsible.”

Xie Sizhi let out a sigh. “A promise is a promise, and besides, Third Brother can’t be expected to stay in the town all the time…right, Third Brother?”

He turned to Xie Duzhi, who was working on his laptop, an earbud in one ear.

Without lifting his head or even sparing a glance, Xie Duzhi responded coolly, “You can do your own thing.”

“That’s a bit harsh,” Xie Sizhi retorted, slightly affronted. “What do you mean by ‘do your own thing’? I’m responsible, you know.”

In response, he only heard the sound of keyboard tapping.

Xie Duzhi finished typing, closed his laptop, removed the earbud, and said calmly, “Just what I said.”

Before Xie Sizhi could react, he continued, “Mom sent you a message last night, didn’t she?”

“She sent me a message?”

Skeptical, Xie Sizhi scrolled through his inbox and the list of missed calls from last night until he finally found a voicemail notification from his service provider.

He clicked on the link, put on his headphones, and his expression shifted through various emotions, so much so that he didn’t even notice his brother calling his name.

“…Nothing much, just that she told me if Grandpa’s condition isn’t serious, I can come back after a few days,” he said, casually making up an excuse.

“That’s great.” Li Heng breathed a sigh of relief, genuinely happy for him.

“I just remembered that the scenery over there is quite nice. There’s even a snow mountain and a ski resort nearby, so I could stay a bit longer.”

Xie Sizhi quickly changed his tune. “Grandpa’s farm also has a lot of animals; maybe I’ll find some inspiration there and finalize the theme for my art exhibition early.”

Although he wasn’t entirely sure how an art exhibition theme might connect to a farm, his whimsical, unpredictable personality was so well-known that Li Heng didn’t question his sudden change in attitude.

Li Heng was just relieved, so he didn’t notice the subtle glance exchanged between his two brothers.

Xie Sizhi wasn’t satisfied with merely glaring. He pulled out his phone, sending several screen-shake emojis to express his mixed feelings of irritation at being left out of the plan.

Even if he hadn’t seen the message himself.

His question was so trivial that Xie Duzhi barely spared it a glance before ignoring it entirely.

To be precise, the one being left out of the plan wasn’t Xie Sizhi—it was Xie Duzhi.

Xie Duzhi didn’t actually have any investment dealings that required him to spend half a month or longer in Europe. Even if there were, he wouldn’t need to be there personally for such an extended period.

This excuse might have fooled other family members who weren’t familiar with his current investment projects, but it certainly didn’t fool him.

Xie Duzhi had already roughly guessed his mother’s intentions when he arrived home yesterday.

It wasn’t difficult to figure out; yesterday’s situation might have convinced Li Heng, who had little social experience and limited interaction with their grandparents, but it was clear to anyone else.

For instance, why would his grandfather, who was usually in great health and swam in icy waters even during winter, suddenly fall ill? Why had Mrs. Xie been so vague when describing his symptoms?

If it were indeed a serious illness, no matter how busy they were with work, the entire family would have gone over together. If it wasn’t that serious, then there was even less reason to send the grandson all the way there to care for him.

Saying that the elderly couple simply missed seeing their grandson would actually have been a more plausible reason than claiming illness.

So why use illness as an excuse?

The answer was simple: Mrs. Xie was afraid he might hesitate and refuse to go, so she came up with this pretext to send him off, giving him a proper break.

Regardless of Bai Wei’s prodding, using the reason of taking care of an elderly relative overseas would deter any criticisms or suspicions. Anyone watching could only empathize and consider it an unavoidable responsibility, mentioning it lightly if at all.

Once he returned from his holiday, all smiles, everything would be settled.

Xie Duzhi had initially considered something similar.

But as it turned out, Mrs. Xie had acted even quicker and more decisively than he had anticipated.

He had no choice but to adapt, using the excuse of investments to tag along.

From this perspective, he couldn’t deny feeling a touch of envy toward Xie Sizhi—for his leisure, and for the way he could so easily put others at ease.

But a Xie Duzhi without his work-centered lifestyle just wouldn’t be Xie Duzhi.

At least, he couldn’t envision himself in any role other than the one he currently had.

He instinctively felt unsuited for any occupation other than his own, and had never entertained thoughts of a leisurely retreat from the hectic pace of life.

Despite his bank balance being more than he could spend in a lifetime, money to him was just an ever-growing number.

He thought that perhaps he should try to seek a new balance, no longer spending his life swinging between one job and the next, but instead adding something intangible, something he hadn’t yet fully grasped.

If he started adapting now, perhaps in the future—well, who could say what the future would bring?

He glanced away, hiding his thoughts as he looked away from his younger brother.

What he needed to plan next wasn’t assessing the area, identifying profitable investments, and calculating potential risks and returns.

Instead, he needed to find a reasonable way to stay in the same town as the others without arousing Li Heng’s suspicions.

And, of course, if he could get Xie Sizhi out of the way, that would be even better.