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Xie Chengyue was usually even-tempered, but his second son always knew how to make his blood boil. "I'm fine."

Shen Wan sighed. "You really shouldn't keep making people worry."

A smile glinted in Xie Chengyue's eyes.

Shen Baili kept quiet. Fortunately, Shen Wan noticed the glaring third wheel beside them. "Suìsuì, get to bed early."

"No reading tonight. You can't stay up late."

Shen Baili said, "Okay. I'm sleepy anyway."

"Good night, Mom. Good night, Uncle Xie."

Xie Chengyue replied gently, "Good night."

"Good night, sweetheart," Shen Wan said.

Xie Tingsi sat on the edge of his bed, his narrow eyes fixed on the hydrangeas on his nightstand. Clusters of blue petals layered over one another, beautiful at a glance.

He remembered what he had heard the servants say in the kitchen.

His father had time to arrange flowers with his second wife? Since when had he been so patient?

If he had shown his mother that much patience, perhaps she would not have been so determined to divorce him.

A shadow crossed Xie Tingsi's eyes. He swung a hand toward the vase, then stopped abruptly in midair.

Forget it. What had the flowers done wrong?

He moved the vase to a corner of the windowsill.

... The fragile peace in the Xie Family shattered with Xie Tingsi's return. The next day, father and son had a fierce argument and parted on bad terms.

Xie Tingsi stayed only one night. With an injury on his forehead, he stormed off.

Xie Chengyue spent an hour alone in the Study. When he emerged, his expression was back to normal, and he left for the company.

On the way there, he gave Assistant Li a new assignment.

Assistant Li accepted it with outward composure, though inwardly he felt an odd sense of relief. At last, it was his turn to handle his boss's family affairs.

Despite his private grumbling, Assistant Li quickly began his investigation.

For all their constant arguments, Xie Chengyue and Xie Tingsi cared deeply about each other.

His boss was still angry, yet he had asked Assistant Li to investigate the details of the film Xie Tingsi wanted to invest in.

Shen Baili and Shen Wan were unaffected by the father-son quarrel. They were busy with etiquette lessons.

Every second was packed with something worth writing down.

By the end, Shen Baili was nearly spent. This was harder than math.

Xie Zhiyu received a voice message from his younger brother, then learned what had happened from Butler Lin. He called at once, but his brother did not answer. After finishing the work he had to do, he left early to find the brother who appeared to have run away from home.

He found out where his brother was from that crowd of rich-kid friends. When he reached their private room, his brother was sitting in a corner, pouring drink after drink down his throat, looking every inch the decadent wreck.

Was he shooting a movie? Xie Zhiyu wondered.

His disreputable friends thought he had been dumped and were trying to comfort him. Who would have guessed he had nearly cried over an argument with his father?

The rich kids spotted Xie Zhiyu at the door and all stood respectfully to greet Eldest Brother.

Xie Zhiyu responded politely. "Sorry for the trouble of looking after him."

He went straight over and pulled his brother to his feet. "Come on. We're going home."

Xie Tingsi tried to pull away but could not. His hand might as well have been stuck to his brother's with a magnet. "I'm not going home."

"The old man told me to get lost, so I did."

"If I stormed out this morning and came crawling back tonight, how embarrassing would that be?"

Xie Zhiyu was speechless.

"Fine. We won't go home."

"Then where are we going? Where can I go if not home?" Xie Tingsi asked, dazed.

"Then we're going home." Xie Zhiyu had no patience for arguing with a drunk. "One more word and I'll knock you out."

Perhaps the threat worked, because Xie Tingsi obediently followed his brother. "Then let's go home."

Xie Zhiyu turned to the rich kids. "I've paid the bill. Enjoy yourselves."

Not one of them sat down. One quick-witted friend opened the door for them. "Goodbye, Eldest Brother."

"Bye, Eldest Brother."

The room fell silent as they watched the brothers leave.

Someone suddenly muttered, "Damn, Xie Tingsi has it good."

He was the second son of an elite family, and his family cared about him. He could always afford to be willful because someone would always clean up his mess.

Even someone as aloof as Xie Zhiyu had rushed over in under two hours after hearing his brother had argued with the family.

They had heard Xie Tingsi send his brother a voice message, and more than a few of them had been waiting to laugh at him.

This was Xie Zhiyu they were talking about: the exemplary child everyone had been compared to growing up, the undisputed heir to the Xie Family. His time was money. Why would he bother with a drunken brother making a scene?

What a joke.

Now the people who had wanted to laugh at someone else were the biggest joke of all!

"I'm ordering the most expensive wine and drinking the Xie Family broke!" someone declared.

"Let's drink them broke!"

Everyone joined in.

In an unnoticed corner, a man was sending someone a message on his phone.

[Guess what I just saw!?]

[Xie Tingsi lied to you!]

... Xie Tingsi did not wake until noon the next day. He wandered downstairs in a daze. When he saw the three people in the living room, his eyes widened. "Bro, why are you home?"

Xie Zhiyu glanced at him. "Sober?"

Xie Tingsi looked guilty. "Y-yeah. Bro, my head hurts."

Butler Lin said, "Second Young Master, there's Hangover Soup keeping warm in the kitchen. Would you like a bowl?"

Xie Tingsi nodded. "A big one."

Xie Zhiyu set down his bowl and chopsticks. "I'm done eating."

Shen Wan and Shen Baili had finished too, and the two of them were about to go for a walk.

Xie Zhiyu looked at Xie Tingsi. "Come see me in the Study after you eat."

Xie Tingsi's handsome features drooped. "Got it," he said weakly.

Great. His brother was going to lecture him too.

Xie Tingsi dragged out his meal from half an hour to a full hour, but in the end, he had no choice but to go to the Study.