"Uncle, don't let Jiang Xun's appearance fool you. He smokes and drinks in private. He's a bad person."
"You know Jiang Zixing, right? The Jiang Family's fake young master? Jiang Xun bullied him horribly. A few months ago, he even deliberately pushed him down the stairs and broke his leg."
"Everyone knows about it."
"So please don't let him fool you. He's deliberately trying to get on your good side."
Chu Xingye had no interest in what sort of person Jiang Xun was, but he couldn't stand that little dark-skinned brat deliberately sucking up to the uncle he admired most.
Fu Yanli kept typing. Only when Chu Xingye finished speaking did he stop and lift his eyes to his nephew.
After a moment of silence, he said mildly, "So that's why you wouldn't let him into the room?"
Chu Xingye hesitated. "I just don't like him."
Fu Yanli clasped his hands in front of his abdomen and looked gently at his nephew. "I never knew you were such a gossip behind people's backs."
His voice wasn't loud, yet it left no room for argument.
Being reprimanded by the uncle he admired most made Chu Xingye's ears burn. His expression shifted several times before he finally offered a feeble defense.
"I'm not... Everything I said is true. You can ask someone else if you don't believe me."
Fu Yanli didn't like lecturing the younger generation, nor was he old enough for that yet. In the end, he said only, "If you don't like him, break off the engagement as soon as possible."
"That's enough. Go on."
Chu Xingye had a bellyful of arguments to defend himself, but in the end, he said nothing. He murmured an acknowledgment and left with his head hanging.
Didn't he want to break off the engagement?
Jiang Xun was the shameless one who insisted on clinging to him. So annoying.
After getting put in his place by his uncle, Young Master Chu didn't want to see Jiang Xun's face either, so he went out to find Lin Jian.
Lin Jian was a thousand, ten thousand times better than that Jiang guy.
Jiang Xun went into the bathroom for a shower, then applied whitening body lotion all over. That wasn't enough; he put hand cream on both hands and finally applied a face mask.
The original owner's hands were far too rough from years of work, and his skin wasn't in good condition either. He needed to take proper care of them.
Humming a little tune with his face mask on, Jiang Xun rummaged through his suitcase. At last, he found a notebook and sat down at the desk to open it.
It was a cheap diary, but a thick one. It looked several years old, its pages already yellowing.
He had stumbled across it in a corner of the original owner's room at the Jiang Family home.
On the first page, a diary entry had been scrawled in black ballpoint pen.
February 3, 2013. Cloudy.
Today is Lunar New Year's Eve. Dad and Mom fought again. They didn't make New Year's Eve dinner.
I'm so hungry and cold. My blanket is too thin. It's too cold to sleep.
Why does my little brother get new clothes for New Year? His blanket is so warm, too.
June 19, 2013. Cloudy.
Dad lost money playing cards again today. He was upset and started hitting me again. He kicked me in the stomach, too. It hurt so much.
August 2, 2013. Sunny.
Dad lost money playing cards again and drank a lot. He tried to hit me with an empty liquor bottle, but I dodged it.
But he caught me in the end and slapped me several times. It hurt so much. My left ear keeps ringing, too. I don't think I can hear clearly anymore.
Clearly, this was a diary the original owner had kept as a child. Some characters were written incorrectly, and pinyin was mixed in among them.
He hadn't written every day, only recording things that had left a deep impression on him.
Things like being scolded and beaten, going hungry and being cold.
Starting at eight years old, he had actually kept writing on and off for ten years.
His handwriting gradually changed from childish and unpracticed to mature.
The most recent entries were from this year, going from the excitement and joy of first returning to the Jiang Family to doubt and confusion, then disappointment...
Jiang Xun read through them one by one, carefully.
This wasn't merely an ordinary diary. It was the life of a flesh-and-blood boy from eight to eighteen, a brief life filled with darkness and suffering.
Fate seemed never to have favored him. Even the sudden burst of light had been fleeting.
His life had been stolen by someone else.
After finishing the diary, Jiang Xun took out a pen and imitated the original owner's handwriting as he added another entry on a fresh page.
Not only would he keep writing, he would also let the Jiang Family see this diary "by accident."
To Jiang Xun, this was no longer merely a fictional world created by an author.
By the time he put down his pen, it had quietly become noon.
What should he do for lunch? Order delivery?
Jiang Xun closed the notebook and quietly opened his bedroom door. He poked his head out, furtively surveying his surroundings like a thief.
Then he turned his head and saw the tall man emerging from the study, those misty eyes fixed on him.
In that instant, a thousand thoughts flashed through Jiang Xun's mind as he tried to work out how to leave his room without embarrassment and greet him casually.
Before he could figure it out, Fu Yanli spoke as though nothing were amiss. "Lunch should be here. I'll go check."
Jiang Xun's toes stopped curling in embarrassment, and he hurried to reply, "Oh, okay."
The big shot really was considerate.
Just then, the doorbell rang. Fu Yanli took the food from the delivery person and headed toward the dining table.
His gaze swept over, and at the sight before him, he paused briefly before saying, "Jiang Xun, come have lunch."
Jiang Xun was facing the wall, his forehead resting against it, his pointed canine teeth lightly biting the knuckle of his index finger.
At the sound of his voice, he answered eagerly, jogged over, and sat opposite the man, helping lay out the dishes delivered by a luxury hotel.
Chu Xingye had gone out, so there were still only two of them at the table.
Rice, squid stir-fried with snow peas, shrimp stir-fried with button mushrooms and asparagus, shredded pork in garlic sauce, lettuce with minced garlic, and a milky-white crucian carp and tofu soup.
It looked particularly tempting and smelled delicious, too.
Fu Yanli said, "I didn't know what you liked, so I just ordered a few things."
"I'm not picky. I like all of it." Jiang Xun was especially grateful. "Thank you, Uncle."
The two ate lunch quietly.
Without paying much attention, Fu Yanli easily noticed that his nephew's young fiancé claimed not to be picky but was actually very particular.
He didn't eat scallions, picking out every little chopped piece and setting them aside.
He didn't eat carrots or wood ear mushrooms either, pushing them all to the rim of his bowl with his chopsticks.
He did drink quite a lot of fish soup, though.
Fu Yanli calmly withdrew his gaze and stopped watching.
Jiang Xun noticed none of this. He was entirely focused on the fish soup in his bowl, rich, savory, and sweet, without a trace of fishiness.
After drinking the last mouthful, he sighed contentedly. "This fish soup is delicious."
Out of the corner of his eye, however, he watched the soup remaining in the large serving bowl.
Fu Yanli seemed to see through his thoughts. Holding a small bowl of fish soup, he stirred it unhurriedly with a spoon in his slender hand and said evenly, "Then have some more."
So Jiang Xun had another bowl.
With his hunger and thirst satisfied, he leaned back in his chair contentedly, his eyes curving slightly as well.
Across from him, Fu Yanli set down his bowl and chopsticks. Glancing up casually, he noticed that his nephew's young fiancé had bright eyes with slightly downturned outer corners, giving him an innocent, youthful look.
They were probably called... puppy eyes.