Li Yi, have you gone crazy today?

After finishing his hot pot, Li Yi returned to the Lu family villa smelling of hot pot.

"Stop!" Just as he was about to return to his room for a shower, Qiao Xinyue called out from the living room. "Coming home this late is bad enough. Don't you even know to greet people when you see them?"

Li Yi's good mood was utterly ruined. He replied with some impatience, "Ms. Qiao."

"What did you call me?" Qiao Xinyue immediately raised her voice, scolding him harshly. "Have you been fooling around outside so much you've forgotten how to call me Mom?

"You really are an ungrateful wretch who'll never warm to us. The Lu family has fed and housed you well for three years, and after all that, you can't even greet us properly."

Li Yi stopped mid-step on his way upstairs. Standing on the staircase, he looked at Qiao Xinyue and sneered. "Ms. Qiao, have you developed dementia?

"You were the one who introduced me to outsiders as just a poor relative of the Lu family.

"Otherwise, why would my surname still be Li after being back with the Lu family for three years?

"And why would I still be living in a guest room?

"Aren't I just a guest here?

"What's wrong with calling you Ms. Qiao?"

"How could you..." Qiao Xinyue's face filled with shock. Whenever she had spoken to him that way before, Li Yi would lower his head in self-reproach and apologize, fussing over her until he had soothed her. Only then would she generously forgive him.

But why did his eyes look so unfamiliar now? He looked at her as though she were a stranger.

"If there's nothing else, Ms. Qiao, I'm going upstairs to shower and sleep."

"Li Yi, how can you be so rude to Mom? Hurry up and apologize." Lu Junjia rose from the sofa, walked over, and gently tugged at the still somewhat dazed Qiao Xinyue, reminding her with the gesture.

"That's right. Who taught you to be so rude?" Qiao Xinyue came to her senses and glared at Li Yi.

As long as Li Yi obediently apologized now, she would grudgingly forgive this thoughtless son, then ask him about his grandfather's inheritance.

Watching their display of motherly affection and filial devotion, Li Yi grinned. "I'm rude because I had a mother to give birth to me, but none to raise me.

"Oh, right. When a child isn't taught properly, it's the father's fault.

"So the problem lies with you and Mr. Lu. You two should do some serious reflecting."

"You..." Qiao Xinyue stared at Li Yi in shock and fury.

Li Yi actually dared to speak to her like that, and even dared to criticize her and his father!

Had he gone crazy?

"Li Yi, if you don't want a beating, hurry up and apologize to Mom." Lu Junjia reached out to support Qiao Xinyue, who was trembling with anger. Though he was telling Li Yi to apologize, inwardly he was delighted.

The worse Li Yi's relationship with the Lu family got, the better. Once they tricked him out of his shares, they would kick him out immediately.

Then I'll be the Lu family's only young master!

"Speaking of beatings..." Li Yi walked down the stairs.

"If you're afraid of getting beaten, don't make Mom angry." Lu Junjia sneered inwardly. Li Yi really is a cowardly good-for-nothing. Those few remarks probably used up a lifetime's worth of courage.

The moment a beating comes up, he gets so scared he immediately comes over to apologize and suck up to us.

Smack!

A loud slap landed hard across Lu Junjia's face.

His fair cheek quickly reddened and swelled.

Lu Junjia clutched his face, still unable to quite process what had happened. The smug look had frozen on his face, and he stood there in a daze.

It wasn't just Lu Junjia and Qiao Xinyue who froze. Even the servants watching nearby and the elderly butler, who had been about to come over to break up the argument, were stunned.

It was as though someone had pressed pause. Everything fell deathly silent.

No one had expected the spineless Li Yi to suddenly strike.

And the person he had hit was Lu Junjia, the Lu family's most favored young master.

"Happy now that you've been hit?" Li Yi flashed a devilish smile and waved his hand. "If that wasn't enough, I can give you another one~"

"Li Yi!" Qiao Xinyue stared at him in shock, her exquisitely lipsticked mouth hanging open without a trace of elegance as she shrieked, "You hit Junjia! You actually dared to hit Junjia!"

"I did. What's the problem? Are you so shocked because I didn't tell you beforehand?" Li Yi continued as though nothing had happened. "You should start getting used to it. After all, this sort of thing will happen often from now on."

Thud.

A servant accidentally dropped something on the floor, then hastily apologized and crouched down to pick it up.

"Li Yi, have you gone crazy today?" Qiao Xinyue pointed at him angrily. "Not only did you dare criticize your father and me, you even dared to hit your older brother! When your father comes home, I'm definitely telling him.

"Just you wait for your beating!

"If we don't teach you a proper lesson, you'll think you can do whatever you want!"

"If he dares lay a single finger on me, I'll call the police and report him for abuse.

"The president of Lu Group committing domestic violence-that should be pretty explosive news, right? Oh, and the Lu family doting on their adopted son while abusing their biological son. That one's pretty good too." Seemingly finding the plan workable, Li Yi took out his phone, lowered his head, and began tapping away.

"What are you doing?" Seeing him open Weibo, Qiao Xinyue was so frightened that she tried to snatch his phone. "You're not allowed to post that."

"Hey~" Li Yi sidestepped her. "Ms. Qiao, you're so fat. Don't throw yourself at a boy like me who's only just become an adult. Also, you really stink. Can't you smell yourself?"

"Li Yi, how dare you!" Qiao Xinyue trembled all over with anger. Li Yi actually dared to call her fat, and even say she stank.

She went to the gym every day, but even so, at her age, she couldn't stop herself from putting on a little weight.

The perfume she wore was the latest release, bought for her by her daughter. How dare he say it stank!

"Why wouldn't I dare say it? If you dare to be fat and smelly, of course I can say whatever I want."

He had called her fat and smelly again. Qiao Xinyue was practically dying of anger.

"Mom, don't be angry. Think of your health." Lu Junjia steadied Qiao Xinyue and glared at Li Yi. "Li Yi, I can forgive you for hitting me, but you know Mom isn't well. Why do you have to make her so angry?

"What if you make her ill?"

"A few words could make her so angry she gets ill? Are my words really that powerful?" Li Yi's eyes curved as he tilted his head to look at Lu Junjia. "Then if I tell you to go die, will you?"

"You've gone mad, completely mad! I can't control you anymore!" Qiao Xinyue shouted. "Butler, call my husband and have him deal with this."

"Go ahead and call in your backup." Li Yi waved at Lu Junjia. "I just had hot pot. I need to shower first."

Leaving the stunned crowd behind, Li Yi bounded happily upstairs.

His room was at the far end of the second floor. As soon as he opened the door, a black-and-white cat let out a cutesy meow, circled his legs, and curled his tail around Li Yi's calf. He waited a few seconds with wide eyes, then saw that Li Yi had no intention of opening a can of food for him.

Turning on him without a second thought, he used Li Yi's pants as a scratching post, raked them a few times, then turned his backside around and ran off to poop in the litter box.

An awful stench instantly filled the room.

"Ugh!" Pinching his nose, Li Yi hurried over to open the window.

"Sheriff! How many times have I told you not to poop in front of me? Bury it when you're done! It stinks!

"I'm going to throw up all the hot pot I ate today!"

The only answer was the faint rustling of paws scraping through cat litter.