Chapter 2: Leaving the Su Family
The furious voice of his older brother, Su Jinfeng, blared from the phone, echoing clearly throughout Chi Xiasheng’s bedroom.
“Chi Xiasheng, where did you learn to have such a high-and-mighty attitude?! Don’t you know Mianmian is sick? He’s lying in a hospital bed! And you, where are you?! It’s bad enough you’re not at the hospital, but now you won’t even make him some soup? Our Su family has raised you for this long—did we make a mistake?!”
Chi Xiasheng waited for his brother’s tirade to end before speaking slowly.
“‘Our Su family’? You’re right. After all, it’s your home. It doesn’t really have much to do with an outsider like me. Since it’s the Su family’s business, what does Su Chimian’s illness have to do with me? Was I the one who scared him? Why should I have to serve him hand and foot like a humble servant?”
Chi Xiasheng felt some of his strength returning; his voice was louder than before, likely due to the fever reducer he’d taken.
He paused for a couple of seconds before continuing, “Su Jinfeng, what right or position do you have to criticize me?”
Su Jinfeng nearly fainted from anger. As the eldest son of the Su family, he was used to being respected and flattered. He had never met a brother as infuriating as Chi Xiasheng!
“Chi Xiasheng, do you have to play these word games? Think about it, how has the Su family treated you? Have you ever lacked for food or clothing?! Mianmian even gave you his favorite teddy bear, and this is how you act as an older brother?”
“Brother? Hah. You might want to be a brother to someone you’re not related to by blood, but I certainly don’t.” At that moment, Chi Xiasheng’s voice dropped several degrees colder.
When he had made the call, Chi Xiasheng had held a sliver of hope for Su Jinfeng.
After all, while Mother Su had hidden the truth about Su Chimian being the fake young master, perhaps his older brother didn’t know?
Chi Xiasheng had never known what it was like to have an older brother. Every time he saw Su Jinfeng doting on Su Chimian, his heart ached with envy.
Unfortunately, that adoring gaze was reserved only for Su Chimian.
Su Chimian would receive a pair of sneakers perfectly suited to his taste from Su Jinfeng. Chi Xiasheng would only get the free jersey that came with the purchase.
It wasn’t that Su Jinfeng never thought of giving Chi Xiasheng gifts; he just couldn’t be bothered to put in the effort.
After all, no matter what he gave, Chi Xiasheng would be happy.
In the end, it was because Chi Xiasheng’s expectations of them were too low. The smallest kindness was enough to satisfy him.
“What do you mean, not related by blood? Xiaosheng, what are you talking about?” Su Jinfeng’s brow furrowed, and he touched the tip of his nose, a clear sign of his discomfort.
Hearing Su Jinfeng’s words, Chi Xiasheng’s heart plummeted.
After living together for over a year, Chi Xiasheng knew Su Jinfeng’s tells all too well.
He was feeling guilty.
Su Jinfeng was always arrogant and self-assured. He only ever used Chi Xiasheng’s nickname when he was flustered.
So, it was true. Su Jinfeng also knew that he and Su Chimian had been switched at birth.
And yet, he still chose to side with Su Chimian.
Twenty years of affection were not for nothing.
Between the adopted son they had feelings for and the biological son they were related to by blood, the Su family had chosen the former without hesitation.
A sharp pain pierced Chi Xiasheng’s heart. He clenched his fists, but then thought that this was perfectly in line with the Su family’s character.
After all, they were so good to Su Chimian that a minor illness required the entire family to be by his side.
“Let’s leave it at that. You take good care of your brother. If the little Young Master Su wants soup, hire someone to make it. A free laborer like me has no interest in serving such a delicate fake young master.”
Su Jinfeng was learning today that when Chi Xiasheng wanted to be sarcastic, his words could be incredibly vicious.
He gripped his phone so tightly his knuckles turned white.
But he had no grounds or courage to refute it. Only one thought screamed in his mind: Chi Xiasheng knows!
But how? How could he possibly know?
Su Jinfeng stared at the ended call and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. But Mianmian was still sick. He didn’t want to discuss this in the hospital room, so he decided to suppress it for now and deal with it once he got home.
After hanging up, Chi Xiasheng let out a long breath.
From the moment he had returned, his hopes had been slowly worn away. The Su family hiding Su Chimian’s identity was the final, crushing blow.
In the past, when the family treated him with distance, Chi Xiasheng had told himself it was just because they weren’t familiar with each other yet, and he actively tried to build a good relationship with them.
But now it was clear they had no intention of ever treating him like family.
Chi Xiasheng looked around the empty room. Darkness from the great hall outside seeped through the crack under the door. The enormous villa was dark, silent, and empty, with only the warm light from his bedroom pushing back the gloom. The wind whistled through a window in the living room.
Chi Xiasheng stared at the phone on his desk, his mind numbly wondering why he had even called Su Jinfeng in the first place.
Oh, right. It was because he felt so awful that he wanted Su Jinfeng to take him to the hospital.
He was out of fever reducers and had been afraid he might die quietly in the night, so he had called.
Unfortunately, his brother was busy spending the night doting on Su Chimian, having completely forgotten that another one of his “brothers” had also collapsed on set and fallen ill.
The howling wind outside gradually subsided as the sudden thunderstorm finally passed.
Wrapped in his quilt, Chi Xiasheng dozed for a few more hours. When he woke, he felt the fever had broken. He got up and drank several glasses of water to soothe his dry, hoarse throat.
Outside the window, the night had receded, and the sky was abruptly bright.
The harsh summer sun flooded the bedroom, so bright it was almost blinding.
Chi Xiasheng pulled out the suitcase he had brought with him when he first came to the Su family.
Even before he knew about Su Chimian being the fake young master, Chi Xiasheng had already been planning to leave.
He yearned for the warmth of family, but he would not debase himself for it. The things Su Chimian had done over the past year and the family’s attitude towards him had already made Chi Xiasheng decide to cut ties completely.
Some people, though they share the same blood, are simply not meant to be family.
He would write off the entire past year as a total waste.
Chi Xiasheng let out a sharp breath. The mere thought of Su Chimian’s face disgusted him. He wanted to leave immediately, before Su Chimian returned from the hospital and he had to see that hypocritical face again.
If he saw Su Chimian right now, Chi Xiasheng was certain he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from punching him.
He didn’t take a single piece of clothing the Su family had provided, packing only the few faded T-shirts and shirts he had arrived with.
He had once moved into this house full of hope. Now, every inch of it made him feel sick to his stomach. The veins on the back of the hand gripping the suitcase handle bulged as he walked swiftly downstairs.
But his luck was out. Just as he wanted to make a quick escape, someone blocked his path.
Su Jinfeng, who had spent the night at the hospital, stood there with his black suit jacket draped over his arm. When he saw Chi Xiasheng with his suitcase, his expression instantly turned cold.
“What kind of tantrum are you throwing now? Making a big deal out of nothing. What are you trying to do, run away from home?!”
Su Jinfeng didn’t believe Chi Xiasheng would actually leave.
After all, the wealth of the Su family was incomparable to a rundown orphanage. And although Chi Xiasheng never said it, his eyes always betrayed his longing for his parents and brother.
Now that he had his birth family and immense wealth, Chi Xiasheng would have to be an idiot to walk away.
Su Jinfeng assumed that Chi Xiasheng, having learned the truth, was just using this little trick to get attention.
“Are you trying to use this to force Mother and Father to give up on Mianmian? Let me tell you, that’s impossible. There will always be a place for Mianmian in the Su family!”
Chi Xiasheng replied with a cool “Oh.” “Then let him have it. I wish your family happiness.”
Su Jinfeng was taken aback, the rest of his lecture caught in his throat.
“Mianmian is still in the hospital right now. Can’t you be a little more considerate? Even though Mianmian isn’t related to us by blood, he’s lived with us for over twenty years. It doesn’t change anything.”
Su Jinfeng had rushed back early in the morning specifically to deal with Chi Xiasheng. Although it was a headache that he knew the truth, they couldn’t just kick Mianmian out after twenty years for his sake, could they?
In the hearts of the Su family, Su Chimian truly mattered more.
“You’re right, it doesn’t change anything,” Chi Xiasheng said, his tone unwavering.
Hearing this, Su Jinfeng thought Chi Xiasheng was backing down. He let out a slow breath of relief and was about to say a few comforting words to get him to stop making a scene.
“Your family of four can continue living your wonderful life, and I’ll live mine. From now on, let’s not bother each other.”
Chi Xiasheng was decisive. Once he made up his mind, he never looked back. The deception and heartache of the past year had left him completely numb and disappointed.
Since the entire Su family had chosen Su Chimian, why should he cling to them?
Chi Xiasheng had his pride. He didn’t want to stay here and continue to be humiliated.
Hearing Chi Xiasheng’s hard tone, Su Jinfeng had a bad feeling. He narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean by that?”
Chi Xiasheng repeated himself in a clear, icy voice, “From now on, I have no relationship with the Su family. If we meet, we are strangers.”
Su Jinfeng looked at Chi Xiasheng’s cold, slender figure and felt as if he was seeing him for the first time. The humble, obedient boy he had first met seemed to be dissolving into thin air.
He knew the right thing to do was to placate Chi Xiasheng, but the anger simmering in his chest made his words come out laced with suppressed fury.
“Fine. Go. Once you walk out that door, don’t you ever say you’re a member of the Su family again. You won’t be welcome here!”
Chi Xiasheng let out a short, derisive laugh. “That would be for the best. I can’t afford to have relatives like the Su family. You can spoil your fake young master all you want, but I have no desire for a fake brother who is a cuckoo in the nest! It only makes me sick.”
Chi Xiasheng’s words hit their mark, and a flicker of guilt crossed Su Jinfeng’s face. It was true that Su Chimian had enjoyed twenty years of a life of luxury that belonged to Chi Xiasheng. Calling him a cuckoo in the nest wasn’t wrong.
But Su Jinfeng’s loyalty was to Su Chimian, so he stubbornly stuck out his neck and retorted, “Fake brother? Let me tell you, Su Chimian will always be a part of the Su family. I’m happy to dote on him. He is my biological brother!”
Su Jinfeng always liked to rub salt in the wound. Knowing Chi Xiasheng craved a family he couldn’t have, he brought it up on purpose.
Unfortunately for him, Chi Xiasheng was already beyond disappointed. He had no expectations left and merely gave Su Jinfeng a detached glance.
“Whatever. Suit yourself.”
Hearing Chi Xiasheng’s emotionless tone, Su Jinfeng’s heart skipped a beat.
He looked up into his calm, placid eyes and realized that Chi Xiasheng truly didn’t care anymore.
But how was that possible?
The way Chi Xiasheng used to look at him was full of longing and hope. How could he be so calm?
Su Jinfeng stared blankly as Chi Xiasheng dragged his suitcase away. He stubbornly shouted one last thing after him, “If you’re going, then don’t take anything that belongs to the Su family! And don’t come back to compete with Mianmian!”
Chi Xiasheng’s voice was as cold and steady as ever. “I didn’t. And I have no desire to come back.”
Su Jinfeng’s eyelid twitched. Watching Chi Xiasheng’s retreating back, which showed no hint of hesitation, he felt a wave of loss and panic.
His brother… it seemed he was really, truly leaving.
