7:00 PM.

The violet-gold sunset spread across the mountainside of the Lu residence, casting a beautiful golden hue on the towering spires of the European-style mansion.

In the bustling, expensive city of S, this luxurious estate spanned over 6,000 square meters, with a massive terrace in the backyard offering a panoramic view of the entire city.

The intricately designed wrought-iron gates slowly opened, and the atmosphere inside the black car was tense.

Jiang Yi sat upright, his expression serious. “I think Auntie is home today, isn’t she?”

Lu Li, sitting casually with his long legs crossed, replied lazily, “Nope, she’s not.”

“My mom went shopping with her girlfriends today, don’t worry.”

Jiang Yi anxiously fidgeted with his schoolbag, still doubtful. “Really?”

Lu Li smirked. “If I’m lying, I’m a puppy.”

“Plus, Uncle Jiang is on a business trip with my dad. He won’t be back until the 18th. So tonight, don’t even think about sneaking home to sleep alone.”

Jiang Yi sighed in relief, muttering, “How is me going home to sleep considered ‘sneaking off’ like I’m doing something wrong?”

Lu Li pretended not to hear him and started complaining about how the special ‘Rocket Class’ made them stay after school for hours. “They keep us so late every day—students are going to starve at this rate.”

Jiang Yi shrugged. “It’s only an extra hour. You won’t starve.”

Lu Li snorted, clearly disagreeing.

The black sedan came to a stop, and the two got out, walking side by side through the grand golden-domed entrance into the main hall.

The spacious, opulent hall was dazzling, illuminated by sparkling crystal chandeliers. At the long dining table sat a woman.

She was strikingly beautiful, with elegant features and graceful manners. Her long blonde hair was swept up, and her delicate lips curled slightly. Her eyes bore a resemblance to Lu Li’s—radiant and captivating.

Leaning back in her chair, she admired her perfectly manicured nails. The food laid out before her looked exquisite and rich.

Jiang Yi froze in his tracks, and so did Lu Li, who was walking just ahead of him.

Hearing their entrance, Lu Li’s mother’s eyes lit up with excitement. She stood and, with a graceful yet swift motion, ran toward them, beaming. “Darling! Did you miss me?”

Lu Li, holding Jiang Yi’s schoolbag, opened his mouth to reply, but before he could say a word, his mother brushed past him with a cheerful, “Arno, move out of the way, don’t block me!”

Lu Li stepped aside, his expression blank as he watched his own mother rush to embrace Jiang Yi. “You’ve grown even more handsome!” she said, rubbing her cheek affectionately against his.

Jiang Yi, now trapped in her embrace, awkwardly said, “Auntie, you’re as beautiful as ever.”

With a smile, she finally let go and pinched his cheek, frowning slightly. “Why are you so thin?”

Lu Li removed his mother’s hand, annoyed. “He gained four pounds last month.”

His mother looked serious. “Only four?”

Jiang Yi mumbled quietly, “Four pounds is a lot, Auntie…”

Lu Li’s mother sighed, “Look at Arno, he eats like a horse. You eat like a cat and barely put on any weight.”

Lu Li, now dragging Jiang Yi toward the dining table, grumbled, “He’s picky. Getting him to gain even a little weight is hard.”

His mother teased, “Don’t talk about him like that—he’s a good boy who eats his meals obediently.”

She enthusiastically uncovered several pots of soup on the table, smiling warmly at Jiang Yi. “Isn’t that right, sweetheart?”

Jiang Yi hesitated, staring at the array of soup before him, and reluctantly replied, “Yes…”

“Of course, you’ll finish all your food too, right?” she asked sweetly.

Jiang Yi, now holding a bowl, responded weakly, “Yes, I will.”

Satisfied, Lu Li’s mother smiled, and Lu Li seemed content as well.

The two blonde half-bloods sat at the table, resting their chins on their hands, watching with amusement as Jiang Yi reluctantly sipped the soup.

Lu Li’s mother, who spent most of her time abroad running her successful jewelry brand, would occasionally fly back to accompany Lu Li when her schedule allowed.

When she first met Jiang Yi, the little “tree friend” she had heard so much about, she immediately adored him. As a designer with a deep passion for aesthetics, she admired Jiang Yi’s doll-like beauty as if he were a priceless collectible.

She also loved Chinese cooking, particularly making soups, as it was easy and hard to mess up. Whenever she returned to the Lu residence, she would prepare a variety of soups to nourish Jiang Yi.

Lu Li, lazily watching, thought to himself, No wonder we’re family—our tastes are exactly the same.

Ying Zhuohan, that little curly-haired brat, once said Jiang Yi didn’t have a mother. Well, neither did he. They were a perfect match.

And considering how much his mom loved Jiang Yi, weren’t the two of them the perfect match?

Jiang Yi, meanwhile, smelled the strange medicinal aroma coming from the soup and downed it all in one go, his years of experience teaching him never to ask what kind of soup it was—it would only make it harder to drink.

After finishing two bowls, Lu Li’s mother received a phone call, and Jiang Yi quickly seized the opportunity. He pried Lu Li’s mouth open and poured some of the nourishing soup down his throat.

Lu Li: “…”

After forcing down a bowl, Jiang Yi even stuffed two large spoonfuls of rice into Lu Li’s mouth.

When Lu Li’s mother finished her call and turned around, she saw Jiang Yi sitting obediently with three empty bowls in front of him, the rice in his bowl already halfway gone.

She smiled, satisfied. “Sweetie, your appetite has improved lately!”

“That’s good—eating more will make you healthier.”

Jiang Yi, cheeks puffed out with food, nodded seriously.

Lu Li leaned in and pinched his waist, whispering, “Do you want me to tell on you?”

Jiang Yi, still chewing, muttered through a mouthful of rice, “Who believes a puppy’s words?”

Lu Li: “My mom will believe me. And when she finds out, she’ll make you wear a—”

Before he could finish, Lu Li was cut off by a hard stomp on his foot. Jiang Yi glared at him, cheeks still full. “Shut up.”

Without missing a beat, Lu Li locked his knees around Jiang Yi’s leg and taunted him in a childish voice, “Nope. I’ll say it anyway.”

He added lazily, “I still have those photos of you upstairs.”

Jiang Yi ignored him for once, determined to finish his meal without Lu Li’s help.

After dinner, Jiang Yi went to the study to work on his homework, ignoring Lu Li entirely.

Lu Li, sitting on the other side of the desk, hooked his leg around Jiang Yi’s, grinning mischievously. “I found the photos. You sure you don’t want to see them?”

Jiang Yi didn’t respond, quietly reciting formulas.

Supporting his chin with one hand, Lu Li held up a photo and asked thoughtfully, “Do you think your future daughter will look like this?”

In the photo, seven-year-old Jiang Yi sat on a sofa, looking down at the hem of a pearl-embroidered dress. His large, watery eyes held a dazed expression.

The young Jiang Yi was dressed in an intricate lace princess dress, his skin pale as snow, his long lashes thick and curled, and his delicate features resembled that of a fragile porcelain doll. Sitting on the sofa, he looked like a beautiful figurine from a glass display case.

With soft black hair tied up in a fluffy lace headband, his pale cheeks seemed even more delicate, and his moist eyes stared innocently into the camera.

The more Lu Li looked at the photo, the more he liked it. “If your future daughter is that cute, my son would definitely love her.”

“No, wait.”

Propping his chin in thought, Lu Li reconsidered. “Actually, I don’t think my son would be worthy of her.”

Jiang Yi: “…”

Without a word, Jiang Yi packed up his schoolbag, quietly pushed open the door, and left the study.

Lu Li, still lost in thought about how his son wouldn’t be good enough for Jiang Yi’s future daughter, didn’t even notice him leave.

Jiang Yi, clutching his bag, sneaked into the living room. After confirming that Lu Li’s mother had gone out with her friends, he finally relaxed and hurried home.

Back in his own home, Jiang Yi breathed a long sigh of relief as he looked around the peaceful surroundings, filled with books. He pulled out his homework and started working.

Over an hour later, as he capped his pen, he noticed his phone—set to silent—had been flashing with notifications the entire time.

His father had bought him the phone for communication purposes, trusting Jiang Yi’s self-discipline. Since the purchase, he never felt the need to monitor his phone usage.

Swiping open the screen, Jiang Yi saw that Lu Li had been sending him messages non-stop during the past hour.

Lu Li: Where are you?

Lu Li: …

As if realizing Jiang Yi was still upset about being tricked into drinking soup earlier, Lu Li thought for a moment and sent another message.

Lu Li: Woof.
Lu Li: When you finish your homework, I’ll come pick you up.

Seeing that Jiang Yi hadn’t responded for a while, Lu Li waited in silence for half an hour before sending another message.

Lu Li: {Picture}
Lu Li: I have the hostage. If you don’t come over tonight, I’ll destroy it.

Jiang Yi opened the picture and saw that it was his childhood toy—his little three-legged horse plushie—being tightly gripped by a hand, as if threatening to tear it apart. The implication was clear.

A smile tugged at the corner of Jiang Yi’s lips. He quickly typed a response.

Jiang Yi: Don’t tear it. I’m coming over.

A reply popped up immediately.

Lu Li: Too late.
Lu Li: It’s already beyond repair.

Jiang Yi packed his bag and headed over to Lu’s house.

Half an hour later…

In the bedroom on the second floor, Lu Li, fresh out of the shower, lay face down on the bed with a pout, watching as Jiang Yi, who had also just finished showering, walked in and asked, “Where’s the little horse?”

Lu Li, still sulking, replied, “I tore it apart.”

Jiang Yi’s eyes quickly found the toy horse lying on the bed. He picked it up and noticed that Lu Li had sewn a fourth leg back on. After inspecting it, he nodded approvingly. “It really is beyond recognition.”

Patting Lu Li’s head, he added, “But I like it.”

Lu Li raised his head, giving a cold snort of pride.

The next day…

Because the two had stayed up playing too late, Jiang Yi and Lu Li both overslept. The alarm had been ringing for a while before they finally woke up.

Jiang Yi’s Rocket class had strict rules, and being late would result in penalties. In a rush, Jiang Yi grabbed two pieces of toast and hopped into the car.

Hurrying all the way to school, Jiang Yi managed to step into the classroom just as the bell rang.

He slung his backpack over one shoulder and carried his uniform jacket in the other hand, slipping into his seat just in time.

Cai Fang, who had been worried for him, sighed in relief and urged, “Hurry up and put on your jacket. Mr. Liu will be checking our appearance soon.”

Jiang Yi set down his bag, grabbed his uniform jacket, and started putting it on—only to notice something was off.

Cai Fang, confused as well, asked, “Why is your uniform so big today?”

Jiang Yi looked down at the sleeves extending past his hands and realized, to his dismay, that the uniform he was wearing belonged to Lu Li.

In their rush to leave the house, they had accidentally switched uniforms.