The wheelchair rolled over the carefully paved cobblestone path in the garden, and the uneven bumps made Yun Pei’s journey less than smooth.

This home had always been like this. Many arrangements in the house were made without considering him. The traces left behind by his mother had long been altered beyond recognition. He hadn’t visited the garden in a long time.

At the end of the path was a circular space surrounded by flowers and plants, with a set of exquisite outdoor tables and chairs placed in the center for the family to occasionally sit and relax.

Yun Yuexian was sitting facing the path, and the moment he raised his eyes, he locked gazes with Yun Pei. He raised an eyebrow and flashed a bright smile.

“Brother, would you like to join us for some tea?”

Huo Lijuan, who had her back turned, glanced over upon hearing this. She didn’t bother to hide her disdain for Yun Pei when no one else was around. She gave a cold snort and turned her head back.

Yun Pei’s wheelchair slid closer. His lips were pursed, and his expression was cold as he stretched his hand toward the smiling figure in front of him. “Give it back.”

Yun Yuexian tilted his head in confusion, blinking innocently and leisurely swaying the porcelain cup in his hand. “What do you mean, brother?”

“Give it back.” Yun Pei’s eyes remained fixed on him as he repeated the demand. His outstretched hand hovered motionlessly in the air.

“What kind of nonsense are you spouting this time?” This time, before Yun Yuexian could reply, Huo Lijuan had already glared at Yun Pei in dissatisfaction. “If your legs are useless, then just stay in your room quietly. Why are you coming here to make a scene?”

Yun Pei ignored her, keeping his gaze on Yun Yuexian, who provocatively took a leisurely sip of tea.

Not wanting to waste more words, Yun Pei flipped his hand, reaching directly for the cup in Yun Yuexian’s hand. But the latter pulled back, leaving Yun Pei’s hand grabbing at air.

“Brother, if you want tea, I can pour you some. But I’ve already drunk from this one.” Yun Yuexian leaned back against the chair, tapping the rim of the cup with a finger.

Seeing that her precious son was deliberately playing with Yun Pei, Huo Lijuan said nothing, smiling as she picked up a cookie to munch on.

Yun Pei’s dark eyes were filled with gloom. He slid his wheelchair forward, grabbed Yun Yuexian’s wrist, and said in a low voice, “Don’t make me—”

Smack. A sharp sound echoed.

The cup, which had been loosely held in Yun Yuexian’s fingers, fell to the ground, shattering instantly. The reddish-brown tea spilled into the crevices of the cobblestones.

“Oh no, brother, see? The moment you grabbed me, I dropped it. It’s broken now.” Yun Yuexian pulled his hand away, stood up, and took a step back, as if afraid his shoes would get dirty.

Yun Pei couldn’t hear anything anymore. He stood there, staring blankly at the fragments of the cup scattered on the ground.

“Look at this mess you’ve caused. I’ll get the housekeeper to clean it up.” Huo Lijuan lifted her skirt slightly to avoid the spilled tea, set down her cup, and stood up.

Before she could move, she noticed from the corner of her eye that the “little cripple” on the wheelchair had grabbed something from the table and forcefully threw it. The next sound was a sharp scream from her son.

“Ah!!!”

Yun Yuexian felt a sharp pain on his forehead as something hit him. The force was so strong it knocked him back a step, causing him to fall to the ground, his tailbone painfully pressed against the cobblestones.

But he couldn’t care about that right now. All he could feel was the intense pain on his forehead, and when he touched it, he felt something sticky. Trembling, he lifted his hand to see it stained with red. His vision was filled with red, and he let out another scream, “My face! My face!!”

Huo Lijuan, finally snapping out of her shock, stumbled over to her son, holding onto the table for support. “Xiao Yue! Xiao Yue, are you okay?! Somebody! Call an ambulance!”

The housekeeper, alarmed by the commotion, quickly ran over. Upon seeing the scene, she was terrified and hurried back inside to make the call.

Amid the chaos, Yun Pei was the only one who remained eerily calm. He bent down from his wheelchair, carefully picking up the broken porcelain pieces one by one, cradling them in his hand with great care. He didn’t mind the cuts on his fingers.

——

Bang!

Yun Haowei slammed his hand down on the desk, glaring angrily at his son, who sat calmly in the wheelchair. “Look at the mess you’ve made!!”

Yun Pei kept his eyes lowered, gently rubbing the wound on his hand from where the porcelain had cut him. It stung slightly. “He took something that belonged to me.”

“That doesn’t mean you should hit him with a teapot!” Yun Haowei slammed the table again, his breath quickening in fury. “Were you trying to kill your brother?!”

This time, Yun Pei said nothing, as if the scolding wasn’t even directed at him. He sat there quietly.

Yun Haowei grew even more enraged seeing his son’s indifference. He pointed a trembling finger at Yun Pei. “Do you really think you’re in the right? Your brother is in the hospital because of you! Don’t you feel any guilt at all?!”

“He took something that belonged to me,” Yun Pei repeated in a calm tone. After a pause, he added, “And he broke it.”

“What could possibly be more valuable than your brother?! If it’s broken, just buy another one. Yun Pei, can’t you be more reasonable? Why can’t you give in to your brother just this once?”

“This time?” Yun Pei finally looked up at him, his expression cold and devoid of emotion. “I’ve been hearing that since I was twelve, Father. When will it be ‘next time’?”

Yun Haowei was momentarily speechless. After a brief pause, he softened his tone slightly. “Xiao Pei, I know you don’t like your brother, but no matter how you go against him, I’ve turned a blind eye. But this time, you’ve gone too far. Your brother is an entertainer, a public figure. How is he supposed to work with an injury on his face? What if someone took pictures at the hospital today? This could ruin his career!”

His words were sincere, but they meant nothing to Yun Pei, whose expression remained unchanged. His calm eyes stared at his father. “You’ve always been against him entering the entertainment industry. If this incident impacts his career, wouldn’t that be a good reason for him to quit? Shouldn’t you be happy?”

Yun Haowei was momentarily stunned by the question, but before he could respond, Yun Pei continued, “Are you worried about his career, or are you worried about your reputation and benefits? You’re not worried about Yun Yuexian. You’re worried that if he scars his face, the Liang family’s young master or President Qin will lose interest in him.”

Yun Pei had long seen through his father. He was a man of extreme self-interest, marrying Yun Pei’s mother for family benefits and cheating with Huo Lijuan for a bit of fun.

When his mother passed away, and Yun Pei was left crippled, he remarried quickly, bringing his other healthy and intact son into the family.

Did he truly love Huo Lijuan and Yun Yuexian? Not at all. If it weren’t for that accident, they would have been hidden away, never to see the light of day.

His favoritism stemmed only from Yun Yuexian’s potential usefulness.

Yun Haowei loved no one but himself.

Being so bluntly confronted by his son, Yun Haowei’s expression twisted with rage. He shot up from his chair, shouting, “Listen to yourself! Is this how you talk to your father?!”

This son of his had once been lively and adorable, even bringing him water and saying, “Dad, you’ve worked hard,” after a long day. But ever since the accident, he had become gloomy and withdrawn, coldly staring at him like a heartless stone, completely unlikable.

Yun Pei didn’t want to continue the conversation. He turned his wheelchair and left the study, ignoring his father’s angry calls for him to come back.

Yun Haowei would never admit his own faults. To him, it was always someone else’s problem. Talking to him was pointless and a waste of time.

Returning to his room, Yun Pei locked the door behind him and turned on the light. In this familiar space, he finally felt like he could breathe a little easier.

He slid his wheelchair to the table, where a half-repaired ceramic cup sat. Gently, he touched the surface, now riddled with cracks, and his voice softened as he spoke, “Mom, I’m sorry. I couldn’t protect your things…”

This cup had been made by his mother, with the character “Pei” carved at the bottom. He still remembered her telling him, “This way, every time I drink tea, I’ll be holding you in the palm of my hand.”

When Huo Lijuan moved in, she used the excuse of too much clutter to throw away some of his mother’s belongings. The ones she couldn’t discard were locked away in a dim, unused room.

Because of that, Yun Pei had thrown a huge fit. To avoid further trouble, Yun Haowei gave him the key and let him deal with it himself.

Later, Yun Pei moved most of the items elsewhere, leaving only a few in his room. Whenever he missed his mother, he would touch them, look at them.

This cup was one of those items.

Yun Pei picked up a shard, applied some glue, and carefully began piecing it back together.

He hadn’t left his room all day, except for meals. Come to think of it, Yun Yuexian had indeed left earlier.

No matter how much disdain or disregard there was, Yun Yuexian had never come to his room alone, let alone taken his things.

This time, Yun Pei had been careless.

It was the first time he had ever hit someone, and he had to admit his aim was pretty good. The force was just right—enough to make Yun Yuexian bleed and feel pain, but not enough to kill him.

A single tear dropped onto the shard in his hand, and his fingers trembled slightly.

If Mom were still here, would she make him stand in the corner as punishment? Would she tell him not to fight…

But, he couldn’t stand anymore. And Mom… wasn’t here anymore…