Chapter 3

A Jiu bought soy milk, fried dough sticks, steamed buns, and shaomai for the little one’s breakfast.  

Afraid the child might get restless and wake up Fei Ge, he turned on the TV for her to watch.  

You You’s chubby little hands grabbed the remote A Jiu handed her and immediately turned the volume all the way down.  

A Jiu was puzzled. “Can you even hear it at this volume?”  

You You nibbled on her shrimp shaomai, cheeks puffing up as she replied in a sweet, childish voice, “Don’t need to hear. You You can just watch the pictures.”  

A Jiu was surprised. He had an older sister who already had two kids—a boy and a girl, both still in preschool. Whenever he went to help out at her place, his niece and nephew would always blast their cartoons at full volume, making his head buzz from the noise.  

For this little one to be so well-behaved… was she afraid of disturbing Fei Ge’s sleep?  

As he worked on his tablet, A Jiu muttered to himself, “This little one is way too good. Practically an angel.”  

……  

Around 9:30, A Jiu got ready to leave.  

He reminded You You, “A Jiu has to go to work now. I need to clock in by 10 at the latest, or I’ll get my performance docked. I’ve got meetings in the morning too, so I might be busy. Be good and stay here with your brother, okay? Don’t touch anything dangerous like electricity or fire, and try not to make noise if you can help it. I’ll bring you lunch after my meeting.”  

A Jiu had chatted with You You for quite a while during breakfast and felt reassured. Though young, the child was very bright—probably raised with elite early education.  

You You nodded her little head. “Don’t worry, A Jiu. You You will be good and won’t bother brother.”  

Just as A Jiu was about to close the door, the little girl suddenly tiptoed and grabbed the handle of the keypad lock.  

He paused. “What’s wrong, You You?”  

Her eyes looked slightly lost. “A Jiu, do you know what kind of illness bipolar disorder is?”  

“Huh?” In a hurry to clock in, A Jiu assumed she’d just heard it on TV and brushed it off. “We’ll talk later, okay? I’m gonna be late. Be good, sweetheart.”  

The door shut.  

You You’s little head drooped with worry.  

In the holographic movie from her dream, her second brother, Lu Fei, had taken his own life because his “bipolar disorder” had grown worse over the years.  

……  

In the master bedroom.  

Lu Fei had woken up four times that night.  

He couldn’t sleep soundly.  

He couldn’t remember how long this state of fragmented rest had lasted.  

He got up to use the bathroom, took half a pill, then returned to bed.  

Too restless to sleep, he picked up his phone and scrolled through Weibo.  

Within twenty seconds, he closed his eyes, locked the screen, and tossed the phone to the far corner of the bed—as if throwing away something scalding.  

Lu Fei forced himself to try sleeping again.  

But the hateful words from antis kept scrolling through his mind like bullet comments.  

[Heard a certain Top Tier Star is taking on another Major IP. Wonder how badly they’ll butcher it this time.]  

[What do you think? The golden boy of the industry will obviously steal all the female lead’s best scenes.]  

[I’m gonna puke. Do investors have no standards? Why prop up such trash?]  

[When will Lu Trash finally get out of the entertainment industry?]  

[How is Lu Trash not completely canceled yet???]  

Lu Fei clenched his fists. He grabbed his phone again from the corner, opened the Weibo editor, his slender fingers trembling slightly.

He wished he could post on Weibo immediately, telling these people to stop insulting him.  

He wasn’t fit to act, wasn’t worthy of being an actor, and had no right to star in the Major IP they kept talking about. He wouldn’t take on any new roles—he wouldn’t even go to auditions.  

……  

Last year, Lu Fei, who had risen to fame as a singing and dancing artist, landed a promising IP adaptation—*Fallen Immortal*.  

*Fallen Immortal* was a wildly popular work on Literature Website, beloved by countless readers for years. Fans had extremely high expectations for the live-action adaptation.  

Lu Fei had never acted before. When his agency secured this opportunity for him, he was both flattered and overwhelmed.  

To do justice to the male lead’s role, he studied and practiced day and night, often sleeping only two or three hours a day.  

With the generous guidance of directors, screenwriters, and industry veterans, his acting skills improved by leaps and bounds. In the end, the director was very satisfied with his performance.  

Before the drama aired, everyone thought Lu Fei would become even more popular, taking his career to new heights.  

However, while the drama was visually stunning, the screenwriter had shifted some of the female lead’s standout moments in the original novel to the male lead, turning the original female-centric story into a tale of two equally strong and beautiful protagonists.  

Original novel fans were furious, flooding social media with lengthy critiques.  

Drama fans were also angry, arguing that adaptations and source material were two different things. The two sides clashed fiercely.  

Lu Fei’s fans felt wronged on his behalf and couldn’t help but defend him.  

This gave haters the perfect opening. Riding the wave of the novel fans’ outrage, they tore into Lu Fei relentlessly, even mocking him with the cruel nickname “Lu Useless.”  

From initial confusion, Lu Fei had now fully accepted it.  

He *was* useless. He *was* unworthy. He would never act again.  

He just didn’t know when the endless insults and humiliation would finally stop.  

Meanwhile, You You was feeling a little bored in the vast, empty penthouse.  

With nothing to do, she hugged Dudu and chatted with him.  

The little shark plushie couldn’t talk, but You You said innocently, “Dudu, can you talk to me like you did last night? I’m a little lonely.”  

Dudu remained silent, but the little girl wasn’t upset—she just giggled cheerfully.  

After amusing herself for most of the morning, You You suddenly felt a sharp pain in her tummy.  

She hurried to the bathroom on her short little legs. There was no child-sized toilet, so she struggled to climb onto the oversized adult toilet, perching carefully on the edge to avoid falling in.  

Her stomach hurt more and more—You You had diarrhea.  

A Jiu was at a company meeting, and Lu Fei was asleep in his room.  

Clutching her belly, You You endured quietly, her tiny voice trembling as she comforted herself, “No pain, no pain… Mommy said kids have to be strong. You You won’t hurt anymore after going potty.”  

Twenty minutes later… You You climbed down from the toilet, which automatically flushed.  

Her stomach still ached faintly as she went to the sink, stretching her arms and standing on tiptoe to wash her hands.  

You You was a bit of a neat freak—she scrubbed her soft little hands until they were spotless.  

One second, she sniffed her sweet-smelling fingers with a satisfied smile.  

The next, she froze…  

Her smile vanished.  

You You realized she couldn’t reach the faucet to turn it off.  

As the water gushed louder, the little girl started to panic.  

Still, she tried to reassure herself.

It’s fine, not a big problem. She could definitely handle it without disturbing her sleeping brother.  

After trying for ten minutes, You You watched as the water slowly overflowed and hurriedly ran to knock on Lu Fei’s bedroom door.  

“Brother…”  

“Brother, are you awake?”  

The little girl’s voice was as faint as a mosquito’s hum, not daring to speak too loudly. Before leaving, A Jiu had repeatedly warned her not to disturb her brother—he had a terrible temper when woken up, and if she roused him, she might get scolded.  

You You knew what a bad temper upon waking meant.  

Her dad had once told her that her mom had it too, warning her not to disturb her mother’s sleep. She had even seen her mom angrily scolding her dad when her temper flared after waking.  

Lu Fei hadn’t been asleep at all.  

The childish voice outside the door kept calling out.  

Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore. Barefoot, he stomped out of bed and flung the door open with a bang.  

“What?!”  

The tall teenager glared down at the tiny little girl who barely reached his thigh.  

“I—You You—um…”  

She had planned how to explain the situation to her brother, but in that instant, Lu Fei’s stern expression and harsh tone frightened her.  

Her stomach already hurt, and the stress made it worse. Clutching her belly with her small hands, she stammered, “Sorry, brother… You You went potty, and then… the water won’t turn off…”  

Lu Fei followed her gaze and strode toward the bathroom in the living room.  

The faucet was still running. The sink was shallow, and some water had already spilled over, soaking the counter and part of the tiled floor.  

Lu Fei was annoyed. He was used to living alone in peace and quiet.  

A Jiu understood his temper and never disturbed him.  

Now, with an extra kid around, things were naturally more troublesome.  

But…  

He glanced down at the tiny figure who barely reached his thigh.  

He couldn’t stay mad.  

After all, given her height and arm length, she really couldn’t reach the faucet handle.  

Seeing the timid look in the little girl’s eyes, he tried to keep his tone neutral. “It’s fine now, right? If there’s nothing else, I’m going back to my room.”  

You You’s stomach ached badly. She curled up on the sofa, not daring to make a sound.  

Lu Fei had already taken long strides back toward his room when, for some reason, he glanced back. Something about the kid’s expression didn’t seem right.  

He noticed her small hands clutching her stomach, her pale face, and even a scrape on her knee.  

In the end, Lu Fei still dialed A Jiu’s number.  

A Jiu, upon receiving the call, quickly rushed back with the company clinic’s on-duty female doctor.  

After examining her, the doctor gently dabbed iodine on the scrape on You You’s leg and reassured her, “Don’t be scared, little one. You just have a bit of an upset stomach. Take some medicine, and you’ll feel better soon.”  

Then she turned to Lu Fei and A Jiu. “She’s too young, and her stomach is delicate. She shouldn’t eat anything raw or cold, nor anything too greasy or hard to digest. How could you give her ice-cold milk?”  

A Jiu was overcome with guilt, frowning as he apologized, “I’m so sorry, You You. I didn’t know. I’ll be more careful next time…”  

Lu Fei’s face was dark, his lips pressed tightly together. He didn’t say a word the entire time.  

The doctor, unaware of the child’s relationship with Lu Fei, felt like she had said something wrong—the atmosphere in the room had turned uncomfortably tense.

She hurriedly packed her medical kit, ready to leave: “If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going now. The medicine has been prescribed—just take it on time. Be careful not to mix it up. For the scrapes on her knees, apply some iodine after her bath. Don’t use alcohol; it’s too irritating, and children are sensitive to pain.”

A Jiu noted everything down.

You You’s little nose tingled, her heart deeply moved.

In this unfamiliar world, apart from A Jiu Gege, whom she had just met, the doctor sister was the one who cared for her the most.

Reluctant to see her go, she walked the doctor to the door and said sweetly, “Thank you, sister. You’re so pretty.”

The female doctor froze, her cheeks instantly flushing. The smile at the corners of her lips was impossible to hide as she couldn’t resist ruffling the little one’s hair. “Sweetheart, you’re such a charmer. Thank you.”

…

Having learned from past mistakes, A Jiu specifically ordered a high-end children’s meal for You You this time.

The dilemma was that You You was a little girl, and neither he nor Fei Ge could help her with things like bathing.

She was still wearing that same nightgown.

Though it looked like a designer piece, it would still get dirty.

A Jiu considered calling a female assistant to help, but since Fei Ge’s apartment usually didn’t allow outsiders, he knocked on Lu Fei’s door to discuss.

“Fei Ge, here’s the thing. I was thinking of asking a female colleague to come over and help You You bathe and change clothes…”

Before he could finish, there was a loud *bang*.

Lu Fei had lost control and slammed his phone onto the marble table.

Miraculously, the phone wasn’t broken, and Sang Wei’s forceful voice continued to blare through: “You have to go. Why pass up such a great opportunity? Just because some netizens are bashing you? Why care about them? You know the problem isn’t you—your acting was fine. The director and investors were satisfied. The script issues aren’t your fault. Just because they criticize you, you’re going to quit acting? Lu Fei, since you chose this path, you need to learn to handle pressure…”

Lu Fei’s heart raced faster and faster, to the point where his arms began to feel numb.

Gritting his teeth, he growled, “Enough. At worst, I’ll terminate my contract with the company. I’m not fit to act, nor am I fit for this career. Happy now? Can you just leave me alone?”

A Jiu was startled.

He had been Lu Fei’s assistant for a year now. Though Fei Ge was quiet and reserved—often labeled as having a bad temper—this was the first time he had seen him lose control like this.

He rushed over to hang up the call, afraid Sang Wei would escalate the argument further.

The harsh voices of the quarrel reached You You’s ears.

She peeked her little head out from the doorway, confused about what was happening with her brother.

Lu Fei slumped into the armchair by the floor-to-ceiling window, trying to calm himself.

He didn’t want to take his anger out on others—he just wanted this to end quickly.

A Jiu was at a loss, unsure how to proceed.

After a long silence, Lu Fei took a deep breath and asked calmly, “What were you going to ask me earlier?”

“Oh,” A Jiu said, “Right. I wanted to ask if I could get a female colleague to come help You You bathe. It’s not really appropriate for us two grown men to do it. Fei Ge, what do you think…?”

Lu Fei was silent for a few seconds, lit a cigarette, and took two heavy drags.

His gaze flicked to the little head peeking out from the doorway before he said coldly, “It is inappropriate.”

A Jiu sighed in relief. “Okay, then I’ll just—”

“Send her away after dark.”

“Wha—???”

Lu Fei had already made up his mind.

Whether this child was his father’s daughter or not had nothing to do with him.  

But since Lu Yu was currently abroad, he could only send the kid to his eldest brother, Lu Yan, for the time being.  

He had his own problems to deal with—his emotions were unstable, and he never knew when an episode might strike. If it happened, it would undoubtedly scare the child.  

You You toddled into the room on her short little legs. Standing in front of Lu Fei, she hung her head low and pleaded, “Brother, please don’t send You You away, okay? You You will be good, I’ll learn to take care of myself. I won’t spill water on the floor again, and I won’t get diarrhea anymore…”  

The innocent little girl thought she was being sent away simply because she had caused trouble for her brother.  

But she really didn’t want to leave her second brother.  

If yesterday her emotions had been dominated by helplessness, today, it was worry.  

After having that dream, she became increasingly aware that the brother before her now was very different from the brother she once knew.  

She had truly adored her second brother from before.  

That brother would always bring her new and exciting gifts whenever he came home, lifting her high in his arms, making her feel like the happiest child in the world.  

You You didn’t understand why there could be such a big difference between her brother at 18 and her brother at 24.  

But… in You You’s heart, a brother was still a brother.  

…  

Night fell. Lu Fei grabbed the little one’s hand and dragged her firmly toward the underground garage.  

When she was pushed into the car, You You finally couldn’t hold back her tears.  

Fat teardrops rolled down her cheeks—  

Lu Fei couldn’t stand seeing children cry. Irritated, he frowned tightly. “I’m not abandoning you. I’m taking you to Lu Yan—the one you said gave you that fancy watch. Maybe he can charge it for you. Just be quiet and stop crying.”