The meeting with the Ning family was scheduled for the next day at noon. When Cen Zhiyuan came downstairs, Cen Zhisen had just sent Cen Shengli off in the car. He turned to Cen Zhiyuan, “You can sit in the back of the other car with me.”

Without saying a word, Cen Zhiyuan walked away and opened the car door.

Two minutes later, Cen Zhisen also got in, signaling the driver to start.

“Behave normally later, don’t embarrass yourself,” Cen Zhisen reminded.

Leaning back in the seat, Cen Zhiyuan closed his eyes slowly and said, “I am a human, not a machine. You are making things difficult for me.”

Cen Zhisen turned his head, noticing his pale face. He furrowed his brows but said nothing more.

There was still a faint smell of smoke on Cen Zhiyuan. Last night, in the middle of the night, Cen Zhisen saw him smoking in the garden downstairs. It was already past three in the morning. Cen Zhiyuan, shrouded in the cool night, had cigarette butts scattered around him. He held a cigarette, and the spark at the end of the cigarette glowed intermittently, the only light in the dark night.

In Cen Zhisen’s memory, his unpleasant younger brother had always been lively and even unruly. However, seeing him lost and confused like last night was something he had never witnessed before.

For some reason, Cen Zhisen didn’t sleep afterward and stood by the window, watching him until dawn.

But talking about these things wouldn’t make much sense. Cen Zhiyuan, with his proud and arrogant personality, would definitely not want others to see his lonely and embarrassing side, especially not him.

Forty minutes later, the car arrived at the destination, a private restaurant in a quiet suburban area, specially arranged by Cen Zhisen.

From Cen’s family, there were only the three of them—father and sons. Xu Lan wanted to join, but Cen Shengli didn’t allow it. After waiting for ten minutes at the venue, the Ning family arrived. Ning Zheng, Sun Xiaoqing, and Ning Zhe—three people in total.

Cen Shengli stood up to greet them. When the three elders shook hands and exchanged pleasantries, the gaze of Ning’s parents involuntarily fell on Cen Zhiyuan.

Looking at him, Ning Zheng and his wife were just as Cen Zhisen had imagined—knowledgeable intellectuals with a gentle and somewhat reserved demeanor. They should have been the closest people to him in this world, but he felt a sense of unfamiliarity.

Ning Zhe, who was beside them, wore glasses, looked gentle and shy. He indeed resembled Cen Shengli’s deceased first wife, perhaps it was destined.

The atmosphere was somewhat awkward. Cen Zhiyuan took the initiative to speak and greeted Ning Zheng and his wife, “Hello.”

Sun Xiaoqing instantly teared up, and Ning Zheng also seemed a bit emotional, but he tried hard to conceal it.

After the greetings, Cen Zhisen gestured for everyone to take their seats, trying to ease the atmosphere. He formally introduced both families to each other.

Cen Zhiyuan, on the other hand, hadn’t said much since then. He seemed absent-minded, and his emotions remained elusive.

Ning Zhe cooperated much more than him. Cen Shengli asked, and he answered politely, showing a cultured and courteous manner. It was evident that Cen Shengli was quite satisfied with him.

Ning Zheng and Sun Xiaoqing probably wanted to know more about Cen Zhiyuan. They asked him several times, but his answers were limited to a few words or simple nods and shakes of the head.

The atmosphere was uncomfortable and strained.

Cen Shengli had to bring up some things about Cen Zhiyuan’s childhood himself. However, compared to Ning Zheng and his wife, who remembered every detail about Ning Zhe, Cen Shengli didn’t have much to say. Being a busy man, especially in the early days of his career when the two children were still young, he almost never stayed at home. Cen Zhiyuan and Cen Zhisen were raised by nannies and housekeepers. They went abroad for studies at a very young age and spent over a decade overseas. They rarely visited home, maybe twice a year at most. Thus, the relationship between the brothers was distant, and they were not as close to Cen Shengli as the Ning family was to each other.

It was only in the past half year, after Cen Shengli had finished his surgery and partially retired, that Cen Zhiyuan started coming home more often. However, compared to the intimate relationship within the Ning family, they were still far behind.

“Ning Zhe prefers sweet food, and doesn’t like spicy or seafood. Do you know what Zhiyuan likes to eat?” Sun Xiaoqing, a Chinese language teacher, had a gentle voice, matching her temperament, which Cen Zhiyuan oddly resembled.

Cen Shengli looked somewhat uneasy when asked this question. Indeed, he couldn’t answer it.

Cen Zhiyuan seemed not picky about food, but he had never paid attention to what he liked to eat. The household staff took care of everyone’s daily lives, and Cen Shengli thought these were things he didn’t need to worry about.

Just when Cen Zhiyuan was about to speak, Cen Zhisen suddenly said, “He also likes sweets.”

Cen Zhiyuan glanced at him, as if surprised that Cen Shengli didn’t know something, and Cen Zhisen did.

Cen Zhisen’s tone was casual as he continued, “All kinds of cookies and cakes. Once, on my birthday, he ate most of the cake by himself and even got a stomach ache.”

Sun Xiaoqing hurriedly said, “It’s good to like cookies and cakes. When you have time, Zhiyuan, come to our house. I’ll bake some for you.”

Cen Zhiyuan just said, “Okay,” but his thoughts seemed to be drifting away.

What Cen Zhisen mentioned happened more than twenty years ago.

The relationship between him and Cen Zhisen had always been bad since childhood. When their grandparents were alive, they favored Cen Zhisen and despised him, blaming him for their mother’s death. Influenced by uncles and aunts who fanned the flames, he, being young at that time, felt both envy and jealousy towards Cen Zhisen. Even on his birthday, he never had a share because it coincided with his mother’s death anniversary.

Eating most of Cen Zhisen’s birthday cake was just a childish act of revenge. However, over the years, he had indeed carried a mindset of not wanting to lose to Cen Zhisen, always trying to compete with his elder brother. Now, he no longer had the opportunity.

Cen Zhiyuan stood up and said, “I’ll go to the restroom,” then turned and left the seat.

He went straight out of the private room, walked to the end of the corridor, and stopped to take out a cigarette from his pocket.

There was only one left in the pack, and the rest were smoked last night.

He lit the cigarette and bit into it. He stared at the desolate autumn scene in the courtyard, feeling a sense of desolation in his mood.

He was already twenty-seven, not seven or seventeen. He wouldn’t cry or feel desperate upon learning about his origin, but he couldn’t describe the feeling in his heart.

Especially after seeing the harmonious Ning family of three.

After finishing the cigarette, he stood in place for a moment, walked into the adjacent restroom, approached the sink, turned on the water, and bent down to continuously splash the cold tap water on his face.

For several minutes, the stinging sensation of the cold water gradually emptied his mind. When he raised his head again, he saw, in the mirror, Cen Zhisen standing behind him, hands in his pockets, looking at him.

Their eyes met through the mirror for an instant. Cen Zhiyuan quickly averted his gaze, lowered his head, and shook off the damp strands of hair.

“Let’s go back. You’ve been out for a long time,” Cen Zhisen reminded him in a soft voice.

Cen Zhiyuan stood up straight, turned around, and as he passed by Cen Zhisen, a hand suddenly reached out and grabbed his arm.

Before Cen Zhiyuan could frown, Cen Zhisen handed him a handkerchief, saying, “Wipe the water off your face and hair. It won’t look good if you go back like this, and it’ll make Dad and Mr. Ning uncomfortable.”

Cen Zhiyuan didn’t take it, his gaze falling on Cen Zhisen’s gray-blue checkered handkerchief. Cen Zhisen raised his chin slightly, “Don’t worry, it hasn’t wiped anything dirty.”

He directly stuffed the handkerchief into Cen Zhiyuan’s hand.

Cen Zhiyuan couldn’t be bothered to say anything. He turned around and faced the mirror again, using the handkerchief to wipe his face and then his hair.

His movements were slow, and as he looked at himself in the mirror, he occasionally glanced at Cen Zhisen behind him, finding words where there were none, “How did you find out about me and Ning Zhe?”

“Coincidence,” Cen Zhisen said casually. “I wanted to invite his mentor to be a technical consultant for Cen An, went to their school a few times, and happened to see him. Besides looking like Mom, he also has a red birthmark on his left arm.”

“A birthmark?” Cen Zhiyuan asked.

“Yeah,” Cen Zhisen explained. “When he was born, I went to the hospital to see him. No one noticed it among the elders. Later, when you were brought back, the birthmark was gone. I asked about it, and the elders either didn’t believe what I said, or they said the red spots on newborns are a physiological phenomenon, and they would disappear in a few days. I don’t know if it’s true, but I’ve always remembered it.”

“It’s amazing that you still remember a birthmark on your own brother,” Cen Zhiyuan sneered.

Cen Zhisen didn’t care much about his tone. Perhaps he was used to it long ago. “I asked about his birthday and the hospital of birth. After coming home, I told Dad, and then we did a paternity test with Dad and you. After the results came out, we contacted the Ning family.”

“When did the paternity test results between me and Dad come out?” Cen Zhiyuan asked.

Cen Zhisen looked into his eyes reflected in the mirror and said, “On the day of the board meeting last month.”

That day, Cen Zhiyuan remembered when he thought he had a hold on Cen Zhisen, but in reality, this person simply didn’t care; he had the upper hand.

After a moment, he said, “I’m taking some time off.”

Cen Zhisen casually nodded, “Sure, get things arranged, and delegate responsibilities to the subordinates.”

Cen Zhiyuan sneered, “To avoid everyone saying that I’m targeting you, causing you trouble and making it difficult for you to work. If I’m not around, your troubles will probably be reduced by half.”

Cen Zhisen didn’t deny it, “So you knew.”

Their relationship had always been like this, especially when the two were alone. There were few times when they could speak calmly. Cen Zhiyuan was indeed his biggest trouble, always had been.

A few years ago, when Cen Zhiyuan had just returned to the company after graduating, Cen Zhisen had considered repairing their brotherly relationship. However, Cen Zhiyuan didn’t buy into it, so he gave up on the idea.

They were probably just incompatible by nature. Knowing that Cen Zhiyuan was not his biological brother, Cen Zhisen instead felt a sense of confirmation that things were as he expected. They couldn’t be a family, and forcing it wouldn’t help.

Cen Zhiyuan finished drying his hair, turned around, and handed the handkerchief back to him, saying, “Thanks.”

A nonchalant “thanks” was uttered with little sincerity.

Cen Zhisen took it, looked into Cen Zhiyuan’s eyes for a moment, then suddenly raised his hand, and wiped the side of his neck with the handkerchief.

Cen Zhiyuan was startled and instinctively turned his head. Cen Zhisen’s gaze fell to the ends of his hair, quickly wiped it clean, and withdrew his hand.

“There’s still a bit of water at the ends,” Cen Zhisen said.

Cen Zhiyuan didn’t say anything more, just lifted his steps and walked away.

Cen Zhisen put the handkerchief back into his pocket and followed after him.