Chapter 21

“The literal meaning—how does it feel to have your eyes on the pot while eating from the bowl?” Mu Beiwang’s lips curled into a mocking smile, his eyes cold as he looked at Mu Beichen, making no effort to hide his dissatisfaction and contempt.

Hearing this, Mu Beichen’s brows furrowed slightly. He seemed displeased, but he forced down his emotions and said in a low, weary voice, “Don’t talk nonsense. I didn’t.”

“Yes, you didn’t,” Mu Beiwang sneered, then continued, “You just left your fiancée—who’s been waiting for you—completely ignored. Do you know? She went out at eight in the morning, full of joy, waiting in front of the bureau for you so you could go register your marriage.”

“But you? You went to pick up Xu Xueqing, drank a wedding toast with her, and even gave her the birthday gift that was supposed to be for Chuwei.”

Mu Beichen’s lips moved as if he wanted to explain, but in the end, no words came out.

Seeing this, Mu Beiwang grew even angrier. He glared at Mu Beichen and said, “Mu Beichen, do you even think of Chuwei as your fiancée?”

“Yesterday when she came home, something was obviously wrong—her eyes were swollen from crying. I went to ask her about it, and she just said that when you introduced her to someone, you only called her your little sister.”

“And you said that in front of Xu Xueqing. What exactly did you mean by that? Isn’t it just that you don’t want to acknowledge her as your fiancée?”

Mu Beichen’s face paled slightly, and he murmured, “I didn’t.”

“I don’t believe it. Don’t tell me you can’t see that Xu Xueqing likes you. Can you really say you haven’t noticed?” Mu Beiwang said with disdain.

Of course, Mu Beichen knew about Xu Xueqing’s feelings for him.

“I turned her down, and I’ve said I would marry Xia Chuwei. Also, Mu Beiwang, I’m your older brother—can you stop always siding with her?”

Mu Beiwang’s lips curved into a cold smile, his laugh laced with ridicule and scorn.

“I know you’re my brother,” he said, “but if I could choose, I’d rather not have a brother like you—ungrateful and shameless.”

He went on harshly, “And you have the nerve to say Chuwei has been living off our family all these years? I might not be as capable as you, but at least I have a conscience. At least I know what shame is.”

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he continued, “Chuwei owes our family nothing. If anything, it’s the Mu family that owes her—far too much.”

“If it hadn’t been for her father sacrificing his life to save ours, she should have grown up as a cherished daughter, loved by her parents. But because of what happened to our father, she had to watch her parents die in front of her, one after the other.”

At this point, Mu Beiwang’s eyes grew red, though he stubbornly held back his tears. “Do you have any idea how she’s survived all these years?”

“Because she was living in our home, she was mocked at school as an orphan with no parents.”

“But she never told Mom and Dad, and she wouldn’t even let me say anything—she didn’t want to trouble the family.”

“In front of us, she always acted happy, like nothing had happened.”

“But did you ever see how cautious she is behind that smile? She’s afraid of burdening us, afraid we’ll dislike her, so she tiptoes through life, terrified of making even the smallest mistake.”

“When she first came to live with us, her appetite was pitifully small. Mom and Dad were worried sick, thinking it was grief that made her unable to eat.”

“But that wasn’t the truth.”

“She ate so little because she was scared we’d resent her. She worried we’d dislike her for eating too much and even drive her away.”

“So she would rather fill her stomach with water at night than take an extra bite at dinner.”

Whenever Mu Beiwang thought about this, his eyes would sting again.

He clearly remembered one time when she was so hungry she cried.

And even then, she begged him not to tell the adults, promising she’d eat less in the future—just as long as they didn’t make her leave.

Mu Beiwang knew she had already lost her parents and had no other relatives, so he always took her words to heart.

He, too, was afraid she’d be sent away, so at the dinner table, he would quietly put food in her bowl. Whenever her bowl was empty, he would rush to refill it.

And as for Xia Chuwei, she was always careful to watch Mom and Dad’s expressions, afraid they’d be displeased.

Only later, when she realized they didn’t mind her eating and were actually happy to see her eat well, did she finally start eating her fill.

“When others mocked her, where were you? When she needed you the most, did you ever show her a shred of care?”

“Do you even know what she likes or dislikes?”

Mu Beiwang’s sharp questions came one after another, giving no quarter.

Mu Beichen’s lips parted slightly, but no sound came out.

His mind was blank—he realized he knew almost nothing about Chuwei. Not even her favorite or least favorite foods.

Seeing this, Mu Beiwang’s anger burned even hotter.

“So, aside from being her so-called fiancé in name, what else are you to her?” he demanded.

“And even that one title—you can’t bring yourself to acknowledge it! If you care so little for her, then let her go! She deserves someone who truly loves and cherishes her.”

Mu Beichen stared at his younger brother in disbelief. “Why do you care about her so much?”

A mocking smile touched Mu Beiwang’s lips. “Because she’s worth it. Compared to you as a brother, she’s a far more reliable sister to me.”

“She’s been good to me—and because she’s someone the Mu family is deeply indebted to.”

“Have you ever thought about it, big brother—if Uncle Xia hadn’t saved Father back then, what would have happened to us?” Mu Beiwang looked him in the eye.

“You know what Mom and Dad’s relationship was like. If it weren’t for Uncle Xia, the ones without parents would be us. We would have been sent back to live with Grandpa and Grandma.”

“And you know they favored our eldest uncle’s family. Do you really think they’d have treated us well? No—they wouldn’t have. We probably wouldn’t even have had the chance to go to school.”

“Maybe you could’ve fought for an education. Me? Forget living comfortably like now—I would’ve had trouble just getting enough to eat.”

It was precisely because Mu Beiwang knew this that he treated Xia Chuwei well. Otherwise, he would have felt nothing but guilt.