"Su Xiao..."
The older maid opened her mouth to stop him, but then heard a few laughs coming from inside.
It belonged to a woman, clear and soft.
Su Yu knew that the voice belonged to the owner of the straw hat on the table, the only mistress of the Su family, Su Zhaofeng's lawfully wedded wife, Xu Wanqing.
"I need to see my brother about something, I'll be out soon."
He had only been kicked out for a few days, but the servants already treated him like an outsider.
Hearing him say that, the maid didn't continue speaking, but simply composed herself and continued sweeping the floor.
As soon as he entered, he saw several large suitcases placed at the door.
Xu Wanqing, wearing a white dress, was standing not far away by the sofa, holding something and talking to the man sitting next to her.
The two must have just returned from vacation. What bad luck, he thought he could avoid them.
Su Zhaofeng was the first to notice him enter. The man's smiling face immediately turned serious, and his eyes became more serious as he looked towards the door.
Xu Wanqing, standing beside her, turned her head in confusion, her smile freezing on her face.
Her fair face, already powdered, turned even paler, her lips trembling uncontrollably, and her eyes filled with undisguised disgust.
Su Yu forced a smile and called out, "Auntie, Dad."
"Why are you back without even saying hello?"
Su Zhaofeng subtly pulled her hand, urging her to sit down, but Xu Wanqing remained rooted to the spot.
She slammed the things in her hands to the ground, shook off Su Zhaofeng's hand, and pointed at the man, cursing him. She was a far cry from her gentle and cheerful self just moments before.
She had transformed from a mother into a shrew, and all of this was because of this man.
"Su Zhaofeng, what do you mean? Didn't you say you kicked him out? Are you still thinking about that dead woman?!"
Su Zhaofeng, embarrassed, turned grim and hissed coldly, "Enough. I'll talk to you about this later."
"Talk to you later? Haven't I put up with him for years?"
Xu Wanqing's beautiful eyes flashed with disbelief. "You want me dead! Do you know how disgusted I feel when I see him? Just thinking about you and that woman makes me…"
The two were about to put on a show right in front of Su Yu.
Their faces were flushed, and the argument was extremely awkward.
Su Yu's fingers curled up at his sides, gripping his trousers. He forced a smile, just like before, "Auntie, Dad, I'm going upstairs to find my brother."
He lifted his stiff legs and went upstairs, ignoring the thorns behind him.
As he stepped onto the last step, he heard something crash and shatter on the ground below. The sound
was piercing, like a sharp blade tearing through the last veil of dignity.
Su Yu stood outside Su Yan's door, letting out a long breath to even out his breathing.
He opened his hand at his side, curled his fingers, and knocked on the door.
The door opened quickly, and Su Yan, wearing a black T-shirt, appeared pale. Seeing him, he turned and went into the room.
Su Yu followed him in.
Su Yan turned and sat down in a chair: "Close the door."
The door closed, shutting out the noisy commotion downstairs.
Su Yan gestured to the chair beside him: "Sit down."
Before things had progressed to this point, Su Yu still considered him an older brother, not that close, but at least the only person in the house he could talk to.
They would sometimes sit and chat together, but now, things were very different.
"No need."
Su Yu leaned back against the door, lazily reclining, his arms crossed.
Su Yan smiled: "Little brother doesn't need to be so hostile towards me, and I don't intend to do anything to you."
He truly hadn't started anything yet.
Su Yu laughed, "It's not hostility. There's a proper attitude when discussing cooperation. Isn't that what Dad taught me?"
This made Su Yan laugh even harder, almost shaking with laughter, his eyes showing disbelief: "Such serious words coming from your mouth."
"What, are you surprised, brother?"
"Not surprised, you shouldn't think like that."
Su Yan's smile instantly turned cold, the upward curve of his lips disappearing, making him appear icy and serious.
He slowly said, word by word, "Su Yu, you're just an illegitimate child, good for loafing around and waiting to die. Why are you going against your brother now? Isn't it good that I'm giving you money?"
"With the money, you can pursue your damn freedom, and you won't have to get in each other's way here. Isn't that a win-win situation?"
The noise downstairs grew louder, and Su Yan became increasingly irritated, his tone gradually becoming impatient, he sounding somewhat agitated.
"Su Yu, you should listen to me, take the money in the card and leave, get out of here."
A lake that had been calm for nearly twenty years was torn open, its bloody contents exposed before the two of them.
Su Yu's eyelashes trembled slightly, and he tightened his arms around his chest to prevent his body temperature from dropping.
He had known this day would come.
Everything since the day Su Zhaofeng met his mother had been a mistake. Su Zhaofeng shouldn't have deceived another innocent woman while already having a family.
And Xu Wanqing was just a pitiful and innocent woman.
She had only acted out of jealousy, fear, and nausea, so from childhood, she couldn't help but lose her mind, cry, and go crazy whenever she saw Su Yu.
She had frightened a little child.
But none of this was her fault.
Su Yu leaned against the door frame, feeling as if the voices behind the thin door were about to tear him apart.
If he could leave the Su family, would their lives return to peace?
His mother had already paid the price with her life, and now he was the only guilty one.
Su Zhaofeng was acquitted because he had love.
"I don't want money, I just want that suicide note."
He raised his head and looked directly into Su Yan's eyes.
"Tch."
A sneer floated in the air, as if mocking his immaturity.
"Little brother, should I say you're sentimental or just stupid?"
Su Yan felt more hatred than love for Su Zhaofeng, but he couldn't live without this man, so he endured the humiliation.
He suppressed his disgust, waiting for the day he could grow strong enough
to stand on his own two feet. But then a fledgling bird fluttered up in front of him, declaring its desire for freedom, for facing the storms outside.
Su Yan's words of overestimation stuck in his throat; he couldn't bring himself to say them. More than sarcasm, he felt envy—envy of Su Yu's naive courage, and jealousy of his ability to pursue that so-called fragile freedom at any time.
Worthless.
"Stop talking nonsense, give it or not."
He was confident in his bargaining chip. Su Yu wasn't so confident with others, but with his brother,
he knew he couldn't gamble, couldn't gamble on the consequences of losing the Ji family's permanent cooperation rights.
Su Yan lowered his head, a slight smile playing on his lips, and reached into the drawer beside him to take out a thin sheet of paper. "Just a tattered letter. I have a mother, I don't care. No need to be
so harsh with me."
"Su Yan."
Su Yu took the envelope from his fingers, his expression turning icy.
"Who doesn't have a mother? Were you born from a butt?"
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