Seeing Liang Zixiu subdued, Yu Shulin lowered the hand holding the fruit knife, sat down by the bed, picked up an apple, and began to peel it. "I won't cut myself." His well-behaved and docile appearance bore no trace of the fierce aura from moments before.
Liang Jian finally digested the news, his face darkening as he asked, "Liang Zhou, what exactly is going on with the will?"
Liang Zhou, who had been observing this other side of his younger brother, was displeased by the interruption and replied flatly, "I become the Best Actor, Glory returns to me, and your management rights are revoked. That's what's going on."
"Best Actor... management rights..." Liang Jian muttered to himself, finally understanding the scheme his elder brother had plotted all those years ago. He stood up abruptly, no longer concealing his emotions, and said coldly, "Truly a will worthy of that film-obsessed man. Want to take back Glory? Hmph, I'll give it to you. Don't you regret it! Zixiu, get up, we're leaving."
The father and son stormed out in a rage. Yu Shulin handed the peeled apple to Liang Zhou, organized the information he had heard, and lowered his head in thought.
"Don't space out. Have you had dinner?" Liang Zhou, eating the "apple of love" peeled by his younger brother, was in quite a good mood.
"They..." Yu Shulin was somewhat worried. Although he didn't understand the specifics... that Liang Jian seemed like a cunning character, not the type to spit out meat already in his mouth.
"Don't worry. Even without the inheritance Father left, I can afford to raise you." Liang Zhou wasn't very concerned. He glanced at the grapes scattered all over the floor and narrowed his eyes. "After Uncle goes back and verifies the will's authenticity, he will definitely take most of the company's artists and resources to start his own venture. He's had this plan for quite some time; I just caught him off guard."
"A talent agency without artists... wouldn't that become an empty shell?" Yu Shulin imagined the situation and felt it didn't look promising.
"It's fine. This is actually a good opportunity to restructure the company and pivot." After finishing the apple, Liang Zhou tossed the core into the trash, wiped his hands, and ruffled Yu Shulin's hair. "How were your monthly exams?"
"..." The change of topic was anything but smooth.
After a make-do dinner at the hospital, Yu Shulin, who wanted to stay overnight, was mercilessly sent home by Liang Zhou.
After finishing his homework, Yu Shulin climbed into bed, hugging his pillow. His mind dwelled on the events at the hospital during the day, and his confusion grew deeper.
Liang Zhou said he had inheritance rights... What did that mean? Did Father already know about my existence?
Mother never spoke of Father, but what about Father's feelings toward Mother? Also, why did Liang Zhou get the news right after Mother passed away and immediately send someone to take over my guardianship?
After being reborn, he had been busy breaking free from Yu Xiu and building a new life for himself, actually forgetting to ask about this... Right, why? Why did Liang Zhou know about Mother's death? Why did he accept me, this younger brother, so naturally? And what was the deal with the inheritance rights he mentioned during the day?
Too strange, too strange...
In short, unable to figure it out, he couldn't sleep.
The next day, Yu Shulin unsurprisingly sported dark circles under his eyes. He stood dumbly on the stairs, rubbing his eyes.
"Brother Ling Chun, what brings you here?"
Ling Chun, standing in the living room, waved him over with a smile. "Haven't seen you in months, Little Yu, you've grown quite a bit. Come down quickly, I'll take you to the hospital to see your brother."
"Ah? Oh, please wait a moment, Brother Ling Chun." He ran back to his room to grab his backpack before coming downstairs.
In the car, he kept rubbing his eyes and yawning. Ling Chun noticed and asked, "Didn't sleep well?"
"Yeah." He nodded, rubbing his face, trying to wake himself up.
"Because of the inheritance rights? Curious about how your brother happened to appear right after your mother passed away?"
He instantly perked up, turning to look at Ling Chun. "Brother Ling Chun knows?"
"Of course I know." Ling Chun nodded nonchalantly, giving him an amused look. "Your thoughts are practically written on your face. I was wondering when you'd finally realize. It's nothing strange. Your mother and your father kept in touch all along. Your brother also knew about your existence for a long time. Hmm, but due to certain agreements, he just quietly kept an eye on you."
Knew all along? Yu Shulin was stunned for a long moment. Then, with a crash, all sorts of thoughts tangled and exploded in his mind—If they were in contact, why did Mother never mention Father in front of me? What did Liang Chi think of me, his son? And Liang Zhou... If he knew about my existence all along and was quietly watching over me... then in my past life, when I lived so miserably... did he know? Given Liang Zhou's character, if he knew...
He suddenly recalled some small details from after he was imprisoned: the sudden cell change after being bullied by inmates, the guards who became more polite, and his life becoming increasingly peaceful compared to the harsh, chaotic prison environment... He had thought himself lucky back then, but now, thinking carefully...
Was it Liang Zhou's doing? Was it? Was it really... him?
"If, I'm just saying if, back then I had chosen Yu Xiu as my guardian, then my brother, he..." His voice was a bit hoarse. A certain suspicion in his heart made his throat feel so choked he could barely speak.
"Probably would have done the same as before: occasionally checking on your life. If you were doing well, he wouldn't disturb you. If you weren't, he'd lend a hand." Ling Chun thought he was angry about his parents secretly keeping in touch and patted his head reassuringly, smiling. "Don't be upset. Now you're living well with your brother. Don't let the previous generation's matters trouble you."
...That's it. In his past life, Liang Zhou must have secretly helped him.
Burying his face in his backpack, he felt his eyes grow warm. So, during his most miserable and down-and-out moments in his past life, someone was quietly caring for him. That's good, that's really good... Thinking of it this way, his past self wasn't entirely pitiful.
The long-forgotten hatred towards Yu Xiu's family surged up again. If not for Yu Xiu's family, how could he have ended up in prison? And how, right after being released, could he have been stabbed to death outside the prison gates by the family of the victim from back then!
It was all because of them!
...If he hadn't died after being released, would he and Liang Zhou have met? Would he have had the chance to know that after Mother's death, someone still cared about him...
"What's the situation with Yu Xiu's family now?" He tightened his grip on the backpack in his arms, his gaze heavy as he watched the approaching hospital building.
"Hmm? Why bring up that family all of a sudden?" Ling Chun glanced at him in surprise, then seemed to remember something. He rummaged in the car, pulled out a small box, and tossed it to him. "Here, recovered assets. That family is currently scrambling to raise money everywhere. Yu Xiu has been fired from his job, and your aunt seems to be suspended. At this rate, it won't be long before they have to sell their house and car to pay you back."
Yu Shulin opened the box, touched the pair of diamond earrings inside, and said, "Then don't press them for repayment. Let them keep the house and car."
"What?" Ling Chun didn't understand his meaning and raised an eyebrow. "You're not making them pay the money back anymore?"
He looked toward the approaching hospital gates and narrowed his eyes. "They'll pay. But there's no rush. If we push them to their deaths, we won't get the money anyway. I want to grind them down slowly." If they didn't leave the car for them, what would Yu Bo use to commit his crimes later!
"...Actually, in some ways, you and your brother are quite alike," Ling Chun said thoughtfully.
Hearing him mention Liang Zhou, the coldness on Yu Shulin's face vanished completely, replaced by pure curiosity. "How are we alike?" He had examined himself carefully; he and Liang Zhou shared no facial resemblance whatsoever. No one who saw them would ever guess they were biological brothers.
"In your attitude towards enemies. You're both as ruthless as the autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves."
"..."
