Chapter 4

Chapter 4

A familiar voice, tinged with coldness, came from behind.

“Then tell me, who do you deem worthy of being called your brother?”

Silence descended upon the room.

Song Manman’s anger dissipated. She helped the dumbstruck Su Shengli to his feet and, passing Gu Yihong, shot him a venomous glare.

“You… how could you! He’s your brother! Even if you don’t like him, you can’t hit him!”

Gu Yihong’s smile vanished.

He slowly turned, his eyes locking onto a young man at the door, dressed in a silver suit, with a refined, scholarly air. A flicker of crimson appeared in Gu Yihong’s eyes.

Su! Lin! Yuan!

The undisputed heir apparent of the Su family. If not for the car accident that left him disabled, the Su family’s inheritance would never have fallen to the overlooked Gu Yubai.

In his past life, after Gu Yubai’s death, Gu Yihong had meticulously chosen an auspicious burial date and a prime feng shui plot for him. Midway through the ceremony, Su Linyuan had arrived uninvited, bringing a dozen men. Without warning, they stormed directly to the urn. Amid Gu Yihong’s horrified, wide-eyed screams and hysterical cries, Su Linyuan had grinned maliciously, opening the urn without hesitation and scattering the ashes.

That was Gu Yubai’s sole remaining proof of existence in this world.

Gu Yihong felt himself lose control. He lunged forward, his fist slamming heavily into Su Linyuan, who had come to disrupt the ceremony.

Gu Yubai cherished peace, so only Gu Yihong and the lawyer had attended the burial. But with Su Linyuan’s uninvited arrival, the scene instantly erupted into chaos, the ceremony devolving into a brawl. Alone, Gu Yihong fought off every single person Su Linyuan had brought.

By the time he fully regained his senses, bodies lay strewn across the floor. Su Linyuan’s bodyguards hadn’t even truly fought back; once knocked down by Gu Yihong, they never got up again.

Later, it became a one-on-one between Gu Yihong and the half-crippled Su Linyuan. Su Linyuan, already mobility-impaired, emerged from that day with a partially useless arm, and a scarred, blackened face where Gu Yihong had bitten him—a permanent mark.

Gu Yihong still had strength.

But as he stared at Su Linyuan, his face covered in blood, not a single patch of unblemished skin, he thought of Gu Yubai, whose ashes hadn’t even been preserved. Suddenly, this damned life felt utterly meaningless!

Gu Yihong didn’t just dislike Su Linyuan; he hated him!

Hated him to the bone. Even after learning that Su Linyuan had merely suspected Gu Yubai of faking his death and had accidentally scattered the ashes, Gu Yihong spent his entire life suppressing him.

At least until Gu Yihong’s own death, Su Linyuan never knew peace.

The smile vanished from Gu Yihong’s face. He turned and stared intently at Su Linyuan, then a mocking sneer twisted his lips.

He stated bluntly, “No one in this house is worthy of being my brother. Not you, and certainly not the dog you’re protecting!”

“What exactly did Mrs. Song mean earlier? Did she think I’m naturally good-tempered, so she could immediately start questioning my identity the moment I returned, granting benefits to some impostor? Or did she think I wouldn’t dare lose my temper, forcing me to grovel like the rest of you for a fake?”

The young man was wild and untamed, exuding an aura of fearless defiance. Right now, he was seething, the contempt in his eyes almost palpable.

His words were harsh, yet delivered with such loud, righteous conviction that Su Linyuan was momentarily stunned.

When he finally processed the words, Su Linyuan was so exasperated by Gu Yihong’s absurd accusations that he laughed.

What did he mean by “groveling for the fake young master”? Who was forcing Gu Yihong, who had just returned home, to suck up to anyone?

Su Linyuan didn’t know exactly what Song Manman had said to Gu Yihong, but he knew his mother and brother well. Song Manman was gentle and refined, Su Shengli innocent and mild-mannered; neither would ever say anything so unpleasant.

The culprit could only be this newly returned brother. Just listen to how nasty his words were!

Who was this “dog” Su Linyuan was supposedly protecting?

Su Shengli?

Hah.

Su Linyuan laughed mirthlessly at his own conjecture, his gaze turning cold.

He had long suspected the character of this biological brother, who had been separated from them at birth. Truly… not surprising at all.

Troublesome, untamed, and even… greedy and malicious.

But he was even more shallow than Su Linyuan had imagined. Just returned, knowing no one, yet daring to cause such a ruckus in the house.

Who was the true villain?

Su Linyuan felt he couldn’t let such a ill-tempered child run wild, taking advantage of the Su family’s guilt to act lawlessly.

Someone as shallow and arrogant as Gu Yihong needed to be disciplined, so he wouldn’t bully his family.

With that thought, Su Linyuan pointed at Gu Yihong and scolded him loudly.

“If you have so many grievances, why did you even come back with Butler Zhang? Does this family really lack a young master? If you don’t want to be here, then go wherever you please! No need to vent your anger in someone else’s home.”

Someone else’s home.

Gu Yihong abruptly stopped. He turned and glared intensely at Su Linyuan, silent for several seconds.

Su Linyuan was convinced his newly returned biological brother wouldn’t dare leave the wealthy haven of the Su family. Seeing his silence, he felt he had him under control.

But a clear sense of disappointment arose within him.

This kind of person… this kind of bully who preyed on the weak, was he truly Su Linyuan’s biological brother?

He was utterly incomparable to Su Shengli.

Su Linyuan narrowed his eyes, about to continue his lecture, when the young man suddenly bolted up the stairs, heading directly for the enormous vase by the staircase.

The next second, the exquisitely patterned vase, nearly as tall as a person, crashed down from above, shattering with a loud bang on the first floor.

Although the vase’s landing spot had avoided everyone, the ceramic shards still scattered everywhere upon impact.

Su Shengli, still sitting on the floor, was startled, scrambling to his feet on shaky legs, his face gradually paling.

Song Manman shrieked and recoiled, quickly steadied by Butler Zhang.

As for the usually composed Su Linyuan, his face turned thunderous!

Amidst the eerie, bleak atmosphere, Gu Yihong suddenly broke into a brilliant smile.

He pointed at Su Linyuan and cursed loudly, “Do you think I’m desperate to be in your family?!”

In less than half an hour since arriving at the Su residence, Gu Yihong had felt nothing but malicious speculation and wary defensiveness—except from Butler Zhang.

If even someone as defiant as him was treated this way, he couldn’t imagine what kind of grievances the gentle-tempered Gu Yubai had endured in the Su family in his past life to become so cold later on.

The thought made Gu Yihong’s heart ache for Gu Yubai.

If he didn’t turn the Su family upside down today, he wouldn’t be Gu Yubai’s most beloved brother!

-------

Gu Yubai was woken up in the middle of the night by his incessantly ringing phone.

Bleary-eyed, he answered the call, only to hear Gu Yihong’s strained, excited voice.

“Big bro, come out for barbecue! It’s midnight snack time—let’s grab some beer!”

Irritated by the disturbance, Gu Yubai hung up immediately, turned over, pulled the covers over his head, and hugged the bedding beneath him, trying to fall back asleep.

It was summer, and the air conditioning was on. Gu Yubai didn’t feel hot at all, cozy under his blanket, and slept quite comfortably.

Just as he closed his eyes, his phone rang again.

Still Gu Yihong.

This time, his voice was pleading.

“Big bro, come out quick! I ordered your favorite grilled enoki mushrooms wrapped in bacon and lamb skewers—they’re absolutely authentic.”

“Come on, big bro, come get me. I can’t find my way home. Please come pick me up. I’m right in front of our usual barbecue stall.”

Gu Yihong’s tone was a mix of demanding yet pathetic, as if he were drunk. This finally shook Gu Yubai fully awake.

After walking for over twenty minutes, Gu Yubai spotted Gu Yihong drinking beer outside a hazy barbecue spot.

Surprisingly, Gu Yihong didn’t seem as pitiful as he had sounded on the phone. On the contrary, he was having the time of his life—taking bites of skewers and sips of beer while happily humming along to the drama playing on the restaurant’s big-screen TV outside.

Gu Yubai took a few steps forward just as a black luxury car by the roadside turned on its headlights, preparing to leave.

Su Linyuan, massaging his temples in frustration, lifted his gaze, and their eyes met.

A second later, the car and the man passed each other.

He froze for several seconds, his mind replaying the young man’s face—only for it to morph into the wild, untamed face of his own younger brother.

A fresh wave of headache hit him. Why couldn’t his real brother be that kind-looking young man instead?

----

“Big bro!”

From a distance, Gu Yihong spotted Gu Yubai and came running excitedly. He pulled him to the table piled high with skewers and waved for the owner to bring out a plate of grilled lobster.

The lobster was the size of a basketball—completely unexpected for a barbecue stall.

Its shell had been peeled open, revealing tender, fragrant meat soaked in the owner’s homemade garlic sauce. The aroma alone was tempting.

Gu Yubai’s eyebrow arched as he turned to Gu Yihong.

“Where’d this come from? Didn’t you say you’d be at the hospital tonight and not coming home?”

Gu Yihong let out a nervous laugh. “Big bro, I need to tell you something. Promise you won’t get mad.”

He looked thoroughly guilty.

Glancing at the basketball-sized lobster on the table and recalling the encounter with Su Linyuan, Gu Yubai already had a guess.

Sure enough, the next second, Gu Yihong rushed to explain, “Big bro, some family came looking for me, insisting I’m their long-lost son. I went with them just to check, but… turns out I really am their kid.”

He forced another laugh. “But they don’t actually want me. I had no idea I was adopted too, let alone that I’d suddenly find my birth family.”

Gu Yubai’s expression turned peculiar. “That’s quite the story.”

Gu Yihong scratched his head nervously, avoiding eye contact as a hint of dejection flashed across his face.

“I’m not lying, big bro. That family’s wealthy, but they already have a replacement who took my place. The only reason they brought me back was because the grandfather thought a Su shouldn’t be left outside—they don’t actually care about me.”

“They think I’m just in the way, disrupting their bonding time with their stand-in son. They showed me the door in less than half an hour.”

Would the Su family, with all their pretenses, really resort to something as crude as kicking someone out? More likely, Gu Yihong had done something to provoke them.

Gu Yubai let out an amused huff.

Thinking he wasn’t being believed, Gu Yihong got defensive.

“I’m serious! I figured, why should I take this treatment when I’ve got you and Uncle? So I just left. But I wanted to tell you so they don’t start harassing you too later.”

“Oh, and this lobster? Butler Zhang shoved it into my hands on my way out. After we finish eating, I’ll go home with you.”

Gu Yihong stretched the truth, his expression the model of obedience around Gu Yubai.

----

In reality, Gu Yihong had thrown the Su estate into utter chaos.

After smashing the vase upstairs, he showed no fear of Su Linyuan’s stormy expression, descending the stairs to point an accusing finger at him, refuting his earlier words.

“Why shouldn’t I come back? I *am* the Su family’s young master! This *is* my home!”

“Of course I have complaints! I was lost for nearly twenty years, and when I finally come back with the butler, I expected my parents and family to greet me with warmth, to at least ask how I’d spent those twenty years. Instead of feeling guilty or ashamed for losing me, you didn’t even offer a single word of welcome.”

“Your very first words were to find an excuse for this impostor, who replaced me, to stay in the Su family. Bah! What twin? Do you take me for a fool?”

“You yourselves acted unfairly, sacrificing my interests. As the victim, why should I silently endure it? Why can’t I speak for myself?”

“And ‘someone else’s home’? If you didn’t want another person, why bother bringing me back?!”

Gu Yihong kicked Su Linyuan squarely. He swiftly entered the kitchen beside the living room, and after a cacophony of crashing pots and pans, Gu Yihong kicked over a glass tank with a lid, sending a live lobster scuttling out and then kicking it further outside.

His arrogance was indescribable, as if he were utterly fearless!

Su Linyuan was fuming, his anger reaching its peak. He stormed in, and the live lobster flew directly onto Su Linyuan’s head.

Song Manman shrieked, instinctively calling for security.

Gu Yihong was still not done. Relying on his agile movements, he dodged everyone’s attempts to surround him, still pointing at Su Linyuan and cursing loudly.

“You say I have a bad temper, but look at how your Su family treats me! On my first day, I just made a little noise, and you’re already calling security!”

“Fine, I’ll leave! Who cares about being a Su family son? I’m truly glad I was smart enough not to be fooled by your family. If you’re this biased now, who knows if you’d try to ‘discipline’ me three times a day if I actually lived here!”

Gu Yihong swaggered towards the door.

He had turned the Su family upside down, throwing and smashing things, leaving Su Linyuan so enraged he could only point a finger, speechless.

A triumphant smirk played on Gu Yihong’s lips, as if his entire trip with Butler Zhang had been leading to this very moment.

As he passed Su Linyuan, Gu Yihong bent down and picked up the live lobster, carrying it away as his trophy.