Chapter 5: Does Dad Really Want to Find Me and Take Me Home?

Chapter 5: Does Dad Really Want to Find Me and Take Me Home?

The bathroom was thick with steam.

Wen Yu carefully took off his clothes, placed his phone aside, and lowered himself into the enormous bathtub.

The bathroom was warm, but he couldn't shake the feeling that someone was breathing down his neck—like walking down the street and suddenly feeling like you're being watched.

Wen Yu looked around.

There was nothing in the bathroom.

Steam drifted lazily under the light, the mirror was all fogged up, a bath towel hung on the rack, and his phone sat quietly on the countertop.

When Wen Yu got up to dry off with the towel, the feeling came back—a gaze, sticky, settling on his shoulders and trailing down his spine.

He walked over, grabbed his phone, checked the time, then set it down and got dressed.

The phone screen flickered on.

A tiny dot on the phone blinked from red back to green.

In the mirror, the boy's face was pale, his eyes red-rimmed from the steam, like a pathetic little rabbit.

He came out and changed into a new outfit—a world away from his earlier shabby look. A tailored shirt and trousers, plus a watch worth a million on his wrist.

When Wen Yu came downstairs, he saw a boy sprawled on the sofa in the living room.

The butler, Wang Shoucheng, had already set the dining table and waved at Wen Yu. "Young Master, dinner's ready."

Wen Yu didn't know where to sit, so he just grabbed any seat. The boy on the sofa in the distance stood up. "So you're my little brother, huh?"

Wang Shoucheng made the introduction. "This is the Second Young Master—your older brother."

The Second Young Master of the Wen family, Wen Qingshi.

Wen Qingshi had an innate arrogance about him—almost spoiled rotten. His eyes weren't especially big, and he never looked at people straight on. Instead, he'd tilt his head and glance sideways out of the corner of his eye.

Wen Yu bit his lip, his lashes fluttering. "Hi, Second Brother."

The atmosphere in the living room was thick with tension. An adopted son and the real young master of a wealthy family—they were like oil and water.

Wen Qingshi looked around, his eyelids half-lowered and the corners of his mouth turned down. "Spineless. What a coward."

Wen Yu's clothes were a size too big, the sleeves swallowing his hands. His voice was weak. "I'm... I'm sorry, Second Brother."

Wen Qingshi walked over to the table but didn't sit down right away. He stood there, one hand in his pocket, the other reaching out to tap the juice next to him.

"Still think you're out in the sticks? Switch it to red wine for him."

Wen Yu shook his head. The freshly poured red wine swirled in the glass, the dark crimson liquid clinging to the sides like dried blood. "I don't drink."

Wen Qingshi sat at the far end of the table with a sneer. "Can't drink? A useless waste who won't even touch alcohol—when they send you to close deals, the partnerships will tank before they even start."

Wang Shoucheng backed against the wall, hands folded in front of him, face blank. He'd been the Wen family's butler for forty years. Wen Qingshi was spoiled and overbearing—nobody could control him except the eldest young master and the old master.

Wen Yu had long lashes. He stared at the light glinting off the red wine for a few seconds, his eyes glassy and wet, shimmering. His hand, gripping the glass, trembled slightly.

"I..."

The boy's lips turned a bruised purple, like he was freezing. The butler, Wang Shoucheng, finally couldn't stand it anymore. "Second Young Master, please don't pick on the young master. The Wen family's rules aren't written in stone."

"Who gave you permission to talk?!" Wen Qingshi snatched the red wine from Wen Yu's hand. The liquid sloshed, and the glass reflected his furious eyes.

Wen Yu's hand hung empty in the air. He'd grown up timid and weak-willed, yet he was the Wen family's real son.

Wen Qingshi poured the wine on the floor, then smashed the glass down, shattering it with a sharp, piercing crack. In a lazy drawl, he said, "How boring. Are you really a Wen, or just some fake latching onto the family name?"

Wang Shoucheng didn't dare say a word. He just stood there, checking his watch every few seconds.

Wen Qingshi wouldn't let up. "What? Nothing to say? Even in designer clothes, do you think you can take my place in this family?"

"I know—you were lost out there and went through a lot. But you've already turned out like this. The only one the Wen family can send for the marriage alliance is me."

Marriage alliance?

Wen Yu's head went empty. What marriage alliance?

He'd been bullied a lot, but he'd never thought about latching onto city folks, let alone a rich family.

The boy's face flushed red at Wen Qingshi's words. He looked past him, locking eyes with Wen Qingshi.

Wen Yu's eyes were wet—the look of something breaking after being pushed past the edge.

Wen Qingshi seemed taken aback by that look. This country bumpkin actually dared to stare him down.

He didn't care how hurt or angry Wen Yu was. He just curled his lips even more. "What are you staring at? What can you even do to me?"

"Do you think you have any worth that deserves my respect? I speak five languages, and I'm the lead on Wen's Group's major projects in Sucheng."

"And you? Being brought back, your only value is as a piece of goods to please men. I'm not like you—a crybaby fool."

"Did you know? The Wen and Shen families are arranging a marriage. I don't know if Father will have you take my place, but I know one thing for sure: you'll probably end up with the Shen family's eldest young master for a while. After all, the Jiangcheng project depends on you."

"To secure that deal, you'll need to become his lover."

Wen Yu stood up. His pupils dilated, his eyes red, his lashes trembling, his lips quivering—like something was stuck in his throat.

He'd always hoped his real parents would find him. Even now, he still wanted their love and company.

But he'd been too naive. Why would they suddenly take him back? It was all about worth. The Wen family didn't want to send out Wen Qingshi, who'd been groomed for years, so they found him—the kid who'd been lost out there.

Wen Yu couldn't listen to this anymore! It was too much!

Pushed past his breaking point, he stared at the red wine next to Wen Qingshi and hurled it right in his face.

"You—!"

"Shut up!"

Wen Qingshi was stunned by Wen Yu's outburst. It was the first time he'd ever been humiliated like that. The red wine was still dripping from his chin. Before he, the one who'd been doused, could even react, Wen Yu started crying first.

Wen Yu's face was deathly pale, his eyes red like a rabbit's, tears streaming down his face. His lips trembled as he turned toward the corner of the table. "Uncle Wang, is what he said true?"

"Did my dad bring me back just to be somebody's lover?"

Wang Shoucheng's jaw tightened, his Adam's apple bobbing like he was swallowing something bitter. "Young Master... I don't know about this either."

Wen Yu didn't dare say another word. The words stuck in his throat, and beside him, Wen Qingshi seemed just as unsatisfied with how things had turned out.

"Who's making all that noise?"

The downstairs hall was buzzing. Someone came down from upstairs, speaking in a calm and steady tone, "Wang Shoucheng, what happened? Didn't my younger brother just return? What are you doing?"

Wen Hanzhou, the eldest young master of the Wen family, the sole heir.

Beside Wen Hanzhou stood a gentle and graceful woman. Wen Yu had reviewed her background before and knew she was his sister-in-law.

"What's this? Wang Shoucheng, why is red wine all over the floor? Clean this up." The woman gestured for him to do so. Wang Shoucheng understood and immediately took the opportunity to slip out and summon the old master.

When Wen Hanzhou first laid eyes on Wen Yu, he noticed how youthful he looked—even though he'd been raised outside the family, he was still fair-skinned and clean-cut.

"Wen Qingshi." Wen Hanzhou said, clearly annoyed. "What did you do to him?"

Wen Qingshi fumbled, "Big brother, he's too timid. I was just teaching him to be braver. Who knew the second he got here, he'd douse me in wine?"

Wen Qingshi was very afraid of Wen Hanzhou, until Wen Hanzhou raised his eyes to look at him, his gaze cold and indifferent from under his lashes.

"So what if he spilled wine on you? Wen Qingshi, you've got no right to talk about him like that." Wen Hanzhou shot him a glance. "Do you want Dad to deal with you himself?"

Wen Qingshi bit back his frustration. "I only told him the truth. He was gonna end up as someone's kept man anyway."

Wen Hanzhou's gaze turned icy. The woman beside him took his hand, her face bright and cheerful, smiling sweetly. "Hanzhou, Second Brother didn't say it on purpose."

The woman's name was Yang Miaomiao, twenty-five years old. Ever since she married into the Wen family, Wen Hanzhou's temper had become much better.

It was probably true love—especially since every time Wen Hanzhou got angry, Yang Miaomiao would soothe him.

"Miaomiao, this isn't your concern." Wen Hanzhou's temper flared, and he ordered someone to bring a whip over a meter and a half long, and lashed it straight across Wen Qingshi's back.

"Wen Qingshi, apologize to your younger brother."

When Wen Qingshi saw the whip, his back burned with pain. He paused for a moment, then walked over to Wen Yu, stood still, and said, "I'm sorry."

Wen Yu ignored him and walked up to Wen Hanzhou instead. "You... can you tell me if Father really wanted to find me—"

"to bring me home?"