The real young master thought he was hated by everyone

He knew all this so clearly because he was standing just outside the orphanage director’s office at the time.

Bai Ruan was there too.

The door wasn’t fully closed, so the conversation naturally carried out into the hallway, allowing him to overhear.

The director’s respectful tone and the information revealed during the conversation quickly made him realize the identity of the guest.

At that time, Xie Duzhi already had a general understanding of various industries in this world. With some methods that might not have been entirely aboveboard, he had already acquired the means to establish himself in the world.

The reason he had come to see the director was to select a relatively simple family to adopt him.

After all, this was a world that was constantly changing and progressing.

While the orphanage wasn’t entirely isolated, its information flow was far from robust.

He was only interested in the evening news and economics channels, while the other children in the orphanage were much more focused on cartoons that started at precise times and whether Superman would finally defeat the monster today.

Living in such an environment for so long had dulled his sensitivity to certain things.

As for Bai Ruan…

Perhaps he was there to show the director how thoughtful he was, or maybe he was reporting on another child’s mistakes. 

Xie Duzhi didn’t care.

But he could tell that Bai Ruan was interested.

Even if he didn’t know who Xie Zhuwei was, he could definitely sense that the man inside the office, looking to adopt, was very wealthy.

Who wouldn’t want to live the life of a rich person?

Xie Duzhi thought that at the very least, Bai Ruan wouldn’t pass up such a tempting opportunity.

He gave Bai Ruan a fleeting glance and left the director’s office.

Whatever happened to the Xie family didn’t concern him. He was confident that he could amass wealth equal to or even greater than the Xie family’s fortune.

Perhaps it wouldn’t take more than a decade before people would think of his name when they mentioned “Xie,” rather than Xie Zhuwei’s.

As for why he changed his mind and stopped the man in front of the director, calmly catching his attention by analyzing the current situation of one of his companies using economic terminology…

When he thought back, he realized he couldn’t clearly remember the exact reason anymore.

For him, this was an unusually rare, almost impossible situation.

Thinking about it now, reverse reasoning would suggest that being adopted by the Xie family would indeed help him achieve his goals faster: access to more startup capital and no need to waste time on trivial matters.

But those reasons shouldn’t have been the primary motivators.

What prompted him to stop Xie Zhuwei was likely a fleeting sense of pity.

He had briefly pitied a child, a complete stranger who had been separated from his parents.

After being taken to the Xie family, that pity gradually shifted toward Mrs. Xie.

Her mental state at that time was very fragile, yet she still took on various responsibilities and obligations, bustling around to care for him.

As for Bai Ruan.

If it hadn’t been for seeing his face today, with its traces of familiarity, Xie Duzhi might never have remembered that such a person had existed at the orphanage.

The only people he considered family were Mr. and Mrs. Xie and their children. He never took part in any socializing or family visits during the holidays, so he was far more out of the loop than Xie Sizhi when it came to news like this.

Still, he was sure Xie Sizhi wouldn’t want to hear about how Bai Ruan had nearly become his brother.

No one knew the details of the adoption process better than him.

Maybe he should find some time to have a proper conversation with his parents.

“Li Heng, would you like a theme park?”

Mrs. Xie’s brief moment of sympathy was quickly replaced by her focus on her youngest child.

After all, the boy was sitting right in front of her, and nothing could pull at her heartstrings more than his presence.

Now, all she wanted to do was make up for what her child had missed out on. “Why don’t we buy the operation rights to that new fireworks amusement park? Or we could invest in building a new one in the neighboring city.”

“And what about stuffed toys? It seems to be really popular to sleep with a giant plush toy these days. How about we get one for your bed too?”

Li Heng was amused by her sudden concern, and the unease he had felt after seeing Bai Ruan began to fade.

Just as Mrs. Xie had said—since they only saw each other a few times a year, he really didn’t need to worry so much. He could just treat Bai Ruan like any other ordinary cousin.

There was no conflict of interest between him and Bai Ruan now, and it wasn’t like he would go out of his way to harm him.

“Mom, I just want to focus on studying right now. I don’t have time to go to an amusement park,” he said quickly, pressing his lips together in an attempt to look more serious. “…And if I get another stuffed toy,  Xiaozhi will get jealous.”

The Siamese cat liked to jump onto the bed and sleep at his feet, sometimes even burrowing into his arms in the middle of the night.

However, the cat always woke up earlier than he did. By the time he got up, the cat had already slipped out through the pet door, gone back to its own room to eat, and either went back to sleep or grabbed its toy to play with Uncle Fu.

Mrs. Xie wasn’t surprised by his answer, but she couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed. “…I see.”

Li Heng’s heart trembled slightly at the sudden drop in her tone.

“We can wait until after my exams,” he tried to cheer her up. “When the exams are over, and I need to relax and celebrate, you can take me with you.”

“I haven’t been to the fireworks amusement park yet.”

To be more precise, he had never been to any amusement park before.

As for a plush pillow.

“Maybe we could buy one for Xiaozhi. He likes to sleep on something soft.”

Hmm, a plush toy for the cat—by extension, that’s almost like his own.

He didn’t notice how Xie Sizhi’s expression changed, as if he had an epiphany, when he mentioned the cat.

“Then we’ll wait until after your exams,” Mrs. Xie quickly regained her composure. “We can have a family picnic when the time comes.”

They could find a good date and rent out that castle at the amusement park in advance.

“What about boarding at school…?”

Li Heng breathed a sigh of relief, hoping to steer the conversation back on track. “I can board at school. There’s no need to go through all that trouble.”

But he was met with unanimous opposition from everyone else.

Xie Sizhi had the most intense reaction.

As a graduate of the school in question, he felt no one had more authority on this matter than himself.

Most senior classes had self-study sessions on Saturdays and Sundays, though they weren’t mandatory. Day students had it slightly better, but boarding students, especially those with stricter homeroom teachers, basically had no rest days. Even going home required special permission.

If they really sent the boy to board at school, given his personality, he would obediently go to class on time without the teacher even needing to remind him. He’d probably even call home and rave about how great and dedicated the teachers were.

Just thinking about it irritated Xie Sizhi.

It wasn’t his brother’s fault; it was the school’s problem.

He equally despised all forms of rote education.

And there was no way he could go a whole month without seeing his brother. First High didn’t allow unauthorized visitors through its gates, not even graduates. 

Visiting his brother at the gate for a mere ten to thirty minutes—it would be no different from a prison visit.

“Bro, listen,” he almost slipped into the dialect of his college roommate in his excitement, “it’s not that I don’t support you boarding, it’s just that the school’s dorms are terrible. At night, the rats are noisy, and cockroaches crawl from one side of the desk to the other…”

As he spoke, he successfully grossed himself out. “Plus, you might end up with a roommate who’s unhygienic, with dirty, stinky clothes. The dorm is so small, the smell would never go away.”

“…But the dorm manager checks the rooms. Isn’t that the whole point—to make sure the students stay clean and maintain a good environment?”

At least that was how things were at his previous dorm.

Could First High be an exception?

The boy was confused. His helpful classmate Gu had never mentioned anything about dorm inspections.

He seriously considered it for a moment and thought, “Well, I could tolerate it.”

Rats could be dealt with using sticky traps.

As for cockroaches… he could use the method his chemistry teacher had taught him: a mixture of potato, boric acid, and sugar, rolled into small balls and scattered in the corners. The dorm would be clean in no more than a week.

Since her second son had exaggerated the horrors of dorm life, Mrs. Xie decided to sidestep the issue to avoid inconsistencies in their arguments.

She adopted a concerned tone, focusing on the learning environment. “The conditions aren’t the main issue. What really matters is that the dorm environment isn’t conducive to studying. If even one person isn’t focused on their studies, it can affect everyone else.”

“You’ll be able to study more quietly and efficiently at home.”

But could there really be students at First High who weren’t focused on studying? Li Heng thought of the honor roll and college admission statistics proudly displayed on the school’s website but remained silent.

Even if he boarded, he’d only be away on weekends, at most a month away from home. After the exams, there’d still be plenty of time to stay at home.

“Second brother, didn’t you all just say the other house has been empty for a long time? You’re not even sure if the furniture is intact.”

He tried to reason, “Moving there will take time, and cleaning it up will definitely take time. If the pipes are old, they might need to be replaced…”

No matter how he looked at it, he felt it would be a huge hassle and inconvenience to others.

Boarding, on the other hand, only required packing a few personal and school supplies.

“You all taking turns living with me would definitely affect your work.”

There was no need to hire extra help just for this either.

“That’s why I said I’ll move in—it’s the best solution,” Xie Sizhi shrugged. “Plus, I’m a good cook.”

He didn’t have to go to work anyway, and whether he showed up at the gallery or not didn’t matter.

Mrs. Xie was skeptical about his cooking.

She still remembered the time he nearly burned down the kitchen trying to make his “improved” version of tomato and scrambled eggs.

“The subway station is right across from school,” Xie Duzhi suddenly spoke. “Line S takes five minutes during rush hour and eight minutes off-peak. It’s only three stops to Lefu Tianjie, less than a half-hour drive.”

“…So?” Xie Sizhi blinked, not understanding where all this was going.

“My current residence is in Lin Feng Bay.”

Lin Feng Bay was a high-end villa community not far from Lefu Tianjie.

Damn.

Xie Sizhi suddenly realized he needed to urgently requisition a friend’s property.

“Actually, I just remembered…”

But Xie Duzhi was quicker.

“Move in with me,” the younger man said calmly. “We can come back together on weekends.”

He had spent so much time at home lately that Xie Sizhi had subconsciously forgotten that he used to only come home on weekends.

Great. Now their homecoming schedules even matched. No doubt, their mom would be overjoyed and reassured.

After all, Xie Duzhi was the epitome of reliability in the family.

Xie Sizhi’s teeth were starting to itch.

He hated it.!