Pawns? Manipulation?
In the eyes of his father, whom he had always respected, was he merely a useful knife against Di Mingjue?
Xingxing couldn't believe any of this was true. Since he was brought to the Ye family at a very young age, surely his father must have loved him.
He stumbled out of the SS organization's base, looking up at the sky. Tears rolled down his cheeks. He gently touched his face, and more tears fell.
"It's actually raining!"
"Damn weather changes as unpredictably as people."
Passersby cursed under their breath as they hurried away.
The rain hitting his cheeks mixed with his tears, as if to conceal them. Xingxing walked aimlessly in the pouring rain, letting the water wash over his face.
...
"Why did it suddenly start raining?"
"Exactly. And the weather forecast didn't mention rain. How strange."
Servants, wearing raincoats, rushed through the downpour to move some of the blooming flowers indoors.
When they came out again, a servant looked at Xingxing entering the gate in surprise.
"Young Master, why are you soaked?" The servant quickly tilted the umbrella in his hand towards him.
Xingxing passed by the servants like a zombie, his gaze empty.
The umbrella was knocked aside, and the servant turned and followed Xingxing into the living room.
"What's wrong?"
"I don't know. He was fine when he left. He's like a different person now that he's back."
"But it's normal. He's always like this, not liking to talk to people. Don't think about it, let's hurry and move these flowers inside."
The servants shifted their attention away from Xingxing, bending down to continue moving the flowerpots, still battered by the rain, indoors.
Xingxing returned to his room. The quiet space caused the words he had overheard to resurface in his mind.
[His parents are still alive, but he is just a pawn to me!]
[If I don't need him, I'll discard him. If he's useful, I'll treat him well.]
"Ah~" Xingxing stood by the bed, his hands wildly grabbing at the bedding. When his body grew tired, he collapsed onto the bed, burying his face in the pillow.
A bad thought suddenly entered his mind.
If he was just a pawn, what was the point of living...
Xingxing turned and looked at the balcony. His body moved uncontrollably, getting up from the bed and walking directly towards the balcony.
He lived on the second floor. If he fell, he wouldn't die. At most, he would be disabled.
Xingxing looked back and returned to the bed. Although he hadn't jumped from the balcony, the thought of death remained in his heart.
Night.
Since Ye Ziyu's return, the Ye residence had regained its usual liveliness. At the dinner table, Di Mingjue sat with the children, all beaming, while Ye Ziyu was happily surrounded by them.
Xiao Ran looked at the empty seat opposite him and couldn't help but glance upstairs. "Mom, I'll go call Xingxing."
"You've become quite familiar with each other?" Ye Ziyu asked, surprised.
Yu Ze explained from the side, "While Mommy was away, Xingxing was also very worried about you. He knew we missed you terribly and was afraid we'd go out and get into trouble, so he secretly followed us to protect us."
"Really?" Ye Ziyu was even more surprised.
When she was around, Xingxing wouldn't even talk to them. How could there be such a big change all of a sudden?
Ye Ziyu glanced at Di Mingjue. Di Mingjue nodded, confirming that what the children said was true.
Xiao Ran came down from upstairs, his face downcast, and sat in a chair. "Xingxing said he doesn't want to eat and asked me not to call him down for dinner again."
"We'll eat first, and I'll take something up to him later," said Ye Qianzhi, sitting at the head of the table.