After hearing Mother Su’s words, Su Ziyan opened his mouth to say something, but no sound came out.
Perhaps it was because it was still winter and snowing outside, so the heating in the car was running high, making his throat feel so dry that he was speechless…
Seeing Su Ziyan’s hesitant expression, Mother Su sighed and continued, “If you find it difficult to speak to her, I can speak with your elder sister for you.”
Su Ziyan froze for a moment before lowering his head and whispering a soft, “Okay.”
Twelve was no longer an age of ignorance, so he was actually very aware of how much his elder sister had sacrificed for him.
Whether it was dropping out of college or working day and night to earn money for the family, he saw all her hard work and felt the pain in his heart.
However, beneath that, another feeling was buried deep within him.
It was a form of self-loathing.
He felt that he had failed to become the righteous person his father had raised him to be.
Because two years ago, when he learned that his sister planned to drop out of school to stay home and care for him… a sense of happiness and joy had welled up in his heart.
He clearly knew that this decision would have an irreversible impact on Xu Duyan’s life, yet he couldn’t help but feel happy.
‘I’m so happy I won’t be left all alone,’ he had thought.
It was undoubtedly an extremely selfish thought.
After clearly perceiving this side of himself, Su Ziyan’s self-loathing became unstoppable.
He always felt unable to face the sister who had wholeheartedly given everything for him.
He even felt relieved that Xu Duyan’s current job kept her away at odd hours, because it meant he had to spend less time facing her gentle gaze…
This was the greatest secret he kept buried in his heart.
He was such a selfish person—a hypocrite who wanted to have his cake and eat it too, a petty coward who felt relieved because of someone else’s misfortune.
So, when he heard the woman in front of him say those things, he felt as if he were being torn open, exposing all his wretchedness and ugliness to the light.
This wasn’t because of Mother Su’s gaze; she hadn’t seen through him.
This gaze belonged to himself, forced to recognize his own filth and ugliness.
It made him so miserable that he couldn’t speak.
On the other side, Mother Su couldn’t help but smile when she saw Su Ziyan’s current state.
She didn’t know his thoughts; she simply thought he was a grateful child.
Her moral kidnapping had easily changed his mind.
She spoke up, saying, “I’m glad you are such a grateful child. What I said at the Police Station before was too extreme; I didn’t understand your current situation.”
“There isn’t much to say about the past between your father and me. Now that you’re with me, I can guarantee you the best living and educational environment. If you’re interested in things like music or art, I can find the best teachers for you…”
“As for your sister, I will regularly give her a large sum for living expenses and send her to the best institution for further studies…”
Mother Su’s words were full of sincerity, but Su Ziyan couldn’t take any of it in.
He just stared blankly at the car window—not at the scenery receding outside, but at his own reflection in the glass.
When he snapped back to reality, he noticed his mother had stopped talking.
The joy on her face had frozen, and she spoke with a hint of embarrassment:
“I remarried after divorcing your father. But don’t worry, he’s a very good man… He expressed his support for you when we were messaging just now, it’s just…”
“It’s just that he had a daughter when we got married. For all these years, she has believed that I am her biological mother, and I truly treat her as my own daughter…”
“So, when the time comes, you should have a sister who is one year younger than you…”
Su Ziyan turned his head and saw Mother Su’s complicated profile as she drove.
“I have enough self-awareness not to cause trouble for your family,” Su Ziyan replied with a nod.
“I will treat her like my own sister, you don’t have to worry.”
So, his mother had already started a new family long ago.
Then why did she insist on bringing back a son she hadn’t seen in so many years?
He couldn’t figure it out, so he stopped thinking about it.
He simply nodded and maintained a well-behaved, polite appearance.
It didn’t matter.
At least this way, Xu Duyan could live the easy, happy life she was supposed to have.
Su Ziyan lowered his head.
He suddenly craved the tomato and egg stir-fry Xu Duyan used to make.
The car glided smoothly along the road and soon arrived at his new residence.
Truth be told, it was the first time Su Ziyan had seen such a luxurious home.
It looked less like a villa and more like the kind of manor one only saw in movies.
In the middle of the snow-covered grounds, a man and a young girl stood at the entrance to welcome the mother and son.
Su Ziyan couldn’t remember the specific details now.
He only recalled that the sister, who was one year younger than him, had very beautiful eyes.
However, she wasn’t very welcoming toward him; she only said a few words before running back to her room.
In contrast, the man knelt down, patted his shoulder, and spoke to him gently:
“I think you already know everything. Don’t worry. Just as your mother treats your sister like her own child, I will treat you like my own son… You can call me Uncle Su for now.”
Afterward, he lived in The Manor for over half a year.
The man truly lived up to his words and was always very good to him.
The attitude of his sister, Su Xiaoyan, also improved day by day.
Although she often played “pranks” on him, if any were too excessive or mean-spirited, Uncle Su would immediately discipline her.
However, he never dared to see Xu Duyan again.
According to Mother Su, she hadn’t chosen to return to university.
Instead, she had used the money provided to open a bar.
It was very popular, and she was now earning money effortlessly, having achieved financial freedom.
He was indeed living the best life possible, yet his heart felt increasingly empty.
This was because he could sense that both Uncle Su and his own mother treated him with more politeness than genuine familial affection.
But that was normal.
After all, he wasn’t originally a member of this family; he was an outsider.
Still, this was fine.
Everyone was living a beautiful life, free from worries about food or clothing.
Though he often felt sad, he had met a friend online to whom he frequently expressed his sorrows.
The other person never called him dramatic, but always comforted him gently.
Perhaps this was how his life was meant to be spent.
One day, he would accept this family, and one day, he would forgive himself and shamelessly stand before Xu Duyan to say he was sorry.
That was how it should have been.
Until July 17th of the following year—his birthday—when another turning point occurred.