Chapter 141

In this relatively underdeveloped countryside, Zhou Shizhe didn’t feel out of place at all. On the contrary, he was actually enjoying the slower pace of life.

He had too much work and too many experiments to manage, so it was nearly impossible for him to spend entire days with his little brother like this.

In his own field of expertise, the only ones who thought he was amazing—aside from the villagers—were those like Xiao An’an, who often clung to his leg, looked up at him with wide eyes, and sweetly begged, “Big Brother Caicai, teach me!”

Even though Zhou Shizhe wasn’t someone who craved praise, he still couldn’t resist the barrage of sugary compliments from An An. The little guy’s constant flattery had him floating on air.

The sudden appearance of this person felt like a sign that his peaceful life was about to be disrupted. That realization made Zhou Shizhe frown in displeasure.

“What happened? Why are you in such a rush? Didn’t I already say before coming here that I didn’t want to be disturbed?”

Whenever Zhou Shizhe had a break while studying abroad, he would fly back just to see An An—even if it was just to ruffle his fluffy little head or read a book with him.

He was always afraid that if he stayed away too long, An An might forget him.

This rare time alone together was precious, and Zhou Shizhe didn’t want anything to interrupt it.

Tasks that needed his attention could wait. But joyful moments like this with his little brother wouldn’t come around again.

It was still early. The sun hadn’t fully risen yet.

In this somewhat backward village, the scenery was truly beautiful. Morning sunlight filtered through the mist in golden threads, as if alive, creating a dreamlike, fairy-tale landscape.

The livestream was already on, though there weren’t many viewers this early in the morning.

【What’s going on? Why the sudden rush? Don’t tell me something really happened?】

【I’m curious. Could it be related to those fruit saplings in the village? Things were finally starting to look up. Please, no, sob sob.】

【Did their earlier bragging fall through? If that’s the case, I hope the production team opens a donation channel. I’d be willing to contribute what little I can.】

【Same here. Open a donation channel, and maybe even livestream the construction. Who knows, it might even attract more gifts.】

【Haha, you guys up there really know how to do business. Honestly, I want to see how they plant things too.】

At this hour, the ones still active in the livestream were mostly night owls who hadn’t slept all night. They were low on energy and just chatting aimlessly.

Secretary Song, who had come looking for them, was drenched in sweat. He wiped his forehead and glanced at the camera that was still recording.

“Mr. Zhou, your parents asked me to come and bring you back. They specifically said you must bring the Little Young Master with you.”

Upon hearing that this was his parents’ idea, Zhou Shizhe’s frown deepened.

“An An came on X-Change because Grandpa decided it. Did Mom and Dad talk to Grandpa about wanting to bring An An back?”

“Well… once we’re back, the old gentleman will find out.”

That one sentence told Zhou Shizhe everything he needed to know. They were still keeping this from Grandpa. His expression turned cold as he said,

“Before coming here, we signed a contract with the production team. Grandpa has always taught me never to be someone who goes back on his word.”

“No matter what the reason is, we’ll talk about it after the show finishes filming.”

If this were truly an emergency, the secretary wouldn’t be acting this casually.

So Zhou Shizhe relaxed. No matter how big the issue was, as long as it wasn’t urgent, spending time here with his brother was more important.

“We’ll go back after the show finishes filming.”

“If they’re really in a hurry, they can talk to Grandpa. I’m here because of his arrangement. I won’t leave before filming is done—unless Grandpa personally tells me to go.”

With that, Zhou Shizhe made his stance crystal clear.

Since it was just a secretary in front of him, he didn’t bother saying more. After expressing his position, he picked up the vegetable basket and headed home.

Last night, An An had snuggled into his arms and asked in his soft, milky voice if Big Brother could make him some vegetable porridge.

Could he say no? Of course not!

So early this morning, after getting permission from their landlady, Zhou Shizhe went out to pick vegetables.

Secretary Song didn’t dare follow him. He could only take out his phone and call the CEO to report that Mr. Zhou wasn’t willing to return.

He also relayed what Zhou Shizhe had said, slightly polishing the wording before passing it along to Mr. Zhou and Madam Zhou.

Once Secretary Song mentioned the old gentleman, the couple’s attitude softened. They even agreed to wait until the filming was done before bringing them home.

Knowing that Zhou Shizhe didn’t want to see Secretary Song right now, they had him inform the director instead. The production team would pass the message along.

They wanted Zhou Shizhe to bring An An home immediately after filming ended. There was something very important they needed to announce.

On his way back, Zhou Shizhe passed a small river. He washed the vegetables there, then carried the clean greens home to start cooking porridge.

Before Zhou Shizhe arrived, Song Feiran had been the one taking care of his little brother.

But now that he was here, in his eyes, Song Feiran was still just a kid himself. So he naturally took over and looked after both of them.

After waking up, Zhou Shizhe was worried that An An, who tossed and turned in his sleep, might fall off the bed. So he carried the groggy little guy into Song Feiran’s room.

Once the porridge was done, he served a bowl for the old landlady first, then went upstairs to wake the two kids.

An An rubbed his eyes and reached out to his brother. Zhou Shizhe scooped him up and carried him next door to change his clothes.

After breakfast, they all headed up the mountain again to observe the fruit saplings’ growth.

Based on the data analysis, their choices were solid. But nature was full of uncertainties.

Wind, rain, and varying local climates could all cause unexpected results.

And in this place, they couldn’t afford any failures. They had to minimize risk as much as possible.

That’s why Zhou Shizhe took An An and Song Feiran up the mountain every day to check on the saplings, take notes, snap photos, and send them to his mentor.

On the way down the mountain, they often passed wild fruit growing along the path. During this season, there were plenty.

Every time An An rode on his brother’s shoulders and spotted them, he would start drooling with hunger.

Unfortunately, while Zhou Shizhe knew a bit about cultivated fruit trees, he had no idea whether these wild fruits were safe to eat.

Given how remote this place was, if An An got sick from eating something bad, they wouldn’t be able to get him to a hospital in time. So he simply forbade him from touching any of them.

An An’s big eyes stayed locked on the wild fruit, silently swallowing his saliva. Then he’d cover his eyes with his hands in resignation.

Every time they went up the mountain, the Village Chief would see this pitiful sight and would pick some wild fruit from the roadside to hand to An An.

“Kiddo, try it. Don’t worry, it’s safe to eat.”

“Wow?”

An An instinctively reached out to take it, but halfway there, he suddenly remembered what his brother had said. Instead, he turned to look at Zhou Shizhe with pleading eyes.

“Go ahead.”

He hadn’t let him eat them before because he wasn’t sure if they were poisonous.

Now that the Village Chief had vouched for them, there was no need to keep denying the little guy.

Every time he saw An An swallowing his drool with such a pitiful look, Zhou Shizhe’s heart ached a little too.

“Thank you, Grandpa~”

The Village Chief smiled with his usual honest and simple expression, waving his hand as he said it was nothing.

It was just a handful of wild berries he had picked along the way. Compared to the fruit saplings his older brother had sent to the village, this was hardly worth mentioning.

Zhou Shizhe carried An An down the mountain and set him down once they reached a relatively flat area.

Considering that most of the villagers were elderly—many already over sixty—he and his mentor had chosen fruit trees that would bear fruit within two years.

If the trees took too long to mature, they would be of little help to the elderly in the village. In fact, it might even cost them several years of fruit income and the investment in the trees themselves.

As thoughts of fruit trees filled his mind, Zhou Shizhe’s steps gradually slowed.

An An skipped along the small path. The wild berries from the mountain didn’t taste very good.

They were sour, with barely any sweetness.

He hadn’t even tasted them himself before running off to share them—offering one to this person, then another to that one.

By the time he’d made the rounds, only two were left in his hand.

Frowning, he popped them into his mouth. The moment he bit down, the sourness exploded, and his chubby little face scrunched up into a ball.

“Hiss…”

An An sucked in a sharp breath, waving his little hands frantically. It took him a while to recover.

This once poor and backward mountain village was slowly but steadily moving toward a better future.

The arrival of the Production Team and Zhou Shizhe seemed to have brought new hope to the village, giving the show a deeper meaning.

【This is so beautiful. In three years, when these saplings are bearing fruit, the lives of the elderly in the village will probably change a lot.】

【What I care more about is when the road construction will start. Honestly, the lack of transportation here is the biggest issue.】

【There are so many elderly people in rural areas. When they get sick, they often die simply because they can’t get timely treatment. If transportation improves, that would be amazing!】

【With roads like these, even if you manage to get someone to the County Town hospital, it’s probably already too late.】

【My family lives nearby. They say there are already plans to build a road, and some documents have been issued. They’re currently discussing compensation.】

【Whoa, they’re really building a road? I always thought that was just talk.】

【It’s true. They already came to our house. We’ve got farmland there. My mom said they’ll accept a bit less in compensation.】

Originally, the Production Team just wanted to try out this new format and hopefully generate some traffic.

The platform hosting this livestream was part of a new company started by their boss, and this stream was meant to help attract more users to it.

But to their surprise, the results were far better than expected. Even now, viewer engagement remained incredibly high.

The number of viewers kept rising steadily every day, far exceeding the boss’s initial promotional goals.

Together with the audience in the livestream, they were slowly helping this impoverished and underdeveloped region grow. Even the smallest bit of progress was enough to make them genuinely excited.

Even those who didn’t have time to watch the livestream live were more than willing to go back and watch the replays.

Three more days passed. The fruit trees were growing very well. Zhou Shizhe’s mentor suggested adjusting the observation schedule to once every three days.

Since they were filming the show anyway, and he was also spending time with his little brother, even though his mentor said it was fine, Zhou Shizhe still insisted on checking the trees every day.

The livestream audience’s interests had shifted from “cloud-raising” Zai Zai to “cloud-raising” trees.

Some viewers even made comparison photos showing the saplings when they first arrived and how much they had grown since. The difference was clear: they were taller, and their leaves were much fuller.

【Wuwu, who understands? My baby tree grew one centimeter! It’s the most dazzling one in this entire forest!】

【Haha, just because your tree grew a little faster, you’re already showing off? Give it a few more days and our baby will outgrow yours!】

【My baby was bending over in the photo, it’s not fair, this isn’t fair at all!】

【Arguing over which tree grew faster? Aren’t you all bored? Can’t you be more mature? I, for one, am just quietly observing.】

【Haha, like you’re somehow more noble. Liar! Your baby tree didn’t grow at all today~】

【You vicious woman! You’re such a vicious woman!!!】

No one expected that these seemingly ordinary trees would attract so much attention, to the point where each one had even been given a name.

The show’s director, with a keen business sense, quickly had nameplates made based on the names given by netizens and placed them next to each sapling.

They even opened donation accounts for the saplings. All the money collected would be used to buy fertilizer for the trees.

Within X-Change, this was a rare moment of peace and harmony. The atmosphere was so warm and pleasant that no one wanted to disrupt it.

The reason the guests’ parents had sent them here was simple: they hoped that after experiencing some hardship, the kids would return home and apologize.

They wanted them to realize that their current comfortable lives weren’t easily earned, to understand their parents’ hard work, and to stop being so willful.

But no one expected that these four teenagers would adapt so quickly to their new environment and even start putting down roots here.

No matter what kind of labor they were helping the villagers with, they never showed the slightest reluctance. In fact, they seemed to enjoy it.

When their parents saw this, they were upset. This was not the outcome they had envisioned.

For several days in a row, the parents’ expressions in the other livestream window were stiff and unpleasant. They couldn’t even pretend to be loving in front of the camera.

Most of the viewers watching An An’s stream rarely ventured into the other livestream rooms. They couldn’t bear to leave, even for a short while.

But when viewers from the other side started appearing here, it sparked a lot of curiosity.

For example, Song Feiran’s parents believed that their child had the potential to be so outstanding, yet always made them angry at home. They were convinced he was doing it on purpose just to spite them!

Those on the Production Team who knew the inside story felt a rare pang of sympathy as they watched Song Feiran working hard to collect firewood for the village elders. This boy, who always seemed so stubborn, was actually very earnest.

Even those with more traditional mindsets could see that his parents’ desire to control him far outweighed their love.

【You really don’t know why that secretary suddenly came looking for Big Brother the other day?】

【What reason? I thought that secretary leaving wasn’t a big deal.】

【Haha, haven’t any of you checked out the other livestream? It’s absolutely wild!!!】

【Even TV dramas wouldn’t dare write something like this. I just found out that you can get a paternity test result that fast. Wuwu.】

【Paternity test?】

This sudden comment on the screen immediately sparked a wave of curiosity and gossip.

The viewers, already here for the drama, weren’t about to pass up the chance to spill the tea. They couldn’t wait to explain.

【Yeah yeah, it’s about that kid who was sent to the Zhou Family in the city for the X-Change. Because he looks a lot like President Zhou, Madam Zhou was completely shocked.】

【Madam Zhou even admitted on camera that she had indeed lost a child years ago. All these years, they’ve never stopped searching.】

【Maybe it was the pull of blood ties that brought them together. They even went to the hospital for a paternity test—and it turned out he really was the child their family had lost.】

After the person finished explaining the situation, the screen was left with only a few scattered barrage comments drifting by, mostly ads.

The rare silence made the person wonder if their internet had frozen.

How could people be so calm about something this explosive?

X-Change was a reality show about transforming the lives of ordinary people. None of the guests had fans, so the audience watched purely for entertainment.

But as the show went on, An An had undoubtedly become the most beloved among all the guests.

That adorable, slightly spoiled Little Young Master—how could he not be the Zhou Family’s biological child?

If there really had been a mix-up in identities, did that mean An An would have to live in this mountain village from now on?

Most viewers loved the parts about building up the village, but they all knew that compared to the mountains you could see, the invisible ones were far harder to cross.

If An An were left here, he might never get out for the rest of his life. Just thinking about that made all the moms watching ache with heartache.

But in reality, he had taken over Shitou’s life. Switching them back now was only fair.

【Wuwu, An An Zai, can I adopt you? An An Zai.】

【My poor baby An An Zai, if he knew about this, how devastated would he be?】

【Something this melodramatic actually happened? I don’t believe my Zai Zai isn’t their real child. They haven’t even done a paternity test here yet.】

【Look on the bright side—maybe they were twins at birth?】

The nosy viewer who had come to stir things up never expected An An to be so popular in this livestream. The fans didn’t even bother hiding their favoritism.

They didn’t dare say what they originally intended, and only quietly corrected others when the topic came up again.

【There weren’t any twins, just one child. The exact reason wasn’t explained on camera, but judging from the resentment in that kid’s eyes, it’s probably a case of being switched at birth?】

【I don’t believe it.】

【Mystery solved. An An is actually my child—my long-lost biological son. Come home with me, wuwu Zai Zai, Mama will never let you suffer.】

【Oh my god, An An is only three years old. Even if something did happen, how could it possibly be his fault?】

【How is it not his fault? He stole someone else’s place! The real Young Master suffered for years because of him. If I were Madam Zhou, I’d want to kill him!】

As the comments grew more and more outrageous, some people started to feel uncomfortable.

Viewers who hadn’t planned to speak up couldn’t hold back anymore when they saw people attacking An An, and began defending him.

【Even if there was a mix-up, An An was so little back then. How could he possibly have known anything?】

【If that’s really what happened, it’s fine for the Zhou Family to let both kids return to their rightful places. But there’s no need to attack An An.】

【Judging by how much Mr. Zhou dotes on his little brother, even if they’re not blood-related, he wouldn’t be so heartless.】

【You people are delusional. If Mr. Zhou finds out the little brother he loves so much is a fake, he’ll definitely want to kill him!!!】

The comment section instantly descended into chaos, with people voicing all kinds of opinions.

Meanwhile, one of the people at the center of it all—An An—was lying on the grass, sunbathing with a little puppy in his arms.

Song Feiran sat not far from him, holding a stalk of foxtail grass, trying to weave a cute toy for his little brother.

His fingers were long and slender, with distinct knuckles—very pleasing to the eye.

The foxtail grass seemed unusually obedient in his hands. Once he finished, he handed it to An An.

“Thank you, Big Brother~”

“Mm.”

Except in certain situations, Song Feiran still liked to keep a cold face, as if everyone owed him millions.

An An was already used to his brother’s personality and wasn’t scared off by his cold expression anymore. Eyes closed, he snuggled up next to his brother with the puppy in his arms.

Tilting his head against his brother, he stared at the little toy for a long time.

Song Feiran reached out to pick off a bit of grass that had somehow gotten stuck in An An’s hair, then gently ruffled it.

He had a little brother of his own too, and had secretly patted his head once—but it didn’t feel nearly as soft or as lovable as An An.

Elsewhere, Zhou Shizhe had just learned from his mentor that his biological younger brother had been found.

His mentor asked gently if he was alright after hearing the news.

After all, this was a younger brother who had been lost for years, growing up in such a harsh environment. He even looked a little malnourished.

During the video call, Zhou Shizhe uncharacteristically lost his composure.

Until now, he hadn’t heard a single word about this.

If his mentor hadn’t brought it up today, he would still be completely in the dark.

Thinking back, that secretary who rushed over last time must have been trying to tell him about this too.

Once he figured it out, Zhou Shizhe smiled and politely told his mentor that he felt fine now, then ended the call graciously.

Even though his parents hadn’t asked him to come home yet, Zhou Shizhe couldn’t sit still. He contacted the director in advance.

While waiting for a reply, he went to find the Village Chief and explained that a friend of his would come the next day to continue observing the fruit saplings.

Something major had happened in his family, and he had to take his brother home early.

“Village Chief, don’t worry. This classmate of mine is just as capable as I am. He also promised to send me daily reports.”

Since Zhou Shizhe had been the one handling everything, the Village Chief couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy about him leaving.

But hearing that he would still be keeping track of things even after he left put his mind at ease.

“Will you be coming back?”

“Yes. We’ll still be filming the next episode here.”

“That’s good, that’s good.”

Knowing that Zhou Shizhe would return, the Village Chief felt like he had something solid to rely on.

Most people online hoped Zhou Shizhe would follow through on his promises, but the villagers didn’t think that far ahead.

As long as the current work was done well, that was already enough to satisfy them.

If they could grow better-tasting fruit, it didn’t matter if Zhou Shizhe didn’t help them find better sales channels. Selling to the Canning Factory would still earn them more than before.

They weren’t greedy. They just wanted to survive.

An An, who was busy decorating the puppy’s head with flowers, spotted his brother walking toward him from a distance. He quickly stood up and waved.

The little puppy was just a common rural mutt, the kind you could find anywhere in the countryside. It had a great temperament and never once bared its teeth no matter how much An An played with it.

Even now, without An An holding its head down, it stayed perfectly still, as if afraid of ruining the flowers its little master had put on its head.

“Big Brother~”

“An An, something happened at home. Let’s go back for a bit, okay? Don’t worry, we’ll come back again when the next episode starts filming.”

“Okay.”

After hearing that they could come back later, An An didn’t hesitate much and nodded.

Just as he was about to ask his Big Brother if he could say goodbye to the other older brothers and sisters first, Zhou Shizhe had already scooped him up and started running back.

At the temporary lodging, the assistant who had been looking after An An was already packing up their things. Two suitcases sat in the courtyard.

They left the village without a hitch. A car had been waiting by the main road for some time.

The camera cut off as the car door closed. That was the end of Zhou Shizhe and An An’s screen time for this episode.

Many viewers immediately flocked to the Zhou Family’s livestream room, ready to welcome little An An home at any moment.

【It must be because of that incident that they’re going back. Otherwise, I don’t think there’d be any need for such a rush.】

【I think so too. I’m really curious—after finding out that the little brother isn’t actually his biological brother, will Zhou Shizhe change his attitude? Will he regret spending so much money?】

【Judging from both Mr. Zhou and Madam Zhou’s personalities, they clearly place a lot of importance on blood relations. Mr. Zhou is probably no exception.】

An An sprawled out in his Big Brother’s arms, fast asleep. Zhou Shizhe even took off his own jacket and draped it over him to keep the little guy from catching a cold.

Zhou Shizhe had always taken care of his little brother like this. When getting in the car, he had even picked him up and let him cling to his arm like a little koala to help him into the vehicle, which had a slightly high chassis.

But under the current circumstances, this kind of gentleness and thoughtfulness seemed somewhat out of place.

Even after the car disappeared completely from the camera, many people were still passionately discussing the situation.

【If I remember correctly, Zhou Shizhe should already know the truth, right? Even after knowing, he still treats his fake little brother this well?】

【Same here—I’m curious too. An An is still so young. If it’s purely out of emotional attachment, that explanation doesn’t really hold water.】

【Zai Zai, why aren’t you anxious?! Mommy’s about to die from worry!!】

On the way back, Zhou Shizhe kept thinking about the whole situation.

He vaguely remembered that he had lost a little brother, but since he hadn’t been involved at all from the time their mother was pregnant to the birth and eventual disappearance, he didn’t have much emotional connection to the boy. He only knew that such a person existed.

Over the years, just to bring a little joy to his parents, he had followed their wishes and kept searching.

With no news for so long, Zhou Shizhe had already prepared for the worst.

But he never expected fate to be so strange. Just when none of them had any hope left, that little brother was suddenly found.

From any angle, it made sense for him to bring An An back to meet him.

After getting in the car, little An An fell asleep. One of his arms was wrapped around Zhou Shizhe’s like a koala clinging to a tree branch.

Zhou Shizhe stared at his chubby, pink-tinged little face and gently poked it with his index finger.

He had never seen that other little brother, not even in a photo. The same went for An An.

Growing up in a village like that, it was easy to imagine how much hardship he must have endured.

If possible, Zhou Shizhe planned to have An An spend some time with his brother. With this little sweetheart around, his brother would surely become more lively.

They flew back to the city where their family lived the next day. Before boarding, Zhou Shizhe had already informed his parents and asked the family driver to pick them up at the airport.

An An sat on top of one of the suitcases, gripping the handle tightly with both hands to keep from falling.

In the bustling airport, he looked like a curious little explorer, constantly glancing around.

What surprised Zhou Shizhe was that it wasn’t just the driver who had come to pick them up—his parents were also waiting in the car.

An An had been raised by Old Master Zhou since he was little and only saw his parents during holidays. It had been several months since their last meeting.

Children often don’t remember people well. When he saw that uncle and aunt staring at him with strange expressions, An An instinctively tightened his grip on his Big Brother’s shirt.

Zhou Shizhe noticed that An An seemed a little scared. He had the driver put the suitcases in the trunk, then picked An An up and gently patted his back.

“Mom, Dad, An An is a bit timid. Please don’t stare at him like that.”

Mr. Zhou’s expression darkened slightly when he heard his son’s blunt words and was about to speak, but Madam Zhou held his arm to stop him.

Once the car started moving, An An yawned while leaning against his Big Brother’s chest.

After making sure An An had fallen asleep, Zhou Shizhe covered his ears with one hand, glanced at his parents, and lowered his voice.

“Is there something you want to tell me?”

To avoid making things worse, it was Madam Zhou who began explaining.

“Your little brother has been found. He was kidnapped. We’ve already investigated everything. He had a fever at the time, and the traffickers thought he wouldn’t survive, so they just dumped him in the wilderness. Someone happened to find him and took him in.”

“He’s suffered a lot. Your father and I feel terrible about it and want to make it up to him.”

That request wasn’t unreasonable, and Zhou Shizhe could understand it. He simply gave a quiet “mm” in response.

“But he said he doesn’t want anything else. He just hopes that he can be the only child in the family. So… so we’re planning to send An An away.”

Even Madam Zhou seemed to realize how excessive this request was. Her tone wavered as she spoke, and her eyes pleaded with her eldest son.

The little guilt and pity Zhou Shizhe had felt for that brother he had never met vanished without a trace the moment he heard his mother’s words.

He pulled An An closer into his arms, a cold smile appearing on his lips.

“If that’s what he wants, then just sending An An away isn’t enough, is it? Why not send me away too? That way, he really will be the only child in this family.”

“Driver, stop the car.”

The driver had already been wishing he didn’t have ears ever since the argument in the backseat began.

Now, hearing Zhou Shizhe’s request, he hesitated, gradually slowing the car.

“I said, stop the car!”

Zhou Shizhe repeated himself. The driver found a spot where he could safely pull over and stopped the car.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Zhou Shizhe opened the door and got out.

Madam Zhou had never expected that merely floating the idea would escalate to this level. She quickly got out too, grabbing Zhou Shizhe’s arm with red eyes and pleading.

“But he’s your biological brother!”

“An An is also my biological brother.”

Zhou Shizhe stated the fact plainly. An An, who had woken up the moment the car stopped, looked confused, his big eyes full of bewilderment. He instinctively snuggled deeper into his Big Brother’s arms, trying to doze off again.

“He said he wants to be the only child in the family, right? If you’re so eager to make up for your guilt toward him, then from today on, An An and I will live with Grandpa.”

With that, Zhou Shizhe hailed a taxi and gave the driver an address.

As they got into the car, Zhou Shizhe finally noticed that his so-called little brother had been sitting in the car the entire time. His expression was as cold as ice.

Old Master Zhou had been practicing tai chi in the courtyard. When he heard the familiar sound of hurried footsteps, he thought he was imagining things.

But when he looked up, there was An An, wobbling toward him with a smile on his face. He rushed forward and scooped his little grandson into his arms.

“Well now, look who’s back without even saying hello. Come, let Grandpa see if you’ve put on any weight. If not, you’re eating three bowls tonight.”

“I missed you so much, Grandpa.”

An An quietly slipped the bottle cap in his hand into his pocket, then rubbed his head affectionately against Grandpa. His whole face radiated dependence and attachment.

“Grandpa, An An missed you so much.”

Before the grandfather and grandson could properly catch up, footsteps sounded again outside.

Father Zhou and Mother Zhou entered, holding the hand of a child.

The child had changed into clean clothes, but still looked extremely thin and frail. His skin was dark, and his timid eyes made him seem completely out of place in this setting.

He took a deep breath, as if summoning all his courage before he finally spoke:

“Grandpa…”

Old Master Zhou sat down in his rocking chair with An An in his arms and called for the nanny to bring over his precious grandson’s favorite snacks.

When he heard someone calling him Grandpa, it took him a moment to remember—this was the grandson they had found and brought back some time ago.

“Hmm?”

He responded, but his tone was clearly far less warm than it had been with An An.

“Grandpa, I don’t want to see him. Can you make him leave?”

“I’m your real grandson. I’ll be good to you and take care of you.”

His voice was small, but the malice and resentment toward An An were unmistakable.

He might be young, but he sure had guts! The moment Zhou Shizhe heard him say that, he knew trouble was coming.

The older Grandpa Zhou got, the worse his temper became. Just like a tiger’s tail—touch it and you’re asking for it.

He had been in an excellent mood because his precious little grandson had finally come home, but now his face darkened instantly. His breathing turned erratic with anger as he pointed toward the door and shouted:

“Then gouge your eyes out and you won’t have to see him.”

“Get out!”

What did he mean by asking his precious An An to leave? He had waited so many days for this child to come home, and he hadn’t even had time to hold him properly yet.

Father Zhou, seeing his younger son stunned by the scolding, quickly stepped forward to defend him out of concern. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say a word, Grandma Zhou came over personally carrying An An’s favorite snacks. Her face was stern as she said:

“You get out too.”