The Yan Family Villa wasn’t very big, but it had quite a few rooms; nonetheless,Yan Song and his brother Yan Ke had to share one. Yan Song didn’t know how many tis he had sought out Zhuang Xiyue to make a fuss about it, each ti to be dismissed with her indifferent responses.
Yan Song was seven this year, mischievous and filled with tricks. When they were in the Capital City, he had been spoiled by both his grandparents, and had developed an attitude of fearlessness toward both heaven and earth. Sotis even Zhuang Xiyue couldn’t handle him, but oddly enough, the person he feared the most was his own father.
Yan Ke was four and a half years old this year. Unlike his brother, the youngest Yan Ke usually behaved very obediently and appeared like a little aggrieved soul in the presence of their parents. However, only Yan Song knew just how detestable his own brother could be.
This was a very spacious bedroom with a large balcony, split down the middle: half was decorated in sky blue, while the other half was pure white, clearly distinct from each other.
The blue side was cluttered with many toys on the bed and floor, scattered in disarray. The bedsheets and covers were crumpled up, showing signs of how they had been mistreated by their owner. The glass cabinet by the bed was arrayed with many model figures: soldiers with guns, warriors with swords, and fearso beasts with terrifying features—all lined up very neatly, reflecting the owner’s ticulous care for them.
The white side, on the other hand, was very clean and tidy. The bedsheets and covers were uniformly white, spotless and smooth. The only toy was a huge Transforr on the nightstand.
The balcony was a small playground with interweaving toy tracks, surrounded by tall buildings and artificial mountains and streams, creating a cozy fairy-tale world.
At this mont, two little boys were wrestling with each other on the balcony, one thin and tall, the other short and chubby. The taller boy seed to have the upper hand, sitting atop the shorter one, clutching his collar, his head held high in pride and scorn on his delicate fair face.
"You rascal, daring to ss with my territory, you’re asking for it." With that, he was about to smash a fist into the little boy’s face.
The little boy had a plump and adorable face. He stared with big eyes at the boy before him, and seizing the mont, he suddenly lifted his head sharply, colliding it with the boy’s forehead. The taller boy let out a cry of pain and was pushed off by the boy underneath, who then turned and ran towards the door.
The thin, tall boy rubbed his forehead, feeling sowhat dizzy, and as he watched the little one about to escape, he thought bitterly, "What a cunning little brat. I’ll rember this and see how I deal with you later."
Just then, the door was opened from outside, and before Zhuang Xiyue could step inside, she was engulfed in a tender embrace.
Yan Ke hugged her legs, sobbing, his tiny body trembling as if he was frightened, "Wu wu... Mommy... Brother’s going to hit ... It hurts... Hu hu..." His whiny voice instantly softened Zhuang Xiyue’s heart.
She knelt down to embrace Yan Ke, wiping away his tears and coaxing in a gentle voice, "Gege, don’t cry. Mommy will discipline your brother for you, okay?"
Yan Ke, his sobs abating and his chubby cheeks flushed red, looked lovely and pitiful. Zhuang Xiyue noticed a red mark on his forehead which seed to be swelling and couldn’t help but beco furious. She stood up and strode towards Yan Song.
"You little rascal, are you itching for a beating? He’s your brother, can’t you just give so peace? Apologize to your brother," Zhuang Xiyue demanded, her face stern.
Yan Song stood his ground defiantly. At seven years old, he was already quite tall, with lanky arms and legs giving him the beginnings of a youthful figure. Dressed in a black suit, he looked smart, especially with his fair complexion which made his delicate features seem almost incredibly beautiful—as if at a glance, he could be mistaken for a pretty little girl. He had peach blossom eyes just like Yan Nanmo’s. However, his eyes were long and narrow at the tails, rendering a cold and stubborn expression, as unapproachable as a crisp autumn moon or icy mountain peaks, offering not a hint of warmth.
"I won’t. Why should I apologize to him? It was clearly he who touched my things first. He got what he deserved." As he finished speaking, he narrowed his eyes and shook his fist at Yan Ke.
Yan Ke trembled and shrank into Zhuang Xiyue’s embrace.
Seeing this, Zhuang Xiyue grew even angrier. "Oh, you’re feeling bold, are you? It seems I’ve been too lenient with you. Not only do you hit your brother, but now you’re threatening him? You show no remorse at all. Do you have any idea how to act like an elder brother? I really need to teach you a proper lesson today."
Zhuang Xiyue was truly angered. Yan Song was her and Nanmo’s first child, and at the ti they weren’t yet married. Due to a misunderstanding, she and Nanmo almost parted ways. When she accidentally discovered she was pregnant, she felt as if the sky had collapsed, almost impulsively rushing to the hospital to have an abortion. Eventually, it was because of this child that they resolved their misunderstandings and ca back together, their relationship becoming even more intense and solid than before. Hence, the child Yan Song held a different significance in her eyes; she had poured so much more affection into him since he was young. The elders also particularly doted on him, which resulted in his arrogant and domineering nature, earning him the nickna "Devil Incarnate" in the Capital City. Who in Capital City didn’t make way when they heard of the youngest grandson of the Yan Family?
But who knew how this child turned out to be so crooked, growing increasingly defiant and arrogant, often fighting with Yan Ke, who stood no chance against him and would often cry and complain to her. And Yan Song would just sneer without repentance.
What infuriated Zhuang Xiyue the most was that more than a year ago, when she took Yan Song to attend Ji Lanyi’s banquet, she instantly took a liking to the little girl Yun Ya, fragile and obedient, with a pair of eyes that were both black and bright. The key was that she was very understanding and smart. Hearing her soft, sweet, and glutinous voice calling her auntie, her heart lted, and she felt the impulse to snatch the girl away to be her own daughter.
She thought Yan Song would only bully his brother at ho, but who could have imagined he’d go as far to lay a hand on such a gentle and beautiful little girl? When she saw the two children sitting together, looking like a perfect pair, she had an idea that subtly began to take shape, but before she could fully contemplate it, disaster struck.
No one knew how the two had gotten into a dispute, but they ended up fighting, and despite Yun Ya’s slight fra, she was quite strong and fierce. She bit right into Yan Song’s shoulder, and Yan Song stabbed her in the chest with a dinner fork. Neither of the children gave in an inch, the ferocity and sharpness of the atmosphere was shocking.
She didn’t know where her son had gotten such malevolence to be so cruel to a little girl. Later, she found out it was because her son had insulted the other girl’s brother, calling him a disabled idiot, which had enraged Yun Ya. Afterwards, for the first ti, she hit Yan Song, yet the young boy stared back at her defiantly.
"I’m not wrong," he said. "Her brother is indeed a deaf-mute and an idiot. Those are facts; did I say anything wrong?"
At that mont, Zhuang Xiyue wanted to strangle her son, looking at his detestable face.
Oh, the misfortune, how could she have given birth to such a bastard...
Afterward, she forcefully took Yan Song to apologize to Yun Ya, who, after losing a significant amount of blood, was fortunately rescued in ti and was not in any danger. She lay in the hospital for a month, and once healed, she was left with a ferocious scar on her shoulder that seed to always remind her of her son’s brutality.
She felt so guilty, so she treated Yun Ya even better. The more she interacted with the child, the more she liked her, hesitating over whether to set things in stone early— if she couldn’t be her daughter, then becoming her daughter-in-law was also good.
She had given up considering her damned son Yan Song; if he married the girl, she would surely be bullied to death. Zhuang Xiyue thought her son deserved to be alone forever.
Yan Gege was just fine, although he was a few months younger than Yun Ya, that was not an issue at all. She was considering the matter in her heart, just waiting for an opportunity to bring it up to Ji Lanyi, when the Ji Family t with trouble...
After seeing Yun Ya at the beauty salon that last ti, she felt even more strongly that this girl would grow up to be extraordinary and needed to be secured quickly; otherwise, she would be snatched up by soone else.
She was already filled with ire at the bottom of her heart; her son was truly driving her mad. How could he not be as obedient as Yan Gege, so innately rebellious? Whose genetics had he inherited?
Zhuang Xiyue grew angrier the more she thought about it. She took off her high heels and weighed them in her hand before aiming them at Yan Song’s butt.
"Do you realize your mistake? Will you still bully your brother in the future?" With every smack, Zhuang Xiyue felt a sting in her heart; flesh of her flesh, but this child had truly gone too far.
Yan Song stood up straight, as rigid as a rifle, not flinching as the high heel struck him, not even wrinkling his brow—stubborn as a mule. Zhuang Xiyue’s anger made steam seem to rise from her head.
Yan Song quietly stared at Yan Gege, his eyes a deep black void of emotion.
Yan Gege gave him a grin, sticking out his tongue playfully with his chubby and fair features suddenly taking on an impish mischief.
Yan Song pursed his lips, a trace of scorn flashing through his eyes.
Yan Gege, although not quite understanding, still felt uncomfortable, his delicate brows furrowing.
And Yan Nanmo, standing at the doorway without anyone knowing when he arrived, leaned against the fra, eyebrows raised, looking on with a peach-blossom gaze that carried a deep-ocean’s swell of laughter.
His eyes fell on Yan Song, and with a light chuckle, he said, "Good lad, you’ve got guts—more badass than your dad was. Look at you, you’ve made your mother cry."
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