He had always wanted to provoke her, to make her pay attention to him, not wanting to be ignored.

Xiao Lian had long thought about this but never expressed it to anyone, even Jin Yu. He could only secretly wish and silently watch her intimacy with Su Xi, hearing rumors of her romantic entanglements. His brother was her man, but he had no status to hope for her affection. Occasionally, he tried to attract her attention with words and actions, even briefly.

Jin Yu tucked her stray hair behind her ear. “Don’t talk nonsense.”

“It’s not nonsense…” Xiao Lian murmured, his closed eyes opening slightly before blinking and closing again, pretending nothing had been said. Finding a comfortable spot in Jin Yu’s embrace, he fell into a deep sleep. When he woke up, all of this would be forgotten; he would return to being the immature child in their eyes, perhaps just calling her “Jin Jiejie” to solve his troubles.

Jin Yu watched Xiao Lian in her arms, gently stroking his cheek, her eyes filled with worry. Finally, she sighed and covered them both with a blanket.

#

In a corner of the Jin residence, Dao’er crouched, shivering in torn clothing. Tears rolled down his face as several servants and attendants stood nearby, mocking him.

“What are you doing?” An authoritative, angry voice suddenly rang out.

Unsteady footsteps faded away, leaving a few servants before footsteps approached again. Daoer raised his tear-stained face, looking pitiful. “They want to sell me to a brothel, I don’t want to go…” His voice was choked and hoarse, trembling violently.

The steward knelt in front of him, using a handkerchief to wipe the tears rolling down his face. “It’s okay now, no one will hurt you again.” She noticed Daoer’s bruised arm, already scarred.

Daoer’s eyes welled up with tears again as he cried. Ever since those people found out that the young master would leave with the young lady, he had been constantly bullied. Not wanting to worry the young master before leaving, he endured the physical and emotional pain while packing his things.

#

Shortly after Xiaolian fell asleep, Jinyu placed him on the bed and covered him with a blanket. Only in bed could he eliminate fatigue effectively. These “foolish” people didn’t know how to take care of themselves, always making others worry.