Shen Wanwan asked, “It’s so late, where are you going?”
Shao Yuye casually made up a lie.
“Going to exercise.”
He wasn’t good at lying, his whole body felt awkward the moment he said it. Without another word, he rushed out of the house.
Shen Wanwan narrowed her eyes slightly, her gaze landing thoughtfully on the empty bowl on the table.
Shao Yuye ran downstairs, bought a bottle of water from the vending machine, and chugged it in one go.
Only then did he feel alive again.
…He had been on the verge of dying of thirst.
Turns out, love couldn’t fill one’s stomach.
With noodles that salty, anyone would need at least three liters of water afterward.
He tossed the empty bottle into the trash can with a perfect basketball-style shot.
With a *clang*, it got in perfectly. Shao Yuye admired it with satisfaction, about to leave, when he suddenly felt a chilly gaze from not far away.
Instinctively, he looked up.
And there she was. Arms crossed, staring straight at him. Shen Wanwan.
Caught off guard, Shao Yuye nearly shouted, “Holy shit,” in his head.
Shen Wanwan’s voice was cool: “Exercising?”
Shao Yuye scratched his head awkwardly. “…About to start.”
“Oh…” Shen Wanwan nodded meaningfully. “So before exercising, you like to chug a whole bottle of water?”
“Exactly!”
At this point, even though lying wasn’t his strength, he had no choice but to double down.
“Gotta drink a bottle first to get warmed up~”
Shen Wanwan suddenly burst out laughing.
But almost immediately she grew flustered, glaring at her brother in embarrassment.
That was not the kind of sound a proper lady should make.
“Enough.”
She quickly composed herself again. “Let’s go home.”
Shao Yuye also straightened his face in an instant. “You go ahead first.”
Under the streetlamp, the shadows carved his features into sharp relief, his face looking even more defined.
In a calm tone, he said, “I’m going to see Shao Hongyuan.”
Shen Wanwan let out a faint “Oh,” then added, “Best to cut ties early.”
She rubbed her eyes wearily. “I won’t wait for you.”
In the next second, Shao Yuye buried the anger in his eyes and replied gently.
“Mm, no need to wait.”
The servants hadn’t expected him to return at this hour.
When Auntie Li opened the door and saw him, she was still a little stunned. “Young Master?”
It was already late at night.
Shao Yuye wore a black baseball cap, most of his face covered by a mask. With the light behind him, his figure almost melted into the darkness.
He gave Auntie Li a polite nod and strode upstairs.
She quickly said, “Madam has already gone to bed, and Master isn’t back yet. Young Master, what should I prepare for your breakfast tomorrow?”
Without stopping, Shao Yuye answered.
“No need.
“I won’t be coming back anymore.”
Auntie Li froze.
Shao Yuye entered his room.
He didn’t have many belongings—just daily necessities, all of which fit into one large suitcase.
Meanwhile, a dozen bodyguards filed in behind him, swiftly clearing out the room that had once belonged to Shen Wanwan, packing everything into boxes and carrying them downstairs.
The noise woke Shao Jia.
Still half-asleep, she opened her door, only to be stunned by the sight.
Dozens of men in black suits carrying box after box down the stairs.
Confused, she asked, “What are you doing?”
No one responded.
She turned helplessly to Auntie Li. Auntie Li pointed upstairs. “The Young Master has returned.”
Just then, Shao Yuye came down the stairs. Shao Jia looked at him as if seeing her savior, crying out, “Brother!”
From above, Shao Yuye looked down at her, his eyes cold and contemptuous.
“You think you deserve to call me Brother?
“Hand it over.”
Shao Jia’s heart clenched. She forced herself to ask:
“Brother, what are you talking about?”
Shao Yuye drew in a long breath.
He’d been in a good mood today. He really hadn’t wanted to deal with her.
But this illegitimate daughter was just like her mother, always stealing.
From that room, a photo was missing, along with the diamond tiara that belonged to his little sister.
“The things you took from my sister.
“Hand them over!”
Shao Jia trembled at his shout.
She’d seen him argue with their father before, shouting until the house practically shook.
But this time, his fury was even greater.
She stumbled back a step, waving her hands weakly. “I didn’t—”
“Didn’t?” Shao Yuye arched a brow and said coldly, “I don’t have the energy to play games with you. Hand it over now, and I’ll let this go.”
He stepped forward, closing in on Shao Jia one step at a time. With one hand pressing down on her shoulder, he forced her back toward her own room.
His absolute height advantage cast a shadow over Shao Jia’s face.
The muscles in the grown man’s arm were solid and powerful, veins standing out and running all the way to his wrist.
Shao Jia struggled, but then heard Shao Yuye’s voice turn even colder.
“If I have to call the police…”
Her calves trembled uncontrollably as she screamed, “I didn’t take it! I didn’t take it! Brother, I didn’t take it!”
Xu Qingxin was startled awake by her heart-wrenching cries. When she opened the door and saw the scene, she was so frightened that she rushed over, scooping the sobbing Shao Jia into her arms protectively.
“Yuye…” she said nervously. “It’s the middle of the night. What’s gotten into you? Whatever it is, we can sit down and talk it out…”
But Shao Yuye only gave a low laugh.
That laugh made Xu Qingxin’s skin crawl. Hugging Shao Jia even tighter, she heard him say icily, “Ms. Xu.”
It was easy to be accused of bullying when facing a 16-year-old girl whose emotions were unstable.
But against Xu Qingxin, it was different.
“Do me a favor and discipline your daughter,” Shao Yuye said coldly. “She insists on being a thief instead of a decent person.”
“What did Jiajia steal? Yuye, don’t make false accusations… There must be some misunderstanding.”
This pitiful act was what Xu Qingxin excelled at.
Shao Yuye’s lips curled. “The cameras recorded everything.”
Shao Jia’s face instantly went pale.
“You should take a good look,” he said flatly. “See what kind of daughter you’ve raised, stealing from my sister.”
“I’m not a thief!” Shao Jia protested. “I just… I just thought that tiara was really pretty.”
And it truly was.
Her father had never bought her anything like that…
She only wanted to touch it, to show it off to her classmates, not to keep it forever…
Her pitiful appearance perfectly imitated Xu Qingxin’s white-lotus act.
Shao Yuye sneered. “Taking something without permission is stealing.”
The evidence was irrefutable.
And with the way Shao Jia looked on video, sneaky and furtive, even Xu Qingxin couldn’t bring herself to argue that she was ‘just a child who didn’t know better.’
Afraid Shao Yuye might use force, she twisted Shao Jia’s arm herself.
“Hurry up and return it to your brother!”
Crying miserably, Shao Jia went back into her room and brought out the little crown.
Even when handing it back, she looked reluctant.
Shao Yuye raised a brow. “And the photo.”
Shao Jia fidgeted, voice barely above a whisper, “I lost the photo…”
He didn’t believe her.
The surveillance showed she had taken both items before he returned.
“Now,” he ordered.
Her hands trembling, Shao Jia handed over the photo.
One glance was enough to send Yuye’s blood pressure soaring.
The picture had already been cut up. Where Shen Wanwan had originally been, Shao Jia had pasted in her own childhood photo instead.
“I just wanted to have a photo with my brother…” Shao Jia wailed.
Shao Yuye looked at the patched-together photo and laughed coldly.
“Fake is fake.”
He tossed it into the trash can.
But he kept the single, damaged photo of Shen Wanwan clenched tightly in his palm.
Xu Qingxin pushed Shao Jia’s head down.
“Quick, apologize to your brother.”
“…I’m sorry, Brother.”
“I’m not your brother.”
Straightening up, he said.
“Since you’re so desperate for siblings, I can help you get in touch with them.
“Not just a brother.” He gave a mirthless smile and said lightly, “You’ve got plenty of half-siblings.”
Xu Qingxin’s face instantly turned pale.
Taking everything with him, Shao Yuye strode out of the house.
Auntie Li, who had worked in the Shao household the longest, watched his retreating back.
She suddenly remembered. The Young Master had left like this once before.
Black clothes, black hair, and the curtain of rain outside.
He had stepped out alone, carrying nothing with him.
Even though he seldom returned afterward, sometimes he was forced back by the Master’s threats.
But this time was different.
She didn’t know why, but…
This time, Auntie Li had a strong feeling—
The Young Master would never come back again.