How had he become so cold and indifferent?
This attitude, however, only made the Lin Family, who were already dissatisfied with him, dislike him even more.
Lin Xinyi, meanwhile, had discovered something extraordinary: it seemed she could hear Lin Ge’s inner thoughts.
Lin Ge had been buried in his porridge just now, not saying a word, yet she had heard him thinking that he was sick with a fever. He was also thinking that his family did not care about him. Observing the others' reactions, it seemed they couldn’t hear it. Was she the only one who could?
Perhaps Lin Ge really had caught a cold from the rain yesterday! But that was no excuse for him to treat his family this way.
"Wuu wuu... Big brother is still mad at me! It’s all my fault for making him so angry for so long!" Lin Qingyang whimpered from the side.
One had to admit, Lin Qingyang’s talent for sowing discord was top-tier. On the surface, he appeared to be admitting his own mistakes, but in reality, he was implying that Lin Ge was petty, holding a grudge from last night until now.
"Son, it’s not your fault. It’s Lin Ge who is narrow-minded and unable to let things go. Let’s just ignore him!" Mother Lin said, tenderly wiping away non-existent tears from Lin Qingyang’s face.
Lin Xinyi looked at her mother and Lin Qingyang, feeling a sudden sense of discord in a scene that had always felt normal to her. She heard Lin Ge’s inner voice again, coming from three steps away:
"Look at that. What kind of mother calls her biological son by his full name, while calling her adopted son 'son' in every breath? Does she really see me as her own child? What a joke!"
Come to think of it, it really was like that! Could it be that the family truly hadn't been caring enough toward Lin Ge? But even so, he shouldn't be so petty as to be jealous of his younger brother, Qingyang, right?
At this moment, Father Lin was clearly stirred to anger by Lin Qingyang. He frowned and shouted, "Lin Ge, you stand right there!"
"Qingyang has already said all that, and you still won't forgive him? What more do you want? Must you tear this family apart to be satisfied?"
Lin Ge’s back stiffened, and he stopped in his tracks. He turned around slowly and said indifferently, "I was never angry. Where does this talk of forgiveness come from?"
"Big brother, are you really not mad at me? But you didn't even come out for dinner last night..." Lin Qingyang said in a low, aggrieved tone.
"Holding a grudge from last night until today—your temper is truly something!" the eldest sister, Lin Shunyi, remarked with a cold sneer.
Lin Shunyi had graduated five years ago and worked in their father's company. She had been performing brilliantly, securing several major contracts for the business. She was a business elite praised by everyone. Normally arrogant and proud, she enjoyed Lin Ge’s meticulous care but looked down on her own brother, treating him like a groveling sycophant, and rarely spoke to him. It was pure indifference. Yet today, for Lin Qingyang’s sake, she had actually deigned to speak two sentences to Lin Ge.
*Lin Qingyang, that green tea bitch, he really knows how to act!* Lin Ge thought. *A single sentence, and the whole family is dissatisfied with me. I came home from school in the rain last night, caught a cold, and had no appetite. None of them asked how I was, yet they turn it around and accuse me of being angry. Unbelievable!*
Lin Ge glanced at his eldest sister. "Believe it or not, I don't care!"
With that, he stopped paying attention to them and headed upstairs on his own. Having finished two bowls of hot porridge, he felt better, but he still needed to lie down and see how he felt; if his condition worsened, he would go to the doctor. He wouldn't be as foolish as he was in his past life, hurting his own body to please people who weren't worth it.
Behind him came his eldest sister’s incredulous voice: "Look at that! Is this how you treat your eldest sister?"
The little green tea, Lin Qingyang, chimed in: "Eldest sister, don’t be angry. Big brother doesn't just treat you this way; he’s the same with Mom and Dad..."
The second sister, Lin Jiayi, shook her head. "Sigh, it's been two years. Lin Ge has been back for two years, and he still hasn't learned any manners!"
Lin Jiayi valued etiquette above all else. She believed Lin Ge’s behavior stemmed from a lack of proper upbringing.
Only Lin Xinyi watched Lin Ge, then looked at Lin Qingyang, a thoughtful expression on her face. She wasn't angry this time, for she had caught another glimpse of Lin Ge’s inner voice:
"Look at this family, always stirred up by Lin Qingyang’s few words! Whatever he says, they take as gospel. Can they really not see his true intentions? Sigh, this family is hopeless..."
Lin Xinyi thought, *If I hadn't heard Lin Ge’s inner voice, I surely would have been easily provoked into anger by Qingyang’s words too.*
*Could it really not be Lin Ge’s fault? But Qingyang is pure and sensible; he surely isn't targeting Lin Ge. We watched him grow up; he is a child with a good heart and solid roots. It’s just that he’s too sensitive and doesn't know how to beat around the bush.*
*Then... are we the ones who are wrong?*
While Lin Xinyi was lost in thought, Mother Lin scolded him with dissatisfaction: "It’s not just a matter of manners! It’s a matter of character! Look at yourself—where are the excellent qualities of a child of the Lin Family? Being left out in the cold before is one thing, but you’ve been back for so long and we still haven't managed to educate you properly. Sigh, I am such a failure as a mother!"
Mother Lin sat in her chair, covering her forehead. Due to her agitation, her long-dormant headache began to throb again.
"Mom! Mom, what’s wrong? Please don’t be upset. It’s all Qingyang’s fault for making brother angry. It’ll be fine once his temper passes!" Lin Qingyang supported Mother Lin with both hands, his eyes slightly red, looking utterly distraught.
Seeing Mother Lin’s condition, Lin Shunyi and the others grew anxious. Once Mother Lin’s migraine flared up, it was very difficult to alleviate. Everyone’s opinion of Lin Ge soured even further; apart from the silent Lin Xinyi, the others were all indignantly denouncing him.
Lin Ge had become immune to their scolding. Without pausing, he returned to his room, shut the door with a loud "bang," and locked the voices of the entire family outside.
*The world is finally quiet!*
Lin Ge threw himself onto the bed, spread his limbs, closed his eyes, and drifted back into a dream.
When he woke up again, it was already afternoon. The fever had broken. Feeling refreshed, Lin Ge sat up and stretched comfortably. The sunlight from outside the window slanted in, warm and cozy.
*It’s good to be alive!* Since heaven had granted him a second chance, he would live this life comfortably and as he pleased!
Downstairs was completely empty; there wasn't a soul in sight. These people had likely already gone to prepare for Lin Qingyang’s birthday banquet. Every year, Lin Qingyang’s birthday was held at the highest-end hotel in Haishi, usually inviting close business partners and friends. The spectacle made it seem as though they were treating Lin Qingyang as the heir to the Lin Family.
This was the root of Lin Qingyang’s underlying hostility toward Lin Ge. What the Lin Family didn't know was that his uncle and aunt had long since brainwashed Lin Qingyang, telling him that the Lin family assets would all be his in the future.
After Lin Ge returned, he became a thorn in Lin Qingyang’s side. He deliberately sowed discord in front of his parents and sisters, causing them to develop prejudices against Lin Ge.
There was no other reason. He was afraid the Lin family fortune would fall into Lin Ge’s hands. After all, Lin Ge was the real son.