After a night’s sleep, it was as if energy had surged through me, invigorating me completely.

“Mom, I don't want to join the company. I only love painting.”

“You useless child,” Xu Lu dragged him into the garden, scolding angrily. “I’ve humbled myself and worked so hard to finally get your father to agree, and now you just keep saying you want to paint.”

“Mom,” Yiyang replied, his voice heavy with exhaustion, “I truly love painting. I have no interest in business at all. Besides, the company is thriving under my brother’s management. Even if I join, I’ll never be as good as him.”

“You haven’t even tried. How can you say you’re not as good as him?”

“Mom, let me be honest with you. I won’t join the company. I just want to paint, that's all.”

He turned away as he spoke.

“I was the one who ordered the fire at your art exhibition. If you refuse to join the company, I’ll go confess right now.”

At those words, Yiyang froze, staring at his mother in disbelief. “Mom, do you know what you’ve done? That was all my hard work, everything I had—do you understand?”

“Son,” Xu Lu’s eyes shimmered with tears, “all these years, I’ve struggled and worried—what was it for? For my son’s future, so you could inherit the family business and have everything you want. But for that worthless art exhibition, you disappeared day and night, let Lin Yichen fool you endlessly. How could I bear to watch you go on like that?”

“But you can’t destroy my passion.”

“That wasn’t yours; it was Lin Yichen’s,” Xu Lu squeezed his hand. “Son, if I hadn’t ruthlessly destroyed your exhibition, you wouldn’t have come to your senses, and your father would never let you join the company. I ruined your exhibition for your own good!”

Yiyang pulled his hand away, his eyes bloodshot.

“Son,” Xu Lu choked, “I’m getting old. You’re my only support. Are you going to ignore your mother? Even if you don’t care about me, you should care for yourself! All these years, if Lin Yichen hadn’t been holding you back, would you have ended up like this?”

“Mom,” Yiyang let go of her hand and turned his back to her, “my brother has always been better than me, that’s the truth. But he’s never looked down on me. He truly treats me as his brother. He’s always supported my painting, always helped me chase my dreams. But my dream was destroyed in a single fire—do you even know that?”

“Yiyang, I—”

“You target my brother at every turn, but he’s never hurt you. Now you want to hurt me, too. Did you realize your fire almost killed my best friend?”

Xu Lu refused to give up. “Son, promise me—if you join the company, I’ll never do those things again…”

“I’m not joining the company. Give up on that idea!”

Yiyang ran off.

Xu Lu stumbled, unable to understand. Everything she’d done was for him, so why couldn’t he see it?

#

Xiyang rolled around on the big bed, hugging Little White. “Little White, from now on our home is this huge house.”

Little White, dizzy from being rolled around, replied, “No matter how big the house is, I still want to slip out.”

Little Seven scoffed, “You’re such a coward! Since we’re here, just settle in.”

Little White scoffed back, “I’m a cute cat now—much better than a mouse.”

“Xiyang, open the door.”

Little Seven always locked the door at night, afraid her sweet dreams would be overheard by someone.

She’d never had the habit of locking her door before.

Thinking about it now, she wished she did. If only, the transmitter wouldn’t have gone missing.

Little Seven hopped off the bed and went to open the door.

The girl standing outside was vibrant and full of energy, her face bright with a smile, her mood seemingly elated.

Yesterday she’d looked listless and defeated, but after a night’s rest, it was as if she’d been injected with new life.