Inside a private booth in a bar, Qi Xinghe was being interviewed by the media, alongside Su Mo and Su Renhua. As a newly popular internet personality about to release an album and enter the entertainment industry, the media was naturally very focused on him. To build momentum for Xinghe, Su Renhua and Su Mo personally stood by him, putting on a grand display of family affection.
A reporter asked, “Are you hosting this party today specifically for your youngest son? Young Master Qi is truly cherished at home.”
Su Renhua nodded. “Xinghe is our youngest; it’s only natural he’s pampered. His brother has been working tirelessly for his debut, and finally, things are settled.”
Su Mo patted Xinghe’s head and said gently, “He’s the one we worry about the most.” Xinghe clung to Su Mo, acting spoiled in his arms.
“Such a loving family. It’s truly enviable,” the reporter remarked before asking, “Many have noticed that Young Master Qi’s surname is Qi, not Su. Is there a reason for that?”
Su Renhua explained, “A fortune teller said our youngest son would face a great calamity in his life, and that he had to change both his first and last names to avoid it. However, giving him an outside surname is indeed improper. We will formally change his surname back soon.”
Su Mo stiffened, his gaze shifting to Su Renhua. While the reporters might not have understood the subtext, Su Mo did. This meant Qi Xinghe would formally enter the Su family genealogy—meaning he would share the Su family fortune equally with Su Mo.
This was not good news for Su Mo. He pampered Xinghe only because he believed Xinghe was no threat to his inheritance. If Xinghe entered the family tree, he became a direct competitor. To a man in Su Mo’s position, an uncontrollable Qi Xinghe was a threat.
After the interview, Su Mo asked his father, “Dad, do you mean to put Qi Xinghe into the genealogy?”
“Yes, why?” Su Renhua raised an eyebrow.
“You didn’t consult me,” Su Mo said, his heart sinking.
Su Renhua’s face darkened instantly. “Why should I consult you on my decisions? Am I the father here, or are you?”
The atmosphere turned icy. Su Renhua had his own motives; Xinghe was actually his illegitimate son, a fact that had always been a thorn in his side. He loved Xinghe more than his other children because Xinghe was “obedient” and “pitiful.” In his eyes, his other children—the legitimate heir Su Mo, the eldest daughter Su Minmin, and the disgraced Su Mingran—were all well-off, while Xinghe had nothing.
“I thought you loved Xinghe like a real brother,” Su Renhua sneered at Su Mo.
Xinghe immediately hugged Su Mo, looking aggrieved. “Brother, do you not think of me as your brother? Can you bear to see me without a real father or mother?”
The father and son duo used a moral high ground to force Su Mo’s hand. Trapped, Su Mo could only maintain his “caring brother” facade and agree.
…
Later, while Xinghe was being swept away to drink with guests, Su Mo sat alone, brooding. He suddenly thought of Su Mingran—the true second son of the Su family who shared their blood but had never even been allowed in the genealogy. Why did Xinghe get to enter? Because he was “pitiful”? Was Su Mingran not pitiful?
Distracted by a ringing phone, Su Mo answered with a snarl, only to find it was Su Mingran.
“Brother,” Su Mingran’s voice came through, blurred by the wind. “Do you hate me so much that you never want to see me again?”
Su Mo vented all his frustration from the inheritance talk onto Su Mingran. “Yes. So stop calling me.”
There was a second of silence. “Brother, I remember now… there was a time you didn’t hate me. When we were kids and Dad forced you to study, I’d pull you away to play and you never refused. You didn’t hate me then, right?”
“Drop the boring sentimentality,” Su Mo snapped. “I’ve always loathed you. I never want to see you.”
“Then you’ve got your wish.”
The line went dead. Su Mo felt an uneasy twitch in his eyelid. He drank heavily, and memories of their childhood flickered—Su Mingran had indeed been a “little sun” before he was kidnapped, the only person who brought joy to Su Mo’s strictly controlled life. But everything changed when Xinghe was brought home and Mingran was lost. Their parents’ affection became tied to how well they “protected” the new, fragile Xinghe.
….
Suddenly, Su Minmin burst into the bar, looking disheveled and furious. She confronted Su Renhua: “Why wasn’t I invited to the party? Does my contribution to Xinghe’s debut mean nothing?”
Minmin had been pushed to her limit. Since Mingran left, she had become the family’s punching bag and “social lubricant,” forced to drink with lecherous clients until she had stomach bleeding.
When she turned to her mother, Yan Qian, for support, the woman didn’t even look up from peeling shrimp for Xinghe.
“Mother!” Minmin cried. “Do you not care what they are doing to me? Am I even your biological daughter?”
Yan Qian finally looked up, her eyes as cold as they had been throughout their childhood. “I wish I had never given birth to any of you.”
The weight of those words crushed both Su Minmin and Su Mo. While they knew their parents were biased, they had always assumed there was some underlying love.
“Does ‘any of you’ include me?” Su Mo asked, needing to confirm.
“Yes,” Yan Qian replied coldly.
…
The next afternoon, as the Su family prepared to leave the bar, they were swarmed by reporters.
“Is it true that Qi Xinghe is an adopted son, and the real second son is Su Mingran?” “Why are you hiding Su Mingran’s existence?” “Is Qi Xinghe actually your illegitimate son?”
The family scrambled into a small car, humiliated. Online, the tide was turning. Rumors of Su Mingran being abused in the Su household began to surface.
In the cramped car, tensions exploded. Su Renhua blamed Su Mo for the leak; Su Mo blamed his father’s drunkenness; and both suspected Su Minmin.
“If I contacted the reporters, I hope I never marry!” Minmin screamed, throwing her phone.
Xinghe smirked. “Who knows if you deleted the records?”
Su Renhua slapped Minmin twice when she refused to entertain a sleazy magazine executive to fix Xinghe’s reputation. “You’ll go because I pay for the clothes on your back!”
Minmin fell to the ground, realizing she was now in the same position Su Mingran used to be—unprotected and despised.
…
As they reached the company to film an interview, a second, even larger wave of reporters arrived. But they weren’t asking about entertainment news anymore.
“Why was Su Mingran hospitalized?” “Is Su Mingran dead or alive?”
A police car pulled up. “Are you Su Renhua, Su Mo, Su Minmin, and Qi Xinghe?” the officer asked. “We found clothing by the riverbank near your company. A man named Su Mingran is reported missing, suspected of jumping from the roof of this building yesterday. You need to come with us.”
Su Minmin’s hands shook. Under the glare of a hundred cameras, the entire Su family was escorted away in a police van.
Minutes later, the top trending topic changed to: QiXingheSuspectedOfMurder