She is far more innocent than you.

Xia Yueshan suddenly paused mid-bite as he tore into the squid, then nodded faintly after a moment.

"Why?"

"Your sister doesn’t seem like a bad person at all?"

Lin Yu couldn’t make sense of it.

Could Xia Muzhu actually be a wolf in sheep’s clothing?

On the surface, she appeared kind and warm to everyone, but once she got home, did she reveal her true nature—treating her own younger brother like a voodoo doll, pricking him with needles for fun?

Lin Yu stared at Xia Yueshan, waiting for an answer.

Xia Yueshan gritted his teeth, ripped off a piece of grilled squid, and chewed furiously as he spat out bitterly:

"If it weren’t for her, Mom and Dad would never have left!"

"Your parents’ departure has a lot to do with your sister?"

Lin Yu’s heart sank, and he began to understand Xia Yueshan a little.

So the siblings had such deep-seated resentment? No wonder Xia Yueshan hated his sister so much...

...Wait, no!

Recalling the photo he’d seen at Xia Muzhu’s place not long ago, Lin Yu frowned tightly.

That photo wasn’t taken too far back, was it?

Could it be that their parents had passed away just in the last few months?

No way.

According to Xia Muzhu, Xia Yueshan had already despised her since third grade—the timeline didn’t add up at all!

Just as Lin Yu was puzzling over this, Xia Yueshan nodded vehemently, his eyes burning with hatred. He gnawed on the squid as if it were Xia Muzhu’s flesh, growling:

"If it weren’t for her, Mom and Dad would never have felt safe leaving me alone in the country. They would’ve taken me abroad with them or found a new job here so we wouldn’t have been separated!"

......

Lin Yu had no idea what expression he was wearing right now.

But if someone took a photo of him, it could probably be used as a meme for speechlessness—no caption needed.

Thinking back on Xia Yueshan’s absurd reasoning, Lin Yu didn’t even know where to begin.

After collecting his thoughts, he asked in a tone so ridiculous even he found it hard to believe:

"So what you’re saying is, your sister is so reliable that your parents trusted her enough to leave you in her care while they went abroad."

"And because you couldn’t be with your parents, you hate your sister for it?"

Lin Yu looked at Xia Yueshan with the same expression one might wear while watching a bad soap opera. The even more absurd part? Xia Yueshan actually nodded in agreement.

"Exactly!"

"If it weren’t for her, Mom and Dad would’ve stayed by my side. They could’ve attended my parent-teacher meetings."

"I wouldn’t have been called a parentless stray by other kids."

"I would’ve had their protection when I got bullied—just like with Li Heizi earlier!"

The mocking smile on Lin Yu’s lips froze the moment Xia Yueshan mentioned being called a stray.

As Xia Yueshan continued, Lin Yu’s smile faded entirely.

Watching Xia Yueshan wipe his tears, sniffling and choking up, Lin Yu quickly realized one thing:

Was Xia Yueshan’s reason for hating his sister ridiculous?

Absolutely.

It sounded like the whining of a spoiled child—

"I want Mom and Dad with me."

"I don’t want them to leave."

From an adult’s perspective, it was downright laughable.

But what if he saw it from Xia Yueshan’s point of view?

From the perspective of a boy who got bullied in middle school with no parents to turn to.

From the boy whose sister was the only one showing up at parent-teacher meetings while others had their moms and dads.

From the boy who was mocked as a stray but had no way to prove otherwise.

From his angle, he really did have reason to feel wronged.

And to resent his kind, caring sister.

But was he right?

Not even close.

"Xia Yueshan, you really hate your sister, don’t you?"

Lin Yu asked, watching Xia Yueshan scrub at his eyes and sniffle.

"Yeah!"

Xia Yueshan nodded fiercely.

"But have you ever considered that, from your sister’s perspective, she has even more reason to hate you?"

At Lin Yu’s words, Xia Yueshan’s hand stilled mid-wipe. Lin Yu went on:

"I get it. You think your sister’s existence made it easy for your parents to leave you behind while they worked abroad."

"But because of you, your sister’s life has been restricted too, hasn’t it?"

"Your sister is beautiful, but she’s twenty-four now and still hasn’t dated or married."

"You’re not naive enough to think no one’s pursued her, right?"

"Do you have any idea how much you’ve held her back? How many regrets she’s had to live with because of you?"

"Then she should’ve just ignored me!"

Xia Yueshan suddenly roared:

"If she hadn’t taken care of me, Mom and Dad would’ve worried! They would’ve taken me abroad or stayed for my sake!"

"Who asked her to interfere?!"

His furious shout echoed along the quiet riverbank. Lin Yu looked at this obsessive, almost deranged boy with nothing but pity.

"You really think that without your sister, your parents would’ve taken you abroad?"

"Or given up their careers for you?"

"Xia Yueshan, wake up."

Lin Yu shattered his delusions without mercy, his voice icy:

"They would never have taken you overseas."

"Let’s start with the most basic hurdle—language. You don’t speak a word of it!"

"How would you survive abroad? Lock yourself indoors all day?"

"Wait for your exhausted parents to come home after work and cook for you like you’re some spoiled prince?"

"I could learn to cook for myself!"

Xia Yueshan retorted defiantly.

"What about school?"

Lin Yu pressed:

"How would you handle that?"

"You didn’t actually think you could skip school just because you’re abroad, did you?"

"How would you attend classes without knowing the language?"

"How would you communicate?"

"You wouldn’t even know if someone was laughing at you to your face—you’d just grin like an idiot and play along!"

Watching Xia Yueshan fall silent, Lin Yu drove the point home:

"And don’t fantasize about your parents staying in the country for you."

"If they could’ve found even a slightly worse job here, they wouldn’t have left you behind to work overseas."

"Xia Yueshan, let me tell you this."

"If your sister had really ignored you like you claim she should’ve—"

"Only two things would’ve happened to you."

Lin Yu held up two fingers in front of Xia Yueshan.

"Either you’d be handed off to some hired caretaker who’d half-heartedly throw meals at you."

"Or you’d be dumped in a boarding school like a prison, rotting there through elementary, middle, and high school!"

"And one more thing."

Lin Yu stood up, looking down at Xia Yueshan with a stern expression.

"Xia Yueshan, even if you're consumed by rage, you shouldn't take it out on your sister."

"At the very least, she's far more innocent than you are!"