Chapter 1

The little cub sat on a small chair in the corner, holding an old doll that was washed white in one hand and his chin on his hand with the other, staring blankly.

The adults not far away were arguing.

——Let me be frank, Chen Yan, that unfilial son, doesn’t deserve the family property at all!

——We haven't heard anything about him in all these years, and we don't know whether he's dead or alive. Then, when the old man fell ill, a son suddenly appeared.

——Ha, what a coincidence.

——Who among you hasn't come to see the old man during the holidays over the years? Who hasn't done better than Chen Yan? In all fairness, shouldn't this money be given to us?

——But the little thing is my only grandson after all...

——So what if he's my grandson? So what if he's my son? Have I ever fulfilled my filial duty?

——I agree. Such a young child doesn’t need much money. It would be a waste to give it to him.

——Shh, keep your voice down, don’t let the little thing hear you.

——So what if he listened? How old is he? What can he understand?

The last person was right, Li Jue really couldn't understand what they were saying.

He was only three years old, still a naive little baby, and had no idea about the intrigues of adults.

But Li Jue heard only one familiar word over and over again.

Heavy smoke.

That's his father's name.

Chen Yan is the only son of Mr. Shen. He has no intention of inheriting the Shen family's wealth and power. He eloped with a man a few years ago and has not been heard from since.

In the eyes of the Shen family, it was no different from being dead.

Mr. Shen had an old illness when he was young. Recently, he caught a cold in the winter and has been bedridden. The doctor said he doesn't have much time left.

Relatives with their own ulterior motives came from all directions, everyone wanted to show up at the old man's deathbed and get a share of the huge inheritance that no one had inherited.

——Originally, there was indeed no one to inherit the property, if the police had not suddenly brought a little cub to the door and told him that after comparison, it was confirmed that the child was Chen Yan’s biological son and the old man’s biological grandson.

The fat meat that is about to be bitten suddenly has a owner. No one can accept it calmly.

The relatives were discussing heatedly how to get back the money that "belonged" to them.

The cub, sitting blankly in the little chair, didn't care what they were arguing about.

He just wanted to know, where...daddy had gone?

Ever since Li Jue could remember, he had been dependent on his father.

His father wanted him to be free and not be bound by the family, so he did not let him inherit the surname and just named him Li Jue.

He is different from other children. He has no mother, no brothers and sisters, and no uncles or aunts.

He only has his dad.

None of that matters, as long as I have a dad.

Dad doesn’t have a lot of money, but he has a lot of love that he gives only to his children.

She would call him "little pear boy", "juejue baby", "baby", "sweetheart" in different ways, tickle his little belly and kiss his little face.

The little cub thought that living with his father was the happiest thing in the world.

But one day, Dad suddenly disappeared.

The baby didn't cry or make a fuss, and waited obediently at home for his father to come home.

But the father never came back, and the cub fainted from hunger.

Fortunately, a neighbor discovered it in time and called the police.

Later, he was sent to this magnificent yet cold house.

Mr. Shen has been in a coma for many days and it is unlikely that he will wake up again. He still doesn’t know that he has a grandson.

Without anyone to support him, the three-year-old child naturally became a lamb among wolves, at the mercy of others.

The adults treated him coldly, fed him cold food, and made him sleep on the dusty storage room floor.

Xiao Lijue grew up in love, and these methods cannot really hurt him.

He just missed his dad very much.

Dad, when will you come to pick me up?

His favorite doll can no longer smell the sweet scent of laundry detergent at home...

"Are you hungry?"

Suddenly, a pair of shiny little leather shoes appeared in front of the cub.

Zizi first looked down at his worn cloth shoes, then raised his head along the pair of shoes opposite him.

A boy with black hair and brown eyes. A little older than him.

Li Jue remembers him.

The boy's name is Ling Xi, and he is the only person in the Shen family who is willing to be nice to him.

Ling Xi is the son of driver Lao Ling and has grown up in front of the Shen family since childhood.

Two years ago, Old Ling suffered a heart attack while driving his grandfather to the company and could not be saved. Since then, the Shen family has taken in the orphaned little Ling Xi.

Although the adoption was arranged by the old man himself, the five-year-old Ling Xi knew very well where he stood.

She never showed any intention of competing for the position of heir, and respectfully called others "Sir" and "Madam". She was smart and sensible, and was very much liked by the adults.

After Li Jue was sent to the Shen family, he was the only one who would quietly bring hot meals and a freshly washed and dried quilt to the cub.

Even though Second Aunt tugged at his sleeve and said, "Xiao Ling, don't bother provoking that kid unless necessary. It's unlucky."

Even though his third cousin patted his shoulder and said, "Xiao Ling, you should stay on the right path in the future and don't get involved with that kind of people."

Even though the little cousin deliberately said loudly where the cub could hear, "I don't know what kind of shady things he learned from his father."

Ling Xi nodded obediently, indicating that he had heard everything.

He turned around and filled a bag of candy to give to Li Jue.

The boy looked down at the cub.

Xiao Lijue has a pair of very beautiful eyes, with pupils of light gold.

The long and curled eyelashes flickered, and the eyes looked like flowing light.

She has a small face the size of a palm, skin as white and tender as pudding, and extremely delicate facial features.

Her hair hadn't been cut for so long that it had grown very long, and it was so cute that at first glance, I thought she was a little girl.

Her hair color is very light platinum, like sweet cream, hanging down on her shoulders in fluffy waves, with cute little curls at the ends.

Even though she is still young, it can be seen that she will be a stunning beauty in the future.

Li Jue's whole body is light-colored.

Compared with Ling Xi with black hair and brown eyes, it is like the morning day and the long night, the warm sun and the cold moon.

……No.

The boy thought, it’s not the cliché sun.

The cub looks light golden, like a small pear blossom that has just opened into a bud, fragile, delicate and exquisite.

The five-year-old boy had already used all the compliments he had learned and could think of on the cub.

Seeing Zizi blinking his big eyes at him, Ling Xi thought that his voice was too soft just now, so he repeated: "Um...are you hungry?"

Li Jue held the doll in one hand, and before he spoke, his stomach growled honestly.

Ling Xi took out a piece of osmanthus cake, which had just been made in the kitchen and was still warm.

He handed it to the cub.

The younger one took it, wrinkled his nose and sniffed it, smelling a sweet scent.

Then she raised her little face and smiled, sweeter than an osmanthus cake: "Thank you, Xixi!"

In fact, he would rather hear the other person call him brother, but the little cub always calls him "Xixi".

Ling Xi thought silently.

When the baby smiles, he has dimples.

The boy sat down next to the cub and watched him eat the osmanthus cake in small bites.

He actually wanted to tell Li Jue not to care about what those people said. Mr. Shen had already made his will. If Chen Yan or Chen Yan's family could be found, everything would be left to them; if not, it would be donated to charity.

Those relatives who had been hoping for Mr. Shen's early death didn't get a penny.

However, Ling Xi changed his mind when he saw the cub eating happily with cheeks bulging like a hamster.

Li Jue is just a little baby. As long as the baby is happy, there is no need to worry about such complicated things.

"Oh, this osmanthus cake looks delicious. Where did it come from? Did you steal it?"

The sarcastic tone suddenly broke the children's peace.

Li Jue raised his head, there were some crumbs on his little face, his eyes were wide open, like a greedy little cat that had been caught.

He didn't know who the man with greasy hair was, but he recognized the look of disgust—except Ling Xi, everyone in the Shen family looked at him with the same look.

Ling Xi first found wet wipes from her pocket and wiped the baby's face and hands.

Then he stood up and said in a calm voice that was not in line with his age: "Sir, I gave it to him, please don't be angry."

No one in the Shen family likes Li Jue, they hate and even resent his arrival.

But Ling Xi is different.

The cub, who was brought to his door by the police, suddenly appeared in his life.

When everyone treated him as an insignificant servant, an orphan who could be manipulated at will, the cub called him with a sweet smile and a soft baby voice, "Xixi!"

Like a little doll brought by fate... no, a little gift.

A gift that he will treasure immensely and want to protect forever.

The cousin with greasy hair actually doesn't like Ling Xi, a kid who is too mature compared to his appearance. He always feels that his quiet brown eyes can see through all the filth in his heart.

But he still maintained a polite appearance: "Ha, really, Xiao Ling is really a good kid."

Then, he squatted down in front of the cub and said, "Come, Li Jue, uncle will take you to get a haircut, okay?"

Zizi didn't trust him and hid behind his little brother.

Ling Xi opened his arms to protect him: "Sir, Li Jue's hairstyle is quite cute..."

"Why would a boy have such long hair? Do you want to be mistaken for a little girl?" Chen Jiangxing said with disdain, and simply reached out to pull Li Jue, "Come on, go, cut it off now!"

The child is so light, like a kitten, that you can lift him up with one hand.

The cub kicked its legs in mid-air in fear, calling for help to the only person it could trust: "Xixi, Xixi!"

Ling Xi immediately went to hold Shen Jiangxing's arm: "Sir, please don't do this, he's scared...!"

Shen Jiangxing's patience had reached its limit. He threw the boy hard and he fell to the ground due to inertia.

The adult snorted coldly, grabbed the cub like a chicken, and strode out of the house.

When Ling Xi got up again, he ignored the pain in his legs and chased after the car, only to see the exhaust fumes from the car.

It's snowing heavily outside and it's difficult to drive.

Shen Jiangxing circled around a few times and found an abandoned construction site with no surveillance. He stopped and pulled out the little cub curled up in the corner of the back row.

The temperature in the Shen family's house was constant, and Li Jue was only wearing a single layer of clothing.

I suddenly felt the cold air and couldn't help sneezing.

Shen Jiangxing glanced at the little guy shivering helplessly in the snow.

Until this moment, the cub still didn't cry, and its little hands were hugged to itself for warmth in vain.

Yuan Jiujiu looked at him in confusion, not understanding why an adult would treat her like this.

Is the baby not behaving well?

Otherwise, why doesn't his father want him anymore?

The uncle and aunt in his new home didn't want him either.

The child's hair and eyes were so light that they almost blended into the white snow.

Shen Jiangxing looked at the helpless cub, a trace of pity flashed through his heart.

But when I think of Mr. Shen's inheritance, which is so huge it has countless zeros...

Profits can turn people into ghosts.

Then the last bit of pity disappeared.

The man rubbed his cold hands, took a last look at the child, returned to the car, started the engine, and left without looking back.