"Ji Ye, I'm talking to you! Aren't you satisfied with all that you have? What's wrong with sharing some with your sister?"

Ji Ye paused slightly at the doorway, first glancing sarcastically at Mei Jiao, who was sitting on the sofa pretending to be well-behaved, then looking back at Mei Xue: "What does her situation have to do with me? Did I ask you to give birth to her?"

Mei Xue was shocked and angered that he could be so cold-blooded. She said, "You are siblings born of the same mother. As the older brother, you should set an example by loving her."

"Oh? And as a mother, when have you ever felt sorry for me?"

"Why should I feel sorry for you? The Ji family has such a large business..."

"I just asked you, what day is it today?"

Mei Xue frowned, clearly having thought about it for a moment but still unable to recall.

Ji Ye's voice became increasingly sarcastic: "You're already thinking about her birthday two months from now, but you don't even remember my birthday today? I thought you invited me over to celebrate my birthday, but it seems I was just being delusional."

Mei Xue's expression froze, and Mei Jiao behind her also looked completely at a loss, as if she wanted to apologize and make amends.

Ji Ye didn't give them that chance, only coldly saying, "The Ji family's assets can only be given to people with the surname Ji. What right does Mei Jiao have to covet them?"

After saying that, he turned and left without giving them any chance to argue.

Mei Xue was extremely annoyed, and Mei Jiao was also alarmed by Ji Ye's words. Did this mean that her brother would no longer give her anything in the future?

So she complained, "Mom, how come you don't remember my brother's birthday?"

Mei Xue was speechless: "I...he didn't tell me beforehand."

Then Mei Jiao gently took Mei Xue's arm and comforted her, "It's alright, Mom. Since your brother was willing to come today, it proves that he still cares about you. We'll pick out a gift for him tomorrow to make up for it, and his anger should subside."

"You're so thoughtful."

Mei Xue quickly stopped thinking about it. After all, they'd been like this for so many years. He was her son, after all. Could they really sever their parent-child relationship? Since he longed for maternal love, she could just make a few more phone calls to check on him later.

Then she started complaining: "He's not as considerate as you. If he had said so earlier, there wouldn't have been this awkwardness. I can't afford a gift, can I?"

Both mother and daughter had their own ideals, and naturally felt that Ji Ye still had maternal affection for his son; otherwise, why would he have called so readily today? His anger today was simply because no one celebrated his birthday, which only proved how much he cared.

The two thought it through perfectly, completely unaware that a person who had been heartbroken for many years, now that he had fully realized the truth, no longer craved anything.

After arriving at the Mei family's house, Ji Ye had dismissed the driver, thinking that he would stay longer to celebrate his birthday. So now that he had no car to ride in and didn't want to call the driver to return, he walked into the rain alone.

What is he still hoping for? Never mind, let's go our separate ways and never contact each other again.

Perhaps it was the blow he had just suffered, or perhaps it was the fierce wind and rain, but Ji Ye felt a little dizzy. However, he didn't want to pay attention to it and continued walking stubbornly.

Just then, a girl nearby noticed him, but just as she was about to walk over, Song Xia's car arrived.

Seeing his drenched appearance, Song Xia sighed softly, then gave an unquestionable order: "Get in the car."

Ji Ye's frozen mind paused for a moment, seemingly realizing that Song Xia was angry. So he opened the car door without a word. Song Xia didn't say a word, glanced at the rearview mirror, and then stepped on the gas and drove away.

Su Ge's heart trembled as she prepared to cross the traffic light, as if something extremely important was slipping away from her. But what was it? What did she have left to lose?

Who is that boy? Why would he walk in the rain at night? And what is his relationship with the person driving the car? She'd seen that license plate at her workplace; only wealthy people drive those cars.

It's so good to be rich! Even in such terrible weather, someone comes to pick you up, unlike me, who has to walk home by myself after work.

Inside the car, Song Xia and Ji Ye remained silent until they returned to the villa. His demeanor startled Wu Ma.

"How did you get like this?" Aunt Wu was terrified. "Hurry up and take a shower and change your clothes. What if you catch a cold?"

Song Xia forcefully placed her hand on Ji Ye's forehead, then muttered, "Are you out of your mind? What will the old man do if something happens to you?"

Ji Ye stood there dumbfounded. Even when Song Xia made a move, he just stood there without resisting. The temperature of that hand was a little cold.

"Aren't you going to listen to Aunt Wu and take a bath? Aunt Wu, do you still have a thermometer and fever reducer at home? Also, could you please boil another pot of ginger soup?"

"Hey!" Wu Ma quickly found the thermometer and fever reducer, then hurriedly went to boil ginger soup.

Song Xia then dragged Ji Ye upstairs and pulled him to the bathroom door, asking, "You don't expect me to wash you myself, do you?"

Ji Ye was no longer oblivious; his face flushed, whether from burning or embarrassment, it was hard to tell.

"Just rinse it off quickly, don't wash it for too long."

Although her tone wasn't very nice, Ji Ye knew that she was worried about him and afraid that he might faint inside because he wasn't thinking clearly. She was just his stepmother, why was she being so nice to him?

Song Xia didn't leave Ji Ye's room, but looked around. It was too tidy and too minimalist, even the decor was cold and austere. It didn't look like the home of a teenager at all. No wonder he was so repressed. It seemed that she hadn't made a mistake in buying those gifts.

Ji Ye was very obedient today. In just ten minutes, he came out of the bathroom, but his face and forehead were flushed with an abnormal redness.

"You have a fever. First, take your temperature to see how high it is, then take your fever-reducing medicine."

Seeing that his hair was still dripping wet, she took out the hairdryer again: "What are you looking at me for? Do I have to dry it for you myself? You're such a worry."

Ji Ye pursed his lips, silently took the bottle and blew on it to dry them, before finally asking, "How did you end up there?"

"Of course I'll come find you."

"Then how do you know I'll go there? And how do you know I'll leave?"

Song Xia said matter-of-factly, "At this time, besides Mei Xue, who else could call you away with just one phone call? She's always been biased, so it's not surprising that you left feeling wronged."

"She doesn't care about me at all, so why are you so concerned?" Ji Ye stared intently at Song Xia, as if determined to get to the bottom of it.

Song Xia bluntly stated, "Grandpa Ji gave me benefits to take care of you. In such terrible weather, isn't it normal for me to make backup plans?"

Upon hearing this, Ji Ye lowered his head like a deflated balloon, seemingly dissatisfied with the answer.

[He's still just a child, how can I not feel sorry for him?]

Ji Ye's fingers trembled, and his eyes, which were lowered, were also a little red.