Chapter 7

Back at the Sang family villa, Sang Yu led Sang Nian to the study on the third floor. This was the first time Sang Nian had been allowed to enter any part of the villa other than the public areas and his room. He vividly remembered that the day after he returned, Sang Yu had told him not to wander around unnecessarily, as there were many people in the house and he shouldn't disturb the others.

The study was large, with a thick carpet. The curtains were not drawn, and Sang Yu turned on the light as soon as she entered the room. The cold, bright light poured down, and Sang Nian closed her eyes for a while before they adjusted.

Sang Yu walked to the desk, sat down, and beckoned Sang Nian to come over. Sang Nian hesitated for a moment before slowly moving over.

On his way to the medical check-up, he kept thinking about when Sang Yu would tell him the truth. Now, in such a closed and safe environment, he thought, it should be now.

Sure enough, as soon as he sat down, Sang Yu's voice came over.

"Niannian, Dad is sorry for you. I've made you suffer all these years."

It was a cliché opening line, one that Sang Nian had heard countless times from Sang Yu. At first, he would feel wronged and heartbroken, but now, he felt nothing at all, and even a little amused.

“I know you won’t blame your parents. It wasn’t easy for your parents to search for you for so many years. Luckily, we never gave up and finally found you.”

As Sang Yu spoke, he lit a cigarette for himself. Before this, Sang Nian had no idea that Sang Yu actually smoked. He took a drag and slowly exhaled. Amidst the swirling smoke, Sang Nian felt his face begin to contort.

"Mom and Dad will definitely make it up to you. They will give you whatever you want."

Sang Nian sneered, "Really? You really can?" The man's face in front of him was unfamiliar, yet they were father and son, the same father who had been scheming against his son since their first meeting.

Sang Nian pulled his trouser leg tighter.

“But Niannian, do you know that your brother hasn’t been doing well these past few years either? He has a very serious illness.”

Sang Nian loosened his grip and then clenched it again. He thought, "Here it comes!"

Sang Yu took a deep drag on his cigarette, his expression seemingly pained and filled with guilt. "It's Dad's fault for not taking good care of you." He then lowered his head, looking deeply remorseful.

Sang Nian finally spoke. He cleared his throat, but his voice was still hoarse from not speaking for so long. He heard himself ask, "What illness does my brother have?" His tone was full of worry.

Perhaps it was because of the bloodline of the Sang family that he felt he was no better than Sang Yu at this moment, both putting on an act.

Sang Yu glanced at Sang Nian and saw deep worry in his eyes. He then shook his head. "I'm sorry, Nian Nian. I shouldn't have told you these things and made you worry. Go back to your room. I want to be alone for a while."

Sang Nian almost burst out laughing. He hadn't expected that even at this point, Sang Yu was still trying to maintain his image as a good father. But Sang Nian didn't want to wait any longer. He suddenly stood up, walked closer to Sang Yu, and stared at his face.

Sang Yu was startled by his action. The cigarette burning on her fingertips flickered, and the scarlet flame fell into the ashtray and slowly went out.

"Dad, can I ask you a question?" This was the first time Sang Nian had called Sang Yu "Dad" since returning home. Sure enough, he saw that Sang Yu's face was a little unnatural, as if he was disgusted or trying to hold back.

Sang Nian pinched his hand, trying to make his voice sound less shaky; he didn't want to show his fear.

"Hai City and Ningzhou are so close, did it really take you eleven years to find me?"

After Sang Nian finished speaking, Sang Yu immediately frowned. He seemed to be thinking of an excuse, but as time slowly passed, he remained silent. Only his expression gradually turned gloomy.

Sang Nian got his answer from his expression. He took a step back, adjusted his breathing, and then said, "Sang Ning's illness is because you needed me to bring me back, right?"

"Sang Nian!" Sang Yu stubbed out her cigarette, stood up abruptly, and called his name in a warning voice, signaling him to stop talking.

Sang Nian was fearless. He met Sang Yu's angry gaze with an indifferent smile. "If I refuse, you won't be able to save your most beloved Sang Ning." He said it calmly, emphasizing the words "most beloved".

As soon as he finished speaking, Sang Yu immediately reached out and grabbed his neck, gritting her teeth as she asked, "Who told you? Was it Sang Ke or Sang Jing? Damn it, I knew those two were up to no good."

He tightened his grip, and Sang Nian could hardly breathe, his face turning bright red in an instant. He neither struggled nor cried for help, but slowly said, "If I die, Sang Ning won't live either."

The moment he finished speaking, Sang Yu released his grip. Breathing in fresh air again, Sang Nian coughed violently, unable to stop. He clutched his throat, which was red from being choked, and said with a smile, "Sure enough, you change when Sang Ning is mentioned, but I'm your son too."

He smiled, but there was no smile in his eyes.

Sang Yu paced restlessly in his study, still wondering who had told Sang Nian about this and what their motives were. But after a while, he realized it was pointless. Since Sang Nian already knew, the surgery had to proceed as scheduled, no matter what.

So he walked up to Sang Nian, lowered his head, and said coldly, "Since you already know, then I won't waste my breath on you. Ningning is sick, and when I was doing your physical exam, I also had a tissue matching done. Luckily, it was a match."

"So, what does he need from me?" Sang Nian asked.

"I need one of your kidneys."

Sure enough, Sang Nian seemed completely unsurprised. He smiled and asked, "What if I refuse?"

Sang Yu laughed as if he had heard a joke, then slapped Sang Nian's face, his voice icy: "Do you even have a chance to refuse? Sang Nian, you are a member of the Sang family. Donating a kidney to your brother is an honor for you. What do you think you are doing back in the Sang family with your androgynous body? If you weren't useful, no one would care where you died."

Sang Yu, as expected of a successful businessman, spoke words that struck at Sang Nian's Achilles' heel, causing Sang Nian's face to gradually turn deathly pale as he spoke. Although he had mentally prepared himself many times, when he actually faced it and heard his own father utter such heartless words, he couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache. It was as if someone was tightly gripping his heart, making him afraid to even breathe, because if he did, his heart would feel as if it were being torn apart.

His vision gradually blurred, and Sang Nian felt a little dizzy. In a daze, he heard Sang Yu mention a name.

The moment Sang Yu uttered the name "Qiu Yang," Sang Nian felt an immense fear. He looked up at his high and mighty father and saw a mocking smile on his lips.

"Qiu Yang, right? He's taken care of you for so many years. If he's not doing well because of you, do you think he'll regret meddling in your affairs and taking you in back then?"

"What are you going to do?" Sang Nian roared, his expression instantly turning disheveled.

Sang Yu smiled with satisfaction at his reaction, "As long as you behave, I won't do anything."

Back in his room, Sang Nian was suddenly overcome with fear. He felt cold all over and trembled uncontrollably. He wrapped himself tightly in the blanket.

He shouldn't have provoked Sang Yu; that way, Qiu Yang wouldn't have been implicated. Sang Yu was incredibly ruthless; she could treat her own son this way, let alone a stranger.

He absolutely cannot let Qiu Yang get hurt.

So he sent Sang Yu a text message.

"I was wrong, Dad. I will be good and listen to you. Please don't hurt Qiu Yang."

After sending the message, he counted the numbers, waiting for Sang Yu's reply. When he reached 527, Sang Yu's text message was finally sent.

"Um."

With just one word, Sang Nian felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders.

He then made a video call to Qiu Yang. Qiu Yang answered after a while, and the moment the video connected, Sang Nian's panicked heart finally calmed down. He called out "Brother" into the phone.

Those two words alone brought tears to his eyes, and a surge of bitterness welled up in his chest, stuck in his throat, unable to rise or fall. He pounded his chest hard, trying to make himself feel better.

"MoMo, what's wrong? Why are you crying? Did something happen?"

All his efforts vanished when Qiu Yang spoke. He could no longer control himself and burst into tears, as if to vent his emotions.

Qiu Yang was at a loss. In his memory, Momo only cried when she was very wronged. He thought that Momo had suffered some kind of humiliation at the Sang family, so almost subconsciously, Qiu Yang immediately said, "I'll come find you, Momo, don't cry, your brother will come find you now."

Upon hearing this, Sang Nian fell into an eerie silence. He shook his head vigorously, determined not to let Qiu Yang come here; it was too dangerous, and he absolutely could not let Qiu Yang suffer the same fate as him.

So he wiped away his tears, forced a smile, and said to Qiu Yang, "Brother, nothing happened. It's just that the test papers at Haishi High School were too difficult. I don't know how to do them."

Qiu Yang breathed a sigh of relief. He really had thought Momo had been bullied. But after calming down, he realized he'd let his concern cloud his judgment. Momo's family was there; how could he have been wronged? So he laughed, though somewhat annoyed.

"You silly child, your sudden crying scared me so much I thought something had happened to you. Don't scare your brother like that again next time."

Sang Nian chuckled, "I'm sorry, brother, I won't do it again next time."

"I heard that the teaching quality in Haishi is much better than in Dingzhou. It's normal that you're not used to it yet after transferring, but I believe that Momo will be back to her peak soon. Our Momo is the smartest."

Qiu Yang spoke for a long time, and then suddenly screamed at the end.

"Ah! My pot!"

"What's wrong, brother?"

Qiu Yang rushed into the kitchen, turned off the stove, and then opened the pot lid to take a look. The braised pork knuckle was in a terrible state. Qiu Yang closed his eyes and turned on the rear camera.

Suddenly, a charred, unidentified object appeared in Sang Nian's line of sight. He instinctively moved his phone away and asked with disdain, "Brother, what is this?"

Qiu Yang smiled sheepishly, "I've been practicing my cooking skills lately. Didn't you recognize this as a braised pork knuckle? Look here, this is a big bone, and this piece is your favorite meat..."

"Hey~ Brother, if you hadn't told me it was a big pork knuckle, I would have thought it was a rock."

"Hahaha, you dare to joke about your brother?"

"No, brother, you tell me if it looks like it."

Qiu Yang glanced at it and nodded resignedly.

"They do look somewhat alike."