Sensing the sadness in Yang Xile's voice, Lin Xiao tried to comfort him, but didn't know how to begin.
The Yang family was rife with powerful and entrenched factions, and the older siblings' influence had likely grown significantly. So when it came to their family, it was the youngest child who was exiled.
For a moment, Lin Xiao even felt that compared to his family's complicated situation, his father, Lin Haitao, might be considered relatively "disciplined" among newly rich entrepreneurs.
Seeing that Lin Xiao suddenly stopped talking, Yang Xile asked, "Do you think my identity is rather dishonorable? But I have no choice."
Looking into his innocent, wide eyes, Lin Xiao smiled and said, "No, no, not at all."
I was just thinking, it must be tough for your whole family, sitting together for meals but each of you having your own thoughts. You're so young, it must be even harder for you, right?
"Hey, I've already come to terms with it. Hey, which poet was it again? Didn't he say something like, 'Enjoy life while you can, for tomorrow you may die'? I think it's absolutely brilliant!"
Yang Xile said in a serious tone, "My dad only has one requirement for me: to live a healthy life and absolutely not to touch drugs. Whether I study or not is irrelevant."
My dad sent me abroad not only because my older brother and sister kept urging me to go, but there was another reason.
Two rich kids I usually hang out with in China, one of them got arrested for drug use, and his dad has spent a lot of money trying to get him out, but he still hasn't been able to.
A drunk driver got into a car accident and lost a leg. Because of his disability, he's now drinking even more heavily.
"I'm not stupid. Even if I can't compete with my powerful older siblings, even if I only get a small amount of money in the end, as long as I don't get involved in gambling, prostitution, or drugs, I'll have enough to live on for the rest of my life. Why would I make things difficult for myself?"
Lin Xiao smiled gently. The straightforward and simple boy in front of him was actually very intelligent and had a clear understanding of himself, which was somewhat beyond his age.
She cautioned, "I didn't expect you to be so knowledgeable at such a young age. There are some things you shouldn't touch, no matter how curious you are."
Thinking that you'll have a huge fortune to inherit in the future, you should first and foremost protect yourself.
Also, France is a bit chaotic right now, so don't talk too much about your family situation to strangers, lest someone say it unintentionally but someone else overhears it with malicious intent.
Yang Xile grinned, her round eyes narrowing into slits, making her look innocent and adorable.
"I know that an Asian child was kidnapped in the United States last month, supposedly because of flaunting wealth."
I would never tell any outsiders what I said above, not even to anyone other than you, my sister.
"Haha, thank you for trusting me so much, I'm so touched." Lin Xiao laughed as well.
"But I can't completely trust you, sister. How do you know I'm not a bad person? What if I run out of money one day and don't want to work anymore, and then I kidnap you?"
Yang Xile smiled mysteriously and asked Lin Xiao, "Sis, did you realize that my bodyguard is exceptionally skilled?"
Lin Xiao looked at him and said, "I haven't seen him fight, how would I know he's skilled? But didn't you say he's been by your side since he was little? He must be pretty good."
“It didn’t start when I was little, it started when I was thirteen. At that time, I was in a strange car accident in the United States, and that’s when my dad got me a bodyguard. That uncle used to be by his side.”
Yang Xile, unlike his usual jovial self, spoke with a serious expression, which startled even Lin Xiao. It seemed that this car accident was not a simple matter.
She asked cautiously, "Were you seriously injured? Has the person who caused the accident been found? Why did you say it was inexplicable?"
Yang Xile gave a bitter smile and said to her, "I still don't know if the perpetrator has been found. Maybe only my father knows, or maybe even he doesn't know."
I wasn't injured at all, because I wasn't even in the car. My other Asian classmate was in the car; I was supposed to be the one picked up that day.
Lin Xiao felt her voice trembling slightly as she asked him, "How is your classmate?"
Yang Xile pointed to the sky and said calmly, "Up there."
Lin Xiao gasped. It seemed the power struggles within wealthy families were far more brutal and gruesome than she had imagined. Compared to this, her stepmother and sister's various forms of exclusion and mockery were utterly insignificant.
Perhaps to comfort Yang Xile, or perhaps to comfort herself who was somewhat frightened, Lin Xiao said:
"Or maybe it really was an accident. Aren't there a lot of drug use and drunk driving abroad?"
“Yes, quite a lot,” Yang Xile said, nodding as he spoke. “However, when the police checked the surveillance footage, they said the driver who caused the accident had been lying at the intersection for an hour before starting the vehicle.”
If the people sitting on the bus hadn't been Asian, he probably wouldn't have mistaken them. Foreigners sometimes have trouble distinguishing our faces.
Lin Xiao was completely stunned by these words. If there was surveillance footage, why would Yang Xile say that he had no idea who the perpetrator was?
She vaguely guessed three or four points, but dared not say anything, could not say anything.
Yang Xile spoke up himself: "I don't know what happened after that, I only know that my older brother was later sent to a school in the same state as me."
My second sister told me that she heard my father yelling at him in the study: "Get out there and take care of your brother! If you're both alive, come back alive together, or you'll both die out there!"
Although Lin Xiao knew there must be more to this story, he never expected it to be this dramatic.
Before she could react, Yang Xile continued, "But you can't completely trust what my second sister says. She'd love for my dad to kick my eldest brother out of the house."
However, my second sister isn't very bright, so it might be difficult for her to completely fabricate such an explosive plot. Therefore, I'll believe about 50-60% of what she says.
Who says that money guarantees happiness? Brothers and sisters living under the same roof, some want to kill each other, and some have to be careful to discern the truth in what they say. Isn't that a great tragedy?
Lin Xiao sighed deeply, then thought about his own background. In this light, perhaps his stepmother and sister were kind to him after all.
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