Mud beads

After the message was sent, Echizen Toru did not reply.

Yu Zhu held her phone until the screen went dark.

After daybreak, she got up and went downstairs as usual.

Aunt Wang was preparing breakfast in the kitchen, and the faint aroma of bread and fried eggs filled the air. The coffee machine hummed softly, and everything seemed normal except for the tap water being turned off.

Yue Feng changed into a striped shirt and sat by the window in the restaurant, a laptop beside him. Sunlight streamed in through the glass, falling on the coffee cup next to the laptop. He didn't look like someone who had suddenly returned home late at night; he looked more like the original owner of this house.

Yu Zhu hesitated for a moment, then slowly walked downstairs.

Aunt Wang saw her and waved to her: "Zhuzhu, come and see Mr. Xia Yue."

Yu Zhu lowered her head and walked down the stairs: "We met last night."

Yue Feng looked up from the computer screen, nodded slightly to her, and said calmly, "Good morning."

Good morning, Uncle.

Yu Zhu nodded in return, and Yue Feng accepted it naturally. The embarrassment of last night did not affect his composure; he smiled and turned back to look at the computer.

After breakfast, Yu Zhu went upstairs to start her homework. She drew auxiliary lines for the geometry problem, with angles A and C lying one after the other on the paper. She stared at it for a long time but couldn't write a single word. Panpan popped up a study reminder in the lower right corner of the screen: Today's plan is to complete the fifth section of the eighth-grade math preview.

She felt very uncomfortable with the new, unfamiliar owner in the house.

Even though Yue Feng spoke very softly and walked silently, his presence seemed to change the atmosphere of the entire house. Aunt Wang became more cautious than usual, handling the tableware much more gently. When the cleaning lady came to clean, she stopped chatting and laughing with Aunt Wang, and her face showed a hint of apprehension.

When Yu Zhu came out of her room to get water, she heard someone making a phone call downstairs.

Yue Feng stood in front of the living room's floor-to-ceiling window, his back to the stairs, his voice low and deep.

"The medical team has been contacted."

"Don't tell him too much. The old man has a stubborn temper, and if you tell him too much, he won't cooperate."

"Prepare the flight routes first, and I'll let you know the specific times later."

Yu Zhu, carrying a water bottle, stopped at the corner on the second floor. She couldn't piece together complete information from the few words she heard, but she vaguely sensed it wasn't good news.

In the afternoon, the sound of a car came from outside the courtyard. Yu Zhu almost immediately jumped up from her chair, ran to the bedside, and pulled back the curtains.

In the courtyard, the driver was unloading luggage at the entrance. Although she didn't see Etsuya Tetsu, she knew he had returned.

Yu Zhu's heart started racing. She quickly tidied her hair in front of the dressing mirror, took a deep breath, and then walked downstairs, trying to appear calm.

Koshima Toru stood in the doorway. He was wearing a black windbreaker, zipped up to his chin, and his hair was a little longer than before he left. His eyes showed signs of weariness from a long journey. He took off his gloves and tossed them casually onto the entryway cabinet, a hint of hostility in his expression.

Upon seeing Yu Zhu on the stairs, he didn't say anything and went straight to Yue Feng, who was sitting on the sofa in the living room.

Yu Zhu's smile froze on her face, and the greeting she had prepared stuck in her throat.

The father and son met eyes across the carpet, and the heating in the room seemed to stop for a moment. Aunt Wang, who was about to take the coat, hesitated when she sensed the awkward atmosphere.

Toru Koshima glanced at the man reading on the sofa and tilted his head: "Isn't it a bit impolite to show up uninvited?"

Yue Feng tossed the book he was holding onto the coffee table, crossed his legs, and said casually, "If I remember correctly, the property certificate seems to be in my name."

"So what?" Toru Echizen chuckled lightly. "Nobody here welcomes you."

Yue Feng wasn't angry. Instead, he shrugged indifferently and said, "Sorry, I didn't come here to see you."

"If you're looking for your grandfather, I advise you not to go in front of him and risk offending him." Echizen Toru took off his coat and handed it to Aunt Wang, who was standing nearby and didn't dare to approach, his tone nonchalant. "He's too old to accept your unusual hobbies."

Aunt Wang bent down to take the coat and quickly walked away.

The living room suddenly fell silent.

Yu Zhu was still standing on the stairs, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing her cuffs. She didn't understand what Yue Jianche meant, but it must have been a very unpleasant remark, because Yue Feng's usually amiable and gentle smile had finally frozen.

"I'm not here to argue with you," Yue Feng said.

Yuejian Tetsu didn't change his shoes, stepping across the spotless carpet without a care, and sat down on the sofa opposite Yuefeng, nodding at him.

"explain."

Yue closed his eyes briefly to calm himself before speaking calmly, "The old man's vital signs haven't been good for the past two months, and the doctor recommended he go abroad for treatment. I came back this time to pick him up."

Echizen raised an eyebrow slightly: "If you accept, he'll go with you?"

"Yes," Yue Feng said confidently. "How much energy do you think he has left to argue with people?"

Koshima Toru's fingers, which were resting on the armrest, twitched slightly.

Yu Zhu stood by the stairs and exchanged a glance with Aunt Wang. Such a private conversation wasn't appropriate for them to be present, but neither of them wanted to make a sound at this moment.

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Toru Echizen asked.

Yue Feng didn't rush to answer. He picked up his coffee, took a sip, and said, "With the old man gone, many things need to be rearranged. The company, the foundation, the projects handled by my uncles—"

Koshima Toru interrupted him: "So, you think you're about to get everything?"

"It may not be immediately, but you'll get it sooner or later." Yue Feng put down his cup. "The same goes for you."

"I?"

"The Yue family will eventually belong to you," Yue Feng said.

As soon as she finished speaking, Yu Zhu felt something bump into her chest.

The Yue family property will ultimately belong to you.

This was the first time she had heard the word "belong" so clearly.

Echizen Toru merely twitched the corner of his mouth: "That sounds really touching."

Yue Feng ignored his sarcasm: "I only have one son, you. There will be no other children in the future. You should know that very well."

Echizen's brow furrowed suddenly.

"Don't look at me like that." Yue Feng's voice turned serious. "If your mother were alive, she wouldn't care about you more than I do."

"Huh?" Toru Echizen chuckled in surprise, as if he had heard something amusing. "You think I would care?"

Upon hearing this, Yue Feng was momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter: "Right. I forgot, we're the same kind of people."

Before Echizen could answer, his gaze swept across the table and landed on Echizen's face.

"But whether it ends up being yours and when it gets into your hands are two different things."

Yu Zhu didn't quite understand.

But she could sense that Echizen Toru's expression had turned cold.

Yue Feng continued, "You can stay in the country and do things at your own pace—play the good student, woo the teachers, do what you're good at. Anyway, I'll take the old man away and take over everything the Yue family has left behind over the years, piece by piece, and then slowly hand it over to you when I'm about to die."

He smiled and said, "Judging from my current physical condition and the trends in global medical development, you'll probably have to wait another forty or fifty years."

Koshima Toru raised his eyes: "Threatening me?"

"Business," Yue Feng shrugged.

State your conditions.

"Come with me," Yue Feng said. "I'll arrange the school. Your resume, your identity, your future path—everything will be paved for you. With the old man by your side, he'll feel at ease, and many things will go much more smoothly."

Koshima Tetsuya remained silent.

Yue Feng looked at him sincerely: "I'm not as controlling as you think. People pursue different things. Honestly, you're more suitable for this position than I am."

Echizen's gaze darkened, and his jawline tightened into a cold, sharp line.

"Think about it." Yue Feng stood up, buttoned his cuffs, as if the conversation had reached its limit. "Contact me when you've made up your mind."

He gestured to his ear as if he were talking on the phone, then picked up his coat from the sofa and put it on with elegant and refined movements. Before leaving, he glanced in Yu Zhu's direction and smiled meaningfully.

Yu Zhu lowered her head instinctively: "Uncle, take care."

Yue Feng didn't say anything more, bent down to pick up the suitcase at the entrance, and put his hand on the doorknob.

Aunt Wang suddenly realized what was happening and quickly followed to see them off. The door opened, and the cold wind rushed into the hall, causing Yu Zhu to hunch her shoulders.

The door closed, and the living room fell silent again.

She stood beside the stairs, relaxed her shoulders, glanced in the direction of Etsuya Toru, and prepared to go upstairs.

"Yu Zhu." Yuejian Tetsu suddenly called out to her.

She instinctively turned around and cautiously looked at him.

"What do you think?" Toru Echizen leaned back on the sofa, his hands behind his neck, his expression indifferent. "The conversation we just had."

Yu Zhu's mind was a jumbled mess—Grandpa, going abroad, the Yue family will eventually be yours, come with me. She heard every word, yet couldn't quite grasp them.

She said, "I don't know."

Echizen didn't speak, but reached out and smoothed the stray hairs on his forehead.

Yu Zhu felt a tightness in her chest.

"If you want to leave," she added cautiously, "I can go to boarding school."

Echizen looked at her.

She lowered her head, her voice even softer: "I won't cause you any trouble."

The living room was silent for a few seconds.

Then Echizen Toru smiled.

The laugh was brief, and to Yu Zhu's ears, it was lighter than sarcasm, yet more painful. Perhaps he hadn't even considered her presence, just as they had left her there simply because her presence didn't interfere with the conversation, no different from the tissue box on the table.

Echizen Toru got up from the sofa and walked towards her.

Yu Zhu stood still, listening to his footsteps ascending the stairs. When he reached the second floor, his footsteps passed by her, then continued forward, finally stopping outside his door.

The door opened.

Then it closed again.

She was the only one left on the stairs.