Mr. Liang, you mustn't covet other people's fiancées!

Wen Li stood in front of the mottled security door and knocked twice.

A flurry of footsteps came from inside the door, and it took several seconds for it to open a crack.

Wen Yizhu peeked out with half his face showing, with several fresh scratches and a bruise on his lip. The moment he saw her, his eyes froze, then a look she knew all too well appeared on them.

"What are you doing here?" He flung open the door, his voice rough and raspy, typical of puberty. "It's all your fault! You ruined Mom's life, and you still won't give Dad any money!"

Wen Li stood still, her gaze sweeping from the injury on his face to the steaming instant noodles on the coffee table. Next to the noodles was an opened bag of spicy strips, along with scattered snack wrappers and empty beverage bottles.

Only one light was on in the living room, casting a dim, yellowish glow.

She didn't respond to his question, but looked at his face and asked, "Is someone bullying you at school? Or did you get into a fight?"

"What's it to you!" Wen Yizhu kicked away a beverage bottle at his feet. "You got my mother arrested, and now you're pretending to be a good guy? Are you here to laugh at me?!"

His voice grew louder and louder until he finally started crying and screaming.

Looking at his face, Wen Li vaguely recalled something from a long time ago.

She was ten years old when he was born. Zheng Ying was weak after giving birth, and she would help warm up milk and change diapers when she came home from school. After he could walk, he would stumble and follow behind her, calling her "sister".

She saved up her meager allowance to buy him candied hawthorns. He ran over, holding the candied hawthorns, and stuffed them into her mouth, saying, "Sister, you eat first."

At that time, he truly treated her like an older sister, and she truly treated him like a younger brother.

Later, under Zheng Ying's deliberate guidance, he gradually changed.

First, she cried and said, "My sister hit me." Then she tore up her homework and smashed her trophy. Later, she learned to make up all sorts of lies to frame Wen Chenghua.

Zheng Ying watched from the sidelines, never stopping him. She would even smile at Wen Li when Wen Chenghua couldn't see her, a smile that Wen Li later realized carried a sense of smugness.

In her second year of junior high, she participated in a city-wide painting competition. Her work, which she had prepared for a whole month, was torn to shreds by Wen Yizhuo. She grabbed his arm and asked him why he tore it up. He immediately burst into tears, shouting, "Sister hit me!"

That day, Wen Chenghua rushed back from the company, didn't ask a single question, and slapped her across the face, then cut off her living expenses for a year. That year, she earned her lunch by helping out with cleaning at school, and fainted several times due to low blood sugar.

The last time was the day after the college entrance examination. Wen Yizhuo called to say that something had happened at home and he was alone and didn't know what to do.

She rushed back to the Wen family home from her summer job. Wen Yizhuo handed her a glass of water and said with a smile, "Sister, drink some water, I'm fine."

She was wary and didn't drink. As she got up to leave, Wen Chenghua knocked her unconscious from behind with a stick.

Wen Li pulled herself out of her reverie and turned her gaze back to the young man in front of her.

He kept cursing, his words becoming increasingly offensive, and the scratches on his face trembled with his agitated expression.

Wen Li looked at him for a few seconds, then turned and went downstairs without saying anything more.

The motion-activated lights in the stairwell turned on and off one floor at a time, and her footsteps were clearly audible in the empty hallway.

As I walked downstairs, the night breeze rushed towards me, dispelling the stuffy smell from my clothes.

Wen Li stood at the entrance of the building for a few seconds, took out her phone, found a number, and dialed it.

The call connected quickly, and she gave her address and house number, explaining her needs—to take care of a 14-year-old boy, provide him with three meals a day, check in with him every night to make sure he's home, cook him dinner on time, and stay until 9 p.m.

After hanging up the phone, she put it in her pocket and walked to her car parked on the side of the road.

Liang Chaoxu waited for her by the car door. When she came out, he straightened up, looked her over from head to toe, and after confirming that she was alright, he took her into the car.

It was almost eight o'clock when the car arrived at the wonton shop.

The small shops in the old town were still lit with warm yellow lights, and the curtains were half-open, letting out the aroma of soup noodles carried by the steam.

The boss was bending down to wipe the table when he looked up and saw the person who came in. He first recognized Wen Li, and then saw Liang Chaoxu behind her. He paused in his wiping and smiled meaningfully.

"Young lady, this is the man I told you about last time. You said you didn't remember him..."

Liang Chaoxu sat down at the table and interrupted the boss, "Boss, let's order first."

The owner paused for a moment, looked at him and then at Wen Li, wisely swallowed the rest of his sentence, and handed over the menu with a smile: "Alright, take your time looking around."

Wen Li looked down at the menu. Liang Chaoxu didn't urge her. He poured himself a cup of tea and drank it slowly, his gaze falling on her drooping eyelashes as he observed her emotions.

Occasionally, car headlights would streak across the window, casting a brief arc of light on the glass before fading away.

Wen Li ordered a bowl of shrimp wontons, and Liang Chaoxu ordered the same bowl.

When the boss brought over two bowls of wontons, he glanced at the two people again, said nothing more, and turned back behind the stove.

Wen Li scooped a spoonful of soup into her mouth; it was hot, and the savory flavor melted on her tongue. Holding the spoon, her gaze fell on the scallions floating in the bowl, and she didn't speak for a long time.

"I've found him a caregiver. They'll provide meals in the evenings and just need to keep an eye on his safety. It won't take long; we'll see what happens when his parents come out."

As she spoke, she looked up at Liang Chaoxu and said, "I didn't want to get involved in him, but I know all too well what it's like and what it's like to be left unattended at such a young age."

Liang Chaoxu looked back at her, a hint of heartache in his eyes: "Just follow your own heart, don't think about anything else."

Wen Li pursed her lips: "Am I being a little too indecisive?"

Liang Chaoxu shook his head: "In this world, no one can truly be heartless and ruthless. Besides, you didn't forgive everything like a saint and then willingly give everything."

He took the soda, opened it, and placed it in front of her: "You're a human being with flesh and blood; it's normal for your actions and thoughts to sometimes contradict each other. Don't take it too seriously, or it will affect your health."

Wen Li looked at him. The warm yellow light shone down from above, falling on the outline of his profile. The light blue bear bandage on his chin was still there, but the edge was slightly curled up, as if it was about to stick.

She looked at it for two seconds, then looked away and continued eating her wontons. The steam from the soup rose up, blurring her features and the emotions in her eyes.

The two of them quietly finished their two bowls of wontons, and neither of them spoke again.

As they got up to pay the bill, the owner smiled and asked, "Will you two come again next time?"

Liang Chaoxu paid the money and said "okay" with a smile.

Wen Li followed him out of the store. A night breeze blew in her face. She adjusted her collar and looked up at him: "Your band-aid is about to fall off. Take it off."

Liang Chaoxu raised his hand to touch his chin, pressed his fingers against the upturned corner, looked down at her and smiled: "Tear it off when we get back."

Back at the Royal Mansion, Liang Chaoxu opened the box containing the million-dollar watch, took out the watch and tossed it aside, then carefully peeled off the band-aid and put it inside.

Treat it like a precious jewel.