Chapter 11: Not Biological Siblings, Then Anything Is Possible...

Clara froze.

It was as if words were entering her right ear and exiting her left.

They passed through her brain, but she didn't dare let any of them linger.

She felt that unless she had gone mad and was hallucinating, then the eldest brother must have been driven mad by anger this time as well.

Clara stared blankly into his eyes, yet she sensed a subtle feeling that he wasn't joking.

Clara sat up straight, forgetting to cry.

She discreetly shifted a small distance away, taking the opportunity to push him back and change the subject. "Why are you talking nonsense just like the second brother?"

His gaze turned obscure. He set aside the handkerchief and picked up a fresh one. "He said things like this to you too?"

"No." Clara’s heart felt uneasy because she realized that he seemed serious.

The eldest brother didn't like to joke.

Clara knew that.

In the past, whatever he said was what he meant.

What he said was what he did.

Thinking of this, Clara’s eyes shifted elsewhere in fear and unease, then moved back in disbelief. "No, you..."

"I don’t want to be at anyone’s mercy," he said, using the clean handkerchief to wipe away the remaining tears on her face. "I know you don’t want to be either. The reason you are still here today is that you are unwilling to accept this."

"Before Grandfather passed away, the family evaluated everyone's contribution to divide the inheritance. Your shares are what you deserve for your contributions."

"As for the paternity test, there can be a better solution."

"You are both adults after all; your own will stands above everything else. If neither of you wants to, it’s fine not to switch back and just visit more often."

"But why did news leak from within the family and appear in the headlines to be reported so extensively?"

"The third and fourth uncles were in such a hurry to go to the board of directors to remove Father, using this incident to snatch every possible advantage."

Before Clara, the lights flickered in a scene of apparent harmony; in the garden, the family's laughter rose in waves.

Behind her was the boundless, silent, and cold density of the night.

"Clara, they used you and then discarded you. So, the more they want to see you destitute, the better you must live."

"The more they want to take away what is yours, the more you must fight to get it back."

"Even if you have to use me, it doesn't matter."

The evening wind broke through the clouds and mist.

After Clara left.

The eldest brother held a goblet in his hand, looking down from a height at the lively banquet in the garden.

The warmth of Clara’s fingertips remained on the rim of the glass.

Inside the glass was the champagne she had half-finished.

His finger joints rubbed over that warmth, and the wine rolled onto his tongue. The sharp light refracted by the clear, sweet wine fell entirely into the depths of his eyes.

Along with everyone downstairs.

Downstairs, the third uncle’s face hadn't looked good all night.

From time to time, he flipped through his phone, looking at the messages sent by his secretary.

[The Group has been ranked and assigned values based on total revenue over the past five years. Combined with shareholding percentages, shares are being redistributed with revenue as the primary factor and holding as secondary.]

[Following the redistribution, there have been major changes within the Board.]

[The fourth brother's shares exceed 18.9%, making him the second-largest shareholder after the eldest brother. There are changes in several board members; one went down, and two came up. An election meeting for the change of board members needs to be held next week.]

[One of them is the second brother; his overseas market revenue has been very good these past two years.]

The third uncle waited until no one was around to curse under his breath. "That young brat truly shouldn't be underestimated."

"The fourth brother was a helper I pulled in to squeeze the big boss, and now he can step on my head! He even dragged one of the fourth brother's directors onto the board to kick your younger brother off."

"It’s just 0.5% more; we'll find a way to get it back later." The third aunt said half-heartedly, "The one from the countryside, Chloe, is more of a problem."

As she spoke, she nudged her son. "Go chat with your new younger sister in a bit and feel her out."

The pampered and well-off cousin still looked down on the country girl who had seen nothing of the world and didn't want to go. "Oh, come on, hasn't everyone's share gone up? You have more money now, why are you still unhappy?"

Upon hearing this, the third uncle felt even more stifled. "What do you know?"

He originally intended to take down the eldest brother later so that he would be the one in charge. He didn't expect the eldest brother to add another opponent for him.

The second aunt called to them from a distance. "Why are you still standing there? It's time to eat."

The third uncle immediately put on a smiling face. "Coming."

The third aunt urged the cousin again, but seeing that he really wouldn't move, she could only give up.

Chloe sat next to the mother, undoubtedly the protagonist at the dining table.

This person asked something, then that person asked something.

The third uncle introduced himself and those around him with a smile. "I am your third uncle, this is your third aunt, and your older brother."

Chloe gave him a casual glance, didn't respond, and simply picked up the drink glass beside her.

The third uncle made a polite gesture. "There aren't that many rules, no need to toast..."

Before he could finish the word "toast," Chloe took a sip of juice on her own, having no intention of toasting him at all.

The dining table fell into a dead silence.

No one expected that a "country bumpkin" participating in their family gathering for the first time would dare to show such attitude.

The third brother was the first to laugh out loud.

He was silenced by a slap from the mother.

The cousin next to the third uncle sneered directly, "People from the countryside truly seem to lack manners."

Chloe spoke even more directly, "Why are you pretending? The mannerly one was bullied away by you."

"Leaving an ill-mannered one like me who won't indulge you."

The atmosphere at the table froze for a moment.

The father helped smooth things over. "The child has a straightforward personality; don't take offense."

The third brother took up the conversation, mocking by inference, "Straightforward is good. Nowadays, there are hypocritical, sanctimonious, and high-sounding villains everywhere."

"What’s wrong with telling the truth?"

The third uncle’s family’s faces turned even uglier. The aunts quickly changed the subject, laughing and talking to gloss it over.

The third aunt suddenly mentioned, "I heard Chloe and the third brother are both in the Computer Science department at HKU. Did you know each other before?"

The third brother narrowed his smile, gritted his teeth slightly, and looked at the third aunt.

The topic brought up something interesting. Chloe said casually, "As a senior, I’ve certainly heard of him."

The atmosphere gradually relaxed. "Yes, he's at school; I heard a lot of girls chase him, so you must have heard of him."

The mother was curious. "Have you two met before?"

The third brother spoke first. "Never met."

Chloe gave him another interesting look.

Seeing as he helped her mock people just now, she didn't expose him.

During her second year of graduate school, when she went to the United States as a visiting scholar, she had seen the already graduated third brother.

Her classmates said he was following a project in the U.S. for two years.

What a coincidence.

She heard Clara was also studying in the U.S. for two years.

It turned out he went there behind his family's back.

Besides that, the reason she had seen him was...

She had picked up one of his smart bracelets; the bracelet had been modified.

It contained remote monitoring and positioning.

Chloe had intended to kindly warn him.

But he only said, "We are all in this field. It's normal for a bracelet that monitors heart rate, blood oxygen, sleep, and exercise to have an extra positioning function."

Later, Chloe saw the girl traveling with him wearing that very bracelet.

Chloe didn't meddle in others' business. Who knew if the young couple just liked this perverted kind of being spied on and coveted.

But she knew now—that girl was Clara.

After dinner ended.

Chloe returned to her room and, as luck would have it, shared an elevator with the third brother.

He suddenly spoke, "Remember not to talk nonsense at home."

Chloe looked at him with interest, deliberately using his own words to strike back. "We are all in this field. Isn't it normal for a smart bracelet to have an extra positioning function?"

He narrowed his eyes, but then suddenly laughed, revealing two canine teeth. "It’s just so I can know where she is at any time. I’m worried about her. What do you know?"

He looked a bit wicked. "It doesn’t matter; you can tell her."

He added with a hint of warning and mockery, "See if Clara believes you or believes me."

With a "ding," the elevator reached the fourth floor.

The third brother left.

Chloe watched him go with great interest, then pressed the button for the 3rd floor again.

The floor where Clara’s room was.

Chloe walked directly to the door of Clara’s room and knocked.

Footsteps came from inside, the door opened, and Chloe narrowed her eyes in surprise.

The one who opened the door wasn't Clara.

It was the second brother.

The second brother had taken off one disposable glove and kept the other, looking as if he was eating.

He was as warm as if he were the owner of the room. "Chloe, you’re here. We are having a late-night snack. Want to join us?"

Chloe's expression was a kaleidoscope of emotions; she gave a silent, light laugh. "No."

"Then if you have something for Clara, I can give it to her for you?"

"It’s nothing." Chloe studied him for a while, said nothing in the end, and turned. "I’m going back now."

The door closed. Chloe retraced her steps, unable to help but click her tongue.

These three brothers of Clara's...

At this time, Clara had just turned on the movie wall and walked back to play a film at random.

Seeing the second brother return, she finally had a chance to ask, "Who was it?"

"Chloe."

"She was looking for me," Clara looked at him. "Why didn't you ask her to come in?"

He sat back down. "She said it was nothing and left."

Clara felt strange; Chloe didn't seem like the type to wander over for no reason.

"Before you came up, how was it outside?"

"Very good."

"Did anyone bully her?"

"Who could bully her?" The second brother remembered the scene at the table just now. "She didn't give the third or fourth uncles any face at all, didn't even pretend to be nice. Their faces turned green."

"You, you should worry about yourself first. You really plan to move out?"

"I do." Clara sat back, curling into the sofa chair, and picked up a chicken wing from the box. "I’ve already found a place and am fixing it up."

He didn't say anything, simply setting the table.

The room was silent for a while, save for the noise of the movie intro.

The story began with the female lead's mother remarrying; the lead moved into her stepfather's house with her mother and met her stepbrother...

Clara’s movement of gnawing on the chicken wing slowed down visibly.

The second brother put his gloves back on, and it just so happened that he chose this moment to mention, "Actually, you could stay at my place."

Clara remembered his house was by the sea. "It’s too far."

He asked again, "If it wasn't far... would it be okay?"

"No." Clara declined simply. "I’ve already decided. If you’re worried about me, you can visit often."

The room fell silent again.

The images on the movie screen of the stepbrother being wild and casual, and the scenes of confrontation yet budding ambiguity when meeting the sister, became exceptionally strange in this quiet room.

Clara vaguely realized that this movie probably wouldn't be a family film.

And if it was a romance film...

Then these siblings...

Clara pursed her lips and couldn't help but ask him, "Have you seen this one?"

His tone was idle and casual. "Never seen it."

Clara said "oh" and absentmindedly took two sips of juice.

Perhaps she was a bit guilty from having just talked to the eldest brother, so much so that Clara forgot she was logged into the second brother's video account.

However, in the next second, an image of the brother pinning the sister against a car appeared on the screen.

Clara choked on a mouthful of juice, and it spilled onto her nightgown.

The second brother took a tissue, but his hand stopped halfway.

Where his gaze fell, the sweet and sour juice flowed down from her full, bright lips, outlining her graceful jawline and neck, winding all the way down, soaking the neckline.

The spots of dirt on the hem of the dress looked as if she had been splashed all over, even on her legs...

Clara hurriedly snatched the tissue from his hand. She wiped for a long time, but the stain on the dress became even more obvious instead.

She stood up directly. "I’m going to change."

After saying that, she went to the bedroom; the juice she hadn't had time to wipe off flowed down the back of her legs.

The bedroom wasn't far, just a wall away.

The second brother took off his gloves and leaned back against the sofa. He could even hear the rustling sound of clothes rubbing in the next room.

His collar was unbuttoned twice as usual, casual and roguish.

He looked at the movie screen before him, the light and shadow shifting unpredictably on his body and in his eyes.

The plot had progressed to the stage where the sister was drugged at a party and the stepbrother took her away.

Clara came back after changing.

The atmosphere in the room slowly became a bit strange.

Clara’s mind was full of what the eldest brother had said to her not long ago.

Marry him.

Clara asked with feigned casualness, "People like them, can they get married?"

He answered very quickly, "If they aren't in the same household register, why not?"

"Then, won't it make the parents angry?"

"Once married, don't they still have to call them Mom and Dad? What's the difference?"

He added with an inexplicable meaning, "If they aren't biological siblings, then anything is possible."

"Don't you agree, Clara?"