Zhou Xiaoling knew her brother would never actually strike Lin Zihao, but the current Lin Zihao was so timid and naive that just the sight of her brother's stern face was enough to frighten him.

Worried, she made her way home.

Li Yunlan, now aware that Xiaoling had been at the hospital caring for Lin Zihao, didn't think much of it. After all, he was her cousin; it was only right she look after him.

She greeted Xiaoling with a smile. "Go wash your hands, dinner's ready. I've got Zihao's room all prepared for when he's discharged. With so many of us here, taking care of him won't be a problem."

After washing up, Xiaoling sat down, broke open a steamed bun, spread some bean paste inside, and started eating. Li Yunlan found this odd. "Why just that? The auntie made cabbage with vermicelli tonight—it's delicious. Even Xuanxuan ate a piece of bun dipped in the sauce."

Xiaoling shook her head quickly. "After being at the hospital all day, the smell has killed my appetite. This is fine."

Li Yunlan didn't press further. She brought Xiaoling a bowl of porridge and sat beside her. "When did you and Lin Zihao become so close? Enough to care for him in the hospital like that." She knew they'd met in Longbei, but she was surprised by the depth of their connection.

Xiaoling grinned. "Mom, you might not know this, but he was my superior twice! He looked out for me. Plus, he's family now. Of course I'd go take care of him."

Li Yunlan had forgotten about that connection. "That's true, you should. Poor boy, his fate has been so hard," she sighed.

As she bit into her bun, Xiaoling thought to herself that the current Lin Zihao wasn't suffering at all—he could demand whatever he wanted. She just wondered if he would remember any of this if he ever recovered.

Would he try to silence us all?

After Xiaoling finished her bun, Li Yunlan called Lin Xiaoxiao over to see the room she'd prepared for Lin Zihao.

Xiaoxiao had already seen it that afternoon, but she carried An'an over for another look. The seven or eight-square-meter room, once used for storage, now held a single bed, a bookcase, and a small desk. It was simple, tidy, and quite nice.

Li Yunlan straightened the bedsheet. "I wonder if the bed's too small. I wanted to find a wardrobe or a chest, but the room is just too cramped."

Xiaoxiao thought it was perfectly adequate. "It's great. If needed, we can always find a wooden trunk to slide under the bed for clothes."

"That's a good idea," Li Yunlan agreed. "I'll have your father look for one tomorrow."

Xiaoxiao had originally planned to invite her biological parents over for a family dinner soon to strengthen their bond, but with the situation concerning Lin Zihao, she decided to postpone it for a few days.

The next day, as Xiaoxiao arrived at the school gate, she ran into Lin Wenbin.

He didn't have any particular business there; he just came every morning to have breakfast with Lin Wanyin and the family. Spotting Xiaoxiao, he walked over, placed a hand on her head, and nudged her forward. "You heartless thing. Since Zhou Huaian came back, you haven't even had time for your parents?"

Xiaoxiao ducked away, swatting his arm. "Stop it! I've been busy, unlike some people with nothing serious to do. I have school and children to look after."

Lin Wenbin scoffed. "You are busy. But I heard Lin Zihao turned into an idiot?"

Xiaoxiao shot him a look. "Don't say that. He had complications from surgery—a brain injury. His intelligence is like a child's now, around six or seven, and his perception is skewed. He doesn't see himself as an adult at all. If you look at him as a six-year-old, he's perfectly normal."

Lin Wenbin clicked his tongue. "Still a pity. A perfectly capable man reduced to that."

Xiaoxiao had to agree. Seeing Lin Zihao now was a mix of the absurd and the deeply sad.

Noticing the time, she hurriedly said, "I can't go see Mom and Dad now. Please tell them we should postpone the family dinner until after Lin Zihao is discharged—probably in five or six days."

Lin Wenbin understood. The Zhou family was kind-hearted; if someone was in difficulty, they'd rush to help before even being asked.

He waved a hand. "Alright, go to class. I'm off to see our little toddler brother."

Xiaoxiao had just sat down in the classroom when Meng Xiaona leaned over. "Xiaoxiao, there's a play at the theatre tomorrow night. I have tickets—want to go together?"

Xiaoxiao shook her head. "Probably not. You know I have the kids to look after. Getting back too late isn't good."

Meng Xiaona's mind immediately began weaving a drama of her own. She pictured Xiaoxiao, a woman from out of town married into a Beijing family, suffering under a harsh mother-in-law who probably didn't give her a moment's peace. She must have to rush home every day, Meng thought. If she's late, she might not even get dinner.

Feeling a surge of pity, she looked sympathetically at Xiaoxiao. "I understand. It's okay, we can go another time. I think you're already amazing. I'm sure you'll have a better life in the future."

Xiaoxiao was taken aback for a second, then realized where Meng Xiaona's sympathy was coming from. She's probably imagining some epic saga of a mean mother-in-law and the despised outsider daughter-in-law.

She couldn't be bothered to explain. She just smiled. "Thank you. I hope you're right."

Meng Xiaona, who normally wouldn't bother with Zhang Wanqing, felt obligated to ask lest she be accused of snubbing her later. She offered a strained smile. "Xiaowan, are you free? Do you want to go see the play together?"

Zhang Wanqing narrowed her eyes, returned an equally false smile, took the ticket from Meng Xiaona's hand, examined it, and handed it back. "No time."

Meng Xiaona fumed, resisting the urge to roll her eyes, and turned back to her seat with the ticket clutched in her hand.

Zhang Wanqing sneered. It was like the old saying, she thought: a weasel paying its respects to a chicken—never with good intentions.

Xiaoxiao patted her hand. "It's fine. Just ignore her."

Her life was busy enough already; she really had no energy for Meng Xiaona's petty games.

At noon, she once again bought lunch and went to the foreign teachers' building to eat with her parents. Duoduo was the happiest to see her, waving his little hands and toddling towards her. "Mama! Mama!"

Xiaoxiao laughed and picked him up. "You little rascal. How many times do I have to tell you? It's Jiejie (big sister). Say Jiejie, not Mama."

Duoduo obediently tried "Jiejie," but forgot within moments, reverting to "Mama."

Lin Wenbin, leaning by the window watching Xiaoxiao with Duoduo, clicked his tongue. "You little ingrate. I worked hard to play with you too, you know." Then, glancing down absentmindedly, he suddenly said, "Huh? Why is Zhou Huaian here?"

Xiaoxiao didn't believe him for a second. "Stop lying. He's at the hospital right now. How could he possibly have time to come here?"

Even as she said it, she found herself carrying Duoduo towards the window to look...