Chapter 6 — The Day They Forgot Me

You would not. You would feel that I was showing off, that I was proving myself superior to you, that the dignity of the eldest brother was being trampled beneath your younger brother's feet.

His hand tightened into a fist, yet he offered no rebuttal. Because every word I spoke was the absolute truth.

Therefore, I said nothing. I simply acted.

I set my cup down upon the wooden table.

Just as I have done for the past twenty-eight years, I quietly handled everything that needed to be done, and then pretended as though none of it had ever happened.

Chen Bai...

Yesterday at the highway rest stop...

I cut him off mid-sentence.

Two cars, seven people, and not a single soul noticed that I was missing.

The mask of composure on my eldest brother's face finally shattered, a fissure spreading across his features.

That... everyone was simply in too much of a hurry at the time...

It was not because of haste. It was because no one cared to pay attention in the first place.

My voice remained entirely level. There was no tone of accusation, nor any trembling trace of grievance. It was merely the objective narration of fact.

I placed thirty-six phone calls, and not one person answered. In the end, Mother sent a text message consisting of seven characters, telling me to figure out a way back on my own. No apologies, no explanations offered.

My eldest brother lowered his head.

If I had foolishly lingered at that rest stop yesterday, waiting for everyone to clear the traffic jam and turn back to fetch me, it would have cost me at least three hours. Today at noon, Fang Hongyuan is flying into Beijing. Had I missed him, the contract could never have been signed. Three months from now, your company would cease to exist.

I finished the remaining half of my coffee.

Now tell me, do you want this contract or not?

My eldest brother looked up at me. His Adam's apple bobbed.

...I want it.

Very well.

I stood up from my seat.

Take it with you.

I pushed my chair back into its proper place and walked away from the table.

Chen Bai.

He called out to me from behind. I came to a halt.

...Thank you.

Those two words were wrenched from his throat with more difficulty than anything else. I could hear how strained and rigid his vocal cords were. I did not turn back.

There is no need.

With that, I departed. Chapter Eleven. Leaving the coffee shop, I returned to the hotel to pack my belongings. I would be leaving this very afternoon, and I would not be traveling with them. I had already booked a high-speed train ticket departing from the Thousand Island Lake station at two-forty in the afternoon, heading back to Shanghai. While I was in the middle of packing, a knock sounded at my door. I pulled it open to find Mother standing outside. In her hand, she carried an insulated food container. Behind her stood Father and Chen Yao. Her expression was all too familiar to me, radiating that distinct aura which plainly said, "For me to come here and see you is already doing you a massive favor."

Have you eaten breakfast? I brought you some porridge.

She raised the insulated container, intending to hand it to me. I did not reach out to take it.

I am not hungry.

Mother's hand froze awkwardly in mid-air.

Chen Bai, what kind of attitude is that?

Her voice instantly pitched upward.

I traveled this far to bring you food, and this is the face you show me?

I leaned against the doorframe and looked down at her.

Mother, why did you come here?

What do you mean, why did I come? I came to visit you...

Did the eldest brother already tell you about Fang Hongyuan?

Her mouth parted slightly. Her gaze shifted restlessly. I let out a soft laugh.

You do not need to put on an act. I know precisely why you are here. The eldest brother told you about the twelve-million-yuan contract, and you were terrified that I would hold a grudge and refuse to hand it over to him, so you came here to coax me.

What kind of nonsense is this child speaking!

Mother's voice grew shrill and grating.

I am your mother! Do I need a reason to come and visit my own son?

Yes, you do.

I replied coldly:

Because yesterday, you managed to abandon me without needing any reason at all.

She froze in place. Father, standing behind her, knitted his brows deeply.

Second son, watch your tongue and know your limits.

You feel that I am speaking without limits. Then tell me, whose sense of limits was it when you forgot me at the rest stop yesterday?

Father opened his mouth, but no words came out. Chen Yao stood quietly at the very back, her head bowed in silence.

I made thirty-six phone calls.

My voice was not loud, but every single syllable rang out with crystal clarity.

Thirty-six calls. Five people, and not a single one answered.

Mother stammered:

At that time, our phones were...

My phone was not set to silent, Mother. It was not that you failed to hear it. It was simply that you did not feel my call was worth answering.

Her face flushed a deep, ugly red.

You...

Until you got stuck in traffic, realized you had no phone charger, realized you had no motion sickness medicine, and realized that the person Fang Hongyuan was looking for was me and not your eldest son, none of you even remembered I existed.

We are on a family vacation, do you really have to blow this completely out of proportion?

Mother's voice trembled, driven not by sorrow, but by the furious sting of being exposed.

Not at all. To all of you, losing me was indeed not worth making a fuss over.

What kind of way is that to speak?

Father took a single step forward.

I am speaking the absolute truth.

I looked straight at him, feeling unnervingly calm, as if detached from my own body.

From the time I was a child until now, have my parents ever needed me simply for who I am? It was always because I was needed to carry luggage, pump gas, fetch medicine, or secure business contracts for someone else. Never just because I am your son, and therefore worth remembering for my own sake.

The corridor fell into a heavy, suffocating silence. Mother's lips twitched faintly, but no words escaped them. I waited five seconds. Ten seconds. Fifteen seconds. Still, she said nothing. That profound silence was her ultimate answer.

Very well.

I said quietly:

This afternoon I am taking the high-speed train back to Shanghai. The rest of you may continue your trip.

Chen Bai...

I have already handed the contract over to the eldest brother. You can all rest assured, not a single yuan of the twelve million will be missing.

I closed the door. Chapter Twelve. The moment the heavy door clicked shut, the sound echoed loudly down the quiet hallway.