Chapter 7 — The Seat Not Meant for Me

My older brother stepped forward, still clinging to his habitual tactic of moral coercion, though a hard-to-conceal panic laced his voice.

"Man, can you please not talk to mom and dad like that? It hasn't been easy for them to raise the three of us."

I raised my head, completely composed and entirely sober for the very first time as I faced them. Every word was crisp, every sentence unflinchingly direct.

"What does it have to do with me that raising the three of you wasn't easy?"

"Ever since I was little, I was always the most sensible, the quietest, and the least worrisome. You enrolled Xiao in dance, vocal training, and countless talent classes, pouring endless effort and money into her. You said Xiao was lively, well-liked, knew how to make people happy, and had a much brighter future than me."

"So I didn't study anything, and I didn't compete for anything. I just quietly grew up, acting sensible. From childhood until now, how much extra money of yours did I spend? What trouble did I ever cause you? By what right must I forever yield, forever be sensible, forever be misunderstood, and forever be casually criticized and hurt by all of you?"

Finally, I stopped holding my tongue, stopped backing down, and softly voiced the grievances and injustices that had accumulated over eighteen years. The cafeteria was a constant flow of people, and students occasionally passed by the corridor to glance over. Their gazes fell upon the embarrassed, flustered family, and at last, they truly perceived the absurdity and cruelty of this lifelong favoritism. The family could no longer maintain a shred of dignity. My mother’s eyes grew red, my father lowered his gaze, and remorse and awkwardness washed over their faces. In this very moment, they finally began to dimly realize how much they owed me all these years, and how absurdly wrong they had been. They lowered their voices, speaking gently as they tried to comfort me, attempting to calm me down, wanting to sit down and talk things through so they could make amends for the past. I gently shook my head, my voice firm and entirely unshaken.

"There is no need for that anymore."

"The one who caused a scene today is Xiao, not me."

"The person you should be disciplining and talking to is her, not me."

With that, I did not linger. I turned and walked straight away. As time slowly drifted by, I remained focused on my own life. Only the sudden appearance of a reporter caught me by surprise, bringing me unmerited and unexpected attention. In my class, there was a fellow student suffering from congenital paralysis, making her mobility severely restricted. Getting to and from class was an immense struggle for her. Seeing her lonely, arduous silhouette, pity stirred within my heart. Day after day, I took the initiative to accompany her to and from classes, supporting her as she walked slowly, patiently waiting and staying by her side. In my spare time, I proactively helped her catch up on missed lessons, patiently explaining difficult concepts and walking alongside her as she made progress, bit by bit. I had been doing this for the entire semester. I had never deliberately flaunted it, nor did I ever seek to draw attention; I simply used what little capability I had to treat another human being with kindness. Yet, this prolonged gentleness and benevolence were witnessed by both teachers and classmates. Upon learning the full story, the school publicly commended me, and local campus media outlets alongside city news channels actively reported on the matter. For the very first time, my name appeared before the public eye in an image of excellence, kindness, and positivity. In the television interview, I calmly recounted all the hardships I had overcome entirely on my own along my academic journey. Losing contact on registration day, coming to the university all alone to handle the enrollment procedures, and saving myself. No matter how harrowing the path had been, I had never given up. Once the broadcast spread, my family finally learned the full truth they had so easily overlooked. At long last, they understood that the old phone they had casually shoved into my hands was completely broken and beyond repair. For the very first time, they fully understood that I was not rebellious, nor was I holding a grudge, nor was I cold-blooded. Rather, my heart had truly been hurt by them, piece by piece, until it grew completely cold. Endless regret thoroughly engulfed them. As the summer vacation drew near, they discarded all their arrogance and pride, humbling themselves to beg for reconciliation. My parents and older brother proactively reached out to relatives, inquiring about my whereabouts through numerous channels, and asked my older female cousin to relay a message to me.

They said that this time, when they drove to pick Xiao and me up, they had specially reserved an independent seat just for me. They vowed never to leave me out again, and never to let me suffer any more injustices. They only begged me to come home, begged me to forgive them, and begged me to give them a chance to make amends. My cousin gently urged me to let go of the past and give my family a chance. Hearing this, I simply shook my head with a tranquil expression, my voice calm and resolute.

"No need, I am not going back."

I had already secured a high-paying summer internship at a prominent enterprise, and all the arrangements had been finalized in advance. This summer, I had my own path to walk, and a future of my own to pursue.