*Present*

  Jiang Weiyuan broke out of his trance. His deep black eyes radiated grief and loneliness that the past had brought upon the brothers. A certain dark memory just flickered in his mind for a fleeting moment and his gaze was as cold as the Arctic.

  But that iciness washed away as that memory dissipated away.

  He slightly parted his lips. "Once bro became the Mafia King, we became even more distant and……for some reason, I couldn't bridge that gap that I created between us. We went further and further away and our relationship just stalled within time. After how I ruined our relationship with my own hands, I didn't have the guts to go to him and say sorry. I knew that he was suffering because of my ignorance and I also Xiurang on my side. Then I took Old Madam's favor too and he was left completely alone. I knew that. I saw the sorrow in his eyes."

  Tears brimmed in the corner of his eyes and he clenched his fists. "But after Old Master's official announcement, I didn't know what to do anymore. I wanted to apologize, but I couldn't take that step. I had imagined that I would confess everything to bro once Old Master chose me. I knew he would get angry at me, but I would handle it was what I thought.

  But I lost. In front of the age old traditions, all my efforts were nothing but just an amusement to Old Master. Our ancestors were highly authoritarian men and they couldn't digest change. They hated change because they feared that change would make them lose their hold and control over everything. That's why, only an eldest son is supposed to inherit the position. That's why, you don't have the freedom to fall in love and choose your partner."

  He faintly smiled. "Change brings freedom and they didn't want that. And I failed in challenging that. I thought that Old Madam would convince him to take my side. But he didn't. And I lost everything for nothing. I drove bro away myself. With what face should I have gone to him and make things right? I just didn't have the courage left."

  Jiang Weiyuan took a silent breath and tiredly rested his head on the couch. "Say Lixue……what did sister-in-law say? I know that bro must have shared his pain with her. He must have told her about that phase in his life that started ever since I declared to be the Mafia King. I want to know his feelings, but I couldn't ask him in all these years."

  The sound of faint sniffling reached his ears and he slightly widened his eyes as he saw Lixue crying. Tears plopped from her black irises that gently fell upon her hand.

  Jiang Weiyuan stiffened but more than that, he panicked. "Why are you crying? D-Don't cry…"

  He looked left and right but he didn't know what to do. "Um…"

  He quickly took out his handkerchief and offered it to her. "There, there. It's okay."

  Lihua wiped her eyes, but teared up again and again and she burst into sobs as if a dam broke apart.

  Ugh…What should I do?

  "Lixue…"

  "I-I am crying because…" she gasped, "I feel sad. I cannot even describe my emotions……You two have suffered a lot. Y-you did so much for him. Dad did so much for you but nobody got to be happy in the end……I hate these damn traditions! Everything started because of them!" The tip of her nose reddened as she sniffled.

  Jiang Weiyuan paled. He didn't know how to console her. "I-It's okay! You don't need to mull over it!"

  "Of course I do! You are my Uncle and Dad is my Dad. If you have suffered so much then I will definitely feel pain!" Her nostrils flared.

  He was stunned, but then a soft smile curled his lips up. "Thank you."

  Lihua patted his head. "You did great, Uncle!"

  Though his approach surely hurt both him and Jiang Weizhe, she felt the burning desire through his words how much he wanted to help him. It was the best he could do as a child and as a little brother.

  Jiang Weiyuan was stumped.

  Am I being patted?

  She wiped her tears.

  He asked, "What did sister-in-law say?"

  Her gaze dimmed. She slowly reiterated Jiang Yubi's conversation with her to which he silently listened.

  A self-deprecating chuckle escaped his lips. "So, in the end…it's my fault that Wei was separated from her. I made him question his relationship with his own mother and that affected him to not wanting at all. Indirectly, Wei has suffered because of me-"

  "No!" Lihua grabbed his head and forced him to face. "Nobody has suffered because of you nor because of Dad! It's the circumstances that forced you to do this. Would you have ever acted cold to Dad if he wasn't suffering? You saw that you were losing him and you only did what any caring brother would do. It's these damn traditions that messed up everything. The main reason was that Dad blamed Wei somewhere for putting Mom into danger when she gave birth to him."

  She pursed her lips. "Your only mistake was that you never talked to him. I understand what you were going through, nevertheless, you should have communicated your feelings to him. I am a hundred percent sure that Dad didn't misunderstand your intentions when you tried to compete with him. But he started doing so when you kept your silence."

  Somehow, he couldn't retort. "T-that…"

  "Think about it. You were competing for the Mafia King's position. He may initially think that you did everything for his sake. But after the official announcement when you still refused to talk to him again, he might have thought that maybe along the way, you really did start having the desire to become the leader."

  He blinked his eyes and then suddenly widened them in shock. "Impossible……"