At the small round dining table, Wendy watched Chris slowly sipping vegetable porridge and felt relieved. "I wanted to attend your father's funeral, no, I should have visited him earlier."

"It's okay. I heard you just had a major surgery. How's your health now?"

"I think I'm recovering quite well." Wendy paused, gathering courage to ask, "Ethan told me you wanted to drink weed killer. Is that true? Because your dad's gone?"

Chris didn't really want to talk about this. Seeking death was not something to be proud of.

"I've lived this long just going with the flow. I neither like this world nor have anything I want to do. Living like this is quite meaningless."

"How can you think that way…" Wendy's face showed a touch of disappointment, "Your dad was so determined to live. How sad he would be if he knew you're like this?"

"He was him, and I am me. Moreover, he knew my thoughts. If it weren’t for him, I would have left long ago."

Hearing these words, Wendy felt a pang in her heart. She never knew that the relative she always cared about had such thoughts. It saddened her as much as when Chris had earlier refused to move in with her.

She grew up with Chris, and they were very close. Why did they grow so distant after growing up, even to the point where communication became a luxury?

"I should have brought you over earlier... Chris, it's not too late now. Let's see if there's anything you'd like to do."

He knew Wendy's character; she valued family ties deeply. Even having met only a few times, he could feel her warmth. Therefore, in front of her, he didn't want to speak heartlessly. "Hmm... you don't need to worry about me."

"I just want you to be alive. It sounds selfish..." Wendy had talked a lot with the doctor in the past few days and learned some techniques of conversation, but she couldn't use them, feeling useless.

"For now, I will live. Because I'm quite cowardly." And being here, he didn't want to cause trouble for his sister.

Wendy sighed in relief.

After eating, Chris went back to his room to sleep a bit more. When he woke up again, Wendy said she would take him out to eat.

It was only when they left the house by car that Chris realized they were in a bustling area.

At the mall, Wendy picked out some clothes for him, both casual and formal.

He said he didn't need formal wear; besides his father's funeral, he had never worn it.

Wendy said, "It's better to dress formally when meeting Richard."

"Richard... your husband? Is he on a business trip?"

"No, we just stayed at Ethan's house. Tomorrow your sister will take you back to her home."

Chris tried to keep calm, not showing too much surprise. Inside, he felt chaotic. That luxurious apartment was just Ethan's house?

"That dirty, smelly kid from my childhood now owns such a big house! I might as well be dead."

Wendy noticed the fleeting look of surprise on Chris's face. "He's been good to us, but... now I hardly recognize Ethan."

"Has he changed? I don't think so," Chris truly felt that way.

"He's always bullying people, acting high and mighty, and doesn't listen to anyone." Wendy felt better after voicing her concerns.

“He used to be like that,” Chris casually remarked.

Hearing Chris say this, Wendy's mood surprisingly improved. Maybe she was too concerned about her son and overthinking things?

After shopping for clothes, Wendy took him to eat Cantonese dim sum. Although Chris was technically her younger brother by generation, he was even a year younger than her son, which made her feel as if he were her second son. It had been a long time since she went shopping with her son, and doing so with Chris made Wendy particularly happy.

While eating dim sum, Wendy subtly revealed that her current husband, Richard, was neither a scientist nor strictly a businessman.

“I never interfere with his work, nor can I. I only know about a few industries he's involved in. He probably won't mention it, and it's better you don't ask. The reason I brought you here is because I’m worried that what they're doing now might harm you…”

“Sounds a bit like… the mafia?” Shocked as he was, Chris became even more curious about what was going on.

It turned out that after the death of Wendy’s first husband, she fell in love with this man. Due to his identity, they delayed getting married for a long time. They eventually wed after deceiving their family by claiming he was from a wealthy dynasty.

Regardless of who the man was, Chris could hear from Wendy’s description that they loved each other.

Although he had always been skeptical that true love existed in the world.

This made him a bit worried; he had heard that mafia bosses tend to have a lot of mistresses. He wondered if the gossip he saw online was true.

A few days later, they flew to Chicago. The weather was unbelievably good, and Chris curiously observed everything on the road. The new scenery captivated him.

Just as he was about to doze off due to the dull journey, the car entered through a gate.

After entering the gate, the car drove for a while before arriving at a three-story house with light brown walls and a gray roof. The house looked quite old, reportedly about a hundred years old.

A small circular driveway led from the courtyard to the house, all in classic American style.

Led by Wendy, Chris met his brother-in-law, who was sitting on a sofa in a small parlor. 

The man, roughly the same age as Wendy, was dressed in a beige shirt and gray vest. Perhaps due to his age, he appeared somewhat portly with a roundish face. His hairstyle and features immediately reminded Chris of the detective Poirot from the old detective movies he had watched.

Upon seeing Wendy, the man put down his silver tablet on a small round table and embraced her.

“You’re back! How was the trip? Smooth?” he asked, his gaze shifting over Wendy’s shoulder to Chris.

Chris doubted his understanding of Wendy’s previous description of her brother-in-law. This man seemed like an ordinary, homely man, not at all like a mafia boss. 

His demeanor didn't match any mafia movies Chris had ever seen.

“So you’re Chris,” he said, unabashedly hugging Chris too. His hands were strong, conveying a sense of security rather than fear.

“Mr. Sterling?” Chris asked Wendy for confirmation again, to which she nodded.

“Just call me Richard, like your sister does,” Richard said cheerily, inviting him to sit.

Chris sat on an armchair, with Ethan next to him, while his sister and brother-in-law sat on the sofa.

A maid came in with tea and snacks, placing them within easy reach.

“It’s my favorite tea, but I’m not sure if you’ll like it.”

Chris cautiously sipped the tea; it was sour and bitter but not unpleasant, with a unique fragrance.

"Have you recovered from the illness you had on your way here?" Richard asked gently.

"Yes, I'm feeling better now."

"Losing a loved one is indeed very hard. Your sister has been missing you all, and I had extended an invitation to your father as well. She was longing for family here. Without bringing you over, I was worried she might fall ill again. Now that you are here, she can finally have a good night's sleep," Richard said with a warm smile.

"I'm also very happy to meet you all."

"If you have a preference for any room, just let your sister know. You're also welcome to chat with me," Richard offered.

"I am happy to see my sister, but I don't want to stay here... I want to go home."

"That house is no longer yours," Ethan said, exasperated with Chris's stubbornness.

Wendy shot Ethan a warning look, signaling him not to be too harsh.

"I don't belong here. I'm a relative of my sister, but I'm not a child who needs to be looked after," Chris insisted. He could support himself.

His father's stubbornness about not being a burden to others was ingrained in his bones.

Although he didn't fully agree with this view, he felt strangely influenced by it at this moment.

Who wouldn't want a life free from worries about food and clothing? Of course, he would like to live in this big house, but it felt like betraying his father if he really did so.

Richard noted Chris's reluctance and offered with a smile, "Let's do this. I have three conditions. If you can meet two of them, I'll agree to let you live independently."

"Let's hear them," Chris responded.

Richard internally chuckled. It had been ten years since he had made such straightforward conditions with anyone.

"First, your income must reach half of Ethan's; second, cut off all ties with us, including your sister; third, get rid of this old man here."

"Richard!" Wendy turned pale with worry.

"That's outrageous... I can't meet any of those conditions, not even the chance to try!" Chris protested.

"What do you want then?"

"Freedom!"

"Is freedom really that important to you?"

Under Richard's questioning, Chris remembered the resentment and restraint he felt while bound to his father's side.

Wendy looked concerned. "After your father passed, didn't you think about dying? Is your so-called freedom about dying?"

"Yu, we're not keeping you here to work for us. We hope you find what you want to do," Richard said gently and sincerely.

"I have things I want to do..."

"Is it your current job?" Richard probed further.

"Not just the job," Chris thought of the morning's news about something in physics, astrophysics? He said bravely.

To his surprise, Richard immediately mentioned many English terms he had never heard of. Even Wendy seemed confused.

Ethan impatiently explained the specialized terms and added, "I'd advise against lying. Richard is excellent in physics and chemistry and has been a math professor and worked in a research institute."

Chris's memory wasn't failing; his brother-in-law indeed used to be a scientist, although it was necessary to prefix it with "used to be."

In front of Richard, such a lie was almost an insult to intelligence. Richard's grace in not directly exposing him made Chris feel even more remorseful, leading him to quietly apologize.

He had ruined what should have been a pleasant meeting and felt too ashamed to face anyone there.

Afterward, his sister showed him every room and asked which one he wanted to stay in.

"What if I say I don't want to stay here?"

"Chrissy! I don’t want to force you. If you can live independently and well, of course, I'd be happy, but after hearing about what you tried to do, I can't let you live alone."

Chris bore a striking resemblance to Wendy's grandfather, but his temperament was entirely different.

Embarrassed to express his reluctance to trouble her, Chris instead suggested he would like to temporarily stay at Ethan's.

"Really?"

"Yes, I prefer it there."

"I know, you young people don't like living with old folks."

"That's not what I meant," Chris hurriedly clarified.

Wendy smiled understandingly. Though she had her doubts, Chris's willingness to stay was a relief to her. Ethan's house was indeed more in line with modern tastes and had sufficient security, but she couldn't help but worry about her son...