He knew it was useless to argue.
He also knew that explanations were in vain.
In his father's heart, and in the hearts of many others, he, Pei Jiangmu, was simply inferior to Pei Jiangfu from birth.
He was impulsive, paranoid, and a trouble - maker for the family.
He was already used to it.
Used to not being trusted, used to being easily convicted, used to being pushed out to bear the anger when needed.
This habit was deeply rooted in his long - growing years.
He remembered that year when he was seventeen.
The priceless Qianlong official kiln blue - and - white ancient moon pavilion vase in Pei Ting's study was broken by someone.
It was also Pei Ting's favorite thing.
A servant reported tremblingly that only the second young master had passed by the study door at that time.
Pei Ting flew into a rage. Without any in - depth investigation, he directly assumed that it was Pei Jiangmu who had carelessly broken it.
No matter how calmly Pei Jiangmu argued, "I just passed by and closed the door. I didn't go in," Pei Ting turned a deaf ear.
"Who else could it be if not you?! You're the most reckless one in the family!"
Just like this, Pei Ting severely beat him in front of his mother, elder brother, and even some servants.
The rattan whip lashed on his back, burning with pain.
But more piercing than the pain was the coldness of being unjustly wronged and denied by his close relatives without mercy.
Afterwards, Pei Ting ordered him to be locked in the cold, damp and gloomy storeroom in the backyard of the villa to "reflect". A seventeen - year - old boy had extremely strong self - esteem.
Being punished and locked up without rhyme or reason, Pei Jiangmu's heart was completely chilled.
He sat expressionless on the cold floor of the storeroom, neither eating nor drinking. Letting the cold invade his body, his consciousness gradually blurred, and he had a high fever.
Later, Meng Ruochao somehow heard the news and secretly came to find him.
She pried open the not - so - strong lock of the storeroom and squeezed in.
Seeing his embarrassed appearance, with his face flushed from the fever and curled up in the corner, Meng Ruochao's eyes instantly turned red.
"Brother Jiangmu!"
She ran over and gently touched his burning forehead, her voice trembling with sobs.
"Why are you burning so badly? How could they treat you like this!"
She offered him the little bread and water she had secretly hidden.
But Pei Jiangmu just shook his head, his eyes dull.
He wasn't not hungry or thirsty. It was the feeling of being abandoned by the whole world that made him lose all his will to survive.
Meng Ruochao was anxious and angry seeing his state.
She knew that with Pei Jiangmu's stubborn and sensitive personality at that time, he wouldn't eat the secretly - brought food.
What he needed was justice!
So, this girl who usually tiptoed around the Pei family and tried to keep a low profile somehow summoned the courage to go directly to Pei Ting.
She stood in front of the majestic head of the Pei family. Although her calves were shaking, she still straightened her back and loudly questioned.
"Uncle Pei! You said Brother Jiangmu broke the vase. Do you have any solid evidence?!"
"There were so many other people in the house at that time. Why did you only rely on a servant's words to assume it was him?"
"Moreover, isn't there a surveillance camera at the door of the study? Why didn't you even bother to take a look at the surveillance?"
She took a deep breath. Her clear eyes were filled with defiance and stubbornness as she asked word by word.
"Or do you just want to beat Brother Jiangmu? Whether he did it or not doesn't matter at all?!"
Pei Ting was completely enraged by her "insolent" questioning.
He slapped the table hard and shouted sternly.
"Meng Ruochao! Is this the place for you to talk?! Is this your upbringing?!"
The following words were very harsh, full of disdain and insult for Meng Ruochao's background.
But Meng Ruochao wasn't intimidated.
She bit her lower lip tightly. Her face was pale, but she still stubbornly stood there.
Meeting Pei Ting's furious gaze without flinching, she repeated.
"Please check the surveillance! Clear Brother Jiangmu's name!"
Just as the atmosphere was on the verge of suffocation and Pei Ting's anger was almost palpable, Pei Jingdu rushed over in a hurry.
He held a tablet in his hand, and a surveillance video was playing on the screen.
"Dad, the surveillance video has been retrieved."
Pei Jingdu's voice carried a trace of exhaustion and a barely perceptible helplessness.
The video showed that Pei Jiangmu had indeed just passed by the study door.
He saw the door ajar and casually closed it tightly. He didn't even glance inside during the whole process.
Shortly before he closed the door.
The expensive Persian cat raised by Pei's mother had slipped into the study through the crack of the door while the servant in charge of taking care of it was cleaning.
Although there was no surveillance inside the study, the clear recording device captured the crisp sound of the porcelain shattering shortly after the cat went in.
And the servant who had testified against Pei Jiangmu was exactly the one in charge of taking care of this cat!
She was afraid of bearing the huge compensation for the cat's mistake due to her negligence, so she chose to lie and shift the suspicion to Pei Jiangmu who happened to pass by.
Moreover, she was the first one to discover the broken vase. She even carefully cleaned up the cat hair in the study before coming out...
The truth came to light.
However, looking at the irrefutable evidence, Pei Ting showed no sign of guilt or apology on his face.
Instead, he pointed the finger at Pei Jiangmu again, who was curled up in the storeroom, already delirious from the fever.
His tone was absurdly accusatory.
"If it wasn't him, why didn't he argue more at that time?! Why did he act like he was admitting guilt?!"
Hearing this, even Pei Jingdu couldn't help frowning.
And Meng Ruochao, this slender girl, burst out with amazing strength at this moment.
She fearlessly retorted to Pei Ting, her voice clear and firm.
"Brother Jiangmu clearly explained! It's you who didn't believe him!"
"Moreover, he's the second young master of the Pei family! Why does even a servant dare to casually pour dirty water on him?!"
She didn't finish the following words, but the meaning was self - evident.
Wasn't it because they were used to despising and wronging him on a daily basis that the servant dared to be so unscrupulous?
She stared steadily at Pei Ting. There was not the slightest trace of retreat in her clear eyes.
Finally, under her stubborn gaze, Pei Ting felt a twinge of guilt and embarrassment for the first time.
He couldn't lash out at an "outsider", especially a little girl.
He waved his hand irritably. Without saying a single word of apology to Pei Jiangmu, he turned to Pei's mother and ordered stiffly.
"Since it was your cat that caused the trouble, you... go and pick him up on my behalf."
This incident ended like this without a proper conclusion.
After Pei Jiangmu was picked up, he was ill for another week before he slowly recovered.
After he got better, looking at Meng Ruochao, who was guarding his bedside with dark circles under her eyes, he softly asked her.
"How did you dare... to confront that old stubborn? Aren't you afraid that he'll beat you?"
Meng Ruochao gave a silly smile at that time. With a hint of pride and cunning on her face, she leaned over to his ear and whispered.
"He may not dare to beat me! After all, I don't have the Pei surname. He can't beat me whenever he wants."
"If he dares to touch me, I'll lie on the ground and extort him until he's penniless!"
"Then, with the money, I'll take you far away so that he can never find us again!"