There was only a five - year age gap between Yan Zhen and his uncle, Yan Yincheng.
When his parents were still married, his mother would take him to the Yan family's old mansion every weekend to visit his grandparents.
He clearly remembered that the first time he saw his uncle, his uncle had just returned from abroad for medical treatment with his step - grandmother.
He was immediately stunned by his uncle's good looks. He wondered how there could be such a good - looking person. Was this his uncle?
As a child, he would naturally feel curious and close to an older child, especially when the uncle was so good - looking.
At that time, he didn't know that his uncle had eye problems. While the adults weren't paying attention, he pulled his uncle to play outside with him.
As a result, his uncle got injured from a fall outside because of him.
This caused quite a stir in the Yan family. He was severely beaten by his grandfather, and his mother was also scolded. When they got home, his mother took out her anger on him.
Only then did he realize that his uncle was of a different generation and that his uncle's physical condition was different from everyone else's.
From then on, he didn't dare to get close to this uncle who seemed as fragile as glass.
As he got older, his mother couldn't bear the life like a widow because his father was always away on missions. She resolutely divorced his father, and he was taken to live with his grandfather and be taught personally.
At first, he was very happy to learn from his grandfather and studied hard.
But as time went by, he often heard his grandfather praise his uncle's talent, saying that his uncle was a rare business genius. His grandfather sighed countless times in front of him that if his uncle's eyes were good, he could inherit his mantle, and there would be no need to force him to learn things he didn't like.
Yan Zhen often wondered if it was because his uncle's eyes were bad that his grandfather had no choice but to cultivate him.
Did his grandfather not really want him to be the successor?
If he worked harder, could he be recognized by his grandfather like his uncle?
However, his grandfather was always very tolerant of his uncle. No matter what his uncle did, he always got recognition. Even when his uncle had two children with the girl he once loved and planned to marry her, his grandfather didn't object but strongly supported it.
On the contrary, he was always denied and scolded. It seemed that he couldn't do anything right. In this family, he felt like the most redundant one.
He thought that his competitive spirit and dissatisfaction with his uncle had accumulated like this.
Yan Zhen didn't hide it anymore. He said all these words that had been hidden in his heart for years in front of Yan Haikun.
After listening, Yan Haikun stroked the red - wood carved pixiu on the table and was silent for a long time.
"Yan Zhen, you shouldn't compare yourself with your uncle."
"You always see the achievements your uncle has made and the praise he gets from others, but you forget that before he stood up, he was just a disabled person who had lost his sight and was trapped in darkness forever. He has experienced so many nights of hesitation, helplessness, loneliness, and despair, and shed silent tears countless times. However, in order to become a useful person, he has been working hard to overcome his blindness and has never given up on himself. Tell me, facing such a him, do I still need to be strict?"
Yan Zhen opened his mouth but couldn't say a word. He couldn't understand the pain of a blind person. But if it were him who lost his sight, he had to admit that he couldn't be as strong as his uncle. It was precisely because he clearly knew the gap between them that he felt so uncomfortable.
"Yan Zhen, you're different from him. You're a child with a sound body and mind. Being born safely in this world makes you luckier than most people. Being expected by everyone to become a talent is also a good thing."
"But there are too many temptations in this world. Too many things can blind your young eyes. That's why I've always been strict with you, making you keep your original intention and not get lost in the mortal world."
Yan Haikun sighed. "I always thought you would surely become a reliable successor who could shoulder the responsibility of the Yan family. But obviously, you've finally gone astray and had inappropriate thoughts about your relatives."
Yan Zhen smiled bitterly. "Grandpa, you're not me. You won't understand. If I could, I also don't want to treat my uncle like this. But as long as I think about what happened four years ago..."
"Enough!" Yan Haikun interrupted him impatiently, raising his voice. "Yan Zhen, stop acting in front of me. It just makes me feel sick."
"You always mention what happened four years ago and say that you had no choice. But in fact, four years ago, it was you who joined hands with others to destroy Yuan Xi. It was you who personally handed her over to the devil. In this matter, the one who should be most responsible is you!"
Yan Zhen sat there stunned, as if he didn't understand what Yan Haikun said. "What does Grandpa mean? What do you mean by saying that I personally handed her over to the devil?"
Seeing that his grandson still refused to admit it, Yan Haikun was so angry that his chest ached. He questioned:
"Four years ago, you booked a bar for Yuan Xi's birthday, right?"
This was no secret. Yan Zhen nodded. "Yes."
"Then why didn't you show up?" Yan Haikun asked.
Yan Zhen said, "I... I planned to go. But I was in such a hurry when I went out that I didn't watch the road carefully. I accidentally bumped into Ya'er and hurt her. After all, she's the biological daughter of the Yuan family and Xiaoxi's younger sister. I had to put Xiaoxi aside temporarily and send Ya'er to the hospital for a check - up first."
"So you were with Yuan Ya'er all that night?"
Yan Zhen nodded.
Yan Haikun snorted from his nose and said,
"Then what else do you have to say? Yuan Xi told me in person that she left after receiving a call from you that night. Before she left, Ji Xinyue, the daughter of the Ji family, gave her a piece of chocolate. When she woke up, she saw you and Yuan Ya'er breaking in. If you want me to believe you, do you admit making that call to her?"
After hearing what Yan Haikun said clearly, Yan Zhen suddenly stood up from his chair.
He got up so abruptly that he knocked over the heavy chair, which made a loud noise on the ground.
Chocolate? The chocolate given by Ji Xinyue?
Scenes he had experienced automatically played in his mind like a movie -
At the wedding, Xu Zixi showed up alone, slapped his new wife twice, and mentioned that it was a wedding gift from Ji Xinyue;
This morning, Yuan Ya'er had an extremely strong reaction after seeing that the gift was chocolate;
And Guan Baocheng who suddenly appeared outside their wedding room...
He had realized something. This discovery made his whole body tremble. He said with difficulty,
"No, I don't admit it! I didn't call her at all that night!"