I calmly looked at her, suddenly stepping closer and lowering my voice.

"It's one thing for this family to be stupid—after all, we're related by blood."

"But who gave you, a nanny, the courage to target me like this?"

The nanny's face changed abruptly. "I—I didn't—"

"Heh. No?" I sneered, just about to expose her little tricks—when she suddenly shoved me hard.

I fell to the ground.

The noise immediately drew attention from downstairs, and my family rushed over.

"What are you doing?" Cedrick shouted as soon as he reached the top of the stairs.

"Why are you hitting Auntie Millie?!"

He didn't even bother to understand the situation before assigning blame.

Encouraged by Cedrick backing her up, the nanny straightened her back and spoke with a wronged expression.

"He was dissatisfied with the room and deliberately threw himself down to frame me."

"Heh," Adeline sneered from the side. "I told you it was a bad idea to bring him back. Look—he's already stirring up trouble the moment he gets home."

My mother frowned slightly. "If you're not satisfied with the room, you could have told us directly."

"There's no need to do something like this."

"Aunt Millie has worked in our house for over ten years. We understand her character."

'What a bunch of fools.'

'They'd rather trust an adopted son of unknown origin—and even a nanny—than me.'

'I'm a son who just returned to acknowledge my family. Even an outsider wouldn't be beaten by a nanny in someone else's house, right?'

Calling this a room arrangement was a joke.

This was no different from a prison cell.

A urinal in the room, and I had to carry it to the yard to clean it every morning?

Even rural homes weren't like this anymore.

My mother looked embarrassed and helpless, instinctively turning to my father for guidance.

A flicker of doubt crossed my father's face. He frowned and fell silent, clearly thinking.

Before he could speak, Cedrick cut in.

"Brother, I heard you're from the Loess Plateau," he said casually.

"Don't people there live in cave dwellings? Isn't it normal to empty a urinal every morning?"

"Aunt Millie is honest and hardworking. Why did you bully her?"

"Mom and Dad work so hard every day. Can you stop causing trouble?"

"If you're angry, come at me instead. Why don't you just hit me?"

He looked at me with disdain, as if he had already seen through my so-called ‘schemes.'

My mother immediately pulled him into her arms, heart aching.