I looked at the chopsticks he held upside down in his hand and lowered my eyes calmly. He checked his phone over twenty times in ten minutes. Then he answered a call and told me, apologetically, "Vivian, something urgent has happened at the company. I’ll pick you up tomorrow for a dress fitting." Before I could respond, he hurried away.

I put down my chopsticks and scratched the red bumps that kept popping up on my arms.

I opened my drawer and found I’d finished my allergy medicine. I had no choice but to put on my coat and go to the hospital.

At the hospital stairwell, as I emerged with my medicine, I saw Emily, sobbing in grief, and her brother, coaxing her softly.

I stood on the steps, peering through the bustling crowd.

I watched my brother, with his severe mysophobia, kneel on one knee, gently massaging Emily’s foot.

Emily, draped in his expensive suit jacket, nibbled at the seafood in her lunch box.

My brother glanced at her and, unfazed, wiped the grease from her mouth with his sleeve. Emily pouted and snorted, "Didn’t my brother say I’m not the eldest daughter of the Gardner family? Then why are you looking for me? Go stay with your sister."

My brother was caught off guard and was pushed to the ground.

But his expression didn’t contain any anger, only a hint of helplessness and doting indulgence.

"Little Ancestor, who am I saying this to?"

"The reason I didn’t let you stay for dinner is that I had people buy pre-made seafood. This one you have is the one I personally selected and cooked."

"I know you love seafood, so I pick the best and freshest. It’s much better than what Vivian eats."

The stinging pain from the seafood allergy seemed to suddenly intensify, making me unsteady.

Emily smiled contentedly. "Silly girl, Vivian is different from you."

"She was lost when she was little, and has been through so many hardships. No one loves her, no one cares for her. She’s suffered so much. If I give her a little sweetness, she’ll be grateful."

"A few cheap, pre-made dishes will make her happy. If she’s happy, she won’t challenge your position. Why don’t you understand my good intentions?"

"Don’t go to her place anymore, Emily. Her place is small and inconvenient. If you get hurt, it’s me who’ll feel bad."