Chapter 2The Countdown to Zero

My three sisters treated my brother extremely well, but avoided me like the plague.

Seeing them like this, the servants in the house also started to treat me perfunctorily, judging people based on their status.

As a child, I often fell asleep hungry, but I still managed to survive on leftovers until I was eighteen.

Chloe always said bad people live longer; otherwise, why was I still alive?

Nestled in the small attic, I also wondered if I couldn't die because I was too bad.

Thinking of this, I crawled out of bed, shuffling my slippers to the bathroom to wash up.

My hair was withered and yellow, my cheeks gaunt. No one would guess this was the eldest son of the Jiang family.

But I didn't care about these things because I saw the countdown over my own head.

Through the mirror, a bright red countdown stood impressively above my head.

Finally, this day has come.

I wanted to laugh, but only slightly hooked the corners of my mouth, looking at myself in the mirror, lost in thought.

I have no friends, and the people I interact with usually are pitifully few. How should I spend this last day?

After thinking for a long time, I slowly tidied myself up and came down from the cramped attic I had always lived in.

The attic was really too small, so small that fitting a bed for an adult like me was a struggle.

I was still using a twin-sized bed meant for dorm students. Fortunately, being thin and weak, I could barely sleep curled up on it.

As for my original room, it had long been turned into a toy room for my brother after he was born.

More than once, I peered through the small window of the attic, watching my sisters play with the boy on the lawn. He was innocent and cute, laughing carefree.

Every time I saw it, I mimicked his smile, as if I could peek into a sliver of the same happiness.

But my smile was ugly, I knew.

I looked in a broken small mirror, and indeed, as my sisters said, I looked hideous.

Since then, I haven't liked smiling.

I walked downstairs cautiously, not expecting anyone to be there at this time.

Descending the escalator, my ears were filled with my brother Henry's clear laughter. He was really happy.

My brother excitedly held a hairpin, volunteering, "Second sister, let me put the hairpin on for you."

Second sister, Bella, lowered her head following Henry's force, looking dotingly at her brother clumsily putting a crooked hairpin on her.

Henry stepped back two steps to look, a bit distressed. The crooked bun really didn't look good. He asked his sister to redo it.

The woman looked in the small mirror and didn't take it down. Instead, she smiled and rubbed his head.

"No need, our Henry put a hairpin on for his sister for the first time. You did great."

"Let's go, Second Sister will take you to school today."

Hearing this, Henry happily took her hand.

My heart felt sour, remembering myself as a child.

That was the first time I knitted a scarf. I stayed up for days to knit a somewhat crooked scarf.

I nervously gave it to Bella, hoping for a word of praise, hoping she would pat my head like before.

She didn't take it, her eyes filled with disgust. "Who knows if I'll be cursed taking your stuff."

Used to rejection, I gave the scarf to the family dog, hoping to make its bed more comfortable and warm.

But the next day, I saw my scarf in the trash can, cut into pieces, unable to be put back together.

Ignoring the filth on the trash can, I reached out to pick it up piece by piece, washed it clean, put it in a box, and never took it out again.

Thinking of this, I pursed my lips. As they were about to leave, I still wanted to try one more time.

Even just once would be fine.

"Second Sister, Brother."

Seeing me, their expressions were different. Henry's eyes lit up for a moment when he saw me, happily calling me brother.

Beside him, Second Sister had a cold face, seemingly wanting to say something but perhaps holding back because of Henry.

"Can we have dinner together tonight? Just once is enough."

I said it with difficulty, nervously waiting for their response.

"Sure!"

"No."

Two completely opposite voices sounded at the same time. Henry turned to look at Bella and asked in confusion, "Why not?"

Yeah, why not? I silently dug my nails into my palm.

"Did you forget? We agreed before that you'd accompany Big Sister to the auction tonight."

Under Bella's affirming gaze, Henry seemed suddenly enlightened, then looked at me apologetically.

"Sorry, brother, I don't have time to have dinner with you today."

The boy thought for a moment and smiled again. "How about tomorrow? Let's have dinner together as a family tomorrow."

A family?

I forced a smile uglier than crying, the bitterness in my heart almost drowning me.

I have no tomorrow.

But I still agreed to him, watching him leave.

Before leaving, Bella glanced at me, her cold gaze like a sharp blade, seeming to slice me inch by inch.

"Ethan, don't let me find out you're plotting anything."

"If you let Henry get hurt even a little bit, don't blame us for being merciless."

"Stay away from him."