Li Yunhui’s throat was dry and tight, extremely unwilling to accept this judgment.

But he couldn’t refute a single one of the examples the butler had raised.

After a long silence.

Li Yunhui finally spoke, his voice hoarse, “If it weren’t for my influence, would you have a way to make Shuyun quit extreme sports?”

Seeing the eldest young master admit his own problem for a rare change, the butler’s mood improved slightly, and his tone softened.

He said, “It’s hard to say if he would truly quit, but—the young master is different from you. The young master isn’t as stubborn as you, not as rebellious as you. He listens to reason and is willing to listen. I think there should be hope.”

“However—”

His tone shifted, and the butler looked pointedly at the eldest young master. “This also depends on whether you can cooperate. As the young master’s older brother, your influence on him and the weight of your words in his mind are definitely greater than mine. If I’m working hard on my end and you’re sabotaging me on yours, then you just wait. The young master will, one way or another, learn your trick of running away from home at the drop of a hat.”

Li Yunhui was speechless.

Li Yunhui was annoyed. “When did I ever run away from home? It was clearly Li Zhengshen who cut off my living expenses!”

The butler replied flatly, “Cutting off your living expenses is not the same as kicking you out of the house. Tell me, did you or did you not leave this house on your own?”

Li Yunhui was furious and didn’t want to continue this conversation with the butler at all!

But…

A bad example. A bad example. A bad example…!

It was one thing for the butler to see him that way, but Shuyun? Would Shuyun see him that way too?

Li Yunhui didn’t know. Li Yunhui was a little lost. He thought to himself that although he did start out with the idea of “leading his brother astray,” he…

He had long since retracted that idea. Now, he clearly just wanted his brother to grow up well, safe, and strong. That was enough.

Li Yunhui said, “…I will set a good example for him.”

He said this quickly and indistinctly, but then his tone became firm and clear. “As long as you have a way to make him quit extreme sports… I can guarantee that I will not sabotage you in this matter!”

The two of them reached a consensus on this matter for the time being.

Having received Li Yunhui’s guarantee, the butler’s mood finally eased a bit. He looked at the time and planned to go back inside to check on the young master.

Li Yunhui, however, was in turmoil.

He sat in the garden, the space around him empty.

This was the very spot his brother had been sitting in not long ago.

Back then, his brother would smile whenever he saw him. His brother had handsome features, and his smile was like a sky full of cherry blossoms blooming in spring. Just the memory of it was refreshing to the soul.

But today… the smile on his brother’s face was gone.

Li Yunhui silently gazed at the night sky, the words “bad example” that the butler had said endlessly echoing in his mind.

He never thought there was anything wrong with his pursuit of thrills and his love for extreme sports. It was just a hobby, and he had the ability to handle it.

Li Zhengshen forbade him from doing it, and he was unwilling to bow his head to Li Zhengshen, so they had conflicts, and then came what the butler had just mentioned: “being kicked out of the house, and demeaning and mocking his father in front of the young master.”

…Was this his fault? To him, of course not.

It was natural and logical that he and Li Zhengshen would end up this way.

But when these things fell into the eyes of his not-yet-mature brother, it seemed… it really wasn’t a “good example” in any way.

Li Yunhui let out a melancholy sigh.

There was nothing wrong with extreme sports themselves, and commercialized recreational activities were generally not too dangerous, but… this was his one and only younger brother!

As an older brother, how could he watch his younger brother fall in love with a hobby that risked his life?

If his brother were strong and had quick reflexes, that would be one thing, but his brother wasn’t!

His brother’s hands were as soft as cotton, and very weak. One squeeze was enough to know these hands couldn’t lift heavy objects.

His brother’s frame was also very thin. A touch to his chest and abdomen, and it was flat. You could tell just by feeling that there wasn’t much strength hidden in that body.

His brother’s reflexes were also far from agile. He probably couldn’t even catch a mosquito flying in front of him.

His brother’s experience was even more meager, having started to get into extreme sports right under his nose…

Of course, the more crucial point was that his brother really had gotten injured doing extreme sports.

That bruised and swollen ankle—what older brother wouldn’t feel his heart ache seeing that?

And his brother had the accident during a solo skydiving jump. What older brother wouldn’t feel a lingering fear thinking about it?!

As Li Yunhui thought about it, he felt his actions today were becoming more reasonable.

His brother deserved those three smacks!

His fault was his fault, and his brother’s fault was his brother’s fault!

Thinking this way, Li Yunhui felt a little better.

But the longing and craving for his brother’s smile brought on by memory and contemplation made him feel uncomfortable all over again.

So he immediately got up and went back into the house, intending to check on his brother.

When he went upstairs, the first thing that caught his eye was the dinner in the dining room, still neatly arranged and untouched.

Li Yunhui’s brow furrowed deeply. He glanced at the clock on the wall; the hour hand was already halfway between 10 and 11.

It was already ten-thirty. Why hadn’t Shuyun eaten yet?

He found the butler and questioned him with great displeasure.

Upon hearing this, the butler let out a long sigh. “Eldest Young Master, the young master refuses to open the door. What can I do? It’s not that I’m complaining, but when the young master throws a tantrum, he’s just like you!”

Li Yunhui said, “Then what do we do? If he doesn’t open the door, can’t you think of something? Where’s all that energy you used to deal with me before?!”

The butler replied, “All of the young master’s problems right now are caused by you! If you ask me, the one who should be coaxing the young master to open the door and eat is you!”

Li Yunhui was speechless.

It wasn’t without reason.

But… Shuyun… would he still be angry with him?

Li Yunhui didn’t know. He felt a little nervous, subconsciously resisting the sight of his brother not smiling at him. But after hesitating for a moment, seeing that it was already late and couldn’t be delayed any longer, he still chose to go to his brother’s door and knock hesitantly.

There was no response from inside.

Li Yunhui tried calling out, “Shuyun, open the door. Come out and eat!”

Still no response from inside.

Li Yunhui continued to call, “The kitchen made your favorite fish soup today. If you don’t come out, I’m going to drink it all!”

Still no response from inside.

Li Yunhui stood at the door of the silent bedroom, feeling as if there were needles on his back. He didn’t want to be shut out by his brother, or even ignored!

Fortunately, he had always understood his brother’s personality.

So he said, “Shuyun, open the door. If you keep pretending you can’t hear me, I’m going to wait at your door. If you don’t open the door all night, then I’ll stand at your door all night!”

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Yunhui indeed heard a faint rustling sound from within the bedroom.

But the sound didn’t last long and quickly stopped.

After about three minutes of silence, a muffled, soft, and low voice finally came from inside. “…I’m not hungry, brother.”

Li Yunhui clenched his fists tightly, his tone steady as he said, “How are you not hungry? You’re clearly past hungry. Shuyun, be good. Come out and eat. I just had the kitchen reheat the food on the table. If you don’t come out, all this food will go to waste.”

The room fell silent again.

After a long while, Li Shuyun’s small voice came out. “Brother, you eat it. I’m not hungry.”

Li Yunhui said, “Uncle Zhao and I have already eaten. If you don’t eat, I’m going to tell Uncle Zhao to throw all the food away.”

It was quiet for about another three minutes.

Finally, his brother’s muffled voice came from inside. “Then… brother, you can use the key to open the door.”

His brother, in the end, was still kind-hearted and soft-hearted.

He couldn’t bear to see his brother wait outside the door forever, nor could he bear to see clean, whole food thrown away without a single bite being taken.

Li Yunhui knew this very well.

Li Yunhui immediately replied, “Okay, don’t move. Keep your injured foot propped up.”

He steeled his heart and asked the butler for the room key. The moment the door opened, the faint smell of medicine rushed into his nose. It was the medicine applied after the ankle sprain.

And his brother was currently sitting on the edge of the bed, his injured leg stretched out straight, with blankets and pillows stacked beside it to elevate it. His other leg was bent in front of him, his arms wrapped around his knees. When he pushed the door open and entered, his brother’s head was lowered and hidden by his knees, only a pair of wronged eyes peeking out at him carefully.

Li Yunhui, who had been full of words, couldn’t say anything when he saw his brother.

He walked towards his brother and sat down on the edge of the bed. He watched as his brother, upon his approach, hugged his knees tighter in fear, his back unconsciously leaning towards the head of the bed, like a small wild animal that had seen its natural enemy, instinctively showing a guarded look.

…His brother was afraid of him.

Li Yunhui was at a loss. His usually glib tongue now didn’t know how to coax his brother.

He gently placed his hand on his brother’s bandaged calf, moving down and stopping just above the ankle. He asked, “When was the last time you iced it?”

His brother answered in a small voice, “Three in the afternoon.”

Li Yunhui said, “Then it’s time to ice it again. Icing it more will help it heal faster.”

Li Shuyun’s eyebrows trembled slightly. He hugged his knees even tighter, his voice low. “…Okay.”

It was quiet again.

Li Yunhui couldn’t stand the silence. He reached out his hand and, trying to use his gentlest voice, said to his brother, “Does your hand still hurt? Let me see.”

At these words, not only did his brother not extend his hand, but his shoulders even trembled slightly.

“Don’t be afraid. I’m not going to hit you, I just want to see,” Li Yunhui coaxed.

But his brother still didn’t move.

Li Yunhui had no choice but to reach out, tentatively holding his brother’s wrist, and bit by bit, unwrapped it from his brother’s knees.

He gently held his brother’s hand, bringing it in front of him and carefully opening it. The palm was rosy and didn’t seem to have any marks from being hit, but when he touched the center of the palm, the hand in his would tremble slightly.

Li Yunhui’s heart ached seeing it.

But he didn’t think his actions to make his brother feel pain were wrong, so… he could only feel pained.

Li Yunhui stroked his brother’s head. The soft and smooth strands of hair passed through his fingers. He couldn’t help but say, “Don’t play with it again next time. Extreme sports are very dangerous, the probability of injury is high, and it will hurt when it happens. And… if a major accident happens one day, you could really lose your life.”

At the mention of this topic, Li Shuyun’s previously quiet expression finally shifted.

Li Shuyun said in a low voice, “But brother, I only got hurt today because I’m not skilled yet. Once I try a few more times and become more skilled, I won’t get hurt.”

He pleaded softly, “Brother, I… I promise you, I definitely won’t go secretly in the future. If I go, I’ll definitely take you with me, okay? …Brother, you clearly like extreme sports too, you should be able to understand me.”

Li Yunhui was silent for a moment, then said, “…Even the best swimmers can drown, and the best riders can fall. Who told you that you won’t get hurt once you’re skilled?”