Ethan Carter left home at eighteen. He thought that if his parents wanted to start over with a new child, they should have made an effort back then—why only take action in the past couple of years?

Brian Clark couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re still thinking about this? Just go home and ask them, won’t you?”

Brian Clark wasn’t an only child; he had a bunch of siblings back home and didn’t take the Carter family’s affairs too seriously.

Ethan Carter lowered his eyes and said, “They didn’t discuss it with me at all, didn’t respect my opinion. Is there any point in going back?”

Seeing his artist stubbornly refusing to move, Brian Clark raised his voice: “Stop being so dramatic! It’s just a little girl not even three years old—she probably doesn’t even remember anything yet!”

Ethan Carter looked displeased. “Wouldn’t you be upset if this happened to you?”

Brian Clark: “Do I have that much energy to be upset? I’ve got both sisters and brothers. If it were you, wouldn’t you explode on the spot?”

As a non-only-child older brother, Brian Clark naturally didn’t understand the troubles of being an only child. He was more than a decade older than Ethan Carter; when his parents had more kids, there was no discussion—it just happened. Back then, he even had to change diapers for his younger siblings. If he got as angry as Ethan Carter, he’d have died of rage long ago.

Ethan Carter was secretly annoyed, feeling like he couldn’t get through to Brian Clark. All his classmates growing up were only children; none of their families had biological siblings, so of course it was hard to accept. The more Ethan Carter thought about it, the more frustrated he became, even starting to blame national policy—why suddenly allow a second child?

Ethan Carter: As a former only child, I must be the first to object!

In the end, Ethan Carter still found himself standing at his family’s door. Even though his father had long since been kind and gentle with him, he still didn’t have the courage to knock. Seeing Ethan Carter making no move, Brian Clark helplessly reached out and knocked for him.

The familiar door opened, and the joyful faces of the whole family appeared one after another, followed by a chorus of delighted greetings.

“Xiaoyi’s back!”

“Come inside, is it cold out? Work must be tiring!”

“Oh, oh, oh, this is your agent? Come in, come in, have a seat…”

“Happy New Year, everyone. I won’t stay long, just bringing Xiaoyi home.”

“Aren’t you going to rest for a bit? Leaving already?”

Inside, Olivia Carter turned up the volume on her iPad in annoyance, trying to block out the lively sounds from the living room and suppress her own restless anxiety. However, her quiet didn’t last long before a knock from Grace Bennett interrupted her.

Grace Bennett knocked on the door, poked her head in from outside, and called, “Xiaoxiao, your brother’s back! Aren’t you coming out?”

“Oh—” Olivia Carter replied weakly, but her mother clearly didn’t notice her little mood.

Reluctantly, Olivia Carter put down her iPad, slowly walked to the door, and opened it just a crack, secretly observing the situation in the living room.

Ethan Carter seemed to sense something. With a casual glance, he spotted the petite figure behind the door—a little girl in pale yellow loungewear, most of her body hidden inside the room. Her eyes, like a kitten’s in the night, watched him with a probing, wary gaze.

David Carter noticed his eldest son’s distraction and immediately followed his line of sight, spotting the sneaky little daughter. He quickly waved, “Xiaoxiao, your brother’s back!”

Ethan Carter watched as the little girl inched over to their father like a snail, but didn’t look up at him, her head hanging low. Emotionally, he still couldn’t accept this “bonus” little sister, but after years of being toughened by society, he managed to keep his composure and smiled, “Xiaoxiao, hello, I’m your brother.”

Ethan Carter put on a standard professional fake smile. With his acting skills now honed and countless magazine covers under his belt, he wouldn’t be thrown by such a small scene. Whatever he felt inside, at least on the surface he wouldn’t let it show.

The little girl, soft and white as a ball of glutinous rice, looked up. Her face was tender, her eyes bright, the color of her irises a bit lighter than an adult’s. She quietly stared at Ethan Carter for a long time without replying. After a moment, she lowered her eyes and said, “Hello.”

David Carter hadn’t expected his youngest daughter to be so cold. He quickly rubbed her little face, smiling to lighten the mood and give her an out: “Xiaoxiao, are you shy? Too nervous to talk to your brother?”

Olivia Carter didn’t struggle in her father’s arms, letting him rub her face without a word. She didn’t know what to say to Ethan Carter, and couldn’t even process the emotions she’d just received.

Ethan Carter’s heart was a grayish blue, like a foggy sea, surging with suppressed restlessness. His smile was as bright as the sun, but inside he was weighed down by heavy feelings—he didn’t like her at all. This was the first time Olivia Carter had felt such strong rejection from someone, even more than from her kindergarten teacher, making her feel completely ill at ease.

This was her biological brother, but he really disliked her, and was pretending to like her.

Young as she was, Olivia Carter didn’t understand much yet. She still relied on animal-like instincts to survive, using her special ability to judge others. Her attitude toward people was like a mirror, directly reflecting their emotions on her own face. Whoever liked her, she liked; whoever disliked her, she disliked.