"So, what happened after that?" Li Caiyi leaned her body forward as she asked curiously.

"I told all my school friends that my party got canceled and nobody should come."

Li Caiyi gasped in shock. "What? It was all because of you, Big Brother?!"

"Yeah. I need to prove to Father that I don't need something like a party or friends to win the negotiation. Or so the younger me had thought."

Li Caiyi was even more shocked now. What kind of negotiation could a five-year-old boy pull against his own parents? She couldn't imagine how much gut you would need for that.

"Then it's not because your friends are conspiring against you?"

Li Junjie sighed. "I never said that. It was just one of Renshu's bluff to help me."

Come to think of it, it was indeed Meng Renshu who explained the situation at that time.

"So, does it mean Brother Renshu also knew about all this?"

"Not really. He just helped me for no reason back then."

Li Caiyi was confused, but Li Junjie had already moved the conversation forward.

"I felt bad because Mother put much effort into that party, but it was necessary to show Father that I'm serious about this." Li Junjie paused briefly before continuing, "After the 'party' ended, I went to Father's room and talked to him. I told him I would do as he said as long as he didn't hurt Mother anymore. Thus, I can't disobey him."

"And..he agreed?"

"It was a convenient promise for him. I predicted he wouldn't refuse."

Li Caiyi couldn't help but hang her jaw in awe. The gap between their age was only a year apart, yet when all she could do was cry and wail, her brother had already bravely stood up against their father since his childhood. He really was born with a different material than other normal kids.

"Brother Jie, you are really amazing. As expected of you."

"You are wrong with that one. I have failed." Li Junjie said in a lower voice than before.

"What do you mean?"

"I neglected my sisters to protect my mother. That's the fact." Li Junjie closed his eyes, and a trace of regret flashed across his ever so calm eyes.

"As time passed by, Father's actions became too uncontrollable. He wouldn't touch Mother as we promised, but he directed all his frustration to you instead. That was my first mistake. I should have put you two in mind more when making such a promise."

"Brother Jie.." Li Caiyi bit her lips as memories of her brother's indifference toward her flashed across her mind. Those times they spent distancing themselves from each other were all because of that reason?

She laughed mirthlessly. "I never expected you, out of all people, could make a mistake."

"Of course I did. I'm a human, and I have made many mistakes." Li Junjie looked down at his cup. "There are only so many things I can understand regarding human emotion. On that matter, I think you are doing a much better job than me, Xiaoyi. To the point, I became too reliant on you."historical

"Me?" Li Caiyi tilted her head in confusion.

"Yeah. Mother is in terrible shape after the abuse she received from Father. Xiaohua has a health problem, and I don't have the capability to become someone else's strength. That's why everyone subconsciously comes to you with their problem. In this case, I put a blind eye to every mistreatment that happened to you. I naively thought that no news means good news. Or perhaps that's what I want to believe. It made me feel less guilty that way."

Li Caiyi: "...."

Li Caiyi was speechless, and her mind blanked out upon hearing her brother's explanation. She should have felt angry for the injustice she had received, but she only felt empty inside in reality.

After everything that happened in her previous life, hearing about the reason now became meaningless.

"You must have resented all of us all this time. I don't mind receiving your hate because that's what I deserved. It also applies to Mother and Xiaohua. Everyone is too reliant on you, so you don't have to worry about these things anymore. I will take care of the matter with Father."

"What are you planning to do?"

"I will ask for my right to inheritance." Li Junjie smiled faintly. "Isn't that what you are aiming for as well? That's why you came searching for me a day before my birthday?"

Li Caiyi had no words to refute. Her brother truly had read through her actions. It was good that she didn't have to beat around the bush when talking with him.

"That's right, Brother. You can only claim your inheritance when you are 19 years old."

The Li Family had a rule in the house, which was helpful when there was only a sole successor within the family. The said successor can claim their inheritance early as long as they have reached 19 years old. By inheritance, it meant the right of the family's property and wealth, with the permission of the head of the family.

The property was bound to be passed on to the younger generation, but by right, the successor can ask for it earlier if there is some unavoidable circumstance, such as if the head of the family was too sickly or incapable of taking care of it.

In old times, this rule helped the family manage the asset because many family members had a short life expectancy.

Li Jirong also used this rule to get his right of ownership to the Li family's assets, so he wouldn't be able to complain if his son did the same.

That was the aim. Li Caiyi wouldn't let Li Jirong live happily after everything they made them go through. If there was a person who could be her greatest ally to achieve that, it would be Li Junjie, the sole successor to the Li family.

"I could guess what you are thinking by looking at the data you have compiled," Li Junjie added. "It's not a bad idea. You save a lot of time for me by doing this."

"Brother, did you have some kind of another plan before I showed you mine?"

"More or less, but mine would take longer to do."

"What is it?"

"It's not a big thing. I just planned to erase the so-called prestigious Li family from its existence."

Li Caiyi: "!!"