Chapter 5: Individual Choices-Filho biológico não é tão bom quanto o filho adotado? Se você se arrepender, não me procure!(O sonho solitário do garoto de rua)

Lin Tian never imagined he would one day participate in a Xiao family dinner. He had lived under their roof for half a year, yet he had never once earned the right to sit at the table.

He vividly remembered the first time he tried to eat with the Xiao family. The moment he approached, Mother Xiao excused herself, claiming she felt unwell, while Father Xiao merely took a sip of water, not even touching his chopsticks. As for Xiao Caiyue and Xiao Chusheng, their reactions were cold and indifferent; they took a few distracted bites and left. Throughout the entire ordeal, only Xiao Ruoli had truly kept him company, and that was the extent of it.

Now, seated right beside Elder Xiao at a very real family dinner, he scanned the room and could clearly feel the hostile gazes directed at him—sharp as blades. He didn't need to guess who they belonged to; they were from Xiao Zhengming and Xiao Caiyue. Mother Xiao and Xiao Chusheng, after all, were always more discreet about their contempt.

Perhaps sensing the tension, Elder Xiao chuckled and nudged his wheelchair closer to Lin Tian. "You must be hungry, Little Tian. Eat." With a trembling hand, he picked up a chicken leg with his chopsticks and placed it in Lin Tian’s bowl. Lin Tian said nothing, burying his head to eat the chicken leg while fighting back the moisture in his eyes. He was truly starving.

"As if anyone else isn't hungry!" Xiao Caiyue, dissatisfied with this favoritism, huffed with her nose in the air, looking furious. Seeing this, Mother Xiao kicked her under the table, and she reluctantly restrained her attitude. "A wild child is a wild child; he’ll never amount to anything in his life," she thought, her disdain for Lin Tian reaching a new peak.

Xiao Chusheng caught Mother Xiao’s eye and promptly placed a piece of meaty spare rib into Elder Xiao’s bowl. "Grandpa, this is the rib stew Mom made just for you. She spent the whole afternoon on it. Have a taste."

"Good..." Watching Elder Xiao slowly chew, Xiao Chusheng’s smile widened, his expression one of feigned innocence.

"My son is so filial," Xiao Zhengming praised him generously, then glanced at Lin Tian, who was still eating silently, and sighed, "It really is different when they’ve been raised by your side since childhood."

"Eh, you're wrong," Elder Xiao shook his head, struggling to speak, "A tangerine grown in the south of the Huai River is a tangerine, but in the north, it becomes a bitter orange. People are also products of their environment. As long as one is taught with genuine sincerity, there will always be a return."

Lin Tian paused for a moment before resuming his meal. While the others kept their expressions neutral, their hearts were full of different agendas. Mother Xiao was the first to chime in, "Yes, yes, Dad is right. Zhengming and I have always done exactly that. We’ve always made sure to be fair to everyone!"

Xiao Zhengming’s expression shifted immediately. "Of course Dad knows that. Why even bring it up? But Dad, you mentioned that once Little Tian returned, you would announce the distribution of your assets. Can we settle that now?"

Lin Tian felt a wave of nausea at their words and sneered inwardly: *Being cruel to me is one thing—I have no emotional bond with you—but Grandpa is still alive, and you are already this impatient for the inheritance? Is this what the Xiao family’s kinship is worth?*

Elder Xiao didn’t seem to mind. He nodded firmly. "I did say that. While I am still alive, I should plan for my descendants." He slowly raised his sleeve and carefully produced a stamped document outlining the division of his estate. It had been two years, and it was finally time for it to see the light of day.

Every gaze in the room converged on the document. The desire in the eyes of Father Xiao, Mother Xiao, and Xiao Chusheng was palpable, as if they could barely contain themselves. Xiao Caiyue and Xiao Ruoli, however, seemed indifferent. Both were already capable of standing on their own feet, especially the eldest sister, who was already holding her own in her career.

Elder Xiao’s deep, gravelly voice began to read, line by line: "After I pass, forty percent of the estate shall go to my son, Zhengming; ten percent to his wife, Madam Liu; ten percent to my eldest granddaughter..." By the time he finished, everyone except Lin Tian and Xiao Chusheng had been granted a significant portion of the wealth.

"Dad, why do Little Tian and Little Sheng get nothing?" Mother Xiao asked immediately, noticing Xiao Chusheng’s dissatisfaction. Xiao Zhengming echoed her, "Yes, this... this shouldn't be. They are your grandsons, after all." Xiao Caiyue and Xiao Ruoli also chimed in, unable to comprehend Elder Xiao’s decision. They even began to wonder if he had grown senile.

Elder Xiao’s cloudy eyes revealed a hint of disappointment. He sighed and spread his hands, producing two more items from his sleeves. "These are two property deeds. One is a villa worth eight million, and the other is the small, plain house I lived in when I first started my business. I am leaving these to my grandsons." He placed the two deeds on the table. "Alright, you two choose. Everyone is a witness; no going back once you’ve decided!"

Xiao Chusheng had been waiting for exactly this. Fearing that Lin Tian might beat him to it, he chose the eight-million-dollar villa without a second thought. Lin Tian, though closer to Elder Xiao, voluntarily stepped back and chose the remaining, worthless small house. The family seemed satisfied with this outcome, and with no further objections, the dinner concluded.

While Lin Tian sat alone under a tree in the cold wind, staring silently at the deed, Father and Mother Xiao were inside, excitedly discussing future plans with Xiao Chusheng. Just as Lin Tian prepared to leave, Xiao Ruoli approached him once more.

"Grandpa wants to see you."

"Oh." Lin Tian turned and headed upstairs.

Xiao Ruoli watched his retreating figure, an inexplicable anxiety lingering in her brow. "Second sister, what did you just say to that boy?" Xiao Caiyue appeared beside her and asked abruptly.

"Grandpa asked me to tell him to come up. I don't know what it’s about." Xiao Ruoli replied, then added, "Why would Grandpa use two such wildly unequal property deeds for them to choose from?" The disparity was so great that she couldn't help but ponder, perhaps out of the shred of guilt she still felt for Lin Tian.

Xiao Caiyue was sharp; she hadn't paid much attention earlier, but now, prompted by the question, she found it strange—especially the remark about "being a witness," which didn't sound like a casual comment at all. What exactly did it mean?