“T-That’s unreasonable, mother! Where will Brother Tian go if you kick him out?! He cannot do anything by himself, either! You cannot do this to him!” Yu Rou immediately said.
“How dare you raise your voice at me, Yu Rou!” Tang Lee shouted back, and then she continued, “We have spent hundreds of millions of dollars in these last 10 years on that boy’s medical bill hoping that he can be healed! However, it’s very clear to us that his condition is permanent! If that’s the case, why should we continue to waste our money on someone like him?! There are things in life you must give up, even if that ‘thing’ is family!”
“But Brother Tian has brought fame and reputation to our family and company! How can you throw him away like trash after everything he’s done for the family?! He’d even sacrificed his childhood so that our family could prosper!” Yu Rou did not care about getting scolded and continued to defend Yu Tian, as she cannot imagine a life without him.
“It is true that his talents have brought our family and company to the peak of the musical world— that we won’t deny. However, we’ve paid him back and more with the millions we’ve spent on him for the last 10 years. If he doesn’t want to continue contributing to the family, then there’s no reason for him to remain in this family. We’ve thought long and hard about this, and this is our decision. If you don’t want that, then it’d be in your best interest to convince Yu Tian to comply with our request and play for the family again.” Yu Yong said to her with a stern expression on his face.
“…I understand.” Yu Rou said after a moment of silence.
Sometime later, Yu Rou left her parent’s living quarters and returned to her own place.
On her way home, she pondered how she should relay this news to Yu Tian and convince him to play for the family again.
Once she’d returned, Yu Rou went straight to Yuan’s room. However, she didn’t immediately enter his room and stood outside in front of the doors for many minutes.
“What’s wrong, Yu Rou?” Yuan’s voice resounded from inside the room.
Yu Rou took a deep breath before entering the room, and she said in a solemn voice, “I spoke with father and mother today.”
“I know. Meixiu told me.” Yuan said.
“What did you talk about this time? Did your grades lower again?” Yuan spoke in a joking voice.
However, Yu Rou didn’t smile, nor did she respond to his question.
“What’s the matter, Yu Rou?” Yuan asked her, feeling something amiss from the quiet atmosphere.
“Well… You might not like what I am about to tell you, but this is something I must tell you,” Yu Rou said, and she began telling him about what had occurred at her meeting with their parents as well as the conversation.
“Because the other families have been bringing their music into Cultivation Online, mother and father decided to do the same, and they want you to start playing the instruments again.” Yu Rou said to him, leaving out the part about disowning him if he refuses for now.
“…”
Yuan immediately became speechless after listening to Yu Rou’s words, and after a long moment of silence, he spoke, “So… They want me to repeat what I did when I was young in Cultivation Online?”
“Yes, they want you to start playing the game but purely focusing on music.”
After another moment of silence, Yuan said in a sighing voice, “If I hadn’t experienced the beautiful world that is Cultivation Online, I would’ve probably agreed. However, I have many things to do inside the game, so I won’t have time to do what they want me to. Even if I do have time, I refuse to play the instrument for them.”
Yu Rou began sweating when she heard Yuan’s decision, and she began trying to convince him, “Why don’t you think about it again, brother? You’ll be able to return to your previous spotlight, and people will finally stop looking down on you. I also want to hear you play music again.”
However, Yuan remained reluctant and said, “There’s no need for me to think about it. I want to explore the cultivation world of my own free will. If you want to listen to my music, just let me know and I’ll play for you, Yu Rou.”
“…”
It was Yu Rou’s turn to remain silent this time, and after a long moment of silence, she spoke in almost a crying voice, “Brother… I didn’t want to tell you this at first because I know it’ll hurt you, but… Mother and father said that if you don’t comply, they’ll disown you and kick you out of the house…”
“Oh… Is that so…”
Even though Yuan’s voice remained somewhat calm, he could feel a painful sensation in his heart for a few seconds after learning that he might be disowned. After all, anybody would feel betrayed if their parents said they’d disown them non-jokingly.
Sometime later, Yuan said in a calm yet somewhat cold voice, “If they are going to disown me purely because I don’t want to work as a puppet for them again, then they can disown me. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life as a puppet. Instead, I want to live the rest of my life to the fullest so I don’t have any regrets when I inevitably pass.”
“B-But where are you going to go, brother?! Think about this for a second! You won’t be able to survive by yourself! And don’t make it sound like you’re going to die anytime soon because you’re not! Even Doctor Wang said that you’re growing healthier!”
“It’ll be okay, Yu Rou. I will figure something out, and this is a good opportunity to finally set you free from your responsibilities and live a normal life.”
“No! I don’t want that! I want to continue taking care of you forever!” Yu Rou quickly refused.
“You know you can’t do that, Yu Rou. After all, you also have your own life to live.” Yuan sighed, wondering what he can say to convince his little sister to give up on him so that she could also live her life to its fullest.
