1 It was my second year back with the Vance family, and I still hadn't moved into their house. On New Year's Eve, I told my brother I wanted to leave. He looked completely puzzled. "Just because you're not in the family portrait but Mia is?" "You could say that." He was silent for a long time before saying, "Mia is used to being pampered in this family. If she's not in the family portrait, she definitely wouldn't be able to handle it." I finally realized that in his eyes, the fake heiress was his only sister. It didn't matter. Honestly, I didn't really want to go back to the Vance family anyway. The group chat with my four-person family was very lively. My three stepbrothers were discussing rushing over to pick me up right after recording the New Year's Gala. I sent a short reply: [Okay.] ... On New Year's Eve, a heavy snowstorm hit New York. In the private dining room of a restaurant, Mia had prepared festive red scarves for every relative. Except me. Someone suggested that since it was rare for everyone to gather together, we should take a family portrait as a souvenir. She conveniently pushed me out, asking me to take the photo. The picture froze. Right in the middle of the photo, Mia held Ethan's arm, smiling brightly. No one cared that I wasn't in the family portrait. After Ethan heard I wanted to leave, he affectionately rubbed the top of my head. "It was brother's oversight. I should have paid attention to these little details." "It won't happen again. Chloe, don't make a fuss about leaving over such a small thing, okay?" I shook my head. I wasn't really angry, but I was truly starting to feel homesick. Ethan frowned. "Where else can you go if you leave the Vance family? Go back to Seattle and keep picking up trash?" I abruptly looked up, meeting my brother's gaze. A flash of disgust actually crossed his eyes. He sighed, and his tone softened again. "Alright Chloe, don't be mad. Next year... next year, I'll make sure to call you for the family portrait, okay?" Mia suddenly popped a slice of mandarin orange into my brother's mouth and smilingly hooked her arm through his. "What's wrong? Why are we talking about next year's family portrait?" Seeing that neither of us spoke, she immediately sensed the tension in the air. She dropped her smile and said in a low voice: "Sister Chloe, don't blame brother. I was too careless. There were too many people at the time, and I mistook you for a waitress." "Actually, I'm the only outsider here. I should have been the one to take the picture." As she spoke, a sorrowful expression appeared on her face. My brother subconsciously reached out to comfort Mia, but just as his hand lifted, he stiffly pulled it back. He spoke strictly in a deep voice: "It's just a photo, it's not a big deal." "But Mia, you have to understand, no matter how bad Chloe was before, she is a daughter of the Vance family." "You should be more understanding." Mia bit her lip tightly, her eyes filling with tears. Ethan kept a cold face and didn't spare her another glance. Actually, he couldn't hide how much his heart ached for her. Before, at the Sterling house, my eldest brother dug my failing test paper out of the trash can. He punished me by making me copy the mistakes, but was also afraid I'd get too tired. That was how he was, keeping a cold face while staying by my side to keep me company. Ethan's phone rang. He answered it, said a few words, and frowned. I vaguely heard the words "formaldehyde test." Actually, in the two years since I was brought back to the Vance family, I had never stepped through their door. For the first half-year, they said they were remodeling my room. Then they said it needed to air out. Originally, they said once it passed the formaldehyde test, I wouldn't have to live in a hotel anymore. But I didn't expect that another year would pass, and I was still living alone in a hotel. Mia asked, "Was that the testing company calling?" "How were the formaldehyde test results this time?" Ethan froze for a moment and didn't speak. Mia lowered her head and said, "I understand." "The formaldehyde test passed, right? Sister Chloe is moving back." "After the New Year, I'll have the housekeeper clean the room again and make Sister Chloe's bed." Ethan sighed softly, his warm hand grasping my wrist. "The formaldehyde is still a bit high. You won't be able to move in this month." "After the New Year, I'll hire a professional remediation company to treat the formaldehyde. It'll definitely pass after that." I pulled my hand back and said calmly, "There's no need." Actually, a few hours ago, someone from the testing company mistakenly sent the results to me. Even though he quickly unsent it. I still saw the results. The formaldehyde test had already passed six months ago. It was just that Ethan didn't want me to come home. 2 Since he didn't want me to come home, why bother bringing me back to New York? I couldn't understand it. For the New Year's Eve dinner, Ethan specifically saved the seat next to him for me. Mia pouted and found a seat furthest away from him. During the meal, Ethan added a dumpling with obviously different pleats to my plate. I took a bite and tasted sweetness. He looked at me gently. "Did Chloe get the lucky dumpling? You're so lucky!" "What's your New Year's wish?" I suddenly remembered a New Year's Eve when my third brother deliberately smeared flour on my nose. My eldest and second brothers pinned him down on the sofa, waiting for me to fight back. I instinctively said, "I really hope I can go home, the whole family gathered together, lively and bustling." Ethan coughed uncomfortably. "Next year... next year, when you move back into the Vance house, we'll celebrate the New Year at home together." Only then did I snap back to reality; he thought I was complaining. Seeing this, my aunt quickly ladled a bowl of soup for Mia. "What's wrong with Mia? She hasn't even touched her chopsticks all night." Mia's eyes turned red, her voice laced with grievance. "It's nothing, I just don't have an appetite." Someone nudged Ethan. "What's wrong with Mia? You should go coax her. Why isn't she eating on New Year's Eve?" His tone was cold. "If she doesn't eat, let her starve. She's old enough." Mia's body stiffened, and large tears fell. She turned and ran out, not even wearing a coat. Ethan didn't chase after her; he just sighed softly. "Chloe is your sister, but Mia has been with the Vance family since she was five. Ethan, you can't be biased and only treat Chloe well, ignoring Mia's feelings." He gave a cold "Mm," and everyone found it hard to say anything more. The relatives drank and chatted, quickly forgetting this minor episode. I didn't know when Ethan left the table either. A mischievous little boy used his fingers to mimic a gun, shooting at me and muttering, "Shooting you, the trash picker." No one controlled him, and no one paid attention to me. I looked down and scrolled through WeChat. My second brother asked me if it was snowing heavily in New York. I looked out the window, stood up, and went downstairs to take a picture of the snow for my second brother. Just as I got downstairs, I heard sobbing. Under the streetlight, Ethan was wrapping Mia in his overcoat. Snow was falling heavily as he gently wiped the tears from her face with his fingers. "Brother, do you not want me anymore?" Ethan's voice was gentle. "Silly, how could I not want you." "Chloe is actually quite pitiful. When I found her in Seattle, she was digging through the trash." "If I treat her a little better, she won't be jealous of you or target you, and your life in the Vance family will be easier." Mia looked up at him. "Really? But when she moves back to the Vance house, will you still feel that way?" He tapped the tip of her nose. "I've already bought a small apartment for her in Brooklyn. Having a place to live, she'll definitely be very satisfied." "Don't worry, I won't let her move into the Vance house." The wind and snow whipped against my face like a biting slap. I couldn't help but shiver. Stunned for a long time, I finally remembered to take a picture of the snow and send it to my second brother. Then I dialed a number I hadn't contacted in a long time. "Mom, I miss you so much." The Sterling Mom paused on the other end of the phone, her voice choking up. "Chloe, Mom misses you too." "Have you been wronged? Come back to Seattle this year, okay?" "The Vance family is just a small household. Are you getting used to life there?" Sterling Mom asked one question after another, and I didn't even know which one to answer first. I smiled, and my nose started to sting. "I'm coming home today. My brothers said they're coming to pick me up." "Good, good, that's good. Which of those three brats is going to pick you up?" My heart warmed, "They're all coming." 3 When I returned to the private room at the restaurant, the relatives were getting ready to watch the New Year's Gala. Mia was leaning against Ethan, occasionally handing him her phone to look at, the two of them laughing uproariously. I thought, if I hadn't come back, probably no one would have come looking for me. A relative's child shouted in front of the TV, "Leo! It's Leo!" The festive music swept through the room. I stared blankly at the person on the screen, my eyes getting misty. He was much thinner than the last time I saw him, but he was still a presence you couldn't tear your eyes away from. The five-minute opening ended, and the frame froze on that excessively handsome face. Several camera shutter sounds went off. Mia was taking pictures of the screen. "Brother, didn't you say you have a friend who knows Leo's manager?" "Can you ask him to buy concert tickets for me?" "I absolutely, definitely have to go to his concert!" Ethan dotingly agreed, "Okay, okay, I'll definitely make sure Mia gets to see it in the New Year." My phone vibrated, and new messages popped up in the group chat. [Phew, finally done! I'm rushing to the airport now!] [@Chloe, is your third brother handsome or what?] [Where is eldest brother? Did he not watch my performance?!] My second brother replied to him. [Your eldest brother is on a business trip to Berlin. He's on a flight to New York right now. He said he'll watch the replay when he gets back.] I quickly sent a reply. [Brother, you've lost weight, but you're still super handsome!] "Who are you chatting with?" Ethan's cold voice came from above my head. I instinctively shoved my phone into my pocket. He stared at me intently. "Why are you calling some random shady guys 'brother'? I am your only brother." I froze for a few seconds, suddenly realizing it had been a long time since I called him brother. Actually, when I first returned to New York, I also considered him my only family. Back then, he took care of my every need. The hotel AC was dry, and he immediately bought a humidifier and had it delivered. No matter how busy he was with work, he would make time every week to take me shopping and watch movies with me. Once, he drank too much at a business dinner and came to my hotel completely drunk. For the first time, I heard him say how much he blamed himself back then. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have been abducted. For the first time, I saw him cry uncontrollably, promising to protect me and keep me from any harm. Perhaps even he hadn't figured out whether his feelings for me were guilt or affection. Mia's scream pulled me back from my thoughts. "Wow, is this Leo when he was a kid?" "He was so cute when he was little!" "So he has two older brothers and a younger sister!" It turned out Leo had posted a family portrait on Twitter. I was only 6 years old in the photo, the year I was just adopted by the Sterling family. My second aunt looked at the photo and said softly, "This little girl looks so familiar." After a while, she muttered to herself, "She looks quite like Chloe did when she was little." I was just about to speak when I heard Ethan start laughing. "Chloe was a dark, skinny little monkey when she was little. She didn't inherit any of our mom's beauty at all." "How could she look like a child from the Sterling family?" "You guys don't know, Leo isn't just some ordinary celebrity. You can't even imagine the Sterling family's power in Seattle." My second aunt smiled. "I'm getting old, I can't even remember what you guys looked like when you were little." I closed my mouth and didn't speak. It turned out Ethan had also long forgotten what I looked like. 4 Everyone was casually chatting while holding their phones. The younger children were already clamoring to go home. I wanted to leave too, but Ethan insisted on me staying up with them to ring in the New Year. Mia yawned. "Brother, when are we going home?" "Be good, we'll stay with Chloe until 12 and then leave." Mia looked at the time, her face full of exhaustion. "But we have an early flight to catch tomorrow morning." "I haven't finished packing my luggage yet, and I don't know if it's cold in Switzerland right now." She suddenly covered her mouth after speaking, looking at Ethan in a panic. Ethan said calmly, "Chloe, I promised Mia earlier that I'd take her skiing in Switzerland after she finished her grad school entrance exams." "I'm busy with work and only have free time during the New Year holidays. You've never been abroad, and getting a passport is a hassle, so I can only take Mia." The relatives nearby also chimed in. "Mia worked really hard preparing for her exams. She deserves a good break." "Yes, Chloe, our Vance family has always been broad-minded. You won't mind this little thing, right?" With every word they said, they backed me into a corner. If I said no now, I'd be considered unreasonable. But I didn't understand. Since Ethan was taking Mia abroad for the New Year, why did he insist on keeping me in New York? I could have had a lively, bustling New Year. "Chloe, don't be angry. When we get back, I'll take you to the movies, okay?" I smiled until tears came to my eyes, only wanting to leave. The moment I turned around, something slipped from my pocket and fell to the floor. Before I could get a clear look, Mia picked it up. "What is this?" She said as she slipped the bracelet made of ceramic beads onto her own wrist. "Is this for brother? It's a bit big and looks clunky." I looked closely. It was the bracelet I had made for my brothers. Last month, I went to a pottery studio. I tried to pick out tea sets for my brothers, but they didn't want them. They said anything I made with my own hands would do. So I learned how to make ceramic beads and strung a bracelet for each of them. I reached out to snatch it, but Mia deliberately dropped it on the floor. A navy blue ceramic bead instantly shattered into two halves. I froze for a few seconds, my chest feeling incredibly tight. I raised my hand and slapped Mia across the face. After the crisp sound, came Ethan's explosive anger. "Chloe, are you crazy?!" "It's just a trashy bracelet, is it really necessary?" "If I had known you were so ill-bred and so intolerant of Mia, I shouldn't have brought you back." "Whether you're picking trash or starving, I don't care." I glared at him resentfully, my eyes stinging. "Why did you look for me? Why did you bring me back?" "I was living very well, very happily." "You brought me back but didn't accept me. You forcefully turned me into an orphan again." Hot tears rolled down my cheeks. I didn't want to play along with his act anymore. A hint of guilt and helplessness surfaced in his eyes: "Brother was impulsive. Mia just slipped, you shouldn't have hit her." A crisp knock sounded at the door. Ethan's assistant was standing there. "Mr. Vance, President Sterling, who you haven't been able to contact for half a year, has suddenly appeared in New York. Should we arrange a visit?" Ethan paused and asked, "Why would he suddenly come to New York?" Immediately following, footsteps came down the hallway. A familiar voice rang out: "Chloe, I'm not late, am I?" I looked up at the person, and tears couldn't help but fall.
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