His palms were sweating again. No, he needed to concentrate, needed to get it together. He went back to the closet and found the first aid kit again. Treat his wounds first, that was the priority. Take his pills. Then he would sleep. Then he would do the necessary research.

IT WAS APPARENTLY “so nice” that the whole family was together again, that they were having a meal together again—or at the very least this is what Sun Yue kept saying, over and over, giving her sons and husband the wide, practiced smile she always liked to give at press conferences. Xiaokai took this all in stride; he was used to these performances by Sun Yue, and was even doing the same thing now. Xingyu, on the other hand, was not taking it as smoothly. He was supremely awkward, his eyebrows drawing together every time Sun Yue made one of these innocuous comments, his mouth opening just slightly as if he were about to say something in contrast—but Xiaokai always jumped back in, agreeing with her, smiling just as pleasantly as he added something just as innocuous and meaningless to the conversation. Finally Xingyu tried another strategy: discussing something else entirely unrelated to their family at all.

“My friend is in the country as well,” he said. “He has a gallery showing downtown. Xiao-Xiao, if you’d like to go—”

“I have a meeting this afternoon,” Xiaokai interrupted. “My apologies, you’ll have to go alone.”

Xingyu didn’t even bother trying to hide his disappointment. “Really?”

“Xiaokai, dear,” Sun Yue said, “your meeting yesterday was—” She stopped, but Xiaokai saw the rest of the question in her eyes: Your last appointment was with Hu Yongzhu. Surely that took a lot out of you. Take a break today. Let yourself heal. He wanted to laugh.

“I’m fine,” he said.

She just kept looking at him. This time it was: Hu Yongzhu must have left marks on you. The partner tonight won’t like that there’s such obvious evidence of a past meeting. Wait until you’re healed.

He sighed. “Very well. I’ll cancel the meeting.”

Xingyu lit up. “You’ll go with me?”

“Fine. Send me the details. I’ll meet you there.”

“We can go together—”

“I have work. I’ll meet you there.”

“You can’t take a single day off? Xiao-Xiao—”

“Xingyu.” Now Liu Baiyan spoke; his voice was firm, commanding. “Unless you have intentions of involving yourself in the company, you should respect Xiaokai’s responsibilities.”

Unless he had intentions…then was it perhaps possible that Xingyu wasn’t here to take his rightful place as the heir? Was Xiaokai’s job not in jeopardy? His inheritance?

“If you’re so worried about it, why don’t I just hang out with Xiao-Xiao today?”

The entire family stared at him. Xiaokai very slowly put his hands under the table to hide them.