Li Chengyuan's gaze finally settled on Li Junxi.
"Take him."
His voice was low, like thunder suppressed under immense weight— final and irreversible.
My heart sank instantly, as if ice water had been poured over my head, freezing my whole blood solid.
I couldn't believe what I had just heard. I stared at him blankly, as this was the man I had called 'Dad' for many years.
But his eyes never once turned back to me.
I turned to look at Li Junxi, but found that his eyes were surprisingly calm, without any surprise or struggle, as if he had expected all this.
"You..." I opened my mouth, but no words came out. My throat burned like it had been slashed, choked with bitterness and shock.
Li Junxi raised his tied wrists slightly and gave me a subtle shake of the head.
"Don't say anything," he said, his tone calm to the point of cruelty, yet free of blame. "This is your father's choice, not mine."
At that moment, I even felt he was more like Li Chengyuan's son than I ever was.
Li Chengyuan took a deep breath, as if all his inner conflict had finally been laid to rest. He handed the briefcase to Cheng Hao with steady hands, like it was just another routine transaction.
Cheng Hao raised his eyebrows, slightly surprised, then smirked in satisfaction:
"Chairman Li, so decisive… no wonder you're such a successful businessman."
I stood frozen, as everything before me blurred. The world fell into a deafening silence.
Scenes of our kidnapping flashed through my mind, Junxi shielding me from the kidnappers. But now, all of it seemed meaningless.
He finally chose Li Junxi.
He didn't choose me.
In that moment, I finally understood that blood ties, promises, and family love meant nothing compared to a child born of his old flame.
Cheng Hao stepped closer, towering over me, his voice sharp and cold like a blade scraping bone:
"If you want to blame someone, blame your father."
He leaned in, his eyes gleaming with mockery,
"He made the choice to save just one— and you weren't the chosen one."
My throat felt stuffed with something heavy; I couldn't make a sound. I could only stare as what little pride I had left was torn away.
"You're not the son of the woman he once cherished," Cheng Hao continued, as though reading a verdict,
"You're just Bai Wanyi's child— the woman he resented, pitied, but never loved."
My fingertips trembled, reaching out for something— anything— but grasping nothing.
"The one he loved— it was never your mother," Cheng Hao bent close, almost whispering into my ear,
"And certainly not you."
"That's why— even if it meant betraying Bai Wanyi, he still chose to save that woman's son."
"Do you understand now?"
He gently patted my cheek, like consoling a shattered porcelain doll.
"It's not that you weren't good enough. It's just that your fate was sealed from the moment you were born."