The sky was beginning to turn dark and the streets were becoming less crowded as time passed.

Li Cheng walked toward the Li family mansion, his eyes burning with rage. He and his mother had suffered so much at the hands of this family, yet they still would not let them go. They had been rejected, mistreated, and humiliated countless times, but this time, he had had enough.

Bang!!!...Bang!!!!....Bang!!

The sound of his fist hitting the iron gate echoed through the silent street.

"Who dares knock on the Li family's gate so rudely?!".. Someone shouted from The inside.

"Must be someone with a death wish," another voice muttered in annoyance.

A moment later, the gate creaked open, revealing two middle-aged guards dressed in the Li family uniform. Their faces showed nothing but annoyance until they caught sight of their visitor.

their expressions Changed, first to confusion, then to recognition, and finally to scorn.

"Wait… is that… Li Cheng?" one of them asked with disbelief.

"Yeah, it's him," the other answered, smirking. "The bastard child of the Li family. I almost didn't recognize him. Look at you! All grown up… into a bigger fool than we expected."

The first one shook his head in mock disappointment. "Last time I saw you, you were barely walking. Now you've come back here, knocking on this gate like you belong here?"

The second guard burst into laughter, clutching his side.

Li Cheng's face didn't flinch, but his fists clenched at his side. "Get out of the way," he said coldly. "I want to see Yang Xin."

That wiped the smiles off their faces.

"How dare you call the lady of the house by her name?!" the guard on the right snapped, stepping forward and nearly unsheathing his sword. "Do you want to die right here, you filth?!"

"Easy" the other one said with a dark face and his hand raised, signaling his colleague to stop... "He's not worth the blood on your blade. Let him crawl away like the dog he is.

But Li Cheng had no plans to back down. "Yang Xin!" he shouted, pushing his way past the guards.

fight started. Li Cheng fought like crazy, but he didn't stand a chance against two strong, trained guards. Still, he yelled, his voice loud in the yard.

" Yang Xin! Show yourself, you coward!

"Let me see your face!" he shouted. "How dare you lay your hands on my mother, you old witch!"

From the upper floor of the mansion, a young man stood by a window, fanning himself calmly. He wore a luxurious robe embroidered with silver threads and held an ivory fan adorned with jade.

This was Li Yuen, son of Yang Xin and the next in line to inherit the Li family name since Li Cheng have been disowned and thrown out with his mother. He was young, wealthy, and well-known. But his reputation across the city was rotten to the core. his name was tied to Crimes, scandal and trouble, but no one ever called him out. His mistakes were quietly handled, either covered up with money or kept out of sight entirely.

"Hmm?" he murmured to a passing maid, narrowing his eyes at the noise from the gate. "What's the fuss outside?"

" Young Master, someone is making trouble at the gate"...she answered.

"Oh?" Li Yuen smiled, twirling his fan. "Someone brave or stupid. Let's go and see."

He descended the front steps and walked toward the gate.

the guards had just managed to wrestle Li Cheng to the ground. The left-side guard held him down, panting. "Boy, I'm going easy on you because I knew you as a child. Don't make me regret it."

"Li Cheng?"

Out of nowhere, a new voice broke the silence behind them. The two guards instantly froze, their bodies tense, and they turned around in surprise

"Young Master!"

They bowed at once to Li Yuen, who casually walked in, his fan still moving gently.

Li Cheng glared at him, blood trickling from his lip, his eyes burning in anger.

"So," Li Yuen said, turning his head towards the guards..."this is the bastard I have heard about."

The two brothers had never met face to face. They had only heard of each other , one called a street rat, the other a tyrant dressed in gold. Now they were standing in front of each other, but one could see the hatred and disgust in they eyes. Honestly Li Cheng has nothing against Li Yuen, he was his brother though, he was just angry with the way his mother was embarrassed on the street.

"Where is Yang Xin?" Li Cheng spat, standing to his feet. "Tell her to come out. If she doesn't explain why she attacked my mother in the street today, I swear I won't let her off"...Li Cheng said in anger.

"You dare speak of my mother in such a rude mannner?" Li Yuen's fan stopped moving. His expression darkened.

"I always knew you were a waste," he said slowly. "But now I see you are not just useless. You are insane."

He turned to the guards with a crazy look on his face.

"Beat him. To. Death!!."

The hesitation vanished from the guards' eyes. replaced by a gleeful sort of cruelty and they pounced on Li Cheng

"You!!"..Li Cheng shouted. throwing a punch but it was blocked. Then came a fist to his gut, another to his jaw. The two men pummeled him without mercy.

He collapsed to the floor, coughing up blood and barely conscious. they threw him out through the gate and the heavy iron doors slammed shut behind him with a resounding clang.

The sky rumbled non-stop, soon rain poured down relentlessly soaking his bloodied body. People hurried passed by the street, but no one stopped. No one looked. he was lying unconscious in the mud but to them, he was nothing.

When word of the incident reached Li Qiang, Li Cheng's father, he merely sipped his tea and turned a page in his book, ignoring the servant who delivered the news.

............

...............

Night fell. The city was dark. But one carriage still rolled through the rain, its lanterns illuminating they surrounding. A young man sat at the reins, carefully guiding the horses through the storm. He wore a calm expression, though his eyes were alert.

He suddenly pulled the rope and the horse neighed before coming to a stopped, causing the carriage to shake slightly.

"Zhao Tian, why did you stop?" a voice called from within the carriage.

The coachman, Zhao Tian, narrowed his eyes at the shape lying ahead on the road.

"Young Master… someone is blocking the way. It seems like a dead person...Zhao Tian explained.

Inside the carriage, a figure moved. Moments later, a young man stepped out, an umbrella snapping open above him. His white robe fluttered in the breeze, red ribbons tied neatly round his waist. His features were refined, his posture noble.

This was Wang Yue, heir to the prestigious Wang family, a young man know for both his kindness and uprightness.

"Young master be careful"...Zhao Tian warned.

Zhao Tian was wang Yue person guard, If anything happens to him he will surely be in for trouble, so Zhao Tian was vigilant, his hand on the hilt of his sword and ready to spring into action.

Wang Yue walked forward through the rain, ignoring Zhao Tian's warnings, and knelt beside the lifeless figure.

The rain washed blood from Li Cheng's face. He was still breathing, but one could tell he doesn't have much time left.

"Li Cheng…" Wang Yue muttered to himself, recognizing the bruised and broken figure lying in front of him.

He looked up and saw the nameplate on the gate.

"THE LI FAMILY MANSION"

His gaze narrowed..."they have really gone too far this time "...Wang Yue said with a hint of anger in his voice.

"Zhao Tian!".. he called over his shoulder, "prepare the carriage. We are taking him with us."

"But Young Master...th..is!"....

"Enough!!," Wang Yue said, shutting him up immediately.

As thunder rumbled again, Wang Yue lifted Li Cheng's broken body from the mud, rain cascading around them as he walks towards the carriage with worries written all over his face.