Ning Dong was immersed in his thoughts, staring blankly at the hotpot in front of him.

Ji An’s finger tapped lightly on his phone. After that, he poured Ning Dong a glass of beer and said, “Ning Dong, I think you’re overthinking things. Come, have a drink to calm down…”

Ning Dong picked the glass up and downed the beer without any hesitation.

Ji An said, “I don’t understand. Why do you suspect your father has woken up a while ago? Even if he has woken up a while ago, so what? Are you angry he lied to you? Perhaps, he has some unspeakable difficulties?”

Ning Dong smiled bitterly and said, “Unspeakable difficulties? You think he has some unspeakable difficulties? No, he doesn’t have any unspeakable difficulties; he only has ulterior motives…”

Ji An put his chopsticks down before he reached out and patted Ning Dong’s shoulder. “Ning Dong, I feel you’re overthinking. From the moment I met you, I could tell you’re a child with many complex thoughts in your mind. Nevertheless, you’re mature and steady, and you have a tenacity that most people your age don’t have. I can tell you’ll definitely achieve great things in the future. I’ve met countless people in my life. Believe me, my judgment won’t be wrong…”

Ning Dong’s eyes flashed when he heard this. His heart was suffused by warmth again when he saw the bright smile on Ji An’s face. After a moment, he said, “Brother Ji An, before I met you, no one had really praised me. My grades weren’t good so my father was always disappointed in me. As for my mother, whenever she was anxious or in a bad mood, she would hit me.”

Ning Dong paused for a moment before he continued to say, “My father once had a daughter. It’s said that she’s really intelligent. Unfortunately, I wasn’t even half as smart as her. My father would always subconsciously compare me to her, making him more and more displeased with me…”

Ji An feigned curiosity and asked, “What do you mean by ‘once had a daughter’? Did… Did she pass away? So you had a sister?”

Ning Dong shook his head. “I consider her my sister, but she doesn’t feel the same way. She left the Ning family and swore never to return. It’s because my mother stole her mother’s husband…”

Ning Dong’s voice grew softer when he reached the latter part of his words. His mother’s past had always made him feel ashamed. However, everything he had now was obtained by his mother. He could not enjoy the things he had in his life while despising his mother’s past. Other people could disdain his mother, but he could not since he benefited from it.

Ji An comforted Ning Dong. “That’s the previous generation’s problem; it has nothing to do with you. You’re innocent.”

Ning Dong shook his head gently. “I’m not innocent either. Before she and her mother left the Ning family house, I pushed her mother because I was trying to protect my mother. As a result, her mother fell and suffered a miscarriage. I heard she was pregnant with a son at that time. Therefore, I’m a murderer in my father and my sister’s eyes. I tried to ask for forgiveness, but she was not willing to forgive me…”

After he finished speaking, Ning Dong poured himself a glass of beer and gulped it down in one go.

Ji An asked, surprised, “How old were you then?”

Ning Dong shook his head. “About five or six years old…” Then, he made a gesture at the side with his hand and added, “About this tall…”

“You’re just a child at that time. How could you have any malicious thoughts at that time? It was just an accident…” Ji An said.

Ning Dong smiled bitterly. “An accident? Who would believe that? After all, I’m the mistress’ son. I killed the son of the legal wife. If that child was born, my mother and I probably would not be able to enter the Ning family at all…”

“Ning Dong, everything is fated. This life belongs to you. The world operates by the rule of survival of the fittest. Why do you have to blame yourself? Moreover, you didn’t do anything wrong at all…” Ji An said with absolute certainty.