After I Severed Ties With My Family And Left With A Broken Heart, They Finally Regretted It - Chapter 3:

Chapter 3: A Dog Will Come Crawling Back When It’s Hungry

“Qin Yi, stop right there!”

Just as Qin Yi was about to step out the door, Second Sister Qin Huizhu rushed over and blocked his way, her face cold.

“How far do you plan to take this tantrum? Will you only be satisfied when you’ve completely turned this house upside down?”

Qin Yi didn’t intend to respond. He moved to sidestep her and walk around.

At this point, all he wanted was to get away from this suffocating hell. He wasn’t interested in arguing anymore.

However, Qin Huizhu clearly had no intention of letting him leave so easily.

She stepped in front of him again and grabbed his arm, trying to pull him back into the house.

“Come back home with me!”

But the moment she tugged, Qin Yi nearly collapsed like a flimsy paper doll.

The thin, bony feeling in her palm made Qin Huizhu freeze in place.

Why is he so skinny?

She stared at Qin Yi in disbelief.

If he had been this thin when he was just found and brought home, she might have understood.

But why, after nearly three years in the Qin household, was he still this frail?

Could it be… something’s wrong with his health?

While her mind drifted, Qin Yi struggled to pry her fingers off and pulled his arm back.

“Don’t touch me!”

“Stay away from me!”

Qin Yi reacted as if something filthy had touched him, and his eyes and voice were filled with nothing but disgust.

Startled by his outburst, Qin Huizhu snapped out of her daze and grew angry.

“You’re my biological brother. What’s wrong with me touching you? What kind of look is that?”

“Ha…”

Qin Yi let out a bitter laugh, as if he had just heard a joke.

“What are you laughing at? What’s so funny?”

Qin Huizhu’s brows furrowed even tighter, her irritation growing.

“You’re only now remembering I’m your biological brother?”

Qin Yi locked eyes with her and shouted:

“These three years since I was brought into this house, have you ever treated me like a real brother?”

“I tried so hard to win your favor. And what did I get in return?”

“Cold stares! Criticism! Alienation!”

“Ask your own conscience—have you ever done a single thing a sister is supposed to do for her brother? Have you ever had a day where you didn’t wish I would just disappear from your life?”

“To you, when have I ever been family?”

His words pierced through her heart like a blade.

Qin Huizhu stood frozen, her mouth slightly open as if she wanted to argue, but she couldn’t say a single word.

She remembered when Qin Yi had first arrived three years ago. He always looked timid and tried all sorts of ways to win her over. But she had always responded with coldness.

Especially after long days of work—seeing his pitiful, cautious expression made her feel irritated for no reason.

She always assumed he was pretending, playing the victim, trying to compete with Qin Xiaofeng for attention.

Sometimes, she couldn’t help but scold him—sometimes even harshly—telling him to stay away from her.

But every time, the next day, he would cling back to her like stubborn glue, doing everything he could to please her, as if her scolding had never happened.

Eventually, she had come to take his efforts for granted.

But… was it really something she should’ve taken for granted?

The thought suddenly flashed through Qin Huizhu’s mind.

“I… I was just afraid Xiaofeng would be upset…” she murmured weakly.

“Mhm, afraid Xiaofeng would be upset.”

Qin Yi looked at her with an expression that said I knew it, and his voice dripped with mockery. “Then what about me?”

…

Just three simple words, and Qin Huizhu was left speechless.

Because… she had never thought about that.

Her face began to turn a little pale.

She hated this feeling—like her moral standing was being exposed and choked by someone.

She couldn’t accept being pushed into such a humiliating corner by a younger brother she always thought was nothing but trouble.

Especially when she met Qin Yi’s mocking eyes—she felt a strange mix of guilt and anger rise inside her.

“Xiaofeng is well-behaved and sensible! And his health isn’t great either! As his older brother, isn’t it right for you to give way to him?”

“You should think more about Xiaofeng!”

Qin Huizhu snapped, her frustration boiling over.

Hearing this, Qin Yi couldn’t help but applaud her shamelessness.

“Wonderful. Just wonderful. ‘Well-behaved and sensible,’ huh? And I should ‘give way’ to him? Great logic.”

“Fine. There’s no point talking to someone like you. I hope you sleep soundly every night.”

“And like I said earlier—”

“I sever all ties with the Qin family!”

“Get lost! Don’t follow me again!”

With that, Qin Yi stepped around Qin Huizhu and strode quickly toward the courtyard gate.

He didn’t want to keep arguing with someone who was biased to their very core.

The more he said, the more disappointed he felt.

But Qin Huizhu wasn’t about to let it go.

“What do you mean by that?! What do you mean ‘sleep soundly every night’?!”

“Qin Yi! I’m talking to you! Stop right there!”

She reached out to stop him again—but this time, another hand pulled her back.

“Second Sister, I really can’t listen to this anymore.”

It was the third daughter of the Qin family, Qin Xueying.

She had been listening from upstairs since the shouting began and had heard everything.

If it weren’t for the fact that Xiaofeng, already weak, had dragged himself out to speak for Qin Yi, she would’ve already come down to scold him herself.

“Why do you care what Qin Yi does? If he wants to throw a tantrum, let him!”

“A dog will come crawling back when it’s hungry!”

“Since we brought him home, we’ve fed him, clothed him, and sent him to the best school in the city.”

“When have we ever treated him unfairly? What right does he have to question you?”

“Second Sister, don’t let him emotionally manipulate you!”

“We owe him nothing!”

“On the contrary—he owes us!”

“Don’t forget—he’s always sneaking off after school with shady people!”

“Not long ago, he even broke my piano! I already warned him to stay away from my things!”

“Xiaofeng tried to stop him and ended up with a broken wrist! Have you all forgotten that?”

“For three years, we’ve tolerated him. Ever since he got here, has this house ever been peaceful?”

“How much has Xiaofeng suffered because of him? Has he ever apologized?”

“People like him—he’s rotten to the core! Hopeless!”

“A dog can’t stop eating shit!”

“Don’t expect him to change!”

Hearing these words, Qin Huizhu’s expression turned complicated.

She thought what Qin Xueying said made a lot of sense.

But then… why was Qin Yi still so thin, after everything the family supposedly gave him?

Why did he seem like a completely different person today?

And most importantly, why did those words he said before leaving bother her so much?

Everyone in the Qin family knew Qin Huizhu suffered from severe insomnia.

In the past, she could rely on sleeping pills, but a year ago, her body developed a resistance to them.

Worse, her liver and kidneys began to show serious issues due to long-term medication.

Doctors warned her to cut back immediately, or she’d suffer serious consequences.

So the Qin family tightly controlled her medications.

That left her sleepless and tormented for weeks.

Until half a year ago—when she discovered that her younger brother Qin Xiaofeng’s piano music could help her fall asleep peacefully.

Wait…

Qin Huizhu’s expression suddenly changed.

Could Qin Yi’s parting words mean… he’s planning to do something to Xiaofeng?