"Mom, it’s really strange at Eldest Uncle’s house. They treat their own children so differently. Even though Cousin became the top scorer in science, Eldest Uncle and Eldest Aunt still treat him poorly," Ye Zhe whispered to Chang Qiao after they got home, making sure to avoid his father.

Chang Qiao scoffed, "Isn’t everyone in the Ye Family like that? Never mind your uncle’s family, even your dad cares more about your cousin’s affairs than yours. Let me tell you, sooner or later, your uncle’s family will regret it. They might end up with no children around them when they grow old. When you get married and have kids, you better not play favorites between boys and girls."

Ye Zhe shook his head with a smile, "How could I? Besides, this is all in the future. Mom, I know Ye Qiu is disheartened with Eldest Uncle and Aunt, but won’t Cousin take care of them since she was spoiled from the start? Or do you discriminate against daughters who marry out?"

"Discriminate your head," Chang Qiao tapped her son’s head. "I am a daughter who married out too. Have you ever seen me neglect your grandma and grandpa? Your Cousin Ye Qing was so spoiled, everything was arranged perfectly for her. She hasn’t even touched dishwater in over twenty years. You think she’ll take care of your aging uncle and aunt in the future?"

"Can’t they just hire a housekeeper?"

"Hire a housekeeper? Just wait and see, your cousin will clean out your uncle’s family fortune sooner or later."

"Isn’t that impossible?" Ye Zhe questioned, "She is well educated. Would she really do that?"

"Didn’t she accept the red envelope from your grandmother today? That money was given to your grandmother by me, and then it went straight to her pocket. Anyone with a bit of sense wouldn’t do that. To put it bluntly, your cousin Ye Qing has grown to be quite selfish." Chang Qiao was upset about it, but having witnessed such things often since marrying into the family, she endured it. After all, she wasn’t short on money and took it as consoling her husband.

Ye Zhe nodded as he listened. If his aunt gave his grandparents a red envelope and then they passed it to him, he would definitely not accept it. Especially now that Cousin has started working, their rule is that once someone starts working, they no longer receive red envelopes from elders. Today was Cousin Ye Qiu’s celebration, and his cousin was overstepping, overshadowing the main host.

"Ye Qiu is such a pitiful child. It’s not just being ignored; the unfair treatment is everywhere. I’ve often heard your aunt say that Ye Qiu is not sharp, not sensible, plain spoken, but when it comes to your cousin, she’s praised as clever, sensible, and excellent in every way. The favoritism is too severe. I once thought your cousin might ruin Ye Qiu’s life, but unexpectedly, he quietly excelled in his studies. As long as he stays away from your uncle’s family, I have high hopes for him," Chang Qiao expressed, nodding as she spoke, "In the future, keep less contact with your cousin and talk more with your cousin Ye Qiu."

Ye Zhe chuckled, "Mom, my cousin and I are in the same boat; our relationship has always been good."

Chang Qiao rolled her eyes, "At least you have me, your grandparents, and your uncle who care about you. But your cousin has no one. I heard that even on your aunt’s side, they favor girls over boys. I just hope Ye Qiu can find a woman who loves him, though not many women would want to marry into such a family."

"Hearing you say this, I really do pity Cousin," Ye Zhe sighed, his opinion of Cousin Ye Qing worsening.

Others might not know, but he did. Since childhood, his cousin would bully her cousin, and not only that, she would even falsely accuse him of being disobedient, causing him to often get scolded by the family.

Everyone says sisters should care for their brothers, but he has never seen his cousin treat his cousin well even once. Take the red envelopes for example, when they were young, his cousin’s red envelopes were always taken by his cousin under the excuse that boys spend money recklessly, and once the red envelopes ended up in her hands, they were never seen again.

Just like Mom said, his cousin has been quite selfish since she was young, blaming others for trouble while taking the credit. Even he suffered losses at the hands of his cousin when he was little, let alone his cousin who lived under the same roof day in and day out. Just imagining it, he could tell how tough the past years must have been for his cousin.

His cousin worked so hard probably just to escape the family, maybe just to stay away from his cousin!

Ye Qiu didn’t know that he had already gained the sympathy of his second aunt and cousin, but at this time Ye Peilin and Han Hui were planning to buy him a phone.

"There’s no need, I already have a phone," he refused.

Ye Peilin subconsciously frowned, "You have a phone? Since when? Where did you get the money? Why didn’t you tell us your number? Why do you always do things on your own without discussing with the family’s adults?"

"Dad, don’t scold Brother anymore. He’s grown up, it’s normal for him not to want to tell the family everything. Maybe he bought it to secretly contact his girlfriend," Ye Qing laughed and said, and teasingly nudged Ye Qiu’s shoulder, "Could it be your girlfriend bought it for you!"

She shouldn’t have said anything, as it only made Ye Peilin even more irritated, "You’re too young to be having relationships! You’re at a critical learning stage and you’re using a woman’s money? Have some dignity!"

"Dad, could you get your facts straight before scolding me? When did I say I used a girl’s money? When did I say I was in a relationship?" Ye Qiu took a deep breath, "Why do you always scold me without reason?"

"Then where did you get the money to buy the phone? Why did you buy it so early? Why are you afraid to let us know?"

"I earned the money from part-time work, and I didn’t buy it that long ago, just a week ago. The head of the tutorial school said they had trouble contacting me, so they settled part of my salary early to let me buy a phone. I wasn’t afraid to let you know. You all have such a bad impression of me that you suspect me like this?"

Ye Qing laughed to diffuse the situation, "Brother, why do you get angry after just a couple of words? Dad’s just concerned about you."

"Is this really how you express concern? Has he ever shown concern like this for you? And why would you think I have a girlfriend who would buy me a phone?" Ye Qiu looked at her and sneered.

"Look at your attitude now, is that how you talk to your parents? Is your education wasted? Did your teachers only teach you how to take exams, not how to be polite? Always so resentful like the world owes you. We never had to speak to your sister this way because she was sensible from a young age and never upset us like you do!" If he weren’t driving, Ye Peilin would have liked to jump out and give Ye Qiu a good beating.