As Xu Shi was wiping away her tears, the sports car's engine emitted an alluring roar.
Xu Mo drove away from the scene.
There was no choice -
The crowd of onlookers was growing larger.
Someone had recognized his identity.
Staying any longer would only make the situation more complicated.
On the drive, Xu Mo pondered many things, but he couldn't fathom who had the power to make Xu Shi cry like that.
Meanwhile, after shedding those tears,
Xu Shi felt much better inside.
The grievances, pain, and separations she had experienced in her past life seemed to vanish in that moment.
The car was very quiet.
Neither sibling spoke.
Xu Mo no longer bothered about whether she was wearing her seatbelt.
Let the points be deducted if they must.
He knew Xu Shi despised him.
Suddenly getting closer would only evoke more disgust from her.
Xu Shi: I'm not, I didn't, Mo, don't get the wrong idea!
They drove on the highway for quite some time, taking nearly an hour and a half in total.
Both were lost in their own thoughts.
Fortunately, they finally made it home.
"Welcome home, young miss. It's been a while, and you've grown even more beautiful," Aunt Li greeted as she came out to receive them.
She was one of the housekeepers employed by the family.
Seeing the familiar surroundings again,
Xu Shi's face broke into a genuine, sweet smile as she remarked with deep emotion, "Yes... it's been so long."
Aunt Li was taken aback.
She felt Xu Shi seemed different somehow.
Perhaps her time abroad had matured her.
After exchanging a few pleasantries,
Xu Shi entered the house first.
"You're going to carry your own luggage!" Xu Mo called out irritably as he followed behind with the small suitcase.
He still had to hurry back to the company to slack off.
Was crying such a big deal?
Did she think tears would let her boss her older brother around?
Silly little sister, don't get too full of yourself!
In the end, Xu Mo let out a deep sigh, "Being able to cry is truly amazing. I want to cry too."
Aunt Li called out to Xu Mo just as he was about to enter the main door.
"What is it, Aunt Li?" Xu Mo asked, puzzled.
Aunt Li first glanced inside to ensure it was safe, then lowered her voice and said,
"Young master, the master and madam have returned."
Xu Mo shrugged it off, "So what if they're back?"
Aunt Li: "The master is very angry. He said he'd teach you a lesson when you got back."
Xu Mo: ....
What the hell did I do to deserve this?
Are they crazy?
Xu Mo looked at the small suitcase he was pulling, "Aunt Li, I have a small favor to ask. Could you please take this suitcase... Hey Aunt Li, don't walk away!"
Aunt Li re-entered the house as if nothing had happened.
Leaving Xu Mo standing alone, bewildered in the wind.
After a long moment, a cold breeze blew past, waking Xu Mo from his daze.
"Damn, kindness invites bullying, a gentle horse gets ridden the hardest."
"From now on, I'm going to be a bad guy!"
Xu Mo gave himself a pep talk.
Then he swallowed hard, grabbed the small suitcase, and steeled himself to enter the house.
He wondered if his hard-trained iron shirt technique could withstand the old man's belt.
With a jumble of thoughts,
Xu Mo dreaded the mental torment even more than the physical pain.
In the spacious living room.
"It's only been a few years since we last met, right? We video called just a few days ago. Goodness, Xiao Shi, you're squeezing me so tight I can hardly breathe," Su Ting's slightly reproachful voice rang out.
Her tone was filled with endless doting affection.
To be honest,
The reason Su Ting wanted Xu Shi to let go quickly
Was because the grown girl was too strong.
Being hugged so tightly made it hard for her to breathe.
"Mom, how can online be the same as in person?" Xu Shi's voice was slightly choked.
Su Ting blinked, suddenly realizing something. She gently patted Xu Shi's shoulder and said softly,
"Did someone bully you abroad? Tell mom, and I'll make it right."
"Yes, if someone bullied you, just say the word," Xu Fuqiang, sitting on the sofa in the center of the hall with a grave expression, chimed in.
The concern in his words
Was no less than Su Ting's.
Xu Shi shook her head vigorously, a beautiful smile blooming on her face.
"Not at all! Dad, Mom, you know how capable I am. Who would dare bully me out there?"
Xu Fuqiang's brow furrowed deeper as he crossed his arms and said angrily, "Is it that little rascal Xu Mo? Bullying his own sister?!"
"It's not!"
Xu Shi was about to answer when
A voice on the verge of tears came from the entrance.
Xu Fuqiang craned his neck to look at the person speaking by the doorway.
Quickly,
He stood up, rolled up his sleeves, and walked towards Xu Mo.
"Dad, can't we talk about this reasonably?"
Xu Mo instinctively wanted to make a run for it!
"You little punk, stand right there!" Xu Fuqiang barked.
If it's meant to be, you can't escape your fate.
Xu Mo only managed a few steps before obediently returning.
A hundred thousand a month really wasn't enough to spend.
It would be more practical to give him some startup capital and kick him out of the family.
That way he could find a place to use that capital for his grand plan - to lie flat and do nothing!
"Dad, we should approach this rationally."
"You want to be rational, huh?" Xu Fuqiang unbuckled his belt. Being middle-aged and slightly overweight, he didn't need to worry about his pants falling down even without the belt.
Xu Mo's mouth twitched.
You call this being rational?
He nodded awkwardly.
Xu Fuqiang: "Fine, let's be rational then. I asked you to pick up Xiao Shi, now tell me what exactly you did?!"
Xu Mo looked confused: "I didn't do anything. Look, she's perfectly fine, isn't she? Not missing any arms or legs."
CRACK--------
Xu Fuqiang's belt cracked sharply against the floor, producing a crisp, resonant sound!
This was a real leather belt, not some luxury brand knockoff.
Back in middle school, Xu Mo had managed to simultaneously string along six girls his age, thanks to his excellent grades and outstanding performance in basketball games.
The Xu family wasn't as influential back then.
These girls came from decent backgrounds.
Xu Shi, upon discovering this, angrily tattled to Xu Fuqiang.
At the time, Xu Mo hadn't thought much of it.
On one hand, he wanted to quickly tarnish his reputation.
What bad intentions could a kid have?
On the other hand, juggling six pretty girls at once without them finding out
Was quite the challenge!
Xu Mo had pulled it off!
That time, Xu Fuqiang had beaten Xu Mo with a luxury brand belt.
Halfway through, it got awkward because the poor quality belt broke.
Afterward, on a friend's recommendation, he switched to a domestic brand.
It worked much better, he had to admit.
When the truth came out,
Those six girls were furious!
Some wanted to continue, others left immediately.
From then on, Xu Mo's reputation as a player was solidified.
It's a tale of blood and tears!
Xu Fuqiang: "Be serious, you brat!"
Xu Mo: "Ahem... Dad, let's be straightforward here. If you want to convict me, shouldn't you at least have some evidence?"
Xu Fuqiang: "Alright, you want evidence? Here's your..."
Saying this, Xu Fuqiang opened his phone, pulled up the top trending video on Douyin, and tossed it to Xu Mo.
Xu Mo hurriedly caught it and took a look.
It was a twenty-second short video.
In the footage, Xu Shi said something to him, then suddenly burst into tears, becoming a crying mess. Xu Mo looked completely bewildered and shocked...
"What do you have to say for yourself now?" Xu Fuqiang sneered.
Gulp.
Xu Mo swallowed hard, his voice trembling, "I do have something to say!"
Xu Fuqiang: "Heh... Go on then!"
Xu Mo, in a weak voice: "Until my lawyer arrives, I have the right to remain silent..."