After the human trafficking incident, Ji Chenai had Xiao Qi check for updates on the two accounts and any information about Xu Yunchong every three or four days.

Xiao Qi’s information-gathering ability was ridiculously powerful. As it described itself, it was a “golden cheat code” specifically designed by its creator for such tasks.

However, in the month or so since Ji Chenai returned home, there hadn’t been any new developments. The accounts and phone numbers in question remained unused. It made sense—if Xu Yunchong was still using that number after everything that had happened, he’d truly be an idiot.

Ji Chenai had grown accustomed to life at home. His parents weren’t around much, and their interactions with him were minimal, so he didn’t give them any reason to suspect anything was amiss.

Occasionally, though, Wang Zhixiu would comment, puzzled, about his changing tastes. “Have your preferences changed? You barely touch the foods you used to love.”

Ji Chenai would brush it off with a casual excuse, never raising any suspicion.

On the contrary, his parents were pleased with his transformation. Their once-lonely, irritable son had become calmer and less volatile. Given Ji Chenai’s past temper, they had always been cautious with their words, fearing that one misstep would provoke his anger.

His newfound demeanor brought a sense of relief to the entire household.

One day, Wang Zhixiu pulled Ji Chenai aside for a private conversation. Quietly, she asked, “Xiao Qin, do you… still like Xiaoyun?”

Ji Chenai was in the middle of biting into an ice pop when Wang Zhixiu’s question caught him off guard. He nearly choked, coughing as he said, “Mom… why are you asking about that?”

A worried look flashed in Wang Zhixiu’s eyes as she replied, “Xiao Qin, it’s not that I don’t support you, it’s just…” She seemed to want to say more but couldn’t bring herself to.

Ji Chenai reassured her, “Mom, I don’t like him anymore. Don’t worry.” His feelings for Zhou Yaoyun weren’t about love—he had never encountered anyone who treated him with such kindness. Just thinking about Zhou Yaoyun’s gentle smile made Ji Chenai feel a warmth in his heart.

Wang Zhixiu wasn’t entirely convinced by Ji Chenai’s words. She said, “Xiao Qin… You were so determined to follow Xiaoyun to school. Your dad and I didn’t say much, but now that he’s gone home, we may never see him again.” Wang Zhixiu was an ordinary woman, and the most extraordinary thing she had ever done in her life was to adopt a boy abandoned near a hospital on a winter day. That boy’s name was Zhou Yaoyun.

Ji Chenai nodded, “I understand.”

Seeing that he wasn’t going to say more, Wang Zhixiu didn’t press further. She gently patted Ji Chenai on the head and said, “Xiao Qin, in this life, it’s me who owes you.”

Ji Chenai watched her walk away, letting out a sigh.

In the month following his return home, Ji Chenai’s memories of Zhou Yaoqin gradually unlocked in fragments. When he first arrived in this body, he had found it odd that his parents had entrusted their eldest son’s care to the younger, still-schooling Zhou Yaoyun. The excuse that they were busy with work never seemed entirely convincing. Ultimately, the reason seemed to lie in Zhou Yaoqin’s own wishes.

Zhou Yaoqin had insisted on staying by Zhou Yaoyun’s side. Even after Zhou Yaoyun was accepted into a distant university, Zhou Yaoqin stubbornly refused to let go. Wang Zhixiu and Zhou Yumian, who already felt guilty about this son, had reluctantly agreed to Zhou Yaoqin’s almost unreasonable request.

It was only after the car accident that Zhou Yaoyun’s adopted status was revealed. Once he learned that he wasn’t Zhou’s biological son, he became more understanding. At the same time, his biological parents came looking for him.

Zhou Yaoyun had the option to leave. Ji Chenai didn’t know who his real parents were, but from Wang Zhixiu’s words, he could infer a few things. If Zhou Yaoyun truly wanted to leave, it would have been an easy decision.

But faced with Wang Zhixiu and Zhou Yumian’s plea, and Zhou Yaoqin’s unwillingness to let go, Zhou Yaoyun ultimately chose to stay—to take care of his disabled older brother.

In the end, this was the situation Ji Chenai found when he arrived.

Most of the time at home was relatively peaceful. As the weather began to cool, Ji Chenai would go out daily to pick up trash. In addition to the energy he earned online, he was just a few hundred points away from reaching the first level of positive energy when suddenly, something happened at home.

The person involved was someone Ji Chenai only remembered vaguely—a child of Wang Zhixiu’s sister, it seemed.

Wang Zhixiu didn’t tell Ji Chenai exactly what had happened, but from her expression, it was clear that it was no small matter.

Ji Chenai wanted to ask her for more details, but she deflected the question.

However, just a couple of days later, Ji Chenai found out what had occurred. In the usually harmonious relationship between Wang Zhixiu and Zhou Yumian, they began to argue loudly in the living room. Wang Zhixiu’s voice was hoarse from crying as she shouted, “What’s the use of calling the police? What good will arresting that person do? Yuanyuan’s life is still ruined!”

Zhou Yumian sat on the sofa, his face clouded with frustration as he smoked. Hearing Wang Zhixiu’s words, he responded, “If we don’t arrest him, is that going to make everything better? That criminal faces no consequences, how can Yuanyuan just swallow this anger?”

Wang Zhixiu could no longer suppress the pain in her heart. Overcome with despair, she began to cry. “Old Zhou, what kind of sin did our family commit? Why is it that we always end up facing these situations…”

Zhou Yumian sighed, stood up, and embraced Wang Zhixiu. Both were so emotionally charged at first that they hadn’t noticed Ji Chenai sitting quietly in his wheelchair at the bedroom door. It wasn’t until they had calmed down a little that they saw him watching them.

Wang Zhixiu knew she couldn’t hide the situation any longer. With a sigh, she said, “Xiao Qin… I won’t hide it from you anymore. Your cousin… she… something happened.”

Ji Chenai could only vaguely remember his cousin, Lu Yuanyuan’s appearance, along with some scattered, insignificant details.

Wang Zhixiu sat back down on the sofa, her face pale, and briefly recounted the whole situation.

A few days ago, after finishing her night shift, Lu Yuanyuan was assaulted and raped on her way home. The perpetrator was a security guard from their apartment complex. After Lu Yuanyuan was hospitalized, her mother wanted to call the police, but Lu Yuanyuan stubbornly refused.

Wang Zhixiu understood Lu Yuanyuan’s concerns, so she supported her decision to keep it quiet.

Zhou Yumian, however, was more rational. He tried to persuade Wang Zhixiu not to mislead Lu Yuanyuan, but the two ended up arguing.

Now, their family had split into two factions: one side wanted to sweep the matter under the rug, minimizing its impact, while the other side insisted on seeking justice, no matter what.

Ji Chenai thought for a moment and realized he couldn’t be of much help right now. The most he could do was place a “Liars’ End” on the perpetrator once he was caught.

Because of this incident, the family didn’t speak to each other for the rest of the night.

As a disabled person, Ji Chenai could somewhat understand Lu Yuanyuan’s feelings at this moment. He knew very well that at times like this, the idea of “empathy” doesn’t really exist—only the victim could truly understand the kind of despair, and words of comfort were almost useless.

However, despite this, Ji Chenai still decided to visit the hospital the next day.

He went with Wang Zhixiu. When she wheeled him into the hospital room, Ji Chenai saw a woman lying on the bed, her face expressionless. She looked like a completely different person compared to the cousin he remembered.

“You’re here,” Wang Zhixiu’s sister, Wang Zhiping, who was sitting beside Lu Yuanyuan, said. She looked extremely haggard, and when she saw Wang Zhixiu and Ji Chenai, she forced a stiff smile.

Wang Zhixiu walked into the room and asked gently, “Sister, have you decided what to do?”

Before Wang Zhiping could respond, Ji Chenai heard Lu Yuanyuan say, “Report it to the police.”

Wang Zhixiu seemed to be confused by the sudden change in her demeanor. She looked at Lu Yuanyuan in surprise. “Yuanyuan?”

Lu Yuanyuan responded coldly, “Report it.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhixiu lowered her head and fell silent. No family ever wants something like this to happen. Seeing a child she had watched grow up being ruined like this, Wang Zhixiu could only wish to skin the criminal alive.

Lu Yuanyuan spoke again, “Mom, where’s my brother?”

Wang Zhiping replied, “I told your father to keep an eye on him. He won’t do anything reckless.” She then wiped her tears. Lu Yuanyuan had a younger brother named Lu Baiying, with whom she had a very close relationship. Upon hearing about the incident, he had gone to find the security guard with a knife, though he was stopped before he could do anything.

Lu Yuanyuan remained silent after that, her gaze vacantly fixed on the ceiling.

Ji Chenai studied his skill for a moment, then, after some hesitation, used “Sun’s Gaze.” He said softly, “Cousin, don’t be too sad. Everything will get better.”

Wang Zhixiu initially thought Lu Yuanyuan wouldn’t respond to Ji Chenai, but to her surprise, Lu Yuanyuan slowly nodded, signaling that she had heard him.

Seeing that Lu Yuanyuan could take in his words, Ji Chenai continued speaking softly to her. He vaguely remembered that this cousin of his liked animals, so he lied, saying that he had found a large dog and asked if she wanted it. If not, he would take it to the rescue station.

This topic seemed to spark a reaction from Lu Yuanyuan. She asked, “Can I have a dog?” She usually had no time for such things because of her busy work schedule.

Wang Zhiping, seeing her daughter engage in the conversation, began to cry again. “Yuanyuan, whatever kind of dog you want, we’ll get it. Don’t say one—if you want ten, we can get ten.”

Lu Yuanyuan gave a faint smile and weakly replied, “That would be wonderful.”

Ji Chenai continued to talk to Lu Yuanyuan about lighter topics. Perhaps it was the effect of “Sun’s Gaze” that helped Lu Yuanyuan lower her guard. She occasionally responded, and compared to her previous lifeless demeanor, she seemed much better.

Wang Zhiping, seeing the change, felt a heavy weight lift off her chest.

After talking for several hours, Ji Chenai and Wang Zhixiu finally left the hospital when they noticed Lu Yuanyuan seemed tired.

Wang Zhixiu said, “I didn’t expect… you’d actually manage to talk to your cousin.”

Ji Chenai replied, “She’s just hurting inside…”

Wang Zhixiu sighed again. “Our family… it just can’t seem to find peace.”

Ji Chenai glanced at his legs, then gave a wry smile.

=^_^=

Author has something to say: Little scene: A flicker of love, hatred, indifference, tenderness, joy, and sadness flashed in Zhou Yaoyun’s eyes…then he looked at Ji Chenai and said. “Brother, my eyes are about to be blinded by the author’s glare.”