Chapter 61: He Didn’t do Anything  Wrong Us

The sedan started slowly.

Xu Deming, Xie Bingyan, Xu Wanting, and Xu Shuying were in one car, while Xu Junzhe, Xu Manni, and the others were in another.

The atmosphere inside the car was extremely tense and cold, especially after seeing rows of bright yellow bikes on the streets, making the air even chillier.

Xu Shuying couldn’t help but pull her clothes tighter to keep herself warmer.

No one had anticipated the situation to develop this way, including Xu Shuying. Everyone was taken by surprise, especially after seeing her eldest sister shedding tears continuously.

Xu Shuying, being a doctor, was used to witnessing suffering, separations, and the highs and lows of life, but experiencing something like this in her own family was beyond her expectations.

They still didn’t know the exact situation with Director Tang Jingyi and Xu Mo. The mere rumor had already thrown everyone into confusion.

It wasn’t just Xu Deming and Xie Bingyan who couldn’t bear the thought of Xu Mo leaving the Xu family; even she couldn’t accept it.

No matter what, family is family; blood is always thicker than water. No outsider, no matter how close, could ever compare to one’s own family.

Unfortunately, she didn’t understand this truth before. She thought it was just fun, not realizing the mistreatment, and never considered Xu Mo’s situation within the Xu family.

Lately, her eldest sister had been in deep despair, sharing many things about Xu Mo.

She couldn’t fully grasp the agony her eldest sister had endured, but now she was beginning to understand it a bit.

She should have been a bit better, shown a bit more of what it means to be an elder sister, been a role model. But sadly, she failed. She was even crueler than the others.

“Uncle Zhao, drive around the nearby streets before heading back,” Xu Deming suddenly ordered.

“Alright!” Uncle Zhao nodded, turning the car to start circling the area.

People were riding the yellow bikes on the streets, and quite a few were scanning QR codes nearby, seemingly finding it very convenient and quick.

Banners and advertisements were hanging from trees, explaining what the shared bikes were and encouraging everyone to use them.

Xu Deming’s face grew stern as he watched.

As they drove, suddenly, two figures in the distance came into view. Both Xu Shuying and Xu Deming’s expressions froze when they saw them.

It was Xu Mo and the director, Tang Jingyi!

It seemed they were out for a walk and chatting after dinner. Xu Mo appeared to be introducing his bikes to Tang Jingyi.

Compared to just over a month ago, Xu Mo had grown taller and stronger, looking much more spirited. He was no longer the frail figure he used to be.

He was talking to Tang Jingyi, and as he spoke, he laughed and lifted one of the bikes slightly to show it to her.

It seemed that uncle Zhao slowed the car upon seeing Xu Mo, gradually driving forward. Xu Mo didn’t notice them and continued chatting with Tang Jingyi before walking in a different direction.

Xu Shuying watched, her eyes welling up with tears.

Xu Mo’s heart must still be filled with hope!

He wanted to do his best at his job.

The bikes looked very new, likely just recently placed. After leaving home, he seemed to be eating well, sleeping soundly, and without any problems.

“We never gave him any money, so where did he get it from?” Xu Deming didn’t ask Uncle Zhao to stop the car; he didn’t want to confront Xu Mo at the moment.

“He made money by selling seafood and fruits before!” Xu Wanting spoke up.

“So, he had been planning to leave our Xu family for a long time?” Xu Deming glanced back at Xu Wanting.

Xu Wanting didn’t know, so she didn’t say anything.

“We’ve raised him for four years, and he doesn’t have an ounce of gratitude?” Xu Deming continued to look at Xu Wanting.

Xu Wanting still didn’t answer the question, feeling only desolation in her heart!

Seeing her silence, Xu Deming didn’t want to continue questioning. He turned to Zhao Shu and said, “Uncle Zhao, let’s go back.”

“Okay!” Uncle Zhao responded and accelerated the car to head back.

The atmosphere inside the car became tense again, sinking into silence. Xu Shuying and Xu Wanting actually didn’t want to say much.

They didn’t have the right to blame Xu Deming and Xie Bingyan because they were well aware that they were also at fault.

Xu Wanting felt a pang of guilt at the thought that Xu Mo might have sought her help before. She hated herself for not noticing these things earlier!

The group quickly returned home, where Xu Junzhe and Xu Manni were already waiting. However, they were still not fully recovered and needed rest.

At this point, neither Xie Bingyan nor Xu Deming had the mood to eat. They instructed Zhao Ma to prepare some food and then went upstairs to rest.

Especially Xie Bingyan, who had not fully recovered yet.

Xu Shuying watched everyone leave, pondered for a moment, and then headed towards Xu Mo’s room.

She had never been to Xu Mo’s room before and wanted to see what the situation inside was like.

As she opened the door and glanced inside, Xu Shuying couldn’t help but freeze.

The room was secluded and narrow, resembling a cell. It had only a small window, and besides a small wardrobe, there was no space for anything else.

In a drawer, there were several photo frames containing family portraits, which Xu Mo hadn’t taken with him. Xu Shuying picked one up and examined it. Suddenly, she noticed some cracks appearing on the photo, and one of the figures fell off.

Xu Shuying’s face went pale. The fallen figure was Xu Mo.

She realized that at some point, Xu Mo had removed his own image from the family photos.

Xu Shuying hurriedly put down the photo frame and picked up several others. She suddenly realized that the other frames had also been tampered with.

There were photos of her with Xu Wanting, with Xu Xuehui, and with herself. Xu Mo had cut out his own image from all of them with a small knife.

“Shuying?”

As she looked at these photos, Xu Shuying felt a bitter taste in her heart, and suddenly she heard her elder sister’s voice.

Xu Shuying turned her head and saw Xu Wanting walking in.

“Sis, he didn’t do anything wrong to us!” Xu Shuying’s eyes reddened in an instant.

“I know!” Xu Wanting almost cried.

“He once asked me for help, sent me a lot of messages, but I ignored him! Since he stepped into our family, he has never done anything wrong to us! He has done so many things for me, I can’t even count them!” Tears welled up in Xu Shuying’s eyes too.

“What’s wrong with these photos?” Xu Wanting noticed one of the photos was abnormal.

“Xu Mo removed himself! He cut out his own image! Actually, I knew his project had the potential to succeed. Jiang Pingting has always been talking about that project! I almost watched him grow step by step, watched him get financing! Everyone else believed he would succeed, but I was the only one who didn’t believe!” Tears streaked down Xu Shuying’s pretty face.

Xu Wanting fell silent, picking up the photos and glancing at them. Almost all of them were family portraits taken during their outings.

In every photo, Xu Mo was smiling happily, radiantly. But he had cut out his own image.

It seemed like he hesitated to remove them completely, so he put them back in place.

However, once cut, they could not be restored.

He must have hesitated for a long time, made many preparations, hoping to elicit some response from the Xu family, seeking a bit of comfort. But no one responded to him.

In the end, the cut-up family portraits could never be pieced back together.

“Let’s see what Mom and Dad have to say,” Xu Wanting suggested.

Xu Shuying shook her head, sobbing, “It’s highly unlikely that Mom and Dad would let him leave the Xu family, it’s simply impossible! But just now, Dad and I saw Xu Mo anddirector  Tang taking a stroll!”

“Just now? On the street?” Xu Wanting and Xie Bingyan were sitting on the other side of the car window and didn’t see Xu Shuying’s side.

Xu Shuying nodded, “Yeah! But Dad didn’t ask Uncle Zhao to stop the car. Dad used to never care about family matters, he was always hands-off! He couldn’t see Xu Mo’s situation in the Xu family at all!”

Upon hearing this, Xu Wanting remained silent.

Xu Deming indeed doesn’t take care of family matters.

His job keeps him busy, and he’s rarely home. Most of the time, he’s either on business trips or in meetings, unable to spare any time. Sometimes, he’s absent for ten days or even half a month.

Even when he’s home, he mostly criticizes and lectures. He didn’t even know when she and Xu Xuehui graduated from college; he thought they were still in junior high.

As for Xu Mo, he probably feels even more distant, with hardly any sense of intimacy!

Xu Wanting now only feels sadness!