Chapter 1: Reborn, Epiphany

“What do you mean, Xu Mo? Wasn’t it you who tore Mom’s skirt? Do you still want to deny it?”

“Mom! Xu Mo indeed tore the skirt, I saw it with my own eyes!”

Amidst the clamor of voices, Xu Mo felt a moment of dizziness. He opened his eyes and saw several familiar faces.

“Xu Mo, tell Mom, was it really you who tore it?”

A middle-aged woman, dressed in glamorous attire with heavy makeup, stared at Xu Mo, a hint of worry in her eyes.

“What’s wrong with me…”

Xu Mo glanced around, finding his surroundings very familiar.

Rebirth?

He had experienced this scene before.

“Xu Mo, why aren’t you speaking? Won’t you admit it was you?”

“Xu Mo, you’re becoming increasingly difficult to discipline! Not only stealing money and jewelry, but also hanging out with dubious characters. Now you even dare to tear Mom’s gown. I really don’t understand the purpose of your presence in our home.”

Xu Mo glanced around. The girl speaking was his third sister, Xu Manni, a third-rate actress and the owner of several coffee shops. She relished lecturing Xu Mo with an air of superiority.

The other girl in a white dress was his second sister, Xu Xuehui, a university music teacher who had always treated him with icy disdain.

The middle-aged woman was named Xie Bingyan, his biological mother, a pampered socialite from a wealthy family. Elegant and refined, she valued etiquette and cleanliness.

How did he end up back here?

Xu Mo pondered silently, quickly realizing his predicament.

He must have been reborn.

He had experienced this scene before. His younger brother, Xu Junzhe, accidentally damaged their mother Xie Bingyan’s gown, causing her embarrassment at a banquet.

Frightened, Xu Junzhe sought help from their third sister, Xu Manni, and together they framed Xu Mo, pressuring him to confess to the deed.

According to the original script, Xu Mo initially didn’t admit to it, instead explaining to their mother, Xie Bingyan, that it was his younger brother’s doing. However, he faced harsh scoldings from his second sister, Xu Xuehui, and third sister, Xu Manni, in addition to their mother’s stern rebuke. They insisted that Xu Junzhe was clever and wouldn’t do such a thing. Xu Mo would then be punished by their mother, who would use a ruler to strike him twenty times, make him stand for two hours, and forbid him from having lunch.

Later, after the punishment, Xu Manni approached him, promising to take him out for a day of fun in her sports car if he confessed to their mother that he was the one responsible.

Xu Mo, feeling foolish, agreed.

As a result, he was once again scolded severely by his mother, Xie Bingyan, who accused him of being uncultured and clumsy. She locked him in his room for three days as a form of punishment.

Experiencing this scene again, Xu Mo found it rather amusing.

So tiresome!

Why did he have to endure such exhaustion even though it was his own family?

“Xu Mo, how dare you slander Junzhe! He’s so obedient and sensible, how could he do such a thing? It must have been your clumsiness that caused the damage!”

“Mom! I’ve been saying that Xu Mo needs strict discipline! He learned nothing but bad habits in the orphanage. Not only is he untidy, but he also associates with dubious characters! If he’s not disciplined, he’ll end up a waste of space sooner or later!”

Third sister Xu Manni continued to chatter incessantly, her face twisted in a mocking smirk as she stared at Xu Mo.

Xie Bingyan furrowed her brow, looking at Xu Mo sternly. “Xu Mo, stop slandering others! Just be honest with Mom. Did you do it? Don’t worry, Mom won’t blame you if you admit it!”

“It was me!”

Xu Mo nodded.

Xie Bingyan paused, taken aback. “Really? Did you really do it? Did you damage Mom’s gown?”

“Yes! The two holes on it were made by me accidentally burning it while smoking!” Xu Mo nodded again.

“You, you truly lack discipline and manners! Hold out your hand!” Mother Xie Bingyan suddenly became furious, completely changing her demeanor from before.

Without hesitation, Xu Mo extended his hand.

“Today, you need to be disciplined! Xu Mo, you’re becoming more and more unruly and arrogant! Hold your hand up properly!” Xie Bingyan immediately grabbed a ruler and, without hesitation, struck Xu Mo’s hand.

“Smack! Smack! Smack…”

“One, two, three, four… fifteen, sixteen…”

This situation seemed ridiculous.

Xu Mo had never found such things amusing until he experienced this scene again.

He used to think he could blend into this family, become a part of it, and have his own parents, sisters, and relatives.

He had once exerted all efforts to strive for these, trying to please every person in the family, being cautious and meticulous, and treading carefully.

But how could one easily integrate into another’s family?

Xu Mo was an orphan, raised in an orphanage since childhood. It wasn’t until he was fourteen years old that Xie Bingyan and Xu Deming, claiming to be his biological parents, found him and declared him as their son. They presented a DNA test, unequivocally proving his parentage, and brought him from the orphanage to the wealthy Xu family mansion.

At that time, Xu Mo was filled with boundless joy, eagerly anticipating having everything and giving his all for it.

No one understood the longing of an orphan for a family, nor did anyone understand the yearning of an orphan for parental love and the desire to have one’s own family.

During that time, Xu Mo was like a desert traveler who had longed for water, suddenly encountering a downpour and rejoicing ecstatically.

He eagerly followed his biological parents back to the grand mansion, striving to become a part of it.

However, what he didn’t anticipate was a series of conflicts akin to hell.

His second, third, and fourth sisters, and even his parents, believed that growing up in an orphanage had tainted him with many bad habits. They accused him of being untidy, prone to stealing, and in need of strict discipline.

During meals, he was criticized for his lack of manners, hygiene, and etiquette, and for not addressing people properly.

Upon returning home, he was repeatedly scolded for entering the house incorrectly. It was deemed unacceptable for him to take part-time jobs, as it would tarnish the family’s reputation. He was forbidden from making friends, as they deemed his classmates and acquaintances to be of questionable character. He was also prohibited from going out to play, to prevent him from picking up bad habits.

Sometimes, they would even go as far as refusing to touch the cups, chopsticks, and bowls that Xu Mo had used, causing uproar and forbidding him from touching their tableware.

But these were just minor matters.

The most significant issue was the presence of a younger brother in the family, named Xu Junzhe. He was adopted by Xie Bingyan and Xu Deming after Xu Mo went missing, and he was showered with endless affection.

Xie Bingyan and Xu Deming had six daughters and one son together. They had desperately longed for a son before Xu Mo was born but couldn’t conceive one. It wasn’t until Xu Mo’s disappearance that they finally adopted a son.

Over the years, they had lavished all their love on this adopted son, treating him as if he were made of delicate porcelain, afraid to let him go.

The eldest, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth sisters all doted on this younger brother, giving him whatever he wanted, until Xu Mo returned to the Xu family.

Ironically, despite finding their biological son, Xu Deming and Xie Bingyan were hesitant to openly acknowledge him. They felt ashamed of Xu Mo’s upbringing in the orphanage and his bad habits.

They dared not take Xu Mo out or introduce him to others, fearing it would tarnish the family’s reputation and affect the company’s stocks.

They promised that if Xu Mo could improve his habits and achieve  top rank in the city-wide exams, Xu Deming and Xie Bingyan would host a banquet and proudly declare his return to the Xu family, recording it in the family records.

As an orphan, Xu Mo was overjoyed to receive this promise. All his subsequent efforts were aimed at waiting for this moment.

He worked hard to please his family, catering to his sisters and parents, pouring water, making tea, cooking meals, preparing snacks, and doing household chores. He even tried to win over his non-blood-related younger brother…

He hoped his family could accept him.

It wasn’t until the final moments of his previous life, lying on his deathbed in the hospital, surrounded by emptiness, that he realized no one actually wanted him to come home.

To the Xu family, he was nothing but an outsider.

Ironically, when he died of a sudden heart attack in the hospital, his family was at home celebrating his non-biological brother Xu Junzhe’s birthday, singing songs and having a lively party.

They knew Xu Mo was hospitalized, yet they still celebrated Xu Junzhe’s birthday with great fanfare, even after Xu Mo had passed away and become a spirit. They only hurriedly rushed to the hospital upon receiving news of his death, then hastily arranged his funeral!

It was as if he were just a stray dog…

What’s even more ludicrous is that even as a spirit, he hoped to see regret, remorse, or sorrow on his parents’ faces upon receiving news of his death.

Xu Mo was still their family member, their biological son.

But reality cruelly told Xu Mo otherwise.

They were even unwilling to announce their son’s death, fearing it would affect the family business and corporate stock prices.

They only dared to arrange it hastily.

Now, feeling the cold touch of the ruler striking his palms.

“Twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three…”

Xie Bingyan struck him thirty times before finally stopping.

His hands were swollen from the beating.

“No lunch for you today! Stand in the corner for an hour! If I don’t discipline you, you’ll be out of control! You’re full of flaws!” his mother Xie Bingyan scolded mercilessly.

“Got it!”

Xu Mo didn’t want to argue; he just felt exhausted.

Why did he have to endure such hardship for these past four years? The family he had earnestly pursued turned out to be nothing but an illusion.

He used to think he wasn’t good enough, that he had done something wrong, and that if he became outstanding enough, his parents and sisters would surely like him.

He had once made great efforts to excel at school, to do household chores, and to study the hobbies of his six sisters and parents, hoping to gain some favor.

But reality showed him that none of it mattered.

Everything he did, they could ignore, focusing all their attention on his younger brother, Xu Junzhe.

Now, Xu Mo stood aside, watching his mother and sisters eat not far away.

Occasionally, they would ridicule him, saying he didn’t study well, didn’t obey instructions, and didn’t deserve to eat.

“Second Sister and Third Sister, don’t scold brother anymore! It was probably just an accident that brother ruined mom’s dress. As long as he’s more careful next time, he won’t make mistakes again!”

Xu Junzhe suddenly spoke up, then turned to look at his mother, Xie Bingyan. “Mom! Please forgive brother! Brother knows he was wrong. It’s not right to let him go hungry!”

Xu Mo glanced at him and couldn’t help but admire.

One had to admit, Xu Junzhe was truly outstanding.

If not for having experienced it all before, Xu Mo might not have seen his true colors.

This framing wasn’t a one-time occurrence; it had happened several times. Without him, Xu Mo’s “Bad” image wouldn’t have been so deeply ingrained in the minds of his parents and sisters.

Xu Junzhe not only knew how to please his parents and sisters, but also excelled academically and athletically. He had exceptional talent in almost everything he did.

He even won the Olympic Mathematics Prize, which was quite remarkable.

Xu Mo used to believe that his younger brother was his pride and joy and couldn’t imagine him being a hindrance. It wasn’t until he revisited and pondered  all the events that he realized almost everything was because of him.

The reason? Naturally, because the Xu family was incredibly wealthy. Xu Junzhe feared being excluded from the family and losing his inheritance rights, so he tried every means to drive Xu Mo away.

Hearing Xu Junzhe’s words, Xie Bingyan nodded approvingly and ruffled his hair, smiling with affection. “Junzhe is so sensible!”

Then, she turned to Xu Mo with a frosty expression. “Xu Mo, why aren’t you coming to eat? Hurry up and thank your brother for pleading on your behalf!”

“Whatever!” Xu Mo, seeing her swift change of attitude, decided he didn’t want to deal with her anymore and turned to leave for his room.

“Xu Mo, how dare you speak to Mom like that?” Second sister Xu Xuehui frowned and scolded.

Ignoring her, Xu Mo went back to his room and shut the door.