It was an open-air speech, and many people could attend. The speakers were all young entrepreneur representatives.

Due to the relationship between the Xu family and the family business, Xu Wanting was invited to meet some bosses and officials, shake hands, and then share her entrepreneurial insights and business stories.

In theory, Xu Mo shouldn’t have been able to take photos in such an event. Xu Wanting didn’t know how he managed to attend and took numerous photos. Xu Mo had never mentioned such a thing to her from start to finish.

She had once been the source of his pride, admiration, and respect.

Just one outing had made him ecstatic. She had once been the most beautiful light in his life, the elder sister he would strive to catch up with at all costs, the object of admiration he couldn’t forget.

And what had she done?

“Xu Wanting, you will have your retribution!”

“Sob…”

Xu Wanting couldn’t contain herself and cried again, tears flowing like rain!

…

The price increase of bananas and longan is quite noticeable.

The investigation report on this storm will soon be released, and various regions have suffered severe damage.

In the southeastern coastal areas, large areas of banana plantations have been toppled, and the price increase of bananas is already evident.

Fearing theft from the warehouse, Xu Mo, Tang Lei, and two others each took a day off to stand guard.

As orphans, they are experienced in preventing theft and naturally would not make such basic mistakes.

Moreover, they had only rented the warehouse for seven days. After seven days, they would need to return it and ensure it was cleaned.

Xu Mo was busy inside the warehouse, watering the bananas with a spray nozzle to prevent them from ripening too quickly due to excessive heat.

“If a banana ripens, the others will as well. We’ll suffer heavy losses,” he thought.

“Xu Mo, the price of bananas has gone up! It’s now at 1.5 yuan per pound!” Tang Lei hurriedly ran over, brimming with excitement as Xu Mo was preoccupied.

Xu Mo turned around. “Aren’t you supposed to be in class? Why did you come running over here?”

“Hey, how could I sit still at a time like this? As soon as I saw nothing was important, I came over to take a look!” Tang Lei said, embarrassed, his eyes gleaming as he looked at the warehouse filled with bananas.

There were over 20,000 pounds of bananas inside. They had invested 20,000 yuan, hoping to turn it into 40,000 yuan to make a significant profit.

Xu Mo smiled, “1.5 yuan per pound isn’t the limit. It might even go up to 2 yuan, or 2.5!”

“Can it reach 3 yuan per pound?” Xu Mo asked eagerly.

Shaking his head, Xu Mo replied, “Reaching 2.5 yuan is already great! The retail price is 3 yuan per pound. And we need to sell them quickly; these bananas can’t be stored for too long. They’ll spoil if kept for too long!”

“Reaching 2.5 yuan per pound would still be great!” Tang Lei said excitedly as he joined Xu Mo in watering the bananas.

These bananas needed to be watered every other day; otherwise, they’d ripen too quickly.

Soon after, Gu Huanxi and Li Banzhuang also rushed over.

They had been staying in this warehouse for the past few days and were reluctant to leave. Their livelihoods were all tied up in this place.

The four of them endured the mosquitoes in the warehouse, lit some lamps, and worked together, creating a warm atmosphere reminiscent of their time in the orphanage.

Gu Huanxi and Li Banzhuang even prepared a meal, cooking six dishes for the four of them to share.

Having relied on each other for a long time, they understood the value of this bond. As orphans from a young age, they cherished this sense of kinship, which is why they didn’t leave.

In a previous life, after Xu Mo passed away, Tang Lei, Gu Huanxi, and Li Banzhuang visited his grave for a long time. The three of them formed a bond as siblings, supporting and encouraging each other, and they never drifted apart, even as they started their own families and businesses.

Their bond was remarkably pure, untainted by anything else.

As Xu Mo watched Gu Huanxi and Li Banzhuang diligently working, he couldn’t help but sigh.

“From now on, I will never admire anyone again! Never idolize anyone!”

“It’s just a good-looking facade! Who knows if it’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing?”

He couldn’t be bothered to dwell on it and began to focus on his own studies.

…

For the next two days, Xu Mo rarely attended his classes.

Either he attended morning classes and took the afternoon off, or he was absent altogether.

His homeroom teacher, Lin Chuyu, noticed his frequent absences and approached him to inquire about the situation.

In reality, at No. 27 High School, Xu Mo was considered a prized student. He belonged to the most outstanding group of students at No. 27, ranking among the top 200 students in Xiahai City.

No. 27 High School had always considered Xu Mo a key student to nurture.

In the past few days, his consecutive issues had caused great concern for his homeroom teacher, Lin Chuyu.

She also informed him of Xie Bingyan and Xu Deming’s visit.

“Xu Mo, if there’s anything the school can help with, just let us know. Don’t overwork yourself! Rest assured, as long as it’s not a criminal matter, the school stands by you. If there’s something you’re afraid to speak about, you can talk to me privately! With the college entrance examination approaching, whatever it is, it must not affect your studies!” Lin Chuyu said solemnly.

Xu Mo hurriedly replied, “Thank you, Teacher Lin! I’ve indeed been quite busy these days, dealing with a lot of things! The person who came to see me yesterday wasn’t a family member or a relative; it was my enemy! If they come again, please help me keep them away!”

“An enemy? Do they want to harm you?” Lin Chuyu asked, surprised.

“It seems so!” Xu Mo nodded and smiled. “But Teacher Lin, you don’t need to worry. They can’t do anything! In any case, they’re not my family. I’ve been an orphan all my life, with no relatives. Please help me keep them away!”

Lin Chuyu also felt that something was off about Xie Bingyan and Xu Deming. She quickly said, “You should have told us earlier! If you had, I wouldn’t have let them enter the school!”

“Thank you, Teacher! And if they come looking for trouble again, please tell them I’m not at school! They will seriously affect my classes and studies!” Xu Mo requested.

“Alright! I’ll immediately inform the school leaders and security. They won’t be allowed in!” Lin Chuyu cherished Xu Mo dearly.

Xu Mo’s academic performance at No. 27 High School was among the best. There were only a few students in this year’s cohort at No. 27 who could match his achievements.

Lin Chuyu naturally worried that Xu Mo might be disturbed, affecting his college entrance exam results.

Xu Mo, on the other hand, continued to manage his bananas and longans, paying little attention to the commotion.

After two days, reports of the widespread damage caused by the storm had surfaced. Numerous photos showing destroyed banana plantations and longan trees had appeared online, leading to an outpouring of lamentation.

As Xu Mo had expected, the price of bananas had soared rapidly. In just one day, it had risen to 1.8 yuan per pound. The price of longans had also increased from 3.5 yuan to 5.2 yuan per pound, slightly higher than that of bananas.

Upon hearing this news, everyone was naturally very excited.

Amidst their busyness, someone reportedly came looking for Xu Mo. It was Xu Wanting, but Xu Mo didn’t even glance at her. He instructed the school security to send her away. She was accompanied by Xu Xuehui, but Xu Mo didn’t show up at all, instructing the school to inform them that he wasn’t at the school.