The reason he only dared to sneak in and never openly go was because his family didn’t accept his presence. Even his mother, Xie Bingyan, was hesitant to touch him!

Tears continued to well up in Xu Wanting’s eyes, blurring her vision.

Although she didn’t know if her speculations were accurate, reflecting on the experiences of the past four years, Xu Wanting felt she was likely close to the truth.

Xu Wanting had no idea how she returned to the Xu family, aimlessly driving, and finally arriving back at the Xu family villa in a daze.

Tears kept flowing as she reminisced about the events of the past four years…

Her parents were still in the living room watching TV, but the younger sisters weren’t around, leaving only the third sister, Xu Manni.

“Eldest, where did you go?” Xie Bingyan noticed Xu Wanting’s distressed expression as she walked back, looking bewildered.

“Mom, about Xu Mo…” Xu Wanting opened her mouth, wanting to speak, but then hesitated, unsure of how to express herself.

“Hmph! Just thinking about him makes me angry! Tell Uncle Zhao and Uncle Li to contact the police, let them search for him! The commotion he caused this time requires a good slap from me!” Xie Bingyan, still irritated, continued, “Go back to your room and rest! The storm is about to hit, don’t go to work!”

Xu Wanting opened her mouth but ultimately remained silent, heading towards her room.

Suddenly taking a step, Xu Wanting saw Xu Manni lounging on the couch, watching TV carelessly. She immediately pulled her, saying, “Manni, come with me!”

“Huh? Big sister? What’s up?” Xu Manni looked surprised.

“Come here!” Xu Wanting stared at her coldly.

Seeing her sister’s expression, Xu Manni refrained from saying more.

Terrified of her older sister’s anger, she obediently followed Xu Wanting.

Upon reaching the third floor, Xu Wanting extended her hand towards Xu Manni, saying, “Hand over Xu Mo’s phone!”

“Ah?” Xu Manni exclaimed.

“Give it to me!” Xu Wanting glared at her angrily.

Startled, Xu Manni glanced downstairs, realizing their parents hadn’t heard, then breathed a sigh of relief. “Big sister, how did you know I have Xu Mo’s phone? About him losing his phone…”

Xu Manni attempted to explain, but seeing Xu Wanting’s cold stare, she hesitated, quickly saying, “Okay, okay! I’ll give it to you! Just so you know, I didn’t mean to hide his phone! He’s just so annoying!”

Upon hearing this, Xu Wanting’s breathing quickened, almost suffocating, but she quickly composed herself.

In truth, she had long been aware that Xu Manni was hiding Xu Mo’s phone.

Last year-end, during a family trip, many things happened. Xu Mo’s phone went missing, and they couldn’t reach him. He walked a long way trying to get back home, eventually being brought back by the police.

During the trip, it was Xu Manni who secretly hid Xu Mo’s phone, preventing him from contacting his family, leading Xu Mo to believe he had lost his phone.

Currently, the entire family is unaware that Xu Mo’s phone is still here.

Thinking about this, Xu Wanting’s eyes welled up again.

Xu Manni quickly returned to her room, retrieved a phone, and handed it to Xu Wanting, saying, “Here! It’s here! But please, don’t tell Mom! She’ll definitely scold me if she finds out!”

Xu Wanting fiercely snatched the phone from her.

Xu Wanting suddenly realized that living in this household might be an incredibly frightening thing.

Perhaps it was also something utterly chilling.

Even within their sisters’ WeChat group messages, some conversations could be suffocating.

Xu Wanting hadn’t thought much of it before, but now, she suddenly realized she had been a part of it too.

She remembered a day last year when she was chasing a project at work, incredibly busy and skipping meals. Xu Mo, her younger brother, found out and cooked porridge in the kitchen, then took a taxi to deliver it to her office.

On that occasion, Xu Wanting was utterly shocked and erupted in anger, immediately having the security guard escort him out.

She recalled how, before that incident, every time Xu Mo saw her, his eyes would light up, and he would approach her with a beaming smile. Whether offering to help carry things or asking if she was tired and needed food, Xu Wanting found his attention annoying and paid no heed to him.

For over three years, Xu Mo persisted in such gestures almost every time he saw her until that incident. Afterward, he never approached her again.

Subsequently, whenever she caught his gaze, it was filled with fear.

At that time, Xu Wanting had felt relieved to be able to shake off her troublesome younger brother and focus on work. Now, looking back, she realized she was also part of the problem!

They say the eldest sister is like a mother!

She hadn’t fulfilled her responsibilities!

Tears threatened to fall once again for Xu Wanting.

She quickly sniffed, took the phone, and went back to her room to check it.

She found the phone locked and didn’t know the password to unlock it.

Wanting to seek help outside, she realized the storm had intensified, making it very dangerous to venture out at that moment.

Xu Wanting had no choice but to put the phone away temporarily and wait for the storm to pass.

…

Meanwhile, Xu Mo sat in his rental room, watching the storm approaching while working on his test papers.

With the college entrance examination approaching, he was determined not to lose. He aimed to excel this time, ensuring he secured a spot at a top-tier university globally and earned a scholarship.

Having lived through another life, Xu Mo meticulously planned to avoid leading an ordinary existence. Now, whenever he could, he dedicated himself to practicing test papers.

While engrossed in his work, his phone suddenly rang. It was a call from his classmate Tang Lei, a friend from the orphanage where they had lived together before both getting admitted to the No. 27 High School.

Apart from Tang Lei, Xu Mo had several childhood friends attending No. 27 High School with whom he shared a close bond.

However, Xu Mo had suddenly reconnected with his parents, who didn’t approve of him spending time with his childhood friends, leading to their gradual estrangement over the past four years.

In his current life, Xu Mo had been in contact with them again in recent days.

“Xu Mo, is it true that the storm is coming, and the prices of fresh shrimp and live crabs will rise?” Tang Lei immediately asked as Xu Mo answered the phone.

Being an orphan and very poor, Tang Lei worked diligently to support himself, often sacrificing meals and new clothes, earning his living by washing dishes for others.

After Xu Mo found a way to make money, he informed them so they could earn together.

“Absolutely! Prices are sure to rise, probably more than double! From 20 yuan per kilogram to over 40 yuan!” Xu Mo remarked, “I suspect the storm’s arrival will lead to many fish and shrimp farms losing stock, causing the fish, shrimp, and crabs inside to die off, inevitably driving prices up!”

“Xu Mo, are you sure about this?” A clear, crisp voice interjected from the background, belonging to a girl.