Chapter 42 – Sis, Xiaoxue Misses You…

In the end, it was Xie Shiyu who understood them best, and he quickly figured it out.

He gently patted Tu Shanju on the head and said softly, “It’s late, you must be tired. Go upstairs and get some rest.”

Then, bending slightly, he leaned closer and whispered in her ear, “I think they’re going to interrogate me for a while. You go first, I’ll stay behind to cover the retreat.”

Tu Shanju turned to look at him. “Is it what I think it is?”

He winked at her.

Tu Shanju smiled slightly at his “mischief.” “Grandpa Xie, Uncle, Auntie, Second Brother, Third Brother—I’m a little tired. I’ll head up first. You all should rest early too.”

Old Master Xie chuckled and said, “Alright, Xiaojiu, go rest early. Good night.”

Tu Shanju went upstairs.

And Xie Shiyu… was immediately surrounded.

Xie Jingting, the most gossipy of them all, leaned in right away and asked, “Big Brother, how was the date? Was Sister-in-law happy? Did anything happen between you two?”

Old Master Xie was also eagerly watching. “Yes, yes, how did it go? Was it smooth?”

Xu Airu even put down her teacup, quickly dragged Xie Shiyu over, and pushed him down onto the sofa, making it clear she expected full honesty—no hiding, or else.

But Xie Shiyu just crossed one leg over the other, smiled calmly at them, and said nothing.

No one knows their child like a father does. Seeing the smug curve at the corner of Xie Shiyu’s mouth since he walked through the door, Xie Wenmo already had a pretty good idea.

He stood up, wrapped his arm around Xu Airu’s waist, and said, “Come on, honey, let’s go to bed. Look at that brat’s smile—it’s practically stretching all the way to his sun acupoint. What could possibly have gone wrong? We’re all worrying for nothing.”

They’d only been anxious because this was Xie Shiyu’s first time courting someone, and they were afraid he’d mess up his first date.

But they’d all overlooked one simple truth—he was Xie Shiyu.

Whatever he wanted, he always did well.

His attitude toward Tu Shanju over the past few days had already made everything crystal clear.

After hearing Xie Wenmo’s words, everyone turned to look at Xie Shiyu’s face. That smug, confident expression of inevitable success—why hadn’t they noticed it earlier in all their fussing?

Now, finally reassured, no one said another word. They all dispersed at once.

Xie Shiyu muttered, “…Looks like my status in this house is hanging by a thread.”

Still, he was clearly enjoying it.

He went upstairs to bed, and not long after, the lights in every room of the Xie family’s old residence went out one by one.

———

The next morning, when Xie Shiyu got up, he opened the curtains and instinctively looked out at the garden.

But today, there was no sign of Tu Shanju.

When he went downstairs, he saw Old Master Xie and the others dressed in workout clothes, about to go out for their morning tai chi.

He asked, “Where’s Xiaojiu?”

Xie Jingting, buttoning his clothes, heard the nickname and teased, “Ooooh~ where’s Xiaojiu~”

Xie Shiyu shot him a glance. The foul-mouthed Xie Jingting immediately stood up straight and zipped it. “Sister-in-law said she had errands to run. Told us to train on our own this morning. End of report!”

Having gotten his answer, Xie Shiyu turned around and went out for a jog.

Xie Jingting curled his lip.

When the topic of “Sister-in-law” wasn’t brought up, his big brother was still his big brother.

———

At the same time, twenty kilometers away, in a mid-range villa owned by the Shang family, a massive explosive argument was erupting.

It started the moment they hung up with their youngest daughter, Shang Xue, the afternoon before. They had been searching for her ever since.

But she hadn’t gone to her maternal or paternal grandparents’ homes, and her phone was off. They couldn’t reach her at all.

They had called all her classmates’ homes too, but everyone said she hadn’t been in contact.

They’d searched the entire night to no avail, and then heard that recently the area hadn’t been safe—a molester was reportedly targeting middle school girls.

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Shang’s legs nearly gave out from fear.

Thankfully, Mr. Shang found a friend of a friend, who happened to be a local police officer, and got help retrieving surveillance footage.

They recalled that during their call with Shang Xue, there had been loud music in the background—familiar music. Three years ago, they used to take their daughters to the arcade every weekend to relax.

Mr. Shang’s friend checked the surveillance at the arcade first, then traced her path from the arcade through various street cameras. Eventually, they found her at an internet café.

Now, the family of three had just returned home. None of them had slept all night, and fatigue was written all over their faces.

Shang Guojun was so furious he nearly slapped Shang Xue.

But Liu Xiuqin, quick as lightning, wrapped her arms around Shang Xue and glared viciously at her husband. “Shang Guojun! What gives you the right to hit her? If you hadn’t insisted on going home for New Year three years ago, would any of that have happened? We’ve only got one daughter left now. Are you going to beat her to death too before you’re satisfied?!”

Perhaps due to the emotional strain, Liu Xiuqin screamed those words like her soul was being torn apart.

Shang Guojun’s trembling hand froze mid-air, then he suddenly smacked himself across the face with great force.

As if all the strength had drained out of him, the tension from the all-night search collapsed. He slumped down onto the sofa like a man a decade older.

His back hunched in despair, Shang Guojun kept mumbling, “It’s my fault… I deserve to die… Why wasn’t it me instead?”

Liu Xiuqin covered her face and sobbed, completely ignoring that Shang Xue was still there. She laughed bitterly through her tears:

“Heh, the one who should’ve died wasn’t just you. If not for Xiaoxue, I would’ve ended it all long ago. You think I haven’t suffered? I dream of Xiaoyu every night, you know that? She asks me why I didn’t choose her! The one who should’ve died was me! It was me! Do you even know that? Do you?!”

Shang Guojun, red-eyed, grabbed his head with both hands and started violently yanking at his hair. Then he began slapping himself over and over. “Xiaoyu… Xiaoyu… my daughter… it was all my fault. I didn’t save you. I shouldn’t have insisted on going back. Don’t worry. When your sister grows up, I’ll go to you and atone.”

His confession, mixed with Liu Xiuqin’s sobs, echoed painfully through the living room, making Shang Xue’s head pound.

She bit her lower lip hard, refusing to let a single tear fall, her entire body trembling with rage.

Then, suddenly, like a dormant volcano erupting after a hundred years, she bolted straight for the innermost room and kicked the door open with a loud bang.

BANG!

Shang Guojun and Liu Xiuqin froze, only to see Shang Xue walking out with a memorial tablet in hand.

In one hand, she held a lighter used for incense. In the other, she clutched the wooden tablet. She shouted furiously, “Don’t you all want to die?! No need to wait till I’m grown. Let’s all die together right now. Go find my sister and apologize! How about that, huh?!”

As she spoke, she flicked the lighter.

A blue-yellow flame shot up instantly, nearing the tablet in her hand.

But just before it touched the wood, her hand began to tremble uncontrollably.

Shang Xue’s fingers suddenly slipped off the lighter’s switch.

The flame went out.

She broke down, screaming at the empty air:
“Shang Yu! Come out! Aren’t you always there?! Come out and talk some sense into Mom and Dad, please!”
“Sis, I’m begging you, please come out, okay?”
“Huuuuu… Sis… Xiaoxue misses you…”