Chapter 5

Mo Yin began his life at the Pei family’s residence. He lived on the ground floor, in a room that was originally a billiards room but had been converted into a bedroom. Many barrier-free facilities were installed inside, allowing Mo Yin to manage his daily activities independently. This was much better than being at the mercy of others in the hospital.

Living on the ground floor, Mo Yin inevitably had interactions with the servants.

The servants were all aware of the situation and didn’t envy Mo Yin’s transformation from “rising from the ashes like a phoenix.” Honestly speaking, they wouldn’t want to trade their parents’ deaths and their own two legs for wealth and prosperity. That price was too steep.

Sympathy is a universal emotion, which Mo Yin found very useful. It quickly helped him to become familiar with the servants.

The servants in the Pei household were all kind-hearted and honest, not fond of gossip. However, Mo Yin gradually learned some of the Pei family’s public “secrets” from snippets of conversation among some of the younger servants.

For example, Pei Qing was not born to Mrs. Pei.

He was an illegitimate child who was only recognized and brought home at the age of thirteen.

His relationship with his brother was average, but not bad either.

This was all thanks to Pei Mingshu.

According to the servants, Pei Mingshu had an impeccable reputation. He was handsome, gentle in nature, and exceptionally talented. He didn’t exhibit any of the vices typical of a wealthy young man; his courtesy seemed innate. Even upon returning from England, Pei Mingshu gave gifts to everyone in the Pei household, including temporary gardeners.

In the words of the Pei household servants, Pei Mingshu was flawless. Even towards his half-brother born out of wedlock, he acted impeccably.

As for Pei Qing, his reputation was considerably worse than Pei Mingshu’s.

Servants said the younger master had a bad temper and only listened to the master’s words, disregarding everyone else.

Fortunately, the elder master had spent most of his time abroad, and their relationship was peaceful.

Now that the elder master was returning to stay permanently, nobody knew how things would turn out. At present, everything seems harmonious. The biggest surprise for the Pei household was the addition of Mo Yin.

Initially, the servants referred to Mo Yin as “Young Master,” but Mo Yin rejected it, saying, “Please call me by my name.”

The servants looked hesitant but continued to call him “Young master.”

Later, Pei Mingshu learned of this incident and said, “Listen to him.”

The servants then changed their way of addressing Mo Yin.

Mo Yin was the youngest in the entire Pei household, and the servants called him “Xiao Yin.” After Pei Mingshu heard this once, he too began calling Mo Yin “Xiao Yin.”

Despite getting along increasingly well with the servants, Mo Yin still appeared somewhat distant from the Pei family members.

Pei Jingyou was busy with his daily work. After Mo Yin moved into the Pei household, Pei Jingyou talked to him once about his schooling. Going to the Air Force University was out of the question, so Pei Jingyou said he could arrange for him to attend University A, to which Mo Yin agreed.

“Pei Qing is also at University A. I’ll make sure he looks after you at school.”

Mo Yin lowered his head and said, “It’s not necessary.”

Pei Jingyou smiled, patted his shoulder, and then changed the subject, saying, “Mingshu quite likes you. He fully supports my decision to bring you home.”

Mo Yin remained silent.

Pei Jingyou continued, “Mingshu takes after his mother. He’s very kind-hearted.”

These days, there was construction going on everywhere in the Pei household.

Pei Mingshu took the design plans of the Pei household from the study, made modifications himself, and instructed workers to carry out the construction, all to facilitate Mo Yin’s mobility.

Mo Yin heard from the servants that not a single blade of grass or brick had been touched in the Pei household for thirty years. They said this with admiring and awe-filled expressions. The fact that Pei Mingshu was willing to go to such lengths for Mo Yin couldn’t be explained away as mere showmanship.

The room’s French windows faced a corner of the garden, where a pristine sea of flowers swayed gently in the breeze. Workers were sweeping the newly laid, accessible pathways in the garden.

A servant knocked on the door and brought in a large bouquet of flowers.

“These flowers don’t transplant well. Once they’re out of soil, they won’t survive. It’s a shame to discard them, so the young master instructed us to place a bouquet in every room.”

The servant spoke casually to Mo Yin, placing the bouquet on the nearby table.

The tables in the room were presumably adjusted to accommodate Mo Yin’s wheelchair, so they were relatively low. The servant bent down to arrange the flowers, and Mo Yin caught a whiff of their intoxicating fragrance, asking, “What kind of flowers are these?”

“Lily.”

Mo Yin had never seen this kind of flower before, neither in the real world nor in the task world.

The snow-white petals curved and drooped gracefully, with slender, bright red stamens. It looked like a queen’s crown, especially with its fragrance, which was so rich that it made one hold their breath involuntarily.

“Lily…”

The servant thought Mo Yin hadn’t seen such beautiful lilies before, so he explained, “Casablanca, that’s the botanical name of these flowers. These are our lady’s favorite flowers.”

After the servant left, Mo Yin stared at the bouquet of flowers with a strange look in his eyes. He used his phone to search and gain a deeper understanding of the reality of this world.

It turned out that this world had a complete biological system, filled with many animals and plants he had never heard of or seen before.

It was quite exaggerated.

Was this something that could be achieved at the ordinary energy level?

Mo Yin stared fixedly at the so-called “lily.”

“Do you want to go out and take a look?”

Mo Yin turned his head, and Pei Mingshu stood there with his hands behind his back. He had been at home all day today, wearing a linen-colored shirt with a black knitted crew-neck sweater over it, looking comfortable at home, as if he had become more approachable. He gazed at Mo Yin with a very gentle expression. “They’re even more beautiful in the garden.”

Mo Yin rarely left this room.

He now played the role of a traumatized and withdrawn teenager, waiting for others to “conquer” him so that he could naturally integrate into the Pei family.

Apparently, Pei Mingshu was very interested in “conquering” him.

This was probably out of deep sympathy.

Mo Yin had no doubt about the sincerity of Pei Mingshu’s sympathy.

Pei Mingshu, a man like him who had been treated so kindly by the world for over twenty years, should have had a kind and broad-minded heart, shouldn’t he? Moreover, considering his current situation, the Pei family should bear almost all the responsibility.

Mo Yin turned his face away, still maintaining an evasive attitude.

Pei Mingshu didn’t insist and left Mo Yin’s room after a moment.

In the evening, Pei Mingshu was making a phone call on the balcony upstairs when he suddenly noticed Mo Yin’s figure in his line of sight as he looked down at the garden.

Mo Yin was pushing his wheelchair slowly along the new pathway, getting closer to those snow-white flowers.

“Young master, are you still listening?” The voice on the phone asked cautiously.

“Mm.”

Pei Mingshu replied, a faint smile appearing on his face. “Go on.”

Mo Yin reached out and lightly sniffed the flowers before looking up at the third floor.

Pei Mingshu’s figure was faintly visible on the balcony.

During this time, Pei Mingshu had been very concerned about him. He apologized to him on behalf of his father, without any embellishment, admitting to Mo Yin that his father had taken a wrong path in pursuit of profit.

“I’m sorry.”

“…”

Mo Yin looked at him silently, his eyes seeming to waver.

Pei Mingshu didn’t ask for his forgiveness or discuss compensation. He just said, “Thank you for being willing to come here.”

Mo Yin admitted that Pei Mingshu was indeed a gentleman with a clear conscience.

With a light touch, Mo Yin plucked one of the unfamiliar flowers and gently sniffed it at his nose.

After the long holiday, Mo Yin’s enrollment procedures were completed.

Pei Jingyou reminded Pei Qing at the dining table, “Take good care of Xiao Yin at school.”

Pei Qing, holding a cup of coffee, made a nonchalant “Mm” sound from his nostrils without even looking at Mo Yin. The addition of another person in the house had no effect on him.

Mo Yin took a sip of water.

Today, Pei Qing would take the initiative to make friends with him.

Pei Jingyou took his medicine, saying he had a meeting to attend, and left the dining room first.

Pei Mingshu had gone on a business trip out of town before the long holiday and had been away from home these days.

Now there were accessible pathways everywhere in the Pei household. Mo Yin could push his wheelchair by himself to the car and even get in without any assistance. He held onto the car door, exerted some force, barely squeezed into the car, and then slowly adjusted his sitting posture.

Pei Qing had long sat in the passenger seat, propping up his face with one hand, looking at his phone, showing no intention of helping throughout the journey.

When the car arrived at the school, the driver got out and took the wheelchair from the trunk, leaning it against the car. Mo Yin pushed open the car door, his hand on the car, looking somewhat hesitant.

The car was fixed, but the wheelchair was not. If he tried to get into the wheelchair in the same way he got into the car, it was very likely that both him and the wheelchair would fall to the ground.

He looked towards Pei Qing, who had already gotten out of the car and was standing beside it.

Pei Qing was still looking at his phone, his head lowered.

Mo Yin withdrew his gaze.

The driver said, “Let me help you.”

“Could you please assist me in getting into the wheelchair?”

“Sure.”

The driver held onto the wheelchair, and just as Mo Yin was about to exert some force, Pei Qing, who had been looking at his phone, suddenly put his phone away, reached inside the car, and rudely lifted Mo Yin out, placing him directly onto the wheelchair.

As his buttocks hit the seat, the wheelchair made a clanging sound. Mo Yin pretended to look somewhat shaken as he glanced at Pei Qing.

Pei Qing looked at him coldly, “You’re welcome.”

Mo Yin: “…”

Great, this person seemed even more like an antagonist than he had initially appeared.

After Pei Qing finished speaking, he took out his phone from his pocket and walked away.

The driver felt awkward and comforted Mo Yin, “The Second Young Master is always like this, don’t take it to heart.”

Mo Yin responded with a simple “Mm.”

When Pei Mingshu sent him a message asking if his enrollment had gone smoothly and if Pei Qing had taken care of him, Mo Yin replied, “It’s fine.”

It was fine.

At least he hadn’t been kicked out of his wheelchair.

Although Mo Yin attended the same school as Pei Qing, in reality, Pei Qing was two years older than him and was already in his third year of university.

Pei Mingshu had studied abroad since elementary school, while Pei Qing had always studied in China. The difference in treatment between the two brothers was obvious, and Pei Jingyou didn’t even try to hide his favoritism towards his eldest son.

Pei Mingshu had studied literature abroad, but after returning to China, he immediately entered the company’s senior management. It was evident that Pei Jingyou had already confirmed him as his successor.

Mo Yin slowly pushed the wheelchair through the campus, occasionally attracting curious glances.

Those gazes were not malicious, but they were still very noticeable.

After arriving in the classroom, Mo Yin received a warm welcome.

Perhaps Pei Jingyou had already made arrangements in advance, and the teachers and students in the school were aware of it. The students treated Mo Yin very kindly. Because he was in a wheelchair and couldn’t sit in a regular seat, he had to sit at the back. When classmates asked if he could see, Mo Yin smiled and replied, “My vision is very good.”

One classmate suddenly realized, “Oh, right, you…”

He quickly stopped himself.

Someone who could have become a pilot, how could his vision be bad?

University classmates didn’t usually have close relationships, but when a “special” student suddenly appeared in the class, these young people found a common focus of attention. After class, they didn’t rush to leave but stayed behind to talk to Mo Yin.

Mo Yin was quite popular on the internet recently, and university students were quick to catch up with trends. Although they tried their best not to offend Mo Yin, their faces still showed curiosity.

Mo Yin had a handsome and gentle appearance, making him seem very approachable. In fact, he behaved that way too. He willingly satisfied his classmates’ curiosity, answering their questions, whether spoken or unspoken.

“I’m currently living in the Pei household.”

“It’s a big house, with a lot of modifications and new accessible pathways. It’s quite convenient to get in and out.”

“They’re all very nice to me. Today, it was Pei Qing who drove me here.”

“…”

The classmates surrounded Mo Yin as they reached the elevator, and two or three of them followed him into the elevator, spontaneously helping to push the wheelchair.

“Is Senior Pei Qing really that nice? He looks quite fierce.”

“No, ” Mo Yin smiled, “He just seems difficult to get along with, but he’s actually very nice and takes care of me.”

“I can’t imagine…”

Mo Yin quickly bonded with his classmates. By the time they reached the second class, he had exchanged numbers with several people and arranged to visit their clubs.

Such a wonderful university life naturally had to be shared with those around him.

Mo Yin took a few photos of the classroom and textbooks, posted them with his location, and shared them on his social media.

“New life.”

Visible only to ‘Mo Honghai’.

***

Mo Honghai felt like he had run into bad luck in his lifetime.

He was about to get his hands on that half-million yuan, but the cooked duck had flown away, and he had almost ended up in a lawsuit because of it!

Fortunately, Ding Mohai never came to find him and Mo Honghai breathed a sigh of relief. However, Mo Honghai also felt a bit guilty. After all, he had pushed his nephew away, but he had only spoken the truth. Mo Yin shouldn’t blame him. Besides, if something happened to Mo Yin, who would take care of this paralyzed person in the future? Of course, it was more important to protect himself first.

“…I’ve decided to formally adopt Mo Yin as my godson!”

Mo Honghai stared dumbfoundedly at his phone, which was overheating from watching the live broadcast. His eyes were also red and hot. After a while, he cursed, “Damn it!”

Mo Honghai tried to contact Mo Yin, but Mo Yin didn’t respond. He rushed to the hospital, but the hospital staff said Mo Yin had been transferred to another hospital. The nurses were very rude to him, looking at him disdainfully and refusing to reveal which hospital Mo Yin had been transferred to, no matter how much Mo Honghai pressed them.

“I’m his uncle! Why didn’t you notify me when he was transferred to another hospital?!”

The nurse couldn’t help but scold him, “Using your paralyzed nephew as a cash cow for extortion and blackmail, is that the behavior of an uncle like you?!”

Mo Honghai was escorted out of the hospital by security.

He couldn’t understand how things had suddenly turned out like this, and how Mo Yin had suddenly become the adopted son of the Pei family.

He couldn’t find Mo Yin, and he didn’t dare to provoke the Pei family again. When he tried to stir up trouble online, he found that his account had been suspended. When he tried to contact journalists to expose the truth, he found that those journalists had already deleted and blocked him. The matter had been resolved, the hype had died down, and he had once again become the ignored Mo Honghai.

Mo Honghai was very unwilling, but he had no choice. The aftermath of his internet fame was that his creditors were even more persistent than before. He could only hide from place to place.

Mo Honghai was smoking in his rented room when he saw Mo Yin’s post on social media. He made a sound of acknowledgment, his eyes widened, and smoke came out of his mouth and nose. His face quickly turned red, his lips trembled with anger, and the cigarette ash fell onto his pants. Mo Honghai shook his pants and took two more puffs of his cigarette, then looked at the location in the post and stamped out the cigarette butt before leaving.

After the second class ended, Mo Yin packed up his books and notes. A classmate from the front row turned around and asked if he wanted to go to the cafeteria together.

“Thank you, but I can go by myself.”

“Then let’s go together.”

“Okay.”

Mo Yin smiled and looked past the person towards the classroom door.

The classmate also turned to look, “Are you waiting for Senior Pei Qing?”

Mo Yin smiled but didn’t answer.

Why is he so slow? Could something have happened to him? Wasn’t he still sending messages to him late last night, threatening that he couldn’t hide from him forever and that the Pei family couldn’t take care of him forever? One day Mo Yin would regret his actions.

As Mo Yin was zipping up his bag, there was an unusual commotion at the back door.

Mo Honghai had arrived, bursting into the classroom in a rage. He deliberately bumped into several students, leaving them looking bewildered.

Mo Yin rested his hand on the zipper and quietly watched as Mo Honghai entered the room.

Mo Honghai’s face turned red. Although he wasn’t sure what had happened, Mo Yin had clearly been on his side, negotiating with him and the Pei family. But now Mo Yin had become the adopted son of the Pei family, leaving Mo Honghai feeling sidelined! He had experienced being manipulated like this in business before, and he instinctively felt that he had been used. How could a nearly fifty-year-old man like him be played around by a kid, especially a paralyzed one? How could he swallow this humiliation?

“I finally found you, Mo Yin!”

Mo Honghai’s expression was furious.

Mo Yin maintained his posture with the zipper and quietly watched Mo Honghai.

Mo Honghai’s face turned even redder. He might not know the details of what had happened, but Mo Yin was clearly on the same side as him, negotiating with him and the Pei family. But now Mo Yin had become the adopted son of the Pei family, leaving Mo Honghai feeling sidelined! He had experienced being manipulated like this in business before, and he instinctively felt that he had been used. How could a nearly fifty-year-old man like him be played around by a kid, especially a paralyzed one? How could he swallow this humiliation?

“I finally found you, Mo Yin!”

Mo Honghai’s expression was furious.

Mo Yin maintained his posture with the zipper and quietly watched Mo Honghai.

Mo Honghai’s face turned even redder. He might not know the details of what had happened, but Mo Yin was clearly on the same side as him, negotiating with him and the Pei family. But now Mo Yin had become the adopted son of the Pei family, leaving Mo Honghai feeling sidelined! He had experienced being manipulated like this in business before, and he instinctively felt that he had been used. How could a nearly fifty-year-old man like him be played around by a kid, especially a paralyzed one? How could he swallow this humiliation?

“I finally found you, Mo Yin!”

Mo Honghai’s expression was furious.

Mo Yin maintained his posture with the zipper and quietly watched Mo Honghai.

Mo Honghai’s face turned even redder. He might not know the details of what had happened, but Mo Yin was clearly on the same side as him, negotiating with him and the Pei family. But now Mo Yin had become the adopted son of the Pei family, leaving Mo Honghai feeling sidelined! He had experienced being manipulated like this in business before, and he instinctively felt that he had been used. How could a nearly fifty-year-old man like him be played around by a kid, especially a paralyzed one? How could he swallow this humiliation?

“I finally found you, Mo Yin!”

Mo Honghai’s expression was furious.

Mo Yin maintained his posture with the zipper and quietly watched Mo Honghai.

Mo Honghai’s face turned even redder. He might not know the details of what had happened, but Mo Yin was clearly on the same side as him, negotiating with him and the Pei family. But now Mo Yin had become the adopted son of the Pei family, leaving Mo Honghai feeling sidelined! He had experienced being manipulated like this in business before, and he instinctively felt that he had been used. How could a nearly fifty-year-old man like him be played around by a kid, especially a paralyzed one? How could he swallow this humiliation?

“I finally found you, Mo Yin!”

Mo Honghai’s expression was furious.

Mo Yin maintained his posture with the zipper and quietly watched Mo Honghai.

Mo Honghai’s face turned even redder. He might not know the details of what had happened, but Mo Yin was clearly on the same side as him, negotiating with him and the Pei family. But now Mo Yin had become the adopted son of the Pei family, leaving

Mo Yin locked the wheelchair and whispered, “Uncle, can you please stop causing trouble?”

“Causing trouble? Me?”

Mo Honghai seemed to have heard the greatest joke in the world. He became furious and pointed at Mo Yin’s nose, cursing, “You’re just like your dead father, silently courting death, daring to mess with even me, your uncle. The Pei family took you in as their godson, right? You’re so ungrateful, just like recognizing a thief as your father. Your parents’ ashes are still with me—”

The students from Class A, all scholars, had never seen such a tantrum before. They looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

“The Pei family has been good to me…” Mo Yin’s voice trembled slightly.

Mo Honghai became even more furious upon hearing this, cursing with even more vulgar language.

A classmate sitting closest to Mo Yin suddenly had a moment of inspiration and quickly ran out with their bag.

Mo Honghai’s vulgar tirade was so offensive that even the onlookers couldn’t stand it. Some tried to intervene, but Mo Honghai pointed a finger at them, nails blackened, causing the students to instinctively step back. As he turned back to the wheelchair’s valve, Mo Yin covered it tightly, refusing to release the wheelchair’s lock. The wheelchair emitted a harsh, grinding noise as the two struggled over it.

The surroundings gradually fell silent.

Only Mo Honghai persisted in his confrontation with Mo Yin. Mo Yin’s face was pale with a tinge of red, his expression cold yet stubborn. He looked like he was about to cry but resisted, refusing to let Mo Honghai succeed.

He glanced up at Mo Honghai and also noticed the students behind him seemed to be clearing a path.

In that moment, Mo Yin turned his face slightly and smiled at Mo Honghai from an angle only he could see.

Tears shimmered in his eyes, but his smile was mocking and contemptuous. His lips moved slightly, forming clear words: “Idiot.”

A surge of blood rushed to Mo Honghai’s head, and he raised his hand without hesitation.

Amidst the gasps of the crowd, the hand Mo Honghai swung down was grabbed by another.

“Ouch—damn it, it hurts—”

Mo Honghai’s entire body bent backward with his arm, grimacing in pain. The next moment, he was flung away, crashing into a desk with a loud bang, causing the onlookers to step back involuntarily.

Mo Honghai felt dizzy from the fall, holding his forehead and looking up to see a tall, indifferent young man. One hand was still in an upward motion, while the other was casually tucked in his pocket. “Are you looking for trouble?”