Xu You sat quietly inside the car, watching the scenery outside shift in a bizarre, chaotic blur.
They soon arrived at the Xu residence.
“Eldest Young Lady, we’ve arrived,” the bodyguard said.
Xu You opened the door and stepped out.
The moment she pushed open the front door, Xu Mingwang was acting spoiled in Xu Xi’s arms. Xu Xi looked utterly helpless under his badgering, while Xu Jie laughed from the side, saying, “You brat, how old are you already? Still acting like a child.”
Hearing the commotion at the entrance, the three of them turned around in unison to look at Xu You. Then, Xu Mingwang got up from Xu Xi’s lap and headed upstairs without a word.
Xu Xi cast a brief glance at her, picked up the remote, turned on the television, and began watching.
Xu Jie glared at her askance, letting out a cold snort. “You ungrateful wretch, so you finally remember how to find your way back!”
“You’ve certainly put on grand airs now, requiring your own father to send people just to invite you back.”
Xu You had long grown accustomed to this kind of cold ridicule. She asked calmly, “Is there a reason you called me back?”
“Is there a reason?” Xu Jie snapped, acting as if he had just heard something utterly rebellious. “I am your father! This is your home! Do I need a reason to call you back?!”
He put on a display of deep heartbreak and resentment. “I raised you for so many years, and now you won’t even come home? I raised you for all these years! When you were getting medical treatment, and during that car accident back then, wasn’t it my money that paid for it all? Is it really that difficult for you to come home and visit your old man now?”
Xu You felt a sudden urge to marvel at how someone could genuinely believe stolen things belonged to them, and how Xu Jie could speak of this matter with such high-sounding hypocrisy.
However, she was already too exhausted to refute him. Watching him quietly finish his act, she turned to leave.
“Stop right there!” Xu Jie barked loudly. “You are staying here until tomorrow afternoon. Then, you will accompany me to a dinner with CEO Fu. After that dinner…” A flash of strangeness crossed his face. “…I won’t bother you anymore!”
“Those are your words,” Xu You said, looking at him calmly. “From now on, everything regarding the Xu family will have nothing to do with me.”
Xu Jie gave a vague, mumbled grunt of agreement.
Without giving him another glance, Xu You walked straight up the stairs and returned to her bedroom.
The room was exactly as it had been when she left, gathered with quite a bit of dust. After tidying up briefly, Xu You lay down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. When she unlocked her phone, it was flooded with WeChat messages.
They were all from the same person.
[Idiot]: Xu You, have you reached the hospital yet?
[Idiot]: Meow meow meow?
[Idiot]: Is your signal bad on the road? Remember to send me a message when you get to the hospital.
[Idiot]: I’m so, so sorry for scaring you tonight, sob sob. I won’t take you to watch horror movies next time.
[Idiot]: I’m going to take a shower now. Remember to reply to me when you see this.
A smile crept onto the corners of Xu You’s lips.
Mm, I’m at the hospital.
I’m here.
I didn’t check my phone just now.
It’s not your fault. If you like them, I’ll accompany you next time too.
Go ahead.
Looking out at the heavy night sky through the window, Xu You recalled the scene from the horror movie earlier tonight.
She hadn’t been scared; she had simply lived through it.
Except she wasn’t the child searching for someone outside, she was the “ghost” hiding inside the closet.
Dusty memories came rushing out from the depths of her mind.
It was right after she had been discharged from the hospital following the car accident. She had been locked in her room day after day, never allowed to take a single step out.
She had developed a small habit back then: curling up inside the wardrobe, shutting the door tightly, finding comfort only within the absolute darkness.
One day, her bedroom door was opened, followed by the sounds of rummaging and the bathroom door opening.
It was Xu Xi’s voice. She asked in a low tone, “Where is Xu You?”
“She couldn’t have run outside, could she?” This voice belonged to Xu Jie.
Xu You had no desire to acknowledge them. Although her mother’s illness hadn’t been directly caused by them, she still loathed them.
She detested her incompetent, heartless father, and she loathed this woman who had just married into her family.
Xu Xi’s voice carried a hint of anxiety. “We absolutely cannot let her run away. She definitely suspects us right now. What if she finds some evidence… Forget it, have you handled the matter on your end?”
“It’s done, don’t worry,” Xu Jie said. “I gave him a massive sum of money and sent him abroad.”
“Are you really that sure he won’t come back in the future and expose us?” Xu Xi’s voice remained very tense.
Xu Jie laughed. “What is there to fear? Don’t forget, we’re grasshoppers tied to the same string as him. If he exposes us, he won’t survive either.”
Inside the closet, Xu You opened her eyes.
The conversation outside continued.
Xu Xi said, “I only heard about that method a long time ago and thought I’d give it a try. I didn’t expect it to actually work. Now, the company is entirely yours.”
Xu Jie snorted. “Don’t forget, who knows when Xu Qing drew up that will. All her real estate properties outside belong to Xu You.”
He continued, “That woman only knew how to work all day. Aside from her career, she was an absolute idiot in every other aspect.”
“Her body was suffering from such a severe illness, yet when her private doctor told her it was just a common cold and internal heat, she actually believed it. Haha, it’s too hilarious.”
Xu Xi added, “But by the time she finally realized it herself, it was already too late. She was at death’s door and still trying to contact Xu You, tsk tsk.”
“Speaking of which, I haven’t had the chance to ask you yet, how did you worsen her illness back then?”
Xu Xi’s tone carried quite a bit of smug pride. “A folk remedy from my hometown. It leaves no trace.”
“Xu You definitely suspects us now. We can’t keep this person around for too long either.”
Xu Jie: “You mean…”
Xu Xi: “I’ll feed her some chronic medicine. No issues will show within a few years, but her health will gradually deteriorate later on, and eventually, she’ll slowly fade away.”
Xu Jie said, “True, we have to take it slow, otherwise outsiders will definitely suspect us. This medicine of yours won’t allow anyone to discover anything, right?”
Xu Xi: “Rest assured, it’s impossible.”
Every single word of their conversation fell into Xu You’s ears, hammering ruthlessly against her heart.
Xu You’s face turned deathly pale. She bit down hard on her lower lip, refusing to let out the slightest sound, knowing she absolutely could not let Xu Jie and Xu Xi discover her right now.
Long after the two of them had left, Xu You finally pushed open the wardrobe door.
Her lips were covered in blood, and her eyes were fiercely red.
Ever since then, Xu Xi would bring her a bowl of medicine every day, telling her it was meant to cure her.
Because after the car accident, Xu You had developed many complications.
At the beginning, Xu Xi would stand right next to her, watching her finish it before leaving, and would even eavesdrop outside the door. Later on, seeing that Xu You drank the medicine obediently every single time and grew increasingly compliant, like a puppet that could be easily controlled, she finally felt at ease enough to let the servants deliver it instead.
Xu You’s illness had begun to worsen back then. Although she would secretly throw it up afterward every time, some residual medicine still lingered in her system.
As time went on, her health grew worse and worse.
Xu You closed her eyes.
Uncontrollably, Song Zhi’s face surfaced in her mind, that face that was always filled with smiles, unable to hide even the slightest bit of emotion.
The moment Song Zhi finished her shower, she impatiently unlocked her phone. Seeing that Xu You had actually replied to her messages one by one, the corners of her mouth became incredibly difficult to suppress.
Tomorrow was a precious Sunday. She planned to go to the hospital to accompany Xu You, otherwise, that fellow would surely stay in the ward all by herself until she grew mushrooms TvT.
On Sunday, Song Zhi slept in, not waking up until noon.
Humming a song, she drove the family car toward the hospital.
Arriving outside Xu You’s ward, she knocked on the door, but received no response.
Is she still sleeping? Song Zhi thought.
She stealthily turned the doorknob. The room was entirely quiet, and she softened her footsteps as she walked inside.
Only to find that there was no one on the bed.
The sheets were neatly smoothed out without a single wrinkle. All signs pointed to one conclusion for Song Zhi. no one had stayed here for a while.
Song Zhi was stunned for a moment, her immediate reaction being whether Xu You had transferred to another ward.
She hurried to the hospital front desk and asked, “Excuse me, has the patient in room 201 been transferred to another room?”
The receptionist shook her head. “The patient in 201 discharged from our hospital long ago.”
“Oh…” Song Zhi hadn’t anticipated this answer. Her heart suddenly felt strangely panicked and chaotic. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
As Song Zhi walked out of the hospital, she fired off a message to Xu You.
“Where are you? The hospital front desk said you’ve been discharged. Haven’t you been receiving treatment lately?”
Xu You replied very quickly.
“I’ll explain it to you the next time we meet, alright?”
Song Zhi pulled an ‘I’m not listening, I’m not listening’ stance:
“Tell me right now.”
When Xu You didn’t reply further, Song Zhi immediately followed up:
“Where are you? I’m coming to see you right now.”
Xu You: “Is tomorrow okay? Not today.”
Song Zhi was practically dying of anxiety. She dialed the number directly, and it took a long time before the call finally connected.
Xu You’s calm voice drifted through the receiver, “Song Zhi.”
Song Zhi demanded, “Have you run into some kind of trouble?”
Xu You said, “Nothing’s wrong. I just returned to the Xu family home for a bit, and I’ll leave tonight.”
“Do you take me for a fool? Why would you return to that wolf’s den if nothing’s wrong?” Song Zhi sharply detected that something was amiss. “Xu You, if something is going on, you can tell me. Maybe I can help you solve it?”
Xu You hooked her lips in a faint smile. “Thanks.”
It was just that she didn’t want Song Zhi to know about these dark transactions and the suffocating, foul atmosphere of her family.
“I don’t care. If you don’t tell me, I’ll go stake out your house!” Song Zhi threatened.
As if completely helpless against her, Xu You finally said, “It’s just going out for a meal. There’s no danger.”
Song Zhi didn’t buy it. “Sister wants the address.”
Xu You replied, “The Heping Hotel.”
“Then what time will you be out?”
“Around eight o’clock, I suppose.”
“Fine, I will wait for you until 8 PM. If you haven’t come out by then, I’m going in to find you.”
“Mm.”
After hanging up the phone, Song Zhi checked the time; it was four in the afternoon.
Grabbing her car keys, she prepared to rush over. Ghost knew what the Xu family was plotting, she had to wait there ahead of time.
The traffic from the hospital to the Xu residence was somewhat complicated. As Song Zhi drove past a school, the students happened to be trickling out at the end of the day.
A casual glance caught her attention, a group of students in school uniforms had surrounded another uniform-wearing student, every single one of their faces bearing a mocking expression.
There were many people passing by, but everyone seemed to turn a blind eye to this instance of campus bullying.
Song Zhi frowned, pulling her car over to the side and parking.
By this time, she could hear the words of those kids clearly.
“Hey, fatty, you have no dad and no mom, so how did you manage to eat until you’re this fat?”
A burst of jeering laughter erupted around them.
The girl trapped in the middle snapped back furiously, “Shut up! Did I eat your family’s rice?”
Her resistance only made those kids more excited. “Blehh, no, we won’t!”
“What do you think you’re doing?” a pleasant voice suddenly chimed in.
Everyone looked over. The girl saw a beautifully dressed sister with an even more beautiful face marching over quite angrily.
In the next moment, she was gently pulled up by this older sister, catching a whiff of the lovely fragrance clinging to her.
Standing at 1.73 meters tall, Song Zhi completely dominated the presence of these middle school kids, instantly suppressing them by a margin.
Bullies were inherently prone to fearing the strong while picking on the weak. Seeing someone coming to back the young girl up, they scattered like birds and beasts.
But Song Zhi had no intention of letting them off so easily. “All of you get back here and apologize, or else I’ll have your principal check the surveillance footage and summon your parents.”
The moment these words left her mouth, everyone froze in their tracks.
Under the pressure of Song Zhi’s gaze, each of them reluctantly walked over and apologized to the young girl.
“I am her older sister. Don’t let me catch or hear about you bullying her ever again,” Song Zhi announced.
Once the crowd dispersed, she turned around and bent down. “Little sister, if you encounter school bullying next time, you must tell a teacher, okay?”
Looking at her, the girl shook her head with an air of indifference. “It’s no use, Sister. Their families are very powerful, so even the teachers don’t dare provoke them. At most, they just make them write a self-reflection essay.”
Song Zhi frowned, recalling how those kids just said this little girl had no father and no mother, was she an orphan?
“Then do you have other relatives? You can tell them.”
Song Zhi suggested this because she noticed the little girl was fair and chubby, and her clothes were brand new and clean. She didn’t look like someone who was mistreated, rather, she seemed to be cared for with someone’s whole heart.
Sure enough, the girl shook her head. “No, Director Grandma is getting old. I can’t make her worry.”
Song Zhi caught the key phrase. “Director Grandma?”
The girl nodded.
After a brief thought, Song Zhi asked, “Then are you willing to take this sister to go have a look?”
“Really?”
“Mm.”
The little girl happily led the way ahead. Song Zhi asked her many questions, learning that her name was She Ci.
The two walked for a short while before arriving.
It was an orphanage that looked long overdue for repairs. Though the building itself was incredibly old, the courtyard was swept spotlessly clean.
Outside, two or three little girls were playing. Spotting her, their eyes crinkled into crescents as they called out, “Hello, beautiful sister.”
Song Zhi’s expression softened into a smile. “Hello there, little ones.”
“Guoguo, who are you greeting?” an elderly voice sounded.
Song Zhi saw a plainly dressed elderly woman walking out with the aid of a cane. She moved very slowly, coughing as she walked. Her complexion wasn’t good, looking quite pale, but her eyes radiated kind benevolence.
The little girl addressed as Guoguo answered obediently, “The beautiful sister is here.”
“Grandma! I’m back!”
The elderly woman couldn’t stop smiling upon seeing her, taking the backpack off the girl’s shoulder. Her voice was full of maternal love, “Come, Grandma will take it. The bag is heavy.”
Only then did she notice Song Zhi, the smile fading slightly from her face. “You are…”
Just as Song Zhi opened her mouth to explain what had transpired this afternoon, her sleeve was suddenly tugged gently by She Ci.
Glancing sideways, she saw She Ci’s eyes filled entirely with pleading.
Swallowing down the words that had reached her lips, Song Zhi shifted her tone smoothly. “Oh, Grandma, it’s like this. I’m a volunteer sent by the community to come have a chat with you!”
Even she felt a bit guilty after saying that.
However, to keep her stakeout low-key today, she had dressed very simply and inconspicuously, making her look quite a bit like a volunteer.
“A chat?” The elderly woman grew interested. “Your community’s basic services are doing quite well these days. Come on in, child.”
Song Zhi nodded, observing the orphanage as they walked inside.
The elderly woman led her to sit at a table outside.
Just as they sat down, one of the little girls used a cup to pour water for them, her voice soft and sweet, “Grandma, drink.”
“Sister, drink.”
Song Zhi patted her head. “Thank you.”
She Ci waved to her and the elderly woman at this moment. “I’m going to do my homework now!”
The elderly woman replied, “Go on.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she couldn’t help but let out a couple of coughs.
Because of Xu You’s illness, Song Zhi had always been highly sensitive to such things.
She spoke up hesitantly, “Your health…”
The elderly woman waved her hand gently, her smile kind yet tinged with helplessness. “An old ailment. Who knows how much longer I can live.”
“Are there financial difficulties?” Song Zhi offered, “I can help you.”
The elderly woman shook her head with a smile. “There aren’t many young people as warm-hearted as you anymore.”
Her gaze swept across every child in the courtyard, her expression turning complex. “In truth, I no longer care about how much longer I can live. I just can’t bear to leave these young girls behind. They lost their parents at such a tender age. If this orphanage is gone too, where else can they go? If they go elsewhere, will they be properly cared for?”