CH 18

After school, Zhong Xiyou went to play basketball with his friends. It was already dark when he came home, ball in hand and sweating. He went to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of ice water. When he saw that Zhong Youyou and Meng Shixuan were not home yet, he did not notice anything unusual.

After all, Meng Shixuan will go to the library to study after the school day ends. And Zhong Youyou and her group of fox friends…

At this thought, Zhong Xiyou sighed, feeling that when the second sister returned, he would have to stop her from meeting up with this group of friends of her at the vocational high school.

Thinking of this point, Zhong Xiyou sighed. He felt that when his second sister returns, it was necessary to persuade her to stop to mix with this group of friends from the vocational high school.

Of course, in his last life, Zhong Xiyou did not want to know Zhong Youyou, saw her only fleetingly and felt disgusted by her. Where did he want to explore the deeper reasons for Zhong Youyou’s rebellious behavior? After his rebirth, he looked closely at Zhong Youyou for a long time, and then he realized why his second sister was playing with this group of vocational high school.

Because she was too lonely…

Three years ago, she was brought back from Meng Qian by Father Zhong, like a small soil bun that suddenly broke into the big city and was incompatible with everything around her. But before she could fit in, she was put into a new aristocratic middle school. At that time, she was given only a card and a set of passwords, and no one took her to buy her clothes suitable for this city …

After she returned home, her parents gave her the cold shoulder…

Therefore, only in this group of friends, who were also searching for a sense of existence, could she find a sense of belonging and befriend them.

Zhong Xiyou thought about this and felt a little uncomfortable in his heart.

Now he regrets playing basketball with his friends after school. He should have gone home and kept the second sister company to see what she wanted to do and then done it together. She has no school friends. He could help her slowly integrate into school.

Zhong Xiyou put his butt on the sofa and didn’t think of going back to his room to play games. He just simply pressed the remote control and waited absent-mindedly for Zhong Youyou to come home.

Around eight o’clock in the evening, he heard a car pull up outside and immediately got up and joyfully opened the door. „Second sister, are you back?“

Then he saw Meng Shixuan getting out of the car carrying a big bag. It seemed that she was shopping. The excitement on his face suddenly disappeared, and he gave Meng Shixuan a cold look and went back to the living room to continue waiting.

„Xi …“ Meng Shixuan hadn’t finished speaking, Zhong Xiyou had left, and the smile on her face was stiff.

She obviously felt that the attitude of her parents and younger brother towards her had changed 180 degrees in the last two days. They no longer loved or spoiled her, but were very impatient with her, even slightly disgusted. She did not understand what was going on, but she knew that something must have happened, and it was likely that they felt bad about something related to Zhong Youyou.

Therefore, she tried to please them and remove their bad impression of her.

Meng Shixuan took a deep breath, put on a warm smile, and walked in with the bag.

She didn’t believe it. The Zhong family had a relationship with her for fifteen years. In the fifteen years before Zhong Youyou appeared, she was their daughter. How was it possible that after so many years of sleeping and eating together, due to a misunderstanding, the family bond had disappeared?

„Xi You, look at this, the latest.“ Meng Shixuan took out the game console.

She knows Zhong Xiyou better than anyone else. Usually, he just pretends to be lazy and cool and like he is a stranger. But in reality, he is a little boy who is addicted to games. He has no intrigue and is the one who cannot hide his thoughts. If she starts from him, she may learn why the parents‘ attitude changed in one day.

It is really the latest model. When Zhong Xiyou’s gaze fell on the cool red remote control, his eyes lingered on it.

But he knows Meng Shixuan’s intention very well… He didn’t know why, if it had been the second sister who had given him this new game console, he would have been so happy that he could fly, but the one who had given him this console was Meng Shixuan, and his enthusiasm evaporated. Meng Shixuan understood the preferences and personalities of all family members and had always been Zhong’s intimate little padded jacket. Since she has come to please herself, she is sure to please Zhong’s mother…

If he doesn’t stick to the camp and sides with the second sister, what if their parents are deceived by her (MS) and become soft-hearted again?

Zhong Xiyou’s expression changed, and finally he stood up coldly and sat to the side, „Why did you give me a gift? It’s not my birthday or a holiday.“

Meng Shixuan smiled, “ Didn’t I open the gift you wanted to give to the second sister last time? It made you unhappy. That’s why sister bought you the new game console of your favorite brand. You can try it out. If you don’t enjoy it, don’t play with it.“

The corners of her mouth lifted into a beautiful smile. When she saw Zhong Xiyou’s eyes keep falling on the game console, she knew in her heart that the younger brother was starting to soften. So, she took the game console and handed it to him.

She didn’t expect Zhong Xiyou to raise his hand and coldly push the game console back.

„Then you prepared a gift for the second sister?“ Zhong Xiyou looked at her coldly, raised his eyebrows and stared at her, „The last time I wanted to give the gift to the second sister, you opened it without permission. If you want to apologize, shouldn’t you give the second sister a gift to apologize?“

As if a bowl of cold water had been poured mercilessly over her head, after a long time she said embarrassed, „I prepared one long ago, and I’ll give it to her when she comes back.“

„Really?“ She didn’t buy a gift for the second sister at all.

Zhong Xiyou looked at her with ridicule and left.

After his rebirth, he saw many things really clearly, such as Meng Shixuan’s hypocrisy. She is good to you, but it’s good for a purpose. What if you have no utility? He thought about the scene of the car accident: yes, if it wasn’t worth it, she would forget their fifteen-year relationship and put herself not in danger.

She wears a mask like this, it is really easy to get along with, but it is far less real than the second sister who is covered in thorns.

…

Meng Shixuan sat on the sofa, almost flattened the game machine box, her fingers turned white, and in her hanging eyes crossed the gloom that was completely inconsistent with her gentle and generous appearance.

Why, she whispered in such a low voice, did Zhong Xiyou still have that attitude? Obviously, he likes this game console, but he can hold back for Zhong Youyou?

The hour hand turned to 9:30 and Zhong Youyou hadn’t come back yet. Zhong Xiyou could not sit still. It was true, he knew from the second sister in the past that she often didn’t come home until midnight drunk, so he was afraid that today she would do it again and be criticized by Father Zhong afterwards. He couldn’t hold back any longer and called Zhong Youyou on his own initiative.

Didn’t pick up, not only didn’t pick up, but also hung up.

Zhong Xiyou: „…“

***

At that moment, Zhong Youyou was in her new apartment.

She had left Zhong’s villa and now lived alone in such a large apartment. She was so happy that she did a series of radio gymnastics exercises on the bed! When she saw Zhong Xiyou’s incoming call, she refused without thinking.

So cool! Before transcending into this book, she was an orphan living in a small house with her best friend. She didn’t have money for anything she wanted to eat. She was often only able to order hot pot once after winning the contest prize. Not only that, but she didn’t dare order more ingredients for fear of going over budget, but now…

She turned on the TV and lay down on the sofa blatantly. She couldn’t help but begin to be greedy.

Qin Yao said that public security in this place is very good at night, and Zhong Youyou wasn’t afraid to put on her pants, put on her slippers, and go downstairs. There is a food street nearby, which is quite prosperous. This is exactly the time when the street is full of people and there are stinky tofu skewers.

Zhong Youyou’s eyes shine!

Sure enough, she still has to eat these to be grounded, so her belly grows greedy. When she eats those light abalone and chicken wings at Zhong’s house, she has no appetite at all, and now she is about to starve to death.

She ordered a lot and chose a small table by the window to sit and eat. When her mouth was full of oil, she hit her mouth and felt a little lonely. She didn’t forget to take some selfies and send them to Qin Yue.

She didn’t know that father Zhong and mother Zhong had also finished their business talks and came back exhausted from the banquet, but not long after sitting down, they learned that Zhong Youyou hadn’t returned home for most of the night, and the Zhong family almost overturned the sky.

„Why didn’t you come back?“ Father Zhong’s initial reaction was the same as Zhong Xiyou’s. 80% of the time, Zhong Youyou was out with her group of gangster friends getting drunk. The blue veins on Father Zhong’s forehead jumped and he was really worried about the child: „Call her and ask her to come home quickly. How dangerous it is to be out so late!“

Zhong Xiyou handed over the phone and said, „I called her many times, but my sister rejected my calls.“

His expression was a little twisted and he wasn’t sure if he should say, „Butler, say it.“

The housekeeper wiped away his sweat and said, „Today, the young master of the Qin family is here to help the second lady move some things. At that time, the servants were all eating, and they didn’t pay attention to what was being moved. Shouldn’t it be… „

Immediately, Father Zhong and Mother Zhong were thunderstruck. Didn’t Zhong Youyou run away from home?!

Father Zhong was sullen and rushed upstairs. When Mother Zhong got up, she felt dizzy and Meng Shixuan quickly supported her, but she broke away from Meng Shixuan’s hand as if she hadn’t seen Meng Shixuan by the side and quickly turned to the stairs to go upstairs.

Zhong Youyou’s room was naturally locked.

„Butler, bring the key.“ Father Zhong took the key, pocketed it two or three times before succeeding, and opened the door of the room.

Father and Mother Zhong, as well as Zhong Xiyou, stood at the door of the room and saw that the room was empty … No, it wasn’t completely empty. The bedding and furniture were still there. In the closet were clothes that mother Zhong gave Zhong Youyou, but she did not wear them. Only the things that Zhong Youyou often wore and the clothes she bought a few days ago were all gone.

Zhong Youyou is missing.

Several people appeared to be hit in the head by a sap in an instant, their minds muddy, and their hearts falling straight down…

They never thought that Zhong Youyou actually left this house!

In the past three years, Zhong Youyou ran away several times, but they didn’t take it seriously, and mother Zhong even mocked her, annoyed: „Where can you go? Your adoptive mother doesn’t want you anymore. Only the Zhong family can support you. That’s it. Don’t do it again.“ Every time Zhong Youyou would run away with red eyes, she would eventually come back in despair.

Therefore, they never thought that one day Zhong Youyou would take her belongings and move away.

Moved so neatly and without a trace of emotion, the empty room stabbed people in the eyes, as if a piece was suddenly gouged out of their hearts, leaving them breathless.

Mother Zhong’s face turned pale, her legs became weak, and she almost fell to the ground. Assisted by Zhong Xiyou, who made the same ugly face, they and Meng Shixuan went down the stairs and sat on the sofa.

I don’t know why, Zhong Xiyou faintly felt that this time the second sister had left home and would never come back…

This time is different from before.

The former second sister was rebellious and argumentative, but it could be seen that she was trying hard to win their affection. Not only trying, but bordering on insane and paranoid, to win their love for themselves…

But now the second sister looked at them as if they were strangers, without any trace of emotion.

Therefore, Father Zhong had a blue face. When he called Qin Yao, he also sat on the side sluggishly. He felt that even if his father found the second sister, the second sister might not come back. His lips were tightly closed, and his heart throbbed in pain.

„Why?“ Mother Zhong wiped away her tears and said, „Why so suddenly? She packed her things and suddenly left. I didn’t have time to show her the new room…“

Father Zhong and Zhong Xiyou were not in a good mood, so they didn’t pay attention to what she was talking about.

Only Meng Shixuan, who was sitting in the corner, almost pinched her nails in the palm of her hand. Zhong Youyou, it was all about Zhong Youyou. She had also prepared gifts for Zhong’s father and mother and spent a whole day carefully choosing them, but before they could give them, Zhong Youyou again made such a scene and distracted everyone’s attention!

„Hello, Young Master Qin?“ Father Zhong breathed a sigh of relief when the call was finally connected.

The voice on the other end of the phone was cold and indifferent: „What’s the matter?“

Qin Yao stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window and looked at the photo Zhong Youyou had just sent. The redness in his ears was still there. His fingers were still stuck in the answer field and didn’t know how to answer. This was the first time in Zhong Youyou’s history that she took the initiative to send him a message. His eyes shone with subtle joy, shyness, and a little wariness.

„Good-looking.“ Deleted again. Is it too frivolous?

If only he knew what Zhong Youyou liked about Shi Zhitang. Then he knew how to respond now.

Qin Yao lowered his eyes, covering all his emotions.

Delete everything that doesn’t fit, and finally enter „Go home early.”

Send.

He took a deep breath and felt that such a reply was foolproof, but after a while, before Zhong Youyou could reply, he was a little uneasy. Would it be too old for a cadre? Zhong Youyou hated this kind of advice the most.

But it was too late, he had already sent the message.

Or send something else back and keep the conversation going. He has never chatted with Zhong Youyou …

Qin Yao’s eyes were a little sad. He was wearing a bathrobe and his hair hadn’t dried yet, so he waited wholeheartedly for Zhong Youyou’s reply, but he didn’t expect a phone call in the middle of it.

Father Zhong was Qin Yao’s elder, so anxious in his heart, he asked directly, „Do you know where Yoyo is now?“

Qin Yao’s eyes lit up, and he suddenly found a topic to talk about with Zhong Youyou.

He typed quickly: „Youyou, uncle called me and asked where are you?”

As soon as this message was sent, Zhong Youyou, who was eating skewers with her mouth full of oil, was startled. Why did Zhong’s father call Qin Yao? The original owner ran away from home before. Didn’t the Zhong family ever ask questions??? She quickly wiped her hands and replied to him.

„Just say you don’t know!!!“

Three exclamation marks, so cute.

Qin Yao smiled and pursed his lips, and replied coldly to Father Zhong on the other end of the phone: „I don’t know. She just asked me to pick her up, and I don’t know where she went after getting off the car.“

„Okay, thank you.“ Father Zhong did not doubt him. After all, he was the third young master of the Qin family. There was no reason to lie. He would never hide Zhong Youyou.

But, where did Zhong Youyou go for this night? He almost went crazy, thinking of the disasters that happened to Zhong Youyou in his previous life.

„I look for her by car“ He stood up immediately and picked up his jacket.

Mother Zhong’s face was pale, and she tried to follow him when she saw it, but was stopped by Zhong Xiyou: „Mom, you don’t seem to be in a good condition. Take a rest first. I’ll ask driver Lao Zhao to drive and look for her separately.“

„Why can’t I go together?“ Mother Zhong felt so uncomfortable that she was choked up by what she said.

But she was stopped in the end, and her legs became weak as soon as she stood up, so she had to stay and watch Father Zhong and Zhong Xiyou go separately.

At this time, she realized how ignorant she really was about Yoyo. Not only did she not know what she liked to eat, but she didn’t even know what friends she had or where she would go now …

Haven’t they ever worried about Yoyo before?

When Zhong Mu thought of these things, she couldn’t stop her tears. She felt like she had been stabbed with a needle.

They hadn’t found anyone by nine-thirty. Father Zhong and Zhong Xiyou just got in the car and asked the assistant to check the surveillance and try to narrow the search area as much as possible. Unsure of their luck, the car stopped at a red light, and while Zhong Xiyou was waiting for the red light, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a figure looking out the car window.

He rubbed his tired eyes, looked at her again and held his breath: „Dad, look, is that the second sister?“

They saw that Zhong Youyou was pulling her slippers, wearing a cool strap, and eating a pancake with fruit recklessly. There were a dozen barbecues in the plastic bag hanging from her wrist…

After crossing the road, she even put on her earphones, jumped up, and threw the finished pancake and fruit cowhide bag into the trash can, happily inhaling the smell of barbecue …

Father Zhong looked in the direction Zhong Xiyou pointed, and was immediately stunned, then his face changed a little bit.

No, how could Yoyo be so happy after running away from home…

Translator has something to say:

Oh boy, I had underestimated a bit how long the individual chapters of this novel are.

What do you think? Should I split the chapters?

Honestly, I’d rather not do it.

I always find it a bit annoying when a chapter is divided into several parts.

Of course, I understand why you do that.

It’s really a lot of work to do everything in one go.

But I think it’s better if you wait a little longer, but then you can read a chapter completely and not read it into several parts spread over several days.

Besides…, if the parts are not marked accordingly, I never know how far I am in the novel …

What would you prefer?

nEm