Chapter Eleven

Despite being called family, Zhou Mo and Yu Xi's relationship remained unchanged. Zhang Xingmei stayed behind under the pretense of resolving matters, but in reality, he was there to 'monitor' them.

Zhou Mo thought Zhang Xing's worries were unfounded; who in their right mind would fall for a weirdo like Yu Xi?

That's right, Zhou Mo still thinks Yu Xi is a weirdo. Even though they are now family, it doesn't stop Zhou Mo from still having a 'dislike' for Yu Xi.

Five days after this matter was settled, it was Monday. Zhou Mo would be staying in the dormitory that night, so only Yu Xi and Zhang Xing were staring at each other in the courtyard. On the dining table were a pair of chopsticks, a rice bowl, and a plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes placed in front of Yu Xi.

Zhang Xing: "..." This kid's double standards are too obvious.

You're not going to serve yourself rice? That's okay, just get it for yourself.

When Zhang Xing arrived in the kitchen and saw the empty rice cooker, he realized he had underestimated Yu Xi's ability to cook; he could now accurately prepare enough food for one person.

When Zhang Xing returned to the dining table, he found that Yu Xi had already finished her meal, was elegantly wiping her mouth with a napkin, throwing it into the trash can, and returning to her room without looking back.

Yu Xi was protesting silently.

Zhang Xing knew all along.

But so what?

Hey, he just won't leave.

If others knew that a man nearing forty was arguing with a child in his teens, they would probably laugh their heads off and point at Zhang Xing, calling him a terrible person.

Zhang Xing was tough inside, but soft on the stomach. He resigned himself to cooking his own meal and pondered as he ate: why was he here?

Where did the problem occur?

Zhou Mo, who was far away at school, had no idea what was happening in the courtyard. Even if she did know, she wouldn't care, as she was now fully focused on the college entrance examination.

Natural disasters are unavoidable, but man-made disasters can.

Zhou Mo could vaguely sense that something was wrong with her, but she didn't want to regret one day that she hadn't adjusted her state of mind and missed a very important milestone in her life.

She didn't want her deceased parents to still have worries about the living.

If there is an underworld, I hope they can be reincarnated smoothly and live a happy life in a happy family. If she is lucky enough, she will brush past them on the street or at an event in her next life.

"Momo, you look so pale. Have you been resting well lately? Did those people cause you trouble again?"

Zhou Mo had no idea how bad her face looked, but judging from her deskmate's concern, she could imagine how terrible it was. "No, they don't dare to bother me again."

Zhou Mo's deskmate was a know-it-all and had obviously heard some gossip. He wanted to gossip but didn't dare to speak up because Zhou Mo wasn't in a good mood.

Since interacting with Yu Xi, Zhou Mo has found that her ability to see through people's hearts seems to have improved. She understands perfectly the meaning behind her classmate's hesitant expression.

"Ask whatever you want to know."

"Momo..."

"This is a one-time exclusive, just for you."

Seeing that Zhou Mo was still in the mood to joke, her deskmate was relieved. "Mo Mo, I heard from others that you fought with them? You stepped on one and grabbed another, beating them to a pulp. You even told the dormitory supervisor that if she continued to help the evildoers, she would beat her up next time."

Even though Zhou Mo was exhausted, she straightened up after hearing this. "Who said that?"

"...Is it fake?"

When Zhou Mo saw the rather regretful expression on her deskmate's face, her calm expression cracked. "I'm quite well-developed, but I haven't mutated yet, so I probably can't lift up a girl my age."

"Then step on it?"

"Fighting will land you in the police station."

Desk mate: "Huh?"

Zhou Mo couldn't help but reach out and tap her deskmate's head. "And I call you the know-it-all, but you can't even tell the difference between this fake news and real information. Next time I ask you for gossip, I'd better be more careful."

However, her statement that Yu Xi is a mad dog is 100% credible.

"No, the way you were in the classroom that day was really impressive. When I heard them say that, I thought it was super cool of you to do that."

Zhou Mo gave a fake laugh, "It's your birthday this year, so I'll buy you two law books to brush up on your studies."

Her deskmate let out a wail and clung to Zhou Mo's shoulder, like a monkey climbing on her, "No, no, Mo Mo wouldn't be so cruel."

Zhou Mo: "Mo Mo would definitely be that cruel. I'm Zhou Mo's most ruthless one now."

Zhou Mo's deskmate clung to her and whined, but Zhou Mo let her be and continued working on the questions she had gotten wrong in the previous lesson.

Suddenly, she heard a silence around her. She looked at her deskmate with some confusion, only to see a familiar face.

Zhou Mo's smile hadn't even fully formed when she saw Qi Xiao's undisguised injuries and turned to shock and concern. She quickly got up and went to Qi Xiao's side, "What's wrong? Xiao Xiao."

Qi Xiao forced a smile; she dared not make any large expressions, for fear of aggravating the wound on her face.

"I'm fine."

Zhou Mo could tell that Qi Xiao didn't want to talk much, so she didn't press her for details. Instead, she took Qi Xiao's arm and followed her back to her seat.

The teachers had to go to a meeting next period, so it turned into a self-study period for writing tests.

Zhou Mo switched seats with Qi Xiao's deskmate and sat next to Qi Xiao to keep her company.

Qi Xiao thought Zhou Mo would definitely ask her why she had become like this, but a self-study class passed and Zhou Mo didn't ask. Their conversations were limited to which chapter the teacher had recently reviewed, and at this time Zhou Mo would place her well-organized notes in front of Qi Xiao.

Zhou Mo's thoughtful care made Qi Xiao feel a pang of sadness and even more guilty.

"I'm sorry, Zhou Mo."

Zhou Mo looked at Qi Xiao with confusion, seemingly not understanding why he was apologizing for no reason.

Qi Xiao lowered her head, tears falling in a steady stream onto her school uniform pants.

"I'm sorry, I gave your photo to the third thief. I was actually very scared before coming to school today. I was scared to see you, but I was also scared not to see you."

Zhou Mo then remembered that when Thief Lao San came to find her that day, he did indeed have a photo to compare. At the time, she thought it was one of the girls from the dormitory who were causing trouble, but Thief Lao San denied it, so she forgot about the photo.

Was it actually given to me by Qi Xiao?

It would be a lie for Zhou Mo to say she didn't care. Qi Xiao was a friend she made during the most difficult time of her life, and the feeling of being betrayed by a friend is very painful.

Zhou Mo is usually very tactful, but at this moment she doesn't want to say anything.

I don't even want to ask why.

"Zhou Mo, aren't you going to ask me why?"

"Do you want me to ask you why you did something wrong?"

Qi Xiao was taken aback. She thought Zhou Mo would scold her, turn around and leave, or question her angrily, but none of the things she imagined happened. Zhou Mo just looked at her calmly and said something that made her feel even more ashamed.

"I...I have my reasons."

Looking at Qi Xiao's hesitant and embarrassed expression, Zhou Mo suddenly had a thought: Could it be that the good student's boyfriend of the third thief is Qi Xiao?

"That third thief forced me..."

"Alright," Zhou Mo interrupted Qi Xiao, "you don't need to say anything more."

"Zhou Mo?"

Zhou Mo said calmly, "The teacher has been covering a lot of material lately, and you're coming to school so late. You should make the most of your time to study."

Qi Xiao hadn't expected Zhou Mo to say that. She opened her mouth, but swallowed back all her words, nodded silently, and began to copy Zhou Mo's notes.

Zhou Mo was actually very flustered and subconsciously wanted to postpone things, which was something her father and mother always taught her.

Do today's work today; constantly running away will only make things worse.

But although running away is shameful, sometimes it really works.

If something is destined to become unpleasant once it begins, then start it a little later and steal a bit of happiness.

Ultimately, no matter how mature Zhou Mo may seem, she is still just a half-grown child. Having lost the protection of her parents, she has a lot to learn and a lot to figure out.

After the self-study period, Zhou Mo changed back to her seat, and she didn't speak to Qi Xiao again until school was over.

Her deskmate sensed the atmosphere between the two, but she didn't know what to say.

After school, Zhou Mo subconsciously walked out of the school gate. By the time she realized she was on the way home again, she was already some distance from the school.

She didn't want to go back, but she didn't know where to go.

Wandering around, I ended up in Yu Xi's courtyard.

Because Yu Xi was injured and Zhang Xing was taking care of her, she stayed here for two days. During those two days, she communicated with Zhang Xing more than with Yu Xi.

In the stillness of the night, she asked herself this question.

Should we really choose Yu Xi as the head of the family?

Is there really a reason to choose Yu Xi as the head of the family?

Does Yu Xi really resemble her family members?

Zhou Mo stood at the entrance of the courtyard for a long time without going in.

Perhaps this is an opportunity? Isn't the difference between having family and being alone simply the difference between two people finding a solution and one person finding a solution?

Zhou Mo thought to herself, "I'll treat this as a test for my family."

Just as she was about to reach out to push the door open, it was opened from the inside. The person who opened the door was none other than Yu Xi, whom she had just been thinking about dozens of times.

Yu Xi wasn't too surprised to see Zhou Mo. He turned to the side and asked, "You're back?" Judging from their tone alone, others would think they were very familiar with each other, but in fact, they weren't.

"Um."

My mind was racing, but my words were always honest.

Zhou Mo wiped Yu Xi's body as she walked into the yard. Zhang Xing was watering the flowers with a watering can. He didn't even look up. "Did you buy them?"

What to buy?

Zhang Xing was startled when he heard Zhou Mo's voice, and the kettle in his hand trembled.

"You're back?"

Although it was the same thing, Zhou Mo could tell from Zhang Xing's tone that he wasn't welcoming her. Zhou Mo was a little unhappy. Yu Xi wasn't unwelcoming, so why shouldn't Zhang Xing welcome her back?

Zhou Mo only replied with an extremely cold "Mm".

Yu Xi noticed Zhou Mo's differential treatment. He crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame, a slight smile playing on his lips. "The head of the family is back. If you want to order me around, you'll have to ask her first."