Chapter Fourteen

After saying this, Yu Xi waited for Zhou Mo's reaction, waiting for her to get angry and question him, waiting for her to glare at him and leave, waiting for the house to return to being his alone.

But nothing he was waiting for happened.

Zhou Mo remained seated beside him, her expression unchanged. "A person's heart can't be full from the start. If you expect to be completely filled with me after our first meeting, I might as well buy a lottery ticket; the odds are probably higher that way."

Yu Xi frowned slightly, then quickly relaxed. "You've already thought it all out yourself, but you're waiting for me to speak. Zhou Mo, do you really want to chat with me?"

"Yu Xi, you'd better stay this way and not change."

Zhou Mo left with an ambiguous sentence, turned around, picked up her schoolbag, and looked like she was about to leave. Yu Xi was stunned for a moment, her body rising and falling slightly as Zhou Mo left. "You're leaving?"

“I can’t feel at ease living with you without Zhang Xing here.”

Yu Xi's confusion deepened. Her body, which had only been slightly undulating just moments before, suddenly stood up abruptly. In the warm-colored room, Yu Xi's blue stood out starkly, while Zhou Mo's warm yellow coat blended in perfectly.

"You don't trust me? Ha, Zhou Mo, what are you joking about? You're the one who said we were family, you're the one who tricked me into talking, you're the one who told me the truth and I didn't want to hear it, and yet I'm the one left here?

Zhou Mo saw with her own eyes that Yu Xi's eyes were red, and her gaze seemed to be accusing a heartless man.

Zhou Mo stood there staring blankly, without making any comment.

Yu Xi is right. She is unhappy to hear the truth. What she wants is the comfort her parents gave her in the past, the sense of obedience to being led down a different path, instead of laying everything bare in front of her, throwing it all at her without regard for her feelings, and making her a person who can abandon others.

Zhou Mo was spoiled.

She knew she wasn't that good, but she wished she always was.

But now, after seeing Yu Xi like this, Zhou Mo changed her mind, and Yu Xi became another path for her family.

In Zhou Mo's heart, there is a piece of the puzzle called Yu Xi.

There are still many parts of this puzzle that haven't been lit up yet. She wants to piece it together completely and light up a person named Yu Xi.

"I thought you wouldn't care about these things. After all, when we first met, you didn't even care about life and death. So now, in your eyes, is my existence more important than your life and death?"

Of course not.

"Of course not."

The voice in Zhou Mo's heart overlapped with Yu Xi's voice. At this moment, Zhou Mo saw Yu Xi's true nature: an awkward child.

A child troubled by emotions.

Yu Xi turned his head away; he didn't want to look at Zhou Mo anymore. "Whatever."

Zhou Mo put the schoolbag back on the table, then sat back in the chair, resting her hands on the wooden chair frame, and smiled mischievously. "I was just about to put the schoolbag by the door when I heard you talking, so I wanted to tease you."

"Just like when you teased me before, what's wrong? Is it not allowed? You seem very angry, Yu Xi."

"We said we'd be family, so we're family. Don't you joke around with your family?"

Yu Xi has no family and doesn't know that family members joke like that. Does that mean the things he did with others before were things that only family members would do?

Was it because of some things he 'shouldn't have done' in the past that Zhou Mo had the idea of ​​becoming his family?

Was it because of him?

"I have no idea."

Unbeknownst to Yu Xi, Zhou Mo had already captivated her emotions.

Zhou Mo rested her chin on her hand, waiting patiently. She might not know Yu Xi well in other aspects, but under the guise of family, Yu Xi was quite naked.

How despicable, Zhou Mo.

Zhou Mo's smile deepened. "It's okay. We're a new family, so we need to adjust to each other. Take it slow. If you don't understand something, just ask me. As the head of the family, I can explain all the little things at home."

Yu Xi looked up at Zhou Mo, who had already put on a serious expression, looking every bit the head of the household.

Among those chaotic memories, Yu Xi picked and chose, and finally found a scene about the head of another family in the winter when she was twelve years old.

"Does the head of the household let family members ride on his shoulders to play?"

Zhou Mo was taken aback, then she took a big step back and looked at Yu Xi warily.

"If you were a newborn, you might have this privilege, but now, don't even think about it."

This was clearly an absurd statement. If anyone else had said it, Zhou Mo would probably have just rolled her eyes at them. But because of Yu Xi, because it was a topic about family, Zhou Mo had no doubt that if she said it was possible, Yu Xi would have made her try it on the spot.

"Just kidding, oops." Yu Xi made a face at the last minute, then laughed and went into her bedroom. "Goodnight, head of the household."

Yes, besides being that awkward child, Yu Xi is also a smart enough adult male.

Zhou Mo didn't care that she always ignored Yu Xi's real age; she just wanted to see the side of Yu Xi that she wanted to see.

As for the rest, Yu Xi didn't care, and neither did Zhou Mo.

They were just two people who became family later in life.

That's all... Zhou Mo repeated the word to herself in her mind. It was such a hurtful word.

It doesn't matter.

Zhang Xing was gone for a week, and Zhou Mo felt a little worried. She could roughly guess what Zhang Xing was doing, but she could only wait until she was informed of the next development.

After school this week, Zhou Mo would come back to Yu Xi's house to stay. The two of them would often bicker and argue. Although their family situation was different from that of a normal family, some people who didn't know the situation already thought they were siblings.

Why am I the younger sister?

Yu Xi held the vegetable basket in one hand and gestured her height with the other.

Zhou Mo is not actually short. She ate well when she was young, and her parents also paid attention to nutrition when she grew up. She is considered tall for a girl. She is 1.7 meters tall without shoes, and about 1.73 meters tall with shoes.

But Yu Xi's height was really outstanding; she estimated it to be over 1.87 meters.

"This is not the fundamental reason for the difference between siblings."

Yu Xi found it quite amusing to see Zhou Mo trying so hard to straighten her back, yet still stubbornly insisting it wasn't due to her height. He quietly turned his head away and chuckled to himself.

Zhou Mo, with her sharp eyes, immediately noticed Yu Xi's subtle actions.

"What are you doing?"

"It means you look young."

"..." Although it was a kind remark, Zhou Mo felt awkward listening to it. It wasn't that she was obsessed with the terms "brother" and "sister," but she didn't want to lose face in front of Yu Xi.

"Momo?"

Zhou Mo looked in the direction of the sound and saw Qi Xiao wearing a white dress, carrying a fruit basket, looking at her with surprise. "Mo... Zhou Mo, why are you with him?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Xi stepped forward, casually placing a hand on Zhou Mo's shoulder, and said, "Isn't this Qi Kai's sister?"

Zhou Mo nudged Yu Xi with her elbow, signaling him to shut up. Yu Xi felt a sharp pain in his chest from the nudge, but under Zhou Mo's warning gaze, he obediently shut his mouth.

Seeing the interaction between the two, Qi Xiao hesitated, then looked back twice. Zhou Mo followed her gaze. People were coming and going around them, but there was no one suspicious. Qi Xiao turned around at this moment and, seeing no one, seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "Zhou Mo, could you come with me for a moment? I have something to tell you."

As he spoke, Qi Xiao frequently glanced at Yu Xi.

Zhou Mo: "Say what you have to say here." She remembered what her deskmate had said. Judging from Qi Xiao's appearance just now, her family member, Qi Kai, was probably nearby. Although she didn't know what Qi Kai's personality was like, Zhou Mo had already formed an image of a fierce and domineering older brother based on other people's descriptions.

Qi Xiao wanted to continue persuading Zhou Mo to speak with her alone when a strange man's voice suddenly came from behind her. Startled, Qi Xiao immediately turned around and smiled. After turning around, she found that it was just a stranger passing by. Qi Xiao didn't care about anything else at this time. She quickly walked to Zhou Mo's side and reached out to pull Zhou Mo away from Yu Xi's touch.

“Zhou Mo, Yu Xi is not a good person. Stay away from him. He is dangerous. Don’t be with him. If you like this type, I can help you, but don’t go looking for him.”

Before Qi could finish his joke, Zhou Mo brushed his hand away. She was stunned for a moment, "Mo Mo."

"I think I heard your brother calling you."

Upon hearing this, Qi Xiao immediately turned around and began searching for Qi Kai. When she realized something was wrong, she turned back to look for Zhou Mo, only to see Zhou Mo and Yu Xi leaving.

"week……"

"Who are you calling?"

Qi Xiao stiffened as the man behind her took the fruit basket from her hands and placed a hand on her shoulder, pressing down lightly. "Hmm? Speak."

"Nobody, I just remembered that I haven't finished the test paper that was given out on Friday."

Qi Kai looked down at his younger sister, seemingly oblivious to her uncontrollable trembling. He put his arm around her shoulder and turned to walk towards the black car parked nearby. "Let's go, Grandpa is still waiting at the hospital."

Qi Xiao obediently got into the car.

Zhou Mo and Yu Xi, standing at the corner not far away, could see this scene clearly.

Yu Xi leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, one leg straight and the other bent and placed on the wall. "I thought you would be like the female lead in a TV drama, stepping forward to push him away and save your friend."

"Weren't you and Qi Kai friends before?"

Yu Xi tilted her head. "So?"

"What kind of good person is Qi Kai? What if he beats me up if I rush forward?"

Yu Xi was amused by Zhou Mo's words, "You mean I would just stand by and do nothing? Zhou Mo, you were awful just now too."

“She made me get scared by the third thief, so I'll scare her back, and then we'll be even.”

Yu Xi's smile gradually faded. "Head of the family, do you really want to get involved in this mess?"

"There's no need, Zhou Mo."

"You'd be better off being a little more naive; that would win you the heart of the head of the household." Zhou Mo turned and walked towards home.

Yu Xi used his back to spring up off the wall. He followed behind Zhou Mo and said, "Little sister, you'd better be obedient to win your brother's favor. Otherwise, who will protect you next time you get beaten up?"

Zhou Mo turned around and grinned at Yu Xi, "I still have Uncle Zhang."