Chapter Thirty-Nine

"Let's go."

Yu Xi pushed Zhou Mo away, and Zhou Mo snapped out of her reverie. She tried to go forward again, but Yu Xi stopped her with her hand. "Let's go, Zhou Mo."

Zhou Mo met Yu Xi's unwavering gaze and instantly understood what he was thinking.

"Yu Xi".

“Let’s go, Zhou Mo.” Yu Xi shifted her gaze to the small patch of light on the ground. In the pitch black, only this patch of land was special. Anything lurking in the darkness had nowhere to hide in front of it, turning into a menacing shadow. “I put the admission notice behind the painting in the third disposal room. There’s a compartment there with some trinkets inside. They’re worthless and not very interesting. You can take them if you want, or throw them away if you don’t.”

The factory fell silent.

Yu Xi didn't look up at Zhou Mo again, but turned and walked deeper into the factory. He didn't like the dark. From childhood to adulthood, he had been locked in all sorts of rooms. Once, a small ray of light leaked into his palm, but before he could touch it and feel its warmth, it was ruthlessly shut off.

Later, all the visible constraints and shackles disappeared, and he was able to stand openly in the sunlight.

But this sunlight is not the light I lost.

"Yu Xi, you idiot."

Before Yu Xi could react, Zhou Mo had already walked up to him and punched him. Zhou Mo's stance was impressive, but she lacked experience. She didn't land the punch on Yu Xi's most sensitive spot, but it was enough to leave him stunned.

A dull ache ran down his cheek; he couldn't tell if it was the pain from the blow or if Zhou Mo's punch was truly that powerful.

Zhou Mo and Yu Xi have a height difference, but thankfully, she doesn't need to stand on tiptoe to grab Yu Xi's collar, otherwise it would be too unimpressive.

Zhou Mo was very angry, extremely angry, but also somewhat happy.

She pulled him down hard, and Yu Xi's body obediently arched, like a willing offering, waiting for the gods' favor.

"I have something to tell you. The admission notice you took was a photocopy." Zhou Mo saw Yu Xi's eyes widen and she smiled. "Also, it's true that Sun Zhe was tied up. I hit him on the back of the head with an iron bar. He bled and is unconscious. We don't know if he's dead or not."

Yu Xi disregarded everything else and dragged Zhou Mo inside. After walking a few steps, they saw Sun Zhe lying unconscious in a corner, with ropes tied around his body.

Yu Xi stepped forward to check the wounds and whether Sun Zhe was alive or dead.

Upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that Zhou Mo exaggerated. Sun Zhe did indeed have a brain hemorrhage, but the amount was small; at most, it was a concussion, not a fatal one.

He turned to look at Zhou Mo, who was standing with her hands behind her back, bathed in moonlight. She smiled and waved to Yu Xi, "Let's go home. Zhang Xing will handle everything."

The two walked side by side down the street. It was almost midnight, and there were hardly any people out and about. Zhou Mo wasn't walking properly; she was wobbling and occasionally spinning around. Yu Xi didn't tease her like before, but instead carefully watched over her to prevent her from bumping into the streetlights.

Did you see my phone at home?

"No."

Zhou Mo stamped her foot in frustration, "I have to buy a new one again."

"I'll buy it for you."

How was your day at school?

"Thrilling".

Zhou Mo nudged Yu Xi with her elbow, "I'm talking about school life; anything outside of school doesn't count."

Yu Xi, hands in her pockets, said, "I almost got caught dating by the homeroom teacher. Wasn't that thrilling enough?"

Zhou Mo unexpectedly met Yu Xi's bright eyes. He winked playfully, as if everything that had happened before had never existed—no arguments or fights, no scheming or blatant trust.

Zhou Mo mimicked Yu Xi's actions, winking at him, "Then you're in luck. I'm the hardest person to pursue in school."

"Are you hard to pursue?" Yu Xi asked in return.

Zhou Mo proudly raised her chin, "That's right. The person I like must be unique. The kids at school are all just kids, so arrogant and childish, they're not interesting at all."

Do you have plans to date in college?

Zhou Mo looked thoughtful, and Yu Xi felt a sudden tightness in her heart when she saw Zhou Mo thinking so seriously.

"you……"

"I've offended Sun Zhe, so his boss probably won't let me have much peace. Maybe after graduation, things will fall into place, and I'll meet the right people." Zhou Mo tugged at the drawstring of Yu Xi's hoodie inside her school uniform. "Just like us, we had no contact for over ten years, but we became family. I really believe in fate, and I also believe that anything is possible with effort."

"So everything I do is the best choice I can make when things are going my way."

This statement can be described as extremely arrogant.

Zhou Mo has never been stingy with her appreciation and belief in herself.

Although she occasionally reveals a bit of vulnerability and confusion, she never rejects these extra visitors who appear in her emotions.

Only through acceptance can we reshape ourselves.

Life seemed to have returned to normal, except for the occasional uninvited guest.

Zhang Xing looked more weathered than when he last came, and the loving gaze he gave Zhou Mo was gone, replaced by an inexplicable scrutiny.

Zhou Mo let him look at her without any hesitation. Zhang Xing remained silent for a long time before bringing up Sun Zhe's matter, "Zhou Mo, go apologize to him about this matter, and I will vouch for it. That will settle the matter."

Zhou Mo was not surprised at all. The fact that Sun Zhe would come to Ming'an City was enough to show that Zhang Xing's promise was nothing more than sand that would be blown away by the wind.

Therefore, she decided to treat everything Zhang Xing said as harmful gas, and just open the window to let it out whenever she heard it.

However, now is not the time to tear off the mask of civility. There are some things she needs to do gradually, and the final blow will surely be decisive.

"He kidnapped me in Ming'an City, and now he expects me to apologize? Uncle Zhang, do you think that's reasonable? Just like my dad's case, it was clearly not his fault, and he was framed even after he died, but just to protect the reputation of a rich man's daughter, my dad had to take the blame without being cleared up."

Seeing that Zhou Mo rarely brought up old matters, Zhang Xing assumed that Zhou Mo had long forgotten about them.

"That was just a temporary measure, and we have already done everything we could to suppress all the negative news about your father."

Zhou Mo sneered, "Then I'll tell everyone you're an idiot, but you're not. Even if everyone knows that, and I use methods to prevent everyone from mentioning that you're an idiot, everyone will still believe you're an idiot. So, are you an idiot? Of course not, it's just that in everyone's eyes, you are an idiot." She noticed Zhang Xing's unpleasant expression, her smile fading, and she adopted a pitiful look. "I understand the logic, and that's not how it works. I just often think, why am I so unlucky? Why did I lose everything?"

Seeing Zhou Mo's grief-stricken and ferocious expression, Zhang Xing's own unpleasant expression softened somewhat. He feigned comfort, "Mo Mo, you're still young. Many things in this society aren't simply black and white. Listen to your uncle, go apologize to Sun Zhe, and this matter will be over. Otherwise, when you go to university, Zhengyang will cause you trouble too."

Zhou Mo glanced at the clock in the living room; there were still three hours until Yu Xi got out of school.

Three hours should give her enough time to do some things.

"Okay, I'll listen to you, Uncle. Where is Sun Zhe?"

"Hospital."

On the way, Zhou Mo declined Zhang Xing's offer to accompany her and went to Sun Zhe's ward alone. She did not knock on the door, but pushed it open and went in. Inside, a nurse was changing Sun Zhe's dressing.

Just as Yu Xi guessed, Sun Zhe only suffered a severe concussion and was far from death.

When Sun Zhe saw Zhou Mo, he stared intently at her, his anger seeming to burn through her. The nurse didn't know the connection between the two, but she felt that the person who came in without knocking must have a special relationship with her.

The nurse had no intention of invading privacy; she changed the dressing and left.

Just as Sun Zhe was about to yell at Zhou Mo, Zhou Mo put a finger to her lips and said, "Shh."

"I didn't come here today to listen to your insults; I came here to hear your story."

"Listen to your mother!" Sun Zhe was so angry that he pulled the syringe out of the back of his hand, blood splattering out, but he didn't seem to notice. He walked barefoot to Zhou Mo and was about to punch her.

Zhou Mo wasn't going to stand there foolishly; she quickly took a step back.

Sun Zhe's punch missed, and the aftereffects of his concussion began to show. He struggled to maintain his balance, and his vision blurred.

Before coming in, Zhou Mo specifically asked Sun Zhe's attending physician about Sun Zhe's current physical condition.

She only acted so openly because she knew Sun Zhe was powerless; otherwise, she would have definitely used a different method.

"The way you are now makes me feel like I could knock you out again."

Sun Zhe grabbed onto a nearby cabinet to avoid falling. "That was because you attacked me from behind."

Zhou Mo glanced at the vase on the cabinet. Sun Zhe's vision gradually cleared, and following Zhou Mo's gaze, he also saw the vase. His heart tightened.

Zhou Mo smiled and said, "Just kidding. Look at you, getting impatient, aren't you?"

"Although I lied to you a bit at the factory, some things are still true."

Sun Zhe finally saw through Zhou Mo. She was a black-hearted woman, completely black inside. Anyone who got involved with her would be black for life.

Unable to win an argument or a fight, Sun Zhe simply stopped paying attention to Zhou Mo.

Zhou Mo didn't feel embarrassed at all. She pulled up a chair and sat down next to Sun Zhe, and began to ramble on: "I've heard some things recently. You used to work for He Ru and were on good terms with Qi Kai and Yu Xi. After Yu Xi broke off her friendship with Qi Kai, you went to work for Shawn Ke. But not long after, you left Ming An, married Zheng Yang, and came back looking like this, full of bitterness and resentment, as if you had been betrayed."

“But I find it strange that you spent your last days in Ming’an with Shawn, so why do you hate Qi Kai and Yu Xi so much? The last fight was the same; you didn’t involve Shawn at all.”

Sun Zhe: "You don't need to say any of that nonsense, I won't say anything."

"Go do whatever you want, don't disturb my peace and quiet."

Zhou Mo shook her head. "That won't do. I'm here to apologize. You know who sent me to apologize, right? Zhang Xing. Do you know him? He's the one who handled your hospital admission procedures. What's he like? Isn't he pretty cunning? You kidnapped me, but you still made me apologize to you. But since he said so, I'll do it."

Sun Zhe looked at Zhou Mo with a strange and shocked expression.

Why did he feel that Zhou Mo was even crazier than the last time they met?