A week has passed, and there is still no news of Lu Xiaoyou.
Huo Junyang was young and quickly put the matter behind him, while Huo Junyu, like his parents, had been preoccupied these days.
He was distracted in class for the first time and failed to answer the teacher's question, which led to him being laughed at by a few troublemakers.
He wanted to ask his parents where Xiaoyouzi was, but seeing their grim faces, he swallowed his words.
Every time Mom talks to Aunt Yuqing on the phone, she cries, while Dad is restless and anxious. Uncle Fanghan always comes in a hurry and then rushes out again.
Even Aunt Cen sighed deeply, saying that the food she cooked wasn't as delicious as it used to be.
Huo Junyu quietly entered the study—he had his own small study, his own private space. He opened the drawer of his desk, and deep inside was a photo of him holding Xiaoyouzi.
That photo was taken on Xiaoyouzi's first birthday.
The little girl had just learned to stand and walk, and was full of curiosity about the world. However, because she was unsteady on her feet, she could fall at any moment. So she walked in front of him, stumbling and staggering, and Huo Junyu followed closely behind to protect her.
There were pebbles in the garden. Lu Xiaoyou slipped and fell. Huo Junyu rushed out and lay down on the ground before she fell, and then the little girl landed steadily in his arms.
Lu Xiaoyou thought her brother was playing with her and laughed happily.
Huo Junyu, however, suffered a scrape on his arm.
But seeing her laughing so happily, he couldn't help but laugh too.
The photographer captured this photo at that moment.
Huo Junyu remembered that evening was exceptionally beautiful, with the sunset glow filling the entire sky and large clusters of clouds tinged with gold and pink. There was a quiet private road in front of the Lu family's house. He held Xiaoyouzi's hand and stood at the end of that road, looking at the sky and clouds. A warm breeze blew by, and cherry blossom petals fluttered down on them.
Little Yuzu wore a pink tulle dress, looking as exquisite as a real princess.
Huo Junyu squatted down, pinched her chubby little face, and asked her with a smile, "When it's your birthday next year, I'll take you to Southeast Asia to catch fireflies, okay?"
Little Yuzi didn't know where Nanyang was, but when she heard about fireflies, she clapped her hands and danced excitedly.
...
Huo Junyu sighed, put the photo back, and placed two books on top of it.
"Brother, brother!" Huo Junyang's knocking sounded from outside.
"Come in."
"Brother, something bad has happened!" Xiao Junyang gasped for breath.
Huo Junyu frowned, remaining remarkably calm like a little adult.
"What's wrong and you're so flustered? Didn't Dad teach us that even if something terrible happens, we shouldn't panic, but speak slowly and calmly?"
Huo Junyang swallowed hard and said with difficulty, "I heard my parents say... Xiaoyouzi is dead."
Huo Junyu only felt a buzzing sound in his ears.
He had a very vague memory of what happened after that, only vaguely remembering that during that time, all he could hear was crying, and that he could see Xiaoyouzi's innocent and tender face whenever he closed his eyes.
As he grew older, he finally understood what had happened: Lu Xiaoyou's kidnapping was indeed committed by someone he knew.
Some relatives, jealous of Lu Lishan's wealth and his better life than theirs, secretly contacted his old enemies and kidnapped his daughter.
Initially, this group of people only wanted to extort money.
But those enemies were all desperate criminals; they weren't after the money, but rather wanted to make Lu Lishan suffer.
So they planned to kill the hostage. Fearing the situation would escalate, the relatives took Lu Xiaoyou and fled by boat overnight, hoping to avoid the storm in another city. Unexpectedly, a typhoon hit at sea, and the small passenger ship capsized in the middle of the sea after rocking precariously for a while. Of the fifty-odd people on board, only five survived...
That relative escaped the shipwreck but was sentenced to death.
Little Yuzu is gone forever.
Sometimes Huo Junyu would go to the beach alone after school, sit on the sand, look at the boundless sea, and wonder if Xiaoyouzi was really sleeping in the sea.
He had read the story of the Little Mermaid, so could Little Yuzu be picked up by the King of the Sea and become a Little Mermaid Princess?
Huo Junyu smiled, then his lips drooped, and a trace of sadness flashed across his youthful face.
He was planning to take Xiaoyouzi to Southeast Asia for her birthday next year, but how did she end up sleeping alone at the bottom of the sea?
Will she be cold? Will she be scared?
Will he still remember his older brother?
Huo Junyu lowered his head, and crystal tears fell down his cheeks, scattering in the air as the wind blew them away.
...
Many years have passed, and the little boy who was by the sea has grown into a man, but his habit of looking at the sea has not changed.
"Young Master, it's getting late, you should head back now."
Huo Junyu was taken aback. He looked up at Fang Han, then glanced reluctantly at the sunset over the sea before slowly getting up and following him back.
He walked behind Fang Han and saw his back. In his memory, Uncle Han was agile and nimble, but time waits for no one. Now, even his straight back was slightly hunched.
"Uncle Han, actually I haven't seen enough yet..." Huo Junyu kicked at pebbles as he walked, "Why are you in such a hurry for me to go back?"
"Your husband and wife have gone home, and the whole family is waiting for you to eat!" Fang Han smiled helplessly. "You're such a playful child!"
Huo Junyu shrugged and asked him again, "Uncle Han, do you believe in mermaids?"
"What mermaid?"
"In fairy tales, there's a mermaid princess who saved a prince, but later, in order to become human, she traded her voice with a witch, and then..."
“My young master!” Fang Han frowned. “You’re not young anymore, you’re twenty-six this year. How can you still have such strange ideas? When your father was twenty-six, he was already in charge of the Huo family!”
Huo Junyu made a face at his back and stuck out his tongue.
Just as he was about to sneak away, Fang Han, with quick eyes and hands, grabbed him and pulled him back!
"Young Master, don't cause me any more trouble! Hurry back, the master and mistress are waiting!"
Helpless, Huo Junyu saw that he was surrounded by bodyguards and could not gain any advantage, so he could only obediently get into the car.
As soon as he got home, he saw Huo Junyang playing games on the sofa and winking at him.
Huo Zhixing and Jiang Can looked serious, and the whole house seemed to be shrouded in a low-pressure atmosphere.
Huo Junyu tugged at his collar and let out a long sigh.
"So you actually know how to come back?" Huo Zhixing spoke first.
Huo Junyu was a little confused. Didn't you guys ask Fang Han to drag me back?
"Explain this to me, what is this thing?!"
Huo Zhixing slammed his hand on the table, nearly knocking the game console out of Huo Junyang's hand.
Huo Junyu glanced at the iPad that had lit up on the table; an entertainment news item stood out prominently—
Is a crow about to become a phoenix? An obscure young model was photographed late at night with the eldest son of the Huo family!
Huo Junyu curled his lips into a roguish smile.
"I don't know this woman at all. She was at the Yufeng Media annual meeting last time..."
"Are you still trying to deny it?" Huo Zhixing's face darkened, and he asked him seriously, "How many times has this happened this year? You always change the person you're talking about. Do you really want to be a spoiled brat?!"
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