In mid-September, half a month had passed since the start of the school year.
Wen Mo waited patiently at the school gate for Xia Lian to finish school as usual. Bored, he sat in the security room chatting with Uncle Zhang, glancing at the time on his phone every now and then.
After half a month, Xia Lian had adapted to school life. Wen Mo had even exchanged WeChat contacts with her two friends so they could contact each other in advance if anything came up.
Although that girl still doesn't talk much, with Yin Tao and Ye Qingzhou around, she probably won't feel too lonely.
"Why haven't they come out yet? It's been five minutes since school let out."
I peeked into the school gate but didn't see Xia Lian.
"Maybe they're cleaning today," Uncle Zhang said casually.
Wen Mo shook his head. He knew Xia Lian's seat number. It wasn't her turn to clean today; she was probably held up by something.
Just as he was about to go directly to Xia Lian's class to find her, his phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket.
A phone call came in.
Wen Mo glanced at it and answered the call directly.
"Hello?"
"Guess who I am~" A playful female voice came from the other end of the phone.
“I have saved your WeChat call in my contacts.”
"Ahem... Sorry, I forgot, hehe." Yin Tao scratched her head awkwardly. "President, I have something to tell you. Could Xiao Lian, Qing Zhou, and I go out to dinner together tonight?"
Upon hearing this, Wen Mo suddenly realized why he hadn't seen Xia Lian. It turned out that she had been kidnapped by that girl Yin Tao and was probably already at some restaurant.
"Did you guys leave the school?"
"We left early. Our last class today is PE, so we'll leave right after that."
"No wonder..."
Wen Mo had no objections, especially since Ye Qingzhou was there to protect them, so there shouldn't be any safety concerns.
After giving a brief explanation, Wen Mo hung up the phone.
During this time, Xia Lian's somewhat unwilling voice could still be heard, but when she heard Wen Mo's comforting words, she immediately nodded obediently.
This prompted Yin Tao, who was watching from the side, to roll her eyes. Why did this girl have to be so selective about who she was dealing with?
"Alright, Uncle Zhang, I'm leaving now."
After saying goodbye to Uncle Zhang, Wen Mo put his phone back in his pocket, stretched, got up, and left the security room, heading towards home.
As dusk approached, Wenmo, who had originally intended to go straight home, hesitated and stopped.
If Xia Lian isn't here, wouldn't he be all alone at home?
If it were before, he wouldn't have felt anything, but since Xia Lian came, Wen Mo has changed a lot and has gotten used to having someone at home to talk and chat with.
I feel inexplicably empty inside.
Was I really that dramatic before?
He felt like slapping himself.
Wen Mo felt a little disgusted. He had never felt so bad about being home alone before, but now that Xia Lianren was gone, he felt lonely.
Shaking his head in frustration, he put aside all other thoughts and seriously considered where to eat next. He didn't want to go back to that empty house now.
Until a brilliant idea flashed into his mind, Wenmo thought of a good place to freeload a meal.
...
The sound of a lock being opened came from the keyhole of the front door. Wen Yiquan, who was sitting in the living room, didn't even look up, assuming that his wife had come home.
The person standing behind the door surprised him for a moment.
"Why is it you?"
"What, is this what you say when your own son comes home? You don't welcome me at all." Wen Mo closed the door speechlessly, skillfully found his slippers on the shoe rack, and casually tossed his schoolbag onto the sofa.
The best place to freeload a meal is still home, except it's not his and Xia Lian's little nest, but the home Wen Mo used to live in for almost ten years.
The last time I came back was during the summer vacation in July. Touching the familiar texture of the sofa, I felt a little nostalgic for the feeling of home.
"Why did you come back so readily this time?" Wen Yiquan joked.
The old man appeared calm on the surface, but he was actually glancing at his son who had just returned home from time to time.
It's no wonder he said such a thing. Usually, Wen Mo rarely goes home except when his mother calls him to come home. This has been the case ever since he started living alone.
"I miss you and my mom."
"Speak normally, or I'd rather you think you're just here to freeload."
"You guessed right! You're amazing!" Wen Mo gave a thumbs up.
I got up and walked around my old bedroom twice. The bed and desk were still there, perfectly clean, without a speck of dust. My mom must have kept them spotless.
"Dad, where's Mom?"
I wandered around the house for a while, but I didn't see her.
"She went out to buy groceries and will be back in a while."
"So they haven't even started cooking yet? I'm starving..." Wen Mo rolled around on the bed like a madman for a while before stopping.
"What's the rush? You won't starve if you wait a little longer." Wen Yiquan pouted irritably, putting down his phone as he did so. "Why are you alone? Didn't you bring Xiaolian with you when you came back for dinner?"
"She had something to do tonight and was taken out to dinner by a friend, so she couldn't come."
"Oh, I see. That girl has actually made friends now. That's great!" Wen Yiquan smiled with some surprise.
Seeing his reaction, Wenmo knew that his father knew more or less about his cousin's past.
Thinking of this, Wen Mo jumped off the bed and plopped down next to Wen Yiquan.
"Dad, stop playing on your phone, I have something I want to ask you."
Seeing his serious expression, Wen Yiquan frowned and casually asked, "What's wrong? Why are you so serious? What trouble have you gotten into this time?"
"I just want to ask about Xiaolian's past life, or what she went through in the past."
This was the second thing he wanted to do when he came home this time. Besides getting a free meal, he also wanted to learn more about Xia Lian's past.
"She didn't tell you?"
“I asked her if something had happened at home, but she seemed reluctant to tell me, and I don’t understand why.”
Wen Mo currently only knows that Xia Lian had suffered severe bullying, which is why he gave a speech on "Preventing School Bullying" before.
"Also, Xiaolian often tells me about her relationship with her mother."
Wen Mo had always wondered if Xia Lian's parents had abused her, but every time her cousin talked about her mother, she had a nostalgic look on her face, so she must have had a good relationship with her mother.
"Since she doesn't want to tell you, then I certainly can't tell you either, otherwise wouldn't I, as an elder, become a big mouth and a bad person?" Wen Yiquan said calmly, reaching out to pick up a cup of tea from the coffee table and savoring it.
"Tsk, you're still concerned about saving face."
Wen Mo retorted sarcastically, though he somewhat agreed with his father's words.
"It wouldn't hurt to reveal just a little bit, like about her father, and..."
Before he could finish speaking, Wen Yiquan snorted, as if he had a strong prejudice against the word "her father," and finally slowly said:
"That girl doesn't have a father."
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