As the sun began to set, the bus door opened with a heavy hiss, and a black-haired boy in dark blue jeans stepped off the bus, carrying a suitcase and a backpack. After taking a breath of the cool, fresh air of early autumn, he pulled his baseball cap down further without hesitation and walked straight ahead.
Chen Ge and his ilk are generally considered to follow the rules. For years, as long as they received money from him each month, they wouldn't bother Xiaoya's life. But when they get unreasonable, they really are. Just recently, after losing money at the card table, they didn't even think twice before taking their anger out on the siblings.
All these factors made Su Mo unable to trust their character, so to avoid any complications, he made a very low profile upon his return this time, trying his best not to disturb Brother Chen and the others.
After thinking all this through, Su Mo took even bigger steps.
Because the bus stop was some distance from their home, Su Mo didn't appear at the gate of his own yard until the setting sun had withdrawn its last rays and the lights of every household along the street had been turned on.
The courtyard gate wasn't closed, and almost as soon as he looked up, he saw his beloved little girl sitting at the eight-immortal table in the center of the hall, writing something earnestly under the bright incandescent light overhead.
Smelling the familiar aroma of home-cooked food wafting from the house, Su Mo's eyes even welled up with tears for a moment.
He blinked hard, trying to make sure his face didn't show any abnormality, then raised the corners of his mouth high and called out to the little girl who was concentrating on her homework inside the room, "Xiaoya!"
Upon hearing that familiar voice, the little girl sitting at the octagonal table trembled, then looked toward the door in disbelief.
The moment she saw the black-haired boy at the door, an uncontrollable joy rose on her pale face. Then, the thin, pale girl, like a joyful bird, rushed straight towards Su Mo at the door.
"elder brother!"
Her face flushed with excitement.
Seeing this, Su Mo quickly reached out and caught her, only to hear the little girl bombarding him with questions.
"Why are you back now? You seem to have lost weight again. Didn't I tell you to eat more while you're out alone? If you're even thinner next time you come back, I'm not going to talk to you anymore!"
The little girl pouted.
"Okay, okay..."
Su Mo ruffled the girl's soft, fine hair, which had grown to his shoulder height, with a hint of helplessness.
"What are you doing? Doing homework? Is high school coursework heavy? Can your body handle it?"
"Don't underestimate me! Look, these are the midterm exam papers that were just handed out today. I'm first in the class and third in the whole school!"
The little girl said with a smug look on her face.
"That's amazing?"
Su Mo quickly took the test paper from Su Ya's hand and looked at it carefully again and again.
Just then, a plump middle-aged woman who was busy in the kitchen heard the noise outside and hurriedly ran out to take a look. When she saw Su Mo, she couldn't hide the joy on her face.
"Oh, Xiao Mo's back! Why didn't you call my brother before you got back? I was thinking it'd just be Xiao Ya and me tonight, so I didn't cook anything. Maybe I should go out and buy some braised dishes and roast duck..."
"No need to bother, Aunt Liu. What do you want to eat? I'll just eat whatever I have. If there's not enough rice, I'll just make some noodles to tide me over."
Su Mo had to use a lot of persuasion to finally convince Aunt Liu to stop.
This Aunt Liu was hired by Su Mo from the town to take care of Xiao Ya. She usually rests here at night because Su Mo was worried that it wouldn't be safe for his little sister to live alone. Although he didn't pay her much, she took very good care of her. It was because of her that Su Mo didn't feel so worried when he was away from home.
By the time the three of them finished dinner, it was completely dark.
Because she was used to going to bed early, Aunt Liu went back to her room early.
The Su siblings were left looking at each other, their eyes reddening.
Just then, as if remembering something, Su Ya immediately brought out a tin box from her room, took out a red rope bell bracelet from it, and while she was about to tie it on Su Mo's right wrist, she complained with a heavy nasal voice, "You forgot the bracelet I made for you to keep you safe when you left last time. You're always like this, so forgetful, it makes me worry."
"sorry……"
Upon hearing those three words, Su Ya lowered her head, her eyes stinging even more.
If it weren't for her, how could someone as smart as her brother have only completed junior high school and then stopped, and even now he's doing this for her...
She has been dragging him down and holding him back. Now she's shamelessly using her brother's money to pay for high school. Xia Yang is right, someone like her doesn't deserve to live.
Su Mo, who immediately noticed his sister's unusual mood, was about to say something when he saw Su Ya suddenly raise her head, clench her small fists, and suggest, "Brother, let's not get treatment... I don't want to take the medicine anymore, a box of medicine is so expensive, I..."
Before she could finish speaking, Su Mo immediately stood up. "Did someone say something to you again?"
"No, no..."
Su Ya quickly waved her hand, and the next second she felt a large hand press down on her head, rubbing it vigorously. Su Mo, standing in front of her, half-squatted down, looking intently into his younger sister's eyes. "The illness definitely needs treatment. No matter what, your brother will do everything he can to cure you. Don't worry about the money. I... I met a very kind and generous employer in Qing City. Don't worry, I haven't done anything illegal or criminal. I'm cooking for her at her house now, and occasionally helping her with her appearance. You don't believe me? I'll find her picture for you right now. She's now the president of a listed company, Ningzhen Group. You've seen it in the news, right? That's what she founded..."
As he spoke, Su Mo flipped to a photo he had secretly taken after he had done Tang Ning's styling last time.
The woman in the photo, dressed in a black evening gown, is standing with her back to him. She has a shapely figure, her head is slightly tilted, and her long hair falls on her smooth, jade-like shoulders and back, making her back appear and disappear.
Upon seeing the photo, not only did Su Ya let out a small gasp, but Su Mo also couldn't help but catch his breath, and his heart skipped a beat.
He stared blankly at Tang Ning on his phone screen.
Almost simultaneously, Tang Ning, whose favorability towards Su Mo had increased a little more, watched her business partner at the dinner table, who was talking eloquently and endlessly, and the corners of her mouth maintained a slight upward curve.
But her hand reached under the table and directly touched her phone, sending a message to Su Mo.
While Su Mo was lost in thought, his face suddenly flushed slightly when he felt his phone vibrate, especially when the message notification showed the words "Sister Tang Ning".
He frantically opened the message immediately, only to realize that his sister was still sitting next to him. Su Mo quickly covered the phone screen with his hand and coughed lightly, "Alright, what are you looking at my message for? Have you finished your homework? You need to rest early, you can't stay up late, you know?"
"I finished it a long time ago..."
Suya protested.
"Once you're done, hurry up and brush your teeth and wash your face, then go to bed early so you don't feel dizzy again!"
Su Moyi said righteously.
Upon hearing this, Su Ya stuck her tongue out at him, but still obediently went to wash up.
Before leaving, she subconsciously glanced back and saw her brother holding her phone like it was a precious treasure. He then picked up his phone again and began typing with a slightly anxious and expectant expression.
She had never seen her brother look like this before.
He looks like he's chatting with someone he likes.
Startled by the description that suddenly popped into her head, Su Ya looked at Su Mo's profile again and confirmed that he looked exactly like her good friend Meng Shiqin, who was chatting with her new boyfriend from No. 2 High School on her phone. It was exactly the same.
Even her brother looked more anxious and nervous than she did.
Is my brother in a relationship?
Suya thought to herself incredulously.
After all, her brother has attracted a lot of attention from girls since he was a child because of his face, but he always has a stern face, as if everyone owes him a fortune. When a girl comes to confess her love, he acts like he's blind, as if he can't hear or see anything, and he can't even remember the girl's name. He's so clueless about romance that he doesn't know how many girls he's made cry. Her brother!
Suya never imagined that the feeling of being anxious and insecure would one day appear on her brother's face.
Yes, is her name Tang Ning? Sister... is that a relationship between an older woman and a younger man?
Forget it, she decided to stop thinking about it; she wouldn't come up with anything anyway. Whatever her brother liked, she knew she'd like too!
Having completely forgotten about the matter, Suya quickly went downstairs to wash up.
Su Mo, who had replied to Tang Ning's message but hadn't received a reply from her for a long time, stared at his phone until his eyes were almost sore, but he still didn't give up. He even read Tang Ning's question and his answer over and over again.
Sister Tang Ning: It's very late. Are you home yet? Did you see your sister? Is everything alright?
Su Mo: No, my sister is fine. I just got home. Thank you for your concern. Did you have dinner tonight?
And that was the end of it.
Tang Ning hadn't replied to him for a full ten minutes.
Su Mo's initial anxiety gradually turned into a faint sense of loss.
His slightly dim eyes suddenly brightened when he saw the words "The other party is typing..." again.
A short while later, he saw another message from Tang Ning.
Sister Tang Ning: It's good that you're alright. I'm eating out with my business partners right now, so I won't chat with you for the time being. I've been traveling all day, so get some rest. Goodnight.
Seeing this, Su Mo quickly replied.
Su Mo: You too, get some rest early, goodnight ^_^
Looking at Tang Ning's smiling face, her lips curled up even higher. Coming back to her senses, she heard someone call her name and ask her to say a few words. Tang Ning, who had been a top student since childhood, only paused slightly before immediately starting to speak in connection with the cooperation proposal.
On the other end, Su Mo held her phone, a slight smile playing on her lips.
At 12:30 pm the next day, Tang Ning, who had signed her name while sitting face to face with her business partner, saw the other party smiling broadly and extending his hand to her. She quickly reached out her hand and shook his.
"It's a pleasure doing business with you!"
In just one night and one morning, Tang Ning had already completed all the tasks she had undertaken on this trip, and even signed the contracts.
Tang Ning declined the guide arranged by her business partner and returned to her guesthouse with her staff. Seeing that it was still early, she changed into casual clothes and prepared to stroll around the town to Wenshan Mountain, which was not far away.
Her staff wanted to accompany her, but Tang Ning, who was in high spirits, refused them all.
Although it is early autumn, the scenery in Wenshan is already very beautiful. From a distance, many maple leaves have already begun to turn red.
But no one expected that as soon as Tang Ning left the guesthouse and walked just two blocks, large raindrops began to fall.
With a helpless expression, Tang Ning had no choice but to quickly go to the entrance of a nearby convenience store to take shelter from the rain, while wiping the raindrops off her body with a tissue.
Just then, a man wearing a black hoodie, his head completely covered by the hood, came out of the convenience store carrying a white plastic bag. Seeing the heavy rain outside, he plunged headfirst into the rain.
"Excuse me, sir, do you sell umbrellas here?"
The man had only run a few steps when he heard such a familiar voice. He immediately turned around in disbelief, and when he saw Tang Ning standing in front of the glass counter of the convenience store, smiling in profile and wearing a maple-colored knitted sweater, his eyes widened even more.
After Tang Ning bought the umbrella and thanked the shopkeeper, she turned around and walked to the door. She opened the umbrella and looked up to meet Su Mo, who was standing in the rain like a little fool.
Upon seeing him, a flash of surprise crossed Tang Ning's eyes, then she quickly grabbed an umbrella and rushed to his side, shielding him from the rain. Her face beaming with delight, she exclaimed, "Su Mo? What are you doing here? Could it be that your hometown is here? What a coincidence! I'm here to discuss a collaboration!"
Yeah, what a coincidence!
Even he didn't expect that the two of them would be so destined for each other!
He was so fortunate to have just heard Tang Ning's voice and seen her appearance that he even had the illusion that he was in a dream.
Especially when Tang Ning looked up at him just now, his heart was immediately thrown into chaos, and his mind was like a jumbled mess, completely disoriented.
Because he was too dazed, Su Mo didn't even ask Tang Ning where she was living, and instead took her directly back to his home.
It wasn't until he saw the astonished look in his younger sister's eyes that Su Mo finally realized what a stupid thing he had done.
For Su Ya, it was like her brother going out to buy a bottle of soy sauce and coming back with a pretty girl.
Girls!
How terrifying it is that a girl appears next to her brother!
Just as Su Mo was feeling awkward and unsure of what to do, Tang Ning, who had just put away her umbrella, looked at the adorable little girl sitting not far from her, munching on an apple, her eyes practically popping out of her head in surprise, and immediately burst out laughing.
"Su Mo, this must be your sister Su Ya, right? Hello, Su Ya, my name is Tang Ning."
Tang Ning!!!
Upon hearing this name, Su Ya's cat-like eyes widened even more instantly. "Sister Tang Ning? Sister Tang Ning!"
Realizing what was happening, Su Ya immediately rushed to Tang Ning, sweetly calling out "Sister!" "I know you, you're my brother's girlfriend, right? Sister Tang Ning, you're so beautiful and elegant! I've never seen a girl as pretty as you before. Why did you only arrive today? Where did you go last night? The hotel in town, those aren't clean places. If I had known you'd come last night, I should have had my brother bring you home. It's not safe for a girl to sleep outside alone..."
Before Su Mo could recover from the shock of being called "girlfriend," Su Ya had already started babbling on and on, and he couldn't stop her.
"Enough!"
Having personally witnessed a major social disaster, Su Mo couldn't control himself and shouted loudly with a flushed face.
Who would have thought that no sooner had he yelled than his usually delicate and frail sister rushed into Tang Ning's arms at lightning speed, hugging her waist with a look of fear on her face.
"Hmph, you're yelling at me, but I'm not afraid of you at all! I have Sister Tang Ning! Sister, come here, let me tell you, my brother has never been in a relationship before, and you are his first love. He's so innocent. Last night when he was texting you, he even chased you away so I wouldn't see it, but he was blushing and staring at his phone. He really likes you!"
Having his secret exposed once again, Su Mo no longer dared to look at Tang Ning's expression. The villain in his heart had completely collapsed, and his sister had even torn off his fig leaf...
He wondered, why did he bring Tang Ning home?
Why did you text Tang Ning yesterday behind his sister's back?
Why……
Why is that?
Is there anyone who can tell him?
Tang Ning, who knew without looking that Su Mo was currently in a state of extreme embarrassment, looked at him with some surprise as his favorability rating suddenly increased by two points, and raised an eyebrow.
Su Mo's current favorability rating: 65.
How should I put it?
Don't let my outward appearance of shame fool you; I'm actually quite happy inside.
Um?
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