What Elder He said felt to Xiao Shu like overturning a five-flavor bottle, bringing forth a rush of sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy sensations all at once. It wasn't for any other reason than the fact that Li Xiaohao was her inseverable kin, and both Yingzi and Xing'er were the people she loved most in the world.

If Li Xiaohao had been alone, perhaps the two brothers would never have come together, maybe never exchanging two words in this lifetime. But with Yingzi and Xing'er involved, things were different; no matter what, Xiao Shu had to keep them happy, give them someone to lean on, let them feel the warmth of a family. Though he couldn't dote on them like a husband or father, he could be a proper uncle, pouring all his affection onto these two people who didn't truly belong to him. This realization made it impossible for him to grit his teeth and hate Li Xiaohao; his resolve simply wouldn't harden.

"Don't cry, I'm really fine!" Elder He patted Xiao Shu's hand to comfort her. "If you still want to do something for us, go find Xiaoyu. I can sense it; ever since we parted ways at the hospital that day, Xiaohui's heart hasn't settled. She worries constantly about her brother, about Xiaoyu's safety. I want to help her, but right now, she's the one who can help me, so I have to ask you for this favor."

Xiao Shu let out a deep sigh and spoke softly, "I was already going to look for him, but I ran into some trouble on the way. Li Xiaohao, Zhang Yuqiu, and Hou Dayong insisted I return here, saying that Xiaoyu's sister and Xing'er wanted to see me..."

"Heh, that's partly true. Xiaohui really wants to see you. But she wants you and Xiaoyu to return safe and sound together..." Before Elder He could finish his sentence, something in Xiao Shu's mind was struck again, and she slumped onto Elder He's lap, sobbing brokenly.

At that very moment, someone pushed aside the curtain at the door and stepped in, saying, "Your crying can be heard five li away."

Xiao Shu and Xiaohui looked up, and the person entering was none other than the long-lost Wang Jue. He was dressed like a wanderer of the jianghu—patched, patched denim jeans and a denim jacket so short it threatened to expose his navel. Fortunately, he was wearing a bright red T-shirt underneath, otherwise his six-pack abs and belly button would surely have been completely visible.

Before Xiao Shu could even ask how he had been during this time, he preempted her with a scolding, "Do you have any idea how awful your crying sounds? It’s like a violin with slack strings, music forced out, both grating and coarse. I walked past five whole streets just to find the source of that noise! Turns out it was you! I should have used my sonar recorder to tape that crying session and play it back for you—then you’d remember for the rest of your life how terrible your own crying sounds."

Listening to Wang Jue’s tirade, Xiao Shu's face flushed and paled in turn. Her sorrow completely vanished, replaced by a sudden wish to find a piece of adhesive large enough to seal that mouth shut.

However, Elder He remained the clearest-headed. Though he couldn't see, he could vaguely distinguish the speaker as a friend he hadn't seen in ages. "Where have you been all this time?"

Hearing Elder He speak to him, Wang Jue turned his head and finally noticed that the upper half of the elder's head was bandaged like a mummy. He walked closer gently, carefully examining the gauze that was sunken inward from the outside, and said softly, "I originally thought the police would be searching for me everywhere. It wasn't until the pursuers thinned out that I learned something had happened in Xiangcheng. By the time I rushed over, the place was already a field of corpses."