Han Xu looked in disbelief at the figure floating on the surface of the sea.
It was actually his sister, Han Yu!
He never expected that Wen Yan actually knew how to summon souls.
Since his sister's death, she had never even appeared in his dreams.
Han Xu abruptly released Wan Zirui, whom he had been holding down in the water, and ran toward Han Yu's direction. "Sis, Sis..."
But before he could run a few steps, his collar was forcefully grabbed.
Si Moyan forcibly pulled Han Xu back to the shore.
Just as they reached the shore, a massive, turbulent wave crashed over.
If Han Xu had forced his way over just now, he probably would have been swept away by the huge wave.
Han Xu stood up from the ground and looked out at the sea again.
Han Yu's figure had disappeared.
"Sis, where did you go? It's Xiao Xu! Come out, Sis!" Han Xu lost control of his emotions. He ran over to Wen Yan. "I want to see my sister. You can let me see her, right?"
Wen Yan pursed her lips. "After your sister died, her soul followed your parents and witnessed some extremely cruel scenes. Even as a ghost, she couldn't understand why she couldn't receive a single ounce of love or remorse from your parents. She refused to reincarnate, and her soul has been wandering around this area of the sea. She is trapped in a dead end."
"I did summon her soul just now, but she left as soon as she saw you. She doesn't want to see you!"
Han Xu's eyes were red as he shook his head. "Impossible. I am the brother she loves the most. We have always had a great relationship!"
Wen Yan was in no rush to argue with Han Xu. "Your sister's painful memories are all left on this sea. I will let you take a walk through her memories."
Before Han Xu had time to say anything, Wen Yan raised her hand and tapped his forehead.
...
"Why does a girl need to study so much? Going out to work early and supporting your brother is the most important thing!"
"Mom, I got accepted into a top university. Once I finish college and get a good job, I'll be able to help my brother even more."
Familiar voices echoed in his ears. Han Xu opened his eyes and suddenly saw his mother and sister.
The two of them were talking in the old house they used to live in.
Han Xu looked at his young and beautiful sister. His nose stung with emotion, and he lunged forward to hug her.
But his body seemed to be transparent. His sister couldn't sense him, and he couldn't hold her.
Han Xu waved vigorously at his sister, but she seemed unable to see him.
Hearing his sister's words, their mother angrily raised her hand and slapped her directly across the face.
"We already took on a lot of debt just to let you finish high school. Look at Yang Mei from the neighboring village. She didn't even finish middle school before going to work in the big city. She came back not long ago, dressed fashionably, driving a car. She even built a new house for her parents and paid for her brother's bride price and wedding."
"Don't be ungrateful. No matter what you say this time, we won't let you go to college. You need to work with us to properly nurture your brother. He is the hope of our family!"
After their mother left, Han Yu lay on her bed and cried for a long time.
It wasn't until Young Han Xu came home that she stopped. He immediately ran into Han Yu's room. "Sis, I got a perfect score on my final exams, and I even got a certificate for being a top student."
Young Han Xu happily showed off his academic achievements.
Seeing Han Xu's report card and certificate, Han Yu smiled. "My brother is so smart."
"Sis, when I grow up and become successful, I will make you the happiest sister in the world."
Perhaps it was this sentence that touched Han Yu, or perhaps it was the influence of her parents' long-standing patriarchal mindset. When the school year started, Han Yu did not report to the university.
She accepted Mother Han's demand and followed Yang Mei from the neighboring village to work out of town.
Yang Mei took her to a flashy, neon-lit nightclub.
Upon learning that her job was to sell her body and accompany guests, Han Yu refused, even if it meant death.
But once inside such a place, she couldn't just leave whenever she wanted.
The manager locked her up and brutally starved her for a few days.
Just when she was about to give up, her mother called and said her brother had been hit by a motorcycle and needed a large sum of money.
Yang Mei showed her a picture of her injured brother lying on the ground, covered in blood.
The defensive line she had been holding onto in her heart collapsed instantly.
She started doing the same work as Yang Mei.
After making her first sum of money, she went home to visit her brother.
To her surprise, her brother was full of life. He smiled at her with innocent naivety. "Sis, Mom said that if I pretended to be hurt, you would definitely come back to see me as soon as possible. I didn't expect it to be true. Sis, I missed you so much."
Han Yu's emotions surged. She was angry and furious, but utterly helpless.
Her brother was still young and didn't understand anything. She couldn't blame him.
Han Xu stood to the side. Seeing the suppressed tears in Han Yu's eyes, his heart felt as if it were being violently torn apart by the claws of a wild beast.
He never imagined that when his mother asked him to pretend to be injured as a child, it was to trick his sister into agreeing to sell her body.
Han Yu was beautiful and had a good temperament, so she quickly became the top girl at the nightclub.
Although she earned a lot, her family demanded just as much.
The family bought a house, and Han Xu went to school in the city.
Han Yu seemed to have grown numb. Under her parents' influence, she became a woman who relentlessly sacrificed herself for her brother.
Whenever Han Xu needed anything, she would give everything she had.
As Han Xu gradually advanced to higher grades, the costs for his tutoring and extracurricular classes also increased.
Coupled with her father developing a gambling addiction, the financial pressure Han Yu had to bear grew even heavier.
During the year of Han Xu's college entrance exams, their father owed loan sharks. Those people threatened to chop off his hands if he didn't repay the money. In order not to affect her brother's studies, Han Yu accepted the demand made by Madam Wan and set up Mr. Wan to make it look like he cheated.
Mr. Wan thought he had lost control after drinking. When he sobered up, he apologized to her and gave her a sum of compensation money.
After becoming a nightclub hostess, although she made a lot of money, she had never received respect from men.
Mr. Wan was the first person to respect her and not call her a dirty whore.
When Han Xu was admitted to a top-tier university, Mr. Wan found out and gave Han Yu a sum of money, wanting to sponsor her brother's education.
Han Yu couldn't bear the inner guilt and torment. That day, she asked Mr. Wan to meet her at a secluded seaside, wanting to tell him the truth.
But she never expected that Madam Wan would tamper with Mr. Wan's food and drinks. After Mr. Wan arrived at the seaside, she had only spoken a few words to him before the drug took effect.
He lost his reason, and unable to bear seeing him suffer in agony, she willingly gave herself to him.
Later on—
They were both swept into the surging waves and drowned together.
When the rescue workers found their bodies, they were still entwined.
As a result, Mr. Wan's reputation was completely ruined, and he became known as the biggest scumbag in Harbor City.
As for Han Yu, after learning of her death, her parents received ten million from Madam Wan.
Even though they had already received so much money, after she was cremated, they refused to buy an urn, let alone hold a funeral, and directly threw her ashes into a stinking ditch.
Seeing this, Han Xu's face was already covered in tears.
"Ah—" he let out an agonized roar.
He finally understood why Wen Yan said that he and his parents were the biggest reasons that led his sister to her death!
