The car fell into a moment of silence.
Sunlight streamed through the windows, yet Lin Mo still felt a chill.
Her gaze lingered deeply on her fourth brother, her eyes reddening.
Instinct kept her tears at bay—she never cried in front of her younger brothers.
But Zhang Nan choked out a sob, "Damn those human traffickers! I’ll never forgive them!"
As he recounted his past, Ji'an tore the tissue in his hands into tiny pieces.
He was only seven when he was abducted, and ten by the time he managed to escape.
"We ran all night to get out of that mountain village. I’d taught Auntie Zhen beforehand to act like a normal adult, just taking me out to play. We stumbled our way back to Jingbei."
Lin Mo had always known her fourth brother was clever—his intelligence surpassed even their second and third brothers.
It was no surprise he’d remained calm and rescued himself.
Taking a deep breath, Lin Mo said, "Once you returned to Jingbei, you should’ve gone to Second Brother. He wouldn’t have abandoned you or Auntie Zhen."
Her tone was steady, not accusatory.
Of course, she wouldn’t blame herself for Ji'an’s suffering—she’d already been dead by then, powerless to help.
Could she blame Second Brother?
No, it wasn’t his fault either.
The real monsters were those heartless traffickers and buyers!
"I didn’t want to burden Second Brother and Third Brother," Ji'an murmured, his voice low.
Auntie Zhen was his responsibility, not theirs.
"Luckily, the cost of living in the slums was low. I could apply for stipends to study and take odd jobs to support us."
His tone lightened slightly.
Lin Mo’s long, thick lashes lowered, casting shadows under her eyes.
Thank goodness for Xie Guanyan’s charity foundation—without it, she couldn’t imagine how Ji'an and Auntie Zhen, with her mental struggles, would’ve survived.
"You ran even after I found you? Why couldn’t you just talk to me?" Lin Mo couldn’t help feeling a little angry.
If he’d come home with her the other day, they wouldn’t have been attacked last night!
Ji'an looked up at the passenger seat. "That man never stopped searching for us. Before I met you, I ran into him once in Jingbei. I got away, but I knew he’d never let us go."
"He’s ruthless, capable of anything. I was afraid he’d hurt you too, Sis. I couldn’t take that risk."
She was innocent.
So he ran.
Unfortunately, the man found them last night.
Thankfully, Ji'an was grown now—he fought back, drove the man off, and kept them from being beaten to death.
But they had to flee immediately. That man wouldn’t give up.
The police were useless. Even if he got arrested, he’d just come back worse.
Finding a place in the middle of the night was impossible, so they’d taken shelter under a bridge.
He never expected his sister to track them down anyway.
"Sis, I’m sorry!" Shen Ji'an bowed his head, tears splashing onto the car seat.
Lin Mo’s anger melted away. She reached back from the passenger seat and ruffled his hair. "No apologies needed. You’re a brave, responsible, good boy!"
The kindest souls always bear the heaviest burdens.
Praise from his sister made Ji'an’s nose sting harder. He wanted to sob.
Despite her pallor, Auntie Zhen lifted her chin proudly. "Yes, our Xiao'an is a good boy! He even wipes his own bottom!"
Lin Mo: "…"
Ji'an: "…"
Zhang Nan bit her lip hard, mentally calculating her bank balance to keep from laughing.
At the hospital, Ji'an helped Auntie Zhen out of the car.
Zhang Nan frowned. "That idiot Gu Jingchuan followed us!"
Lin Mo had been too focused on Ji'an to notice.
Gu Jingchuan parked, donned sunglasses and a mask, and approached her. "Let me help with registration or something. I just want to do something for you, Lin Mo. Please don’t push me away."
In the sunlight, the man’s sculpted frame and tender voice were undeniably compelling.
Zhang Nan and Ji'an both scowled.
A superstar like him acting so humble was… oddly touching.
Yet Lin Mo rolled her eyes, planted her hands on her hips, and shrieked, "Wow! Isn’t that Gu Jingchuan?! Aaaah! The great Gu Jingchuan is here!!"
