Bo Qi did not feel embarrassed at all. There was no need to feel embarrassed when others felt embarrassed.
Xu Youyou said sheepishly, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause you trouble.”
Bo Qi smiled and said magnanimously, “It’s alright. Someone compensated for the loss anyway.”
After saying that, Bo Qi glanced at Mo Shenbai.
Xu Youyou was so embarrassed that she did not dare to lift her head. Hence, she missed Bo Qi shooting Mo Shenbai a meaningful gaze. With that, she thought her brother had covered for her.
After a while, Xu Youyou glanced at her phone to check the time. Then, she quickly found an excuse and said, “You guys continue to chat. I’m going to the kitchen.”
Without waiting for a reply, Xu Youyou hurried into the kitchen.
Mo Shenbai’s eyes followed her figure, and they grew gentler.
Bo Qi chuckled. “Why do I feel saddened by this romantic atmosphere?”
“Because you’re single,” Xu Jialu said mockingly.
Bo Qi was not to be outdone so he quickly shot back. “You talk as though you’re not single!”
“I’m different from you. I can have a girlfriend whenever I want,” Xu Jiaulu said smugly, “Are we the same? Oh, that’s right. The one you loved for more than ten years has just run away!”
Bo Qi: “…”
‘Sooner or later, I’ll kill you…’
At this moment, Mo Shenbai said with a hint of impatience, “Alright, both of you can leave now.”
‘These two will affect her if they stay for too long…’
Bo Qi sneered. “Look. He’s so heartless to his friends once he has someone in his heart. If I knew this earlier, I wouldn’t have come. I’m leaving.”
Just as Bo Qi turned to leave, he suddenly turned back. The smile on his face disappeared as he said seriously, “Don’t blame yourself for what happened in the past. It’s been so many years; it’s time for you to move on.”
Bo Qi’s eyes shifted to the kitchen briefly. ‘Perhaps, she really healed him and brought him out from the shadow of the past…’
“Happy birthday, Old Mo!”
Mo Shenbai lowered his gaze; his thick and long eyelashes hid his eyes. He remained silent.
After Bo Qi left, Xu Jialu glanced at him and asked, swirling the glass in his hand, “Do you want to go upstairs for a drink?”
Mo Shenbai hesitated for a moment as his gaze shifted to the kitchen. After a few seconds, he nodded slowly.
…
There was a small enclosed balcony on the second floor. A round coffee table and two grey chairs could be seen.
The two men sat across fromeach other. If they raised their heads, they would have a full view of the night sky.
Xu Jialu took another sip of wine before he inhaled deeply. It was rare that there was no smile on his face. He asked, “Mo Shenbai, are you serious about Youyou?”
Mo Shenbai looked at him and replied without hesitation, “In this life, she’s the only one.”
The simple words were firm and passionate.
Xu Jialu smiled and nodded. He leaned back before he asked in a low voice, “Do you know why I’m so good to her? To the point that everyone thinks I’m a sis-con? Some filthy-minded people even think I have evil intentions.”
In fact, Mo Shenbai also felt that Xu Jialu’s affection for Xu Youyou was more than that of ordinary siblings. Xu Jialu’s love and protection indeed surpassed that of ordinary brothers.
Xu Jialu brought a cigarette out and lit it. After taking a puff, he blew the white smoke out. Then, he slowly said, “Youyou was sent to the countryside to be raised by our grandmother when she was born so I was the only one in the family. I have enjoyed my parents’ love since I was young. I had everything I wanted, and I took things for granted. Although they always told me that I have a younger sister, I didn’t pay much attention to it at all.”
“They brought me to the countryside to visit my sister as well. I remember that she was small and timid. At that time, I felt it was really boring. It would be better if I had a younger brother whom I could order around. Girls are delicate and like to cry. They’re too troublesome.”
Mo Shenbai raised his hand and sipped from the glass. He listened to Xu Jialu quietly.
Xu Jialu flicked the ashes of his cigarette off. A self-deprecating smile appeared on his face as he continued to say, “Later on, when she was a little older, she would always chase after me, wanting to play with me. However, why would I play with a little girl? I would impatiently ask her to leave and forbid her from following me. Moreover, my parents felt guilty toward her so they would always reprimand me for the smallest thing regarding her. Hence, I grew more and more annoyed with her even if I knew she didn’t do anything wrong and that she only wanted to play with her brother…”
Mo Shenbai did not say anything, but his grip around the glass tightened.
“Later, when my parents considered bringing her back to Mo City to study, I could already imagine her following me every day and my parents scolding me every day. For that reason, I didn’t want them to bring Youyou back. I used all kinds of methods before my parents gave in and delayed bringing Youyou back.”
Mo Shenbai said in a low voice simmering with anger, “Xu Jialu, you’re such a jerk.”
Mo Shenbai could imagine how sad the young Xu Youyou must have been when she found out she could not go home and how sad she must have been when she found out the brother she loved hated her so much.
Xu Jialu did not refute Mo Shenbai’s words. He took a big gulp from the glass of wine before he continued to say, “My parents wanted to make it up to her so they brought her to Mo City to play for a few days. She was so happy. Every morning, she would knock on my door. I hated being woken up so early in the morning so I told her to get lost. However, she didn’t get angry…”
“My parents brought her to the amusement park, and they also bought her a lot of clothes and shoes. She was truly very happy. When I looked at her, I felt like she was a little fool.”
“In order to avoid her, I invited my classmates to basketball at the nearby court or to play games at an Internet cafe. I didn’t want to stay home. One day, she came looking for me and called me ‘Brother’ in front of my classmates. I felt embarrassed so I yelled at her, asking her to shut up in front of everyone. I told her that I wasn’t her brother and that she was picked up from the garbage can.”
“That was the first time I yelled at her. She did not cry. She only looked at me in shock before she apologized with red eyes and left. That day, I played outside the entire day, mentally preparing to be scolded and beaten when I went home. However, nothing happened after I went home. Then, the next day, she left…”
If Xu Jialu was not Xu Youyou’s biological brother, Mo Shenbai would have long beaten him up. How could he treat his sister like that?
Mo Shenbai gritted his teeth so hard that it seemed like they were going to break. However, soon after, a self-deprecating thought appeared in his mind. ‘Am I really any better than Xu Jialu?’
Xu Jialu’s seductive eyes were filled with guilt and self-blame. He took a few deep breaths, but he did not have the courage to speak again.
“What happened after that?” Mo Shenbai could not help but ask. He wanted to know what else she had experienced.
Xu Jialu inhaled deeply and said, “After that, she didn’t visit Mo City again. Even when I went to the countryside, she would avoid me. She would not even look at me, always lowering her head or averting her eyes. She no longer smiled at me or called me ‘Brother’…”