“Then, what happened with Congcong’s legs?”

Madame Xiao only opened her mouth to speak again about ten seconds later. She looked at Xiao Yuanmu’s calm expression and seemed to want to find an answer from his emotionless eyes.

Xiao Yuanmu’s gaze was heavy. He thought back to the scene from his previous life and said faintly, “When I arrived at the factory, the people who kidnapped Xiao Baicong weren’t the only ones there. There was another group of people. They started fighting, and Xiao Baicong was tied to one side, with very few people paying attention to him.”

”I snuck in to save Xiao Baicong, wanting to take him away, but was discovered on the way out. However, because there were two groups of people inside, the people who’d kidnapped him couldn’t spare anyone to chase us and we were able to run out.”

Xiao Baicong said that he knew of a path where it would be more difficult for the people chasing us to catch us, so I followed him. Unexpectedly, there was an ambush set up there, and that was when I was caught and my leg injured.”

Song Xuanhe raised his eyes to look at Xiao Yuanmu. For a moment, he couldn’t tell if what he was saying was true or false. Even so, there was an extremely uncomfortable emotion at the bottom of his heart, and this discomfort wasn’t for himself, but for Xiao Yuanmu, who was beside him. He couldn’t help but stretch out his hand to hold Xiao Yuanmu’s, twining their fingers together.

Xiao Yuanmu looked down at Song Xuanhe and their clasped hands. The shadows at the bottom of his eyes dispersed, showing a bit of warmth. It was just that when he lifted his eyes again, the warmth turned back into nothingness once more, leaving only a cold calm.

“Those people were Xiao Baicong’s people.” Xiao Yuanmu looked at Madame Xiao, his voice clear and carrying no trace of personal emotion, “The kidnapping had been planned out by Xiao Baicong himself.”

Madame Xiao was stunned for two seconds, and then she denied, “Impossible!”

Xiao Yuanmu didn’t say anything else. He just looked at her quietly, making the words that surged up from her throat to argue for Xiao Baicong come to a stop at the edge of her mouth. She could only swallow them back down bit by bit, then say in a low whisper, “Congcong has been a kind and considerate child since childhood. He would never do this. There must be some misunderstanding here. Yuanmu, you should know that you’re already in charge of the Xiao Family. He doesn’t need to do this.”

“He does.”

There was a chill in Xiao Family’s clear voice, “You should also know clearly that it’s because I took over the Xiao Family that he has even more reason to do this.”

Madame Xiao’s mouth opened, then closed. She’d been rendered speechless.

Xiao Yuanmu glanced at her, then looked away and continued, “However, he didn’t expect that his people weren’t as loyal to him as he thought. Other people had mixed in with his own, and the leader of those people was one of Xiao Baicong’s subordinates’ enemy. That person was the one who sent the two of us there.”

“Xiao Baicong said that I’m now the current head of the Xiao Family. They could obtain more benefits in exchange for me. As long as they let him go, he wouldn’t say anything.”

Madame Xiao’s expression trembled as Xiao Yuanmu continued, “It was just that the man seemed to have some history with him, so they broke his legs, and then let us go.”

“Why did he let you gou?” Madame Xiao asked.

“Because that person knows Hoffman.” Xiao Yuanmu spoke faintly, “I have a friendly relationship with Hoffman.”

Madame Xiao still couldn’t believe that this was how everything happened. She said, “He knew that you two were from the Xiao Family, and he even knew that you are the head of the Xiao Family. If he lets you go, then isn’t he…”

“He’s not worried about this point.” Xiao Yuanmu looked at Madame Xiao and said, “Mother, he is very clear about who hurt my leg.”

Madame Xiao was stunned and couldn’t say a word.

She understood what Xiao Yuanmu was leaving unspoken.

Xiao Yuanmu’s leg had been hurt by Xiao Baicong’s people, but those people hadn’t offended Xiao Yuanmu, and they’d even saved Xiao Yuanmu’s life. If they had really killed the two successors to the Xiao Family, they would definitely have to flee to the end of the world. However, at this time, they’d let Xiao Yuanmu go because he’d already started taking over the Xiao Family, and instead formed a good relationship with Xiao Yuanmu.

After all, those people knew that Xiao Baicong wouldn’t be able to inherit the Xiao Family no matter what.

“If that’s all you wanted to ask, then I’ve finished saying what I have to say.”

Madame Xiao looked at Xiao Yuanmu’s expression, which had remained indifferent from beginning to end, and heard his command to leave. The shock, panic, and fear she’d experienced over the past day suddenly surged back up again, making her feel both tired and very sad at the same time.

Why was Xiao Yuanmu so indifferent to her?

From the moment she’d found him again until just now, she’d done everything she could to make things up to him and shorten the distance between them. They’d even given the Xiao Family back to him already, but he was still as indifferent towards her as he was to a stranger. She’d tried to take countless steps towards him, but he was never willing to take a single step forward.

In this kind of situation, what was wrong with her favoring her younger son, whom she’d watched grow up from nothing but a tiny little bundle? In terms of time and emotion, her and her younger son were already closer to each other.

This was just human nature.

Now, her younger son, who she’d always held in the palm of her hand, was ruined for life. He could no longer walk on his legs like normal people, and he had no way to show off the athletic ability he’d always been so proud of anymore. He may never recover from this low point in his life, and when she thought about this possibility, thought of her bright and cheerful younger son becoming gloomy and depressed in the future, she was so distressed that she couldn’t breathe.

Had she done something wrong?

Even though her attitude had been wrong when she came to ask Xiao Yuanmu about Xiao Baicong, Xiao Baicong was her son. Which mother could calmly think everything over before asking questions when they saw their child in such a state?

All she’d done were things that any ordinary mother would do.

Moreover, if Xiao Yuanmu didn’t come back, then none of this would have happened.

Madame Xiao’s eyes were red. As she looked at Xiao Yuanmu’s indifferent expression, she asked, “Ever since you came back, hve you ever regarded me as your mother, or regarded your father as your father, or your younger brother as your younger brother?”

Xiao Yuanmu’s long and slender eyelashes swept down, covering half of his eyes. After a few seconds, he lifted them up again and looked straight at Madame Xiao. His gaze was like a sharp sword, holding a cold light.

He replied, “Yes.”

Madame Xiao shook her head, “I don’t believe it. If you really treat us as a family, then it would be impossible for all of this to have happened. None of this would have happened.”

Song Xuanhe squeezed his fingers around Xiao Yuanmu. The corners of his mouth were pressed down tightly, but he didn’t speak.

Xiao Yuanmu saw a glimpse of his expression out of the corner of his eyes and calmly returned his hold. He said faintly, “I would like to rest now.”

Madame Xiao got up, looked coldly at the Xiao Yuanmu and Song Xuanhe’s twined fingers, and said, “I’ve wondered many times about whether you simply have no feelings, or just have no feelings for us. I even tried my best to recall what it was like before you left us. I wondered if you would smile, stick to me, and call me mother, and whether you would look forward to your father coming home every day.”

“I couldn’t remember, but I know that it’s not that you have no feelings. It’s only that you have no feelings for me and your father.” Madame Xiao asked Xiao Yuanmu, “Do you hate me and your father for not finding you earlier?”

“No.”

“Sometimes, I really wish…” Madame Xiao stepped back, looked at Xiao Yuanmu’s calm expression, and said hoarsely, “Sometimes I really wish, I think about how good it would be if we hadn’t found you and brought you back.”

Having said that, Madame Xiao turned and left without looking back.

The door to the ward opened and closed, leaving behind a stretch of silence.

Song Xuanhe held Xiao Yuanmu’s hand and raised his gaze to look at his expression.

Xiao Yuanmu’s other hand covered his eyes. He rested his lower jaw against his shoulder, his clear voice a little hoarse, “Don’t look.”

Song Xuanhe tightened his fingers again and nodded gently. His other hand wrapped around Xiao Yuanmu’s waist, and he let the other hold him as he liked.

“What I said earlier is all true.” Xiao Yuanmu said.

The hot air from his breath brushed against Song Xuanhe’s neck. He shifted, and whispered, “I know.”

“You don’t know.”

Xiao Yuanmu chuckled lightly. The sound seemed to hold a mixture of many things, and it also seemed to be simple self-mockery.

“Well, can you tell me?” Song Xuanhe asked.

“When the time is right.” Xiao Yuanmu whispered, “I’ll tell you my biggest secret.”

The arm Song Xuanhe had wrapped around him tightened slightly, and he made a quiet sound of acknowledgement.

“Would you be angry if I never told you about it?” Xiao Yuanmu’s slightly hoarse voice rang out again.

“No.” Song Xuanhe closed his eyes, his eyelashes quivering as he said, “Everyone has secrets that can’t be told to others.”

Xiao Yuanmu looked up and released Song Xuanhe. He focused on him and asked, “You, too?”

“Yes.” Song Xuanhe opened his eyes again and met his dark eyes squarely. The emotion that was hidden deeply in the bottom of his eyes was indecipherable, or maybe there was nothing there at all, “I have secrets, too.”

“Will you tell me when the time is right?”

Song Xuanhe’s pupils quivered, and a hint of a smile appeared at the corners of his lips, “When it’s time, you’ll know.”

Xiao Yuanmu’s index finger landed on the edge of his eyebrow, sliding along the bone to brush across his eyelashes before making its way along his cheekbone to the corner of his mouth. He rubbed gently and whispered, “I’m very curious.”

“More curious than sad?” Song Xuanhe blinked, a smile forming at the corners of his mouth.

Xiao Yuanmu: “Only curious.”

“Don’t be sad.” Song Xuanhe hugged him, kissing the corner of his lips. He whispered, “But you can show your sadness in front of me.”

Xiao Yuanmu shook his head and looked at him seriously, “I’m not sad.”

He continued, “I won’t be sad as long as you’re here.”

xiin: i kinda wanna stab Madame Xiao and Song Xuanhe at the same time… but i only have one knife. choices, choices.