Yuran didn’t look at their expressions, but she could feel their grateful gazes cast upon her, allowing Zhizhi to interact with them. Although it didn’t an that Xi Bao had forgiven them, at least it was a good start.
Zhizhi, beaming with a smile, obediently nodded, "Zhizhi will listen to Mommy. Whatever Mommy says is right."
Xi Nian introduced Yuran to them, "Yuran, these two, one is Xi Yang, and the other is Xi Yan."
Xi Yan took a few steps toward Yuran first, "Xi Bao..."
His voice was hoarse, with a self-accusing tone that seed to carry the weight of ages.
It was profoundly moving.
However.
Xi Bao?
At this na, Bo Yan’s eyebrows shot up, clearly displeased, and of course, this displeasure was also written all over his face, "Wait, who are you calling Xi Bao, Xi Yan?"
Xi Yan didn’t understand the implication behind Bo Yan’s question, which was understandable given that he was single.
"I was calling Yuran. Before she went missing, she was called Xi Bao. What’s the problem with calling her Xi Bao?"
Bo Yan’s eyebrows furrowed, "There’s a problem, of course, there’s a problem."
Yuran’s face showed her impatience, and she quickly tugged at Bo Yan’s sleeve. Bo Yan gripped her hand, coaxing, "Xi Bao, this is a private nickna issue. I need to make it clear to them. This is ant for alone to use—what business do they have using it?"
His jealousy was unmistakable.
Xi Nian found it hard to watch, while Xi Yan finally realized what was happening. He quickly coughed lightly, containing his inner frustration. This matter, it seed, was specifically to disrupt the mood—but to be jealous over such a thing?
Xi Yang stood a few steps behind Xi Yan, his face adorned with a faint smile, clearly understanding Bo Yan’s feelings.
Xi Nian intervened, "Let’s just call her Ranran then. Sit down first, and let’s talk this over slowly."
...
After a rather chaotic start, the atmosphere cald down again as they sat at the table. Next door, there was a children’s playground. Zhizhi, not keen on playing, was instead fascinated by another room full of Legos. After receiving permission from Yuran, Zhizhi ran off to play with the Legos, aiming to build an armored machine.
After Zhizhi left, the atmosphere suddenly turned awkward. Bo Yan kept holding Yuran’s hand, transmitting his strength and support to her.
Yuran allowed him to hold on, without any objection. Now, she needed this encouragent.
"Ranran, about the ti you and Beibei went missing, it was all my fault. I know I have no face to see you, but after hearing from my elder brother that we found you, I still wanted to see you. Although there’s a change in status, our feelings for you haven’t changed," Xi Yan seed to recall sothing particularly warm, his gaze lifting to Yuran beca very gentle and nostalgic.
This gaze was clear like a fleeting mory buried deep within, Yuran was montarily stunned as tendrils of past mories seed to flit through her mind.
[Xi Bao, brother will give you candy, quietly?]
[Xi Bao, I told my elder brother. Today, I will take you and Beibei out to play. Shall we go fishing?]
Then there was the bloodstained, emaciated little boy, his eyes unnaturally bright. He extended his grimy hand, looking at her.
[Xi Bao, stop bringing your brother food, or if soone sees, you’ll be locked up in that dark room again. It’s scary, isn’t it?]
"Baby..."
Those epheral things suddenly turned into fra-by-fra images, flashing through Yuran’s mind. As her features aligned with the man speaking across from her, Yuran seed sowhat distracted. "Second brother?"
Xi Yan’s words ca to an abrupt halt, looking at Yuran with disbelief, his face a mixture of shock and excitent, "Baby, did... did you just call ?"
Xi Yan was so thrilled he couldn’t contain himself, as if he had received the whole world’s happiness, but the slip of "baby" still caused Bo Yan so discontent. "Xi Yan, Second Young Master Xi, if you don’t change your way of addressing her, I don’t mind taking baby and leaving right now."
Xi Yan: "..."
Xi Nian and Xi Yang were sowhat expectant, guessing, had she rembered sothing? Had she recalled their mories from when they were just little kids?
Yuran was sowhat confused and distressed, closing her eyes. Bo Yan imdiately noticed sothing was off and wrapped his arms around her, his gaze landing on Xi Nian, "We agreed not to force her to recall long-buried mories."
Xi Nian and the others nodded in agreent, with Xi Nian assuring, "I know, don’t worry."
How could he not worry? They had just t and Yuran was already like this; how could he dare bring people to et them next ti?
Yuran slowly opened her eyes in Bo Yan’s embrace, looking at the worried Bo Yan and slowly said, "Seventh brother, don’t worry. I just rembered so things, including so mories of them."
Xi Nian couldn’t quite feel happy, yet he wasn’t disappointed either. He really was already thankful for her current state, although...
Xi Yan looked at Yuran with concern, "Ranran, don’t think about it anymore. We can take it slow. Thank you for still recognizing your good-for-nothing second brother. I..."
Xi Yan said, self-mockingly laughing, "If it hadn’t been for my carelessness back then, you and Beibei, how could you have..."
"It’s not your fault."
Yuran suddenly spoke up, Xi Yan looking over, as Yuran said softly, "Even if you had not been sent away, we still would have been abducted. The Xi family has never been clean. Our disappearance was just convenient for the old man of the Xi family."
Xi Nian felt a pain in his heart, his gaze stunned as he looked at Yuran, "Did you rember sothing?"
Yuran shook her head, "It’s vague, not clear, disconnected, I can only vaguely rember fragnts, sorry."
"The one who should be apologizing isn’t you, baby." Xi Nian’s voice was sowhat hoarse from struggling, filled with guilt. "Back then, it was my fault for not watching over you and Beibei. I was too confident, then I lost you for so many years. If it wasn’t for my arrogance, you wouldn’t have suffered for so long. You’ve already died once."
Silence.
A silence like that of death.
Xi Nian’s hand on the table was clenched so tightly that his veins were bulging, his forehead also subtly throbbing, "Rest assured, I will make ands for everything, deliver it all into your hands, whether you want it or not, in the end, it all belongs to you and Beibei. Whatever the Xi family cares about, I will destroy; I don’t want to explain anything for the wrong I did back then, but baby, I hope, can you acknowledge as your brother?"
Yuran felt indescribably complicated. Was it really Xi Nian’s fault back then?
No.
Back then, Xi Nian was not much older, his lack of foresight was understandable. The plan had been long in the making, and they would still have been crushed underfoot even if they had fought back fiercely. Now, the person separating them was still at large, how could they afford internal strife?
Yuran couldn’t imdiately let go, but she had never hated her brother Xi Nian.
"If we find Beibei, we will still be us."
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