Memories (10)

For Mo Xuan at that time, the gift was too much of a surprise, and it left him utterly at a loss.

Mo Xuan was still naive when it came to matters of the heart, and Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi had become an unsolvable dilemma for him.

However, time didn’t give him the chance to dwell on it, nor did it grant him the right to hesitate.

Mo Xuan didn’t know what had happened that day. In fact, neither did Luo Shiya nor Luo Muqi.

Uncle Zheng had noticed something unusual early on. Strangers had started lurking around, peering suspiciously from the shadows. Without hesitation, Uncle Zheng instructed preparations to take Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi away.

He stayed behind to hold off the intruders. Almost everyone remained, except for Sister Hui, who took Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi and fled the old mansion during the chaos of the confrontation.

But they hadn’t anticipated that there would still be people waiting to ambush them. That day, the illegitimate sons were clearly out for blood. Luo Quan and Luo Sheng, the two brothers, were truly terrifying. Despite the chaotic situation, the Luo Family had remained unscathed over the past two years, instead pushing them and their allies to the brink.

There are no secrets that don’t leak. Whether it was the old mansion where Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi were hiding or the residence where Luo Tian had been placed by the Liu Family, everything was eventually discovered.

This was an open scheme. They had guessed that, given the temperament of the Luo matriarch, she would undoubtedly choose Luo Tian. But they wanted to force her to abandon Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi.

If they died, Luo Sheng and Shen Qingyun would suffer for the rest of their lives. Even if they survived, Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi would inevitably grow distant from them.

What they could foresee, Luo Sheng and the Luo matriarch naturally could as well. But in the end, for the sake of the Luo Family, he prioritized rescuing Luo Tian.

At the time, there were only two cars at the old mansion. Sister Hui didn’t have time to drive, so she could only lead them away on foot, only to be pursued by a second group.

“Over here, come!”

Mo Xuan suddenly appeared before them, his backpack slung over his shoulders. He had just gotten out of school and was heading to the old mansion when he saw what was happening.

Having grown up in the area, Mo Xuan was familiar with the surroundings. He took a shortcut and intercepted them, guiding Luo Shiya, Luo Muqi, and Sister Hui through a narrow path to escape.

Coincidentally, Su Yanran witnessed it. She was shocked and didn’t understand what they were doing.

“Hey!” A menacing man suddenly ran up to her. “Did you see a woman with a girl slightly older than you and another about your age?”

Su Yanran was terrified. Her first instinct was to say nothing, but a malicious thought slowly crept into her mind as she recalled seeing Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi with Mo Xuan before.

What if… they died, or were disfigured? Would Mo Xuan then focus on me again?

As if possessed, Su Yanran nodded. “They went that way…”

In truth, she could have pointed in the opposite direction or simply said she didn’t know. These people were only after Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi and didn’t want to cause unnecessary trouble.

But she spoke. She underestimated her own malice and, more importantly, the importance those girls held in Mo Xuan’s heart.

If it hadn’t been for Su Yanran revealing their whereabouts, Mo Xuan could have easily led them to safety.

“We can’t run anymore…” Mo Xuan sighed, glancing back at Luo Shiya, whose face was pale, and Luo Muqi, who was already crying. “Sister Hui, take Shiya and Muqi and go. I’ll hold them off.”

“Don’t be ridiculous!”

“Brother, come with us!”

Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi naturally refused, and Sister Hui disagreed as well. But Mo Xuan knew that if it were just him or even him and the skilled Sister Hui, they could escape given his familiarity with the area.

He had planned to lead them through a small path, but he hadn’t expected their pursuers to find them so quickly.

He wondered if someone had spotted them and pointed the way, but at the time, Mo Xuan never imagined that it was Su Yanran who had betrayed them.

Mo Xuan looked up at Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi and smiled softly, then whispered, “Alright, let’s hurry…”

With that, he suddenly turned and ran back, knocking over piles of debris along the narrow path as he went.

He knew, and Sister Hui knew too, that it was only a matter of time before they were caught. So Mo Xuan chose this way.

He could hear Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi’s anguished cries behind him. Reaching into his school uniform pocket, he touched the gift he had prepared for them. Mo Xuan turned and smiled at them one last time, then without hesitation, charged toward the men who had discovered them.

When Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi saw Mo Xuan again, the once clean and pristine boy was lying on the ground, covered in blood, clinging to someone’s leg, unconscious.

Mo Xuan was clever. In this situation, he remained calm. Using the narrow terrain, the piled-up debris, and the skills Grandpa Zhang had taught him since childhood, he even managed to take down two of the attackers.

The path was narrow, preventing the assailants from overwhelming him all at once. Mo Xuan kept knocking over debris, and they soon realized that this boy in a school uniform was no ordinary kid—he was trained and skilled!

But the attackers were numerous and armed. Mo Xuan was eventually struck hard on the head with a club. His vision began to blur, and he felt warm liquid trickling down his face. But he had no time to think about that.

Mo Xuan was indeed talented. He had sparred with Grandpa Zhang before he fell ill and had gotten into fights before. But this was different. These men were out for blood, and he knew that if he stepped aside, even if he survived, he would live with regret for the rest of his life.

In truth, if given another chance, Mo Xuan wasn’t sure if he could do it again. The thugs hadn’t expected this boy to be so relentless, as if he didn’t feel pain. No matter how they hit him, he refused to fall and never cried out.

“Damn it, this kid’s insane!”

Finally, Mo Xuan couldn’t hold on any longer, but he still clung to one man’s leg, even biting down hard on his thigh.

It was at that moment that Luo Sheng arrived with reinforcements. Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi rushed forward like mad to see Mo Xuan, but Luo Sheng stopped them.

It wasn’t that he was heartless, but Mo Xuan was too badly injured to be moved carelessly.

That was the last time Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi saw Mo Xuan—or at least, the Mo Xuan who still remembered them…

From that day on, Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi understood one thing: they were powerless against their parents and even more so against the Luo Family.

When the Shen Family proposed taking them to Shanghai, Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi protested fiercely, but it was to no avail. In the end, Shen Qingyun forcibly put them on the Shen Family’s private plane.

“I told you, Mo Xuan is out of danger!” Shen Qingyun slapped Luo Shiya hard across the face. “I don’t want this either, but can’t you be a little more sensible?”

Luo Shiya, held by two female bodyguards, watched as her cheek slowly swelled from the blow. She said nothing, but Luo Muqi smiled through her tears, looking at her mother. “Being sensible only led to you and Dad abandoning us, didn’t it?”

Luo Muqi’s sarcasm cut deep into Shen Qingyun. For the first time, Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi saw panic and guilt in their mother’s eyes.

The sisters stopped crying and arguing. Instead, they turned and supported each other as they boarded the plane.

Life in Shanghai felt like a form of torture. Their grandparents were distant and didn’t know how to connect with them, showering them with expensive gifts instead.

But Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi spent their days staring at their phones or at a shattered black ring that couldn’t be repaired.

It was a gift Mo Xuan had bought for them. Though inexpensive, it was something he had saved up for a long time to give them.

The phone Luo Shiya had given Mo Xuan was found by the Luo Family and returned to her. His QQ account still had an unsent draft in the group chat with the three of them.

“I’ll find a way to convince Grandma to let me go abroad with you, I…”

What was he going to say next? Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi didn’t know. From that day on, the sisters seemed lifeless, spending their days in a daze.

News about Mo Xuan occasionally came from the Luo family, saying that he was recovering well. However, since the people below didn’t know the details, they were unaware that Mo Xuan had lost his memory after one of his injuries.

It wasn’t until Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi returned from Shanghai that they went straight to the hospital without even stopping by home.

Coincidentally, Mo Xuan, who had been recovering well, was out for a walk. Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi were eager to talk to him but didn’t know what to say.

At that moment, Mo Xuan noticed them. He nodded politely and, as he passed by, said courteously, “Excuse me, may I pass?”

Luo Muqi was about to speak, but Luo Shiya grabbed her hand.

“Sister, why are you stopping me?” Luo Muqi was on the verge of tears. “Brother must be angry. We’ve been gone for so long—he must be mad at us!”

But when she saw the pained look in Luo Shiya’s eyes, Luo Muqi froze.

Compared to her sister, Luo Shiya was more perceptive. Mo Xuan wasn’t angry—he simply didn’t remember them. That look in his eyes couldn’t lie. There was no hidden emotion, just the indifferent gaze of someone looking at strangers.

Using the Luo family’s connections, Luo Shiya took her sister to consult the doctor. Afterward, Luo Muqi burst into loud sobs, like a child who had been abandoned—helpless and despairing.

Since being with Mo Xuan, Luo Muqi had never cried like this. Mo Xuan had warmed her heart for two years, but now, the person who had brought her warmth had completely forgotten her.

Luo Shiya leaned against the wall, her body feeling as though it had lost all strength. At that moment, she only felt cold—so very cold.

Not only had she lost her own warmth, but she could no longer sense the warmth around her either.

When they returned to the Luo family home that day, Luo Sheng was about to speak as he saw his daughters come in, but Luo Muqi kicked over a decorative vase with all her might.

That day, everyone thought the eldest and second daughters had gone mad.

It was as if they were venting their emotions, or perhaps seeking revenge. Luo Sheng stood there in shock, unsure of what to say.

“I don’t hate you for abandoning Muqi and me, Father,” Luo Shiya said coldly, standing amidst the wreckage. “What I hate is that you made us lose Mo Xuan.”

“When you neglected us, he was the one who stayed by our side. When you gave up on us, he was the one who saved us.”

“Father, you and Mother couldn’t do what a person who only knew us for two years managed to do.”

“Our own parents chose to abandon us in our most critical moment, but a 15-year-old boy chose to risk his life to save us.”

Every word Luo Shiya spoke felt like a knife piercing Luo Sheng’s heart. He couldn’t defend himself, nor did he have the strength to refute her.

From that day on, Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi changed. No one knew what the sisters were thinking, and no one could guess what they would do next.

When everything was ready, and after being set up by Mo Jinpeng but taken to the hotel by Sister Hui’s people, Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi, having sent everyone else away, looked at Mo Xuan. Their once dull eyes lit up again.

But in that brightness, there was now a twisted and obsessive possessiveness.

“Mo Xuan, after tonight, you’ll belong to us…”

“Brother, I’ve missed you so much…”