Young Xu Muchan was very good at playing hide-and-seek.
His father and mother were always busy. He usually had no one to play with at home, so he would play hide-and-seek with the “friends” in his house.
He hid very well every time and was never found.
This time, naturally, he won again.
He did not know whether his wish had actually come true, but the family business seemed to improve. His father was still rarely home, but his mother spent more time with him. She would even take him out to buy clothes and eat delicious ice cream.
Little Xu Muchan was very happy. His only problem was that the “friend” with the red veil seemed to have become attached to him. It would suddenly appear beside him, startling Xu Muchan.
It also wanted to play hide-and-seek with Xu Muchan.
Xu Muchan was actually a little afraid of it, but it followed him day and night. Xu Muchan was troubled by this and could only compromise.
“Then I’ll play with you one more time, okay? After that, you can’t bother me anymore.”
Afterward, he hid inside a suitcase beneath the bed on the third floor.
The third floor was piled high with all kinds of miscellaneous things: unused quilts, furniture, cardboard boxes, and the suitcase where Xu Muchan hid.
The suitcase was very large and had simply been shoved beneath the bed. Xu Muchan had discovered it by accident. After that, it became his most secret hiding place.
As long as he crawled inside the suitcase, closed his eyes, and slowed his breathing, no one could ever find him.
This time, Xu Muchan climbed inside as well.
The thirty-inch large suitcase was quite spacious for a small child. He crawled into the suitcase beneath the bed, curled up on his side, and slowed his breathing, making it as quiet and infrequent as possible. Then he closed his eyes and thought about how his mother had said that they would be moving to a new home soon. The new house would be big and beautiful, and there would even be a very good kindergarten nearby where he could make lots of new friends.
Little Xu Muchan curled the corners of his lips upward, already impatient to move.
Perhaps he was simply too happy thinking about it, because his breathing accidentally became a little heavier. Xu Muchan immediately covered his mouth, nervously holding his breath.
It was completely quiet outside. He couldn’t hear anything downstairs either.
He probably hadn’t been discovered, right?
Xu Muchan quietly pressed his face close to the zipper of the suitcase, then carefully pushed the suitcase lid upward a little, leaving a narrow gap. He pressed his eye against the opening and looked outside.
It was pitch-black beneath the bed. The light shining in through the window seemed to have been blocked by something outside, unable to illuminate the space beneath the bed.
Xu Muchan blinked in confusion and closed the suitcase again.
But strangely, even though he had let go, the suitcase lid did not close. There was still a gap about two fingers wide, as though something were holding it open.
Xu Muchan turned his head in confusion to inspect it, only to discover that a little red was showing through the gap near his head. It was extremely conspicuous in the darkness.
What was it?
Xu Muchan raised his head to look and discovered that the streak of red was actually the red bridal veil on his “new friend’s” head.
The “new friend” had been lying beneath the bed all along, pressed against the gap in the suitcase and watching him. He didn’t know how long it had been watching.
“I found you.”
A pair of deathly pale, deformed hands grabbed the suitcase lid and slowly lifted it—
Xu Muchan had been found.
The person who lost had to agree to do one thing for the winner. Xu Muchan had been somewhat frightened and nervous at first, but the “new friend” had made only one strange request: it merely wanted him to lift the red bridal veil from its head.
Xu Muchan was a child who kept his promises. Although he was still very afraid, he obediently did as he was told.
That was the first time he saw what his “new friend” looked like.
To young Xu Muchan, the “new friend” was more terrifying than the scariest monster in a cartoon. His memory of what the monster looked like had long since become blurry, but he had never forgotten that feeling of terror.
He had immediately burst into tears. Coincidentally, his mother came home at that moment, heard him crying, and followed the sound to find him, then carried him downstairs.
Xu Muchan had been badly frightened. Even at night, he insisted on clinging to his parents and sleeping with them.
But his parents were always very busy. Nights were fine, but during the day, there was often only Xu Muchan at home. The terrifying monster would always appear silently around Xu Muchan, holding the red cloth it had removed and trying to place it over his head.
Xu Muchan was terrified. He felt that sooner or later, he would be eaten.
But when he told his father and mother, they merely placated him perfunctorily and told him not to be afraid, saying that all of it was fake.
But Xu Muchan knew it wasn’t.
So, on another day when his parents were not home, he secretly ran away.
He thought that if he wasn’t at home, he wouldn’t have to be afraid of the monster. When his parents were home that night, he could return.
As long as his father and mother were there, he wouldn’t have to worry about being eaten.
But that day, he didn’t wait for his parents to come home. An old man found him instead. The old man was extremely surprised to see him and muttered many strange things to himself. Afterward, he sent Xu Muchan back home.
For some reason, his father came home very early that day. After the old man saw him, the two of them spoke for a long time.
Xu Muchan hid nearby and secretly listened. He could only vaguely make out something about “causing trouble” and “the business running into problems.”
His father seemed unconvinced. The old man said he would come again in a month, then left.
Xu Muchan was unhappy throughout that month because his mother had started wiping away tears again, and his father had even yelled at him. Xu Muchan was confused and didn’t understand what had happened. He asked his mother when they were going to move to their new home, but she only hugged him and cried.
Then the old man came again.
His father didn’t leave the house at all that day. When the old man arrived, he was extremely agitated. The two of them spoke for a long time, and afterward, Xu Muchan was brought out by his mother.
It was the first time his father and mother had taken him out together. They took Xu Muchan to feed little ducks, ride the carousel, and eat his favorite ice cream. Xu Muchan was very happy.
But his mother cried as she stroked his head and said, “Muchan, don’t blame Dad and Mom. We really had no other choice.”
Xu Muchan did not return home that day.
On the cement road leading home, his parents handed him over to the old man he hated.
After that, he never had a home again.
Xu Muchan had always known that he had an excellent memory, but when it came to the things that happened during his childhood, he had always tried his best to avoid remembering them.
Sometimes having too good a memory was actually a punishment. Just like now, he had unexpectedly recalled his childhood memories with crystal clarity, and was astonished to realize that he had actually left out so many details.
So they hadn’t sold him for fifty thousand yuan after all.
It was because he had lost a game to the monster in his home, and the family’s business had also run into trouble.
And that old man had been able to solve Xu Qingming’s immediate crisis. In exchange, however, he wanted to take Xu Muchan away.
Xu Qingming had abandoned him without the slightest hesitation.
No wonder the monster’s red bridal veil had clearly been removed, yet it was now covering its head again.
No wonder the Xu family had moved several times, yet it had always remained with the Xu family.
Because when forced to choose between his biological son and the monster, Xu Qingming had chosen the monster.
Xu Muchan couldn’t help giving a mocking laugh.
Xu Qingming was stung by his expression and flew into a rage.
“Why are you bringing up all that old history? Your mother and I gave birth to you and raised you. Although you were later kidnapped, we’ve spent all these years trying to find you. Now we’ve brought you back, given you good food and a good life. Where exactly have we mistreated you? What more could you possibly be dissatisfied with?”
His voice unconsciously rose, and several guests nearby had already turned to look.
Xu Zhifei tugged at his sleeve, signaling him to lower his voice. “That’s enough. Say a little less.”
Then she said to Xu Muchan, “Your dad is just angry and saying things he doesn’t mean. Don’t take it to heart.”
Xu Muchan pressed his lips together. His blurred vision could no longer focus properly. His parents’ appearances twisted before his eyes, transforming into some indescribably distorted shapes.
There was actually nothing for him to be angry or disappointed about. During these past ten-odd years, he had long since stopped having any expectations of his parents.
But seeing them tear away their disguises with his own eyes still gave him a strange sense of surprise—
Ah. So they were actually even worse than he had imagined.
Xu Muchan listlessly lowered his eyes and stopped looking at the two of them. The constantly twisting and distorting figures of his parents made him feel dizzy and nauseated.
He took a step backward, wanting to turn around and leave.
But his back bumped into a hard body.
Xu Muchan turned around and discovered that his older brother had somehow appeared behind him.
Wei Xilou pressed a hand against his shoulder and looked down at him.
A-Chan stared up at him blankly. His misty eyes looked wet, as though he were about to cry. He looked so pitiful.
He took A-Chan’s cold hand and shielded him behind himself.
“I thought my parents were already the parents most deserving of being struck by lightning in this world. After meeting the two of you today, I realized I had actually wronged them. If they met the two of you, they’d probably have to admit defeat.”
Xu Qingming’s face flushed red with anger. If they hadn’t been on someone else’s territory, he would have already exploded. But there were already faintly curious eyes watching them from all around, so he could only suppress his anger and say in a low voice, “I’m disciplining my own son. What business is it of yours, an outsider? You may throw your weight around at the Wei family, but don’t even think about meddling in our Xu family’s affairs.”
“From the moment you abandoned him, you stopped being worthy of being his father.”
The more Wei Xilou thought about it, the more reasonable he felt his words were. He thought A-Chan should simply change his surname to Wei.
After all, he was the one who had raised A-Chan. What relationship did A-Chan have with the Xu family?
With that thought, Wei Xilou couldn’t be bothered to continue arguing with Xu Qingming. He needed to go ask what the procedure was for changing someone’s surname nowadays.
“Shall we go?”
He lowered his head and asked Xu Muchan.
Xu Muchan nodded slightly, and Wei Xilou simply took his hand and walked away.
Xu Qingming’s face immediately turned an ugly mix of green and white. He shouted furiously,
“Xu Muchan!”
Xu Muchan didn’t turn around. He held Wei Xilou’s hand tightly.
Halfway there, they passed the Jin couple.
The couple had watched the Xu family’s spectacle, and clearly, much of their anger had dissipated. But naturally, they were unwilling to let Wei Xilou take the person away. Their son’s matter had yet to be resolved.
When someone blocked their path, Wei Xilou’s mood immediately became even worse. He gave the two of them a malicious smile.
“Instead of making things difficult for A-Chan here, you’d better hurry home and collect your ugly son’s corpse. If you’re too late, you might not even have an intact corpse left.”
Those words caused the Jin couple’s expressions to change drastically.
Mrs. Jin was a fierce woman. How could she tolerate someone cursing her son like that? She immediately reached out to grab Wei Xilou.
“How dare you talk like—”
Wei Xilou suddenly turned his head.
In those sinister eyes, his pupils split into two, then four, completely filling the whites of his eyes. Four pupils contracted into vertical slits as they coldly stared at Mrs. Jin.
“Move.”
Mrs. Jin met his gaze. Her pupils shrank in terror, and she opened her mouth wide in horror, yet no sound came out. Only a muffled “h-h-h” escaped her throat.
Then her eyes rolled upward, and she fainted.
The entire scene instantly descended into chaos.
Wei Xilou held Xu Muchan’s hand and slowly walked out.
He took Xu Muchan back to Jiahe Garden.
The house at Jiahe Garden was too small, and everything inside was extremely shabby. Wei Xilou disliked every single thing about it, but there was no way he could let A-Chan return to the Xu family now. The Wei family was even noisier, so they could only temporarily come here to enjoy some peace and quiet.
He settled Xu Muchan onto the sofa.
Xu Muchan lowered his eyes and sat there obediently and quietly. He neither spoke nor cried, looking like a faded porcelain doll.
Wei Xilou stood in front of him, bent down, and pinched his chin, forcing him to raise his head. He touched his thin, slightly reddened eyelids.
“Why are you sad? Should I go kill them for you?”
In his eyes, parents this unfit simply deserved to be killed.
Xu Muchan’s eyes moved slightly. “I’m not sad. I knew what kind of person he was a long time ago.”
“Don’t lie.”
Wei Xilou pressed his thumb against his lips, then released him.
Xu Muchan’s eyelashes trembled. He murmured, “Back then, I was really scared. I thought they didn’t believe me because they couldn’t see it. But it turns out Xu Qingming had always known.”
Not only had he known, he had even used him.
Thinking back now, every time Xu Qingming came home, he would more or less complain in front of Xu Muchan, talking about how difficult doing business was, how little money the family had, and how wonderful it would be if he could make more money.
Young Xu Muchan heard it so many times that he took it to heart.
That was why he had innocently made a wish back then, hoping that his father could make lots and lots of money.
The Xu family had gone from being deeply in debt to becoming the publicly listed group it was today. How much had that thing worshiped as a god contributed to it?
Xu Muchan grabbed Wei Xilou’s hand and stared straight at him.
“What exactly is the thing the Xu family worships?”
“It is the Joy God.”
Xu Muchan asked, “Can it really make people’s wishes come true?”
“Gods aren’t philanthropists.”
Wei Xilou’s tone was difficult to decipher.
Xu Muchan lowered his eyes, his thick eyelashes concealing the expression in them.
“Does the Joy God’s body also contain Black Taisui?”
The question seemed to come out of nowhere, but Wei Xilou understood him. He smiled.
“A-Chan wants to kill it?”
Xu Muchan raised his head, his misty eyes gazing at him.
“Can’t I?”
Wei Xilou showed a troubled expression.
“The Joy God is somewhat special. It isn’t currently in its complete state. To kill it completely, we first have to remove the red cloth sealing it…”
“Even if Big Brother helps me?”
Xu Muchan pressed further, his widened eyes becoming moist.
Wei Xilou paused. His palm gently caressed the side of his face.
“If A-Chan wants to, Big Brother will help you.”
Xu Muchan did not return to the Xu family that night either.
He cleared out a room at Jiahe Garden and temporarily moved in.
After Big Brother agreed to help him kill the Joy God, the inexplicable anger in Xu Muchan’s heart that had nowhere to go finally subsided. He calmly contacted Aunt Shao and told her that he wouldn’t be going back for the weekend. He asked her to pack some clothes for changing and his textbooks, then have the driver deliver them to Jiahe Garden.
Naturally, Xu Qingming flew into another rage when he heard about it. Unfortunately, Xu Muchan wasn’t standing in front of him, so all he could do was rage helplessly.
Xu Zhifei couldn’t persuade him, so she could only have Aunt Shao pack everything first and ask the driver to deliver it.
It was also good to let Muchan stay outside for two days. Her husband was currently furious, and if father and son faced each other, they might start arguing again.
Xu Muchan received his belongings that afternoon. The large dining table in the restaurant was commandeered. He opened his electronic textbooks and studied attentively for the entire afternoon while following along with his physical textbooks.
By the time he went to bed that night, he had completely regained his composure.
Wei Xilou stood outside the door, listening to the rhythmic breathing coming from inside. Only after confirming that the person within was completely asleep did he push the door open and walk in.
The young man was nestled deep in the soft bed, the thin blanket pulled up to his chin. Only half of his face was exposed. His thin eyelids were closed, and his thick eyelashes cast small shadows over his lower eyelids, trembling gently with each breath. He looked soft and fluffy, very cute.
Wei Xilou stood beside the bed, his gaze carefully traveling inch by inch across the young man’s face, unwilling to miss even the smallest detail.
The more he looked, the more he liked him.
Wei Xilou simply couldn’t understand how anyone could dislike such a cute A-Chan.
But then he thought that perhaps this was a good thing, too. It was enough that only he knew how lovable A-Chan was.
Wei Xilou smiled as he brushed the trembling eyelashes, then pinched the tip of his straight nose. He lifted the blanket and silently lay down in the empty space beside him.
The sleeping young man seemed to sense something. He frowned, and his eyelashes trembled more intensely.
Wei Xilou turned onto his side and pulled him into his arms, patting him soothingly. The young man soon sank back into deep sleep.