“Later on, our grandmother insisted that Xu Youyou had to study in Mo City and learn to paint. Perhaps, I had already outgrown my rebellious stage and matured a little, I naturally didn’t object.”

“When she returned, she did not want to live at home so she chose to live in the school’s dormitory. She didn’t even want to return during the weekends. Only when our parents went to the school to pick her up, leaving her with no choice, would she return. After having a meal, she would return to the dormitory again. It was as though she didn’t want to spend another second with us. She was quiet, and her head was always lowered. She would only nod or shake her head in response to questions we asked her.At that time, I felt like she was doing it on purpose. Although we sent her to the countryside, she was not wronged at all. She ate well and lived well. There was no need for her to act like that with us…”

Mo Shenbai felt as though his heart was being burned when he heard this. He felt so distressed that he wished he could return to the past so he could hug the young girl to comfort her and tell her not to be sad.

Xu Jialu finished the wine in his glass in one gulp. His eyes were red as he said in a choking voice, “One night, we received a call from the dormitory, informing us that she tried to commit suicide. She swallowed an entire bottle of sleeping pills and was sent to the hospital to have her stomach pumped.”

“At that time, we found out that she was severely depressed. She had also been suffering from insomnia for a long time. Even our grandmother didn’t notice it. She was prescribed sleeping pills by the doctor…”

Tears rolled down Xu Jialu’s face as he said in a hoarse voice, “After she regained consciousness, she didn’t say anything. Her face was pale as she watched my mother cry. My father hired the best psychiatrist for her, but the effect was minimal. She was also unwilling to take antidepressants. Later, we learned from the psychiatrist that my words from that time deeply impacted her. Moreover, she didn’t have an easy time at school…”

Xu Jialu trailed off. He did not want to expose his sister’s scars in front of Mo Shenbai. He wanted to preserve her dignity and self-respect as much as he could.

“All of us could only watch helplessly. She could not sleep or eat. She lived like a walking corpse. We wanted to help her, but we were powerless…”

“One night, when it was raining heavily, she suddenly ran home. She was drenched by the rain. She cried and said she wanted to live. She begged us to help her…”

Although Xu Jialu did not continue, Mo Shenbai could guess what happened after that.

With Xu Youyou’s treatment, her desire to survive, and her family, she finally overcame the pain from her depression and slowly became a smiling, gentle, and sweet young woman.

No one would be able to tell that such a smiling girl had once swallowed an entire bottle of sleeping pills to end her life in the cold night. No one would be able to imagine that such a warm little girl once wanted to die out of helplessness and hopelessness. She used her warmth to heal the people around her, but during that cold night, she had no one to warm her.

‘So this was the illness she spoke about when she said she was seriously ill and almost died…’

Mo Shenbai felt as though his heart was being crushed when he thought about this. It was extremely painful.

“At that time, I swore to myself that I’d never bully her again in this life and that I wouldn’t allow her to be sad again. I want to be the best brother in the world, and I want to treat her so well that no one can compare to me! I don’t want her to leave us again…”

Xu Jialu’s cigarette burned to the end, burning his fingers. However, he did not seem to notice it. At this moment, his usually carefree and arrogant aura was gone. He looked pitiful as he said with a hint of pleading, “However, Mo Shenbai, I’m really not a good brother. I made Youyou suffer so much. So please love her a lot and protect her well. Let her be as happy as she is now forever, okay?”

Mo Shenbai raised his glass and drained it with one gulp. Then, he rose to his feet, grabbed Xu Jialu by the collar, and punched Xu Jialu’s face. His eyes shone with anger as his heart ached. He said in a low voice, “Do I f*cking need you to tell me that?”

Xu Jialu slumped against the chair; his head was slightly tilted. The rusty taste of blood filled his mouth. He was not angry at all. Instead, he said with a smile, “Thank you.”

This was the first time Xu Jialu saw Mo Shenbai losing control over his emotions, and it was all because of his younger sister.

Mo Shenbai sat back down and said coldly, “You’re welcome.”

Xu Jialu wiped the blood from the corner of his lips. He rose to his feet and hesitated for a moment before he gently patted Mo Shenbai’s shoulder and said, “Happy birthday.”

…

When Xu Youyou came out of the kitchen, she saw the empty living room so she made her way upstairs. When she arrived on the second floor, she saw Mo Shenbai sitting alone on the balcony. She did not know what he was thinking about, but he looked lonely and sad. She did not like the look of it so she hurried over and asked softly, “Why are you sitting here alone? Where are my brother and your friend?”

Mo Shenbai did not say anything. He only looked at her with a deep and burning gaze.

Xu Youyou was shocked by the heat in his eyes. Before she could speak, he grabbed her wrist and gently pulled her over.

Xu Youyou was caught off guard and fell on his lap. As soon as she raised her head, his lips fell on hers.

Xu Youyou was stunned by his domineering and aggressive kiss.

Mo Shenbai seemed dissatisfied with her lack of response. He reached up and softly pinched her chin. When she gasped, he seized the chance and deepened the kiss.

Xu Youyou did not feel uncomfortable. Instead, she was happy. A heart seemed to be filling up slowly. In the silent darkness, she leaned into his embrace. Her hands tightly clutched the front of his shirt. Fortunately, she was sitting on his lap. Otherwise, she would fall due to her weak legs.

Xu Youyou thought Mo Shenbai knew magic. He made her feel powerless, and he made her entire body soft.

Mo Shenbai panted slightly. The moon shone on him as he gently pressed his lips against her forehead. He said in a low and seductive voice, “Thank you.”

‘Thank you for not giving up on life. Thank you for meeting me…”

Mo Shenbai hugged Xu Youyou tightly.

Xu Youyou’s ears heat up. She asked, “You… What’s wrong?”

Xu Youyou kept feeling that something was not right.

“It’s nothing,” Mo Shenbai replied. After a moment, he added, “I don’t want to wait anymore, and my heart has softened…”

“Hm?” Xu Youyou raised her head and looked at him with her sparkling eyes. There was a seductive look in her eyes that even she was unaware of.

Mo Shenbai’s gaze heated up again. He swallowed a few times before he said in a low voice, “Youyou, stop pursuing me…”

Xu Youyou was stunned. Before she could react, she heard him say, “We were already together the night you got drunk…”