Tomb raiding: A mere 20 is nothing!

Did Shen Mingchao really not hear anything?

Nor is it.

She did go back to her room early, but while scrolling through her phone, she got a sudden urge to hog the snacks and couldn't resist. Remembering the pile of fruit in the fridge, she immediately got up.

When it comes to food, she has always been very efficient.

The drinking party outside hadn't ended yet, and Shen Mingchao didn't want to disturb the three of them, so he tiptoed into the kitchen.

The three men were probably drunk and didn't notice her. They were chatting happily, but their voices weren't loud. The kitchen and living room were also a bit far apart, and she was focused on cutting fruit, so she didn't hear much of what they were saying.

I only caught a few words here and there.

What animal kingdom female?

What method can break this deadlock?

There's also a line about Young Master Su.

The words are completely unrelated, and even using them to make sentences would be difficult for elementary school students; it's all a mess.

All she could say was: "You guys are having quite a lively conversation."

So, Shen Mingchao ignored the noise outside and focused on making the fruit salad. She wasn't one to eat alone; since the three of them had been drinking, she made them a portion as well, hoping to help them sober up.

As she carried the plate out, she suddenly heard Su Wan's indignant voice.

Hair is very important!!!

I can relate to that so much.

She immediately spoke up in agreement.

I don't know why the three of them suddenly froze. Was it because her appearance was too sudden? They were too easily startled.

Shen Mingchao pursed his lips, picked up his fruit salad, and happily returned to his room, not taking the matter to heart, until Li Chu came to his door.

The person was awake, had changed into clean clothes, and had damp hair that hung loosely down, covering most of their eyes.

There was only a faint floral scent in the air, without any smell of smoke or alcohol, so I guess I just took a shower.

Aside from the initial greeting, Li Chu sat down on the stool as soon as he entered, head down, without saying a word.

A cold, aura emanated from him.

Shen Mingchao found it a bit strange.

Li Chu wouldn't come looking for no reason. She didn't know Li Chu's purpose, but she was curious about what could have made him silent for so long.

Since the other party isn't speaking, she'll start.

"What happened, brother?"

These words finally moved Li Chu. He slowly raised his head, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes, but still opened his mouth and said, "Xiao Han, I just contacted my mother."

……

Let's go back to the time after the aluminum triangle was dissolved.

Li Cu sat quietly in the unlit living room for a long time before finally opening WeChat, a platform he hadn't used in ages. With a cigarette dangling from his mouth, he hesitated for a long time before finally sending a simple "Hello."

After sending the message, he tossed his phone aside and prepared to take a shower, not expecting a quick reply.

"Buzzing..."

My phone vibrated twice beside my pillow.

Li Cu suddenly stopped in his tracks, picked up his phone and saw two sentences sent from the other end.

[Small cluster]

[What's wrong?]

Is it a one-second reply?

Li Chu bit his lip tightly. Some things he thought he had long since stopped caring about could be stirred up again by just a few words. His fingers trembled as he continued typing.

[I've found Xiaohan, would you like to see her?]

The other side was clearly shocked and sent messages one after another.

[who?]

[Xiao Han? Really?]

[Where did you find her? How is she?]

Looking at the messages popping up one after another, Li Cu couldn't help but ask,

[When have you ever cared about me like this?]

After that sentence, the other end displayed "typing" several times, but in the end, it only sent a blank message.

I... I'm afraid of bothering you.

Li Cu suddenly let out a cold laugh.

Afraid of bothering him? If you're afraid of bothering him, you shouldn't contact him, ask him for money, or even just show him some concern during holidays.

These words remained unspoken to Li Chu. He hadn't forgotten his business; Xiao Han had come all the way to Beijing, and he couldn't afford to have a falling out with his mother now. He didn't want Xiao Han to leave disappointed.

[Let bygones be bygones. Now you need to give me a definite answer: Xiaohan wants to see you. If you want to see her too, give me an address.]

Li Chu waited a while longer and found that no new messages popped up in the chat box. Not wanting to wait idly, he simply silenced his phone and went to take a shower.

Li Cu hadn't contacted his mother for a long time. Occasionally, when he thought about her, he would guess that she might have remarried or gone to work in another city. But he never thought that she wasn't lying to him and that she was really sick.

After he finished showering, he turned on his phone and was stunned when he saw the address the other party had sent him.

That's the address of a hospital in Beijing, it even has a ward number.

He immediately typed: [Are you sick?]

[Um......]

What does "um" mean?

Li Chu quickly sent another message: [What illness? Is it serious?]

Then the other side stopped replying.

A dozen minutes later, Li Chu got anxious and made a call. Unexpectedly, the call was hung up after ringing twice, and a WeChat message popped up at the same time.

[It's nothing serious.]

Then another message popped up: "[Xiao Cu, are you coming over?]" But this message was quickly deleted and replaced with: "[Let Xiao Han come over by herself. I haven't seen her for years, and I want to see her too.]"

Li Chu's eyes were completely empty.

He didn't want to know why he posted it in the first place and then retracted it; it was pointless, so of course he wouldn't go.

"Brother, aren't you going?"

A single sentence pulled Li Cu back from his wandering thoughts. Facing Shen Mingchao's concerned gaze, he shook his head.

"No need, she specifically asked you to go alone, so you can go. As for me..." At this point, Li Chu scoffed coldly, "She hates me and doesn't want me to go, so I don't need to be so eager to please her."

The book says that a child's love for their parents is innate. Li Chu agrees with this view. However, love can also be worn away.

No one wants to admit that they were abandoned by their mother.

So he made an excuse for not loving her. His mother's abandonment of him was essentially a result of her hatred for his abusive father's genes, an attempt to avoid that painful memory, and a case of hating the house because of the crow.

Therefore, he should not appear before her and reopen her wounds.

Seeing Li Cu's state, Shen Mingchao didn't know what to say, only asking with concern, "What illness does your foster mother have? Is it serious?"

"It shouldn't be serious."

These were the other party's exact words, and Li Chu didn't doubt them. He had transferred some money to them earlier, and since they had already asked, they wouldn't have kept quiet if the illness was serious and they didn't have enough money. Such things, once they happen, will happen again.

"I've already sent you her WeChat. Get some rest tonight, and I'll drive you there tomorrow."

After giving his instructions, Li Chu got up and left.

The moment the door closed, Shen Mingchao gripped his phone tightly with his fingers, his brows furrowed.

Ever since Li Cu told her that his mother was hospitalized, she felt inexplicably uneasy, but she also felt that no matter what, Li Cu would not hide such a thing from her.

She let out a soft breath, thinking to herself that she had been overthinking things.