Da Ge

Chapter 15
On the afternoon of August 15th, Wei Qian bought two boxes of mooncakes. As he passed by the hospital, he dropped by and left one box for Mazi’s mother.QmZfvLvQhoPFPGAsmuRscYKLsDnAmM

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Mazi, pushing his mother for a stroll, found her visibly uneasy. Half of her face had been severely disfigured by hot oil, making her extremely sensitive to others’ stares—if someone glanced at her face, she’d panic and shy away. Yet, if someone deliberately avoided looking at her, she felt like a fright, causing her discomfort.oQCyOpkGvUdIXTaQztmknCXITqkyry

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She felt somewhat at ease only around Wei Qian and San Pang, who visited even more frequently than Mazi. Despite her face being charred beyond recognition, they had grown accustomed to it.UPszBeIPJFllJIHORzMXjFEeJqzDOJ

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“Auntie, I’ve bought some mooncakes and left a box for you. It’s a festive treat; do try a piece,” Wei Qian said, having bought not the loose kind but those in a packaging box.jtAJZHSNFXaExrtSPLPHSAxSmmdCZn

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Without thanking him, Mazi’s mother blurted out, “Why spend money on this? You’re wasting money!”brOUKxRXwifkgGtDHjtVslZHVIPFhb

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Wei Qian smoothly went along with her complaint, “Exactly, I don’t see what’s so tasty about these greasy things. But what can I do when my two ‘bosses’ love them?”wjCYNSPlmxomBVVmCBvjvSlpJzWTae

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Mazi’s mother chuckled, “You shouldn’t spoil them like that, or they’ll lose all semblance of restraint.”fbjWjLNQTgoJEzfziQlNeniNNeaUlp

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Though she didn’t voice it, deep down, she always felt like a heavy burden, knowing no one could afford professional care for her. Most of the time, she had to stay alone in the hospital, devoid of companionship. A visit from an acquaintance for a casual chat was a luxury to her.vUwdMwSQJQekcTuZlLLUCUViOcNnMp

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Not to mention, her son had taken an entire afternoon to take her out for a walk.RGhqqEWUCNvhprGJJnrvwaEQqfUxwn

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It had been a long while since Mazi’s mother had felt this happy. That day, her smile, albeit ugly, was genuinely heartfelt.MQTKjvAXeoxrIQkZrCCqPROiScOxhh

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Wei Qian wasn’t one for long conversations, but he stayed with Mazi’s mother for a while, nearly exhausting his month’s supply of smiles, speaking until he was dry-mouthed and stiff-faced before he left.fNgqNIndzcFuXQWNtTbaJXScOHLoes

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Throughout, Mazi, as usual, stayed silent, just listening on the side.OspqsOigRiiHrjsWOHcCOjyNxUVRBL

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Leaving the hospital, Wei Qian felt a sense of relief, as if unburdening something. He and San Pang had already taken Mazi back under their wing. As for Mazi’s mother, they could take turns caring for her—after all, Wei Qian himself was motherless, so what was one more to look after?URBCBuQslJALiqWgCvttiNrzHnSYaU

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Upon Wei Qian’s arrival at home and the moment he pushed the door, two little beings seated on the couch turned their heads towards him in a synchronized motion, reminiscent of meerkats, displaying an eager look of anticipation. Just as Xiao Bao was about to voice his grievances, his attention was abruptly captured by the sight of a box in Wei Qian’s grasp. His eyes gleamed, and he jumped around in a frenzy, shouting, “Mooncakes! And the TV is busted!”UpkWqrxXyZKZzfAPiMBnGGPiKtOwMy

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Wei Qian, witnessing this, calmly stated, “Fine, it’ll be taken care of.”CqfmxCpJPNkBqBPkBTNfUljaaAjRSZ

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Xiao Bao, wagging happily, let out a series of gleeful snickers.dOTkDQYNOIbftjdgMuEsbxdqKWTjgH

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Fatigued from the day’s conversations, Wei Qian gestured silently towards the kitchen instead of speaking. Xiao Bao, puzzled, followed his direction, questioning, “Are there more mooncakes in there?”WKnUxTEgDdSJkXFMlXimAnoZluroik

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But Wei Zhiyuan, ever so quick and adept, had already sprung from the sofa to fetch a toolbox from beneath a storage container in the kitchen.nnYRHbbMMCDpygTJfymdBNsUGvnmqo

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This little aide seemed almost telepathic in his readiness, earning Wei Qian’s mixed feelings of pride and annoyance as he scolded Xiao Bao, “Out of the way, it’s impossible to communicate with you.”NIxrDEecLLJnWhxNfJTajMoRvEosfo

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Feeling wronged, Xiao Bao protested, “But you didn’t actually say anything!”YMgmrWyziKQviNJISwnlQQCXWEfPMD

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Their household’s TV, like many other items, had undergone repairs multiple times.OfDtjBjhrBDTdIZtmARzFfctbDcNJr

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Wei Qian, with skilled hands, sat down and swiftly dismantled the television. While Xiao Bao eyed the mooncake box with longing, Wei Zhiyuan observed Wei Qian’s troubleshooting efforts from his shoulder, perfectly behaved.efirrjCudCLFzzjCjWwOHIefTyjwFw

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Casting a look at him, Wei Qian found the boy even more visually pleasing and heartwarming than Xiao Bao.QYPrwDSLVcJqAwlcscsQKSWpxZOFpX

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Wei Zhiyuan, full of admiration, declared, “Bro, you’re incredible, I aspire to fix TVs just like you when I’m older.”cJCrcpQkCtAzecqOQKSZrMHghMyXxO

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Wei Qian could only stare in disbelief.OJExWVTXqoqXbaWGvUjWQuQUoRXzzS

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With innocent earnestness, Wei Zhiyuan gazed back at him.CVfHotXgQqqYbMuqRmYuMtMKenupXQ

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Challenged by the statement, Wei Qian questioned, “Did I pay for your education so you could end up fixing TVs?”lAcMBtOZLAVkltzqZWNOBzRiAKfTPz

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With hesitation, Wei Zhiyuan then ventured, “Or… perhaps I could sell TVs instead!”vXgMIseQeQWFoWEtyaWhauPjGqMqjR

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Wei Qian couldn’t help but let out a chuckle—thinking the youngster was pretending to be clueless to appear cute.hsoWqISVSaQmVPtIegMMdoTXIFYGIF

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Ever since Wei Zhiyuan had taken his studies seriously, his report cards clearly showcased his talent. Wei Qian, recalling his own early maturity and intelligence, realized that his grades might not have even matched up to the boy’s.JPYNKwoCQeTaqFbuwjjdWWCIhUjgvb

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In the evening, after Wei Qian had fixed the television and sliced the mooncakes with a small knife, he sat down with them to enjoy the mooncakes while watching a TV drama.VydskXrkBnPygXWKyOVqsjZOiDSmJu

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They were watching “The Legend of the Condor Heroes,” just at the part where Guo Jing leaves Mongolia to return to the Central Plains with the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan, when suddenly, someone knocked on their door.gjQnubVBBBUkHXzDOgHMiYgVDHOkuv

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The knock was soft, as if uncertain, pausing between intervals.ladepRLaBPEgSuKOobfJOovEoXZGji

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Thinking it was one of his brothers, Wei Qian, without putting on a shirt and with a cigarette in his mouth, showing off his bandaged torso, went to answer the door.hZYYUhoqyZzgOqLyadQIjfZvrmoMqb

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Upon opening it, he was momentarily taken aback to see an unfamiliar elderly lady standing there.EbAtsUnTwdLozDovFQNUSfrsdXUyEF

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The old lady had grey hair but appeared spirited. She was short, not even reaching Wei Qian’s shoulder, and was both dark-skinned and thin. She wore an old-fashioned buttoned jacket commonly seen on rural elders and straight-leg pants that revealed her slender ankles.XtDOBIYnDCmGUascQufKJcnDNdYrjE

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She carried a dusty bag on her back and held a plastic bag filled with empty cans and bottles in her hand. Her hair was neatly combed, her clothes clean, suggesting she might be in her sixties, yet her posture was straight, neither hunched nor bent.nuYJPwghFLtiwZemmryRZCECdouZPL

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This elderly woman seemed to be a collector of recyclables, yet she was the most dignified one Wei Qian had ever encountered.igIUEOdIyAYeZOyWagsWpFJcgApmmq

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At the same time, the old lady, visibly intimidated by the evidently not-so-respectable young man before her, was surprised by who answered the door. However, she didn’t back down, instinctively stood tall, and asked with a strong presence, “Does Song Dawei live here?”FwmIpeItxJdkkCUcTdpRPDUjrerfVJ

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Her tone was not exactly friendly, carrying a subtle unfriendliness. Before Wei Qian could react, he found the name “Song Dawei” strangely familiar but couldn’t recall who it was immediately.ClucEdoamHuzndKdFpsfCethiMrwMQ

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Seeing Wei Qian’s confused expression, she asked again, “Then, is Song Lilian living here?”rmgrkfGQivJbuTawfXuWGjAxVanKqC

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“Song Lilian?” Wei Qian asked back, “What do you want with her?”gvwyibAFebijpZKqKQuANFzDiGipcx

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Xiao Bao, overhearing the conversation, jumped out excitedly, “Hey! Who’s looking for me?”QUqcOehonKEInSTmkZMMwCYojIHTrF

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As she appeared suddenly, the old lady, trying to seem unphased but clearly frail and tiny, shivered. She stared greedily and intently at Xiao Bao, who leaned in curiously. Her trembling intensified until, unexpectedly, she hugged the young girl and started to cry uncontrollably, all pretense of dignity lost.VABgIkJHoIhaxCyRMdMeBuFLbywcAa

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It was only then that Wei Qian belatedly realized “Song Dawei” was the short-lived stepfather who had once provided him with a few good years, and Xiao Bao’s father.eYyPOzJcLxVZrNrhmFIbHpKJobcvjC

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In a dramatic twist, this elderly lady turned out to be the biological mother of Wei Qian’s late stepfather.MBcqQUfkDbhblFGPNZxGxZCtLyJEdd

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In earlier years, long-distance train tickets were expensive for rural residents in remote areas. The migration of rural workers had just begun and was not yet widespread. It was common for those who left for work not to return home for three to five years. Telephone communication in villages was inconvenient, and families mainly stayed in touch through letters and remittances.WyCASByzWgbyjIoDoSaOuZaNjLjAky

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After Song Dawei lost contact, the elderly lady was initially eager to visit, but coincidentally, her husband suffered a stroke at that critical time. Over the next few years, she was too overwhelmed to manage anything else. The few letters she managed to send to her son through others all vanished without a trace—Wei Qian’s mother, at that time, never thought to contact Song Dawei’s family, as she was entirely consumed by her destructive drug addiction.rQwGlSCafNABcdQgeeFflOShvyrzAU

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Finally, just after the Dragon Boat Festival one year, the elderly lady’s frail husband followed the ancient sages in death, leaving her completely alone.OmdTbwAbckQtoArQaJihRZshVutnpD

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Having become an utterly lonely widow, she mourned her husband with loud cries, gathered her few belongings, scraped together some money, and relying on collecting recyclables, made her way to this northern city that she had seen on the remittance slips from the post office, hoping to find her son.PFaagpJEInTLTNAWpLfYVhbYQGPxlZ

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When she knocked on the door, she stood tall and defiant, despite holding a bag of unsold cans, trying her best to maintain her rural dignity in this unfamiliar city.FuAxQXNlESjIBcgcSLHOeRlQDlwHVc

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But this dignity shattered when she discovered that her son had also passed away long ago.YhvqSvIPlRPkZFNQuGnOeUkcfZkQHh

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On the Mid-Autumn Festival, a time for family reunions across China, no one knew that in an old apartment building, an elderly lady was in panic upon finding out that both her husband and son were gone. She was left without anyone to care for her in old age or to mourn her passing. Her entire life seemed to have been lived in vain, leading to a desolate end.TXLaNyzEspurxCcFskPogAtvBYdkmr

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She sat on the floor, crying so hard that it disrupted everyone’s enjoyment of the mooncakes.hDtyCNmeqiVgRQGylKMIYPulvVCFOL

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Wei Qian looked at the black and white old photo the elderly lady brought with her. The foolish young man in it vaguely resembled his short-lived stepfather. After examining the remittance slip she had brought, he was mostly convinced that she truly was Xiao Bao’s biological grandmother.taHmaoGzoxTDmNTkDCjkxtKDDRkRzc

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Despite being a blood relative, Wei Qian found the old woman quite annoying, but he didn’t have the heart to kick her out on the night of the August Festival, so he temporarily allowed her and Xiao Bao to stay with him.brrzYZLUzzcRCkDkjbFeQejjOhmiEZ

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Unexpectedly, once the elderly woman dried her tears, her eyes, identical to those of Wei Qian’s stepfather Song Dawei, revealed a shrewd and cunning glint. She quickly realized Wei Qian was no saint and, after indirectly probing him with a few questions, her initial pleasant demeanor changed upon discovering he was a nightclub bouncer involved in dubious activities. The old lady couldn’t stand it.RBrSDiDBHvMuBCExHnPRXiTAFftbFk

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In her era, rural elderly women couldn’t grasp the concepts of gangsters or the underworld; to her, Wei Qian was simply a bad influence.viWymoYlLVzDduJlNGtxlwJcNhiMWu

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…Of course, her judgment wasn’t entirely wrong.dXleUVJNmCkGdcknPtiacxNcSWOnQa

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Naturally, she couldn’t allow her precious granddaughter to live with a delinquent, but she also noticed Xiao Bao’s dependence on Wei Qian.QJJszephIKpxQTmkiEaRLEvKjwzCkP

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Having lived through the tumultuous modern history of China, including two wars, regime changes, and various political movements, the elderly lady was as cunning as they come, well-versed in the art of survival and strategy. She didn’t confront Wei Qian directly, choosing instead to bide her time and figure out how to “rescue” her granddaughter from the bad influence.ViHetghqWTKkheVykQVYziVVchGhtJ

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Wei Qian, however, didn’t have the luxury of pondering over her thoughts, as trouble arose that very night.OETtxfVOtrBenuVdheSKBVYlSiNoEk

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At 3:30 AM, someone forcefully banged on Wei Qian’s door, waking him up abruptly. Strangely, being woken up in such a harsh manner during his deepest sleep didn’t irritate him as much as it made him break out in a cold sweat—as if he had a premonition that something was amiss.OanlHfdcaJsdPPggcJryllrvMymsmg

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Wei Zhiyuan, groggy and wrapped in a blanket, got up as well, not fully understanding what was happening, his mind a mess. Instinctively, he followed Wei Qian barefoot to the door.zOjHfSIUHhSjYdqkiRoVlKjEECVUyE

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Before Wei Qian could fully open the door, an item slipped through the crack and fell to the ground. Picking it up, he found it was an envelope filled with money.xsFoojgEDjQwTxiwimZiMxQOYYhWGg

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At the doorstep, San Pang was still shirtless, wearing only slippers and boxer shorts, his body covered in white flabby flesh, clearly having just rolled out of bed. He was holding an envelope, identical to the one before Wei Qian. Before Wei Qian could react, San Pang blurted out rapidly, “It’s Mazi! I only saw this envelope when I got up to pee in the middle of the night. It must have been that bastard Mazi who stuffed it there!”bIZvsJGeJwmhWeqedgNKhWiEyMBmxR

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In that moment, Wei Qian’s mind was surprisingly calm. He asked in a low voice, “Where did he get so much money?”hktPnrydizLUWRruMKgrKikRWuGJoK

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San Pang speculated, “Could he have gone to sell…”YDMhhaclNAtAOaGvENqUXKOtDGYTzn

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“Impossible!” Wei Qian cut him off sharply, “Impossible, San Ge, you don’t understand those people. They want you to sell your soul to them for a long, drawn-out time. They’d dangle you on a string, never giving you so much money all at once.”IxLEdRYYnVZFAaaYxYcetXDuphJAgm

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Realizing what Wei Qian was implying—that Mazi might have done something worse than drug trafficking—San Pang looked at him, panic-stricken for once.iKdqQbEODnFKjuROncnntTweZOzNGF

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“I saw him this afternoon… I should have realized sooner that something was off with him,” Wei Qian thought rapidly. He reached for the phone on the table, dialed a number, and called a brother who was on duty that night. After a long wait, Wei Qian hung up the phone, his face turning dreadfully grim.FbSNSqpMxrVUIameNpbXwDLIEWaHIm

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“What happened…?” San Pang held his breath, lowering his voice.rmoJanVsgFuIyokXarUQgBoZoturFN

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“Something happened tonight over there. I heard a large group of police showed up, searched the place inside and out, and took many people away,” Wei Qian quickly put on his jacket and shoes. “Didn’t see Mazi. Hopefully, he’s got nothing to do with this…”teqKjBqPZSQszHqFjVFuoHDQUZIfhX

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San Pang grabbed his arm, “How… how could he be involved in this?”HtyqTaxagmgKTBupGyhHUTCiboqRuf

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Wei Qian’s voice was low, “How would I know? I’m going to check it out. You go to the hospital and ask the duty nurse if he was there tonight.”sHjCEVMvJnrQULvOJJCwGLLNPNiZlJ

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Wei Zhiyuan hurriedly followed Wei Qian, but Wei Qian grabbed his arm and dragged him back inside, “What are you doing following me? Go back to sleep. Aren’t you going to school tomorrow?”lCtYKjawmtLwjJEFTCzlUwvPykjzjb

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Wei Zhiyuan responded, “I’ll help you go out and look for Brother Mazi.”WbYDfxMVGijmWSXIFznBQiFKDPrwzf

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“Little brat,” Wei Qian glared at him impatiently, “Not causing me trouble is the best help you can give me.”YFbbcbfTPmKNxegTmQphppZBTXHiOy

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Wei Zhiyuan’s steps halted abruptly, his sparkling eyes immediately dimmed.iiqvnYnddZczwgvKorFQrWBYqpPigj

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He suddenly felt the contradiction in himself—if he showed his precociousness, he wouldn’t easily catch his brother’s attention. Yet, behaving as naively as Xiao Bao, although usually pleasing his brother, would also see him treated as a mere child in critical moments.wSuyWOUawamhDMoBduynDRqvZMPfXQ

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At that moment, the two “adults” were thrown into disarray, too preoccupied to guess at the turmoil in Wei Zhiyuan’s heart.AZmPRUnlbbPisLXEmPXJqIJoOYbQsz

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“Qian’er…” San Pang hadn’t moved, his palms were sweaty, and his voice was hoarse, “If he gets caught by the police, what would happen to him?”NUHiUkAXZqdxAbsWuMGxagQMLVJAbE

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Wei Qian raised his head in the dimly lit living room to look at him, his eyes sharp as a knife, clearly defined in the darkness.lYUkNOLJDbuYtxdsxEFWPwJVLJEped

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“What do you think?” he retorted.TtnJeUZjzyXPOTRPURSKofLpLJnHSX

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San Pang’s heart sank.nmzSFyOScryXLRLELnOiPASNvPpXhG

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