Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The family recognition banquet was held at Xin Rong Ji.

A premier time-honored establishment in Jiangcheng, renowned for its high-end private cuisine, this Chinese-style courtyard club had the Xu family as one of its investors.

To protect privacy and accommodate the sheer number of relatives, Xu Qingming had booked the entire second floor as the banquet venue.

The family of four took the garage elevator directly to the second floor.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, a hostess dressed in a cheongsam was already waiting at the entrance to greet and escort them.

Xu Zhifei walked ahead with her arm linked through Xu Qingming's, followed by Xu Wangchuan and Xu Muchan. Since Xu Muchan was blind, he held a white cane in his right hand while his left arm was lightly steadied by Xu Wangchuan.

As the Xu relatives came forward to greet them, their eyes inevitably lingered on Xu Muchan for a moment longer.

But everyone present was no fool. With the Xu Group at its peak and Xu Muchan being Xu Qingming's only son, no one was stupid enough to bring up his blindness and ruin the mood. Instead, they heaped praise on him for his looks, saying he'd gotten the best of both parents, especially taking after Xu Zhifei.

Naturally, this led to a wave of compliments aimed at Xu Zhifei as well.

Xu Zhifei sat Xu Muchan down beside her, holding his hand and happily introducing him to relatives from both sides of the family.

Xu Qingming's parents had already passed away, while Xu Zhifei's parents were still alive, retired and living back in their hometown. Since they were old and frail, Xu Zhifei had only informed them after everything was finalized, and they had not yet arrived in Jiangcheng.

Everyone there was a cousin or extended relative from both sides. Just on Xu Qingming's side, there were several uncles and aunts, each with their own kids and grandkids. Combined with Xu Zhifei's relatives, there were so many people that eight tables were barely enough to seat everyone.

Even if Xu Muchan had his sight, it would have been a challenge to remember so many people—let alone when he was blind and couldn't tell anyone apart.

So he simply sat there quietly, acting as a decorative ornament, a soft, shy smile on his lips, tilting his head as if listening closely to Xu Zhifei's conversations, without saying a word unless spoken to.

He only spoke when Xu Zhifei told him to greet someone.

If you ignored his blank eyes, he'd look like the kind of well-behaved kid elders dote on.

Xu Zhifei was especially happy with how he behaved.

When he first got home, she hadn't had a chance to really look at this child she'd been separated from for over a decade. Now she saw that Xu Muchan really was handsome, his eyes and brows especially like hers—which was why all that flattery from the relatives made her so happy.

She affectionately held Xu Muchan's hand without letting go, her motherly heart swelling. With a soft sigh, she brought up the topic herself, the one the relatives had been too careful to bring up: "After Muchan was taken, he went through so much. When we finally found him, the assistant went to Yundong to get him and learned that he'd been injured in a sudden landslide in the village, which left him blind."

"So Muchan's eyes used to be fine?"

A relative exclaimed in surprise: "Oh, that's awful. You should get him to a big hospital for a check-up ASAP. If the doctors here can't help, you can go abroad—don't let his condition get worse!"

Xu Zhifei said, "That's exactly what I was thinking. I've already contacted an ophthalmology specialist, and we're going in for an exam in the next couple of days. After he was abducted, he wasn't taken in by a good family and suffered a lot as a child. His adoptive parents passed away early, and he grew up relying on the kindness of the village, eating at different people's houses. Even so, he got into the best high school in the city. When the assistant went to handle the transfer and saw his grades, it turned out he'd been ranked first in his grade the whole time, getting scholarships every year. His homeroom teacher didn't want to let go of such a promising student."

Jiangcheng was a province known for its cutthroat college entrance exam competition. Regardless of family background, attitudes toward children's education were remarkably consistent—

Parents pushed their kids like crazy behind closed doors, and at family gatherings, comparing which school their kids went to, what awards they'd won, and their test scores was a standard ritual.

They'd pretend to be nonchalant about it, casually saying, "Oh, we don't really manage them much—what matters is that the kids are happy."

This occasion was no exception.

Xu Qingming chuckled and interjected, "Zhifei was even planning to donate a building, but when she sent the transcript to the principal of Nanming, they discussed it and agreed to accept him."

"Once Muchan's eyes are better, he can go through the enrollment procedures directly."

Xu Muchan had been drowsy, but at the mention of school, he perked up immediately and couldn't help speaking up: "Could I go to school first?"

Xu Zhifei was slightly surprised: "You could, but with your eyesight as it is now, wouldn't you fall behind?"

Xu Muchan was unexpectedly insistent, explaining, "During winter break, I already self-studied this semester's curriculum. I'm familiar with the textbook content, but there are bound to be differences between Yundong's and Jiangcheng's teaching materials. Even though I can't see, I can still listen. This semester ends and I'll be entering my senior year. I don't know how long it'll take for my eyes to recover, so at least this way I won't fall too far behind."

Even Xu Zhifei and Xu Qingming hadn't expected Xu Muchan to be so dedicated to his studies that he'd insist on attending school despite his blindness.

Xu Zhifei wanted to persuade him further, but Xu Muchan was adamant.

After some consideration, Xu Qingming said, "That's not impossible. I'll have a word with your principal and arrange for you to be placed in Wangchuan's class. You'll have a driver for commuting, and Wangchuan can look after you at school. It shouldn't be too inconvenient."

Xu Muchan said eagerly, "I can manage on my own at school too. I won't trouble Xu Wangchuan much."

He didn't call him "brother" this time.

Xu Wangchuan glanced at him, a cold smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth, though his voice carried a smile: "How could looking after my brother be a bother? But I'm in the excellence class—everyone there is a top student. The pace is fast and the pressure is intense. Even I struggle to keep up. Coming from Yundong, you might not adapt to that kind of high-pressure environment. It'd be better to take a leave of absence and treat your eyes first. Once they're healed, you can go back to school. If you're worried about falling behind, we can also hire private tutors to come to the house."

Xu Wangchuan's face was full of concern, and his words made sense. Xu Zhifei looked between her adopted son and her biological son, clearly hesitant.

But Xu Muchan was unusually firm this time. He turned toward Xu Zhifei and Xu Qingming, his tone pleading: "I want to try. If I really can't keep up, I'll take a leave of absence then."

Xu Zhifei sighed helplessly and said to the relatives, "This child cares so much about his studies that we as parents don't know what to do."

The relatives naturally chimed in with praise.

Xu Zhifei patted her son's head and said, "I'll have your father talk to the principal and let you try first. But don't push yourself too hard. There's still over a year until the college entrance exam. Even if you fall behind, you can always repeat a year. Or if you don't want to repeat, you can go abroad. Your father and I work hard so you don't have to struggle—so you can have more options in life."

Xu Muchan nodded obediently, looking grateful, but inwardly he was unimpressed.

The Xu family's wealth belonged to Xu Qingming and his wife—it had nothing to do with him.

Today, they might dote on him and indulge his every whim; tomorrow, they might decide he brought bad luck by stepping in with his left foot first and cast him out without mercy, just as they had when he was three.

Only his college entrance exam scores were truly his own. Those scores determined which university he could attend.

He had already looked up the relevant information—blind people could take the college entrance exam. The Xu family had money and connections. If his eyes could be cured, that would be best; if not, he would apply to take the special exam for blind candidates.

Technology was advancing, and the better universities had more facilities for people with disabilities. Blindness wouldn't hinder university studies.

As for employment, there was no need to worry too much—the government had various support programs, and the range of careers available to blind people was far broader than most people realized.

But all of that depended on him keeping up with his studies and getting into his dream university.

Though his blindness had slightly altered his plans for the future, he had long been accustomed to climbing mountains and crossing rivers as they came. No matter what, he would always find a way forward.

With a year left until the exam, he wanted to prepare as much as possible.

As for the options of repeating a year or going abroad that Xu Zhifei had mentioned, neither was on Xu Muchan's radar. After all, who knew if he'd even still be in the Xu family a year from now?

Xu Muchan turned many thoughts over in his mind, but none of them showed on his face. Instead, the relatives continued to shower him with praise.

The lively recognition banquet didn't end until 10:30 PM, and by the time they returned to Oak Manor, it was nearly 11:30.

Xu Wangchuan had been anxiously checking the time in the car. The fright from earlier in the day still lingered, and he feared that going to bed too late might cause him to run into the Xi Shen again. So the moment the car came to a stop in the garage, he flung the door open, jumped out, and rushed upstairs, hastily telling Xu Zhifei, "Mom, I'm heading to my room first," before taking the stairs two at a time.

"That child..."

Xu Zhifei muttered before guiding Xu Muchan out of the car. The three of them took the elevator upstairs.

Xu Muchan smelled that nauseating odor again in the elevator, even stronger than on the first floor, as if whatever was giving off the smell had taken the elevator too.

Xu Muchan furrowed his brow, finally certain that the thing from his childhood was still in the Xu household.

He couldn't be bothered to figure out why that thing kept following Xu Qingming and his wife; he just thought that he'd need to go to the kitchen later to get a bowl of rice and an egg.

At night, spirits were far more active than during the day. Xu Muchan thought of the thing that used to play hide-and-seek with him as a child, and he got goosebumps all over.

He had no idea what the situation would be like at home tonight, and his brother was still angry and ignoring him. Their connection had always been one-sided—if his brother didn't show himself, Xu Muchan couldn't even tell if he was around.

Just in case, he'd have to find a way to smooth things over, he thought.

Xu Qingming and his wife lived on the third floor. They escorted Xu Muchan back to his room and only left after making sure he was settling in well in the new room.

Xu Muchan listened carefully, confirming that the couple had gone upstairs and that the sound of running water was coming from Xu Wangchuan's room next door—clearly he was already showering—before he pushed open his door and groped his way toward the kitchen.

It was pitch dark, much darker than before; the villa clearly had no lights on.

Xu Zhifei didn't like having outsiders in the house, and the Xu family's nanny and cook didn't live in, so right now, the only people in the villa were the four members of the Xu family.

And only Xu Muchan and Xu Wangchuan lived on the first floor.

The entire first floor was so quiet you couldn't even hear insects or birds. Xu Muchan found the kitchen from memory, and after a careful search, located the rice bin and the fridge.

Fortunately, there were eggs in the fridge.

Xu Muchan found a soup bowl, scooped out a full bowl of rice, and grabbed one egg.

Then he thought about it and grabbed two more.

If he wanted to make it up to him, a couple extra eggs couldn't hurt.

Xu Muchan carried the raw rice and eggs back to his room, locked the door behind him, then opened the cabinet door, sat cross-legged in front of it, facing the shrine, and said in a soft, coaxing tone: "Brother, I'm back."

"I brought you something good to eat."

He divided about a third of the full bowl of rice into the small offering bowl, cracked three raw eggs into it, stirred it together, and stuck lit incense sticks into it before placing it in front of the shrine: "Here, brother, eat up."

"These are eggs I've been saving for a long time and couldn't bring myself to eat," Xu Muchan said without batting an eye.

Thin wisps of smoke rose from the incense sticks stuck in the raw rice, shrouding the earnest-looking young man.

The glow of the incense tips flickered—and went out.