Sweetie, sleep with me tonight.

How fortunate he is to have the sun's rays and warmth in this lifetime.

He smiled and said, "Yes, I'm not wrong."

What needed to be done has been done, and what was due compensation has been provided.

Those sins, after so many years, should have been redeemed by now.

and so.

He did nothing wrong from beginning to end.

Just as evening was approaching, seeing that he had woken up, Lin Qi and his wife invited them to stay for a meal before returning home.

"We've been out for quite a while, and Grandma is still waiting for us at home. We need to get back as soon as possible so she won't worry. We won't bother her any longer."

Lin Qi expressed his understanding: "Alright, be careful on your way back."

He Zhuo nodded and sincerely thanked them: "Officer Lin, Dr. Li, thank you."

Whether it was the persistent treatment and shelter he received back then, or the rescue efforts he receives today.

Their life-saving grace is as heavy as Mount Tai, and there is no way to repay it.

Lin Qi watched as he grew up well and became more and more energetic, and patted him on the shoulder with satisfaction: "Chi Kuo, the fact that you can take such good care of yourself is the greatest reward you can give to our profession, so you should thank yourself, not us, understand?"

"Understood, we'll be going now."

"Okay, see you later."

The two turned and left.

"Congratulations on your drinking."

He Zhuo paused in his steps.

Lin Qi said sincerely, "The future is long. Whether for yourself or for the people you care about most, you must live well."

He Zhuo was slightly taken aback.

He didn't call out "Chi Kuo," but rather "He Zhuo."

He hoped that he could forget the bad past and live a good life as a completely new He Zhuo.

"it is good."

Lin Qi watched them leave.

By the time we left the Lin family home, it was already getting dark.

The cake was ruined at noon, so He Zhuo went back to the cake shop and bought another one.

"I'm sorry, it's your birthday today, and I've made you go through this terrible thing." He Zhuo patted the little girl's head with some guilt. "I'm sorry you had to go through this."

Jiang Youxi shook her head: "No, I can celebrate my birthday every year, but you only have one."

"He Zhuo, as long as you are well, and we are always together, I will feel happy no matter where I celebrate my birthday, and I will not feel wronged."

He Zhuo was deeply moved and kissed her forehead: "How about I throw you a birthday party when we get back to Jianghai City?"

"it is good."

-

As soon as the two arrived at their doorstep, they saw a group of people blocking the entrance, each demanding justice.

"Where's Chi Kuo? I saw him in town today. Tell him to come out and talk about the time he kicked someone!"

"That's right, he actually has the nerve to come back?! Didn't he disdain returning to Fish Village, believing the villagers had driven him to his doom? Why is he back now? Did he feel he hadn't done enough harm to Fish Village back then, and now that he's rich and powerful, he wants to come back and wreak havoc on Fish Village again?!"

"Especially that kid Zhao Yuan. If he hadn't led Zhao Yuan through the dark alley back then, Zhao Yuan wouldn't have been kidnapped, his hands and feet wouldn't have been cut off, and his life wouldn't have been ruined!"

"Yes! He's hiding now, refusing to come out, definitely because he's too ashamed to face Zhao Yuan!"

"Chi Kuo, do you think leaving Yuzhong Village will atone for all the sins you've committed?! Let me tell you, you ruined Zhao Yuan's life! You are a sinner! You will never forgive Zhao Yuan!!"

"Exactly! Do you think we didn't know you'd been secretly coming back to see Meng Lan all these years? We just didn't want to talk about it! Now the Zhao family only has the two brothers left, and Zhao Yuan's health is deteriorating day by day. If you have any conscience, you should come out and discuss compensation! Let Zhao Yuan live a peaceful life for the next few decades!"

"What nonsense are you talking about?! My dad isn't that kind of person!" Jiang Xu shielded Meng Lan behind him, grabbed a broom and started swinging it around, shouting, "Get out of here! If you don't leave, I'm calling the police!"

"Where did this idiot come from, a stranger daring to yell at us!" A man in his thirties stepped forward, fanning the flames. "Hey kid, let me tell you, we're just here to see Chi Kuo. This is none of your business. You'd better let go and call Chi Kuo out, or don't blame me for being impolite!"

"Alright! Come on! Let's go! I want to see just how honest and hospitable the people of Yuzhong Village really are! They dare to lay a hand on a minor!" Jiang Xu argued, his face flushed. "You dare touch me and see what happens! I guarantee you'll be spending the whole night in the police station!!"

"Hey, city folks are something else, huh? Such a big mouth!" The man looked at Meng Lan. "Grandma Meng, you know, Chi Kuo has a deep-seated grudge against our Yuzhong Village. If we don't find him today, we won't be able to explain to the Zhao family!"

Meng Lan, leaning on her cane, asked shakily, "What do you want to do?"

"Don't worry, we won't do anything to you. We'll just... come in and have a look around your home, and see how filial your adopted rich grandson is to you!"

The man gestured: "Search everything!"

A group of people immediately rushed in.

"stop!!"

Everyone paused and looked over at the sound.

"Chi Kuo? You still have the nerve to come back!" The man was furious and started to fan the flames again, surrounding He Zhuo and Jiang Youxi.

He Zhuo's cold eyes swept over the group of people, finally settling on the man in the lead.

"How much money did they pay you?"

Wang Han's expression changed slightly: "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, how much did he pay you to risk going to jail to cause trouble here?" He Zhuo asked calmly. "Give me his name, and I'll give you ten times that amount."

A glint of shrewdness flashed in Wang Han's eyes: "Then pay me first!"

He Zhuo looked at him and smiled: "So, someone really did send you here?"

"Damn, you're bluffing me?"

"That's because you're stupid!"

Enraged, Wang Han shouted, "Hold him down!"

At his command, the few standing at the front immediately rushed forward.

He Zhuo grabbed Jiang Youxi and nimbly dodged, then kicked her directly!

One person fell to the ground with a thud, while the others were startled and stared warily at He Zhuo, not daring to rush forward again.

He Zhuo patted his dirty trouser leg and said calmly, "Come up again, and I won't mind kicking each of you."

"Chi Kuo, don't be so arrogant!" Wang Han immediately told everyone to call the police and incited everyone's emotions, urging them to deal with He Zhuo together.

Just as another fight seemed imminent, a shout came from behind: "Enough! What are you doing?!"

Everyone stopped and turned to look at the newcomer.

It's Zhao Yuan.

He was dressed in white, with deep-set eyes, a pale face, and looked utterly exhausted.

Jiang Youxi's eyes showed surprise.

He was like an old tree on the verge of death, weak and listless. Although it had only been a few hours, he had visibly aged considerably.

Even from a distance, Jiang Youxi could still feel his weak and labored breathing.

He started his wheelchair and came over.

When people saw Zhao Yuan, they all acted righteously and clamored to stand up for him.

Indeed, for the villagers of Yuzhong Village, Chi Kuo was the culprit in this whole affair.

Zhao Yuan, on the other hand, was the biggest victim.

Everything they did was to help Zhao Yuan get justice.

"Seeking justice? This is the crime my father committed. Chi Kuo is the one who was implicated. Why are you changing the subject and shifting the blame?"

"Who taught you to say that? And who sent you here to cause trouble?"

Wang Han couldn't stand it anymore: "Zhao Yuan, you've lost your ability to work and have no money to live on. Aren't we trying to secure some kind of security for you?"

"What guarantee? I am responsible for my own life, what does that have to do with Chi Kuo?"

Seeing that he was unmoved by reason, Wang Han immediately became angry: "Zhao Yuan, aren't we doing all this for you? How can you be so ungrateful? If it weren't for Chi Kuo, would you be in this state?"

"I said, this is a crime committed by my father, and this is the punishment our Zhao family deserves. It has nothing to do with Chi Kuo!"

"you--"

"You have one minute to leave, or I'll call the police."

Wang Han threw down the stick in his hand, spat, and said, "Our kindness has been wasted! Let's go!"

Seeing that Wang Han had already left, everyone followed him.

Calmness returned to the area in front of the Meng family's house.

"Xixi, let's go inside." He Zhuo took Jiang Youxi's hand and left.

"Chi Kuo," Zhao Yuan called out to him, "I'm sorry."

He Zhuo stopped in his tracks.

"I promise, these people won't bother you again." Zhao Yuan stared at the man's back, his mouth opening as if to say something, but then he didn't know what to say.

They hadn't seen each other for so many years that they felt estranged from one another; the friendship they shared as children had long since been worn away by that incident.

The rift between them has become an insurmountable chasm.

He hesitated for a long time, but finally mustered up the courage to ask, "Chi Kuo, I'd like to talk to you, is that alright?"

He worried that if he didn't talk about it this time, he wouldn't have another chance.

His broken body didn't have enough time to wait any longer.

He Zhuo's five fingers involuntarily tightened.

Jiang Youxi noticed his unusual behavior and gently patted the back of his hand to comfort him.

After a long while, He Zhuo slowly turned around and looked at the man in the wheelchair.

"I just want to ask you a question."

"you say."

"Did you send those text messages?"