Chapter 103: The Depressed Daughter 3

Liu Hui was wearing an ordinary short-sleeved shirt. The evening light was slightly dim, but it was still clear that her clothes had been washed to a slightly faded state.

Xie Hui hurriedly stood up, wanting to speak to Liu Hui as she passed by, but his legs were slightly numb from maintaining one position for too long.

“Hey, young man, what’s wrong? Do you need to go to the hospital?”

As Liu Hui passed by and saw the man almost fall, she quickly reached out to support his arm, her eyes showing a bit of concern.

“No, it’s fine, no need to go to the hospital.”

Once Xie Hui felt his legs were no longer numb, he turned to look at Liu Hui, who was still standing nearby. The streetlight was a soft yellow, but Liu Hui’s expression was very clear.

“Mom, it’s me, Xie Hui. Don’t you recognize me?”

Liu Hui was visibly stunned upon hearing this, her eyes widening as she stared blankly at Xie Hui. After a moment, she suddenly stepped forward and tightly grasped Xie Hui’s arm.

“Xie Hui?”

“Yes, Mom.”

After hearing the confirmation from his mouth, Liu Hui’s eyes reddened slightly, and she smiled excitedly.

“How did you get here? How did you know I was here?”

When he first met this Entruster in the System Space, she never mentioned her son, probably thinking that since her son was with his father, she didn’t need to worry.

As for Xie Zhaodi, she grew up with her grandmother, introverted and timid, without even a friend. Even after the Entruster left, she couldn’t rest easy.

Seeing how excited she was now, Xie Hui could guess that she did care about this child, perhaps just not as much as she did about Xie Zhaodi.

“Mom, let’s go back and talk slowly. I only ate a little tonight, and I’m starving.”

Having experienced so many mission worlds, Xie Hui knew very well how to make people lower their guard around him.

For someone like Liu Hui, who hadn’t seen her son in so many years, the more Xie Hui showed he needed his mother, the quicker he could close the distance between them.

“Alright, alright, let’s go back. I’ll cook for you.”

Liu Hui picked up Xie Hui’s bag and walked home with him, smiling.

After opening the door with the key, the aroma of food wafted through the air. A woman in a loose T-shirt came over and took out a pair of slippers from the shoe cabinet, placing them in front of Liu Hui.

“There aren’t any shoes for you here. I’ll buy some tomorrow.”

“Can I just walk on the floor?”

Only then did Xie Zhaodi notice the tall man in a suit standing behind her mother, completely out of place in their shabby rental apartment.

“Of course, come in quickly. We didn’t inform Zhaodi tonight. You two eat first, I’ll go to the kitchen and cook some noodles.”

Liu Hui put down her things, took an apron hanging on the wall, and put it on over her clothes as she headed to the kitchen.

Xie Hui sat at the dining table, and Xie Zhaodi sat across from him, holding chopsticks and eating with her head down. Her back was slightly hunched, with no sense of presence.

Just by looking, it was hard to tell anything was wrong. Xie Zhaodi seemed like an ordinary introverted person, perhaps with mild social anxiety.

Liu Hui quickly cooked a bowl of noodles in the kitchen and brought it to the table. Seeing that Xie Hui hadn’t started eating, the smile on her lips faded slightly.

“Is it not to your taste? Why aren’t you eating?”

“Mom, I’m waiting for you.”

This sentence from Xie Hui successfully dispelled the unease that had just started to rise in Liu Hui’s heart. After sitting down, she enthusiastically picked up some food for Xie Hui.

At the dining table, their family didn’t adhere to the saying “speak not while eating or sleeping.” When Liu Hui asked, Xie Hui truthfully recounted his life over the years, also mentioning what he did before leaving that city.

After listening, Liu Hui frowned with some concern.

“Will they come looking for trouble with you?”

“Mom, don’t worry about what I do.”

Listening to their casual conversation, Xie Zhaodi continued eating her meal with her head down. Through their chat, she remembered that she had a brother.

Many memories of this brother weren’t good, but seeing her mother so happy, she could only remain silent.

“Mom, I came in a hurry, so I’ll be staying at a hotel later. But I’m not familiar with this area. Could you help me buy some clothes to change into?”

After dinner, Xie Hui stood up to help clean the table, casually bringing up the topic.

“Sure, Zhaodi, you wash the dishes.”

“Okay.”

After Liu Hui left, Xie Zhaodi instinctively wanted to take the dishes from Xie Hui’s hands, but she saw that he had already taken them to the kitchen and was waiting for hot water with the tap running.

“There’s no hot water here, don’t waste it. The water bill is expensive.”

Xie Zhaodi hurried over and turned off the tap. Her voice was slightly hoarse but not unpleasant.

“How have you been all these years?”

Xie Zhaodi brought over a kettle, filled it with water, placed it on the base, and pressed the button to boil it.

“I’ve been okay.”

“Really okay?”

Hearing the nonchalant tone in Xie Hui’s voice, for some reason, made Xie Zhaodi feel a bit irritated. She frowned and replied:

“Why do you care so much?”

In her memory, this brother wasn’t like other brothers who protected their sisters. Instead, he always bullied her. When she was young, he tore up her homework, causing her to be scolded by teachers and her grandmother.

Those things seemed to have happened a long time ago, but they still lingered vividly in Xie Zhaodi’s mind.

Without Liu Hui around, Xie Zhaodi’s temper seemed not very good. Her frowning rebuttal reminded Xie Hui of a fierce little hedgehog, ready to prick him with its quills at the slightest touch.

Thinking of the things the original owner did when they were young, he felt it was understandable for Xie Zhaodi to treat him this way.

“Do you know why I came back this time?”

Xie Hui didn’t call her by her name; he instinctively disliked such names.

Like the former ‘Xie Simei’ and the current ‘Xie Zhaodi,’ they should have their own complete lives, not be tools for others to project their expectations onto.

“How would I know? Move, I need to wash the dishes.”

“I’ll do it, you rest. I have something I want to discuss with you.”

Xie Hui took off his suit jacket, hung it on the coat rack, and rolled up his sleeves.

Considering they hadn’t seen each other in so many years, Xie Zhaodi didn’t refuse.

“I came back this time for Mom. I heard from someone that they saw Mom at the hospital. She went for a check-up, and the situation isn’t good.”

Xie Hui’s words successfully shocked Xie Zhaodi, almost causing her to drop the bowl she was holding.

“Who did you hear that from? Is it true?”

In a flustered tone, Xie Zhaodi asked, and after seeing Xie Hui not answering, she anxiously pushed his shoulder.

“Speak up, who did you hear it from?!”

Xie Hui handed her the clean bowl, seeing her face turning slightly red with anxiety, and softly replied:

“I have my ways of knowing. If you want to verify it, we can take Mom to the hospital tomorrow to check?”

This revelation successfully bridged the gap between the siblings who hadn’t seen each other in years. The sudden news filled Xie Zhaodi’s mind with worry. While washing the dishes, her movements were rushed, and she almost dropped a bowl.

Xie Hui quickly caught the bowl that nearly fell, seeing the distracted look on Xie Zhaodi’s face, he said:

“You go rest, I’ll take care of it.”

“Thank you.”

Right now, Xie Zhaodi indeed had no mind for this. She returned to the living room, sat on a chair, and picked up her phone to request leave.

Her university grades were decent, but she hadn’t found a suitable job after graduation. This job was just barely manageable. She had never taken leave before, even willing to work overtime during holidays.

Tonight, she requested leave for the first time, and soon received a rejection from her boss, who even sarcastically scolded her, saying if she didn’t want to work, she should just quit.

At work, she often faced difficulties from her boss. At that time, Xie Zhaodi didn’t feel much about it. But now, seeing her boss’s words, she suddenly felt overwhelmingly upset, a sense of grievance welling up, even making her nose inexplicably tingle.

Even Xie Zhaodi herself wasn’t sure if she was upset because her leave was denied or if she wanted to vent her emotions after hearing the news.

After washing the dishes, Xie Hui dried his hands and turned to the living room, just in time to see Xie Zhaodi wiping her tears. As he approached, her phone screen was still on.

“Can I take a look?”

“Okay.”

Xie Zhaodi handed over her phone in a daze, with an indifferent attitude, even a bit of weariness.

Xie Hui glanced at it, typed a line, and helped Xie Zhaodi quit her job.

From his perspective, given Xie Zhaodi’s current situation, she wasn’t suitable to continue working. The environment has a significant impact on a person, and the Entruster’s memory of Xie Zhaodi’s work environment wasn’t good.

Colleagues with foul mouths, who didn’t know the limits of jokes, often mocked her name. To them, it was just a joke, but for Xie Zhaodi, it felt like a knife in her chest.

The people holding the knife didn’t realize their behavior was excessive, even blaming Xie Zhaodi for not being strong enough to take a joke.

“I helped you quit your job.”

“What are you doing?”

Xie Hui’s words pulled Xie Zhaodi out of her emotions. The emotions she had just managed to suppress now surged back with anger, and she was furious.

This person was still as nasty as when they were kids! She shouldn’t have had any hope for him!

Xie Hui moved a chair over, sat beside Xie Zhaodi, patted her shoulder, and said softly:

“If Mom’s situation is true, are you sure your job will allow you to take frequent leaves?”

Of course not, and Xie Zhaodi knew this well. She had just asked for a two-hour leave and was harshly scolded by her boss.

However, she couldn’t immediately accept Xie Hui’s actions. For her, without a job and income, she felt completely insecure.

All her emotions on the brink of collapse needed an outlet.

“What about Mom’s medical expenses? Are we going to set up a stall and beg?”

Xie Zhaodi was so agitated that her body was trembling slightly, feeling utterly helpless and worried, with tears becoming a luxury.

“I’m here.”
—————

Xie Zhaodi (谢招弟) means:

Xie (谢): A common Chinese surname meaning “thank” or “gratitude.”

Zhaodi (招弟): Literally “invite younger brother”—a traditional name given to daughters in hopes of having a son next.

Together, it reflects both a family name and a cultural wish for a male sibling.