What was the point of staying in a house that never wanted him?
In his past life, Yang Mo had starved to death in this very home.
The hunger, the pain, the sheer desperation—those memories were still etched into his soul.
This time, he wouldn't let himself suffer again.
This time, he had a new family—one that cherished him more than the Lynn family ever had.
So why would he cling to this place?
Just as he was about to leave, a sharp voice cut through the air.
"Mom, don't beg him!"
Lin Xia pulled Joey Fang back, her eyes filled with contempt as she glared at Yang Mo.
"The fact that he could say something that made Little Kuan leave proves what a heartless, vicious person he is!"
Yang Mo didn't even flinch.
Instead, he tilted his head slightly, a smirk tugging at his lips.
"Whether or not I have a wicked heart isn't something Miss Lynn should concern herself with."
His sharp gaze met hers.
"You should be more worried about yourself."
Lin Xia frowned.
She wasn't stupid—she could tell Yang Mo's words held a deeper meaning.
"What do you mean by that?" she asked cautiously.
Yang Mo shrugged. "Nothing much."
He turned away but paused just before stepping out of the door.
"Your right hand… it'll be useless in three days."
Lin Xia stiffened.
"What?!"
"You should get a checkup," Yang Mo continued casually. "Though, honestly, a checkup won't help."
Lin Xia's breath caught in her throat.
Yesterday, he had noticed it—the slight, involuntary tremor in her fingers, the fine beads of sweat forming around her wrist.
A classic symptom of a rare disease, one he had read about in a medical text from the spirit space.
Lin Xia felt her chest tighten.
Her right hand… Hadn't she been feeling a dull soreness lately?
But she quickly shook off the thought.
"Nonsense!" she snapped. "You're just cursing me!"
A mocking laugh escaped Yang Mo's lips.
Without another word, he walked away.
Lin Xia clenched her fists.
"Ridiculous!" she scoffed, trying to convince herself. "How could he possibly know that? He's just a student! What, is he some kind of god now?"
But despite her words, unease settled in her chest.
Joey Fang, meanwhile, stood frozen in place, staring at the door where Yang Mo had disappeared.
"He's really gone..." she whispered in a daze. "My son is gone..."
A hollow emptiness filled her heart.
She never truly thought he would leave.
She thought he would argue, hesitate, turn back.
But he didn't.
And that was what scared her the most.
Lin Xia hesitated before turning to her elder sister, Ya Ning, who was the head of the medical department.
"Sister, can you check my hand for me?" she asked, forcing a casual tone.
Ya Ning nodded.
She was skilled in traditional Chinese medicine and had studied under a well-respected professor in college.
Taking Lin Xia's wrist, she carefully examined her pulse.
After a moment, she released her hand and frowned.
"There's nothing wrong with you."
Lin Xia let out a breath of relief.
"See?" she scoffed. "He was just cursing me!"
But before she could gloat, an unexpected voice rang out.
"Enough."
It was Xiyang, the quietest of the sisters, who suddenly spoke up.
She glared at Lin Xia, her usually soft expression hardened.
"That's your own brother."
Lin Xia's breath hitched.
"Since when did you become like this?" Xiyang continued. "Yang Mo might not be perfect, but he never did anything to harm our family. And yet, here you are, treating him like a criminal."
A heavy silence fell over the room.
Lin Xia, for the first time, felt a pang of shame.
She turned to see Lin Ruan and Lin Ying, her other sisters, standing completely still.
Their expressions mirrored her own guilt.
At that moment, Uncle Li Bo, the butler, approached.
"Madam, should I warm up the food?" he asked carefully.
The argument had gone on for so long that the meal had already gone cold.
Lynn Jindong waved his hand impatiently.
"Forget it. No one has the appetite to eat anymore."
But Joey Fang suddenly turned to the butler, her eyes red and swollen.
"Uncle Li... I want to ask you something."
The elderly butler hesitated. "Yes, Madam?"
She took a shaky breath. "Are we really... treating Mo badly?"
A suffocating silence filled the room.
Everyone in the Lynn family believed that Yang Mo was the problem.
But she needed to hear it from an outsider's perspective.
Li Bo hesitated, then let out a long, tired sigh.
He had served this family for decades.
He had stayed silent for too long.
"Originally," he said slowly, "I had no right to speak about the affairs of the Lynn family. But since Madam has asked, I will say what I have seen."
He looked around the room before continuing.
"Young Master Yang Mo was never treated as family. Not even as a servant. He was given a place to live, but nothing more."
His voice was steady, but there was deep sorrow in his tone.
"The clothes Young Master Yang Mo wore today are the same ones he was wearing when he was first brought back last year. He always ate the worst meals. He was never given an allowance, and I never saw him buy snacks. You even forbade him from eating dinner. He was often so hungry that he couldn't sleep."
A murmur of unease rippled through the room.
But Li Bo wasn't done.
"Some of the young ladies often made him do their chores. Miss Lynn even beat him from time to time."
He paused, glancing at Lin Xia and Joey Fang.
Joey Fang's face turned ghostly pale.
Lin Xia bit her lip, unable to meet his gaze.
But Li Bo pressed on.
"And yet, you all claim he was stealing from you, plotting against you, wanting the family's wealth."**
He shook his head.
"You accused him without evidence, and you treated him as an enemy. I may have spoken out of turn, but I have only spoken the truth."
A suffocating silence followed his words.
Regret crept into Joey Fang's chest like a parasite, spreading its roots deep into her soul.
"I... I know we've been treating him badly," she whispered, "but I never realized it was this bad..."
Her voice broke.
For the first time, she felt the full weight of her actions.
Lin Xia, who had been so quick to scorn and ridicule Yang Mo, suddenly felt a lump in her throat.
She had spoken with such arrogance, convinced that she was right.
But now...
Had she been wrong this whole time?
Lynn Jindong clenched his fists.
He knew Uncle Li was telling the truth.
But as the head of the Lynn family, his pride refused to let him admit it.
And yet, deep down...
He couldn't ignore the uncomfortable reality.
Yang Mo was gone.
And they had no one to blame but themselves.