After Descending the Mountain, Seven Big Brothers Spoil Me

Xi Mo was so angry that he didn't want to speak. Habitually, he reached up to touch his head, only to find a smooth, bald spot. His mood became even more depressed.

Without a word, he went into a nearby shop to buy a hat and put it on. That was when he felt a little better.

Seeing this, Zhouzhou sighed in regret. "Uncle, isn't it hot? Maybe you should take the hat off."

Xi Mo glanced at her sideways. He knew exactly what she was up to. With a fake smile, he said, "No, it's not hot at all. It's actually really cool. You should know, you've had a bald head too."

Zhouzhou: "..." Seriously, Uncle?

After exchanging a few verbal jabs, the two of them fell silent and returned to the army base. Zhouzhou resumed her military training, while Xi Mo went to speak with Qi Yue.

The two sat in the back seat of the car, each leaning against one side of the door. The cramped space made it feel as though they were separated by a galaxy in the middle.

Qi Yue looked at them, puzzled. "What's going on with you two? Did you have a fight?"

This didn't make sense to him. He had heard that their relationship was really good. In fact, Xi Mo had once fought for Zhouzhou's custody.

Yet right now, the two didn't even glance at each other. They stood far apart, as if they were strangers.

Qi Yue couldn't figure it out. Noticing that Xi Mo was wearing a hat, he found it odd. When he saw the part of his head that wasn't covered, he was shocked. "Xi Mo, did you shave your head?"

At this, Zhouzhou's ears perked up. Her eyes glanced over, and her lips curled into a mischievous smile.

Xi Mo saw this and didn't answer. Instead, he took out his phone and found a photo, saying, "This is our family's traditional hairstyle. It's even passed down from Zhouzhou."

He handed the phone to Qi Yue, but before Qi Yue could take a look, Zhouzhou quickly ran over and snatched it away, her face flushed with anger. "Uncle, that's not fair!"

Who else would drag out their kid's embarrassing childhood history like that? It's too much!

Xi Mo shot her a sideways glance. "I learned it from you."

"You just took a photo of me, and if you dare to post it, I'll post yours too."

They stared at each other for a while, before Zhouzhou, fuming, shoved the phone back into his hands and stormed off.

The photo wasn't deleted. Knowing her uncle, he had probably made backups. Deleting it was pointless.

Ah, this is so frustrating! Now she couldn't share this joke with anyone else. How annoying!

Seeing her stomp off, Xi Mo couldn't help but smile.

Qi Yue, looking at the scene, shook his head. "You're an adult, why are you teasing a little girl?"

Xi Mo sighed. "I didn't want to, but sometimes kids are just asking for it."

She's such a little troublemaker. When she was little and targeting others, he used to think she was cute. But now that he was the one being picked on, he surely knew how annoying it felt.

After that, Xi Mo became serious and said, "Alright, enough about that. Let's focus on the matter at hand. I need to report about the current situation."

"Okay."

Meanwhile, Zhouzhou was walking quietly when someone suddenly patted her on the shoulder. "Chubby girl, what are you thinking about?"

It was Huo Ji'an.

He looked at her curiously. "Where have you been these past few days? I couldn't find you anywhere."

Before, Zhouzhou would often disappear suddenly, saying she was traveling. But who goes traveling every few days, especially when they're supposed to be in military training? It wasn't like she could ask for leave to travel, right?

Huo Ji'an squinted, looking at her suspiciously. "Chubby girl, tell me the truth, what have you been up to? Don't try to fool me with that 'I've been traveling' nonsense."

He wasn't a fool!

Zhouzhou looked at him with an expression that clearly said, "Seriously?" She then said, "Oh, fine. I'll tell you the truth. I was out saving the world."

She had been on a mission, eliminating bad people. In a way, that was saving the world, right?

Huo Ji'an: "..."

He rolled his eyes and pointed at himself. "Do I look like an idiot to you? Why don't you just say you're Ultraman?"

Zhouzhou shrugged. "Well, see, I told you, but you didn't believe me."

Huo Ji'an pursed his lips, looking at her with disbelief. "It's not about me believing it or not. Who would believe that? Seriously?"

Zhouzhou thought about it for a second. Well, he had a point. It was hard to believe, and it was better that he didn't.

After all, she couldn't talk about Fourth Bureau business. It was best that he didn't believe it.

Huo Ji'an seemed to drop the subject. But then, he suddenly remembered something. He nudged her and said mysteriously, "By the way, I heard something recently. Li Yuxin had a falling out with her parents because they secretly changed her college application and forced her to go to a teacher's college. She didn't want to, so she decided to repeat the year."

"Her parents were so mad they kicked her out and refused to pay for her tuition. She had to work a summer job to make enough money, and she even negotiated with the school to pay in installments to get her tuition."

Hearing this, Zhouzhou was shocked. She furrowed her brows. "What happened? I thought her parents had always been good to her?"

She hadn't had a chance to ask her during the summer, but she knew that Yuxin had done well on her exams. She thought she would be able to go to her dream school, but now it seemed there was something more to the story.

Huo Ji'an shrugged. "Who knows what's going on with her? Her parents wanted her to go to a teacher's college because it's easier to find a job. They wanted her to make money for her brother, get him a wife, and buy a house. It's insane. They're already planning to suck the life out of their daughter before she even has a chance to get married."

Zhouzhou had a faint feeling that something wasn't quite right.

When she had first met Li Yuxin, her parents had been biased toward their son, Li Yu'an, and Li Yuxin's brother had often bullied her. But after Zhouzhou took care of him, Li Yu'an had become obsessed with his sister and treated her really well. Her parents had changed too.

So how could they suddenly go back to favoring their son? It felt like everything Zhouzhou had done to help had been erased, and they were back to their old ways.

A vague sense of unease started to creep over her. She narrowed her eyes and asked, "Before all of this happened, did her parents do anything unusual?"

Huo Ji'an's eyes widened. "How did you know? Well, now that you mention it, Chang Beibei told me. You know her, she's a bit of a gossip."

"She said Li Yuxin's parents were struck by lightning before they started favoring their son again."

What?

It was Divine Thunder again!