Chapter 001: The Return of the Mage

She had vaguely heard of such a matter before, stating that her uncle's family originally had a son, but due to his fate of encountering solitary calamity, both her uncle and aunt were killed by him

"It's nothing, your brother is here." Xu Lai patted her shoulder, speaking softly to comfort her, and handed her a tissue to wipe her tears.

However, it is precisely because of this that he was fortunate enough to meet his master and learn various spells from him

Xu Chengcheng has been holding it in for too long; once she starts crying, it becomes uncontrollable, and it takes a great effort for her to finally stop

He was sent away at the age of six and was given to a Taoist priest. However, this priest was not a good person either, as he quickly sold him off.

Xu glanced at everyone, took out a piece of paper, and handed it over: "Second Uncle, if there is anything, you can call me at this number."

Xu Lai let out a faint sigh in his heart, looking at Xu Chengcheng, who was curled up on the sofa holding a cushion, and said: "Second Uncle, this is my cousin, right?"

Xu Zhengyang took it, glanced at it without paying much attention, tore it into several pieces in his hand, and threw it into the trash can: "There is no need for outsiders to worry about the affairs of the Xu family, you should leave quickly."

"Are you Cheng Cheng?" Xu Lai asked with a smile as he closed the door

Xu Zhengyang stared at Xu Lai, hesitated for a moment, then turned to his daughter and said: "Chengcheng, you go over and say a few words to him"

"You better not call out randomly, we do not have a nephew like you!" Xu Chengcheng's mother happened to come down from upstairs and immediately shouted in exasperation

Xu Chengcheng nodded. Her first impression of this cousin, whom she had never met before, was actually quite good. She wondered if it was due to their blood relation, as she found him rather endearing.

Xu Lai had no choice but to run for a while. Fortunately, there was a residential community nearby called Zijin Garden, so he went to the entrance to take shelter from the rain. Feeling a bit bored, he noticed a bulletin board next to him displaying rental information, so he went over to take a look.

At that moment, this great secret was suddenly revealed by him, and she could no longer hold back, bursting into tears with a "wow." However, fearing that her family outside would hear, she hurriedly covered her mouth and sobbed softly

Xu Chengcheng got off the sofa and timidly followed Xu Lai into the adjacent room

"You... are you Xu Lai?" Xu Zhengyang suddenly stood up from the sofa

The person answering the phone was a woman, who said she would come over to view the property within half an hour

The speaker is Xu Lai's stepmother. Although they have not seen each other for many years, this woman's appearance has not changed much and is not significantly different from Xu Lai's memory.

Xu Chengcheng was about to scream when he heard him ask again: "Have you ever dreamed of such a thing?"

Xu Lai hung up the phone and waited at the door

Xu looked at Xu Zhengyang, feeling that he appeared considerably older than in his memories, and said: "Second Uncle, I am not someone who is fated to be alone; that sorcerer misjudged me back then"

Hmm. Xu Chengcheng held the amulet tightly in her hand and nodded emphatically.

"Cheng Cheng, come here quickly!" Aunt Er hurriedly pulled her daughter over, and upon seeing her daughter's red eyes, she immediately became furious and shouted at Xu Lai, "What have you done to my daughter?"

He came out of Bihua Garden and, for a moment, did not think about where to go, so he casually chose a direction and walked along the street

You ask. Xu Chengcheng nods

What do you want to do? Second Aunt asked warily

She curled up on the sofa in the living room with her phone in hand, unsure of what to do

Then everyone take care. Xu Lai let out a bitter smile, said no more, and turned to leave

"Second Aunt," Xu Lai called out.

Seeing Xu nod, he said: "Then let's go. You didn't bring an umbrella, so I'll hold it for you as we go over"

Xu Chengcheng's face instantly turned bright red, filled with both embarrassment and anger. Who would ask such a thing face to face, especially when this person is her cousin by blood!

The summer rain arrives suddenly, and soon, large raindrops come pouring down relentlessly.

Xu Lai was just about to say something when he heard a series of knocks on the door. The voice of his second aunt was shouting from outside, urging them to hurry up and come out

Then Aunt Er eagerly interjected, "What do you mean your cousin! Don't try to get close, this is my daughter!"

"It's not a big deal. My umbrella is large enough for two people." The girl was wearing a small round-neck black dress, her hair styled in a ponytail, looking pure, beautiful, and gentle, yet her personality was quite bold.

The man, carrying a backpack, appeared to be a few years older than her, with gentle features and a rather refined demeanor. He walked up to her father and said, "Second Uncle, I am Xu Lai"

"Jiao Jiao is well taken care of by me. You better not harm her!" Xu Lai's stepmother interjected unexpectedly.

"How could I possibly do that?" Xu said

"Stop calling out, yet you still do! You have long severed ties with our Xu family, so what are you coming back for to claim kinship?" A stylishly dressed beautiful woman came down from the stairs and said with a cold smile, "You aren't thinking of coming back to claim your share of the inheritance, are you? Ha, not a chance!"

"I can't see anything at all," Xu Chengcheng said, her voice trembling with emotion

"Let's leave it at that, we are going to have a meal, so we won't keep you any longer." Xu Zhengyang did not wish to continue entangling with him, frowning as he instructed to see the guest off.

"Yes, Uncle Er, I am back," Xu Lai said with a smile, looking at the group of people in front of him, feeling a wave of emotion in his heart, as he had somewhat vague impressions of many of them.

Xu Chengcheng was suddenly stunned. In recent days, she was on the verge of collapse, fearing sleep the most each day. This shameful matter had no one to confide in, leaving her feeling both anxious and helpless, as her condition deteriorated day by day.

"Daughter, if there is anything, just call out loudly!" Aunt Er was not at ease

After about twenty minutes, a young girl hurriedly crossed through the rain with an umbrella and approached him, asking: "Are you the one renting the room?"

It was only after he recently stepped down from the position of the head that he returned to the Xu family. In the blink of an eye, more than ten years have passed.

This remark is truly unpleasant to hear, yet Xu Lai does not engage in a rebuttal. He looks at Xu He and inquires, "Second Uncle, where is Jiao Jiao?" He is referring to his biological sister, Xu Jiao.

Xu Lai smiled and, taking her along, opened the door. Immediately, a crowd of people rushed over.

Xu Chengcheng hid behind her mother, stealing glances at the trash can several times, thinking to herself how to retrieve the note when no one was paying attention.

"Have you done anything intimate between men and women in the past month?" Xu asked

Unbeknownst to how long I have been walking, I suddenly felt a chill on my face

Did you see what this person looks like? Xu asked

Xu Chengcheng was also taken aback; this person referred to her father as "Second Uncle," which means he is her cousin

At this moment, Sister Tao led a man in, claiming he was looking for her father, Xu Zhengyang

The Xu family is a prominent and wealthy household, residing in a top-tier villa. The house is luxuriously decorated, with bright lighting; however, she feels no sense of security whatsoever. She does not even dare to speak of this shameful matter to anyone.

Only when he reached the door did he turn back with a complex expression to glance at the luxurious villa. This time he returned, he had originally thought that he could at least sit down with everyone for dinner, but unexpectedly, in their eyes, he was even regarded as less than a stranger.

"The matter I am asking about may be a bit awkward, but please do not be shy and tell me the truth, if you would be so kind?" Xu Lai said gently

Of course not! Xu Chengcheng felt both shy and anxious, turning her head to escape the room, only to feel a tight grip on her back as she was pulled back by the person who had seized her clothing

As soon as he finished speaking, Aunt Er coldly mocked, "What nonsense are you talking! Master Ge is now the foremost master in Jiangning City, renowned far and wide. Could he possibly be mistaken? You disaster-bringer, not only did you cause the death of my elder brother and sister-in-law back then, but you also nearly brought ruin to our Xu family. How dare you come back here?"

Mom, I'm fine, my eyes were just a bit itchy a moment ago

Xu Chengcheng is only in her second year of high school, with an introverted personality, and is a well-behaved girl who has never had a boyfriend and does not engage with inappropriate content. However, for the past half month, she has been dreaming every night of being pinned down on her bed.

He recalled that this place was probably not far from the Bihua Garden where the Xu family lived, so he took out his phone and dialed one of the rental listings.

It turns out that it is raining

"You should leave quickly; this is no longer your home," Xu Zhengyang said with a frown.

Grandfather feared that he would bring harm to the Xu family, so after listening to the words of a sorcerer, he sent him away and severed all blood ties with the Xu family

Originally, at the age of eighteen, he intended to return to take a look, but at that time, an incident occurred. He was entrusted by an old friend of his master to serve as the headmaster at the Tianshi Mansion for five years

Xu Lai took out a cylindrical brass amulet and handed it to her: "Since this is your first visit and you didn't bring anything, consider this a gift for our meeting. Wear it on you regularly, and you won't have to be afraid. You don't need to worry about other matters; you have an older brother to take care of you."

Xu said: "Second Uncle, I would like to speak with my cousin privately for a few moments, and I will leave once we are done."

As he spoke, he opened the umbrella and walked into one of the buildings in the community with Xu Lai