It was nearing noon at a guesthouse in Jinling.
Chu Xuan tenderly lifted Chu Keke into the bathtub, prepared the water, and after washing away the grime, dressed her in new clothes he had purchased. Under his meticulous care, Chu Keke was transformed; gone was her previous disheveled appearance, replaced by a radiant, delicate beauty.
"There's my little sister," Chu Xuan said, nodding with satisfaction, though a hint of self-reproach flickered in his eyes.
She was in her early twenties, a flower of an age that should have been spent enjoying the world, yet Chu Keke had endured five years of life in hell. A life that should have been within reach for any ordinary person had become for her a dream, distant and unattainable. Even now that she had returned to normalcy, the shadows of those years would linger; it might take a lifetime to truly find peace.
"Keke, I’m going to treat your legs now. Pull up your skirt," Chu Xuan said as he took out a set of silver needles he carried with him.
"Brother, just give up," Chu Keke whispered, a flash of irrepressible despair in her eyes. "The tissue in my legs is necrotic. The doctors said amputation is the only way."
She had once been the star dancer of her school, a girl whose performances left even the masters of dance in awe. Now, she didn't even have the right to stand.
"The doctors said amputation, but I never did."
Chu Xuan smiled. With a flick of his fingers, several silver needles landed precisely into the acupuncture points on her legs. A surge of heat radiated through the air, channeling through the needles and flowing deep into her legs.
"It itches..."
As she instinctively reached out to scratch, Chu Xuan stopped her. "Hold on. The necrotic tissue is regenerating."
Hearing this, Chu Keke could only grit her teeth, enduring the agonizing sensation, every second feeling like a year. Barely five minutes passed before she could no longer hold back a soft moan. Realizing her own embarrassment, she quickly covered her mouth, too shy to meet Chu Xuan’s eyes.
Chu Xuan chuckled and stroked her hair. "You silly girl, why are you still shy in front of your brother?"
Despite his light tone, he felt a pang of sorrow. The little crybaby who once clung to the hem of his shirt and hid behind him all day had grown up.
Half an hour passed. With a wave of Chu Xuan’s hand, the needles were withdrawn, and life flooded back into Chu Keke’s legs.
"Stand up and try."
Facing his encouragement, Chu Keke felt a surge of nerves. She moved her legs cautiously, and upon feeling the sensation of solid ground, she trembling stood up. Though she swayed unsteadily, she was overcome with excitement, shuffling back and forth across the room like a toddler learning to walk. With every step, a tear fell. After a hundred steps, her face was streaming with tears.
"I’m standing! I really am!" She looked at him, sobbing, "Brother, thank you!"
Chu Xuan gently wiped her tears away with a tissue and tapped her nose playfully. "What’s there to thank me for? This is what I’m supposed to do. You’ve just recovered, so stay in the room and get used to it. I’m going to get us some lunch."
"Okay!"
Chu Keke nodded obediently. But just as Chu Xuan was about to leave, she seemed to realize something and suddenly grabbed his hand. "Brother, you aren't just using lunch as an excuse to go to the Zhao Family for revenge, are you?"
Chu Xuan hadn't expected her to be so perceptive. Since she had seen through the truth, he saw no reason to hide it from his sister. "I’m getting lunch, and taking revenge while I'm at it."
The image of their parents' brutal deaths and the slaughter of his kin remained vivid in his mind. Now that he was out of prison, he wouldn't allow the Zhao Family to live for another second!
Chu Keke’s eyes reddened instantly. Her voice trembled as she said, "Brother, I won't let you go!"
"Why?" Chu Xuan asked, bewildered. "Keke, over a hundred members of our family died at the hands of the Zhao Family. Their vengeful spirits haunt my dreams every night. If I don't annihilate them, I fail the dead, and I fail the parents who raised me."
Seeing the resolve in his eyes, she knew she couldn't sway him, so she changed the subject. "If you must have your revenge, you need to pay your respects to our parents first."
"I visited the Chu Family estate the moment I returned," Chu Xuan stated bluntly.
"That doesn't count. Their graves are in the suburbs."
Chu Keke led him out of the hotel, bought some offerings, and hailed a taxi to their destination. Passing through a patch of desolate weeds, two lonely graves stood before them.
As she burned the spirit paper, Chu Keke spoke. "Mom, Dad, I’ve come to see you. The day after the family was wiped out, I rushed back in a panic, but only your bodies were waiting for me. I was in agony, wishing I could just end it all, but the thought that I hadn't seen Brother's body kept me going. I thought he might still be alive, so I endured the grief to bury you and set out to find him."
"To survive, I lived in storm drains, took odd jobs, got cheated... but none of it mattered. As long as I found my brother, it was worth it. Unfortunately, before I could find him, I was caught by the Zhao Family. If not for the belief that my brother was still out there, I would have joined you long ago."
Chu Keke’s voice remained calm, but Chu Xuan’s heart felt as if it were being squeezed and torn apart. How many times must she have spiraled into despair to recount such painful events with such indifference?
"Brother, there is one thing I’ve never told you. Now... I think it’s time you knew the truth."
Chu Keke finished burning the paper and looked at him, her expression turning somber. "You are not our parents' biological son. You were adopted."
"The reason the Chu Family was wiped out wasn't just because Zhao Qian coveted our wealth. It was mostly because you were the source of the catastrophe."
"This..." Chu Xuan stepped back, stunned. He wasn't a member of the Chu Family? How could this be?
"Mom and Dad told me this the night before I left for the capital to take my exams. I couldn't believe it either, until they showed me the DNA results. You and I share no blood."
Chu Keke took a deep breath. "They said that over twenty years ago, a mysterious woman left you in our care and paid a sum that was astronomical for us at the time. It was that money that allowed the family business to thrive. The woman warned them that once you came of age, they had to send you away, or disaster would follow. But they couldn't bear to part with you, and because the years passed peacefully, they ignored her warning. They kept you, and in the end... it brought about this tragedy."
Chu Xuan’s body began to tremble. Because of him, over a hundred people had died. He was the root cause of it all!
He fell to his knees, pounding the ground in desperation. "It’s all my fault. If it weren't for me, they wouldn't have..."
Chu Keke hugged him tightly, sobbing. "Brother, don't say that! I told you this to remind you that they gave their lives for yours. You must not throw yours away so easily."
"I will live, and I will carry out their final wishes!" Chu Xuan clenched his fists, swearing an oath.
Chu Keke cupped his face, looking at him with deep, lingering affection. "Alright. In that case, please set aside this hatred. Leave Jinling with me. Let’s go somewhere where the spring lasts all year, change our names, and live a quiet, safe life. We can grow old together."
"Keke, you don't mean..." Chu Xuan paused. In her eyes, he suddenly recognized a sentiment that went far beyond familial love.
"Marry me," she whispered, her gaze as deep as the sea. "I’ve lost everyone else; I can't lose you too. Once we find a place to settle, we’ll have a house full of children and live happily, just us."