Mother's Reply

Guo Lantai had just set down his bowl and chopsticks when he received a call from Lan Y येzi. "Tai Bao, where are you? I'm sorry. Your dad and I got notified at the last minute and rushed abroad to find your brother. It was the middle of the night, so we didn't call you. I meant to have Aunt Hong let you know, but I was so anxious that I forgot in the end!"

She launched straight into a long explanation, then seemed to think of something and asked again, "I saw your missed call. Are you still at home?"

Guo Lantai patiently waited for her to finish before replying, "Yeah, I'm home. I figured you should have landed by now, and I was just about to contact you again. By the way, what exactly happened? Why did you leave in such a hurry?"

"Ah!"

On the other end, Lan Y येzi seemed to sigh indifferently. "It's nothing serious. There was a problem with your brother's project, and he urgently needed your dad to step in and sort it out. I was worried about your dad, so I came along! Bao, don't worry!"

Guo Lantai knew at once that she was not telling the truth. She was still using the project as an excuse, clearly unwilling to let him know the truth and become anxious.

But Guo Lantai no longer wanted to stay out of it, content to be the little chick sheltered beneath their wings.

He had not only grown up now, but gotten married too. No matter how nominal that marriage was, it proved he had truly grown up. Besides, he had the cheat of having transmigrated into a book.

Given the current situation, quickly integrating into the Cen family was unlikely, but he could absolutely step back and support his own family's business.

Over the past few years, his eldest brother had long since become capable of standing on his own, while the original owner had contributed nothing at all. That made no sense, emotionally or logically!

"My brother's phone can't be reached either."

Guo Lantai said it outright. "Mom, did something happen to my brother?"

"Tai Bao, you..."

"Mom, listen to me. I've grown up. I can share some of your burdens now, and I have the right to know about the family's affairs too, don't I?"

Without waiting for Lan Y येzi to continue, Guo Lantai cut her off and earnestly tried to persuade her. At the end, he gave a half-joking chuckle. "You haven't really treated me like water thrown out of the house and shut me out completely, have you?"

"You silly child, what nonsense are you talking about!"

Lan Y येzi's reproach immediately came through the phone. "Don't overthink it. No matter where you are, you'll always be your father and mother's precious treasure, an important member of the Guo Family. Remember that, okay?"

"Mm, I'll remember, Mom. So can you tell me the truth now?"

Guo Lantai pressed the advantage and directly pursued the question.

"Enough. Just tell him. Give him the general idea. We still need to hurry over after this."

Guo Huaiyuan's urging voice came from the other end of the call.

"I know. I'll just say a few words, then we can leave."

Lan Y येzi answered him, then spoke heavily into the phone. "There really was a problem with the project, and your brother was injured too."

"My brother was hurt? Where was he hurt? Is it serious? How is he now?"

The moment Guo Lantai heard that, he thought, So something really did happen to my brother. A rapid string of questions followed.

"We called you as soon as we got off the plane because we were afraid you'd come home to an empty house and worry. Your brother has already received emergency treatment at the hospital. He's not in danger, but he's still unconscious. We'll have to go over and confirm the details."

Lan Y येzi spoke as she walked. At this point, she no longer concealed anything, and there was an unmistakable tremble in her voice.

Guo Lantai could not sit still any longer and immediately said, "Then I'll buy a plane ticket and come over!"

"No, no, no!"

Lan Y येzi quickly stopped him, gently coaxing, "You've never been there, and you don't even have a visa. It would take time to get one at the last minute. Tai Bao, be good. Your dad and I will go see what's going on first. If we really need you, you can come then, all right?"

Lan Y येzi was worried about her eldest son and heartbroken for her younger one. No matter what, he was newly married, yet something had happened to his family. His luck really was terrible. And the day they had agreed upon for his return visit after marriage had turned into a visit to an empty home. She could not imagine how disappointed he must have been.

It would have been better if someone were there with him, but that brat surnamed Cen was completely unreliable. Ah, her poor Tai Bao!

Still, Guo Lantai took her words to heart. Indeed, even if he wanted to go, he could not make it happen so quickly. The situation had not been fully clarified either. If he went and caused a fuss now, he would only be adding to the chaos.

"All right, then tell me as soon as you get any news, so I won't worry. Okay?"

Lan Y येzi said, "All right, all right. Baby, I won't talk to you any longer. Your dad is getting anxious!"

"Okay. Don't be too anxious yourselves. Take care of your health and look after my brother. Then let's hang up for now!"

"Mm, hanging up!"

Before the call ended, Guo Lantai heard Lan Y येzi's stifled sob. Such was the heart of a parent—they wished they could tear themselves apart and distribute every piece to their children.

After hanging up, Guo Lantai realized there were tears in the corners of his eyes. This must have been the original owner's truest feelings.

The concern between blood relatives could be shared even without seeing one another face-to-face.

Guo Lantai counted it out. He had been here for three days already. Had anyone discovered the body of the him who had died suddenly from staying up late in the real world?

And when his parents saw his corpse, how devastated would they have been? In the end, he had been an unfilial son, making his white-haired parents send off their black-haired child.

The more he thought about it, the more sorrowful and heartsick he became. Tears rolled down his face, and he could not describe the feeling in his heart. It weighed on him so heavily that he could barely breathe.

Fortunately, even after transmigrating, he still had the most sincere family affection. He would not be lonely or helpless on the road to turning his life around!

After his sadness passed, his thoughts quickly returned to certain plot points from the original novel. The original owner's elder brother, Guo Lanjun, had always had smooth sailing in the novel. Even after Guo Group began to decline later on, he had gritted his teeth and held on. There had never been any mention of him being unexpectedly injured.

Ah! Guo Lantai bitterly resented it. What the hell is this? Can the plot stop changing at random? I haven't even had the chance to show what I can do yet!

Complaining was useless, and Guo Lantai had no time to scrutinize the original novel further. Right now, he had only one thought: he hoped his brother would survive this danger and wake up soon!

When Aunt Hong saw him returning to his room, she casually asked, "Second Young Master, are you planning to stay the night?"

"Mm. Is there a problem with that?"

"That's not what I meant. I mean, if today counts as your return visit after marriage, then according to custom, you can't stay at your natal home. Second Young Master, I was only mentioning it casually. Naturally, you don't need to follow those rules!"

Aunt Hong smiled awkwardly. She seemed to have said too much. Men could hardly be said to marry into another family anyway, so why bother with such customs?

Guo Lantai pursed his lips, then shrugged carelessly with a smile. "Then I won't follow that stupid rule. I'm staying home tonight!"

There were rules for return visits because the marital home could not be left empty. He did not even have a marital home, so what was there to fuss over?

If he obediently went back just like that, who knew how that big pig trotter would laugh at him?

He had not forgotten what Cen Muxiao had said. He would not treat himself like some young maiden. His home was his home—he could stay there whenever he wanted and for as many days as he pleased!