Chapter 31: The Outsider’s Revelation

Su Mian was roused by the train’s arrival announcement.

He groggily opened his eyes, only to find the seat beside him empty. The peculiar boy in black had vanished without a trace, as if he had never been there at all.

Rubbing his eyes, Su Mian didn’t have time to ponder the disappearance. He quickly gathered his luggage and disembarked with the flow of passengers.

As he stepped out of the station and reached his doorstep, the door swung open from within before he could even retrieve his keys.

“Oh, my Mianmian, you’re finally back! Mama missed you so much!”

His mother, Lin Xiangwan, greeted him with effusive warmth, enveloping him in a firm embrace. She then planted a loud kiss on his cheek before contentedly pulling him inside

. As she took his suitcase, she added, “Dinner’s just ready. You’ve arrived at the perfect time!”

The warm aroma of home-cooked food wafted towards him.

In the dining room, his father, Su Shan, was already seated at the head of the table. Across from him sat a girl Su Mian hadn’t seen in a long time—his younger sister, Su Baixue.

She had grown even more beautiful since their last meeting, her features now imbued with a sharp, cold arrogance.

At this moment, she was hunched on her chair, engrossed in her phone, not even bothering to glance up. She completely ignored Su Mian’s arrival.

“Xiaoxue, your brother’s back. Why aren’t you saying hello?” Lin Xiangwan placed the suitcase down, her voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible tension as she prompted her daughter.

Su Baixue reluctantly lifted her head then, her gaze sweeping over Su Mian with detached indifference, as if he were a stranger. From her nose, she exhaled a single syllable: “Hm, Su Mian.”

Her tone was distant, unwilling to even bestow the title of “Brother.”

Su Mian was long accustomed to this treatment. Though a bitter ache tightened in his chest, he forced himself to maintain a facade of calm, attempting to lighten the mood. “Ah, Xiaoxue’s back. You’ve gotten… even prettier recently.”

Having spoken, he immediately settled at the dining table. He picked up a piece of glistening, braised pork and popped it into his mouth. The rich, savory aroma instantly bloomed across his palate.

With an exaggerated flourish, he gave a thumbs-up. “Mama’s braised pork is still the best! I’ve been craving this!”

Just as he hoped, Lin Xiangwan’s attention was successfully diverted, a wide smile blossoming on her face. “Eat more if you like it. Look how thin you still are.”

His father, Su Shan, also spoke up. “Your mother went to the market bright and early to pick out the best pork belly. You probably didn’t eat well at school; you should definitely replenish yourself.”

Su Mian obediently ate several more pieces, his cheeks bulging, a picture of pure contentment.

Then, as if a thought had suddenly occurred to him, Su Shan spoke casually. “Your mother mentioned that you and that girl from the Shen family… haven’t been getting along well recently?”

“Cough, cough…” Caught off guard, Su Mian choked on his food, his face turning crimson from the effort.

“N-not really unhappy… it’s just that, after starting university, she met a guy she liked more…” His voice trailed off, laden with obvious disappointment.

He hadn’t brought this matter up with his father himself, so it seemed his mother had privately informed him.

Seeing his reaction, Lin Xiangwan quickly interjected to smooth things over, her tone bright.

“It’s alright, Mianmian. If that girl from the Shen family lacks good taste, then so be it! Mama hasn’t been idle these past few days; I’ve found you several pretty and well-behaved girls. Their family backgrounds and appearances are no worse than Zhixia’s!”

Su Mian’s head throbbed at her words. He quickly waved his hands. “Mom! You really don’t need to worry! I can handle my own affairs. As for Zhixia… I think I still have a chance!”

The lingering resentment in his heart, coupled with his obsession concerning Xiao Moyuan, made it impossible for him to give up now.

Regardless of the outcome, he still needed to try and salvage things with Shen Zhixia.

Otherwise, all his efforts and hardships spent acting as Xiao Moyuan’s lackey would have been utterly in vain.

Su Baixue, who had been silent until now, finally couldn’t help but lift her head. Her beautiful eyes were filled with undisguised disdain and mockery.

“Su Mian, can you not have a little self-awareness? Stop pestering Sister Zhixia, alright? Sister Zhixia is so good; she finally met a guy she likes. Can’t you just let her go and have some dignity?”

Her words were like a cold knife, stabbing precisely into Su Mian’s heart. His face instantly paled, as if he’d suffered a critical blow.

‘His sister’s venomous tongue truly grew more potent with each passing day,’ he thought.

“Xiaoxue! Is that how you speak to your brother!” Su Shan’s face instantly darkened, his tone severe.

Su Baixue slammed her chopsticks down with a sharp clack, then abruptly stood up. The legs of her chair scraped against the floor, emitting a grating sound.

Her eyes were slightly red-rimmed as her gaze swept between her parents and Su Mian, filled with a furious sense of betrayal and grievance. Her voice turned sharp:

“Brother? What kind of brother is he to me! I’m your biological child!”

Her words exploded in Su Mian’s ears like a sudden clap of thunder. He was utterly stunned, his mind a blank. Instinctively, he stammered, “X-Xiaoxue… what do you mean by that? What ‘outsider’? How am I… not your child?”

Su Shan’s face became incredibly grim. He slammed his hand on the table. “Nonsense! Su Baixue, shut your mouth! Go back to your room!”

Lin Xiangwan also scrambled to her feet, all color draining from her face. She grabbed her agitated younger daughter, her voice laced with pleading. “Xiaoxue! Don’t say another word! Go back to your room; Mama will talk to you!”

She picked up Su Baixue’s unfinished bowl, hastily added some dishes, and practically half-pushed, half-coaxed the indignant girl out of the dining room and into her bedroom.

In an instant, only Su Mian and the ashen-faced Su Shan remained in the dining room.

Su Mian sat blankly in his chair, gazing at the table laden with exquisite dishes, yet he had lost all appetite.

His sister’s word, ‘outsider,’ echoed like a curse in his mind.

‘Not biological?’

‘How could that be?’

He thought with a bitter smile, it wasn’t that he didn’t want to mend his relationship with Su Baixue, but how was he supposed to manage when every conversation threatened to explode like this?

***

Meanwhile, inside Su Baixue’s bedroom.

Lin Xiangwan placed the food on the desk, then sighed, her voice weary. “Xiaoxue, that’s your brother, how could you…”

“Mom! How long were you and Dad going to keep lying to me?!” Su Baixue abruptly cut her off, tears welling in her eyes, yet her voice was stubbornly resolute.

“I started suspecting the day I entered the Demon Exorcism Academy! How could a descendant of an exorcist possess not even a single trace of spiritual power?!”

She lifted her tear-filled eyes, staring intently at her mother.

“I’ve secretly confirmed it countless times! Su Mian… he’s completely clean, like the most ordinary mortal! Yet our Su family has been demon exorcists for generations; the power flowing in our bloodline cannot be faked!”

“I wanted to ask you!” Su Baixue’s voice was choked with tears and accusation. “Who exactly is Su Mian? What is his true origin? Why are you protecting… an outsider whose background is completely unknown?”

Faced with her daughter’s barrage of questions, Lin Xiangwan opened her mouth, but in the end, her response was only a long sigh, filled with an unspeakable secret.