AMBTMS Chapter 178

Gu Lin stood next to Li Shu, in a posture ready to protect him at any moment. They had been like this in the past days and nights, and Li Shu had already grown accustomed to it. Father Li was caught up in the joy of his youngest son’s sudden return and didn’t notice this detail. Only Brother Li noticed the scene and raised his eyebrows slightly.

He thought of the fresh gossip about Gu Lin that he had just heard not long ago, and his expression changed subtly, though he ultimately didn’t say anything.

Since Li Shu was really back, there was no need to hide it from Mother Li anymore. Father Li asked Brother Li to go call her over.

Mother Li arrived quickly. As Li Shu watched her slowly approach, his heart felt a twinge of sadness. Mother Li looked too haggard. She was trying her best to hide her emotions so as not to affect her children.

At that moment, she could only see Li Shu, the youngest son she had longed for and waited for so long, finally returned.

When she was just a few steps away from Li Shu, she stopped. Brother Li who was supporting her looked over with some confusion. Mother Li smiled, brushed aside the hair by her ear, and asked, “Xiao Shu, is it really you?”

Just like Father Li and Brother Li, even though they saw him in person, it was precisely because they saw him that it felt all the more unreal. They had been disappointed too many times before. Now, suddenly seeing Li Shu standing there unharmed and not even the least bit disheveled, it was hard to believe he had lived through the apocalypse.

“Mom, it’s me, I’m back.”

“You’re back, you’re really back…” Mother Li muttered. Unable to hold back any longer, she quickly stepped forward and pulled Li Shu into her arms.

Feeling the warmth of her son’s body, Mother Li finally believed that this wasn’t an illusion—Li Shu had truly returned.

Her youngest son was now taller than her. She tightly hugged the child she had lost and regained, and at last, her tears flowed uncontrollably.

Things quickly spiraled out of control.

Afraid that Mother Li’s overwhelming joy and sorrow might harm her health, Father Li stepped forward, separating the two and pulling his wife into his arms, gently comforting her, “It’s okay, it’s okay, Xiao Shu has already come back, don’t cry.”

The Li family really cared about Li Shu, and their intense emotions left Li Shu feeling a little overwhelmed. He had only read snippets of the original plot describing the love the family had for the original owner, but now he could feel it directly. It was a feeling that words couldn’t convey.

At this moment, he understood why the original owner, despite all his suffering, had followed Lin Xuan’s team back to the capital. It was because he had such a family waiting for him. He simply wanted to see his family one last time.

He didn’t even know if his family was still alive. He could only hope in his heart that they were still waiting for him. With this belief, he had crossed mountains and rivers, endured countless hardships, only to stop forever just before reuniting with his family.

Li Shu carried the original owner’s wish and returned, bringing him back to his family. The family was reunited, and he felt as though something had left him.

That was the original owner’s obsession.

Li Shu lowered his gaze, hiding the many thoughts in his eyes. Now, he was the original owner. He would take care of the family in the original owner’s place and would fulfill the regrets he left behind.

The family chatted for a while, and after Li Shu reassured them several times that he wasn’t hurt, they finally relaxed a little. Once they were certain that Li Shu was fine, they began to pay attention to the other person in the room.

Gu Lin had quietly stayed by the side, not interfering with Li Shu’s reunion with his family and doing his best to lower his presence so as not to overshadow anyone. It was only then that the Li family remembered the man who had brought Li Shu home and noticed that he had been standing not far from Li Shu the entire time.

It was a distance that wouldn’t disturb Li Shu but would allow him to reach him quickly in case of any sudden situation.

“We really must thank Mr. Gu for bringing Xiao Shu back,” Father Li finally pulled his attention away from his long-lost youngest son to express gratitude to the man who had brought him home.

This was also the first time he had properly looked at Gu Lin. Before the apocalypse, though the Li and Gu families were both based in the capital, they operated in completely different fields and had only heard each other’s names in passing.

Gu Lin was undoubtedly an outstanding man. He grew up in a military district and lived up to everyone’s expectations by entering the military. He achieved various feats and became the youngest officer. If it weren’t for that incident, there wouldn’t have been any room for the Ye family to take power in the capital.

“Mr. Gu brought Xiao Shu back. From now on, you are a benefactor of the Li family. If you need anything, just ask, and we will not hesitate,” Brother Li glanced at his now rosy-cheeked younger brother and said sincerely.

“Yes, don’t be polite with us. If there’s anything you need, Mr. Gu, just let us know,” Father Li chimed in.

Just for the fact that Gu Lin had brought Li Shu back, they wouldn’t hesitate to go all out against the Ye family. The reason they had been desperately expanding their strength was simply to increase their chances of finding Li Shu. Now that he was found, everything else seemed less important.

“No need. Shu Shu wanted to return, and I happened to be heading back to the capital as well. It’s nothing much, you’re too polite.” Gu Lin replied in a low voice. He didn’t bring Li Shu back because he wanted anything from the Li family. It was simply because Li Shu wanted to return. If Li Shu hadn’t wanted to, no matter what conditions the Li family offered, he wouldn’t have brought him back.

Li Shu’s own will was what Gu Lin placed first.

Brother Li had already sensed something, and hearing Gu Lin’s words only solidified his suspicions. He didn’t know how his younger brother had met Gu Lin or what had happened between them, but it was clear now that the two were very close.

Father Li and Mother Li were still focused on their youngest son, and unconsciously overlooked everything else so they didn’t notice anything wrong. In addition, Gu Lin also restrained himself, so aside from Brother Li, no one else thought much about their relationship at the moment.

After not seeing him for some time, the Li family noticed that their son had changed a lot. He was more mature than before. Thinking about it, it made sense. After all, he had endured so much on his way back to the capital. Change was inevitable.

Li Shu’s personality was naturally different from the original owner’s, and this provided the perfect opportunity to explain the original owner’s shift in character.

Of course the Li family had to treat Gu Lin, the benefactor who sent their child back home, well.

After some conversation, Father Li and Mother Li developed an even better impression of Gu Lin.

While talking with Li Shu’s parents, Gu Lin didn’t forget to look after Li Shu. These were all small, subconscious actions. The others didn’t seem to notice, but Brother Li, who had been keeping this matter in mind, paid attention.

Thinking of the rumors he had heard today, he now fully understood. The only ordinary person Gu Lin had brought back was his Xiao Shu.

Seeing how the two interacted, if their relationship was as he suspected, they must have been together for quite some time. But what had happened? Before the apocalypse, Xiao Shu had been clamoring to be with Lin Xuan.

Xiao Shu had returned with Gu Lin, so what happened to Lin Xuan, who was supposed to be with Xiao Shu?

Slowly sipping from his teacup, Brother Li asked the question weighing on his mind, “Xiao Shu, where is Lin Xuan?”

The question caused the room to fall silent for a moment. Gu Lin subconsciously looked at Li Shu. Thanks to Gu Lin’s deliberate efforts, this name had not appeared in Li Shu’s life for a long time.

Upon hearing Lin Xuan’s name again after so long, Li Shu paused, frowned slightly and then quickly relaxed. He said without any emotion, “We broke up.”

The three simple words exploded in the minds of the three Li family members present. Although it hadn’t been that long since the apocalypse began, they couldn’t imagine what had happened in these few months that would lead Li Shu to say such words in such a tone.

“What’s the point of talking about this now? This is Xiao Shu’s own business, and he’ll deal with it himself,” Mother Li was still deeply concerned about her son, and she immediately rebuked her eldest son for bringing up such a question at an inappropriate time.

She then turned to her youngest son and said in a gentle voice, “Don’t mind your brother. Your affairs are your own to decide. If you don’t like Lin Xuan anymore, just forget about him. My Xiao Shu deserves the best.”

“Mom, I’m fine. At that time, I liked him, but just consider me as being young and naive. Later, I realized we weren’t suitable for each other, so we broke up. Looking back now, it seems you and Dad had the foresight.”

Indeed, when the original owner wanted to be with Lin Xuan, the Li family firmly disagreed. It wasn’t because the original owner had fallen in love with a man, but because they weren’t compatible. Growing up in different environments, having different life views… there were too many things that didn’t align. Furthermore, without the original owner knowing, Brother Li had met up with Lin Xuan and discovered the deep-seated insecurity Lin Xuan tried to hide.

In front of the Li family, Lin Xuan was insecure. If it remained unaddressed, that was one thing, but once it erupted, Li Shu would undoubtedly be hurt. This was why they never agreed to the two being together.

Gu Lin took Li Shu away, leaving the task of organizing the team entirely in Xu Yanqiu’s hands. Xu Yanqiu was used to it, and worked hard to lead the team to a place that had been prepared long ago and settled down.

Their large-scale actions quickly reached the ears of the major forces in the capital. Gu Lin returning with so many evolvers was like a stone thrown into water, creating huge ripples. The delicate balance maintained by the forces in the capital was suddenly disrupted.

Looking at the report his subordinate brought him, Ye Chengran slammed his fist on the desk, creating a large hole. He had sent out so many people, and they had all been wiped out like they were nothing. Now, Gu Lin had returned unscathed, while he had lost a large number of men.

Thinking about it, Ye Chengran felt both pained and frustrated. He couldn’t understand what had gone wrong. He had planned everything so meticulously, and everything had been going according to his plan. How had things turned out like this?

No, even though Gu Lin had returned, Ye Chengran couldn’t just sit and wait for defeat. Right now, he controls the power in the capital. Even if Gu Lin brought back so many evolvers, so what? He had taken Gu Lin down once before, and he could do it again!

He summoned his trusted informant. “Tell me more about the situation with Gu Lin. Earlier, you mentioned he brought back an ordinary person?”

The informant repeated the information he had gathered, this time focusing on the ordinary person at Gu Lin’s side as Ye Chengran had instructed.

As the only ordinary person among a group of evolvers, Li Shu had garnered widespread attention from all the major forces, who were all speculating about his relationship with Gu Lin.

For now, no one had linked him to the youngest son the Li family had been searching for. Li Shu and Gu Lin’s return to the Li family had been deliberately kept away from prying eyes.

Listening to his informant’s report, Ye Chengran slowly curled his lips into a smile. “Gu Lin, Gu Lin, you’ve practically handed me your weakness.”

“Find a way to invite that young man over. There are some things I’d like to ask him.”