This translation is by Pocketrobbin at S h a n g h a i f a n t a s y . c o m
It was the annual Charity Day.
The CEO of Lin Group and his wife not only donated two hundred million yuan to support charity and children’s welfare projects, but also directly announced that they would adopt a child from the orphanage and welcome her into their family.
As soon as the news broke, major media outlets scrambled to report it. Celebrities, business tycoons, and philanthropists praised them endlessly, and the couple instantly became well-known in the charity circle.
At that night’s charity gala, Lin Zeyu, the CEO of Lin Group, and his wife Gu Mingming attended in full formal attire and were invited to the center of the stage. The child standing beside them was the one chosen as the lucky adoptee.
“Every child is an angel sent to this world by their parents. Some children may have been separated from their parents for various reasons, but they are still the most beautiful angels. Even though my husband and I already have a child, we chose to adopt another because we hope our actions will encourage more capable families to step forward and help those little angels who have lost the protection of their birth parents, giving them a complete and loving home.” Gu Mingming spoke gracefully on the stage.
After speaking, she gestured to the child beside her. “This poor child is named Nuonuo. Because of a congenital illness, she was abandoned at the hospital by her parents. Perhaps they had their own difficulties. We have no intention of blaming them. But from today on, her name is Lin Nuonuo. As a member of the Lin family, we will take full responsibility for her, caring for her as if she were our own daughter, and allowing her to grow up with the same love as any other child.”
Her speech moved many of the guests to tears.
Once her voice fell, thunderous applause swept through the entire banquet hall.
Only Lin Nuonuo, standing blankly beside the couple like a little fool, felt absolutely no joy.
She had been taken from the orphanage just two days ago.
When she left, seeing the envious gazes of the other children and the hopeful look in the caretaker aunties’ eyes, Lin Nuonuo still did not fully understand what was happening, but she had been happy.
Later, after an unknown amount of time in the car, she was brought to a cold, sterile room.
The room was empty, and aside from a bed and sparse furnishings, there was nothing else. Every so often, someone would bring her food, and occasionally someone would come in with different machines to run various tests on her.
Lin Nuonuo spent an entire day in that bewildering environment.
Perhaps it was fear from being in a strange place, or perhaps the odd machines and medications caused problems, but she burned with fever that very night.
While she was unconscious, countless fragments flashed through her mind, and she seemed to have a very long dream.
In that dream, Lin Nuonuo learned a secret. The world she was living in was actually just a novel.
And the protagonists of the novel were not her, but the glamorous couple standing beside her at that moment— Lin Zeyu and Gu Mingming.
In the novel, the male protagonist was the eldest young master of A City’s top wealthy family, and the female protagonist was an ordinary university intern. By chance, she was recommended to the Lin Group. During their time together, the two gradually fell in love. The male protagonist ignored public opinion and family opposition to be with her, and after many hardships, they finally achieved a happy ending.
The female protagonist later gave birth to their smart and adorable daughter.
But when the female protagonist became pregnant, she was poisoned by the male protagonist’s enemy. Their daughter appeared normal at birth, but her internal organs grew at several times the rate of an ordinary person. Without effective treatment, she would likely die before reaching eighteen due to total organ failure.
Yet when the girl turned fourteen, her illness miraculously healed.
Instead, the child adopted by the Lin family died of illness.
And that child— the one who died— was Lin Nuonuo.
As Lin Nuonuo recalled that dream, a gentle voice sounded beside her, “Nuonuo, let’s go.”
The next moment, amid deafening applause, Lin Nuonuo was led off the stage, her expression dull.
────ρя
Inside the lounge, Lin Zeyu’s secretary quickly stripped off the clothes Lin Nuonuo had worn from the orphanage and put a high-end pink dress on her.
Even in brand-name clothing, Lin Nuonuo still looked plain. The secretary’s face showed clear dissatisfaction and disdain.
“As expected, things like genes and temperament are innate. You can’t fake them. Look at this bumpkin. Such a beautiful dress, and not only does she fail to pull it off, but she even looks uglier. What a waste of good fabric.”
Hearing that, Gu Mingming’s expression tightened. She shot the secretary a warning glare and reprimanded, “Stop talking nonsense!”
But instead of restraining herself, Yang Qian looked even more displeased. “I’m just stating the truth.”
Then, giving Lin Nuonuo another mocking look, she pinched her voice and said, “A pheasant is still a pheasant. Changing clothes won’t turn her into a phoenix.”
At that, Gu Mingming’s expression turned darker. She even suspected the other woman was speaking with hidden meaning aimed at her.
She glared at Yang Qian, unable to hide her anger.
From the beginning, Gu Mingming had disliked Yang Qian. Unfortunately, the other woman had been Lin Zeyu’s secretary for many years, handling both clean and unclean matters for him, and had earned his trust. No matter how much she resented the other woman, Gu Mingming could only tolerate her.
“I’m telling you to watch your mouth. Don’t forget that this child will be living in the Lin household from now on.” Gu Mingming said through clenched teeth.
“Fine, I know.” Yang Qian replied impatiently. She glanced at the dazed Lin Nuonuo nearby and sneered. “She’s a stupid kid. What does she understand anyway?”
“You—”
Just as Gu Mingming was about to speak again, Lin Zeyu returned with his assistant.
“The media outside is ready. Are you done here?”
“Mm, done.” Gu Mingming hurriedly touched up her makeup, adjusted her expression, and then took Lin Nuonuo’s hand with a loving smile.
Surrounded by a blinding storm of camera flashes, they left the charity venue.
────ρя
In the car, with no outsiders present, Gu Mingming finally dropped the act. She immediately flung Lin Nuonuo’s hand away.
Being freed from someone’s grip actually made Lin Nuonuo feel relieved. She twisted toward the window, watching the cityscape streak past.
Sitting beside her, Gu Mingming shot her a glance full of distaste, then turned to Lin Zeyu in the front seat with a troubled expression. “Do we really need to bring this child back home in such a high-profile way?”
Hearing his wife’s complaint, Lin Zeyu glanced at Lin Nuonuo through the rear-view mirror. Seeing the child obediently leaning against the window, her face full of confusion, he seemed reassured she knew nothing. So he explained openly, “You should know that regulations on the medical system are extremely strict now. Even the family can’t openly manipulate organ sources and distribution— not with so many eyes watching us. So this child must enter the Lin household and be registered under our name. You don’t want our years of effort to go to waste, do you?”
Their daughter was suffering from a rare illness since birth, and the only solution was organ replacement.
But finding a perfectly matched set of organs was incredibly difficult. Even with the Lin family’s power, it took years before they found this girl whose compatibility was almost perfect.
Naturally, they could not blatantly kill someone and transplant their organs into their daughter. The only method was to wait for the child to have an accident or die naturally, then proceed with organ donation.
But organ donation channels and allocation were extremely difficult to control.
Only by becoming the child’s legal guardians and keeping her within their sight could they control the timing of her ‘natural death’ and ensure her organs were directed to the right recipient.
Seeing his wife’s expression soften, Lin Zeyu continued, “Several companies are eyeing the Zhou family’s land in B City. Old Master Zhou is known for loving charity. If we use this adoption to earn his goodwill and secure that land, we gain twice the profit.”
So even if it was all for show, they still had to raise the child properly at home.
Hearing that, Gu Mingming frowned slightly. “I don’t care about your business dealings. I’m just worried that Xinxin will be upset seeing another child brought home.”
Lin Zeyu had thought of that too, but he wasn’t concerned.
“Don’t worry. It’s normal for children to get upset when they feel their status threatened or affection divided. As long as Xinxin knows her place in the family won’t change— won’t be touched at all by this child’s arrival— she won’t think much more about it.”
A tool could never be compared to their daughter.
Hearing that, Gu Mingming finally relaxed.
Only Lin Nuonuo, who had heard every word clearly, was trembling against the car window.
……
The car passed through a series of prosperous districts before arriving at a tranquil, brightly lit area that looked like a park.
Even though Lin Nuonuo had never seen much of the world, she still thought the place looked far too magnificent to be ordinary.
And this was only the front courtyard of the Lin family’s main residence.
Behind it were the central yard, the villa, and the back garden……
Yet despite the luxurious scene before her, Lin Nuonuo felt no sense of wonder. This beautiful villa looked more like a monster that would swallow her whole.
The car stopped in front of the residence.
Even as the driver pulled her out of the car and she followed the adults inside, Lin Nuonuo’s legs shook uncontrollably.
Because Lin Zeyu and Gu Mingming had returned, the household servants paused their work and looked curiously at the child being brought in.
“Is that the child the young master and young lady adopted?”
“From the orphanage, I heard?”
“What a good deed.”
“But if you’re adopting, why not pick a better one? That kid looks so thin, like you could snap her bones with a squeeze.”
“Yeah, and she’s so timid. Not cute at all.”
“I heard from Sister Yang that the child was born sick. Who knows if she’ll even survive……?”
Several servants gossiped in hushed tones.
Nearby, Auntie Liu, one of the older servants, couldn’t stand it anymore and interrupted them, “Show some kindness. Is it necessary to speak so viciously about a child? How many children in the orphanage grow up plump and healthy? Besides, the young master and young lady are doing a good thing.”
Auntie Liu’s words shut them up.
At that moment, cheerful footsteps sounded. A girl in a white princess dress— cute and lively like a little fairy— ran down the stairs.
This was Lin Zeyu and Gu Mingming’s only daughter, Lin Zixin.
Lin Zixin rushed to her parents, pulling on their hands playfully. “Mom, Dad, why are you only coming home now? I baked a cake today, but I couldn’t wait for you to come back and eat it……”
Before they could answer, her gaze shifted, and she spotted Lin Nuonuo behind them as if discovering a strange creature. “Eh? Who is she……?”
Seeing her daughter look at the child, Gu Mingming felt a trace of anxiety, but introduced softly, “Xinxin, this is the child Mom and Dad talked to you about— the one who might come live with us. Her name is Nuonuo. From now on, she can play games and watch cartoons with you at home. You two should get along well, alright?”
Though she disliked introducing Lin Nuonuo this way, the true purpose of the adoption could not be known by anyone outside their inner circle— not even their daughter.
Upon hearing that, Lin Zixin’s eyes flickered with a flash of hatred, but it disappeared in the next second, replaced by a radiant smile.
Gu Mingming didn’t notice the change at all, too focused on watching the two children.
She had expected her daughter to be upset or throw a tantrum when meeting the newcomer. But Lin Zixin only froze for a moment, then nodded obediently, and happily walked toward Lin Nuonuo.
“You’re Nuonuo? Hello, I’m Lin Zixin. You can call me Xinxin. We’ll be living together from now on.”
After speaking, she enthusiastically grabbed Lin Nuonuo’s hand, and in a spot no one else could see, she used all her strength to pinch down hard on Lin Nuonuo’s arm.
・❥・
Robbin: Chapter schedule is every Wednesday and Saturday