The Ji couple made their way through the narrow, greasy alleyways, carefully stepping around the low tables and stools lining the street.
Liu Ping had just finished serving a wave of customers. Thinking that Moon hadn’t eaten much for dinner, she went next door to buy a box of freshly grilled brown sugar rice cakes.
When she returned, she found the Ji family standing there.
Assuming they were customers, she greeted them warmly.
“Old Li, come help our guests first.”
With a smile, she invited them inside before carrying the rice cakes over to her daughter.
“They just came off the grill. They’re nice and hot.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
Li Wangshu accepted the rice cakes.
Since Liu Ping was blocking her view, she didn’t notice the Ji family immediately.
She scooped out a large bite with a spoon and held it toward Liu Ping.
“You silly child, eat it yourself.”
Liu Ping wasn’t quick enough to dodge and ended up with a mouthful.
As she instinctively stepped back, she unknowingly cleared the line of sight.
The Ji family saw the young girl holding the rice cakes, smiling brightly.
She looked completely different from the cold, distant girl who had visited the Ji family home.
“Little Moon…”
Xu Jingya couldn’t stop herself from calling out.
Only then did Li Wangshu notice who had arrived.
The smile instantly disappeared from her face.
“Do our guests know our Moon?”
Li Guangwei was busy at the stove but leaned over to ask.
“Hello…”
“We’re Moon’s biological parents.”
That single sentence left the Li couple completely stunned.
…
The Li family closed their snack stall early that day and brought the Ji family back to their home.
The apartment had two bedrooms and one living room.
The living room wasn’t large, but it was clean, cozy, and well cared for.
After exchanging a few polite greetings, the Ji family explained why they had come.
“If Little Moon is going to repeat her final year of high school, Baijing has the best schools in the country.”
“Studying there would be much better for her future.”
“Who said my daughter is repeating a year?”
Li Guangwei frowned immediately.
His daughter was a famous top student throughout the area.
She had always been his greatest pride.
The words “repeat a year” simply didn’t belong anywhere near her.
Liu Ping, however, focused on something else.
“If she goes to Baijing, is she going to live with you?”
“Are you still raising the evil nanny’s daughter?”
Before Li Wangshu had left for Baijing, she had already told them everything.
Ever since learning about their daughter’s suffering, the couple had been furious.
When Ji Father and Ji Mother didn’t immediately deny it, Liu Ping knew Ji Mo was still living there.
“How can you do this?”
“You came to take Moon home before even resolving that problem?”
“If Moon moved in and had to see her every single day, how miserable would she be?”
“We know.”
“We’ll send Ji Mo away.”
“But after all, she’s the child we raised ourselves.”
“At the very least, we need to find her a suitable place to go.”
“It’ll take some time…”
“You don’t know a thing!”
Liu Ping interrupted angrily.
“Do you know what Moon looked like when we first took her in?”
“Do you know how many injuries covered her body?”
“She was so thin she was nothing but skin and bones.”
“If someone had said she was only three years old instead of six, everyone would’ve believed it.”
“After finally finding her biological parents…”
“What happened?”
“They treated the daughter of the people who abused her like a precious treasure!”
“No.”
“You should just leave.”
“The sight of you makes me angry.”
“Hey, hey…”
Li Guangwei hurried over to smooth things over again.
“Let’s all calm down.”
“No need to get worked up right away.”
He smiled awkwardly at the Ji couple.
“Please don’t mind her.”
“She’s always had a fiery temper.”
“No, no.”
“We understand.”
“You’re both only doing what’s best for Little Moon.”
Ji Father and Ji Mother were highly respected figures back in Baijing.
Yet beneath the roof of this modest home in a remote county town, they found themselves unable to hold their heads high.
…
Inside the bedroom, Li Wangshu appeared to be studying.
In reality, she had been listening to everything happening outside.
She casually twirled her pen.
“Can you feel their love?”
“Mm.”
“It’s warm.”
“There isn’t much of it, but it feels nice.”
“So… you’re still not planning to go with them?”
Ji Lian no longer questioned her decisions.
She had already realized that the new owner of her body was far more capable than she had ever been.
“Not much, huh…”
Li Wangshu absentmindedly scribbled on her notebook.
“I’m only going back so I can better enter the Ji family.”
“It won’t delay things for long.”
Outside, the conversation continued.
Her mother was still emotional.
Ji Father and Ji Mother remained polite and patient.
No one had lost their temper.
“Your biological parents don’t actually seem like the kind of people who are completely impossible to reason with.”
Li Wangshu genuinely couldn’t understand how the original owner had ended up living such a miserable life.
“I don’t know either.”
“But somehow I was always doing something wrong.”
“It felt like no matter what I did, it was never right.”
Li Wangshu shrugged.
Anything she couldn’t explain, she simply blamed on the influence of the plot.
Fortunately, she wasn’t afraid.
So far, there was no sign that the story itself restricted her actions in any way.
Besides, everything had already been laid out in the open.
Even if she clashed with Ji Mo again in the future, she had already warned everyone in advance.
If things became unbearable…
She could always leave again.
…
Li Wangshu pushed open the bedroom door, carried over a small stool, and sat neatly beside Liu Ping.
“I think I did pretty well on the exam.”
Too lazy to waste time with pleasantries, she spoke in the same cold tone as always.
“I should have no problem getting into Jing University.”
“Really?”
Xu Jingya looked at her daughter.
Now she was sitting closely beside another mother.
The sight made Xu Jingya’s heart ache.
“I heard that this county only produces a Jing University student once every few decades.”
“If you really want to attend Jing University, you can come back to Baijing and repeat your final year.”
“Your father and I will hire the best tutors.”
“Your brothers and Momo…”
She coughed awkwardly.
“I mean… everyone in the family can help you.”
“Even if you don’t get into Jing University, getting into a regular university won’t be a problem.”
Ji Huaiyang added,
“After graduation, you could even join the family business directly.”
“I don’t need you to plan my future.”
“I can go to Baijing on my own.”
“And I can choose my own university.”
Li Wangshu felt they were underestimating her.
Someone gently patted the back of her hand.
It was her mother.
Liu Ping shot her a glare.
“That’s rude.”
“She’s still your biological mother.”
Well…
Although Liu Ping had been the one yelling the loudest earlier, she was all bark and no bite.
Seeing Xu Jingya’s pitiful expression had obviously softened her heart again.
“When I go to Baijing, you don’t have to go out of your way for me.”
“I’ll stay in the university dormitory…”
Seeing Liu Ping glaring at her again, Li Wangshu softened her tone slightly.
“Of course…”
“We don’t have to completely cut off contact forever.”
“I can treat you as relatives.”
“We can visit each other occasionally.”
The word relatives still stung.
But it was far better than the complete severing of ties she had insisted on before.
“Alright.”
“We’ll do it your way for now.”
Ji Huaiyang gently stopped his wife from speaking and turned to Li Wangshu.
“Our home is right beside Jing University.”
“The academic atmosphere there is excellent.”
“No matter how your entrance exam turns out, you’re welcome to stay with us first.”
“You’re still young.”
“We can discuss living in the dormitory later.”
“Don’t worry.”
“The people you don’t want to see won’t appear.”
“Are they finally sending that little bitch away?”
Feeling the steady flow of warmth from the family’s growing affection, Ji Lian was so happy she was almost in tears.
“I think you’re getting your hopes up.”
Li Wangshu remained unconvinced.
Even if they truly felt affection right now, she believed guilt accounted for most of it.
Suppressing the contempt in her eyes, she continued,
“I’ll stay in the dormitory most of the time.”
“I want to adapt to university life as quickly as possible.”
“On weekends…”
“I can visit your house occasionally.”
After a long back-and-forth discussion, both sides finally compromised.
At last, they reached an agreement that everyone could accept—for the time being.