Su Mian had never imagined she could end up in such a miserable state—so broke she couldn’t even afford a single dinner.
Going hungry herself was one thing; after all, she was so heavy that skipping a meal certainly wouldn’t kill her, right?
But the two kids were a different story. They were so gaunt and fragile they were practically skin and bones.
“Mama, little sister and I aren’t hungry. You don’t need to go out looking for food,” Dabao said, tugging gently on the hem of Su Mian’s shirt as he sensed her intention to leave.
This sensible child was doing everything he could to spare her any trouble.
“No, how can you go without eating? I’ll head out and see if I can borrow a bit of rice or flour to cook up something for you two.”
Fortunately, they still had a small stack of firewood at home, enough to light a fire and cook.
If they were completely out of firewood, bringing home rice or flour would be useless anyway.
While it was possible to gather dry twigs from the hills behind this slum area, the sky was already darkening, making a trip up the mountain a foolish idea.
Just as Su Mian and the two children were caught in a quiet standoff, a knock sounded at the front door.
Knock, knock, knock… Knock, knock, knock…
Su Mian’s heart instantly leaped into her throat!
It was just her, a helpless woman, along with two small children—if a criminal had truly come to their door…
Then again, Su Mian took a quick glance at her own bloated reflection and figured the odds of someone breaking in to assault her were practically zero.
As for robbery? That was even more out of the question—they didn’t have a single penny worth stealing.
Suddenly, her thoughts flashed back to the pocket watch.
Fortunately, she had already tucked it back into its hiding spot in the wall earlier, planning to fetch it tomorrow morning.
“Su Mian? If you’re home, open up. It’s me, Qin Chuan.” A young man’s voice called out from beyond the door.
At that moment, both Dabao and Erbao grabbed the edges of Su Mian’s clothes at the same time.
Dabao chirped in excitement, “Mama, it’s Uncle Qin!”
Uncle Qin?
Oh, right! Su Mian had almost forgotten all about him.
Mainly because he rarely made an appearance, his presence had slipped her mind completely.
According to the novel’s plot, Qin Chuan was the story’s devoted male second lead, having harbored deep feelings for the female lead, Chen Zhiyi, for a very long time.
After the male lead, Lu Zheng, and his family were banished to the countryside, Qin Chuan had launched a fierce pursuit of Chen Zhiyi.
Chen Zhiyi herself remained unmoved, but her family certainly took the bait.
Their daughter had previously dated Lu Zheng, leaving her reputation completely ruined. If someone was willing to take her off their hands—and hailed from a decent family background to boot—it was the best outcome they could ever hope for.
So, completely disregarding Chen Zhiyi’s own wishes, her parents had agreed outright to her marriage with Qin Chuan.
Yet, just as the wedding date drew near, the Lu family unexpectedly returned from the countryside.
Good grief—talk about a dramatic plot twist! It was the kind of messy soap opera even a passing dog would stop to watch.
As the villainous female supporting character and the devoted second lead, Su Mian and Qin Chuan had naturally joined forces to tear the lead couple apart.
The only difference was that Su Mian had no backing or influential background, which was why she had fallen into such a pitiful state today.
Qin Chuan, however, was a different story. Even though he had pulled plenty of schemes against the main couple, he was still the son of the wealthy Qin family, protected by his family’s safety net.
After the lead couple cleared up their misunderstandings and Su Mian was thrown out by the Lu family, Qin Chuan would occasionally lend her a helping hand out of memory for their past alliance.
So, the fact that Su Mian could survive in the city for so long without doing a lick of work was partly because Qin Chuan was a loyal, good-natured guy at heart!
True to his reputation as the devoted second lead, his appearance at her doorstep right now was undoubtedly to offer a helping hand. His selfless character was truly holding strong.
Su Mian hurried to open the door. The moment she set eyes on Qin Chuan—dressed in stylish, expensive clothes yet carrying a casual, slouchy posture—she felt an immediate sense of self-conscious urgency.
She absolutely had to lose weight!
When you’re carrying this much weight, feelings of inferiority naturally creep in, especially when facing handsome men and pretty women.
“What brings you here?” Su Mian asked.
Qin Chuan let out a slightly disdainful “tsk,” glanced past her into the house, and replied, “Why am I here? I came because I couldn’t stop worrying about your two kids, of course. I mean, honestly, Su Mian—how much longer are you going to stay like this? Lu Zheng and Chen Zhiyi are already married. It’s time you let it go.”
Su Mian felt helpless. She had only regained consciousness in her own body today; what was she supposed to do about it?
Of course, she wasn’t about to offer that explanation to Qin Chuan.
“I’ve already pulled myself together, really,” Su Mian emphasized.
“Are you serious?” Qin Chuan asked, looking a bit skeptical.
“I mean it! Today… today it was like I suddenly snapped out of it. From now on, I’m going to focus on raising these two kids and living a good life with them. I won’t bother Lu Zheng and Chen Zhiyi ever again.”
In truth, ever since she was kicked out of the Lu household, Su Mian hadn’t crossed paths with the main couple even once.
Upon hearing Chen Zhiyi’s name, Qin Chuan fell silent.
After a moment, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a wallet, and emptied every single bill out of it.
“Su Mian, I’m leaving.”
Su Mian was at a loss for words.
Taking the money felt wrong, but refusing it felt impossible.
After all, this money was crucial for her current plight, yet Qin Chuan’s heavy tone put her in a tough spot.
Wait, he wasn’t planning on doing something drastic to end it all, was he?
The devoted second-lead trope had to stay intact, after all!
If she remembered correctly, there was an extra side story after the novel’s main ending that mentioned Qin Chuan never married or had children his entire life.
“Where… where are you going?” Su Mian couldn’t help asking.
Qin Chuan simply offered a faint smile and shrugged with an air of complete nonchalance. “Private business is allowed now. I want to go down to the southernmost region to do business. This place… I just don’t want to stay here anymore. I haven’t been in Xiangcheng lately because I went down south to scout things out. It’s developing really fast over there, so I want to give it a shot.”
Su Mian suspected that Qin Chuan simply couldn’t stand staying in Xiangcheng anymore—it held too much heartbreak for him.
Though he looked like a playboy on the outside, he was actually quite deeply devoted.
“Then go for it. I wish you a smooth journey,” Su Mian said.
She had no real feelings for Lu Zheng anyway, so staying or leaving made no difference to her.
However, she certainly didn’t plan on staying in this spot forever. Both kids were over four years old now—an age where they were sensible and starting to form lasting memories. She couldn’t let them grow up being called bastards by everyone.
So, after learning the truth behind everything, Su Mian had made up her mind: as soon as she saved up a little bit of money, she would take the two children to find their biological father.
In her own memories, she had no idea whose bed she had ended up in on the night she was drugged.
The novel, however, had explicitly revealed his identity. The man was apparently a soldier, and his family background was anything but ordinary.
Setting his family background aside, being a soldier in this day and age was a highly prestigious standing.
The two kids were suffering far too much with her right now. In a world like this, lacking money, background, or family protection, a single woman raising two children would struggle to keep her wealth safe even if her business succeeded.
For the sake of her children, she had decided to find that man and tell him about the twins’ existence.
As for what would happen between them afterward, they could discuss that when the time came.
Su Mian was a pragmatic woman. She knew that in her current state—having nothing to her name and living in utter chaos—insisting on raising the children all by herself would only force them to keep suffering alongside her.
If finding their birth father meant the two children could live a better life, she was more than willing to let go.
After all, the current Su Mian had a ruined reputation, a ruined appearance, and absolutely nothing to her name.
She couldn’t even go back to her own parents’ home.
Until she turned her life around, she didn’t have the face to go back and see her parents and brothers.