The viewer whose ID was Wo Shi Da Mengnan was none other than the unlucky streamer whose livestream room had been stolen. He had been silently watching Huahua all along.
With complicated feelings, he had originally intended to remain silent forever. But after seeing what was happening now, he could no longer hold himself back. The moment he spoke, his fans recognized him and urged him to tell them what he had discovered.
Since they had already recognized him, Wo Shi Da Mengnan decided to come clean.
【That’s right, I’m Wo Shi Da Mengnan. This was originally the world I was supposed to enter. The script the company prepared for me was to bring down a major villain who trafficked in people, smuggled drugs, and dealt in human organs! For the sake of the show’s effect and excitement, I wasn’t given any specific information about the villain. I only knew that the villain had two characteristics: she was female, and she could understand animals’ thoughts.】
The light screen remained silent for quite a while. Once the viewers understood what Wo Shi Da Mengnan was trying to say, the live-chat comments exploded exponentially, and the discussion grew heated.
【You’re not trying to say that Huahua is that utterly heartless villain, are you?】
【Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Our Huahua is so adorable, and she bravely protects her mother. How could she grow up to be that evil? It has to be a coincidence!】
【I’m not lying. That was the task I received. If you don’t believe me, look at the information I uploaded!】
The netizens immediately followed the link and opened the folder. Inside, they found a detailed introduction to the major villain’s background.
Name and appearance: Unknown. Codename: “Ling.”
Gender: Female.
Ability: Understanding animals’ thoughts.
Background: A child of a single mother. When Ling was young, her mother married a gambling addict. To pay off her husband’s debts, her mother was forced into prostitution, bringing disgrace upon herself. The following year, Ling’s mother was imprisoned for murdering her husband. In the end, she lost her mind under the torment of her fellow inmates and died after smashing her head against a wall. Ling’s childhood experiences and chronic headaches twisted her personality, making her volatile and violent. She displayed antisocial personality traits, and after awakening her superpower at the age of ten, she eventually committed a grave mistake.
After reading the information, everyone fell silent. Although it consisted of only a few short sentences, the information it revealed was alarming—and some of it really did match Huahua.
【Her gender, ability, and family background all match. But Huahua awakened her superpower at only three years old, which doesn’t fit the description above!】
【Could it be that, in the original timeline, Huahua hadn’t received the livestream device and was still unconscious? She therefore didn’t experience the stimulus that caused her to awaken her superpower early and protect her mother. Mu Qingrou consequently didn’t get the money and ID card, and she never came to the hospital. To escape her vampiric mother and younger brother, she chose to marry someone instead?】
【That would all line up if you reasoned it out that way.】
Everyone fell silent again. They looked at the innocent little child in the livestream room, still playing with Xiaowugui, and simply couldn’t connect her with the villain Wo Shi Da Mengnan had described.
【If that really is Huahua, then perhaps Mu Qingrou sold her body to earn money because she wanted to pay for Huahua’s treatment.】
【Whether it is or not, Huahua and Mu Qingrou are just too pitiful. We have to stop this from happening and save countless lives in the future!】
【But Huahua can’t see the live-chat comments about her future. The livestream system must have mosaicked them out.】
【That’s true. Even if she could see them, she’s so young that she probably can’t read anyway….】
The viewers were frantic, but there was nothing they could do. After all, who could have imagined that a barely literate streamer would somehow get mixed in with them?
Illiterate little Huahua played carefree games with Xiaowugui, unaware that countless people were worrying over her future.
At that moment, Xiaowugui finished eating and lay there without moving, as if it were about to sleep. It glanced at Huahua and slowly said, “Th~ank~ you~”
Huahua imitated the turtle’s speech. “You’re~ wel~come~”
When she saw that Xiaowugui had fallen asleep, Huahua calmly accepted that she could understand what the turtle was saying. Unwilling to disturb its sleep, she crawled back onto her hospital bed and continued waiting for Mommy.
She had just pulled the little blanket over herself when Mommy came in. Huahua cried out happily, “Mommy!”
Mu Qingrou’s eyes were slightly red. Seeing her daughter, who knew nothing about what had happened, nearly made her cry again from the pain in her heart.
On the way back, she had received a call from her mother. She had assumed her mother was calling to scold her, but unexpectedly, the woman had told her to come home for once. As long as she obeyed, she would let today’s matter go.
Mu Qingrou hurriedly explained Huahua’s condition, then tentatively asked for a little money without holding out much hope.
Her mother’s tone, which had been fairly pleasant the second before, immediately turned vicious. “What? I told you that bastard child was a money-loser! Why are you even treating her? Do you think our family has that kind of money? Hurry back. While that dead girl’s illness hasn’t reached the late stage, I’ll find you a man. You make sure to keep him happy, then get him to take that hot potato off our hands.”
“Just as it happens, there’s someone available right now. You know Auntie Wang, right? Her distant nephew is reliable. He has a house and a car, but he’s only missing a wife. He was very pleased when he saw your picture. I’ve already agreed to the marriage, so pack your things and come home with me. We can hold the wedding banquet in a couple of days. They’re willing to give eighty thousand in bride price, I’m telling you….”
Mu Qingrou hung up before she could finish and blocked her mother’s and younger brother’s contact information, utterly disheartened.
At that moment, she could no longer deceive herself, no matter how hard she tried.
Her mother did not love her.
Even if she had possessed the slightest bit of love, upon hearing that her granddaughter had a serious illness, she should at least have shown some concern. Instead, she had cursed her granddaughter and impatiently tried to drive Huahua out of the family.
As for the eighty thousand in bride price, given her mother’s character, there was no chance she would let Mu Qingrou use it for medical expenses. She would only keep it as a marriage fund for her son.
Mu Qingrou took a deep breath and forced herself not to think about it.
She put on a smile, walked over, and kissed her daughter’s soft, pink cheek. “Huahua, you must have waited a long time. Mommy went to buy you lunch. Look, what’s this?”
“Wow! It’s a hamburger! Mommy, you’re the best!” Huahua was so delighted that she completely forgot to tell Mommy that Xiaowugui could talk.
Mu Qingrou stroked Huahua’s soft hair and urged her, “You’re hungry, aren’t you? Hurry and eat. It won’t taste good once it gets cold.”
Thoughtfully, Huahua raised the hamburger to her mother’s mouth. “Mommy’s hungry too. Mommy, you eat first.”
“All right. Nom—there. Mommy’s eaten. Huahua, you eat the rest.”
Only then did Huahua lower her head and take a bite. A delicious flavor she had never tasted before spread through her mouth, so wonderful that her large eyes narrowed into two slits.
Being human is great~
Huh~ Why would she have such a strange thought?
Huahua was distracted for only a moment before the food reclaimed her entire attention, and she no longer had the mind to investigate anything else.
Mu Qingrou watched Huahua take tiny, careful bites despite clearly craving the food. She quickly turned her face away, afraid the child would see her tears.
She hated herself for having been so obedient and too afraid to resist her mother back then, causing her own child to suffer. From the day Huahua was born until now, this was only the second time she had ever eaten a hamburger.
While Huahua was still eating, Mu Qingrou opened her phone and tried to find someone who might lend her money in an emergency.
If she couldn’t find anyone, she had no education and no skills. The only way she could think of to make money quickly was to sell her body.
She scrolled through her WeChat contacts and discovered, to her sorrow, that she truly had no close friends among them. How could she possibly talk to them about borrowing money?
Facing her failed life, Mu Qingrou felt desolate.
She felt warmth against her arm. Looking down, she saw Huahua pressed against her, pointing at the turtle that the parents across from them had bought for their child.
“Mommy, Xiaowugui can talk.”
Normally, Mu Qingrou would have patiently asked questions and played along with her child. But she was in no mood now. Taking it merely as childish talk, she answered tiredly, “Mm.”
“Xiaowugui said it was hungry, so Huahua fed it.”
Mu Qingrou brought up an episode of Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf on her phone and handed it to Huahua. Forcing a smile, she said, “Huahua, watch some cartoons. Mommy has to think about something.”
Huahua pressed her little lips together, lowered her head, and obediently watched the cartoon.
Mu Qingrou simply stared at Huahua, her gaze unfocused, while her mind calculated that she would have to take Huahua to a hospital in the capital for an examination. It would definitely cost a great deal of money.
The few hundred yuan she had left was nowhere near enough to cover the examination fees. What was she supposed to do?
As she thought about it, her gaze involuntarily drifted toward the men coming and going outside the hospital room.
【Ah! That look in her eyes… Is she thinking what I think she’s thinking?】
【No! We must have been brainwashed by that information!】
【But if she wants to make money, it’s understandable that she might consider taking this shortcut. Never underestimate a mother’s love for her child.】
【Ahhh, what do we do? Mu Qingrou isn’t actually going to choose prostitution, is she?】
【Don’t panic. The butterfly’s wings have already begun to flap. Maybe there’s still a turning point.】
Coming back to herself, Mu Qingrou hurriedly withdrew her gaze as if startled. Embarrassed and ashamed of her own thoughts, she lowered her head and looked at her daughter.
Huahua was shaking her head from side to side as she sang the theme song from Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf, in which the goats outsmarted Big Big Wolf. At that moment, WeChat messages kept popping up at the top of the phone screen. Curious, Huahua reached out with her short finger and tapped on one. A chat window appeared.
Mu Qingrou glanced over casually and saw that it was a group chat created by former coworkers from the private club where she had once worked.
Without meaning to, she caught sight of a photo forwarded by one of her coworkers, and her pupils suddenly contracted.
The man in the photograph was shown only in profile. He had a high nose, deep-set eyes, and sharp, icy features—handsome in a striking, sculpted way. His thin, straight lips carried a cold aloofness that kept others at a distance. Beside him, the manager of the club’s lobby, who had come out to see him off, looked like a eunuch fawning on an emperor.
Mu Qingrou’s red lips parted slightly, and her memory returned to that absurd night four years ago.
The man’s violent movements and heavy breathing. The rage and humiliation after he regained consciousness. The large hands that had clamped around her neck. And those eyes filled with disgust and contempt.
“Don’t let me see you again. Otherwise, I’ll make you regret being alive.”
The man’s words, like a whisper from the Grim Reaper, still exploded in her ears. Mu Qingrou’s face turned deathly pale in an instant. Fear crept up her spine, raising gooseflesh across her skin.
Her long lashes trembled as the people in the group continued excitedly discussing the gossip.
“The Young Master of the Li family came today. He’s so handsome.”
“So this is that business genius from the Li family—the one who’s never lost in the business world?”
“That’s him. I never imagined he’d be this handsome in person. If I could become his mistress, I’d be willing to do it for free!”
The viewers who noticed Mu Qingrou’s phone also began chattering.
【That man is so handsome!】
【I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before.】
【I feel the same way. Ahhh, it’s Huahua! Huahua looks so much like him!】
【I have a bold theory!】
Mu Qingrou could no longer keep reading. Her attention had been completely caught by the words “the Li family” and “the Young Master.”
She had gotten into that high-end club because of her looks and had often listened to her coworkers gossip about prestigious families, hoping to find an opportunity to marry into wealth. As a result, she knew a little about the Li family.
The Li family was a century-old clan from the capital. Their ancestors had included numerous high-ranking officials whose names were recorded in history. They were a truly prestigious family, and the Li family’s heir was someone whose every stamp of his foot could send shock waves through more than half of the capital’s elite circles.
She had not known the man’s identity that night, when a twist of fate had brought them together. Afterward, she had been so frightened that she left in the middle of the night, never daring to mention even a word about him to anyone. She had never imagined that his status would be so exalted.
Looking at the daughter beside her, whose brows and eyes so closely resembled the man’s, Mu Qingrou fell into a daze. As her thoughts raced, an idea suddenly arose.
She licked her dry lips and asked, “Huahua, do you want a daddy?”
At the mention of a daddy, Huahua’s big eyes lit up, and her little head bobbed vigorously.
She rummaged through her memories. The children in the village refused to play with her because she had no father. They often surrounded her and bullied her, imitating Grandma as they called her a bastard, and even slapped mud onto her face.
She had cried bitterly and asked Mommy where her daddy was. Every time she did, Mommy would hug her and shed silent tears. Eventually, Huahua had grown old enough to understand and stopped asking.
“Huahua wants a daddy!”
Mu Qingrou pulled her into her arms and said resolutely, “All right. I’ll take Huahua to find your daddy.”
***
Wang Fang had suffered only superficial injuries. After getting them bandaged at the hospital, she went home.
She waited at home for two days without seeing Mu Qingrou return, and gradually grew anxious.
By then, she somewhat regretted her thoughtless outburst when she had panicked upon hearing that Huahua would need a great deal of money for treatment.
She should have tricked Mu Qingrou into coming home. Still, it was not too late to make amends. Usually, as long as she treated that little burden a bit better, the other woman would forgive her no matter what she had done before.
But when Wang Fang called and discovered that her number had been blocked, she nearly lost her mind. Then she flew into a rage, slapping her thigh and cursing Mu Qingrou for being an ungrateful wretch.
Losing the eighty thousand yuan in bride price was not the important thing. What worried her most was offending her sponsor.
Speak of the devil, and the devil calls.
She immediately answered. A middle-aged woman’s voice came from the other end.
“Wang Fang, how is the matter I entrusted to you going?”
Wang Fang swallowed, her ingratiating tone utterly unlike the one she had used before. “Ms. Liu, I’m sorry, but that little wretch’s child fell seriously ill. She’s staying at the hospital and refuses to come back.”
The other woman did not listen to her explanation. Knowing that the matter had not been handled, her tone immediately turned stern.
“How do you manage things? Didn’t I tell you to keep a close eye on her and not let her take even one step out of the village? Do you not want your four thousand yuan a month anymore?”
Wang Fang waved her hands frantically. “No, no, how could I? Something unexpected happened this time. That little wretch went crazy when she saw the child faint, and she even hit me.”
Ms. Liu gave a cold snort and reiterated, “I’ll give you one more chance. I don’t care what method you use—bring her back and marry her off to that gambler. Besides the eighty thousand yuan in bride price, I’ll give you an extra reward.”
“Yes, yes, rest assured. Haven’t I followed your instructions and tormented her all these years? I’ve done a very good job, haven’t I? That little wretch is as frightened of me as a mouse is of a cat. She can’t escape my grasp. I promise—I’ll make sure you hear good news within three days. Three days!”
“It had better be that way.”
After hanging up, Wang Fang put away her latest-model smartphone and wiped the cold sweat from her forehead. Thinking of the money she had yet to receive, she immediately dragged her son along to the hospital to seize Mu Qingrou.
But by the time they arrived at the hospital, dizzy and disoriented, they learned from the doctor that the little burden had already left two days ago with that short-lived little wretch.
Wang Fang turned to stone on the spot. She could not believe that this time the other woman had not left behind even the slightest trace of information. Even worse, how was she going to explain this to Ms. Lin?
And what about her eighty thousand yuan, her bonus, and the endless stream of four thousand yuan a month in the future?!
Wang Fang: “Heavens above, why are you being so cruel?! Boo-hoo-hoo, what am I supposed to do?!”
Automatically imagining herself as the heroine of a tragic Korean drama.
What am I supposed to do?!