“How… how is this fake?” their mother stammered, hiding the small box behind her back.
“This is…”
“A knockoff…”
Song Ting’an said, “What difference does that make?”
Their mother faltered. “The seller said…”
“Where did you sell the real one?” Song Ting’an turned to leave.
“Hey… don’t…” she hurriedly grabbed him.
Song Shuangzhi’s father was a compulsive gambler. He had racked up enormous debts in Ao Island, and when the creditors came knocking, they even stripped the wall lamps from their home.
The next step would have been dragging the Song family away to harvest their organs.
She had no choice. She could only take the most valuable thing she had at the time and sell it to repay the debt.
Even she hadn’t expected that such a small pair of rings could fetch thirty million.
Not only had it cleared the debt, there was even some money left over.
“Your father has already taken the remaining money,” their mother said. “He said this time, he will win everything back.”
“He’ll turn things around, make a fortune, and restore the Song family…”
“He’s insane, and you’re a fool!” Song Ting’an’s face turned pale. “You actually used Zhizhi’s ring as his gambling capital?”
“Your father is beyond saving!”
Their mother clutched his arm. “Song Shuangzhi isn’t our child, nor is she your sister. We’ve raised her all these years, shouldn’t she repay us?”
“She doesn’t even wear that ring, and her marriage with Tan Siyan is bound to fall apart sooner or later!”
She continued, “Even if Tan Siyan finds out the ring is fake, so what, it’s the perfect excuse for a divorce. Zhizhi is still young, so beautiful and delicate, the daughter I raised with all my effort.”
“She could marry President Zhao, or President Wang. They’re wealthy, unlike Tan Siyan, that stingy miser. They would give us endless bride price money, enough to save the Song family!”
“You’ve lost your mind!”
When Song Shuangzhi got married, the Tan family had only followed the customs of ordinary families in Beicheng and given a bride price of 188,000.
It wasn’t even half a month’s salary for a maid in the Tan household.
After that, both her parents had tried to borrow money from Tan Siyan, but he was in The Hague and unreachable, while the Tan family’s status was too high for them to even step through the door.
Aside from that pair of rings, they had gained nothing tangible from this marriage alliance.
“The debt of raising her, Zhizhi owes me!” their mother said, clutching the ring. “If you want to blame someone, blame Tan Siyan for being rich yet heartless, a miser who won’t part with a single cent!”
Song Ting’an pressed his aching temples. “You are not to give Zhizhi a fake ring. I’ll handle this matter.”
Just as he finished speaking, a commotion arose downstairs.
Song Ting’an went down and saw their father sitting beside Song Shuangzhi, accompanying her as she ate sticky rice red bean cakes.
“I know you like these, so I bought them for you while they’re still warm. Don’t rush, eat slowly.”
A picture of paternal kindness and filial affection, peaceful and harmonious.
Song Shuangzhi had weak teeth and had been cut off from all sweets, so now she was truly craving them. She quickly stuffed a few bites into her mouth.
“Zhizhi!” Song Ting’an walked over and firmly wedged himself between her and their father. “Dad, what do you want? Talk to me.”
“He wants to borrow money from me,” Song Shuangzhi said, her mouth full of sweet cake, her voice even more syrupy. “Tan Siyan just came back, so there’s a chance he’ll give me something valuable. He thinks I have money.”
The system spoke:【Rich lady! I just checked, Litchi Bay is entirely your property!!!】
【And the male lead went crazy yesterday and transferred you eighteen million!】
Song Ting’an knew their mother had sold her wedding ring for thirty million and given it to their father as gambling capital. He was stunned.
“You lost it all again?”
“What do you mean lost? What do you mean lost!” their father snapped, neck stiff. “That’s the necessary path to welcome the God of Wealth! My luck is about to turn. I’m about to win!”
“Zhizhi, it’s my fault for making you suffer and lose face in the Tan family. But once I win big, we’ll kick that block of ice Tan Siyan to the curb!”
“We’ll make the Tan family regret it!”
“I will definitely win big!”
“You just need to give me another five million! I’ll return you fifty billion!”
【Zhibao! Don’t listen! You can never trust a gambler!!!】
“I’ll give you money.”
Song Shuangzhi took out ten yuan from her pocket.
“This is the money you spent buying me those cakes.”
Her father threw the ten yuan to the ground. “What can this little money do!”
Song Shuangzhi spread her hands. “Then I have nothing left.”
A gambler was a bottomless pit. No matter how much money you gave him, it would never be enough.
Having money didn’t mean she had to fund a gambler.
She loved her parents and this family, but that didn’t mean blind indulgence.
“Song Shuangzhi, now that you’re married, you don’t even want your parents anymore? Have you forgotten the grace of raising you!”
Song Ting’an shielded her behind him. “Go back first, I’ll handle this.”
“Thank you, big brother.” Song Shuangzhi held the sticky rice cake she had bought with ten yuan, took the ring box from her mother’s hand, and left calmly.
“Ungrateful! We raised a heartless ingrate!” their father grabbed a teapot and hurled it after her.
She had thought she could go home after work, but one phone call dragged her back to the court for overtime.
She organized case files in one stretch until three in the morning.
She was starving, but when the takeout arrived, she was too tired to even eat.
Dragging her exhausted body, she opened the door to Litchi Bay—
A soft, warm yellow light lit up in layers, step by step.
The entire three-story villa at Litchi Bay, every corner, had been fitted with light strips.
No matter when she opened the door, the house would always be lit.
【Ah!】
【All because of that one sentence of yours: “I’m afraid of the dark!!!”】
The system covered its face, twisting around in her mind like an excited worm.
【Don’t kill me with this sweetness! The day before he left, he disappeared the entire afternoon, canceled all his work, and stayed in the room installing light strips for you!!!】
【Now all the workers have gone home for the New Year, so he installed them himself!】
【Ahhh! I’m shipping this so hard!】
【What heroine, where is she? I’ll go crash into her! I’ll push you into the heroine’s position so you and Tan Siyan can happily have babies!】
The system’s voice was noisy, but as she stepped into the room filled with warm light, she felt as if the temperature had risen by a few degrees.
He treated people sincerely. He really seemed like a very, very good person.
Not only had he installed the lights, he had also taken care of the kitten.
She hadn’t come home yesterday, and he had quietly done everything by himself.
“Song Shuangzhi, hello. Welcome home.”
A small robot shaped like a little boy wobbled over to her, its voice clear with a hint of childish innocence.
“My name is Little Snail. I’ll keep you company from now on, okay?”
“You… Tan Siyan gave you to me?”
Little Snail smiled and nodded.
【Why would he give you a robot?】
The system pondered deeply.
Song Shuangzhi looked at the wind chimes on her balcony, and it seemed there was a one-in-ten-thousand possibility…
That he had keenly noticed she was actually afraid of too much silence.