But things didn’t unfold as everyone had expected. Madame Xu walked over to Meng Zhen and directly picked up a glass of juice from the table, handing it to her. She wore a slight smile on her face, appearing completely at ease, without a hint of reluctance.

“Zhenzhen, Mom has always been worried that you might misunderstand Xuero. Back when you were kidnapped by human traffickers, your Dad and I were deeply distressed. We were in a daze every day. If we hadn’t gone to the orphanage to adopt Xuero, we might not have been able to move past that hurdle. Although she’s not related to you by blood, Mom still hopes that you two can get along well.”

This was Zhao Rong’s sincere words. Despite Meng Zhen having many faults that she disapproves of, after all, Meng Zhen was the daughter she carried for nine months and went through great hardships to give birth to. After finally finding her, how could she treat her as a stranger?

However, relationships between people needed to be cultivated and couldn’t be established overnight. Xu Xuero had a weak constitution, sensitive and delicate. If Meng Zhen could just be a bit more accommodating, it would be better.

Even though Zhao Rong didn’t say the rest of her thoughts out loud, Meng Zhen could guess what she was thinking. At that moment, it felt like a stone was pressing on her chest, making it difficult to breathe.

The other Meng Zhen was originally the daughter of the Xu Group. She came from an affluent background and had a delicate appearance. By right, she should have been living a comfortable and pleasant life. However, human traffickers abducted her and sold her to the countryside. Later, the family that bought her gave birth to a son and didn’t want to support an unrelated girl, so they sent her to Hongxin Orphanage.

When the other Meng Zhen was abandoned, Xu Xuero had just been adopted by the Xu couple. She could live in a spacious and bright room, receive the best education in the country, and be loved and cared for by Xu Youheng, Zhao Rong, and Xu Ruixi. Meng Zhen didn’t care about these things, after all, an adopted daughter was also a child of the Xu family and shouldn’t be treated differently.

But what Meng Zhen found most unacceptable was Xu Xuero’s actions. Xu Xuero used her own condition to frame the other Meng Zhen and even took away the diary and music scores she had written to use as stepping stones. It was shameless to the extreme.

Meng Zhen wasn’t a saint, so she wouldn’t easily forgive Xu Xuero. After all, even sages have said to repay grievances with justice, and kindness with kindness. Xu Xuero had been lacking in morals and pushed the other Meng Zhen into hell. Now that this body had a different soul, would it be fair to the other Meng Zhen if she were to reconcile with Xu Xuero?

Meng Zhen took a deep breath. She didn’t want to argue with Zhao Rong on this occasion. After her emotions calmed down a bit, she lifted the corners of her lips slightly and said casually, “Mom, did you hear what those students just said? They think I’m Dad’s illegitimate daughter, and you came here to cause trouble for me. Don’t you think it’s funny?”

Despite Meng Zhen’s calm tone, Zhao Rong’s heart tightened upon hearing her words.

That’s right, Meng Zhen was her own flesh and blood, but now she’s being mocked as an illegitimate daughter. Was this fair?

“Zhenzhen, why don’t we hold a press conference to reveal your true identity and put an end to these baseless speculations?” Zhao Rong’s mind was in disarray and she blurted out those words without thinking.

Meng Zhen swirled the orange juice in her tall glass. She lowered her eyes, a hint of sadness showing on her fair face. “Have you forgotten? My current identity is that of an artist. I must make my way in the entertainment industry, where every move I make is scrutinized by the media.”

Upon hearing that, Zhao Rong’s heart began to retreat again.

The Xu Group had always valued its reputation, but celebrities were synonymous with ‘rumors’. Once the Xu family acknowledged Meng Zhen’s identity, it would surely cause quite a bit of trouble.

Meng Zhen wasn’t blind to Zhao Rong’s hesitation. She placed the juice on the table before gently taking her mother’s arm and speaking softly, “When I was in the orphanage, I often wondered what kind of people my parents were and why they left me there. Now that I’ve found you, it’s already a blessing from heaven. My identity isn’t that important to me.”

In the past, Zhao Rong had felt that Meng Zhen was like a hedgehog, prickly all over and impossible to communicate with. Now, she softened her stance, and suddenly Zhao Rong realized just how much hardship her daughter had endured.

Compared to Xu Xuero, who was raised in pampered luxury, Meng Zhen was the true victim. What right did she have to advise Meng Zhen to accommodate Xu Xuero?

Humans are indeed strange creatures. If Meng Zhen had actively competed with Xu Xuero, Zhao Rong would have thought she didn’t understand humility, having developed a selfish nature in the orphanage. But at that moment, as Meng Zhen showed exceptional obedience and understanding, Zhao Rong’s heart softened.

“It’s Mom’s fault. I made you suffer.” She murmured softly, her eyes slightly red.

“Don’t cry, Mom. Today is Xuero’s coming-of-age celebration, a happy occasion. We shouldn’t shed tears.”

Meng Zhen wiped away the tear stains from Zhao Rong’s cheeks with her fingertip. Their interaction was exceptionally harmonious, more like a genuine mother and daughter than a legitimate wife and an illegitimate daughter.

The guests in the living room were all stunned. Even Xu Xuero, the main character of the party, couldn’t help but direct her gaze toward Meng Zhen.

By now, Xu Xuero increasingly felt that Meng Zhen was a jinx. From the moment she appeared, Xu Xuero hadn’t had a single good day. Wouldn’t it have been better if Meng Zhen had died in the orphanage? Why did she have to come back?

After Zhao Rong left, Meng Zhen sat in the corner, watching Xu Xuero who was surrounded by the crowd. She shook her head quietly.

To be honest, Xu Xuero’s mental fortitude was truly lacking. Just a few words from her schoolmates left her trembling with anger. If Xu Xuero had encountered the kind of situation the other Meng Zhen faced, she would have likely been driven mad long ago.

The birthday party continued in an orderly fashion. Soon, Xu Xuero, accompanied by her parents, cut the cake. Then, the sound of a piano filled the hall, and many young men and women dressed in beautiful clothes glided into the dance floor.

At that moment, Xu Xuero was dancing with Lin Yu. Feeling bored, Meng Zhen idly ate another piece of the very soft half-baked cheesecake.

Since she had been hospitalized, Fei Yun and Xin Xin had watched her around the clock. For five days straight, she had been eating millet porridge, vegetable porridge, and shredded chicken porridge. Meng Zhen was nearly driven crazy, but she knew Xin Xin meant well, so she didn’t dare to resist. She could only take advantage of this opportunity to secretly eat a couple of pieces of cake to satisfy her cravings.

It had to be said that Xu Youheng and Zhao Rong had indeed put a lot of thought into this birthday party. The chef and pastry chef were brought in from abroad, and the pastries were delicately textured and incredibly delicious.

Eating sweets can indeed make one’s mood better. The pretty woman’s almond-shaped eyes squinted slightly, resembling a cat that had stolen fish.

Just as Meng Zhen was about to reach for another piece of strawberry mousse, someone suddenly grabbed her wrist.

She looked up and, upon seeing Gu Ting’s face, couldn’t help but freeze for a moment.

“Teacher Gu, what are you doing here?”

“I received an invitation from the Xu family. Since I didn’t have any other plans for today, I thought I’d come and take a look.”

Gu Ting hadn’t told the truth. While he did receive an invitation, he had no interest in the birthday party and had no intention of attending. However, during a meeting earlier, Fei Yun mentioned that Meng Zhen would be there. He didn’t know what came over him, but after the meeting ended, he drove over to this place.

Meng Zhen had heard Xin Xin mention that Gu Ting came from a good background and entered the entertainment industry just for fun. Despite this, he had a talent for acting and casually won the Best Actor award, which was simply enviable.

“You just got out of the hospital. You shouldn’t eat too many sweets.”

Gu Ting was known in the industry for being a gentleman. When he touched Meng Zhen, he held onto her bracelet rather than her skin, so Meng Zhen didn’t feel uncomfortable about it.

“I’ve been eating too much porridge these past few days, so I only had a little bit of sweets.” Meng Zhen said, extending her index finger and smiling at Gu Ting in an attempt to please him.

“Really?” Gu Ting’s lips parted slightly as he uttered in a calm tone.

Meng Zhen nodded repeatedly, like a chick pecking at grain.

“Before I came over, I saw you eating a piece of cheesecake. If you only had a little, why do you have red velvet cake crumbs at the corner of your mouth?”

Meng Zhen hadn’t expected Movie King Gu to have such keen observation skills. She felt a bit embarrassed and reflexively raised her hand to wipe the crumbs from the corner of her mouth. There was a hint of bewilderment in her usually clear and bright eyes.

———pr

Xu Xuero was a fan of Gu Ting and had liked him since three years ago. She initially thought that he wouldn’t appear at her birthday party. However, she was surprised when he actually accepted the invitation. Catching sight of his tall figure, her face flushed red, but before the blush could fade, Xu Xuero saw Gu Ting hold Meng Zhen’s hand.

Do the two know each other?

Xu Xuero felt uneasy and made a series of mistakes while dancing. She had also accidentally stepped on Lin Yu’s foot several times.

Despite Lin Yu’s affection for her, he couldn’t help but furrow his brows. “Why are you so distracted?”

Upon hearing his voice, Xu Xuero finally snapped out of her distraction. She couldn’t help but bite her lower lip nervously and apologize, “Ah Yu, you know I’m a fan of Movie King Gu. I got too excited when I saw him come in, which caused me to mess up. I’m sorry.”

Even though Lin Yu was filled with frustration, seeing his childhood sweetheart show such a vulnerable and pitiful expression, he couldn’t bring himself to say much. He simply squeezed Xu Xuero’s hand and asked with a jealous expression, “How is Gu Ting better than me?”

Xu Xuero blinked and smiled innocently. “He’s my favorite idol and you’re my favorite brother. It’s different.”

While Xu Xuero said so on the surface, her thoughts were quite different. After all, the Gu family was influential and Gu Ting was the sole heir. When he eventually left the entertainment industry, he would become one of the most powerful men in the capital and even throughout the country. Compared to him, Lin Yu was just the young master of the Lin family without inheritance rights, at best receiving some shares. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have ventured into the entertainment industry.

How could he, in any way, compare to Gu Ting?

Since a long time ago, Xu Xuero had been particularly concerned about her status as an adopted daughter. However, if she successfully married Gu Ting and became the dignified Mrs. Gu, then her concerns wouldn’t matter anymore. She wouldn’t need to compete with Meng Zhen, whom she considered an empty-headed vase, anymore.