Chapter 117: Proactively Stirring Trouble? Who’d Believe That?

Thinking about Luo Qi’s situation, Meng Xian’s anger flared uncontrollably. “The Luo family really can’t tolerate any loss, can they? Even a… a child like that dares to covet you.”

She originally wanted to call them “an idiot,” but recalling the close relationship between Luo Qianyun and Luo Qi, she swallowed her words.

“Brother didn’t do anything. This has nothing to do with him. He’s just a pure-hearted child, and he almost ended up as a vegetable because of me,” Luo Qianyun said calmly.

Watching the little girl, nicknamed “Xiao  Pingguo,” playing nearby, Luo Qianyun’s thoughts wandered. “Speaking of the Luo family, if there’s anyone I owe, it’s only my brother.”

As for the others, the Luo parents’ debt for raising her had already been repaid by the Lu family.

She had previously thought it would be best to keep her distance from them, especially given how they had schemed against her before.

At that time, Luo Qianyun even felt the Lu family shouldn’t let the Luo family take advantage of them.

But now she understood: some advantages were meant to be taken. She had lived in the Luo household for 18 years, enjoying their resources, which allowed her to achieve what she had today.

Things were different now. The Luo family had taken what was theirs, and they no longer had ties—except for her brother Luo Qi.

So, no matter what she wanted to do, she had no need to hold back.

“It’s Mom’s fault for not finding you sooner,” Meng Xian couldn’t help but say.

“Whether it was sooner or later, what difference would it make? In life, we all go through many experiences,” Luo Qianyun replied.

“Qianyun…” Meng Xian looked at Luo Qianyun in front of her, finally mustering the courage to ask the question she feared the most. “Do you hate Dad and Mom?”

Turning her gaze to Meng Xian beside her, the once elegant and dignified noblewoman now appeared as an ordinary woman. Her makeup, once impeccable, was smudged due to being in the disaster zone.

Still, her natural beauty and gentle temperament shone through, making her lovely even in simple attire.

“I used to,” Luo Qianyun answered honestly. “But I don’t think any abandoned child could avoid resenting their parents at some point—especially seeing heartwarming family moments.”

Meng Xian nodded tearfully. “You’re right. If you hate us, it’s justified. It was our carelessness as parents that led to—”

Luo Qianyun’s sudden laugh cut her off mid-sentence.

Taking a tissue, Luo Qianyun gently wiped the ash smudge on Meng Xian’s face. “I said ‘used to.’ Ever since I learned I wasn’t abandoned, I stopped hating you. After all, I’m quite lucky—I met my brother, Lu Yunzheng, and now I’ve met you… Oh, and Brother Ning Yu and Yun Jing too. If Yun Jing finds out I forgot to mention her, she’ll definitely make a fuss.”

As Luo Qianyun glanced at Xiao  Pingguo in the distance again, Meng Xian couldn’t help but ask, “Qianyun, you seem particularly fond of Xiao  Pingguo?”

“She reminds me of my younger self,” Luo Qianyun said, her thoughts drifting. “Back then, I was the youngest at our orphanage. The director, an elderly lady, had stopped taking in children for years due to her age.

“People said I was lucky. The director hesitated for a long time but chose not to send me to another orphanage. As a result, I had no peers my age. The director treated me like her granddaughter, and the older kids, though distant, were kind enough.”

However, due to the age gap and being adopted young, she lost contact with everyone but the director.

Even at the director’s funeral, the others felt like strangers.

Suddenly, Xiao  Pingguo’s cries broke the silence.

The sound of scolding and a louder boy’s wailing followed.

Luo Qianyun and Meng Xian hurried over.

“What happened here?” Meng Xian pushed through the crowd and immediately stood behind the crying Xiao  Pingguo.

The moment Xiao  Pingguosaw her, she reached out, seeking comfort in Meng Xian’s embrace.

Meng Xian had been caring for the orphans recently, and Xiao Pingguo had grown especially attached to her. Instinctively, the child sought refuge with Meng Xian.

Opposite them, a woman was comforting her son. Hearing Meng Xian’s question, she scrutinized Meng Xian’s attire.

Though Meng Xian wasn’t wearing a volunteer uniform, the woman had seen her helping with the children and distributing supplies. Assuming Meng Xian was a volunteer, she dismissed her with some disdain.

“You must be a volunteer, right? Perfect, deal with this. That girl hit my son,” she said, pulling her son’s hand to reveal a bruise on his forehead. Though not bleeding, it looked like a sharp toy had struck him.

Meng Xian looked at the frightened Xiao Pingguo in her arms. “Xiao Pingguo, tell Auntie what happened. Why did you hit someone?”

Her voice was gentle, not accusatory, calming the child slightly.

Yet Xiao Pingguo stayed silent, trembling and teary-eyed.

The woman, seeing this, scoffed. “Putting on that pitiful fox-like face won’t work!”

“Ma’am, calling a child ‘fox-like’ is out of line,” Luo Qianyun interjected, frowning.

Seeing Luo Qianyun’s lab coat, the woman hesitated but continued bitterly. “Who told her to act innocent? She hit my son! Maybe her mother was immoral, which is why she ended up abandoned in an orphanage.”

“That’s enough!” Meng Xian snapped. “Your son looks big and strong, capable of knocking Xiao  Pingguo unconscious. Who’d believe she provoked him? Why don’t you ask your precious son what he did to upset her?”

Meng Xian’s words were reasonable, making the onlookers side with her.

Cornered, the woman grudgingly asked her son, “What happened? Why did this girl hit you?”

The boy hesitated before pointing at a toy in Xiao  Pingguo’s hand. “That toy is mine.”

“See? She stole my son’s toy and hit him when he wouldn’t give it up,” the woman accused.

Then, glaring at Xiao  Pingguo, she sneered. “No wonder her mother left her. She’s clearly unteachable.”

Her words ignited Meng Xian’s fury. “Someone with your ‘good upbringing’ shouldn’t be able to utter such vile insults!”