“I worked so hard to raise you, you ungrateful brat! And yet, you never came home, never took care of your brother all these years. I’m taking you to court for being a heartless daughter!”

Tang Hongmei spat out the harshest words she could think of, acting like her daughter was the worst person alive.

The two men beside her seemed used to this kind of drama and didn’t even flinch.

With a crash, Xie Qiao knocked a vase off the coffee table, cutting Tang Hongmei’s rant short.

“What a mess.” Xie Qiao casually wiped his hands, expression blank—though it was clear he wasn’t just talking about the vase.

“You—” Tang Hongmei was about to start yelling again when she met his gaze—cold, sharp, piercing.

A chill ran down her spine. Something about his eyes was terrifying.

Then, she noticed another young man sitting on the couch, watching her with indifference. He simply lowered his leg from where it had been propped up, moving lazily as if nothing had happened.

Tang Hongmei: “…”

No wonder that wretched Song Lingxi had given birth to two kids this intimidating.

That realization only made her angrier. Looking around at the luxurious house, the high-end decor, and even the man in a suit (Secretary Qian), it was obvious that this little brat had been living the high life, probably being taken care of by some rich man all these years.

She felt a deep sense of regret.

Why hadn’t she found Song Lingxi earlier? No—she should’ve never let her escape in the first place! Our family raised this girl, and now strangers are enjoying the rewards of our hard work!

Unfortunately, she had miscalculated. When Song Lingxi was born, a doctor had predicted she wouldn’t live past 25. Who would’ve thought she’d still be alive and doing just fine?

Xie Qiao stood up, looking at Tang Hongmei and her family with an expressionless face.

“You’re not welcome here. Leave. Legally, a child isn’t required to support their parents until they’re sixty. If you want to sue me, come back when you hit that age.”

Tang Hongmei was speechless.

Her husband, who had been quiet this whole time, frowned and muttered,

“She’s just as stubborn as her mother. Let’s go. But don’t forget—children have a duty to support their parents. And what about your uncle? Your mother hasn’t taken care of him in years, so you owe us big time!”

Song Lingxi had just stepped out of her room when she heard that and nearly choked at their shamelessness.

Instinctively, she glanced at this so-called “brother.”

What she saw was a fat, scruffy-looking man with a bloated face and greasy hair. He wore a wrinkled plaid shirt and oversized shorts—the textbook definition of a mama’s boy.

Song Lingxi: “…”

No words.

Now she understood why the original owner of this body had erased all contact with them and refused to see them even on her deathbed.

With parents who worshipped their son and a leech of a brother who only wanted to mooch off her, who wouldn’t run away and never look back?

In fact, the original owner had done exactly that. When Song Lingxi transmigrated into this body, she woke up in the hospital, where a doctor had just issued a critical condition notice. That’s when she learned this body had a severe heart disease and needed urgent surgery. Without it, she wouldn’t survive.

The problem? She only had a few thousand dollars—nowhere near enough for a heart transplant.

At that moment, with her life on the line, only five-year-old Xie Qiao stayed by her side. Her parents and brother? Nowhere to be found.

If it weren’t for Zong Xuecheng’s secretary stepping in with the money and bringing in the country’s top specialists, Song Lingxi would’ve been one of those unlucky transmigrators who died immediately after arriving in a new world.

She didn’t even have a legal guardian to sign the consent forms. She had to sign them herself.

Thinking about it made her feel suffocated.

Maybe the original owner never told her family she was hospitalized. Or maybe she did, and they just didn’t care.

Either way, the result was the same.

She never reached out to them because she knew they wouldn’t come.

Tang Hongmei, who had been quietly observing, suddenly locked eyes on the woman who had just walked out of the room.

Her gaze sharpened.

The young woman wore a sleek, dark green dress that hugged her slim figure. Her long hair flowed smoothly, and her porcelain skin highlighted her breathtaking beauty.

She wasn’t just pretty—there was something ethereal about her, like a perfectly lit actress in a high-budget drama. Except this wasn’t a filter. This was real.

She was stunning.

Even Secretary Qian, who was used to dealing with the elite, couldn’t help but be impressed every time he saw her.

The Song family recognized her instantly.

Song Yaozu, in particular, was shocked.

More than a decade had passed, yet his sister hadn’t just stayed beautiful—she looked like she hadn’t aged at all. Standing next to her nephews, she looked more like their older sister than their mother.

That was just unfair.

As a man, he shouldn’t be jealous of his own sister… but he was.

Why did Song Lingxi keep getting younger and more radiant, while he got fatter, more exhausted, and couldn’t even find a wife?

“Song Lai Di! So it really is you!” Tang Hongmei shrieked excitedly, using the childhood nickname she had given her daughter. “You little brat! Did you think you could run off to the big city and I’d never find you?”

“Hah! If you were dead, I wouldn’t care. But since you’re alive, how dare you not send money home? You’ve been gone for over ten years—did you think you could get away with it forever?”

Tang Hongmei’s eyes swept over her, and she got even angrier.

“Living it up while your family suffers? Ungrateful wretch! You’re nothing but a heartless wolf!”

Even Secretary Qian felt a little sorry.

The name Song Lai Di was so ridiculous it sounded like a cruel joke.

What kind of parents would name their daughter that?

And then there was her brother—a massive, lazy freeloader. If Song Lingxi didn’t stand her ground, they would drain her dry.

Song Lingxi rolled her eyes and smirked.

“Who are you calling Song Lai Di? If I remember correctly, I used to call you ‘Deadbeat Brother,’ right? If you forgot, let me remind you a few times… Deadbeat Brother, Deadbeat Brother, Deadbeat Brother…”

Tang Hongmei’s face turned pale.

Everyone else in the room… was speechless.

Zong Fei burst out laughing.

Even the usually serious Zong Xuecheng looked like he was holding back a smile.

Tang Hongmei’s expression twisted in rage, and she rolled up her sleeves.

“You little brat! How dare you curse your brother? I’ll beat you to death!”

Secretary Qian quickly stepped in to block her.

Xie Qiao calmly pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

“Get out of my house now, or I’m calling the police.”