“Ms. Xu, hello.”

Looking at the man in front of her who bore some resemblance to Mu Heyao, but with a much more mature appearance and a colder demeanor, Xu Wenyin simply replied with a brief, “Hello.”

In the morning, when Mu Heyao mentioned that his brother would come to pick him up, Xu Wenyin didn’t pay too much attention.

Mu Heyao had been staying there for a week so going home was quite normal. Moreover, Xu Wenyin didn’t have any intention of leasing the place to him long-term.

However, when Mu Hesen appeared, Xu Wenyin noticed that Mu Heyao’s brother seemed…… a bit talkative? It was completely contrary to Mu Heyao’s cold demeanor.

She had no interest whatsoever in Mu Heyao’s childhood affairs, nor did she care to know about Expert A’s glorious past. The history of the Mu family’s rise to prosperity was like listening to a foreign language to her, to the point where she felt a bit weary.

What kind of person was Mu Hesen? Of course, he could see that Xu Wenyin’s mind was elsewhere.

He intended to indirectly reassure Xu Wenyin and let her know that the Mu family affairs were now managed by him and his brother, so she didn’t need to worry about other issues. Additionally, Mu Heyao’s wealth was substantial, ensuring a certain quality of life, and so on.

Who would have thought Xu Wenyin’s response was a suppressed yawn?

To make matters worse, the other party was clearly zoning out, her gaze vacant and devoid of focus.

The most attentive listener in the room turned out to be a five-year-old toddler.

“Uncle, uncle, what happened next?”

With big eyes filled with eager anticipation, Xu Youyou completely regarded Mu Hesen as the storyteller.

If it weren’t for this, Xu Wenyin probably would have risen to see the guests off long ago.

Her time was precious, and she didn’t want to waste it on listening to stories. But since Xu Youyou wanted to listen, then it was fine. Continue talking, her drowsiness would vanish after a few pinches.

Mu Hesen knew that this was Xu Wenyin’s daughter. The resemblance between the mother and daughter was striking, clearly indicating a biological connection.

Now that the little one was giving him face like this, Mu Hesen didn’t know whether to feel relieved or to rue his tendency to ‘meddle’ too much.

He had initially thought he could lend a hand to his younger brother, but upon facing the situation, Mu Hesen painfully realized that…… he might have been overthinking.

It was actually quite easy to distinguish between the ambiguity that wasn’t really there and the lack of intention.

Mu Hesen had also been deceived by Mu Heyao’s enthusiastic attitude before.

One would think with all the frequent fruit and flower deliveries, and the persistent desire to visit Jiang City, any normal person would sense something between these two. But the outcome was quite unexpected!

Geniuses’ way of thinking indeed differs from those of ordinary people.

After confirming that neither party had any such intentions, Mu Hesen could only set aside those thoughts and focus solely on finishing the second half of the ‘story’ for the little one.

However, as he continued to narrate, Mu Hesen suddenly became distracted.

The way Xu Youyou listened intently to his storytelling, with her eyes fixed on him and widening in excitement at the thrilling parts, Mu Hesen couldn’t help but notice how much she resembled a good friend of his.

A friend who had passed away several years ago.

The feeling was hard to put into words. While Xu Youyou clearly resembled Xu Wenyin in appearance, those fleeting moments of microexpressions and the overall vibe she gave off instantly reminded Mu Hesen of his late friend.

He began to recall the information he knew about Xu Wenyin.

Single mother, child’s father unknown, and that earthquake several years ago……

However, to Mu Hesen’s knowledge, that friend had visited Hua Country only a few times, and several years ago, Xu Wenyin should have been just an ordinary college student. What intersection could there be between them?

Perhaps it was just his imagination.

Mu Hesen reined in his wandering thoughts, quickly wrapped up the conversation, and took away Mu Heyao, who seemed reluctant to leave.

They wouldn’t be returning so quickly, as Mu Hesen did indeed have a project to work on in Jiang City. He estimated they would need to stay there for around ten days to two weeks.

However, that didn’t mean that Mu Heyao could continue staying at Xu Wenyin’s place.

Being two single individuals, although both of them were the type to not care about societal norms, as an older brother, Mu Hesen certainly couldn’t allow his younger brother to continue being so impolite.

If news of such a situation were to spread, it would clearly disadvantage the women involved more.

Previously, he had assumed that their relationship might have been ambiguous, perhaps even potentially leading to marriage. But now that he knew it wasn’t the case, it was best to swiftly take his brother away.

However, as they reached the door, Mu Hesen still felt a lingering reluctance and turned back to ask Xu Wenyin a question.

“Ms. Xu, do you happen to know someone with the surname Qing, the qing in pale blue?”

It’s a relatively uncommon surname. If……

“No, I don’t.”

“Okay, sorry to bother you.”

As Mu Hesen and Mu Heyao left, Xu Wenyin was about to head upstairs to disappear when she suddenly jolted.

Her previously drowsy mind, now fully awakened by the mention, began to function normally. While Xu Wenyin didn’t recognize the surname Qing, the system did.

That person had sneaked into Hua Country years ago. To avoid being noticed, he changed his name since ‘Qing^[1]青’ wasn’t a common surname and could easily attract unwanted attention from observant individuals.

But Xu Wenyin hadn’t expected Mu Heyao’s brother to know that person?

Did he notice something?

“Mom?” Seeing Xu Wenyin standing on the stairs without going up for quite some time, Xu Youyou curiously approached, asking, “Mom, are you playing a game with Youyou?”

It’s the game where one couldn’t move a muscle, wasn’t it?!

“Ah, no.” Xu Wenyin replied, taking Xu Youyou’s hand and leading her to her room. After making sure the door was locked, she vanished from the little one’s sight, opting for a conversation in her mind.

〖Mom was just thinking about something.〗

Xu Wenyin wasn’t sure why Mu Hesen suddenly asked that question, but one thing she could be certain of was that his expression didn’t show like he had uncovered the truth.

It seemed like he just had a hunch and casually asked without much thought.

As for why he suddenly had a hunch, Xu Wenyin glanced at Xu Youyou, whose features were gradually changing.

This child bore a striking resemblance to Xu Wenyin, to the extent that anyone who saw them together would believe they shared a blood relation.

But compared to Xu Wenyin’s gentle and soft features, Xu Youyou’s carried a hint of sharpness and refinement, undoubtedly inherited from her biological father, Qing Yizhi.

When Xu Wenyin met him, he was calling himself Shen Zhi.

Shen was the surname of Qing Yizhi’s mother. He didn’t want to be discovered by the family, so he carefully planned the escape.

At that time, Xu Wenyin was in her third year of college, with a heavy workload of studies. She couldn’t manage regular part-time jobs, but fortunately, the school had a policy of providing work-study opportunities for financially disadvantaged students.

Xu Wenyin got a job at the library, working two hours a day. Her main responsibilities included organizing books and handling borrowing and returning procedures.

The library at A University, where she studied, was one of the largest in Hua Country, ranking in the top three nationwide. It housed many rare and out-of-print books.

Outsiders could borrow books from A University’s library as long as they could obtain the necessary credentials.

The bond between Xu Wenyin and Shen Zhi began with a book.

However, just as beautiful as the encounter was, the ending was equally cruel.

After graduating from senior year, an unexpected event occurred—— Xu Wenyin became pregnant. Shen Zhi was overjoyed and wanted to marry Xu Wenyin officially, but there was an issue with his identity and he had to go back to resolve it.

Compared to Xu Wenyin, who had experienced many trials from a young age, Shen Zhi still carried a sense of innocence and naivety about the world.

After escaping from that oppressive family, Shen Zhi had a smooth journey due to his thorough preparation. He didn’t face much hardship, and his good luck meant he didn’t encounter any bad people along the way.

He only thought about marrying the woman he loved after they had a child together, completely overlooking the fact that his identity was false. Xu Wenyin had no knowledge of his family background, and he never considered whether his parents would accept the sudden appearance of a daughter-in-law and a grandchild.

Upon Shen Zhi’s return home, he was met with furious and incredulous parents. Before he could even mention the child, he was locked up. Sadly, when he attempted to escape once more, he met with an accident and passed away on the spot.

Left to wait in despair for Shen Zhi’s return that never came, Xu Wenyin, feeling both hopeless and heartbroken, arrived alone in Yu County.

She didn’t want to stay in the capital anymore. Too many familiar places would involuntarily trigger memories of the past.

Actually, given Xu Wenyin’s age and qualifications, not having a child would have been the best choice.

But……

Perhaps due to growing up without parents, Xu Wenyin truly yearned for a child who was biologically connected to her.

She had considered that once the child was born, with her savings and abilities, finding a job to support the child wouldn’t be difficult.

After being hurt by Shen Zhi’s disappearance, Xu Wenyin lost all hope in the so-called love and marriage. She just wanted a child of her own to bring her solace.

However, what no one had anticipated was the massive earthquake that struck Yu County.

Within the span of just a few months, the couple met their demise, leaving behind only the pitiful Xu Youyou.

Can Shen Zhi be considered a scumbag? The system refrained from making a judgment.

The relationship between Xu Wenyin and Shen Zhi, after all, was one willing to fight and one willing to suffer, so there was no need for the system to seek retaliation against the Qing family.

She just felt that since the other person was already dead, it would be better to pretend he didn’t exist.

And now, thinking back, the man who went to Xu Wenyin’s hometown to find her was most likely from the Qing family.

Under Xu Wenyin’s Eldest Aunt’s words, they must have believed that Xu Wenyin was dead too.

Since neither side knew each other before, they might as well not get to know each other in the future.

In the novel, Xu Youyou eventually finds out who her father was, but by then, Qing Yizhi’s parents had already passed away, and the other members of the Qing family showed no sympathy towards the girl who suddenly appeared.

Besides visiting Qing Yizhi’s grave once, Xu Youyou never returned to the Qing family again.

Thinking about it, the novel didn’t give much detail about the Qing family, just describing it as complex and oppressive. Xu Wenyin certainly wouldn’t want to bring trouble upon herself.

No matter who asked about Xu Youyou’s father, her answer was always the same— Dead.

Whether they believed it or not, that’s the truth!

“What is Mom thinking?” Xu Youyou asked with concern. “Youyou is grown up now, Youyou can help too~”

After the Spring Festival, she turned five years old. Although it had a bit of an exaggeration mix in it, Xu Youyou felt that she had learned so many things and that maybe she could help her mother.

〖Nothing much.〗 Xu Wenyin chuckled lightly. 〖Just wondering if I should ask the auntie to make sweet and sour pork for tomorrow.〗

“Yes, yes!”

As soon as she heard her favorite dish mentioned, little Youyou immediately forgot the determination she had just made and began to act coquettishly. “Mom~ Youyou want to eat sweet and sour pork, really want to eat~”

〖Okay, but you’re only allowed to eat five pieces, okay?〗

“All right, Youyou won’t eat too much.”

Having successfully teased her child, Xu Wenyin put aside the probing from Mu Hesen just now.

Xu Youyou was her child, with a household registration protected by the law, and as long as she didn’t let go, no one could take her away.

———pr

After the holiday, the children gathered together once again.

After half a year of effort, Qian Xin had successfully lost a considerable amount of weight. Now he looked only slightly bigger than the average child.

Father and mother Qian had also undergone significant changes. In Mother Qian’s words, losing weight made every breath feel wonderful.

To commemorate the success of this family undertaking, Father Qian specially organized a small banquet in the name of Mother Qian’s birthday at their family’s hotel.

They invited some relatives and friends to gather and, at the same time, show off the weight loss results of the family of three.

Naturally, Xu Youyou and the others were also included in the invitation list.

Freed from parental constraints, the five children began playing hide-and-seek in the hotel garden.

“Are you hiding now?”

Liu Miaomiao’s voice drifted from afar, and Xu Youyou spotted Juanjuan, who was hiding carelessly in her diagonal front. She thought to herself that she couldn’t be caught so easily this time. Relying on her petite stature, she walked a little further towards the hotel’s underground parking lot.

However, they had agreed beforehand that the hiding range couldn’t exceed the garden. Xu Youyou’s eyes caught sight of a low shrub by the wall. If she hid there, Miaomiao definitely wouldn’t be able to find her.

Xu Youyou, with her short legs, charged straight towards her goal.

However, just as she approached the low shrub, she heard a faint sobbing sound.

“Who’s there?”

Xu Youyou, who was very brave, not only didn’t immediately run away but instead took a few steps forward.

Then she saw a boy curled up in the spot where she had originally intended to hide.

He should be older than her, right?

When the boy heard the sound, he also looked up at Xu Youyou.

Discovering that it was a little girl even younger than himself, the boy wiped away his tears with force.

“Who are you, and what are you doing here?”

Facing the boy’s question, Xu Youyou took small steps closer. “Youyou is playing hide-and-seek. Little Brother, why are you hiding here and crying? Did someone bully you?”

Her mother said to call the police immediately when encountering a person who fainted, but she didn’t say what to do when encountering a crying boy.

Seeing how sad the boy looked while crying, Xu Youyou couldn’t help but ask another question.

If someone was really bullying a child, then they should call the police immediately!

“You ask too many questions. Don’t tell anyone you saw me here.”

The boy didn’t answer Xu Youyou’s question and even commanded her directly in a not-very-pleasant tone.

This made Xu Youyou’s curiosity and a little sense of righteousness immediately disappear. She gently uttered an “Oh” before turning to leave, but she was stopped by the boy.

“You’re going to leave just like that?”

Xu Youyou was puzzled. “You’ve already taken this spot. Of course, Youyou have to find another place to hide.”

The boy then remembered what Xu Youyou had just said about playing hide-and-seek.

“Childish.”

The boy muttered with his head down and then tried to get up.

Perhaps his legs had gone numb from squatting for too long, but just as he was halfway up and hadn’t fully stabilized his body, he suddenly fell back onto the lawn with a thud, like a little turtle on its back.

“Hahaha.” Xu Youyou laughed unabashedly, even imitating the boy’s expression from earlier, “Childish!”

Boy: “……”

“Forget it, forget it, Youyou is the bigger person. Youyou won’t argue with you.”

Xu Youyou shook her head and spoke out a colloquial saying she had just learned. She reached out and grabbed the boy’s arm, trying to help him up.

However, she overestimated her strength.

“Thump—” She was unable to fully lift him.

Xu Youyou not only failed to pull him up but also caused the boy to fall again.

Boy: “……Are you stupid?”

After dropping twice like that, any remaining sadness in the boy was all wiped out.

He felt that this little girl looked bright, but in reality, she was stupid!

Xu Youyou also felt it was her fault this time, so she didn’t retort. However, she muttered quietly, “It’s because you’re too heavy.”

In the end, the boy managed to stand up again with his own strength.

Xu Youyou then realized that he was over a head taller than her, no wonder she couldn’t pull him up.

So it definitely wasn’t because she was too weak.

“Youyou~ Youyou, where are you? It’s time to cut the cake!”

Liu Miaomiao’s voice drifted over from a distance. Upon hearing that it was time to cut the cake, Xu Youyou didn’t care about how heavy the boy was anymore. She waved to him and ran back in the direction she came from.

“Goodbye, Little Brother.”

Halfway through, Xu Youyou seemed to remember something and turned back to the boy. “My mom said that when you’re unhappy, you should do something to make yourself happy. Do you want to come and have some cake with us, Little Brother?”

In Xu Youyou’s mind, celebrating a birthday and eating cake together were obviously things that made people happy.

But the boy wasn’t interested in that. He realized he had been out for a while, and if he didn’t return soon, Assistant Li would come looking for him, and he might even tell his father. The boy didn’t want his father to know that he had snuck out to cry.

“No need, you go ahead and eat.”

Perhaps it was because the little girl’s smile was so radiant, or perhaps it was because her cheerful voice was so pleasant to hear, but the boy showed a faint smile, waved to Xu Youyou^[2]悠悠, and then watched as the little girl quickly turned and ran away.

“Is it Youyou^[3]幽幽 or Youyou^[4]莜莜?”

After muttering to himself, the boy returned to his hotel room.

His father was on the phone, while his assistant was on standby, ready to assist him, and neither of them noticed that the boy had snuck out.

“Haoyu, remember to be polite when you meet your uncle tomorrow.”

Lu Haoyu frowned. “Why do we have to meet Uncle? Can’t we just save Mom instead?”

Ever since Ruan Rourou was taken away by the police, she never returned to the Lu family’s house. Lu Haoyu overheard the servants whispering about it, saying that his mother did a lot of bad things that’s why the police took her away.

When he asked his father about it, his father only said it might be a misunderstanding.

Lu Haoyu also didn’t believe that his mother would do bad things, but everyone else seemed to believe it.

The atmosphere in the Lu family during this Spring Festival was very tense. When those relatives came to pay their greetings, they would look at him with strange eyes. Lu Haoyu, as the eldest grandson of the Lu family, had always been synonymous with excellence. Everyone used to praise him whenever they saw him. When had he ever encountered such a situation before?

Even some children would intentionally whisper in a voice he could hear, calling him the ‘son of a murderer’.

Lu Haoyu was very angry, but he couldn’t resort to violence because of it.

His beloved mother wasn’t by his side, his father was busy, and his grandfather……

His grandfather only said to focus on his studies and not to worry about his mother’s affairs.

This period was probably the most difficult time Lu Haoyu had ever experienced since he was born.

However, he would soon realize that there’s no limit to how bad things can get.

His uncle refused to see them. After a few angry words from his father, they returned to the Lu family’s house.

Hearing what happened, his grandfather was also very angry. He even scolded Ruan Rourou in front of Lu Haoyu, calling her a ‘jinx’.

“Weiyao, don’t bother with Ruan Rourou anymore. I’ve shown you a few acceptable candidates during this period. When you have time, go and meet them.” After the matter at the Lu family became known, it was obviously difficult to find a woman who met Old Master Lu’s criteria of being ‘well-educated, polite, and from a good family’.

In that case, Old Master Lu compromised and decided to prioritize a good family background, considering other factors later.

Marriage alliances were always the quickest way to strengthen a family’s power and influence.

As for what Lu Haoyu would do after the new bride married in?

Old Master Lu wasn’t worried. After all, the child was already grown up. If the other party couldn’t accept it, they could just send him to the Lu family’s ancestral residence.

After all, he was the eldest grandson and had always performed excellently. Old Master Lu still had many reasons to favor him more.

———pr

In April, the first trial’s verdict of Ruan Rourou’s case was announced.

She was sentenced to fifteen years.

There were also some compensations and other matters, which didn’t mean much to the Lu family.

It’s just that the number of years was less than what Qin Yiren expected.

But there was nothing they could do about it. Ruan Rourou had a loyal admirer who took the blame for many things.

Some things with clear evidence couldn’t be shifted onto him, but for some things that Ruan Rourou didn’t directly participate in, she stated that she only complained like, “Weiyao’s new secretary is really annoying.” And then her admirer would go and ruin the said secretary’s face.

In such cases, the admirer would definitely bear the majority of the responsibility.

In the end, that admirer was sentenced to life imprisonment due to multiple charges.

“Anyway, fifteen years is fifteen years.”

Qin Yiren thought about Ruan Rourou, who was powerless in prison and would be nearly fifty years old when she was released. Given Lu Weiyao’s character, could they still continue their ‘sweet’ relationship as husband and wife? Perhaps by then, he would have already had several new lovers, and who knows how many times this ‘true love’ had been replaced.

Therefore, Qin Yiren no longer dwelled on it. It was unnecessary to make herself unhappy for such a person.

She just wished Ruan Rourou a ‘happy’ fifteen-year prison life!

Meanwhile, Old Master Lu found out that Lu Weizheng was determined to sever ties with the Lu family, even going so far as to send money to make it official. This angered Old Master Lu, and he made some harsh remarks in the heat of the moment.

From then on, the Lu family had no relationship with Lu Weizheng, and he lost all rights to inherit the family’s assets!

As the head of the family, Old Master Lu had never been so humiliated by anyone, and that person was even his own son.

He wanted to see how long Lu Weizheng could stay in his position without the Lu family!

Did he really think the Qin family would unconditionally help a son-in-law?

Once a daughter was married off, she was no longer considered part of her own family. He was waiting for Lu Weizheng to be squeezed dry of all his value by the Qin family before coming back to him begging!

“Sir, just now we received news from Young Master that the tax bureau suddenly stormed into the company today demanding an audit……”

Old Master Lu frowned. “Find someone to handle it. Do I have to instruct you on every little thing?”

“That-” The butler looked a bit troubled. “It seems that Wang Chu is in trouble himself.”

The Buddhist beads in Old Master Lu’s hand stopped spinning, and he looked into the distance with a stern look. “Then find someone else!”

“I refuse to believe that the Lu family will fall because of this!”

———pr

While chaos reigned in the Lu family with one problem after another, good things kept happening on Xu Youyou’s side.

Firstly, a painting Xu Youyou had previously made was submitted to a competition by her teacher and won the Most Creative Award.

This competition wasn’t just any casual event; it was a formal national children’s painting competition. Xu Youyou participated in the 3-6 age group category.

With approximately ten thousand participants in this age group alone, receiving an award among them was already quite impressive.

The teacher praised Xu Youyou for her talent, saying that if she continued to delve into it, she would surely achieve success in the future.

As for the future, that’s something to think about later. For now, winning the award was a joyful occasion!

Xu Wenyin had a glass cabinet made and placed it in the living room. She carefully put Xu Youyou’s painting and trophy inside, ensuring that they were the first things visible upon entering the villa.

Just like those parents who like to show off their children.

Continuing on Qin Yiren’s side, Lu Weizheng’s swift actions in taking down Wang Haojin’s group and his rapid response to the snow disaster earned him the recognition of the masses.

No one questioned the appointment of this young mayor anymore. In fact, because of the photos taken of Lu Weizheng personally visiting the victims of the snow disaster, he was even crowned the title of ‘The Most Handsome Mayor’ by the public.

It can be said that the development of Jiang City was proceeding smoothly, and families like the Qian’s and Liu’s, who have invested heavily there, have also begun to profit.

With Xu Wenyin having bought numerous properties in advance, she had benefited even more. The value of her real estate holdings had been steadily increasing, bringing her closer to her goal of making Xu Youyou the ultimate landlady.

It’s likely that before long, Xu Youyou would achieve complete financial freedom through her properties. Who knows, she might even become the richest little girl in Jiang City.