Chapter 27

When Yun Duo and her brother moved into the Jiang family’s house, although they were still young, they were old enough to remember.

The Jiang family was great. Not only did it now feel like her real home, but even during the initial adaptation phase when they first arrived, the kindness from those around them was one of the reasons they were able to integrate so quickly.

But Yun Duo would never forget how suddenly they were moved from their home to an unfamiliar place, and how her mother didn’t come along.

Things that had seemed fine just a short while ago were suddenly impossible to fulfill, and their whole family was shattered unexpectedly.

She had always believed that her parents’ divorce was simply due to a broken relationship or that her mother had something more important to pursue. And when she mocked herself for self-deception, she would try to convince herself that maybe she couldn’t bear to leave them.

But she was afraid that once they got in touch, she would abandon everything she had worked so hard for and throw herself back into their lives without hesitation.

At first, Yun Duo really thought this way.

But everything changed when she learned the truth from her brother.

Even though she had somewhat prepared for it, when the person reappeared in front of her, the complexity of Yun Duo’s emotions was beyond words.

The woman saw Yun Duo staring blankly at her and smiled gently, walking over—

She took Yun Duo’s hand and carefully examined her, her expression filled with nostalgia and affection.

She smiled and said, “I recognized you at first glance, our Xiao Duo’er. Although you’ve grown taller and turned into a beautiful young lady, you still look just like me.”

Yun Duo looked at the smile on her face. She didn’t seem much different from the impression Yun Duo had of her.

Although many years had passed, for some reason, her memory of this woman had not faded at all in her mind.

Both her father and mother had good appearances, and they had good-looking children. Back then, their family, no matter where they went, was the envy of others.

And now, aside from becoming more mature, this face seemed to have hardly aged, which suggested that the years had treated her well.

It made sense. While it couldn’t be compared to now, her father had always been capable in his work. Even back then, they were well-off, and their entire family’s wealth was enough for them to restart a comfortable life anywhere.

After receiving the money, it seemed she had managed her life well over the years, so now, in her forties, she still looked full and elegant.

But in that smile, Yun Duo could not see any sign of guilt or unease from abandoning them for over ten years without any news, as if she hadn’t left them behind so recklessly.

This long-awaited reunion seemed so natural to her.

Yun Duo pulled her hand back. She had the urge to ask her a million questions, but in the end, a wave of exhaustion washed over her.

She replied calmly, “Oh, you’re back? Long time no see.”

The woman wasn’t bothered by Yun Duo’s coldness and teased, “This child, why so distant? Don’t you recognize your mother?”

She pulled her back again and continued on her own, “I’m planning to settle down back in the country this time. I won’t leave again.”

“After all these years, in the end, ^[1]“nothing beats the water and soil” means that no place is better than one’s homeland. It implies that no matter where someone goes, the environment (both physically and emotionally) of … Continue readingnothing beats the water and soil of our hometown. Plus, you two siblings are here. Don’t worry, I won’t go anywhere anymore.”

“I came back to make up for the both of you.”

Yun Duo, no matter how indifferent she usually was, couldn’t hold it in after hearing these words.

She sneered, “Compensate us? What are you going to compensate? Do you think I need compensation? Are you going to take us to an amusement park? Or buy us snacks and toys?”

“Do you think there’s anything we can’t do now just because you’re not around?”

At this moment, Yun Duo suddenly remembered what Jiang Muti had said to her earlier. Because time had passed, the memory had been filtered, which made her impression seem so much more beautiful.

When that person actually appeared in front of her, she realized how hideous she had become, to the point where she couldn’t even believe it.

Yun Duo now believed it. Even though the other person wore a warm smile, it twisted in Yun Duo’s mind, forming a hypocritical image. She then realized that, although this face resembled the one in her memories, it no longer matched.

Her words made the woman’s expression momentarily freeze, and then a layer of loneliness appeared in her eyes.

She sighed, “I understand that you’re angry with me. After all, I left without any explanation. I didn’t have time to clarify things with you.”

“But that time was really hard for me. I wanted to take you with me, but your father would rather have you stay in someone else’s house than let you come with me. Over the years, he wouldn’t even allow me to contact you.”

“I’m not saying anything bad about your father. After all, between adults, no matter how unreasonable he was towards me, he still loved you.”

“I don’t want to casually ask you to forgive me, but I’m back now. In time, everything will be proven. I just ask you to give me this chance. Even if you want to scold me, just don’t ignore me, okay?”

Yun Duo’s lips trembled. Her heart was filled with a mix of complex emotions, anger, and an endless amount of sadness.

After all, she was her biological mother, and the affection she had felt since birth was undeniable. Even though she had learned about the dirty details of the divorce a few days ago, when she saw the face full of pleading, Yun Duo couldn’t bring herself to say anything harsh.

But Jiang Muti watched coldly from the side and was already clear about this woman’s tactics.

In fact, it wasn’t much of a tactic, it was just a selfish, instinctive choice, but it was often surprisingly effective.

Conflicts between blood relatives couldn’t be judged by normal logic, and neither side could weigh what was reasonable or unreasonable with equal fairness.

The scales would always tip in favor of the shameless side. Whoever had the stronger emotional attachment and was more soft-hearted would be the one who was held hostage, with no logic behind it.

Moreover, this woman was also ^[2]“good at turning the tables” means someone is skilled at reversing a situation to their advantage, especially when things are not in their favor. It often involves manipulation, quick … Continue readinggood at turning the tables. She knew that the fact she had taken the wealth from the divorce and hadn’t contacted her children for years was an objective fact, and she couldn’t change that. So, she simply shifted the focus and distorted her motives.

Her light, feigned grievances sounded as if she was just discussing things fairly, like when she said, “No matter what, your father still loves you,” a phrase that resembled a housewife who had endured hardship in a marriage but still tried to maintain a neutral view of her parents for the sake of the children.

In an instant, she shifted the blame of abandoning her children onto Yun Duo’s father, accusing him of not letting her contact them.

Jiang Muti didn’t know whether Yun Duo’s father had actually prevented contact between her and her children over the years, but from his point of view, as long as he wasn’t being foolish, it was only natural for him to want to keep his children from their heartless mother, who treated them like pawns for money.

Having no attachment to a mother who didn’t love them, and not fearing being sold again, Old Yun’s gentle nature was one thing, but he wasn’t foolish. Anyone with a brain would see through this woman’s attempt to make the children understand and forgive her without holding any resentment.

If Old Yun really did stop them from contacting their mother, then it would have suited the woman’s intentions perfectly. Children at this age are particularly prone to extreme self-awareness and immature judgment.

If it weren’t for Yun Cheng and Yun Duo having absolute trust in their father and a harmonious family atmosphere, most teenagers at this age, prone to rebellion, would have caused a family drama by now.

If they found out that Old Yun had prevented them from contacting their mother, it would have been disastrous.

Seeing Yun Duo caught up in a whirlwind of emotions and unable to think straight, Jiang Muti knew it was her turn.

Normally, she would never interfere with other people’s family matters, but since this woman was making a play for the vulnerable, naive children with adult cunning, she decided to step in.

She smiled, pulled Yun Duo back, and said, “Speaking of which, we’ve known each other for so many years, but I’ve never met your mother. Aren’t you going to introduce her, Yun Duo?”

Yun Duo glanced at her, feeling like she just wanted to get as far away from this woman as possible. For the first time in her life, she deeply hated herself for being so slow in situations like this. Not only could she not speak her mind, but her thoughts couldn’t even come together quickly.

Still, because she was used to Jiang Muti never making baseless remarks, she pursed her lips and said, “Why would you need to know someone who’s not important?”

But Jiang Muti gave her a reproachful look. “Speak properly, why are you being so rude?”

With that, she greeted the woman herself. “Hello, I’m Jiang Muti. I live with Yun Duo. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Jiang Muti—Jiang? Yun Duo’s mother immediately realized who she was.

Although they had been divorced for many years, she still remembered the surname of her ex-husband’s employer. Besides, the family was a well-known, wealthy one in the province, so she couldn’t possibly forget.

Yun Duo’s mother was immediately flattered. She quickly smiled and said, “Hello, hello! I’m so sorry for troubling you and Yun Duo over the years. I don’t deserve such high praise. Do the kids often mention me?”

Inside, she felt quite pleased. She had always acted tough, but could she really not still care for her biological mother? After all, she gave birth to them.

Jiang Muti smiled and replied, “Oh, not really. The only thing I’ve heard recently is that Yun Cheng gave us an update on your glorious achievements of getting a divorce and using your children to force Old Yun into a clean break. He also told us about how you managed to walk away with everything, but no one’s mentioned you otherwise.”

As soon as those words left her mouth, the smile on Yun Duo’s mother’s face faded. The warm and gentle expression turned into something twisted and ridiculous.

She hadn’t expected the girl to speak so politely while delivering such sharp, cutting words.

However, this woman had lived for so long and was, of course, a master at smoothing things over.

She quickly adjusted her expression, looking sadly at Yun Duo. “So all these years, this is how you and your brother have seen me? I thought Old Yun would at least consider the relationship between us, and even if he didn’t let me see the kids, I thought he would…” She trailed off. “I never imagined this.”

“But no matter how much you blame me, you shouldn’t be spreading our family’s issues around like this. If others start gossiping about it, how will you two be able to face it? Your reputations will be tarnished.”

She was clearly trying to manipulate their sense of self-respect, especially at their age, and shift the blame onto them.

Every word she said seemed plain and harmless, and you might not have been able to pick up on any particularly sophisticated emotional manipulation techniques.

But there was one thing she did very cleverly—she didn’t just show weakness. Instead, she magnified any perceived mistakes of the other person, making them feel guilty and question their own behavior.

Through suppression, she aimed to achieve her ultimate goal.

If Jiang Muti had to say, she was lucky that these two siblings hadn’t been raised by this woman, because with her emotional control skills and her way of deflecting attention from key issues, they could have been controlled for life.

Jiang Muti had seen many relatives try to guilt-trip her in similar ways, turning minor, unrelated issues into major problems to apply pressure and make her feel bad.

This woman’s tactics were nothing impressive.

Jiang Muti continued, “Ah, sorry. You’re right. Family matters should stay within the family. It’s wrong to casually share them with outsiders.”

She was directly telling her to realize who the outsider really was.

But that wasn’t the point worth getting caught up in. Jiang Muti looked at her. “To be honest, I found it a little strange when you came here. After all, geographically, Yun Cheng’s school is much closer to where you’re living now.”

The woman’s face immediately darkened, and this time, even the gentleness on her face disappeared.

She said incredulously, “You investigated me? Did Old Yun put you up to this? This is absurd! Don’t think just because the Jiang family is influential that you can break the law!”

“Oh, come on! You have to speak with evidence. Otherwise, how do we know who’s committing defamation or who’s infringing on others’ rights? My family’s legal team is certainly not just for show.”

“And also, can you stop dodging the question? Are you thinking that because your son might have exposed your ugly secrets, you’re now trying to attack through the weak spot of your daughter?”

“I don’t want to talk to you,” Yun Duo’s mother sneered. “A child like you, spoiled by your own resources, thinks that just because you’re rich and beautiful, everyone will cater to you, and you can control everything.”

“You have no respect for others. Because you’re impulsive, you abuse your resources and act without restraint. I really doubt what kind of situation my children are in with you. They are still independent individuals, not just ^[3]“Yes-men” refers to people who always agree with and obey someone without questioning them, usually to gain favor or avoid conflict.yes-men who follow you blindly.”

Jiang Muti shrugged. “As expected of an adult, you see things clearly. I’ll accept the compliment.”

“As for following blindly—well, yes, we have indeed established a system centered around me. I’ve personally tested it, and it works pretty efficiently. Currently, the three of us working together can ^[4]“Dominate the current map” refers to having control or a strong influence over the situation or environment at hand. dominate the current map.”

With that, she raised her fist and bumped it lightly against Yun Duo’s, who instinctively raised her fist as well. “Bullying others? Feels good.”

The woman stared at her in disbelief. “You’re simply teaching people bad things.”

She then turned to Yun Duo. “Xiao Duo, you don’t have that kind of power. Don’t learn to offend people everywhere. I must talk to your father. It’s bad enough that you serve others, but you’re sending the kids over to be used.”

“Maybe you should forget it. Old Yun is very busy, and he hardly has time to go out. As for us, the Jiang family, even if we’re not at the top, those who are willing to sell their children or daughters can’t just walk in whenever they want.”

Yun Duo’s mother, however, said, “Don’t worry, I may not be able to enter your prestigious family’s door, but as long as I’m still the children’s mother, Old Yun must meet me and give me an explanation.”

“But do you have that much time?” Jiang Muti smiled. “Your precious son just returned from abroad, and he’s not quite adapting to the domestic environment. He wants to get into an international private school, but his grades and sponsorship fees are both lacking—”

She paused halfway and said in surprise, “Could it be that your ideal outcome is for Old Yun to admit his educational failure and use his connections to get your son into the school he wants, then have the older siblings take care of him like a happy family, with everything being alright because ‘blood is thicker than water’?”

After saying that, she covered her lips with one hand and gave a malicious look. “Well, your current husband’s investment failed, and his entire fortune was lost when he returned to the country. I guess you can’t count on your biological husband for your children’s future.”

“But if the father’s useless, you still have the older siblings, right? Besides, if the first sale went for such a high price, I’m sure the second one won’t be much different.”

This was pretty much exposing everything about this woman’s hidden past.

Before the woman could react, Yun Duo stared at Jiang Muti in disbelief—

“You—she— I—”

The girl was already at a loss for words, and Jiang Muti patted her head. “Otherwise, do you think people stay abroad and live well just to come back?”

“Don’t worry. Didn’t you say that you were the ones being used by me as yes-men? Then I definitely won’t let my ‘bugs’ listen to anyone else.”

“As for anyone thinking that blood is thicker than water and that it’s natural for older siblings to take care of the younger one, after graduation, you better start saving your salary to buy a house for your little brother. If I hear that, I’ll break your legs.”

“Oh, and by the way, he’s not just a little brother. He’s an illegitimate child from your affair. Don’t worry, inferior genes—dumb, ugly, knock-kneed, like a frog! I didn’t bring him out because I didn’t want to upset you.”

“After all, if I had a child with the same blood, I would cry. It’d be much better to just be brothers with a husky.”

Yun Duo was completely stunned. Although she hadn’t expected the other person to be genuinely kind, the truth was even worse than she had imagined.

The woman, on the other hand, could not bear seeing her son being insulted like this. She had come back with the intention of reuniting the three siblings.

After all, parents can’t stay with their children forever. They need to rely on each other, and no matter what filth the parents may have, it shouldn’t affect the sibling bond.

With that in mind, she believed her own words.

But now, seeing her son being degraded in front of her, if she could endure this, she wouldn’t be a mother.

She gritted her teeth and lunged at Jiang Muti, but Yun Duo immediately stepped in front of her.

In a cold voice, she said, “If you dare touch her, tomorrow I’ll bring my brother and find your bastard and hang him up for a beating.”

The woman couldn’t believe it. “Is that your brother? You’re actually doing this for an outsider—”

“Not worth it. I’m not so great as to have a frog as a brother.”

“Do you really take other people’s words as orders from above?” the woman snapped.

But the two of them were already too impatient to argue further. They turned and got into the car. The woman tried to stop them, but the driver pushed her aside.

The car drove off, but inside, Yun Duo was fuming.

She looked up and asked Jiang Muti, “Did you already check her out?”

Jiang Muti didn’t bother hiding her actions. “I checked. I knew I had to dig into this person. We can’t just let someone pop up out of nowhere and bother us without knowing where they stand, right?”

She bumped Yun Duo’s shoulder. “Should I have told you earlier?”

Yun Duo glared at her. “Well, at least tell me first. I almost got stunned when I heard it.”

“Oh! It’s only been a few days. I’ve been dealing with a lot here. With my parents still around, you guys never come to the main house, so I couldn’t say anything outside.”

“Bullshit!” Yun Duo rolled her eyes. “You can fool others, but not me.”

“So, you’re worried that I’d get all emotional and stupid, right? You think I’d cry and fall for it? Is that why you kept quiet?”

Jiang Muti clicked her tongue in amazement. “Well, you understand perfectly, so why didn’t you react like that in front of her?”

Yun Duo muttered awkwardly, “I’m not soft-hearted. I just felt bad for my dad. I could yell at her and vent, but then what? After venting, would I feel better?”

“But I don’t want to feel better so soon. I know the best approach is to ignore her, but just thinking about the things she’s done and the dirt she’s throwing on my dad makes me unwilling to let it go.”

“She might not get anything from my dad, but why should she think she can do this? How dare she have such shameless ideas?”

“But I guess my dad wants us to focus on our studies and not get involved with all this mess, so I don’t know what to do.”

She looked at Jiang Muti seriously. “Muti, I really envy you. You don’t care about anything and you handle everything so easily. Although I want to slap you when you talk about being a yes-man, it’s always so satisfying.”

Jiang Muti finally relaxed. “I’ve been cautious, afraid you might suddenly hit me.”

“To be honest, don’t blame me for being authoritarian. If you guys let that crazy mom control you, when I said I’d break your legs, I wasn’t joking. My people can’t be idiots.”

“Do you really want to get slapped?”

The two of them joked around, and their mood lightened as they arrived at the place they’d agreed to meet Ji Feishi.

It was a private club in a quiet area, only open to members, and membership was by recommendation.

Once they arrived, they didn’t even need to ask. The receptionist, who had been waiting, immediately led them into a private room.

Yun Cheng and Ji Feishi had already arrived, along with a few unfamiliar boys around their age, probably close friends of Ji Feishi.

Everyone was sitting together, playing some kind of game, and as soon as they saw the two beautiful girls walk in, their eyes lit up.

One of them shouted, “Hey! I thought today’s event was going to be like the usual, full of monks and priests. Didn’t expect to see girls at your table this year!”

“Come on in, girls, don’t be shy. We’re not bad people—”

Before the sentence was finished, Yun Cheng kicked him aside: “Bad people always say that. Stop staring at the girls in my family, or I’ll gouge your eyes out.”

A wave of boos immediately followed, thinking Yun Cheng was trying too hard to be nice.

However, when the two girls actually sat beside him, one on each side, everyone immediately became restless.

“With your behavior, you can still have the privilege of being surrounded by beautiful girls?”

Someone else turned to Jiang Muti and the others, saying, “Don’t just look at how handsome this guy is. Take him to test his IQ, and I guarantee he won’t even pass sixth grade.”

“I scored sixty points more than you in the last exam,” Yun Cheng said disdainfully.

The other person was stunned, but then Ji Feishi pushed him aside: “You still have to learn how to bark like a dog for losing earlier, don’t try to skip out on it.”

“No, Feishi, you didn’t explain that this event wouldn’t be all men. Now that there are girls here, can’t you leave me a bit of my charm and good looks?”

Before he could finish, Ji Feishi coldly responded, “Does it matter if there are girls here?”

He then sat next to Jiang Muti and asked, “Why are you so late?”

Jiang Muti casually replied, “Oh, I realized halfway here that I forgot to bring you a gift, so I stopped by a two-yuan shop. But there were too many things, and I got overwhelmed trying to pick something out. I ended up being delayed.”

Ji Feishi almost choked, staring at her in disbelief. “You forgot? Just bought something to make do?”

Jiang Muti didn’t expect him to react like this and secretly found it amusing. On the surface, she pretended to be serious, saying, “Ah, well, I’ve been so busy recently, I really forgot. It’s from that two-yuan shop. Do you still want it?”

She thought he would act arrogantly, especially since he was known for his high standards.

But she saw him grit his teeth and, after a moment, reluctantly say, “Yes!”

Jiang Muti smiled, took out the gift, and was about to hand it to Ji Feishi.

Seeing the carefully wrapped package, Ji Feishi immediately realized he had been tricked. Amused yet exasperated, he was just about to take it when—

He heard Yun Cheng clicking his tongue from the side, “I thought you really forgot. With all the trouble lately over your engagement with Zhou Lu, you still had the time to pick out a gift. By the way, how’s that going? I asked Brother Yun, but he told me not to worry and even scolded me. Just so you know, when it comes to tying up in a sack, count me in.”

Jiang Muti rolled her eyes and handed him the box. However, when she let go, the box fell onto the sofa because he didn’t take it.

She looked up and saw Ji Feishi’s expression.

He was momentarily stunned, then looked somewhat confused, and as if something changed in the lighting, his eyes seemed to darken, like ink slowly spreading.

He then stared thoughtfully at Jiang Muti.

“Engagement?”