Chapter 18: Li Zhi Has a New Man! And She Hugged Him

Lu Jiaxin was annoyed by her parents’ constant arguing at home. She threw on a pretty dress, linked arms with Li Moli, and headed out for some shopping.

“Moli, when are you planning to go home? Your third brother came looking for you at my house, and you’re still hiding. What if they give up on you and stop searching?”

Lu Jiaxin only hung out with her because Moli had money. That was the only reason she sucked up to her and tolerated her spoiled temper. If Li Moli had no money, there was no way she’d be allowed to freeload at her house without doing anything.

But the money she had wouldn’t last forever. If the Li family stopped acknowledging her, she’d be broke.

Li Moli spoke with full confidence, “How could they stop looking for me? My parents and third brother adore me the most. The longer I stay away, the more anxious they’ll get—and the more they’ll hate that b*tch Li Zhi for driving me out. I just want her to see that Mom and Dad still love me the most, and my brothers still dote on me.”

Lu Jiaxin gave her a thumbs-up, praising her, “Brilliant move! Li Zhi is nothing. You’re the real princess of the Li family.”

Then she added sweetly, “My dear rich lady, how about buying me a dress? Look at what I’m wearing—this dress is all old and torn. I’ve been dying to throw it out, but my mom’s so stingy she won’t buy me a new one.”

Li Moli lifted her chin smugly and said with disdain, “Sure, it’s just ten or so bucks. I can afford it. I have as much money as I want. My parents love me the most, and my three brothers give me money every month—I don’t even ask for it.”

She enjoyed the envy and jealousy in others’ eyes.

Lu Jiaxin inwardly burned with envy. Why did this idiot get to be so lucky?

Her own allowance barely reached five yuan a month. Even getting a new dress meant begging her mom and brother endlessly. Her whole family depended on her brother’s 100-plus yuan salary.

She’d heard that the Li family’s factory could make hundreds—sometimes even over a thousand yuan—a day.

Seizing the moment while Moli was in a good mood, Lu Jiaxin quickly asked, “That b*tch Li Zhi snatched my gold bracelet! Now my wrist is bare—I need a new one.”

“I’ll get you a silver bracelet then,” Moli offered.

Silver cost 0.7 yuan per gram. A 20-gram bracelet would be 14 yuan—the same price as a dress. That, she could afford.

But a gold bracelet? No way she was spending that on Lu Jiaxin.

Though Lu Jiaxin found silver bracelets a bit cheap, it was better than having nothing and being looked down on at school.

She forced a smile and insincerely praised, “Moli, you’re a thousand times better than Li Zhi. That miser gave me a gold bracelet and then snatched it back. So stingy. I should’ve had you as my sister-in-law instead.”

But no matter how much she hinted, Lu Yanzhi just wasn’t interested in her.

As the two of them chatted, talking about what they wanted to buy and eat (since Chen Guizhen’s cooking was bland and they were still hungry), they turned a corner and ran into someone.

The person was covered in dust, blood at the corner of their mouth, a huge bruise on their face—completely disheveled.

He clutched his stomach, walking awkwardly.

He was walking straight toward them.

Thinking it was a homeless man, the girls panicked and shrank back against a wall.

“Ah! Who are you? Some hobo? Don’t come near me! If you do, I’ll get my second brother to arrest you—he’s the security captain!”

The man removed the hand covering his face.

“…Moli, it’s me.”

Li Moli blinked. “Brother Guangyao? What happened to you? Who beat you up? Did you report it?”

“It was… Li Zhi’s wild man.”

“What?” Lu Jiaxin yelled in shock. “Wild man? She has a wild man now? Who is it? Let my brother catch them in the act! Break off the engagement and get a huge payout from the Li family!”

That payout could get her gold bracelet back. Genius!

“I don’t know him. Judging by his aura and fighting skills, he’s probably a soldier.”

Li Moli asked, “A soldier? Was he over 185 cm tall, long legs, noble bearing, with a high, sharp nose?”

She suspected the man was Fu Tingzhou.

“I didn’t notice! I was getting my *ss kicked. You think I had time to check out his nose?” He winced in pain just from talking.

Lu Jiaxin pulled out a photo and pointed to Fu Tingzhou. “Was it this guy?”

He nodded. “Yes, that’s him. Looks like he’s a soldier, and judging by his uniform, probably an officer.”

“He’s a regiment commander.”

“What? A regiment commander?!” He was stunned.

Now he really felt hopeless. He was just a rural college student—how could he compare?

But he couldn’t let go. He truly loved Li Zhi. All the other women he dated were just for show or career advancement. Even dating Li Moli had been for money and connections—how was he supposed to know she was a fake heiress?

Li Zhi was the real one, and after his cheating, she wouldn’t forgive him. That killed him.

Beside him, Lu Jiaxin was even more worked up. Clutching the photo album tightly, she screamed, “That b*tch seduced my man! That slut! I’ll rip her face apart—let’s see how she seduces anyone then!”

Li Moli pulled her back, letting go of Guangyao.

“Calm down! You’ve got no evidence—attacking her won’t help. Better to find a way to win that man over.”

She didn’t believe Lu Jiaxin could win Fu Tingzhou, with how high-class he was.

But she hated even more that Li Zhi might find a man better than all the men in her life combined.

Not far away, Lu Yanzhi and Lin Xuewei, who had stepped out for some air after fighting with Lu’s dad, overheard the conversation.

Lu Yanzhi felt even worse—frustrated and agitated.

He pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, took a deep drag, and exhaled slowly, smoke curling around him.

The child in Lin Xuewei’s arms suddenly started coughing hard.
“Cough, cough…”

“Daddy… choked…” Huanhuan’s voice was still raspy from a recent illness.

“You two go ahead—I have something to do.” Lu Yanzhi threw down a sentence and walked off.

“Mommy, did I say something wrong? Why did Daddy leave? I wanted him to stay with us.”

She always called Lu Yanzhi “Daddy” in private, and in her mind, every woman who tried to marry him was a fox—only Mommy and Daddy belonged together.

“Your Daddy has work, Huanhuan. You need to be understanding. Don’t cling too much—it’ll make him annoyed, okay?”

Don’t control men too tightly. Let go when needed, hold on when it counts.

Back at the Li home, Li Zhi returned to find her father, mother, and even her second brother, Li Jingyou, there.

He wore a police uniform, tall and upright, with a cold, sharp aura. A scar ran from the end of his brow to the corner of his eye—said to be from a fight with a criminal a few years back.

At only 27, he was already the captain of the public security team.

She stepped in and greeted them sweetly, “Dad, Mom, second brother—I’m back.”

Her second brother had always treated her better than Li Moli. In her previous life, he died during an undercover mission—betrayed and tortured to death by drug dealers.

She hoped to change his fate this time around.

Li Jingyou nodded. “You’re back? Went shopping? Sorry—I caught a big case while you were in the hospital and couldn’t get away.”

“It’s okay. I wasn’t seriously hurt. I just went out to get some air and picked up a few things.”

“Be careful—there’ve been a lot of robberies lately. Try not to go out alone or to deserted places.”

“In busy areas, it’s just money. In remote ones, it could cost your life.”

“I understand. Thanks for the reminder, Second Brother.”

“I heard you’re planning to call off the engagement. When are you going to the base?”

“In a few days. I already called the commissar. Once Lu Yanzhi’s leave ends and he’s back at the base, I’ll go file for the annulment.”

“I’ll go with you then,” Jingyou offered.

“No need. You’re busy with work—I can handle it alone.”

After chatting for a bit, the other three in the room still looked glum as Li Zhi headed upstairs with her things.

Li Jingze cleared his throat. “Am I invisible to you?”

“You’re so worried about Li Moli, and she’s not even found yet. I figured you wouldn’t care about me. Why should I humiliate myself?”

“You…”

Furious, he was about to complain to their parents.

But Li Jingyou kicked him in the shin. “Shut it. Zhi-zhi is our real sister.”

“She doesn’t even treat me like a brother. Why should I treat her like a sister? To me, Moli is my real sister. Zhi is only a biological one.”

He got kicked again—harder this time.

Clutching his leg, he grumbled, “Second Brother, I’m your real brother, not your prisoner.”

“I know,” Jingyou said calmly. “Only by blood.”

“Second Brother! That’s so hurtful!”

“And you think you haven’t hurt Li Zhi? Use your brain when you talk. Nothing I say gets through to you. Your ears are useless—might as well tear them off!”

He grabbed his ear and twisted hard—red welts bloomed instantly.

Li Jingze’s head tilted from the pain as he grabbed his brother’s arm and begged, “Ahh! It hurts! Second Brother, I get it—I was wrong! Let go!”