Chapter 18

After that day, Zhu Jia didn’t see Mo Yichen for several days. That morning, she got up early to have breakfast. She clearly heard his footsteps, but by the time she went downstairs, Mo Yichen had already disappeared. It was such bad luck—if one didn’t know any better, they might think he was deliberately avoiding her.

Zhu Jia couldn’t be bothered with such small details. It was a sunny weekend, and she had something more important to do. She decided to visit her original self’s family, as she had promised her father that she would return to see him.

Zhu Jia took Xiao Wen and got into the car, giving the driver a long list of addresses. The original self’s house was about a 20-minute drive away, located in a residential area, though the location wasn’t as good as the one she currently lived in.

The black Bentley slowly stopped in front of a three-story villa. The villa looked somewhat old on the outside, and the garden, with its poorly maintained pine trees, was clearly not well-kept.

Zhu Jia took Xiao Wen out of the car and placed him in the stroller. The gate wasn’t locked, so she walked right in and rang the doorbell.

Soon, a slightly plump middle-aged woman opened the door. She froze when she saw Zhu Jia. “Miss…?”

Zhu Jia searched her memories and smiled. “Aunt Zhang, I’m back.”

Aunt Zhang had worked as a servant in their house for twenty years. Since Zhu Jia’s parents’ divorce, her mother had remarried and moved abroad with her eldest daughter, starting a new life, while Zhu Jia, the second daughter, stayed with her father. Aunt Zhang had practically raised her.

Aunt Zhang was in disbelief. Zhu Jia hadn’t been home in a year. The house was always empty, with her father out early and back late. After finishing the cleaning, Aunt Zhang often had nothing else to do and no one to talk to.

Seeing Zhu Jia now made Aunt Zhang overjoyed, her wrinkles deepening with her smile. “Miss, you’re finally back! Come in quickly!” She warmly invited Zhu Jia in and found a pair of light pink, cartoon character slippers from the shoe rack. They were spotless and well-preserved, the same slippers Zhu Jia had worn before leaving the house.

Zhu Jia pushed Xiao Wen inside. When Aunt Zhang saw him in the stroller, her face brightened even more. “So this is Young Master Mo? He’s really handsome!” She took the stroller’s handle. “Miss, let me do it. You change your shoes.”

Xiao Wen was awake, curiously looking around at the unfamiliar surroundings. Aunt Zhang had heard that Zhu Jia had married Mo Yichen and had a child, and she was very happy for her. However, she wasn’t sure why, after attending Young Master Mo’s full moon banquet, Zhu Jia’s father seemed a bit down.

She hadn’t pried into the family’s secrets. For now, everything seemed fine. Zhu Jia looked healthy and content, obviously living a good life, and Young Master Mo was a chubby, lively child, clearly well cared for.

Zhu Jia changed her shoes and entered the living room. The decor was quite elegant but had started to feel somewhat outdated. The moment she entered, she felt an innate sense of familiarity, as if she had lived here for many years.

She felt like she could walk around the living room with her eyes closed, knowing instinctively where everything was.

Was this familiarity because her memories had merged with the original self’s? This was the first time she felt such a strange sensation. She casually went to the kitchen to fill a glass of water while watching Aunt Zhang play with Xiao Wen.

“Aunt Zhang, where’s my dad?” Zhu Jia asked after taking a sip of water.

“Mr. Zhu went to the park to exercise this morning. He should be back soon.”

As if on cue, the sound of the door opening came from the entrance. Zhu Tianyao walked in, dressed in athletic clothes. He exercised every weekend, but at his age, he couldn’t avoid a small belly.

Zhu Tianyao was surprised to see his daughter standing there. “Jiajia, you’re back?”

Zhu Jia smiled and walked over. “Dad, didn’t I tell you I’d come back? Why are you so surprised?”

Zhu Tianyao’s face lit up with joy. “I just finished exercising. I’ll go take a shower and come down.”

Zhu Jia nodded and smiled as she watched her father go upstairs. As he walked, he turned around and said, “Aunt Zhang, let’s add some more dishes for lunch. Have Boss Huang send more food today.”

Aunt Zhang nodded and turned to Zhu Jia with a smile. “Miss, for lunch, would you prefer soy sauce chicken or beer duck?” Aunt Zhang remembered that these two dishes were Zhu Jia’s favorites when she was young.

“Beer duck, please. Thank you, Aunt Zhang.” Zhu Jia’s eyes curved into crescent moons with her smile.

Not long after, Zhu Tianyao came downstairs, now in casual home clothes. He looked younger, though his wrinkles and newly grown white hair still betrayed his age.

“Jiajia, come sit.” Zhu Tianyao looked Zhu Jia over carefully, noting that her expression was neither sad nor troubled, and her complexion seemed even better than when he had seen her at the full moon banquet. His doubts disappeared. He had thought she came back because of something upsetting with Mo Yichen.

“Dad, why are you looking at me like that? I’m doing fine here, aren’t I?” Zhu Jia pretended to complain, noticing that Zhu Tianyao seemed genuinely worried about her. “I’m really happy every day now. Mo Yichen wouldn’t dare bully me, and Xiao Wen is very well-behaved.”

Zhu Tianyao always wore an expression as if his daughter was being mistreated, so Zhu Jia could only helplessly explain a bit more.

Zhu Tianyao looked at his daughter, unable to detect any signs of lying, and finally felt relieved. He sighed. “It’s good you’re back. Make sure to visit more often.”

Zhu Jia no longer felt awkward when facing her father like she did the first time. She cheerfully talked about her recent life, sharing fun stories about Xiao Wen, and even casually spoke a bit of bad-mouthing about Mo Yichen. Zhu Jia had become quite a talker, and with just a few words, she made Zhu Tianyao laugh heartily.

Zhu Tianyao watched his sensible daughter, smiling on the outside but feeling a bit sour inside. Since his divorce with Zhu Jia’s mother, his eldest daughter Zhu Tian had been raised by her mother abroad, while his second daughter, Zhu Jia, stayed with him. But he had always been too busy with work to spend much time with his daughter.

Looking back, he regretted not giving his daughter a happy childhood. What was the point of earning so much money if he couldn’t even take care of his own daughter?

At least, after going through some rough paths, Zhu Jia had truly grown up. She was now capable of standing on her own.

Zhu Jia played with Xiao Wen, and although Zhu Tianyao wasn’t happy about his daughter “adopting a son,” he could see that her affection for Xiao Wen was genuine. She really liked the child. He sighed internally, thinking, well, if she was happy, then that’s fine. If having a child around made her happy, then so be it.

This morning, Zhu Jia spoke more to her father than she had in the past few years. In the past, whenever they met, they either argued or gave each other the silent treatment. It had been a long time since they had such a calm conversation.

Zhu Tianyao felt satisfied but couldn’t help but nag one last time, “Jia Jia, if you ever…

Before he could finish, Zhu Jia interrupted, “Dad, you’re going to say that if I’m being bullied, I should come home, right? Don’t worry, no one can bully me now. I promise, if anyone does, I’ll come home and tell you the next day.”

Zhu Tianyao could only helplessly smile at his daughter.

They talked on until lunchtime, and after a hearty meal at home, Zhu Jia reluctantly said her goodbyes. She had to admit, Zhang Yi’s cooking was really good. It was different from Liu Yi’s style. Both had their unique traits.

Liu Yi’s dishes were more high-end and refined, while Zhang Yi’s cooking was more down-to-earth and flavorful. Zhu Jia decided that she would come back at least once a month to enjoy the change in taste.

Since Xiao Wen needed to take a long afternoon nap, Zhu Jia left after lunch to return home.

Not long after leaving Zhu Tianyao’s neighborhood, they drove through a commercial area with several large shopping malls.

While waiting at a red light, Zhu Jia, bored, glanced outside and saw an advertisement screen showing an adorable sleeping baby with the words: “Give your baby a unique memory.” The ad was from “Focus Baby Photography Studio,” located on the first floor of a nearby mall. It was just past the light, so she decided to stop by.

“Old Xu, is there a place to park ahead? I want to take a look,” she asked.

Old Xu paused for a moment, then noticed a row of temporary parking spots along the road. “Yes, Madam.”

After parking, Zhu Jia got out and placed Xiao Wen into his stroller. She saw that “Focus Baby Photography Studio” was just a short walk ahead, so she pushed Xiao Wen towards it.