Gu Jiaojiao had been frail since childhood, and the three Sheng brothers had always prioritized her, giving her the best food and toys.

Having already sneaked out, Sheng Shiwen decided to visit the Su family to see if Gu Jiaojiao was truly ill.

Unexpectedly, halfway there, he heard Gu Jiaojiao’s clear laughter from a distance.

The sister he had doted on for eighteen years was now laughing and chatting with a disabled man. Was it because the Su family had delicious cold skin noodles?

Or was the Su family’s pork somehow better than the Sheng family’s? When had she fallen so low?

Filled with rage, Sheng Shiwen confronted Gu Jiaojiao, his anger genuine and intense.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and he blurted out, “Gu Jiaojiao, you ungrateful wretch! The Sheng family raised you for eighteen years, and this is how you repay us?”

“Who are you scolding, ungrateful bastard?”

“I’m scolding you.”

“What right do you, an ungrateful wretch, have to scold me? It’s not like your family’s white lotus grew up on air.

Eighteen years ago, the Gu family was no worse off than the Sheng family. My grandfather was a professor at a prestigious university in the capital, and my father was a professor at Qingcheng University.

In what way were we inferior to the Sheng family? The name my father gave Sheng Xinglian shows how much they cherished their daughter.

‘Xing,’ meaning star, and ‘Lian,’ meaning lotus, the finest of flowers, are filled with affection for their daughter.

Even when the Gu family fell on hard times, they still raised Sheng Xinglian to be as beautiful as a white lotus.

Meanwhile, my grandfather suffered from malnutrition, as did my parents. My eldest brother’s health deteriorated severely due to a lack of nutrition.

My second brother is dark and skinny, while Sheng Xinglian has a rosy complexion and is as healthy as a young calf.

She found her biological parents and turned her back on her adoptive family, while I am only grateful for the Sheng family’s upbringing and the twelvefold love they gave me over eighteen years.

I wanted to reclaim just a fraction of the love from my adoptive parents and brothers, leaving the rest for their biological daughter and sister.

But you called me unreasonable, accused me of being ungrateful, and said I was beyond redemption.

Not only did you withhold even a sliver of love, but you also hurled cruel words at your adoptive sister, trying to drive me to death again.

You’re bound to be disappointed. The King of Hell said I’m beautiful and kind-hearted, so he not only spared me but also granted me eighty more years of life.

Sheng Shiwen, listen carefully. I, Gu Jiaojiao, will live to be ninety-eight. That’s the decree of the King of Hell.

Besides, it was the Sheng family who first disowned their adoptive daughter. What right do you have to say I’m ungrateful?

What have I done wrong? Should I be like Sheng Xinglian, that ungrateful wretch, to be considered grateful? Let everyone judge for themselves.”

Though there weren’t many pedestrians on the road, there were plenty of idle onlookers, such as Song Zijie and Song Zijin, who had also sneaked out.

There were also retired elders and full-time housewives who rushed over upon hearing the commotion.

Among them were Elder Sheng, Elder Song, and Elder Dong, who had been drinking tea and playing chess together. They, too, came to watch the spectacle.

“Gu Jiaojiao is right. The Sheng family raised her for eighteen years, and the Gu family raised Sheng Xinglian for eighteen years.

Although Gu Jiaojiao lived well, she wasn’t the chubbiest in the Sheng family, while Sheng Xinglian was the chubbiest in the Gu family.

Gu Jiaojiao wanted to reclaim some love from her adoptive parents, and you called her unreasonable.

Isn’t Sheng Xinglian, who turned her back on her adoptive parents, the real ungrateful wretch? What right do you have to say Gu Jiaojiao is ungrateful?”

Song Zijie, sitting on his bicycle with his feet on the ground, spoke loudly, as if he knew Gu Jiaojiao and Sheng Xinglian personally.

In truth, he had only seen Gu Jiaojiao at the black market that morning and had never met Sheng Xinglian, but that didn’t stop him from spouting nonsense.

“Exactly, Brother Song is absolutely right. Sheng Er just admitted he’s the ungrateful wretch,” one of Song Zijie’s lackeys chimed in.

“Tsk tsk, Jiaojiao is right. The Sheng family’s biological daughter is an ungrateful wretch who abandoned her adoptive parents,” said a woman who had a grudge against Mrs. Sheng, gleefully adding that she would spread the story to everyone in the compound.

“Since the Sheng family publicly severed ties, why is Sheng Er still harassing Gu Jiaojiao?”

“……” The crowd buzzed with discussion.

“Get lost, Sheng Shiwen. Do you want to keep making a fool of yourself here?” Su Shuoci said coldly.

Sheng Shiwen had been staring blankly at Gu Jiaojiao, his heart a whirlwind of emotions, as he listened to her words.

He wasn’t indifferent to the pointing and whispering around him, but he didn’t know how to refute it.

When the man beside Gu Jiaojiao told him to get lost, he looked at her again.

Seeing that she didn’t stop the man, Sheng Shiwen felt as if a blunt knife was slowly cutting into his heart.

Especially when the man glared at him with a look of disgust sharper than any blade.

Sheng Shiwen instantly felt terrible. He numbly pedaled his bicycle and fled as if his life depended on it.

He knew how ruthless and fierce that man could be. Even a wolf would steer clear of him.

Sheng Shiwen had never had a good impression of Su Shuoci, not since the day he arrived in the compound.

Over the years, that impression had only worsened, never improving.

Su Shuoci’s roar made Sheng Shiwen’s scalp tingle, his back prickle, and his body shiver. If he didn’t run now, when would he?

And so, Sheng Shiwen fled. The crowd gradually dispersed, sharing their opinions and collectively scorning Sheng Shiwen.

Elder Sheng watched his second grandson flee in disgrace. He wanted to tell everyone he didn’t know that person.

He took a deep look at Gu Jiaojiao. She was still the same person, but she had become much more resolute.

Was it because she now had the Gu family backing her?

She was right. The Sheng family couldn’t compare to the Gu family. Just look at her and Lian’er.

Gu Jiaojiao’s innate cultural refinement surpassed Lian’er’s, and she carried herself with grace, unlike Lian’er’s petty demeanor.

The Sheng family had three generations of military service. In ancient terms, they were uncultured warrior generals.

Moreover, the most accomplished son in the Sheng family had only risen to the rank of a minor general. Elder Sheng quickly left.

He was afraid Gu Jiaojiao would see him, and he needed to go home to take his medicine. His heart condition, already fragile, couldn’t handle this.

Mrs. Sheng, leading a cultural troupe rehearsing on the opposite side of the main road, had heard everything clearly.

She vividly remembered that if it hadn’t been for Gu Jiaojiao that day, she would have drowned in the pond.

Watching the calm and composed Gu Jiaojiao, Mrs. Sheng realized that after severing ties,

it was the Sheng family who couldn’t let go, while Gu Jiaojiao had already moved on, treating them as strangers.

Earlier, she had seen the reluctant look in her father-in-law’s eyes as he left, and her second son’s unprovoked provocation.

As Gu Jiaojiao had said, that foolish second son was just trying to assert his presence in front of her.

Song Zijin had sneaked out to buy cold skin noodles for his Lian’er.

But as he watched the radiant Gu Jiaojiao, her face as tender as freshly made tofu, so delicate it seemed a gentle pinch would make her skin burst with moisture,

she wore a short-sleeved dress, her long hair cascading down, a few strands resting on her ears and arms, the contrast of black and white breathtakingly beautiful.