Chapter 13

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Ji Ning returned home.

This morning, after passing through security, she had intended to follow her parents to see what they were really up to. However, to her frustration, they moved swiftly and she couldn’t keep up.

With so many people in the Ji family and spies everywhere, Ji Ning didn’t rush straight back. Instead, she wandered outside until late into the night.

As for Fu Xiaoman’s side, before the plane took off and before Ji Ning reported to Fu Mingya that the eldest miss had run away, Ji Ning stopped her.

In that phone call, Ji Ning did not ask any questions.

Four years ago, when she first went abroad, Fu Xiaoman was unfamiliar with life there and had only learned broken English. Even buying daily necessities was a rush. Although Fu Xiaoman was supposed to accompany Ji Ning to school, sometimes she was the one being looked after.

In those initial months, Ji Ning had been sincere toward Fu Xiaoman, but her sincerity was unappreciated. Fu Xiaoman came with a mission; entrusted by Madam Ji, she was to perform “human surveillance.” Friendship had less value than fulfilling her task.

Therefore, it wasn’t the eldest miss’s coldness that pushed her away. Ji Ning had amnesia, but she was not naive—she could tell sincerity from pretense at a glance.

They had almost become friends once.

Because of the rare honesty in that phone call, Fu Xiaoman withdrew her intention to contact Fu Mingya. There is no wall without cracks; a vibrant, clear soul losing the meaning of life under someone else’s control is truly cruel.

Especially when those “others” were her own parents—it was even more cruel.

Of course, someone like Fu Xiaoman would not act recklessly.

Overseas, she had already received a good offer. As for her father, Uncle Fu was getting older and complained of back pain from driving long hours; that job wasn’t worth the trouble.

Thus, Ji Ning returned smoothly.

Fu Mingya used to work late into the night and had told Butler Jiang not to bother with the usual rules of keeping lights on and waiting at the door. So as the lights in the house went out one by one, Ji Ning entered.

How laughable—it took this many hurdles just because she refused to leave according to her parents’ plan to get back home.

In these days, memories of childhood rebellions flashed through Ji Ning’s mind.

She thought this time would be just another minor commotion, catching her parents off guard like a child desperate for affirmation.

Yet the moment she saw Zhuzhu with her own eyes, her mind buzzed.

“After this wedding, you’ll go back,” they said.

“Dwelling on the past is meaningless; it only wastes your present.”

“Better to use this time for something meaningful, like cherishing what’s before you.”

These past days, her parents, speaking from experience, insisted that revisiting the past served no purpose.

But the child before her felt so familiar, like a precious missing piece of her heart had been found—though she didn’t know where to fit it.

The child’s little expressions were sincere and full of wonder.

It was Ji Ning’s first time meeting her, and she didn’t even know how to greet her, so she reached out and gently rubbed the child’s head.

At the same time, she pondered for a long while—perhaps foolishly—wondering if the answers to her lost past could be found from this little one.

“Do you know me?” she asked a ridiculous question.

Even Fu Mingya, usually decisive and sharp, was stunned for a long moment upon seeing his daughter.

He finally calmed himself and pretended nothing had happened: “Lin Li, take this child to the guest room on the third floor.”

“Yes. After a long day, everyone needs rest,” Ji Guoting, playing peacemaker, suggested, “Anything else can wait until tomorrow—”

“Are you my mommy?” Zhuzhu’s sweet, timid voice asked, full of hope.

In the original story, the blurry-faced “ball mother” now had a face.

Mom was beautiful. Zhuzhu seemed to recognize her, but was unsure.

Ji Ning’s heart skipped a beat.

Then her gaze fell on the file folder in Lin Li’s hand.

The folder bore the logo of a professional parentage testing agency in South City.

...

Bringing the child home had to follow proper procedures.

No need for her parents to fabricate ridiculous reasons like “adopting a poor child” anymore; even they probably didn’t believe those lies.

Ji Guoting tried to stop Ji Ning, but at this moment, words and actions were too weak.

The paternity test result hadn’t come back yet; the documents said the client submitted a hair sample.

Ji Ning suddenly realized why, before Bai Hui’s wedding, Fu Mingya had abruptly canceled the original hair studio appointment and booked a new session to redesign her hairstyle.

And that day, when she was at Fu Mingya’s office, the tablet she opened was taken away.

When she saw the trending topic about the little bitter gourd baby, her vague unease and hesitation, and her mother’s cold change of subject...

They had discovered the child’s existence long ago but were still weighing the pros and cons.

Everything had traces.

Putting it all together formed a coherent, logical story.

The lights in the house remained bright.

The confusion and helplessness in Ji Ning’s eyes slowly faded, eventually disappearing.

In its place was anger.

Long-lost, vigorous anger.

Ji Ning hadn’t yet realized what Zhuzhu’s presence meant, nor did she understand her former self.

But she understood her parents—they had the ability to control and obstruct everything, taking pleasure in turning her into a ridiculous puppet.

All under the guise of doing what was best for her.

Fu Mingya never apologized and knew this secret couldn’t stay hidden.

It was almost predictable how a spoiled heiress would become unruly.

Knowing the truth, she would make a scene until everyone’s face was lost.

Yet when Ji Ning spoke, her voice was calm.

“Fun, isn’t it?”

“Is spinning me around your group’s KPI?”

Lin Li inwardly wondered how the eldest miss could keep such steady emotions, then looked directly at Zhuzhu.

Suddenly understanding.

“I’ll take the child to the room first.”

...

Anger was inevitable.

She had been programmed to live according to their wishes, played like a spinning top—twisted and pulled.

And praised like a docile lamb for “finally growing up.”

What was more infuriating was that even now, Ji Ning still didn’t know what had happened back then.

In the living room, Fu Mingya and Ji Guoting lingered downstairs.

They sat at opposite ends of the sofa, silent, ears filled with faint cracking sounds.

Just moments ago, Ji Ning had already lost her temper in the living room.

Now she had moved upstairs to continue venting her rage.

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This villa’s rooms were all well soundproofed.

Yet the sounds of Ji Ning throwing things upstairs could still be heard.

After being suppressed for so long, she had to let it out.

Fu Mingya didn’t mind—he took it as a kitten waving its claws, sure to quiet down eventually.

Soon after, Lin Li came down.

She said the little miss had been going non-stop with the adults all day and was now asleep.

The little miss was very good, needing no coaxing; with a gentle hand stroking her hair, she curled up and quietly closed her eyes.

The child was still young, fortunately unaware of what awaited her in this home.

As Lin Li had predicted, such a stifling, oppressive environment—was it really good for a child’s growth?

Lin Li did not linger and left the Ji household.

As she stepped out, a loud crash echoed again.

It must have been the antique vase at the end of the second-floor corridor shattering.

But as Mrs. Fu said, everything would pass.

Years ago, Mrs. Fu had arranged a marriage alliance without consulting Ji Ning.

The eldest miss couldn’t accept it, but Mrs. Fu simply told her subordinates to enforce it as a task: since you enjoy the family’s privileges, you must bear the responsibilities.

Back then, the eldest miss was stubborn and fought back by all means.

But now, four years later, she probably no longer had the spirit for that.

She could only accept.

...

Zhuzhu was not picky about beds; she could sleep even on the hard, makeshift bed put together by the Zhao family, let alone the beautiful big bed in the castle.

This bed was very comfortable, even the pillow was soft.

She pressed her little head against it, making a little dent.

Yet Zhuzhu still couldn’t fall asleep.

This was her first time seeing her mother.

She recognized her immediately without hesitation—the smart baby recognized her mom’s face.

But mom didn’t recognize her.

Zhuzhu remembered that mom had amnesia.

The original story and reality sometimes overlapped and sometimes diverged greatly.

Even adults couldn’t always tell, let alone a three-year-old.

Only she was happy to find mom; coming here, the little one was as unwelcome as she had been in Yongrui Village.

The house was quiet.

Aunt Lin Li had left a small lamp on.

Zhuzhu was not afraid.

She got down from the bed, bare feet on the wooden floor, and opened the door.

It was already very late.

All the lights in the big castle had been turned off.

Just as Zhuzhu was about to return to her room, she heard footsteps upstairs.

She looked up and saw her mother.

When Zhao Xiaojie and his grandmother watched TV, Zhuzhu watched too.

She understood little of adult dramas but could guess the storyline.

Mom was running away.

Ji Ning carried a bulky backpack.

It was a relic from her student days, left in the cloakroom like a souvenir.

It was old-fashioned and shabby; she disliked it but it was the only bag big enough to hold some clothes and toiletries.

The backpack reached halfway down her back, making it hard to walk.

Looking up, she saw a faint light and noticed the little one peeking out.

“So you live in this room.”

Ji Ning was barefoot and climbed the stairs.

The Zhuzhu in the trending videos looked different from the real one.

The camera magnified people; now the child looked even smaller.

When she blinked, her long eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings.

This was Ji Ning’s second meeting with Zhuzhu.

No formal introductions were made; she gently pinched the child’s cheek.

It was soft.

Seeing Zhuzhu staring at the backpack, Ji Ning explained, “There are clothes and toiletries inside. I can’t stay here—I’m leaving.”

As each day drew her closer to the truth, she realized the grand words were just a cage built by her parents.

As long as she enjoyed the privileges of being the Ji family’s heiress, she could never escape and become herself.

She was leaving, boldly and openly.

Unlike the original story, Ji Ning had no intention of leaving behind her golden card to live a hard life.

After being deceived for so long, asking for some compensation wasn’t unreasonable.

Perhaps soon Mrs. Fu would take action.

But no matter what, that was a future matter.

For now, she had to enjoy herself while she could.

When Ji Ning said this, her chin was raised, her eyes sparkling with pride and brilliance.

Zhuzhu had seen a silhouette of her mother in the original story, imagined her that way.

But later, after an accident, mom was heartbroken—like a balloon deflated, never the same again.

The dreamlike original story had a voiceover in the latter half.

It was a mechanical voice, regretfully narrating the original female lead’s life.

It said her life seemed to be paying for a capricious and wrong decision made four years ago.

Until her last moment, no one knew whether Ji Ning ever regretted it.

But as an observer, it seemed Ji Ning and the original male lead had disrupted their lives over an unnecessary child, which was so unworthy.

Zhuzhu was an extra burden, the original story said.

Because many events of the original story had come true, the little one believed it as truth.

“Heavy,” Ji Ning said. “Let’s go!”

Without Zhuzhu’s mother, she was as carefree as in the story’s first half.

The little one looked up earnestly and silently memorized her mother’s appearance.

At last, she waved her chubby little hand and sweetly said, “Bye-bye.”

Zhuzhu was reluctant to part.

Ji Ning looked at her little hand in puzzlement.

“Bye what?” Ji Ning touched her little forehead. “Come on!”

The little one stared blankly until Ji Ning took her hand and they walked down the castle’s beautiful spiral staircase.

Mom had come to take her away.

...

Night deepened.

In a penthouse suite on the top floor of a hotel in the northern city, a curved panoramic window revealed the city’s nightscape.

In front of the window, a man with neat short hair in a finely tailored suit gazed at the slowly lighting city landmarks.

Assistant Wen was still reporting.

At last he said, “And the young lady you asked me to find—I have a photo here for you to see.”

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Four years ago, Mr. Jiang met and fell in love with a girl, who later disappeared without a word, as if she had never existed.

Assistant Wen had met that girl once.

Unlike the dull Mr. Jiang, she was defiant and passionate, bright as the only beam of light in his orderly life.

Over the years, Mr. Jiang had searched everywhere, his only worry being that something might have happened to her.

“One of my classmates stayed on to work at a group in the northern city after graduation.

The other day, their company’s heir had a grand wedding.

He happened to be there on business and took a photo of the scene, sharing it with us.”

Clearly, Jiang Cheng wasn’t interested in northern city high society secrets.

“I thought one silhouette in the photo looked very much like the girl you’re looking for.”

As expected, Jiang Cheng looked.

The so-called wedding of the century was naturally luxurious, the groom and bride a perfect match.

But Jiang Cheng’s gaze fell where Assistant Wen pointed.

A girl in a lake-green haute couture gown, slender from behind, chestnut hair flowing, exquisitely dressed as if meticulously styled.

Jiang Cheng couldn’t see her face clearly, but the image in his mind never aligned with her.

“Not her,” Jiang Cheng said flatly.

“Assistant Wen, you know her situation back then.”

Assistant Wen understood.

The story of Mr. Jiang meeting that girl was like an old melodramatic novel.

The heir of a listed company met a plain but beautiful girl.

Her vigorous resilience moved him.

A brief fate they shared was deeply remembered and searched for over many years, never forgotten.

Back then, the girl was dirt poor.

How could she now suddenly wear a dress worth hundreds of thousands and mingle in the world of fame and fortune?

“But...” Assistant Wen said, “Mr. Jiang, everything she said was just from her own mouth... name, identity, alma mater, even her family background—we checked all those details and couldn’t verify any.”

The city landmark’s lights shifted, casting shadows over Jiang Cheng’s sharp features, making them even more three-dimensional.

“What exactly are you trying to say?” Jiang Cheng’s expression was calm.

“I mean...” Assistant Wen hesitated.

“Could it be that back then you were—perhaps—”

Before Jiang Cheng lost patience, Assistant Wen blurted out, “That you were scammed!”

Silence filled the suite.

Assistant Wen shrank his neck and slipped away silently like a breeze.

Leaving Jiang Cheng alone, who typed into the browser:

“What is a scam?”

...

Ji Ning ran, her long hair flying in the autumn wind.

She looked back and saw the little one’s short legs pounding the ground, struggling to catch up.

Zhuzhu pushed herself hard, sprinting with all her might.

They were still strangers but at this moment became each other’s only allies.

The three years after her amnesia, Ji Ning had lived aimlessly.

But now, all restraints seemed to vanish.

The heiress of the Ji family, breaking through darkness, took along her newly recognized little heiress.

They crossed the courtyard under a sky scattered with starlight.

There was a gate there; beyond it, a new life awaited.

But the gate was closed.

If they left now, it was running away—how could they do it openly?

Ji Ning looked up at the low wall surrounding the Ji villa.

The wall was covered in flowers, blocking the outside world.

She was eager to try.

Turning back, Ji Ning said to Zhuzhu, “Let’s climb over the wall!”

They had all seen it on TV: escaping a cage always meant climbing over walls.

“You know how?”

The little one scratched her head.

Obviously, she didn’t.

Ji Ning had no maternal instincts yet and thought Fu Mingya and Ji Guoting were unfit as parents, so she had no role model.

But she could teach herself.

“I’ll teach you.”

Ji Ning rolled up her sleeves, took off her backpack, and tossed it outside.

Just the sound of the bag hitting the ground told them the height of the wall.

She said seriously, “It’s as high outside as inside.”

The little one tilted her head, eyes full of admiration.

So amazing!

Ji Ning raised her chin, eyes sparkling.

The courtyard was quiet, with only Ji Ning and Zhuzhu.

They tiptoed and whispered like two little thieves.

Ji Ning got the hang of it quickly and said to Zhuzhu, “I’ll scout ahead—you watch and learn.”

She climbed the wall like climbing a tree.

Though she had no memories, it felt like she had practiced before.

With a few swift moves, she leapt upwards, supporting herself lightly with her hands.

When it was time to jump down, Ji Ning lost herself in the child’s admiring gaze.

“I’m down!”

With a thud, she landed steadily.

Like a heroine in an ancient costume drama showing off her skills.

She dusted off her hands, proud as could be, stood on tiptoe, and shouted into the yard, “Wait for me to climb back and get you!”

At that moment, she heard a faint footstep.

The big gate was pushed open by Zhuzhu without a squeak or anyone stopping her.

Pitter-patter —

The little one hurried over to join her.

Ji Ning: ?