The Adopted Cannon Fodder Made a Comeback

Gu’er arrived at the Sun Family’s home and parked the car. Staring at the front door, she felt a little dazed. She wasn’t even sure if she should go inside.

Hearing the car, Sun Jiaming came out to greet her. As he spoke to her with a smile, Gu’er felt a wave of grievance wash over her.

"What’s wrong?"

Sun Jiaming sensed that something was off with Gu’er’s mood. When he took a closer look, he saw the dirt on her clothes and her bleeding arm.

His expression changed in an instant. Without a word, he stepped forward and took her arm, his eyes filled with heartache.

Sun Jiaming pulled Gu’er into the house, asking her question after question. Looking at Sun Jiaming’s face, etched with concern and pain, Gu’er couldn’t hold back any longer. She threw her arms around his and burst into tears.

Gu’er’s tears terrified Sun Jiaming.

In Sun Jiaming’s mind, Gu’er was strong. She definitely wouldn’t cry just from a fall and a minor injury like this.

’Who bullied Gu’er?’

"Gu’er, it’s alright. Tell me, what exactly happened? Who bullied you?"

Sun Jiaming’s voice was gentle, but a dangerous glint flashed in his eyes. ’If someone bullied Gu’er, I’ll make them pay.’

Gu’er just cried without saying a word. She felt so wronged. ’We were born to the same parents, so why was I abandoned when I was so little, left to live that kind of life? Why did Lin Sui’er get to grow up spoiled by them? What did I do wrong to be treated like this?’

"Jia Ming, Jia Ming, is that Gu’er? Is she crying? What’s going on? Hurry and bring her in so I can see."

From the inner room, Grandma Sun had also heard Gu’er crying and called out anxiously. ’That girl Gu’er isn’t usually like this. Even last time, she only cried silently. What could have happened to make her sob so loudly?’

Hearing Grandma Sun’s voice, Gu’er managed to stifle her sobs, feeling a little embarrassed.

’I’ve already lived a whole lifetime, how can I still be like this?’ Gu’er knew, in truth, that she was jealous—jealous of Lin Sui’er. It was also because, deep down, she yearned for the warmth of family.

Gu’er held back her sobs, let go of Sun Jiaming’s arm, and wiped her tears away. She gave him an embarrassed smile and went into the inner room with him.

"What’s wrong? What on earth happened?"

Grandma Sun took Gu’er’s hand, looking her over from head to toe.

"It’s nothing. I just took a fall."

Gu’er blushed slightly.

Grandma Sun looked at Gu’er’s arm. ’If it were just a fall, she definitely wouldn’t be like this.’

Gu’er looked at Sun Jiaming, then at Grandma Sun. ’They both care about me so much. In my heart, I already see them as my real family. If I have a conflict with Lin Sui’er, Grandma and Brother Jia Ming will definitely take my side. And since Lin Sui’er grew up with her parents, they will surely take her side. There’s no need for me to fight over this or get worked up about it.’

"Grandma, Brother Jia Ming, I went into the city today..."

Facing the people who cared for her, Gu’er didn’t want to hide anything. She told them the whole story.

"So you’re saying the girl you almost hit might be your younger sister? And her mother might be your birth mother?"

Both Grandma Sun and Sun Jiaming understood the situation.

Sun Jiaming frowned slightly. ’Gu’er might have found her birth parents. I should be happy for her, but from what she said, that Lin Sui’er seems difficult to get along with. And who knows why her parents abandoned her back then? Now that Gu’er is all grown up, will they even treat her well?’

’They haven’t been part of her life for so many years. If they lived together, could they get along? What if they only dote on Lin Sui’er and are unkind to Gu’er?’

’If they really take Gu’er back, will they arrange her marriage? Would they still let her marry me?’

’If Gu’er insists, will that cause a conflict? She must be longing for her family. If a conflict arises then, she’ll surely be heartbroken.’

Sun Jiaming didn’t know if it was a good or bad thing for Gu’er to reunite with her parents. However, if Gu’er wanted to, he wouldn’t stand in her way.

"Yes. It looks like there’s no mistake."

Gu’er felt that it had to be them.

"Then why didn’t you acknowledge them? You should ask why they abandoned you back then."

Grandma Sun thought Gu’er should have. Parents usually don’t abandon their own children for no reason; they must have had their difficulties.

"I... at that moment, seeing how well she treated Lin Sui’er, I don’t know what came over me. I just didn’t want to. I’m already grown up. If they really cared, they would have found me by now. I can support myself, and I... I don’t know how to face them."

Gu’er’s heart was a mess of contradictions.

"There’s no rush. It’s been so many years, after all. It’s fine that you didn’t. If they’re truly sincere, they’ll come asking around. Once they do, they’ll find out you aren’t related to your adoptive family, and they’ll come looking for you. If they don’t have the heart to, well, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it."

Grandma Sun patted Gu’er’s hand comfortingly.

"Mhm."

Gu’er nodded. This was the only way. ’Maybe that’s why I told her which village I was from. I must have been hoping for this.’

"Don’t be afraid. No matter what, you still have us. Grandma will stand up for you. I won’t let anyone bully you."

Grandma Sun stroked Gu’er’s hair. Gu’er buried her face in Grandma Sun’s lap, and silent tears began to fall once more.

Sun Jiaming’s heart ached watching them. He desperately wanted to go to Gu’er, pull her into his arms, and comfort her. He didn’t care about anyone else; he just wanted Gu’er to know that he would be good to her, for his entire life. He would never abandon her, never let her go.

But he couldn’t. He and Gu’er weren’t officially together yet, and besides, his grandmother was right there. He couldn’t do something like that.

Sun Jiaming didn’t let Gu’er cook dinner. She’d had a long day, so he told her to rest.

After dinner, Sun Jiaming walked Gu’er home. Just as Gu’er opened the door to the main house and was about to turn on a light, she suddenly found herself pulled into an embrace.

Gu’er almost cried out, but she immediately realized it was Sun Jiaming.

’Why would Sun Jiaming hug me? Even when we were alone before, he was never improper. The most he’d ever done was hold my hand that one time. So why is he...?’

"Gu’er."

Sun Jiaming simply held Gu’er without moving.

"Gu’er, you have me. It doesn’t matter if they acknowledge you or not, and it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. I... I will be good to you for the rest of my life. I won’t abandon you. Never. I’ll treat you better than I treat myself."

Sun Jiaming’s voice wasn’t loud, but to Gu’er, it sounded resolute. He didn’t use sweet, flowery words, but she found them more beautiful than any poem. She had lost so much, but she had also gained. ’To have a man like Sun Jiaming love me and be so good to me... that’s enough.’

Gu’er turned and hugged him back. Their embrace held no trace of lust, only mutual heartache and love.

After a long moment, Gu’er gently pulled away from his embrace.

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Thank you to jx060519 and Dong Han Yue for the monthly tickets! Thank you, dears. Whether we reach 120 monthly tickets or not, there will be an extra Chapter tonight. To be honest, I had originally planned on releasing at least three Chapters a day this month. But first, I didn’t expect my health to be this poor. Second, it’s been a month since the novel went premium, but I haven’t had a recommendation for half of it, and the subscription numbers are so bad I want to cry. After a month of writing, the total subscription revenue is only a little over 400 yuan. Adding the 600 yuan attendance bonus, that’s 1,000 yuan for the month. I really don’t know what to say. To my dear readers who are able, please support the official release. For each Chapter subscribed, Xue gets three cents, but it’s the greatest encouragement for me. Love you all, thank you.