The Adopted Cannon Fodder Made a Comeback

After Bai Xiaohua spoke, nearly everyone believed her. Having already witnessed how unreasonable Lan Hua was, they all subconsciously felt that Bai Xiaohua must be telling the truth. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"What kind of crap are you spouting? As if our Lili is desperate for a few of your clothes! There’s a line of people waiting to buy her things, so stop running your mouth."

But Lan Hua refused to admit it.

Zhang Lili glanced at Lan Hua, inwardly complaining about her friend’s lack of tact. But she couldn’t stop her. ’I need someone like Lan Hua, someone to say the things I can’t.’

As for Zhang Lili, she had been a beauty since she was a child. But this beauty was not blessed by fortune. Her father died when she was seven, and her mother remarried, taking her and her three-year-old brother to the new family. Her stepfather’s family was only average. Later, her mother and stepfather had two more children. Every day, her mother and stepfather worked themselves to death, earning just enough to feed the family. She could never have any of the extra things she wanted.

However, Zhang Lili never really suffered growing up, and it was all thanks to her pretty face. Whenever it was time for her to do chores, all she had to do was call out "Big brother!" to the neighborhood boys, and they would scramble to do the work for her. Whatever she liked, those boys, though they had little money, would give her everything they had. So from a young age, Zhang Lili learned that she didn’t have to do anything at all. She just had to look at someone, call out to them in a soft, helpless voice, and without another word, they would help her.

As she grew older, she was no longer satisfied with people helping her with chores, bringing her snacks, or occasionally buying her a scarf. ’I’m this beautiful,’ she thought. ’I shouldn’t be living a life like this. I should be living like a rich person. I deserve a life where clothes are handed to me and food is served on a platter. I should spend my days making myself look pretty. All I should have to do is act a little spoiled, give a man a few glances, and he’ll give me everything I want—the things I want, the life I want.’

But none of the people who were nice to her, who were interested in her, had any money. And there was no way she, Zhang Lili, was going to marry some poor schmuck. So she asked her mother to find a matchmaker and introduce her to a wealthy family.

Although her family wasn’t well-off, Zhang Lili’s beauty was undeniable, so the matchmaker was happy to help.

Before Li Zhi, Zhang Lili had met a few prospects, but none of them satisfied her. One was a rich man from a good family, but he was far too old—he could have been her father. Plus, he had a sixteen-year-old daughter. ’There’s no way I’m going to be some girl’s stepmother.’

Another prospect was young, but when she visited his home, she got the feeling he was the stingy type. ’He’ll never spend any real money on me,’ she concluded, so she wasn’t satisfied with him either. This continued until someone introduced her to Li Zhi.

She was taken with Li Zhi from the moment she saw him. He was handsome, and his family was impressive. Not only were they wealthy, but Li Zhi’s father worked for the municipal bureau, which meant they had connections. His mother seemed easygoing as well. Most importantly, Li Zhi himself was incredibly generous. While they were dating, he would buy her anything she laid eyes on, as long as she mentioned it. Over the course of a few dates, he had already spent nearly a thousand yuan on her—an amount that would take her mother and stepfather a whole year to earn. Furthermore, despite buying her all those gifts, Li Zhi had never even held her hand. There was nothing improper in his gaze. She decided Li Zhi was a truly upstanding man. ’He’s the one,’ she thought. ’I’m going to marry Li Zhi.’

But to her utter surprise, after one of their shopping trips, she decided to show him more affection by acting a bit spoiled, wanting to solidify their relationship. Unexpectedly, Li Zhi told her they weren’t compatible and that he couldn’t be her boyfriend. She was stunned. She was still in a daze long after he left. She had always been so confident in herself; it had never occurred to her that a man might reject her. She couldn’t accept it. ’Everyone in my neighborhood knows I found a rich boyfriend. If this falls through, how will I ever be able to show my face in public again?’

So she went to find Lan Hua and convinced her to come with her to Li Zhi’s department store. Her original plan wasn’t to cause a scene. She just wanted to casually mention that Li Zhi was her boyfriend, letting everyone know they were a couple. Then, she would go apologize to Li Zhi. ’I’ll just shed a tear or two in front of him, and his heart will surely soften,’ she plotted. ’With a little more effort, he’ll definitely come around. And then, he’ll be mine again.’

’But I never expected that as soon as Lan Hua found out Li Zhi was my boyfriend and that this was his family’s store, she would just grab the clothes and try to leave. She even said it was perfectly normal to take a few things from a boyfriend and that Li Zhi should be sucking up to me. I wanted to stop her, but I couldn’t find the words. Then Lan Hua started a fight with the salesperson. The employee’s attitude really was fine; Lan Hua was completely out of line. But what could I say? I was the one who brought her here. Besides, I thought a little drama might actually be good. To save face, Li Zhi wouldn’t dare deny me. Once everyone knew he was my boyfriend, he couldn’t escape it. Afterward, I’d just go act all pitiful in front of him, and the whole thing would blow over. But I never imagined he would actually deny it. And I definitely never expected Gu’er to confront me in front of the whole crowd. What do I do now?’

Before Zhang Lili could figure out what to do, another person stepped forward. "I saw it too," she said. "It was Xiao Bai who asked them to pay for the items. They not only refused but also cursed at Xiao Bai and tried to hit her. Xiao Bai had been nothing but courteous to them and never said what they claimed. They’re the ones who started this whole mess."

The person who stepped forward was Li Yu, another salesperson on the same floor. She had overheard Lan Hua’s tirade and came to bear witness.

"You’re all in this together! Of course you’re going to side with your own. What is this, are you trying to gang up on us?"

Lan Hua’s voice was gratingly loud.

"I saw it too," another voice chimed in. "You two were the ones being unreasonable. You buy things without paying, then curse out the staff. You even tried to use someone else’s name to get free stuff, but he won’t even claim you. How embarrassing."

A woman in her forties stepped out from the crowd. She wasn’t an employee, just a customer.

"I heard it too. I can vouch for this young lady. It’s not easy working retail; she shouldn’t have to be bullied like this."

Yet another customer stepped forward to corroborate the story.

"What’s it to any of you?" Lan Hua screeched at them. "What are you all sticking your noses in for? Nobody would think you were mutes if you just kept your mouths shut!"

Lan Hua, however, refused to admit any wrongdoing and just shouted at them.

The onlookers started murmuring amongst themselves. Some commented on how unreasonable Lan Hua was, while others called Zhang Lili shameless for throwing herself at a man like that.

Zhang Lili’s face flushed crimson, and her eyes began to mist over. She never expected things to turn out like this, to spiral so far from her original plan. She felt utterly humiliated.

"Li Zhi, you... this isn’t what you said to me last time," she choked out. "Fine. Yes, my family doesn’t have money, but I’m still a girl from a decent family! It’s my fault, I’m not good enough for you... but you shouldn’t humiliate me like this! I... I..."

Zhang Lili started to sob, seemingly unable to continue. She covered her face and made to run away.