The Adopted Cannon Fodder Made a Comeback

With Li Zhi handling the matter of those thugs, Gu’er could finally relax.

She glanced toward the bedroom. Chen Fengjiao had come out, her eyes slightly red. She had clearly been crying, but the agitated look she’d had when she first went in was gone.

Seeing Chen Fengjiao sit down, Gu’er poured her some more water.

Chen Fengjiao looked at Gu’er, her expression complex—a mix of gratitude, guilt, and something else she couldn’t quite put into words.

"Gu’er, Sui’er’s fine now. Thank you."

Chen Fengjiao thanked Gu’er. At first, she had been afraid Gu’er would hurt Sui’er. But when she went in, she saw nothing more than a slap mark on Sui’er’s face. On the contrary, Sui’er was speaking clearly, telling her not to worry. She said she wouldn’t hang out with that crowd anymore. Even though the school break was only a few days away, she would start going back to school tomorrow and would dye her hair back to its natural color, telling her mother not to worry.

Chen Fengjiao could hardly believe it. ’Didn’t Gu’er hit her?’ she thought. She had heard the two sisters arguing fiercely at first, heard Gu’er scolding Sui’er, and even heard Sui’er cry for help. ’How did things get resolved so smoothly?’

She asked Sui’er what happened, but Sui’er wouldn’t say. She only said that she had been wrong before. She didn’t actually hate Gu’er as much as she thought; she had just gotten stuck in the wrong mindset. From now on, she would behave and wouldn’t oppose Gu’er like she used to. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Hearing Sui’er say this, Chen Fengjiao felt a knot in her stomach. But no matter what, she was happy that her daughter had seen the light and was willing to change for the better. This was all thanks to Gu’er.

"We’re all family, Mom. You don’t have to be so formal."

Gu’er offered a small smile.

Chen Fengjiao looked at Gu’er, not knowing what to say. Gu’er said they were all family, but she could feel the distance between them. ’To be honest,’ she thought, ’I’ve missed my eldest daughter. I want to make it up to her, but in my heart, I’ve never treated Gu’er the same as Sui’er.’ To make an inappropriate comparison, if both Gu’er and Sui’er were in trouble at the same time and she could only save one, she knew she would definitely save Sui’er, not Gu’er. Perhaps she would live with the guilt for the rest of her life, but she knew that would be her choice. Even though Sui’er couldn’t compare to Gu’er in any respect, she had grown up by her side, never once separated. The feelings she had for her were different from the ones she had for Gu’er; they weren’t the same kind of heartfelt emotion.

And now, with Sui’er in trouble, the one she had to turn to for help was her eldest daughter. It didn’t sit well with her. She knew that, emotionally, she had wronged Gu’er.

"Gu’er, can you not tell your father about this?"

Chen Fengjiao asked after some thought. She didn’t want Lin Shan to find out. Since Sui’er was willing to change, the rest could be managed. She would cover this up so no one would find out, and when the time was right, she’d find a good family for Sui’er to marry into.

’What if Sui’er ends up pregnant? No, that won’t happen. And even if she did, I would find a way to make the child disappear. I won’t let anyone know. Otherwise, it will be hard for my daughter to get married in the future.’

"I won’t say anything to Dad unless I have to. It’s almost the New Year, and I want him to have a peaceful holiday too."

Gu’er’s voice was faint, but she couldn’t refute Chen Fengjiao. She understood her mother’s plan, and it was justifiable. A mother would certainly do anything for her daughter. ’If it were me,’ she thought, ’I would also do everything I could to cover up my child’s shame and plan for their future.’

"Okay, then you all should stay for dinner. I’ll go cook now."

Chen Fengjiao relaxed.

"No need, Mom. We’re heading back now. We still have some things to take care of, so don’t trouble yourself."

Gu’er was in no mood to eat there. Her purpose for coming today had been achieved; there was no need to stay any longer.

The three of them said goodbye to Chen Fengjiao and went downstairs.

As they were walking down the stairs, Sun Jiaming squeezed Gu’er’s hand and whispered, "Gu’er, don’t be sad."

Gu’er knew what Sun Jiaming meant. She shook her head and said, "I’m not sad. I’ve gotten used to it, really. I have you, Dad, Grandma, and friends like Li Zhi who are good to me. I’m really not sad."

Walking behind them, Li Zhi sighed. Even outsiders like them could clearly sense Chen Fengjiao’s favoritism toward Sui’er, let alone Gu’er. ’Gu’er must be hurting inside,’ he thought, ’but just like she said, she’s probably just used to it.’

He thought about Gu’er, then about his own younger sister. The moment something didn’t go her way, she’d run home to complain to their mom, who would defend her to no end. Compared to his own sister, Gu’er was truly lacking when it came to a mother’s love.

Li Zhi drove them back just in time for dinner. The group put the other matters out of their minds and had a lively meal. Afterward, Li Zhi grabbed Dingzi and headed out. Needless to say, they were off to find those thugs.

When Li Zhi returned, swaggering, Gu’er knew the job was done.

"Don’t worry, we gave those punks a nasty beating. Even if you gave them a mountain of courage, they’d never dare go near Sui’er again."

Li Zhi said excitedly, clearly having enjoyed the fight. "I originally thought about asking a friend on the police force for help, but that would be too much trouble, and I’d owe him a favor. So, Dingzi and I just went ourselves. At first, the punks saw there were only two of us and tried to act tough. They even came at us with clubs and beer bottles, but we knocked them all down. Once Dingzi made his move, those guys really suffered. They learned how ruthless Dingzi is, and with my threats on top of that, they won’t dare go looking for Sui’er again."

"But, Gu’er, one of the thugs was saying some really nasty things at first. Saying bad things about Sui’er. I made him shut up and told him not to say a bad word about Sui’er to anyone ever again. But you should still be careful. Is there something Sui’er didn’t tell you? You should ask her to be sure when you have the chance."

Since it was just the four of them with no outsiders, Li Zhi explained to Gu’er in a low voice. He was afraid Sui’er was hiding something from her. A thug named Da Lei Zi had claimed Sui’er was his woman, and he’d said it in a very crude way.

Gu’er frowned slightly. "I understand," she said. "I’ll call my mom and have her ask. But after this lesson, I doubt Sui’er will ever see them again."

Gu’er understood the situation, but she couldn’t explain it to Li Zhi.

"Thank you both for your help with this."

Sun Jiaming thanked Li Zhi and Dingzi.

"Cut it out, you. What’s with the formality between us? If you really want to thank us, do something practical."

Li Zhi rolled his eyes at Sun Jiaming. ’Is there really a need for that between us?’

"What’s something practical?"

Gu’er asked.

"Feed us every day."

Li Zhi said with a laugh. Dingzi cracked a smile, too.

"As if you ever cook. Tell me, since you moved in, have you ever once cooked a meal in your own place?"

Gu’er glared at him.

"Heh heh, heh heh. I mean in the future! The future!"

Li Zhi chuckled sheepishly. It was true; for the past few months, he had been eating all his meals at the Sun Family’s home, and Dingzi was no exception. It was always more lively when they all ate together.

"Your future wife can cook for you. Don’t think you can just marry a woman and hide her away, not letting her do anything. And don’t think you can order my Gu’er around forever."

Sun Jiaming teased Li Zhi.

Li Zhi just laughed sheepishly. He knew Sun Jiaming was only joking.

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