“Our little Tan Bao’er is amazing today—just like a true hero!”

As soon as they got home, Father Qu laughed heartily, kissed Qu Tantan on the cheek, and lifted her high into the air before bringing her down again, playing an enthusiastic game of ‘airplane lift.’

Seeing her husband so excited, Mother Qu rolled her eyes but couldn’t help smiling as well. “What are you doing? You’re a father now, can you be a little more steady? Don’t scare Tan Bao’er.”

Qu Tantan could feel the silent pride and joy radiating from her Dad, as if she had done something truly remarkable. She wasn’t quite sure what her parents were thinking, but a sweet smile naturally formed on her face.

She realized that she really liked this version of her Dad. Uninhibited, expressive, and affectionate. She also enjoyed these playful moments between them.

“I told you not to care too much about what they said. People only make random guesses when they don’t understand.” While tossing his daughter into the air, Father Qu still had the energy to tease his wife. “That kid is clearly a good one. You feel relieved now, right?”

Even after only a short time together, it was obvious that Lou Xiangwen was not the aloof and indifferent person the rumors made him out to be. Even when he was under pressure, he didn’t take it out on the child. Despite his nervousness, he tried his best to respond properly. At his core, he was just a gentle yet awkward kid.

Mother Qu nodded but then sighed slightly, her eyes filled with a hint of regret. “It’s just a pity we can’t really help him.”

Father Qu was unfazed. “Like Tan Bao’er said, if you fall, just get back up again. There’s nothing to be afraid of. He’s still young, with the courage and the means to start over. Whatever choice he makes, as long as he doesn’t regret it, that’s enough.”

Though he didn’t know the full details, from the conversation, it was clear that the young man had talent. As long as he kept pushing forward, he would eventually succeed.

Suddenly, something occurred to Father Qu, and he added, “When you have time, talk to him more. Don’t let him stay alone too much, he’ll figure things out sooner or later.”

“Since we were already planning to visit our neighbors, why don’t we go today?” Mother Qu took out the cookies she had prepared earlier. “Should you come with me, or should Tan Bao’er go with me instead?”

After thinking for a moment, Father Qu shook his head and tactfully said, “It’s better for Tan Bao’er to go with you. Given the situation next door, it wouldn’t be appropriate for me.”

After all, their neighbor was a single mother, and with all the gossip about her son and potential suitors, it was better for Mother Qu and Tan Bao’er to make the first visit. It would be more fitting and give them more to talk about.

Mother Qu agreed and sent him off to cook while she and Qu Tantan packed the cookies. Qu Tantan was already skilled at this, her fingers deftly tying a bow with the ribbon. She admired her neatly wrapped treats and was rewarded with a kiss of approval from her mother.

Their first stop was the house next door.

To help build Qu Tantan’s confidence, Mother Qu let her knock on the door herself. The door was not well soundproofed, and soon, the sound of light footsteps came from inside. However, just as they reached the entrance, they abruptly stopped, as if hesitating.

Qu Tantan looked up at her mother, who simply gave her an encouraging gesture and made no move to help. Shaking her head with a small smile, she knocked again.

“…Who is it?” A soft female voice came from inside.

With a sweet voice, Qu Tantan greeted, “Aunt, my name is Qu Tantan. We just moved in today, and my mom and I are here to visit our new neighbors. It’s just the two of us, could you open the door? We also made some cookies to share with you!”

Hearing that the visitor was just a child and sensing no malice, the woman inside hesitated for a moment before opening the door. She glanced outside and saw that there were indeed only a mother and daughter. The young mother standing slightly behind the girl maintained a friendly distance, smiling warmly, which made the woman relax a little.

She tugged at the hem of her clothes nervously and gave Mother Qu a small, uneasy smile before lowering her gaze to the adorable little girl in front of her, her eyes softening. “Thank you. Please, come in.”

Qu Tantan had heard gossip about the single mother having many admirers, so she had assumed the woman must be quite beautiful. But seeing the woman in person still took her by surprise.

Their new neighbor was undoubtedly a stunning beauty—elegant yet melancholic, exuding a fragile innocence that made people instinctively want to protect her. Just standing in front of her made Qu Tantan feel like lowering her voice.

The first moment she saw the woman, Qu Tantan had the illusion of seeing a little bird that had just flown out of its cage—lost, delicate, and full of childlike bewilderment. It was as if the woman had once been sheltered but had now stumbled unprepared into the real world.

This kind of charm was deadly to men, so it was no wonder there were so many rumors about the woman.

Who doesn’t like looking at beautiful things? Qu Tantan couldn’t help but take a few extra glances. But soon, she felt puzzled, was this woman really a mother who already had a child?

The woman looked as if she still needed someone to take care of her.

Clearly, Mother Qu hadn’t expected to meet someone so unique either. She hesitated for a moment, and the words she had prepared earlier suddenly felt out of place.

How could she put it? The contrast between them was striking. It was like their world was a story of hard work and perseverance, while this woman’s world belonged to a glamorous tale of being doted on, making them feel strangely out of sync.

Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Lin Wan started to panic, as if she had once again messed things up. A look of distress appeared on her face, and she instinctively stepped back, gripping the doorframe as if she wanted to shut the door and escape.

At that moment, a young but serious voice came from behind her.

“Who are you? What are you doing at my house?”

A boy about the same age as Qu Tantan stood there, gripping the strap of his backpack tightly. His expression was wary and defensive, like a small but fierce animal ready to pounce if he sensed any threat.

At his age, a boy couldn’t yet be called handsome, but his delicate features carried a youthful charm. He had clearly inherited his mother’s excellent genes. Though a few bruises marred his face, they only added a unique, rebellious air to him, making him stand out among his peers.

Seeing the boy’s expression grow increasingly unfriendly due to their silence, Mother Qu hurriedly waved her hands to explain her intentions, then cautiously took a step back.

Qu Tantan stood awkwardly at the door, one foot hesitantly hovering over the threshold, unsure whether to go in or out. Catching her Mom’s meaningful glance, she stuck out her tongue, quickly darted behind her Mom, and peeked out from behind her Mom’s back. She then flashed a bright smile at the fierce-looking boy who seemed anything but easy to get along with.

However, the smile, her tried-and-true weapon for winning people over ever since her rebirth, failed to ease the boy’s vigilance. Instead, he turned his head away coldly, as if ignoring her completely.

Wow, this guy is really arrogant.

Qu Tantan was a little surprised but felt that, as someone mature now, she shouldn’t stoop to a child’s level. So, she pretended not to notice and turned her head away as well.

This situation wasn’t one where a child should take the lead. Mother Qu bent slightly, trying to meet the boy’s eyes at his level, and once again explained her intentions with a warm smile, hoping to convey friendliness.

But the boy took a step back warily. Like an adult, he exchanged a few polite but distant words before coolly rejecting the fruit she offered.

His guard was clearly high, but that was a good thing. It meant he could better protect himself and his mother. Mother Qu didn’t mind his lack of friendliness. She stood up, intending to praise him to his Mom, but as soon as she looked up, she was startled to find that the figure who had been standing at the door was now gone.

Had the person… gone inside?

The child was still outside conversing with strangers, yet the mother had simply left without a second thought?

Mother Qu instinctively frowned. Something felt off. But the boy seemed used to it, not even glancing back. Seeing that she had nothing more to say, he coolly bid her farewell.

Noticing that his hand was already on the doorknob, clearly about to close the door, Mother Qu knew she couldn’t linger any longer. Since she didn’t know their situation well, she simply signaled Qu Tantan to say goodbye.

Qu Tantan acted quickly, grabbing the doorknob before it could shut. She then held out a small bag of cookies tied with a delicate pink-and-blue satin ribbon, completely unfazed by the boy’s indifferent gaze. She smiled brightly and said, “These are cookies Mom made for the neighbors, everyone gets some!”

Before the boy could refuse, the bag was already shoved into his arms. He hesitated for a moment, staring at the girl who waved nonchalantly as if nothing had happened.

“Bye-bye, see you next time!”

The boy, who usually only had to put on a cold face for people to stay away, was speechless.

His lips moved slightly, but he ultimately didn’t refuse again. Instead, he silently shut the door.

After this encounter, Qu Tantan and Mother Qu would likely need time to gather their courage before visiting their new neighbors again. The mother and daughter exchanged glances, sharing a dry laugh as they finally understood why the other neighbors had looked hesitant whenever mentioning this family.

That mother and son were way too strange!!

Hearing the footsteps outside gradually fade away, Lin Zhenmo, who had been leaning against the door and listening intently, finally relaxed. But before he could fully unwind, his Mom’s slightly confused voice rang out behind him.

“Xiao Mo, you… you came in already? Did they leave?”

Without looking at her, Lin Zhenmo set down his schoolbag and responded coolly, as if he didn’t care, but he was quietly waiting for her to continue speaking.

Lin Wan thought of the mother and daughter outside just now. They seemed very close, and the pretty little girl looked so clingy to the mother. A wave of envy flickered in her heart.

She opened her mouth to say something, but then she met her son’s dark, deep eyes, eyes that held a shadow of something unsettling. In an instant, a memory of a man’s fierce, menacing gaze surfaced in her mind, making her face turn deathly pale. Whatever words she had been about to say were swiftly swallowed back.

She took a step back, clutching the hem of her clothes, hesitating for a long moment before awkwardly changing the subject.

“I actually planned to leave work early today so I could pick you up at school, but then a student’s parent came to talk to me, so…”

Lin Zhenmo’s dark pupils, which had just reflected a faint light, immediately dimmed again. His hands clenched tightly. Turning his head coldly, his voice was stiff as he said, “I already told you not to come to school. I’m used to going home alone.”

Lin Wan hadn’t really caught what he said. Lost in her own thoughts, she just nodded absentmindedly. “O-okay, I got it.”

Lin Zhenmo clenched his fists even harder. Expressionless, he brushed past her toward the kitchen.

“I’m making dinner.”

Lin Wan instinctively responded, but then quickly followed after him, flustered. “It’s my turn to cook today, Xiao Mo. You don’t have to—”

“I have a test tomorrow. I don’t want to eat undercooked noodles.” His voice was icy. “It’ll affect my performance.”

Recalling how she had been so flustered the other day that she served the noodles before they were fully cooked, Lin Wan’s face flushed with embarrassment. She lowered her head, repeatedly apologizing in shame.

But she was too caught up in her guilt to notice the tension in her son’s shoulders, how they momentarily tightened before slumping slightly.

…That wasn’t what he had meant.

—Forget it. It wasn’t like she would care anyway.

---

“Lou Xiangwen, do you know? You’re just a useless failure. No matter how hard you try, you’ll never make it to the top.”

A beautiful woman, elegantly dressed and wearing sunglasses, spoke with disdain. Her red-painted fingernails lightly traced across the man’s face before she suddenly slapped him.

“You saw it too, I’m doing great now. I came here just to tell you that we’re done. Stop clinging to me, got it?”

Her gaze flitted over the pale-faced young man, who bore the mark of her slap. Then, she wrapped her arms around the well-dressed middle-aged man beside her, her smile tinged with mockery. “You couldn’t give me the life I wanted, yet you expected me to stick around and chase some ridiculous dream with you? How laughable. Do you know? Every time you talked about your dreams, I felt sick.”

She sneered, ignoring the judgmental stares from passersby. “Brother Xiang personally reached out to have you write a script, but you refused. I told you to compromise, and you wouldn’t listen. Someone was willing to pay you, and you still turned them down. What else can you even do? Live in poverty forever?

“You’re willing to suffer for your so-called dreams, but I’m still young. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life in misery.”

A flicker of pain flashed in the young man’s eyes. He couldn’t help but protest, “If I had known what you truly thought, I would have let go long ago. But you… you once said you’d always support my dream. I thought, I thought—”

The woman let out a light chuckle. “Yeah, back then, I also thought you’d make it someday. I figured I could afford to wait a little longer. Who would’ve thought you’d turn out to be such a failure? You rejected the fame and fortune handed to you. Even when Brother Xiang kindly offered to take you as his disciple, you turned him down, acting all high and mighty.”

“Let’s not even talk about everything else,” the young man’s face turned red with fury, and his voice rose sharply. “But you knew, that was my script! I’d been working on it since college—”

“So what if I knew?” The woman sneered. “You’re just a nobody, a broke, insignificant screenwriter. Without connections, without backing, do you really think a good script alone is enough to make you famous?”

She scoffed. “Brother Xiang even offered to credit you, but instead of being grateful, you kicked him out. No wonder you’re in such a pathetic state now.”

Lou Xiangwen clenched his fists, his eyes burning red. “You stole my script and gave it to him! You even destroyed all my drafts!”

“And what if I did? Do you have any proof?” The woman rolled her eyes impatiently. “Everyone knows it’s Brother Xiang’s work now. Do you really think you can get it back?”

As she spoke, Brother Xiang whispered something in her ear, making her giggle flirtatiously. In front of her ex-boyfriend, she playfully smacked the man’s chest. “Oh, stop it, Brother Xiang, you’re so bad—”

But when she turned back to Lou Xiangwen, her expression instantly turned cold again. “Anyway, despite all our unpleasant history, we did date in college. I won’t even ask for breakup compensation, just don’t come bothering me again.”

Brother Xiang took a drag from his cigarette and chuckled maliciously. “Didn’t expect my baby to be so kind. After all the crap he put you through, and you won’t even take a breakup fee?”

The woman gave him a playful shove. “That’s your fault. He can barely afford to eat. Even if I wanted money, he doesn’t have any.”

Watching the scene unfold, Qu Tantan accidentally dropped her candied hawthorn to the ground.

This woman was ruthless. She embodied every classic villainess trope, the gold digger and terrible ex-girlfriend… If only the humiliated man would now shout, ‘The tides will turn in thirty years, never look down on a poor youth!’—this would feel straight out of a web novel.

But this was reality. Under the woman and Brother Xiang’s taunts, the young man was clearly losing control. Just as he tried to step forward in anger, she suddenly kicked him, her sharp heel leaving a long gash on his leg.

Seeing him collapse to the ground, she laughed even harder. “Look at you, Lou Xiangwen, you’re so pathetic! You think you can go against Brother Xiang? Take a look at yourself, do you even deserve to?”

Brother Xiang, for once, showed some mercy, patting the woman’s shoulder to signal her to stop. Then, he looked down at Lou Xiangwen with feigned pity. “Xiao Lou, I’ll say this again, don’t fight against money. If you ever change your mind, give me a call.”

Lou Xiangwen trembled all over, his voice filled with hatred. “Get lost! I will never be your ghostwriter!”

“Fine. Stay proud while you can, I’ll be waiting for the day you come crawling back.” Brother Xiang’s eyes turned cold for a moment. He pointed a finger at Lou Xiangwen before turning away with the woman.

Their arrogance was suffocating. Though the crowd disapproved, they still instinctively stepped aside to let the pair pass.

With the drama over, the audience lost interest. The once-packed space quickly emptied. Some people recognized the Qu family and whispered, “That’s the upstairs neighbor I was telling you about. Never expected…”

Shaking his head, the man seemed about to say something but held back. He patted Father on the shoulder before heading upstairs with his wife.

The once-lively area now felt eerily quiet.

Qu Tantan glanced at the devastated young man, half-kneeling on the ground, his fists clenched as he pounded the pavement in frustration.

A pang of sympathy welled up inside her. She took a small step forward but hesitated, unsure if she should intervene. Just as she hesitated, she felt a gentle push on her back. Looking up, she saw her parents watching her with quiet encouragement.

Without a word, Mother Qu pulled two band-aids from her bag and handed them to her daughter.

Though they didn’t fully understand what had happened, they knew that, in moments like these, an adult’s concern might make things worse, embarrassing the young man and making him want to flee. But a child’s kindness would be different.

Qu Tantan immediately understood. She threw away her fallen candy, then ran forward, holding out her childish yellow duck-patterned handkerchief to him.

Lou Xiangwen subconsciously looked up and saw the little girl staring at him with wide, innocent eyes. She pointed at his face with a look of pure sincerity and said, “Your face is dirty, Brother. Wipe it off.”

Instinctively, Lou Xiangwen shrank back, his body reacting as if to flee. But when he met the little girl’s clear, concerned gaze, he hesitated. He was afraid his dusty self might dirty her.

To his surprise, she showed no sign of disgust. Instead, she seriously pressed his shoulder down and gently wiped the dust off his face. Then, she crouched down and tore open a band-aid.

Lou Xiangwen froze, not daring to move, his breath nearly held as he watched her actions.

The wound left by the woman’s high-heeled shoe still bled, looking painfully raw. Qu Tantan winced in sympathy, letting out an involuntary hiss. Her voice was soft and cautious. “Does it hurt a lot?”

Lou Xiangwen didn’t answer, only his fingers trembled slightly.

Qu Tantan didn’t mind. She used a clean corner of her handkerchief to carefully wipe around the wound before gently applying the band-aid. “This will stop the bleeding for now, but Brother, you should properly treat the wound once you get home. Otherwise, you might have to go to the hospital.

“The hospital is super scary! There are fierce nurses who give bitter medicine. Brother shouldn’t get hurt, okay?”

She made no mention of what had happened before, pretending to know nothing. Then, she beamed at him. “Did Brother accidentally fall down just now? That’s okay, it’s not embarrassing at all.

“When you fall, you just stand up again. There’s no need to be afraid of losing face. Brother is a brave person. No one laughs at the brave.”

For a moment, Lou Xiangwen almost thought she was implying something. But when he saw her earnest, encouraging smile, he realized he was overthinking it.

Even though he knew she was only trying to comfort him over a supposed fall, he couldn’t suppress the sourness in his heart, and his eyes turned red.

When his ex-girlfriend had brought people to humiliate him, he had only felt anger. When they had deliberately shamed him, his fury burned. Even after they left, all he could think about was revenge, making them regret it. There was no time to feel wronged.

He knew people around him were watching, pointing fingers at his misery. And when he thought of the dreams he might never achieve, hatred and despair surged, tempting him toward a dark path. He had been ready to swear vengeance, no matter the means.

But just then, a small hand reached out to him.

In the warmth of a child’s innocent comfort, Lou Xiangwen found himself wanting to cry. The grievances he had pushed aside began to pile up, pressing on his chest, demanding release.

Perhaps it was because she didn’t understand. She had no idea that the Brother who ‘fell’ she was comforting was actually a failure. She wouldn’t secretly mock him for being worse than a dog. That was why Lou Xiangwen felt at ease.

His nose tingled. He wanted to hug the kind little girl, but knowing how dirty he was, he didn’t dare to trouble her. Instead, he simply nodded at her with a pitiful expression.

Qu Tantan had no idea what was going through his mind. She simply thought she had successfully cheered him up. Standing up, she shoved the handkerchief she had used to clean his wound into his hands, smiling brightly. “Brother got my little yellow duck dirty, so you have to wash it and give it back to me, okay?”

Father, who had been watching, saw how the young man, who had seemed so hopeless moments ago, was now holding the adorable little yellow duck handkerchief, looking up at their daughter with a slightly foolish expression. When he exchanged glances with his wife, they both smiled.

“What are you two doing?” Mother Qu approached, her voice warm. “Tan Bao’er, you didn’t bully this Brother, did you?”

Qu Tantan puffed up her cheeks and shook her head solemnly. “Tan Bao’er would never bully anyone! I was just helping, right, Brother?”

Lou Xiangwen looked embarrassed, shaking his head hurriedly. “No, I, I just…”

He was naturally socially anxious, and after what had just happened, he felt even more self-conscious. Now, facing the little girl’s parents, he instinctively felt flustered. He wanted to explain but wasn’t good at lying. “She didn’t bully me. Really.”

Qu Tantan took her mother’s hand. Compared to Lou Xiangwen’s stammering, her words were crisp and clear. “Brother fell down just now, and I helped him with his wound.”

Mother, inwardly pleased with her daughter, turned to Lou Xiangwen with a questioning look.

Lou Xiangwen quickly nodded.

A gentle smile spread across Mother Qu’s face. Praising her daughter, she turned to Lou Xiangwen. “Do you live in this building too? We just moved in and haven’t met the neighbors yet. What a coincidence, right, Old Qu?”

Lou Xiangwen was momentarily stunned. So they were the family who had just moved into the apartment downstairs his.

Father Qu picked up his daughter and whispered, “Our Tan Bao’er is a real little hero.” Then, he subtly nodded at the young man, his expression filled with kindness. “Since we’re neighbors now, let’s take care of each other.”

Facing such kindness from strangers, Lou Xiangwen felt overwhelmed. Somehow, before he knew it, he was walking up the stairs with them, engaged in conversation.

It wasn’t until he stepped into his apartment that he realized, he had agreed to let them bring him some cookies later that evening.

Touching the corners of his mouth, which had unknowingly curled into a smile, he felt a little flustered. His mind was still in a daze, but the cold emptiness from before had vanished.

Maybe there really were good people in this world. Maybe he had just been unlucky. How could he let two people’s actions make him want to take revenge on the world?

Shaking his head quickly, as if trying to shake out all the negativity, Lou Xiangwen suddenly remembered that he would see the Qu family again that night. He smiled to himself, then rushed to the bathroom, eager to wash the little girl’s handkerchief.

He had no time to dwell on the darkness that had momentarily clouded his heart.

---

Qu Tantan had no idea that her Mom had already seen through her act. The moment she realized her Dad had truly woken up and was no longer being fooled, and that he even harbored genuine dislike for Uncle Qu, she immediately dropped the fake crying.

She had always known that this Uncle Qu was cunning, but she hadn’t expected him to come in with such honeyed words and manipulations, bullying her Dad right from the start. No wonder Grandma had been utterly charmed by him back then, to the point of being swindled out of all the compensation money she had been reluctant to touch.

Who wouldn’t know how to put on an act? Back in the day, when she and Dog Meng were obsessed with palace drama series, they had rewatched <Legend of XX>¹ at least five times!

Hugging her Dad’s neck, Qu Tantan thought smugly to herself.

For now, they had successfully forced Uncle Qu to retreat. She estimated that his next major move would come when the village’s relocation plans were announced. He would definitely try to find someone to trick her Dad into a shady business deal.

But before that happened, even if Uncle Qu came again to ask for money, her Dad was unlikely to lend it out so easily.

In the meantime, Qu Tantan was secretly contemplating how to coax Grandma to come to their home. If Grandma stubbornly stayed with Uncle Qu, Grandma might end up getting tricked into running off to some faraway place, where Grandma would have nowhere to turn for help.

Unfortunately, at this stage, with Grandma’s stubborn personality, even if she believed Tantan’s claim about dreaming of Grandpa, she would at most visit more often, but she would absolutely refuse to move in.

Qu Tantan sighed in slight disappointment, but as soon as she thought about how their shop and house were now secured, she grinned in delight.

Because of her earlier crying episode, even though she insisted she was fine, her Dad still took her to the hospital for another check-up on her hand. After that, her parents didn’t press her further about the ‘dream visitation’ story, though in private conversations, they expressed strong opinions about Uncle Qu.

---

A little while later, Qu Tantan, surrounded by her little classmates, finally adjusted to life in kindergarten.

Unexpectedly, what had initially seemed like a joke—Qu Tantan’s ‘sworn sibling’ agreement with Meng Jiajia—was taken quite seriously by Meng Jiajia’s Mom. Meng Jiajia’s Mom even brought a gift for her newly recognized goddaughter: a beautiful princess dress and a pink lace hair clip. Meng Jiajia hated them, but Qu Tantan actually liked them quite a bit.

On the weekend, Qu Tantan was invited over to Meng Jiajia’s house, where she finally met her Godfather. Compared to her own Dad, Meng Jiajia’s Dad was more reserved and serious, exuding an intimidating aura that made people instinctively wary.

Mother Meng had been worried that Tantan might get scared, but Mother Meng hadn’t expected that Tantan had seen her Godfather countless times before. She had even accompanied Meng Jiajia on occasion to visit him at the police station while he was on duty. Now, seeing a younger version of her Godfather, she felt completely at ease.

Father Meng, of course, didn’t know any of this. He simply felt a rare sense of warmth from having a child other than his daughter be so affectionate toward him. Though he didn’t show it on his face, he was secretly delighted.

Being a straightforward man, he took the godparent relationship seriously. While the families were having dinner together, he heard that Father Qu was looking to buy a house. Without hesitation, he reached out to a friend to secure the lowest price possible and even helped speed up the paperwork.

As a result, while Qu Tantan was happily attending kindergarten, counting the days and assuming it would take months before they could move into a new home, her Dad suddenly brought her to a familiar residential complex. With a mysterious smile, he pointed to a building and asked, “Tan Bao’er, do you like this place?”

A guess formed in Qu Tantan’s mind, but she didn’t dare believe it. She quickly grabbed her Dad’s arm and shook it. “Is this our new home? Really?!”

“That’s right! Didn’t my Tan Bao’er always want to live here?”

Her Dad laughed heartily as he ruffled her hair. “Speaking of which, we really have to thank your Godfather for helping us. Once we finish setting everything up, we’ll be able to move in. Are you happy?”

Her Mom also wore a bright smile. Though the apartment wasn’t in a newly built complex, it had never been lived in before. It was close to the new shop, the kindergarten, and the elementary school Tantan would attend in the future. The location was great, the price was low, and the community was pleasant. No matter how they looked at it, it was an excellent deal.

Most importantly, they finally had a home of their own. No more living in an old, run-down rental apartment.

Qu Tantan cheered in excitement, planted a kiss on her Dad’s cheek, then gleefully bounced into her Mom’s embrace. She never expected that a small ripple she caused would lead to them securing both the shop and the house. This was amazing!

In the original timeline, they had lived here eventually, but by then, the area had transformed into a prime location, with the land being redeveloped into the most luxurious villa district in Jincheng.

After they moved in, her Mom had often reminisced about recognizing this place and regretted that, back then, they had lacked the funds to buy more property. If they had held onto a few more units, they would have become wealthy overnight.

Hearing this, Tantan couldn’t help but click her tongue in amazement. The people who had invested in real estate here early on had all made fortunes. So their family had once had that opportunity too, huh?

But she was the kind of person who appreciated what she had. Besides, in her previous life, she had neither lacked money nor housing, so she had just shrugged it off.

Now, though… since she had the chance, why not buy more properties while she could?

Once the relocation compensation came through, she could nudge her father into purchasing a few prime-location apartments. Wouldn’t that be a dream come true?

After all, in her past life, her biggest ambition had been to become a carefree landlady, living off rental income.

Just as she was fantasizing about her future life of leisure, a sudden thought jolted her.

Wait a minute.

She had already been such a slacker in her previous life. Now that she had been given a second chance, she couldn’t just waste it again!

No, she needed a solid plan.

She needed to study hard and rise from being an academic underdog to becoming the pride of her parents.

In her past life, she had grown up so carefree and thoughtless. Her parents had borne so much without ever revealing it, gritting their teeth to support her education. Yet, she had been so lazy and aimless, never making them proud, even becoming the subject of criticism from relatives and family friends.

Qu Tantan clearly remembered that after her Dad became a successful businessman, many relatives, thinking they were being helpful, secretly advised him to have another child. Otherwise, there would be no one to inherit the family business.

But her Dad had sworn long ago, back when the old lady had pressured him, that he would never have another child. Even then, he remained firm in that decision. He solemnly told those people that both he and his wife thought their daughter was just fine as she was. They had no expectations for her, only that she would be happy.

Perhaps it was the shadow cast by years of renting homes, but in her past life, her Dad developed a habit of frequently buying houses for Qu Tantan. He said that way, even if he lost his ability to provide in the future, Tan Bao’er would always have a place to rely on.

Thinking about the ridicule of those relatives in her past life, Qu Tantan, now reborn, was determined to change things. This time, she would make her parents the envy of everyone around them.

When she got home, she pulled out a beautiful notebook and started drafting a plan. In her previous life, she had been playful and uninterested in studying, with no real hobbies. She had barely managed to get into the local university at the last minute, while Meng Jiajia had been admitted through a special sports program.

She and Meng Jiajia had been friends since middle school, never once arguing, and had even been lucky enough to attend the same university. So this time, not only would she study hard, but she would also pull Meng Jiajia along with her, striving to make their parents proud.

Oh, and she should cultivate a refined hobby. Piano or dance sounded like good options.

Completely unaware that she would later encounter a true genius who would shatter her self-confidence, Qu Tantan was still happily fantasizing about her future as a legendary academic prodigy, even smiling in her sleep.

---

Moving day arrived quickly.

Because of the commotion of the move, the friendly elderly neighbors in the area had already taken notice of them. Knowing they were moving in, their attitudes were quite welcoming.

Father Qu, who had become quite sociable since starting his business, used the opportunity to chat with the neighbors and learned quite a bit of local gossip.

As they were heading to check out the newly opened mall nearby—where Father Qu’s new store was located—he started telling them about their future neighbors.

There weren’t many residents in the nearby buildings, and most of them knew each other well, making for a friendly community. However, the building where the Qu family was moving in had a few rather unusual tenants, all of whom had moved in later and seemed rather reclusive, not fond of socializing.

Their next-door neighbor was a single mother with a son. No one knew exactly what she did for a living, and she rarely appeared in public, though she seemed to have many admirers, as people often inquired about her. The son, on the other hand, was known to be difficult. People said he had a terrible temper, came home covered in bruises everyday, and was constantly getting into fights at school. A textbook delinquent.

Many had witnessed the boy aggressively throwing out his Mom’s suitors, and local children were too scared to talk to him.

Upstairs, there was a young man who never left his home, seemingly unemployed. Whenever he was seen, he had an aloof expression and never spoke to anyone. Occasionally, when he did appear, he had visible injuries, leading to speculation that he was either a gangster or involved in something shady.

The downstairs tenant was even more mysterious. Rarely seen and seldom home. No one had ever actually met the person who lived there.

So when people found out that the Qu family was moving in, and their apartment was surrounded by these peculiar neighbors, they couldn’t help but look at them with sympathy.

Hearing this, Mother Qu grew concerned. “Could this really be true? We really haven’t seen any of our neighbors all this time… If they’re not easy to get along with, why didn’t you mention this sooner?”

Qu Tantan’s father shrugged indifferently. “It’s just gossip. No one actually knows much about them. We haven’t met them ourselves, so how can we be sure? You only really understand people after you’ve interacted with them.”

He reached out and affectionately ruffled Qu Tantan’s hair as she happily munched on a sugar-coated hawthorn snack. “Besides, our Tan Bao’er has been looking forward to living in this new home. We can’t just back out because of a few rumors, right?”

Qu Tantan wasn’t the least bit concerned about the neighbors. She had already decided, she was living in this house, no matter what.

Besides, she mused to herself, if she ever brought the old lady over, who knew who the real ‘scary neighbor’ would be?

Neither father nor daughter took the matter seriously. Only Mother Qu remained worried, still mumbling as they returned to their new home. “I was planning to use the new cookie recipe I learned from Xinlan to visit our neighbors…”

Recently, Mother Qu had grown very close to Meng Jiajia’s mother, bonding over discussions on raising daughters.

Seeing her so anxious, Qu TanTan was just about to comfort her when, suddenly, a sharp, arrogant female voice rang out in front of their building—

“Lou Xiangwen, you’re a complete loser!”

---

1. Chinese dramas with the prefix ‘Legend of …’ in the title are mostly costume dramas. Here, I think she means that she has watched several palace dramas with that title prefix. ↩︎

---

Was Qu Tantan afraid of the old lady?

In the previous life, ever since the old lady arrived at their home, Qu Tantan had been the one accompanying and taking care of her. Even when the old lady had lost her mind, talking to herself, laughing and cursing wildly, Qu Tantan had never been afraid. So why would Qu Tantan fear the sharp-tongued, lively old lady now?

Besides, Qu Tantan knew everything. As long as she could keep the old lady on her side, why should she worry about her scheming Uncle, who only dared to stir trouble in the shadows?

“How do you know my name?”

At Qu Tantan’s shocking utterance of ‘Huifang,’ even her once-arrogant Uncle was now at a loss for words.

In the dead silence of the room, the old lady’s body trembled. Her face darkened as she glared at Qu’s father, her left eye emitting a chilling glint.

Qu’s father shuddered, hastily shaking his head to deny it. Even if he were given eight hundred times the courage, he wouldn’t dare let his precious daughter address the old lady that way.

The old lady reconsidered. Her eldest son indeed lacked the guts to do such a thing. Suspicious and uncertain, she turned to the little girl before her.

Qu Tantan stood with her hands behind her back, tilting her head up at the old lady, looking innocent and sweet. “I dreamt about it,” she said earnestly, spinning lies with a straight face. “That person in my dream looked a lot like my dad, and he always played with me.”

She continued with conviction, “The moment I saw you, I knew, you must be the Fang’er he told me about.”

The old lady’s eyes widened.

Father Qu sucked in a breath, quickly supporting Mother Qu, whose legs had gone weak from shock.

“You said… he called me Fang’er?” The old lady stared at Qu Tantan without blinking, as if she couldn’t believe her ears. Even her voice trembled slightly.

Qu Tantan nodded. As if that weren’t enough, she reached out to tug at the old lady’s sleeve and asked, puzzled, “He said he had a lot to tell you, but you refused to see him. Why?”

The old lady’s mind buzzed. Her fingers trembled, and she didn’t even register her younger son calling out to her.

---

The old lady’s name was Chen Huifang. When she was young, a factory explosion had left a deep scar across one of her eyes, blinding her in that eye and making her the source of many children’s nightmares.

Yet, her husband never minded. Though he wasn’t particularly capable, he was honest and kind. While everyone else avoided and shunned her, he held her hand and told her that to him, the soul was what truly mattered. He never found her terrifying, and he always spoke of how they should cherish each other, promising to take care of her.

He made good on that promise, saving up money for her future. Even though she had received a large compensation payout, he never touched a cent of it. Instead, he worked himself to exhaustion, eventually dying from overwork.

In her grief, she nearly lost the will to live. It was her younger son who held her and told her he had dreamt of his father, who had urged her to keep going. That single sentence became her lifeline.

Over time, her younger son grew to resemble her late husband more and more. She poured all her emotions into him, especially since her younger son always spoke sweetly to her. He often told her he had dreamt of his father, passing on messages that supposedly came from his father. They were words of concern, requests for her to treat herself better, or excuses for her to buy things.

Did she not realize that these messages were merely excuses for her younger son to get what he wanted? Of course, she did. She wasn’t stupid. But she allowed herself to be deceived willingly.

---

During the long years in the previous life, Qu Tantan understood the old lady’s feelings. She simply missed her husband too much.

Compared to the taciturn eldest son, who looked like the old lady and always tried to expose his brother’s lies, trying to make her see reason, she naturally favored the younger son, who indulged her longing for her late husband.

But that didn’t mean she didn’t care for her eldest son.

After her younger son took her away, she always worried about whether he was making enough money to help his elder brother, even if only by offering some advice. Yet, when she brought it up, her younger son’s demeanor changed instantly. He turned on her, threatening to kick her out.

At that moment, she merely felt a chill in her heart.

It wasn’t until later, when she overheard one of her younger son’s acquaintances, that she learned the truth. The person who had deceived her eldest son had been working with her younger son all along.

Though she had always seemed indifferent toward her eldest son, she had never forgotten the face of the man who had tricked him. She never expected to see that man in her younger son’s circle of friends.

She confronted him, demanding the truth. At first, he denied everything, but when he realized she wasn’t backing down, he grew impatient and admitted it outright. Then, he hit her.

Until the day she died, she never forgot the way her younger son had stood over her, sneering as he pointed at her face, calling her an old hag.

He told her he had long since grown sick of her ugly, terrifying face. As a child, he would cry in his sleep, hating the fact that she was his mother.

He said he had been bullied and mocked at school every day, always wishing he could have been born to someone else. And it was all her fault.

In the end, he spat that if she wouldn’t work as their maid, she should get lost.

But everyone knew that, in a strange city where her identity documents were controlled by him, where could she possibly go?

It was only then that she finally understood why they had kept preventing her from going outside ever since she arrived.

She numbly accepted their abuse, knowing that the money she had saved was gone for good. Every night, she dreamt of her husband sighing at her.

The overwhelming guilt, shame, and despair shattered her mind. She went mad.

When the old lady first came to Qu Tantan’s house, nobody knew what had happened to her. They only heard her mumbling apologies, calling out her husband’s name.

---

Recalling that scene, Qu Tantan’s gaze turned icy as she looked at her infamous Uncle.

This Uncle, whom she had never met before but had heard so much about, looked clean and gentle, seemingly harmless.

But who could have guessed that beneath his polished exterior lay a heart filthier than the dirtiest sewer?

Oblivious to the chilling gleam in the little girl’s eyes, the Uncle, seeing the old lady wavering, grew anxious.

He had worked so hard to suppress his elder brother. His plan to seize the inheritance was almost complete. How could one sentence from this brat ruin everything?

He cleared his throat and shot a disapproving look at the dumbfounded Father Qu. “Dad had never even meet this girl… Why would he specifically bypass Mom and us, and visit Tantan instead? It doesn’t make sense. Even if he refused to see me and Mom, shouldn’t he have gone to Brother first?

“Brother, I know you really want to buy a house, but I didn’t expect you to have planned so far ahead, getting Tantan to say something like that just to get our approval…” He hesitated, then added, “No matter how badly Mom treats you, Brother, you shouldn’t use this kind of method to hurt her feelings.”

“I didn’t—”

Before Father Qu could explain, Uncle Qu sighed heavily, looking troubled. “Tantan doesn’t understand anything. Are you trying to say she came up with this idea on her own? Of course, I’m not accusing you of deliberately teaching Tantan to say this… I just can’t bear to see Mom being deceived. Ah, I don’t mean anything else. We’ve been brothers for so many years… Brother, you understand me, right?”

Father Qu, who had initially been anxious to explain, suddenly darkened his expression when he heard his younger brother shift the blame onto his daughter.

As a son, he didn’t care how people scolded him. But if his younger brother was going to target his precious daughter, there was no way he would back down. Just as he was about to speak, Tantan suddenly hugged the old lady’s leg and asked in a small voice, “Fang’er, do you know what a leech is?”

The old lady, who had started to believe that her late husband had really sent a message through the little girl, had initially been in a fierce mood, ready to throw a tantrum. But when she heard her younger son’s words, she started to feel that he had a point. She was just about to lash out at her eldest son when she lowered her head and met the little girl’s clear, innocent eyes.

At that moment, an inexplicable sense of closeness and reliance welled up in her heart. She suddenly had the urge to hold the child, as if there were countless grievances she wanted to pour out to her. It was odd, but she subconsciously trusted this little girl.

Could this be… a reminder from her late husband?

For a moment, the old lady was filled with uncertainty.

While she was lost in her thoughts, she felt the little girl cling to her leg affectionately and ask that strange question.

She cleared her throat. She knew she should resist speaking to the child, but something deep inside urged her to answer. “…What?”

Tantan, oblivious to the old lady’s complicated emotions, looked up with an innocent expression. “It’s the Grandpa in my dream. He said he couldn’t visit Fang’er in her dreams because of some leeches. He was so angry, stomping his feet and waving his arms. He told me to make sure to tell you, to protect your money and not let him cheat you.”

She dragged out her words playfully, her smile sweet and mischievous. “So, Huifang, who exactly is the leech?”

The moment she finished speaking, Uncle Qu’s face changed drastically. He snapped, “You little brat, stop spouting nonsense!”

Whenever the old man got angry, he would silently wave his arms and stomp his feet, something only Chen Huifang knew. So even if Father Qu had coached Tantan, she wouldn’t have been able to mimic the old man’s exact mannerisms. The old lady immediately believed Tantan’s words.

Tantan, startled by her Uncle’s outburst, let go of the old lady and shouted back indignantly, “I’m not making things up! Someone told me in my dream! I wasn’t even talking about you, Uncle, why are you so nervous?”

She pouted angrily and reached for Uncle Qu’s sleeve, as if eager to argue her point. Uncle Qu instinctively tried to push her away, but before he could even touch her, Tantan suddenly fell backward as if she had been shoved forcefully.

Clutching her already injured arm, she sat on the ground in a daze. A moment later, her eyes welled up with tears. “I just wanted to know who the leech was… I didn’t want them to keep bullying Fang’er… Uncle, you’re so scary!”

Uncle Qu looked down at his hands, which hadn’t even touched her, completely stunned.

Before he could react or defend himself, Tantan had already burst into tears. “Dad said if I do something wrong, I have to apologize. I don’t know what I did wrong, but since Uncle is so angry… *sniff* I’ll apologize!”

Father Qu finally snapped out of it. Holding back his anger, he quickly picked up Tantan, his voice tight with concern as he asked if she was hurt.

Tantan shook her little head bravely. Though tears threatened to spill, she refused to cry. Her soft voice wobbled, “No, it doesn’t hurt… Uncle didn’t mean to push me. Dad, don’t be mad.”

Seeing his precious daughter get shoved, was hurt, yet still speaking up for his brother, Father Qu’s fury boiled over. Clenching his fists, he glared at his stunned younger brother, his eyes red with rage. “You don’t need to worry about the little money I have. It’s all for Tantan. She wants to live in that house, so I’ll make sure she gets to live there.

“Whether I buy a house or a shop, it’s none of your concern. And don’t worry, if I lose money running a business, that’ll be my problem. I’ll never ask you for help!”

For the first time, he coldly shut them down and refused his mother and brother outright. “Since we have nothing more to talk about, you should leave. Tantan is hurt, I need to take her to the hospital. We won’t be keeping you for dinner.”

The old lady, still rattled by Tantan’s words, barely registered what her eldest son said. She simply nodded absentmindedly and ignored her younger son’s shocked expression. With a grim face, she turned to leave.

Just before stepping out, she hesitated for a moment, then pulled out a handful of cash and stuffed it into Mother Qu’s hands. “The child… is hurt. Take her to see a doctor. Don’t let her cry.”

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she shot a fierce glare at her younger son, who looked like he wanted to protest. “You’ll apologize to her later.”

Without another word, she grabbed Uncle Qu and dragged him outside.

Watching her husband, who stood firm in front his arrogant mother and brother for the first time, and watched them leave without another word, Mother Qu slowly looked down at the wad of cash in her hands. Then she hesitantly turned to glance at their teary-eyed daughter in her husband’s arms.

Wait a minute… why did it feel like something was off about their little Tantan today?

Was it just her imagination, or was their Tantan just a little bit… scheming?

---

In Qu Tantan’s memory, she had never seen her Uncle before. In fact, until her second year of high school, she had no idea she even had one.

Although her parents had endured many hardships, they still provided Qu Tantan with a happy home, never letting her lack anything. She hadn’t even known that her family had once gone bankrupt or that her Dad had been swindled into crippling debt and nearly sent to prison. She also had no idea why her Grandma had gone mad.

It wasn’t until her second year of high school, when her Grandma fell seriously ill and relatives from the village came to visit, that she overheard someone asking her Dad, “That bastard is really never coming back? After what he did to her, he won’t even come for a look?”

The villagers cursed angrily, calling him a beast. It was only then that Qu Tantan learned her Dad had a younger brother, one who had long since run away and was never spoken of again.

She was naturally shocked but remained silent. After the relatives left, she saw her usually quiet Dad standing in the hallway, smoking one cigarette after another. When he noticed her, he hastily apologized for smoking at that moment. He was lost in thought for a long time before vaguely telling her about that Uncle.

That was when she learned the truth: she had a heartless, ungrateful Uncle who had once conspired with others to scam her Dad out of his money. Her Grandma’s madness was also connected to that Uncle.

Knowing it was a painful subject for her Dad, Qu Tantan didn’t press for more details, but she kept the story in her heart. Until the day before her Grandma’s death, the old woman, who had always been erratic and incoherent in her memory, suddenly became lucid.

She gave Qu Tantan’s Dad instructions for her funeral, then secretly told Qu Tantan the full story of what had happened back then.

Father Qu had once run a tobacco and alcohol business. After renting a storefront and making some money, he thought about taking out a loan to expand into a trading company. But then, his younger brother and mother came to him.

His mother threw a fit, adamantly opposing the idea of him taking a bank loan. She claimed he knew nothing about business and would surely lose everything. Instead, she urged him to wait and go into business with his more clever younger brother.

At the time, Father Qu knew little about business and was also somewhat blindly filial. Persuaded by their words, he reluctantly agreed. Later, an acquaintance from the village introduced him to a supposed business partner, saying they could collaborate in the tobacco and alcohol trade. The partner claimed to own a factory and could produce their own products.

Trusting his relatives, Father Qu visited the factory. The equipment looked complete, so he invested all his savings into the venture.

But within six months, the so-called partner vanished with the money. The factory land had only been leased, and Father Qu, who had personally negotiated deals with clients, now had no goods to deliver. He had to compensate them instead.

While he was scrambling to find money, his mother and younger brother showed up again. His brother berated him for being incompetent in business but generously offered advice, telling him that the village was about to undergo a redevelopment project. When the time came, he could use the compensation money from the land acquisition to repay his debts. His brother even loaned him some money, supposedly to help him through the crisis.

Their mother, perhaps out of favoritism for her younger son, didn’t make him contribute financially. Instead, she hesitated for a long time before revealing that she still had some savings. She then took out a large sum of compensation money she had received years ago and gave it to Father Qu to clear his debts.

That money had been a lifelong wound for her, and her husband had always tried to avoid using it. But now, there was no choice. She only wanted to help her eldest son through this crisis.

What she never expected was that her younger son, upon discovering she had such a large sum of money, would set off a chain of events that led to disaster.

At the time, Father Qu, completely unaware of the truth, was deeply moved by his mother and younger brother’s generosity. From then on, he no longer dared to dream of expanding his business and instead settled for running a simple orchard.

When the redevelopment compensation finally came, Father Qu returned the money to his mother.

Soon after, Father Qu’s younger brother convinced their mother to leave with him, claiming he would take her to live comfortably in another city.

For years, Father Qu assumed his mother was enjoying a happy life, as he occasionally heard from villagers that his brother had become a wealthy businessman.

But a few years later, his brother suddenly returned with their mother, now completely mad. With a helpless expression, he told Father Qu that she had suffered mental distress from not adapting to life in a new place. The doctor said she needed long-term care from family, but he was too busy with his business to look after her. He pleaded pitifully for Father Qu to take her in, even promising to send money every year for her treatment.

Not knowing much about mental illness, Father Qu believed his brother’s lies. It wasn’t until much later that he learned the shocking truth from his mother’s own lips.

The so-called business partner and the contacts who had scammed him? They had all been orchestrated by his younger brother. It was a setup from the start, his brother’s way of swindling his money, including half of the future redevelopment compensation.

Originally, once he had secured all the compensation money, his younger brother had planned to take his wife and children and disappear. But when he accidentally discovered that their mother still had a substantial sum of compensation savings, he changed his plans.

With sweet words and false promises, he convinced their mother to follow him, taking her and all her money away. He then made a fortune in real estate.

Once he had drained her funds completely, the once ‘devoted’ youngest son revealed his true colors. He treated his mother like a servant, subjected her to verbal and physical abuse, and even threw her out into the freezing cold just to make her submit.

Years of suffering had broken the old woman’s spirit, and her mind eventually collapsed. By then, her son had no use for her anymore. Instead of providing treatment, he dumped her back at Father Qu’s doorstep with a sob story, then disappeared for good, never once sending the promised money.

At that time, the person couldn’t be found anymore, so Father Qu took the old lady home to care for her while tending to their family orchard. Over time, he gradually transitioned from running a farmhouse restaurant to establishing a chain of restaurants. During those difficult years of entrepreneurship, the entire family was under immense pressure. Only the young Qu Tantan, who was too young to understand, tried her best to be the family’s source of joy, always keeping the eccentric old lady company with her chatter.

It wasn’t until after the old lady passed away that Qu Tantan finally realized how much her Dad had borne all along, while she had been carefreely sheltered and doted on as she grew up.

Even now, whenever Qu Tantan thinks about it, she feels disgusted, wishing she could slap that bastard in the face. Just as she was contemplating how to expose her Uncle’s true colors, she arrived home and was immediately greeted by a familiar voice scolding her father.

“…That money is off-limits! The moment you have a little cash in hand, you start thinking about buying houses and shops instead of planning for the future. Do you really think you can take out loans and start a company? Do you think running a business is that easy?! If you lose money, have you considered what will happen to your wife and child? You don’t understand anything, yet you dare to follow others into business? If it fails, are you planning to go back to farming?”

Immediately after, an unfamiliar male voice chimed in hypocritically, “Brother, don’t blame Mom for being harsh, she’s just worried about you. After all, you don’t have any experience, and business is a serious matter. If it doesn’t work out, things could get really messy.

“You just made a little money, and now you want to buy new commercial property and even a house. To convince us, you said you had a plan, and now you’re saying you actually want to start a business in the future? It’s no wonder Mom is anxious, even I feel like you’re biting off more than you can chew.”

The man’s voice was gentle yet hesitant, filled with apparent concern. “Brother, have you really thought this through? If you lose money, of course, I’ll help however I can, but I’m worried about your daughter, she’s still so young. Can she handle the blow of bankruptcy and going back to farm work?”

As the two of them continued their onslaught, Father Qu grew increasingly flustered. “I—”

“Don’t try to stop him, let him do it!”

Seeing her eldest son standing there silently like a fool and her younger son fanning the flames, the old lady’s temper flared even more. She pointed at Father Qu’s nose and cursed, “I’m telling you, if you don’t listen to your younger brother now, don’t come crawling back for help if it doesn’t work out! I won’t give you a single cent!”

Father Qu never expected that a simple attempt to share his plans about buying property would lead to his younger brother prying out his future aspirations and using them against him. Nor did he expect such intense opposition. Initially, it was just a passing thought, but now, under the weight of his mother’s anger, he couldn’t help but feel uncertain.

Was he really that incapable? It was true that he wasn’t as smart as his younger brother. If he truly wanted to expand his business and ended up losing everything, wouldn’t that mean dragging his daughter down with him?

The more Father Qu thought about it, the more afraid he became. Just as he was about to waver, a crisp, cheerful voice rang out—

“Dad, I’m home! Did you miss your little Tan Bao’er?”

From the moment Qu Tantan started listening to their conversation, she had been sneering internally. So her Dad’s business hadn’t even taken off yet, and these people had already decided it was doomed to fail? No wonder, after his business actually collapsed a few years later, he kept thinking he was too stupid, it turned out someone had been beating him down from the start.

Feeling her Mom’s grip on her arm tightening, Qu Tantan finally couldn’t hold back. She broke free from her Mom’s hold, pushed the door open, and ran inside.

Looking at the arrogant younger version of her Grandma, she couldn’t help but think, Oh wow, so this is what she was like before she lost her mind? Damn, this is straight out of a novel, one of those classic, unreasonable, biased elders.

Hearing the lively voice of a child, the old lady instinctively turned to look. She had only one functional eye. The right side of her face was covered in a massive scar, making her appearance extremely frightening. She had been the nightmare of many children, her fierce expression more terrifying than the big bad wolf in fairy tales.

Seeing his daughter rush in, Father Qu panicked, afraid she’d be scared to tears by his mother’s appearance, which might set the old lady off. But to his surprise, Qu Tantan only paused for a moment, showing no trace of fear. Instead, she ran up to the old lady, tilting her head curiously as she studied her.

The old lady, well aware of how terrifying her face was, instinctively reached up to cover it. She didn’t like girls, but this was still her granddaughter. If she scared the child into having nightmares, that wouldn’t be good. She had long been used to people avoiding her in fear. In fact, she had planned to leave before the little girl came home, but she had stayed because she couldn’t ignore her eldest son’s ridiculous fantasies.

Yet, what she never expected was that this little girl who, in her eyes, symbolized the end of her eldest son’s bloodline, not only didn’t cry or hide but even did something completely outrageous.

The little girl smiled sweetly at her.

“Huifang!”

The crisp voice of a little girl echoed through the room.

For a moment, the entire house fell into stunned silence.

---

Because she had been too excited the previous day, Qu Tantan unsurprisingly woke up late the next morning.

Half-asleep, she was dug out of her blanket by her Mom, then ate the fragrant fried dough sticks and tofu pudding her Dad had bought. Even after being dropped off at kindergarten, her mind was still occupied with thoughts about her Uncle.

It wasn’t until she suddenly noticed how quiet it was around her, with all the children staring at her, that she finally realized what she had done yesterday.

Even the teacher seemed a bit nervous, as if afraid she might cause trouble. She must have made quite the name for herself.

Although the other kids were somewhat scared of her and didn’t dare talk to her, at least there was one silly little fawn with pigtails who took the initiative to approach her.

Meng Jiajia’s eyes shone brightly as she thanked her, looking quite excited. “Qu Tantan, you’re amazing! My Mom said to thank you for protecting me yesterday. If not for you, my hair would’ve been yanked right off. These are cookies my Mom made, have some! Oh, and, how did you know my nickname is Zaizai¹?”

Qu Tantan was momentarily speechless. She hadn’t expected her future best friend to have actually been in the same kindergarten class as her. Hearing Meng Jiajia’s question, she almost burst out laughing.

Not only did Qu Tantan know Meng Jiajia’s nickname was Zai’er, but Qu Tantan also knew that every time Meng Jiajia made her Mom angry, her Mom would chase her around with a broom and call her ‘Dog Zai’er’.

She had once confided in Qu Tantan that she started learning taekwondo because, as a child, she could never outrun her Mom during those chases.

Just as Qu Tantan was trying to hold back her laughter, she heard Meng Jiajia say seriously, “Qu Tantan, I told my mom I want to enroll in Taekwondo class today. I’m going to make Gu Quan eat dirt!”

Gu Quan was probably the boy who had led the group in bullying Meng Jiajia yesterday and ended up with a face full of bite marks.

Realizing that her talking as if in a dream yesterday had actually inspired Meng Jiajia to take up Taekwondo, Qu Tantan choked. She glanced at Meng Jiajia’s pretty dress and cute little braids, then thought about Meng Jiajia’s future self—short-haired, grinning with a mouth full of bright white teeth, exuding such a commanding presence on the basketball court that younger schoolgirls would call Meng Jiajia ‘husband.’ Suddenly, she felt a faint sense of guilt.

“Uh… aren’t we a bit too young to start Taekwondo?”

Meng Jiajia tilted her head, then excitedly waved her little fists. “Mom said we’ll ask first, and if I’m too young, Dad can teach me a few moves. Either way, I’ll make Gu Quan eat dirt!”

Meng Jiajia’s Dad was a retired soldier and now the deputy captain of the criminal investigation unit at the police station. Most of Meng Jiajia’s future combat skills could be credited to him.

Meng Jiajia’s Mom had once aspired to raise her as a little princess, but after Meng Jiajia threw a tantrum demanding to learn Taekwondo, her Mom ended up with a wild little troublemaker instead.

Meng Jiajia’s Dad was delighted, while Meng Jiajia’s Mom, though disappointed, showered all her affection for a little princess onto Qu Tantan instead, going so far as to make Qu Tantan her goddaughter.

Privately, Meng Jiajia had heaved a sigh of relief, muttering that her Mom, who once chased stray dogs mercilessly, was dreaming if she thought she could turn a scrappy country mutt into a princess.

Qu Tantan always found their family hilarious.

Thinking about the ‘country mutt’ of the past, she couldn’t help but glance at the little girl in the princess dress again. How strange. She had to take another look.

Before, she had only heard Meng Jiajia’s complaints. Now, she could finally understand her Godmother’s obsession with raising a little princess.

Kindergarten felt like a lifetime ago to Qu Tantan. She only vaguely remembered having a teacher she really liked, but looking around now, all the faces were unfamiliar.

Thankfully, she had Meng Jiajia by her side. She didn’t even have to ask much, her chatterbox friend had already spilled all the details from yesterday.

Apparently, Meng Jiajia had been bullied by Gu Quan because the arts and crafts teacher had praised her. Gu Quan, who had a crush on the pretty teacher, had tried to snatch away the little duck figurine the teacher had given Meng Jiajia. When she refused, Gu Quan and his group tried to take it by force, and in the struggle, the duck broke.

Meng Jiajia had cried mainly because the duck was ruined, but Gu Quan and the boys had indeed pushed her, so they deserved the beating.

Qu Tantan suddenly realized that the teacher she had liked back then must have been this beautiful arts and crafts teacher. She also found it amusing that someone who would later become the school’s most notorious troublemaker had once been a little kid who cried over a broken duck and held a deep grudge about it.

As she laughed, her sense of reality in this second life finally solidified.

As she already knew Meng Jiajia so well, it only took one class period for her to become Meng Jiajia’s closest friend. With ease, she also got Meng Jiajia to list out the names of all the kids in class.

Even though she had no memory of her kindergarten days, she knew how to act cute and had brought sweet milk candies to share. By the end of the day, she had won over the children who had initially been afraid of her, to the point where they were now crowding around her.

Even Gu Quan, who had been beaten up, blushed and forgave Qu Tantan when she apologized. Under her persuasion, he even admitted that he had been in the wrong yesterday and voluntarily apologized to Meng Jiajia.

The originally determined Meng Jiajia, who had vowed to beat Gu Quan so badly he’d be searching for his teeth on the ground, now scratched her head and sheepishly forgave him.

Sigh, innocent little kids really are adorable.

Thanks to Qu Tantan’s maneuvering, the teachers who had been worried about the children making a fuss today also changed their impression of her. They now saw her as the obedient and well-behaved child she had always been, believing that yesterday’s assertiveness was merely her standing up for a friend.

Thinking about how she still insisted on coming to school despite being injured—how she was clearly in pain, her hand nearly bringing her to tears, yet she blinked her big eyes and bravely said, “It’s okay, teacher, just blow on it and it won’t hurt anymore”—the homeroom teacher’s heart nearly melted.

Who wouldn’t love such a sweet and resilient child? Especially when she was this cute.

So, after school, when the parents arrived to pick up their children, the teachers made a point to tell the parents involved in yesterday’s incident how the children had made up thanks to Qu Tantan’s efforts. They even pulled Mother Qu aside to shower her daughter with praise.

Under the envious and admiring gazes of the other parents, Mother Qu, who had initially been preoccupied with her own thoughts, couldn’t help but smile. Her bright and expressive features were now full of unconcealed joy.

Holding onto her Mom’s hand, Qu Tantan tilted her head up and suddenly realized. Her parents, when they were young, were quite different from how she had always known them. She had thought that only her Dad had changed a lot, but now she saw that her Mom had as well.

It was just that in front of her, they had never revealed their other side.

Meng Jiajia’s Mom, holding a neatly wrapped box of treats, brought her daughter over to express their gratitude. Compared to Mother Qu—who had permed her hair into such voluminous curls that her daughter nearly didn’t recognize her—Meng Jiajia’s Mom still had her sleek, straight black hair and looked almost the same as she would in the future.

This made Qu Tantan slip up as she casually responded, absentmindedly blurting out, “Godmother.”

The natural way she said it caught both mothers off guard, and before she even realized her mistake, Meng Jiajia’s Mom instinctively responded, “Yes?”

—…Huh?

Once they processed what had happened, the two women exchanged slightly awkward glances. Meng Jiajia’s Mom looked down at the little girl, who was now covering her mouth in realization, her big eyes twinkling with mischief. A thought flickered in her mind.

The urge to dress up a little princess was stirring again.

So, before Mother Qu could apologize, Meng Jiajia’s Mom decisively took Qu Tantan’s hand, laughing as she playfully pinched her cheeks. “Alright then, Godmother it is! Godmother will bring you a gift tomorrow, and you’re welcome to come over this weekend. Jiajia’s been wanting a little sister for ages.”

—Oh my, does this mean I now have two adorable little princesses? What a win!

Meanwhile, Mother Qu, who had just suddenly gained an honorary relative: “…?”

Even though it had been a slip of the tongue, both women were easygoing and found they had a lot in common while chatting about their daughters. So, in the end, they simply went along with it.

“Tantan was such a good girl today! How about we go home and celebrate with some braised pork?”

As they left after saying goodbye to Meng Jiajia, Mother Qu, feeling quite pleased, swung her daughter’s hand happily. “Want some candied hawthorn? What about sticky rice cakes²?”

Qu Tantan vaguely remembered how, as a child, she had always looked forward to the food stalls outside school, especially those sweet sticky rice cakes and bamboo-wrapped zongzi³.

Thinking about it made her mouth water, but when she noticed that even in her happiness, her Mom still carried a trace of worry between her brows, she hesitated, then shook her head and reached out to be carried.

Using her uninjured chubby little hand, she gently touched her Mom’s forehead and, in a soft voice, deliberately tried to cheer her Mom up. “Did someone make Mom unhappy? Tantan will beat the bad guys for you and make them cry too!”

Surprised that her daughter had noticed her mood, Mother Qu was taken aback by her daughter’s perceptiveness but also felt deeply warmed. She rubbed her daughter’s little face affectionately. “Mom’s not unhappy. How could I be when I have Tantan looking after me?”

But under Qu Tantan’s skeptical gaze, she eventually sighed and confessed, “Your Grandma and Uncle are at home right now. Remember to be polite when we get back.”

She hesitated, still troubled. “And if you see your Grandma… don’t be scared. Mom and Dad are here, okay?”

She wasn’t worried about much, except that her daughter might be frightened by her mother-in-law’s presence. If that happened, they’d be stuck between a rock and a hard place, and her brother-in-law would have more ammunition to use against them.

But Qu Tantan, who didn’t fully grasp her Mom’s deeper concerns and had only caught the key words, suddenly narrowed her eyes.

So soon? That Uncle had already come knocking?

The only question was whether he was here to ‘borrow money’ or scheming something even bigger.

---

1. 崽 (zǎi) means cub / the young of animals ↩︎
2. ↩︎
3. ↩︎

---

When she heard the faint sound of crying, Qu Tantan thought she was dreaming.

She seemed to dream of returning to her childhood, finding herself in an old kindergarten. A group of children gathered around, doing something she couldn’t quite see. In the center sat a little girl, sobbing loudly. She looked somewhat familiar, as if Qu Tantan had seen her somewhere before.

As she wondered why she was having such a dream, she noticed a few boys pointing at the girl, laughing and shoving the girl. It was clear they were bullying the girl.

Seeing the lead boy yank the little girl’s braid, Qu Tantan suddenly realized—this girl looked like a younger version of her best friend! At that moment, anger surged within her, and she rushed forward, throwing a punch at the bully. The pain that shot through her fist nearly made her cry.

What was going on? How could she feel pain in a dream?

Annoyed, Qu Tantan shook her hand. Seeing the boys pounce toward her, she easily took them down. They had strength but no technique, so she pinned them all to the ground and gave them a good beating. Before the adults could separate them, she even managed to leave a ridiculous bite mark on the face of the ringleader. How dare he bully her best friend!

The boy clutched his face and wailed loudly. Standing beside her young best friend, Qu Tantan watched the scene with glee, laughing.

The teacher, trying to break up the fight : “……”

As several teachers rushed over in a panic, Qu Tantan remained fearless. She still believed she was dreaming, so she turned to the stunned little girl, unable to resist patting her head. With a serious tone, she said, “Kid, you really need to learn Taekwondo in the future. Look at you now, so weak that you can’t even fight back against a little boy. That’s pathetic.”

She wasn’t sure if the little girl understood, but her bright eyes were filled with admiration.

Qu Tantan almost burst out laughing. She had actually dreamed of Meng Jiajia, that little rascal, wearing a dress with two pigtails. When she woke up, she would definitely mock her for it.

This had to be because the two of them had been flipping through old photos last night and discovered they had attended the same kindergarten. Their late-night conversation must have led to this dream.

Finding this ‘dream’ rather amusing, Qu Tantan even boldly faced the teachers’ lecture. She stood tall and proud, explaining with confidence that she was only protecting Meng Jiajia.

She spoke clearly and logically, unfazed by the shocked gazes around her. More importantly, she noticed that Meng Jiajia’s eyes were shining with admiration, making her feel extremely pleased.

After all, in real life, Meng Jiajia was always the one calling her weak. Now, it was finally her turn to be admired!

The surreal feeling of it all made her strangely excited, until she heard the teachers exclaim, “Qu Tantan’s Mom is here!”

She looked up in shock, only to see a woman who was so familiar, so familiar that she didn’t dare to believe it.

And when the woman took her hand with a stern face, the pain in her fingers became even more distinct.

Wait… wasn’t this a dream? Why did the pain feel so real?

And, what was up with her Mom’s tacky perm?!

---

Even as she was carried out of the hospital by her mother, Qu Tantan was still in shock.

She stared blankly at her bandaged hand, her mind a mess. What on earth was happening?

Wasn’t she dreaming? Just last night, she and Meng Jiajia had been chatting about how they finally got into college and were planning how to have fun. How did she suddenly wake up as a child?!

The pain in her injured wrist finally made her realize, this wasn’t a dream. It seemed she had somehow… been reborn.

Sitting on the back seat of her mother’s bicycle, she looked around at the somewhat unfamiliar scenery, feeling utterly bewildered.

If this really was a rebirth, then—

As they passed by a rundown street that would one day become the city’s prime commercial district, Qu Tantan suddenly became excited. She hugged her Mom’s waist and shouted, “Mom, let’s buy this place!”

Right now, it looked old and shabby, but in the future, it would be a bustling commercial hub. The surrounding neighborhoods would also become the most luxurious high-end residences in the city!

If she really had been reborn, then this was her golden ticket to wealth!

Just as she was eagerly preparing to discuss their future as real estate tycoons, her mother smacked her lightly on the head and laughed. “Do you think buying land is as easy as buying a toy? Did your dad tell you he wanted to buy property here? You actually remembered that?”

She muttered to herself, “That big mouth… talking about it in front of the kid when we haven’t even decided yet.”

Qu Tantan, realizing that her family wasn’t rich yet : “……”

Frustrated, she slumped back onto the bicycle. Damn it! Even if they couldn’t buy the whole area, they could at least buy an apartment or a small shop!

Her parents had once regretted not buying property here when they had the chance. By the time it became a prime location, the prices were no longer affordable.

Now that she had a second chance, she was determined to seize this opportunity!

---

When they got home, Qu Tantan was still buzzing with excitement. But before she could say anything, she was scooped up by a pair of strong arms. Looking up, she saw a familiar young face grinning at her.

“I heard our little hero made quite a scene today? Let Dad see if the big hero cried!”

Seeing her young and handsome father, Qu Tantan first thought that, yes, her Mom really was a beauty, though that awful perm was a disaster. But the moment she looked at her Dad, a strange warmth welled up inside her.

Her nose tingled, and before she knew it, she had wrapped her arms around his neck.

She didn’t even know what to say.

In her memory, her Dad had always been a quiet and reserved man, seeming weighed down by many burdens. Even though he loved her, he never put it into words. At most, when she turned back to look at him, his perpetually solemn face would reveal a dry, awkward smile.

So, her Dad, before experiencing all those painful setbacks, had once been so full of life.

As Qu Tantan let her thoughts wander, tears unknowingly began to fall. Her Dad, thinking she was scared, hurriedly wiped them away in a fluster, making exaggerated expressions and calling her ‘Great Hero’ and ‘Tan Bao’er¹‘ to cheer her up.

Seeing her Dad’s comical attempts, Qu Tantan quickly suppressed her tears and gave him a big smile, seriously sharing her own heroic exploits with him.

Mother Qu had originally come home planning to scold her daughter, but upon arriving, she found the child crying so pitifully that she couldn’t bear to reprimand the child. Instead, she grumbled from the side, recounting how, after being called to the school, she had watched her ‘Great Hero’ fiercely argue with the other kids’ parents.

“…Acting all heroic and even spraining her own hand in the process,” Mother Qu added at the end.

She didn’t mention how things had ultimately been handled with the teacher and those parents, but Father Qu, beaming with pride, kept praising his Tan Bao’er for being amazing. His words made Qu Tantan feel delighted, so much so that she ate an extra half-bowl of rice that night.

Later, when it was time for bed, Qu Tantan nearly got carried into her parents’ room, which reminded her that when she was little, she had always slept between them. It wasn’t until she started elementary school that she moved to her own bed.

“The teacher said we’re grown up now and shouldn’t stubbornly insist on sleeping with our parents anymore,” Qu Tantan cleared her throat and found an excuse to push her Dad out. “Tan Bao’er is obedient, she will sleep alone from now on.”

Her Dad was touched for a moment but soon returned, holding a storybook.

“Doesn’t Tan Bao’er need Dad’s stories to fall asleep every night?” Father Qu grinned, sitting down beside her bed. “Since you did something good today, you get a reward, ten extra minutes of storytime.”

…Since when had her Dad been this clingy?

Speechless, Qu Tantan watched as her father cleared his throat and began reading ‘The Legend of the Condor Heroes²‘. Was this really her childhood bedtime story?

His deep, soothing voice filled the room, but instead of feeling sleepy, her mind raced wildly. If she really had been reborn, what should she do? Could she successfully prevent her Dad from suffering those past hardships? And what about Meng Jiajia’s forehead scar? Oh, right, she also had to deal with Grandma and that scumbag of an uncle as soon as possible…

Thinking it all through, she realized she had a lot to do.

She was so deep in thought that she didn’t even notice when her father stopped reading, only snapping back to reality when she felt a light tap on her forehead.

Blinking, she looked at her father with an innocent smile. “Dad, Tan Bao’er can’t sleep.”

“Didn’t you always fall asleep as soon as I started reading? Were you scared today?” Her Dad, unaware of her thoughts, patted her head with concern. “Or is your wrist hurting? Do you want to sleep with Mom and Dad after all?”

Qu Tantan quickly shook her head and, after a moment’s thought, grabbed his sleeve. “Dad, tell me about buying a house.”

“Are we really getting our own home? Or is it a shop? When Mom picked me up today, we passed by that area, but she said she wasn’t sure about buying it yet. But Dad, you do want to buy it, don’t you?”

Father Qu looked surprised that she had overheard their conversation. He hesitated for a moment before asking, “Tan Bao’er, do you like that place?”

Qu Tantan nodded enthusiastically. “And I like the houses there! Some of my kindergarten friends live there, and they say it’s great. I want to live there too.”

Right now, their family was renting a small, old house with peeling walls and a run-down appearance. They had saved up some money but were still hesitating on whether to buy a house immediately.

The original plan was to buy a new house and rent a storefront in that area. But since their daughter liked the houses there, and they were cheaper than the one they had initially considered, they could actually afford both a house and a shop.

Hearing his daughter’s innocent yet eager words, Father Qu felt a pang of emotion. His lingering doubts faded, and he firmly promised, “Alright, since Tan Bao’er likes it, we’ll buy a house there.”

Qu Tantan’s eyes lit up, and she immediately added, “And the shop too!”

“Alright, alright, we’ll get both.”

Thinking about what she had heard in her past life, she knew that soon, her uncle would come stirring up trouble with Grandma. He would manipulate his way into taking all their money, leaving them with neither a house nor enough money to rent a shop. Worried that her Dad might waver, Qu Tantan clung to him and repeatedly made him promise to buy the properties no matter what.

Father Qu chuckled and patted her forehead. “Do you not trust Dad at all? Don’t worry, Tan Bao’er, I’ll make sure you have a new home, alright?”

Finally reassured, Qu Tantan forced herself to relax and get sleepy. The first step was done. Next, she had to deal with that so-called ‘Uncle.’ She wasn’t sure exactly when he would show up.

Come to think of it, she had never even seen how her Uncle really looked like. In her past life, after tricking her Dad and Grandma out of their money, he had run off, never to return.

He had ruined her Dad and Grandma’s lives. He was nothing but scum.

---

1. the word 宝 (bǎo) literally means treasure, but also a word to call a baby or someone precious (usually using the variations 宝宝(bǎobǎo) or 宝贝(bǎobèi). The word 儿 (‘ér) is a common suffix to someone’s name or nickname to make it sound more endearing. ↩︎
2. This is the title of a wuxia novel ↩︎

---