Chapter 180 – Tang Fei’s College Entrance Exam Plan

Chapter 180 - Tang Fei's College Entrance Exam Plan

After Luo Chun and Luo Qi returned to Wangzhuang Village, Luo Chun's parents reunited with their son after years of separation.

As for Luo Gang, he had dropped out of high school back then and started working early on to make ends meet.

Recently, the Luo family, with the help of the village and county in their poverty alleviation efforts, took out a loan to lease a small hill to plant apple trees. Overall, their lives were improving, and with their newfound prosperity, they felt a sense of guilt for what Luo Chun had gone through in the past.

Luo's father and mother took care of three children at home—two in junior high and one still being held in their arms.

The harmonious family dynamics were restored to stability.

However, this equilibrium was disrupted from an unforeseen direction by external forces in no time.

The story unfolds when Luo Chun noticed that every household in the village was cultivating apples. The local apple cannery was struggling with sales, and villagers couldn't fetch a decent price for their produce, barely scraping by with basic subsistence living standards.

Over the years, Luo Chun had saved a considerable sum of money. Upon returning to her hometown, she pondered over a way to improve both her own and her village's situation. She consulted with the village head, proposing to organize a collective investment to establish an apple dehydration and fruit snack factory. She offered to contribute the lion's share of the funds, while the village sought loans through bank connections. Unfortunately, only a few villagers joined in the investment, more interested in watching the spectacle of the crippled Luo Chun failing.

Yet, before long, as the construction of the factory was nearing completion and equipment arrived in the village, those with wealth began vying eagerly to invest in Luo Chun's venture. News of her financial resources had spread far and wide.

After some time had passed since the news spread, a couple visited Luo Chun's residence. They claimed to have searched for a long time before discovering that their daughter was here. They were Luo Qi's biological parents and wanted to take her back.

Luo Chun requested a DNA test. Upon seeing the results, however, she postponed arranging a meeting between Luo Qi and her biological parents.

Dedicated to the construction of the factory, whenever Luo Chun had a moment to spare, she would take out the DNA report and stare at the paternity test results in a daze.

Should she return her daughter? She had raised her for over a decade, laughing and crying for her, and working tirelessly on her behalf. But in the end, she was still someone else's child.

Selfishly, Luo Chun didn't want to let her daughter go. Yet, blood ties and family bonds were natural law; how could she justify obstructing it?

Did she have the right to stop them?

Their lingering hesitation led the couple to rush to Luo Qi's school, intercepting her at the entrance and publicly acknowledging her as their daughter, exposing Luo Qi's background to everyone.

That same day, Luo Qi and Luo Chun, who had never argued before, engaged in a fierce dispute.

"Mom, why did you lie to me? They said you wouldn't let me meet them, that I was a child you bought! Is it true? Do I actually have biological parents? Was that NDA report real? What's going on here?"

How could she believe that the mother she had loved for so long was involved in child trafficking, the one who prevented her from meeting her birth parents, and had deceived her all these years?

In the past, Luo Chun was there to comfort her during her emotional breakdowns. But now, who could console her? There was no one left.

Luo Qi's anger felt like she had been deceived her entire life, loving a fraud all along. The memories of their mother-daughter relationship in the past now fueled her rage even more – the deeper her love for her mother, the stronger her fury.

"Luo Qi, you weren't bought by me. Your brother was my fiancé. After his accidental death, I adopted you. There must be some misunderstanding. Please let me explain."

"Turns out I'm not really your daughter!" Upon hearing this, Luo Qi truly felt as if her world had collapsed. Her agitation contained elements of betrayal, but mostly, she yearned to know the truth. She wanted to hear from Luo Chun that she was indeed her daughter, that the couple were the imposters!

The DNA report was fake!

What about this brother and fiancé? How did her biological parents fit into the picture? Why was everything so confusing?

She didn't want to hear any of it.

So, she was indeed adopted, and her real parents were someone else. It seemed as if her entire life had been flipped upside down, with the foundations of her beliefs crumbling.

With tears welling up in her reddened eyes and veins popping on her forehead, Luo Qi screamed "liar" and stormed out, slamming the door behind her without looking back. Luo Chun chased after her, but she couldn't catch up to Luo Qi, her usually agile movements hindered by the cane she leaned on.

From behind, she called out, "Luo Qi, don't run. Mom can't keep up."

Luo Qi's figure receded further and further away, until Luo Chun could no longer see her.

Did Luo Qi still yearn for a normal family?

Perhaps a single mother with a limp wouldn't provide the best influence for Luo Qi.

Would familial bonds truly make a difference due to blood ties?

As Luo Chun pursued, she gazed at the vast fields of wheat in her hometown and the gathering storm clouds above. Gradually, she came to a halt. She couldn't offer Luo Qi a better life. Perhaps Luo Qi would fare better and become more cheerful and confident back with her birth parents.

Nevertheless, Luo Chun conducted an investigation into the matter later.

She learned that Luo Qi's biological parents were deeply affected by having a deaf-mute son. They had concealed their parent-child relationship for a long time, claiming he was a relative's child.

After Luo Qi was born, Luo Chun failed a hearing test, and they decided to give the child up for adoption. Luo Qi's older brother refused and, unable to persuade their parents otherwise, took the ten-month-old Luo Qi and ran away from home.

They made no attempt to find them, as if they never had these two children.

But later, they gave birth to a healthy child who, unfortunately, passed away last year. That's when they remembered their other two children and spent a year searching for them. It wasn't until recent rumors surfaced that the child Luo Chun had adopted, Luo Qi, matched their description, that they finally came looking.

As for her brother who had been in the accident, they didn't mention him again, nor did they express much grief. They simply visited his grave.

Luo Qi was well taken care of. She was the only one left among their three children, and they vowed to Luo Chun that they would treat Luo Qi with utmost care, asking her not to say that they had abandoned their kids.

"It's better for the child. If she knew her parents abandoned her, how devastated she'd be. With being kidnapped, she'll only hate the kidnappers."

Luo Chun consented.

Half a month later, Luo Qi's emotions stabilized. She was about to part ways with Luo Chun, and despite her reluctance, she concealed her attachment. She alternated her gaze between her biological parents and Luo Chun, wishing that Luo Chun would ask her to stay.

If only Luo Chun asked her to stay, she would definitely not leave.

"Mom, will you miss me?" A glimmer of longing shone in Luo Qi's eyes. Luo Chun hugged her, "Mom will miss you. Come visit me sometimes, okay?"

"Mom..." Luo Qi's hope was unfulfilled, leaving her somewhat disappointed. She realized that after questioning her mother and leaving home, she had unintentionally conveyed a certain stance. Everyone seemed to have accepted her thoughts.

To now express her desire to stay would undoubtedly hurt her parents, who had eagerly awaited her return.

Before her stood a distraught parent whose child had been kidnapped, and an adoptive mother who had raised her but might have been involved in the shady dealings, along with a newfound brother whose stories were riddled with inconsistencies. Tang Fei suppressed these thoughts within herself.

As Luo Qi left, Tang Fei turned back repeatedly, slowly making her way to the door. Suddenly, she let go of her parents' hands and ran back to Luo Chun, hugging her tightly while crying, "Mom, I'm sorry for what I said that day. I'll definitely come visit you, and I'll miss you too."

...

A month after the filming of "Adoptive Mother" began, following Children's Day, Tang Fei, who had always been committed to her role and never ventured out or accepted any events or commercial work, approached the director requesting time off. She was going to sit for the college entrance exam.

This news astounded the entire cast and crew!

Mi Hai asked, "Tang Fei, which university are you applying to? Did you register for the National Academy of Dramatic Arts? How did we not know that you were taking the arts exam?"

"Tutor Mi, I want to make up for the regret of not taking the college entrance exam and shut up those who criticize my education level. Actually, I didn't apply to any universities," Tang Fei straightforwardly explained her intentions.

"I'll give you five days off. Do your best! To silence them, you need to pass the minimum score. Are you confident?"

"If I weren't confident, I wouldn't be taking the exam," Tang Fei replied confidently. She had been doing mock exams every night, and her cumulative score over the past few days had averaged around 650 points. This would be enough for a regular candidate to enter a top 211 or 985 university, and in the context of actors, it would place her comfortably within the top 5%.

"I wish you top the rankings!"

"Thank you, Director."