Chapter 13: The First Meeting.

Chapter 13: The First Meeting.

Ji Ning came back home.

That morning, after leaving the security checkpoint, she planned to follow her parents to see what they were plotting. But, frustratingly, they were too fast, and she... lost them.

With so many Ji family members and eyes everywhere, Ji Ning didn't hurry back right away. Instead, she roamed around until late at night.

As for Fu Xiaoman, Ji Ning stopped her before she could report to Fu Mingya about the young miss's departure.

In that call, Ji Ning didn't ask any questions.

When she first went abroad four years ago, Fu Xiaoman was out of her depth, having only learned basic English, making even simple tasks like buying groceries a challenge. Though Fu Xiaoman was supposed to be accompanying Ji Ning to school, she often ended up being the one taken care of.

At first, Ji Ning truly cared for Fu Xiaoman, but that care wasn't appreciated. Fu Xiaoman had come with a mission, tasked by the madam to act as a "human monitor." Friendship wasn't as important as her career.

So, it wasn't the young miss's distance that drove her away. Ji Ning had lost her memory, but she wasn't clueless. She could easily spot real feelings from fake ones.

Once, they had almost become friends.

For the sake of the rare honesty in that call, Fu Xiaoman gave up the idea of contacting Fu Mingya. There are no secrets in this world. A vibrant and bright person, under someone else's control, loses the meaning of life. How cruel that is.

Moreover, when that "someone else" is her own parents, it's even more cruel.

Of course, given Fu Xiaoman's personality, she wouldn't act impulsively.

Overseas, she had already received a good job offer. As for her father, Uncle Fu was getting old, and driving for long periods hurt his back. This job wasn't worth it.

Thus, Ji Ning successfully returned. Fu Mingya used to work late into the night and often came home late, so she had instructed the housekeeper, Jiang, not to follow the rule of leaving the lights on. Therefore, as the lights in the house went out one by one, Ji Ning entered.

How ridiculous. She just didn't want to leave as her parents had arranged, and now she had to go through so many obstacles just to return to her own home.

During these days, memories of occasional childhood rebellions flashed through Ji Ning's mind.

She thought this time would be the same small skirmish, catching her parents off guard, like a child eager for approval...

However, when she saw Zhu Zhu with her own eyes, her mind went blank.

"After attending this wedding, you should go back."

"Dwelling on the past is meaningless; it only wastes your present time."

"Better use that time to do something more meaningful, like cherishing the present."

These days, her parents, speaking from experience, repeatedly told her that there was no need to revisit the past.

But the child before her felt so familiar, like a missing piece of a precious puzzle had been found. She just didn't know where to place this piece.

The child's expression was sincere and delighted.

It was Ji Ning's first time meeting her, and she didn't even know how to greet her. She reached out and ruffled the child's head.

At the same time, she pondered for a long time, even foolishly wondering if the past she couldn't remember could be found in the words of this child.

"Do you know me?" she asked a ridiculous question.

Even someone as decisive as Fu Mingya was stunned for a long moment upon seeing her daughter.

She finally calmed down and pretended nothing had happened: "Lin Li, take this child to the guest room on the third floor first."

"Yes, everyone needs to rest after a long day of running around," Ji Guoting stepped in to mediate. "Let's talk about it tomorrow—"

"Are you my mommy?"

Zhu Zhu's sweet, timid voice was filled with anticipation.

The once vague image of the mother in the original story now had a clear face.

Mommy is so beautiful; Zhu Zhu seemed to recognize her but wasn't entirely sure.

Ji Ning's heart skipped a beat.

Then, she turned her gaze to the document folder in Lin Li's hand.

The folder bore the name of a professional DNA testing facility in Nancheng.

...

Taking the child home required following the proper procedures.

There was no need to wait for her parents to make up any silly excuses, like adopting a poor child. Those words, once spoken, would probably not even convince them.

Ji Guoting tried to stop Ji Ning, but by now, both his actions and words seemed too weak.

The paternity test results hadn't come out yet, but the document showed that the client had submitted hair samples.

Ji Ning suddenly realized why Fu Mingya had abruptly canceled the original styling studio appointment before Bai Hui's wedding and rescheduled her for a new hairstyle.

And that day in Fu Mingya's office, when she opened the tablet only to have it snatched away.

The vague unease and hesitation she felt when she saw the trending topic about Little Bitter Melon Baby, and her mother's cold deflection of the topic...

They had known about the child's existence all along but were still weighing the pros and cons.

Everything had left clues.

Connected together, they formed a logical story.

The lights in the room were still bright.

The confusion and helplessness in Ji Ning's eyes slowly faded away, eventually disappearing completely.

In their place was anger.

A long-buried, rising anger.

Ji Ning hadn't yet realized what Zhu Zhu's presence meant, nor did she understand her past self.

But she knew her parents well—they had the ability to manipulate and obstruct everything, and they took pleasure in controlling her like a ridiculous puppet.

All under the guise of doing what was best for her.

Fu Mingya never apologized, and she knew the secret couldn't be kept any longer.

It was almost predictable how the spoiled rich girl would act recklessly.

Knowing the truth, she would cause a scene, one that would humiliate everyone.

Yet when Ji Ning spoke, she was calm.

"Is it fun?"

"Is running me around in circles part of your company's KPI?"

Lin Li wondered how the young miss could stay so calm, then her gaze fell directly on Zhu Zhu.

In a flash, it all made sense.

"I'll take the young miss back to her room first."

...

Anger was inevitable.

She was conditioned to live by their rules, spun around like a top, pushed this way and that...

And still praised like a docile lamb for finally maturing.

What was even more infuriating was that, until this moment, the young miss still didn't know what had happened back then.

In the living room, Fu Mingya and Ji Guoting had not gone upstairs yet.

They sat at opposite ends of the sofa, silent, with faint, sharp sounds echoing around them.

Just moments ago, Ji Ning had already exploded in the living room.

Now she moved upstairs to continue venting her anger.

The soundproofing in this villa was excellent.

Yet, the sound of Ji Ning throwing things upstairs could still be heard. After being suppressed for so long, it was inevitable to vent. Fu Mingya didn't mind, seeing it as a kitten flexing its claws, knowing it would soon tire.

Not long after, Lin Li came down.

She said the young miss had been busy all day and was tired, now asleep. The young miss was so well-behaved, she didn't need to be coaxed; just a gentle stroke of her hair by an adult, and she curled up, quietly closing her eyes.

The child was still young, and thankfully so, oblivious to what lay ahead in this household.

As Lin Li had wondered earlier, could such a stifling and oppressive environment truly be good for the child's development?

Lin Li did not linger and left the Ji family.

As she stepped out, she heard another loud crash.

It must have been the antique vase at the end of the second-floor hallway shattering.

But as Madam Fu had said, this too would pass.

Just like many years ago, Madam Fu arranged a marriage alliance without ever asking Ji Ning's opinion. The young miss couldn't accept it, and Madam Fu simply conveyed the task to be executed to her subordinates, telling her that since she enjoyed the superior life brought by the family, she must bear the responsibilities.

Back then, the young miss was still very willful, trying every way to resist.

But now, four years later, she probably no longer had the heart for such struggles.

She could only accept it.

...

Zhu Zhu was not picky about beds; she could even sleep on the simple bed made of hard boards at the Zhao family's, let alone the beautiful big bed in the castle.

The bed was very comfortable, even the pillow was soft. She nuzzled her little head into it, leaving a small impression.

But Zhu Zhu still couldn't fall asleep.

This was the first time she had seen her mother, and without any hesitation, the clever little girl recognized her mother right away.

But her mother didn't know who she was.

Zhu Zhu remembered that her mother had lost her memory.

The original storyline and reality sometimes overlapped, and sometimes were completely different. Even adults might struggle to tell the difference, let alone a three-year-old.

Finding her mom seemed to be the only thing that made her happy. Coming here, Xiao Tuanzi was just as unwelcome as she had been back in Yongrui Village.

The room was quiet. Aunt Lin Li had left a small lamp on, and Zhu Zhu wasn't scared.

She got out of bed, barefoot, and padded across the wooden floor to open the door.

It was late again.

All the lights in the big castle were off.

Just as Zhu Zhu was about to head back to her room, she heard faint footsteps from the second floor.

She looked up and saw her mom.

When Zhao Xiaojie and his grandma were watching TV, Zhu Zhu watched too.

She only half-understood the adult dramas, but she could still guess the plot based on the context.

Mom was going to run away.

Ji Ning was carrying a bulging backpack.

The backpack was left over from her student days, kept in the closet like a souvenir. It was so outdated that she despised it, but it was the only bag that could hold more luggage.

The backpack was half as tall as a person, and carrying it made walking difficult.

Looking up, she saw a faint light and noticed Xiao Tuanzi peeking out.

"So you live in this room."

Ji Ning wasn't wearing shoes and stepped up the stairs.

The Zhu Zhu in the trending videos seemed different from the real-life version.

The camera could magnify people, and the child looked even smaller now, her long eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings when she blinked.

This was Ji Ning's second meeting with Zhu Zhu.

Without a formal introduction, she gently pinched the little girl's cheek.

It was soft.

Seeing Zhu Zhu staring at her backpack, Ji Ning explained, "It's filled with clothes and toiletries. I can't stay in this house anymore; I have to leave."

As she got closer to the truth day by day, she realized that the grandiose rhetoric was just a cage her parents had built for her. As long as she enjoyed the glory of being the Ji family's heiress, she could never escape the cage and become herself.

She was going to leave, openly and boldly.

Reality and drama are different. Ji Ning doesn't want to leave her gold card behind and live a hard life... After being deceived for so long, it's not too much to ask for emotional damages.

Perhaps soon, Madam Fu will take action.

But in any case, that's a matter for the future.

As for now, one should be happy when they can.

As Ji Ning spoke, she held her chin high, her eyebrows animated, exuding pride and brilliance.

In the original storyline, Zhu Zhu had glimpsed the silhouette of her mother, and the mother she imagined was exactly like this.

But later, she had an accident, and her mother was heartbroken, like a balloon losing all its air, never to return to her former self.

In the dream sequence of the original plot, a voice-over narrated the latter half.

A mechanical voice narrated, with regret, the life of the original female lead. It said that her life seemed to be paying for the willful and wrong decision she made four years ago. Until the last moment of her life, no one knew if Ji Ning had regretted it, but as an outsider, it just felt that Ji Ning and the original male lead had disrupted the rhythm of their lives for an unnecessary child, which was not worth it.

According to the original plot, Zhu Zhu was an unwanted little burden.

Since many events in the original plot had come true, Xiao Tuanzi took it as gospel truth.

"It's so heavy," Ji Ning said, "Let's go!"

Without Zhu Zhu's mother, Ji Ning was as carefree as she had been in the first half of the story.

Xiao Tuanzi gazed up solemnly, committing her appearance at this moment to memory.

Finally, she waved her little chubby hand and said in a soft, childlike voice, "Goodbye."

Zhu Zhu was so reluctant.

Ji Ning, puzzled, looked at her little hand.

"What goodbye?" Ji Ning touched her little forehead, "Let's go!"

Xiao Tuanzi looked at her foolishly.

Until Ji Ning, pulling her, stepped down the beautiful spiral staircase in the big castle.

It turned out her mother had come to take her away.

...

Late at night.

In a top-floor suite of a hotel in the Northern City, the panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows offered a full view of the city's night scene.

In front of the window, a man with neat short hair and a well-tailored suit looked at the slowly lighting city landmarks.

The assistant, Wen, was still reporting work.

Finally, he said, "And the lady you asked me to find, I have a photo here, please take a look."

Four years ago, Mr. Jiang met and fell in love with a girl, who then disappeared without a word, as if she had never existed.

Assistant Wen had seen that girl once.

Unlike the reserved Mr. Jiang, she was eccentric and passionate, a radiant beam of light piercing his orderly life.

Over the years, Mr. Jiang has been searching the world for her, his only worry being that she might have met with misfortune.

"A classmate of mine stayed at a corporation in North City after graduation. That day, the company's heir got married, and the event was lavish. He happened to be there for some business and took a photo of the wedding scene, sharing it in our group chat to give us a glimpse."

Jiang Cheng clearly wasn't interested in the secrets of North City's wealthy families.

"I think a silhouette in the photo looks very much like the girl you're looking for."

As expected, Jiang Cheng looked over.

The much-hyped century wedding was naturally luxurious, with the groom and bride looking like a perfect pair. However, Jiang Cheng's gaze fell where the assistant pointed.

A girl in a lake-green haute couture gown, her back slender and thin, her chestnut hair flowing, impeccably dressed from head to toe, clearly a carefully crafted appearance.

Jiang Cheng couldn't see her face clearly, but the image in his mind lingered, refusing to align with her.

"It's not her," Jiang Cheng said lightly. "Assistant Wen, you know her situation back then."

Assistant Wen got the hint.

The encounter between Mr. Jiang and that girl back then was like a plot from an old-fashioned melodramatic novel. The heir of a listed group met a beautiful ordinary girl by chance, was moved by her vibrant resilience, and a brief encounter left a deep impression on him, leading him to search the world for her many years later, unable to forget.

Back then, the beautiful girl was penniless. How could she now transform into someone wearing high-end gowns worth hundreds of thousands, mingling in the world of fame and fortune?

"But..."

Assistant Wen said, "Mr. Jiang, everything she told us was just her word... her name, identity, alma mater, even her family background. We followed those leads but couldn't verify them."

The city landmark lights rotated, casting shadows through the expansive windows onto Jiang Cheng's sharply defined face.

Making his profile even more pronounced.

"What are you getting at?" Jiang Cheng's expression remained unruffled.

"What I mean is..."

"Could it be that back then, could it be that..."

Before Mr. Jiang completely lost his patience, Assistant Wen braced himself and blurted out.

"Could it be that you encountered a romance scam!"

As the words fell, the suite fell into silence.

Assistant Wen shrank his neck, like a breeze, silently slipping away.

Leaving Jiang Cheng alone, typing a line into the browser—

What is a romance scam?

...

Ji Ning ran, her hair loose, flying in the autumn wind.

She turned back and noticed that Zai Zai's legs were so short, her little feet pattering on the ground, struggling to keep up.

Zhu Zhu mustered all her strength, sprinting with her short legs.

They were not yet familiar with each other, but at this moment, they became each other's only allies.

The three years after losing her memory, Ji Ning drifted through life.

But at this moment, all restraints seemed to be completely cast aside.

Breaking through the darkness, Ji Ning, the Ji family's heiress, took along the little heiress she had just recognized. They walked through the courtyard under a sprinkle of scattered starlight.

A door stood before them, and beyond it, a new life awaited.

But the door was closed.

Leaving now was an escape—how could they make a scene?

Ji Ning raised her head, looking towards the low wall of the Ji family villa.

The low wall, covered in flowers, separated them from the outside world, and Ji Ning was ready to take the leap.

Ji Ning turned to Zhu Zhu and said, "Let’s climb the wall!"

"That’s how they do it on TV—escaping means climbing over walls."

"Can you do it?"

Zhu Zhu scratched her head.

Clearly, she couldn't.

Ji Ning wasn’t used to being a mother, and she believed Fu Mingya and Ji Guoting were terrible parents, so she had no role model to follow.

But she was determined to figure it out on her own.

"I'll teach you."

Ji Ning rolled up her sleeves, took off the backpack on her back, and threw it out.

Listening to the backpack hit the ground, she calculated the wall’s height and said matter-of-factly, "It’s the same height on both sides."

Zhu Zhu tilted her head, her eyes filled with admiration.

So amazing!

Ji Ning raised her chin, her eyes shining with confidence.

The yard was quiet, only Ji Ning and Zhu Zhu were there.

They moved stealthily, whispering like a pair of mischievous thieves.

Ji Ning was getting better at it. She said to Zhu Zhu, "I'll scout the way, you watch and learn."

Climbing the wall felt natural, like scaling a tree. Though she had no memory of doing it before, her movements were practiced—'swish, swish'—her hands steady, her body light and agile.

When it was time to jump down, Ji Ning was already lost in the admiring eyes of the children.

"I'm going down!"

With a "thud," Ji Ning landed, standing steadily.

She landed like a martial arts heroine from a period drama, her movements graceful and precise.

She dusted off her hands, looking as proud as could be, stood on tiptoe, and called out into the yard, "Wait for me... I'll come back and pick you up."

As soon as she finished speaking, Ji Ning heard a faint, almost imperceptible footstep.

The yard's gate was pushed open by Zhu Zhu without so much as a creak, and no one was around to stop her.

Light tap, tap, tap—

Zai Zai scurried over with tiny steps to meet up with her.

Ji Ning: Huh?