Chapter 012 “Redemption” Dream

Chapter 012 "Redemption" Dream

Granny Li was running low on energy, and after chatting for a while, everyone took the hint and left the Li house. Granny Li went back to her room to sleep, leaving just Ye Sui and Li Pushu to clean up the living room. Quite a few people had come, and although the place was tidy, there was still quite a bit of trash.

"What did you two talk about when you went out earlier?" Li Pushu went to the corner to get a broom, for Ye Sui to clean with. At most, she would wipe the coffee table with a damp towel.

But given her fresh manicure and delicate fingers, she left the cleaning to Ye Sui. Li Pushu went to brew a cup of tea to quench her thirst—she had gotten greedy and eaten quite a few fried meatballs earlier, so she needed something to settle her stomach, or else she felt greasy all over.

"Nothing much, just a casual chat. He won't pester you anymore, but the Su family that Meng Ci mentioned might be a problem. Rather, the Su family has a young lady named Su Mingyue, and she's the trouble." Ye Sui said this, but inwardly, his mind was already plotting how to handle this trouble. It wasn't that big a deal.

Tying in with the Zhao family had come at the right time. Since ancient times, officials have always suppressed merchants, and besides, the Su family was in Jiangbei. It wasn't easy for them to reach into Jiangdong. Moreover, Su Mingyue wasn't the head of the Su family, so she didn't have the power to cause trouble in Jiangdong.

The only possibility was if Li Pushu returned to the Su family, back to Jiangbei, and they faced off directly. Otherwise, it wouldn't be so simple.

"Trouble? Not necessarily. The ones who gave her the ability to cause trouble are her parents, not herself. If she had that ability, she wouldn't be so insecure about her status." Just think about it—it's obvious. And she's not stupid.

"Shushu, no matter what, they don't matter. We'll always be together." Ye Sui pulled her into his arms.

He was worried Li Pushu would get her hopes up and then be let down. To have developed such a spoiled and mean temper, she must have been spoiled. After more than twenty years of raising, even if she wasn't their biological child, the emotions and resources invested were too much—so much that blood ties no longer mattered.

"Are you worried I'll be sad? Pfft, haha, Ye Sui, since when have I been that kind of person?" Li Pushu pinched Ye Sui's cheeks and pulled them apart. "First of all, it's not even confirmed if this is true. Even if it is, I'm quite curious about the parents' attitude and actions when the truth comes out. Will it be like those cheesy dramas, where they only acknowledge the one raised by their side and look down on the biological child as unworthy? Or will they keep both, claiming they're twins and telling them to be close like sisters?"

Too gross. When she saw that kind of thing, her brow would knot in disgust. Sisters? More like they've got a hole in their head.

If the real heiress was brought back to a family with the same conditions as her original home and had the same upbringing as the fake heiress, then this "sisterhood" might at least be surface-level peaceful. But when the fake enters the wealthy family, spoiled with love and luxury, and the real one ends up an orphan, nearly dead—under such vastly different circumstances, going back and being close sisters? She didn't understand, but she was shocked to the core.

Of course, some people would say that they only accept the child they raised; even if it's their biological child, without being raised together, there's no feeling. They wouldn't acknowledge the real one or swap them back, claiming it's all destined fate or whatever.

That's fine—personal feelings differ. But if you make that choice, then you should stay strangers forever. Don't later, as time passes and you get older, start wanting to get close to the biological child. That kind of two-faced behavior is way too gross.

Of course, all of this assumes that the mix-up was an accident, not intentional.

But given her situation at the time, if she really was the Su family heiress, there wouldn't have been an old baby blanket. Clearly, it was premeditated—an intentional swap. They didn't smother her to death, but brought her to Fengcheng and abandoned her by the roadside in a heavy rain, leaving her survival to fate.

This wasn't just a mix-up; it was a matter of life and death. That's why she said, if it's true, she's really looking forward to seeing the parents' attitude and choices.

Ye Sui knew her dark humor and smiled indulgently. "You," he said, "always watching those cheesy dramas." But confirming that Li Pushu wasn't affected, he felt the weight lift from his heart. As long as she had no expectations, she wouldn't be tied down.

"Cheesy drama comes from life, and life is often more dramatic than art. Look, isn't this over-the-top drama now landing on me? After watching so many, you know the patterns and have ways to deal with it." Li Pushu gave a light snort.

"Besides, who cares about that dirty money? Liquid assets and market value are two different things." Li Pushu had a proud, defiant expression. "I have a space, not to mention several real big gold mountains, but also piles of magical treasures and gems in that space. That money is mine. The Su family's little drizzle? Who cares!"

"Yes, yes, all yours." Ye Sui's gaze toward her was very gentle. "That Miss Su should have received the news by now. We'll go back to Jiangdong tomorrow so you can freely access the space. Once this is resolved, when we have time, you and I can come back to accompany Grandma. Shushu, I'm not perfect either, and I don't want to see you hurt in any way."

They were both human; no matter how careful, there would be one slip. Others who want to harm you would use all kinds of underhanded means. He didn't want to see that happen to Li Pushu.

"I know, I didn't say I wouldn't go back. Ye Sui, you've been getting more and more sentimental lately, spouting lovey-dovey stuff." Li Pushu poked his chest, scanning him like a scanner. "Tell me, where did you learn this trick!"

She still remembered when they first started dating, their first kiss. Ye Sui was so nervous his face turned red. She got mischievous and made him call her "baby," and in a deep, low voice—it was fashionable back then for lovers to use such intimate terms.

He was clearly saying such a sappy term for the first time, his expression froze, and when he finally forced out that "baby," it cracked her up.

But later, the innocent big boy turned into a seasoned pro, and he got used to saying it, especially when they were passionate; he loved calling her that over and over. In contrast, Li Pushu felt awkward. Actually, she didn't really like that term that much!

"You're always blaming me. Of course I learned it on you." Ye Sui suddenly picked her up, leaning in for a kiss. Li Pushu gasped and hooked her arms around his neck, guiltily glancing back at Granny Li's closed door and whispering, "You perv, remember this isn't our home. Grandma is still here. If you don't have shame, I do!"

At their home in Jiangdong, Ye Sui could get in the mood anytime, and they'd tried almost every corner of the house. If Granny Li opened the door and saw the two young people fooling around, it would be awkward for everyone. She didn't have that thick of a skin.

"We'll go back tomorrow morning." Ye Sui sighed with regret, but he hid a smirk. He hadn't actually intended to do anything—this was Granny Li's home, and he had to respect proper boundaries. He was just teasing her, to see her get all flustered.

Li Pushu's eyebrows raised, realizing Ye Sui's sly smile. She fumed, "Ye Sui, you're playing tricks on me!"

"Shushu, no, I wasn't."

"Still denying? I saw you sneaking a grin!"

"Seeing you makes my lips curl up involuntarily. I can't help it."

"Oh, you're getting bold now, and still trying to weasel out of it! Watch out, tickle torture!"

"Queen, spare me! I won't dare to overstep again..."

Inside the room, Granny Li listened to the two young people playing around and smiled with relief.

Xiao Ye was a good person, with his heart set on Pushu. She could trust him with Pushu's care.

.

Ye Sui and Li Pushu left the next morning. Walking side by side, they looked perfectly matched.

The Meng family lived on the third floor, in the building next door.

Meng Ci stood on the balcony, watering the flowers he kept there. Seeing the two of them leave hand in hand, he watched for a long time.

He felt an indescribable, inexplicable emotion.

He was indeed struck by Li Pushu—she shone like spring sunshine, involuntarily drawing people to chase and bask in her light. He confirmed that if they spent time together, he would definitely fall in love with her, not just be interested.

Unfortunately, she was already taken, and he couldn't compete. That was infuriating.

"How did you get so lucky, Ye Sui?" Meng Ci muttered sourly to himself.

Grandma Meng and Grandpa Meng had gone out. There was a vegetable market nearby, and they liked to go early to grab fresh produce.

Now only he was left in the Meng family home. Meng Ci put down the watering can with a spout, returned to his room, and saw the photo placed on the bedside table.

The woman in the photo was very young, probably around seventeen or eighteen, with pigtails, a backpack, and the youthful spirit was palpable even through the photo. She was flashing a peace sign with a shy smile.

Without a doubt, she was obviously the good-girl-next-door type.

This person was his biological mother, Meng Wanwan.

Even though she was his biological mother, Meng Ci's only evaluation of her was two words: idiot.

Meng Wanwan's family was moderately well-off. The family atmosphere wasn't great, but it wasn't terrible either. The Meng family only had her as a child. Even though Grandpa Meng wanted a son, with only one daughter, he still gave her all the resources, pouring effort into raising her. Perhaps he also felt, "Although I only have a daughter, she's no worse than your sons."

But whatever Grandpa Meng's true thoughts were, Meng Wanwan, as the only daughter, was indeed pampered and grew up spoiled. When others were struggling to survive, she could have whatever she wanted, even traveling, which put her ahead of many.

But it was precisely this kind of family environment that cultivated a "naive and innocent" personality. As a romantic girl, she thought she was kind, beautiful, simple, and cute, dreaming of saving those temporarily delinquent youths.

And then she chose his father. A man who was decent-looking but from a poor background, didn't study, was good at fighting and brawling, a local thug.

That day, Meng Wanwan was coming home from school, in her crucial senior year. Passing by an alley, she saw his father injured from a fight, looking up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle with a melancholy gaze, which deeply engraved itself into Meng Wanwan's heart. Her heart fluttered, and she decided to redeem him.

The two began to entangle, and Meng Wanwan went from being a well-behaved good student to skipping classes with his father, going out, dyeing her hair, and even giving up on the college entrance exam.

Against her parents' attempts to break them up, she stubbornly insisted on true love and ran away from home with his father. She always believed he would change, and that departure was the beginning of tragedy.

Thinking back to this, Meng Ci couldn't help but curse again: idiot. He didn't even want to mention his father's name.

They took a little money and went to a neighboring city, believing that love could overcome everything. But life was about the daily grind, especially for two seventeen- or eighteen-year-old kids. Meng Wanwan had never had to worry about living expenses since childhood. She was a flower in a greenhouse, with no survival skills. His father had grown up struggling, his survival skills either collecting protection money or doing manual labor.

As time went on, conflicts emerged and arguments began, followed by his birth, which only made the already poor young family worse. The love of their youthful years was buried, and that damned redemptive desire was nowhere to be found—only tormenting each other remained.

This absurd family environment came to an end when he was ten years old; his father went to collect protection money, got too brutal, and was secretly killed by a group of conspirators.

Back then, there weren't many surveillance cameras, technology wasn't advanced, and the culprits were local thugs—how could they ever find out?

Meng Wanwan cried for a long time, unsure if she was mourning the mistakes of her youth or grieving over how her husband was rotting in the mud and could never escape. Her so-called redemption was nothing but a naive joke—she dreamed that one day she would succeed in saving him, that he would turn into a big shot, and she would be his white moonlight, an indispensable presence. Even a ten-year-old Meng Ci would have laughed hearing such thoughts.

Meng Ci couldn't help but call her a fool under his breath. He thought, how could a man who grew up in the streets, who had seen the dark side of society, not know he was rotten through and through? He just clung to easy shortcuts to a good life; only someone as stupid as his mother would try to "redeem" someone like that, ignoring her parents' advice. Was it because she was seventeen or eighteen, too young to listen to reason, preferring to weave beautiful dreams to trap herself?

His father probably laughed in the dead of night, amazed that someone was foolish enough to approach him with a "I want to save you" look and end up with him. A scumbag like him would always drag a clean person into the mud and never let go.

Damn! Did Meng Ci dig up their graves or kill their whole family in a past life to end up with such messed-up parents?

Meng Ci, wearing a face as gentle as jade, was already cursing like a sailor inside his head.

When he was fifteen, Meng Wanwan finally passed away. It wasn't from some serious illness—she just couldn't let go of her inner conflicts, draining herself mentally for five years until she simply faded away. She refused to admit regret or incompetence, and only found release in death. Perhaps she also dreamed that if she were reborn, she'd make better choices next time.

Meng Ci didn't grieve much. After burying them together, he continued his studies and worked hard to get into college.

These two weird parents spent all their time obsessing over love and romance, often forgetting to feed him when he was little—how much affection could he have for them?

He was sharp and aced his exams, but college cost a lot of money. Meng Ci learned from Meng Wanwan the address of his maternal grandparents. Perhaps this was the only thing his mother did out of guilt for her son—telling him everything before she died, urging him to go back to them for help. Since she was their only child, they would surely take care of their grandson.

Meng Ci agreed, but he didn't go back right away. He waited until he knew he could get into a good college before returning to the Meng family.

He himself was a stain; to wash it away and be accepted and supported, he had to return wrapped in success.

And so he arrived at the present. Meng Ci would take care of them in their old age—after all, the Meng family fortune would eventually be his. But there wasn't much affection between them, just an unspoken agreement that he was restoring their lost face.

"I hope you're smarter in your next life and stop dreaming about redeeming some poor, troubled youth."

The phone ringing pulled him back to his thoughts. Meng Ci looked at the photo of Meng Wanwan, muttered in disgust, but still carefully wiped an invisible speck of dust off it with his fingertip before putting the frame down.

He glanced at the caller ID—Su Mingyue.

He felt a wave of nausea but still answered.

A coquettish voice came through the line: "A Ci, when are you coming back? I miss you so much. It's so hard without you."

"...Almost ready." Meng Ci silently edged the phone away from his ear.

"Come back today; I've already bought you a ticket. Oh, and while you're in your hometown, have you met any pretty girls? I'm telling you, you can't even look at another woman! Otherwise, I'll get jealous. A Ci, you know how much I love you; I can't live without you. Promise me you won't set your eyes on any other woman—absolutely not!"

The last sentence went from coquettish to a sharp, almost crazed tone.

Meng Ci raised an eyebrow. He was pretty sure Su Mingyue had confirmed her identity.

"Alright, I'll come back today."

"A Ci, I love you. I'll wait for you at home."

He hung up.

In Jiangbei, the Su residence.

Su Mingyue stared at the paternity test report, her face dark and twisted. She smashed a vase on the table, then took scissors and cut up a photo of Li Pushu.

They looked too alike. After receiving the photos sent to her, her heart raced, and she secretly did a paternity test comparing her DNA with her parents'. The result showed no biological relation.

She wasn't the Su family's eldest daughter. Obviously, that damn woman who looked like her mother was the real one!

"No, I am the Su family's eldest daughter! No one can steal my identity!"

Su Mingyue's face contorted with rage as she spoke menacingly.