《The Most Pampered Daughter in History》


 Chapter 1

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Peppermint Alley in Beixian District was a village in the city and the most famous slum in M City. It was not as elegant as its name suggested.


    Even during the day, no one was willing to come here, let alone at night. The people who lived here were at the bottom of society. There were peddlers, drug addicts, and all kinds of people who had been released from prison. In order to survive, they lived like ants.


    This was not only the slums, but also the most famous black market. Those shady crimes were natural here.


    Therefore, when the Gu family¡¯s luxury car drove into the narrow alley, almost all the windows peeked out to admire the grand occasion. It was something that never happened before.


    More than a dozen people, both men and women, got out of the three luxury cars. All of them were bright and beautiful people, making the filthy and ugly alley, which could not even be illuminated by the hot sun in broad daylight, look even more dilapidated.


    ¡°Yo! Where did this idiot come from? Does he think this place is a tourist attraction? Hahaha¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the fool! Open your dog eyes and look at the license plate! That was the Gu family¡¯s car! The Gu family!¡±


    ¡°Which Gu family?¡±


    ¡°Which Gu family? Which Gu family can you think of with that smooth brain of yours?¡±


    ¡°Look, look! They¡¯ve entered Building 9!¡±


    ¡°Building 9? Qin Zhi, that girl? Could they be looking for Qin Zhi?¡±


    ¡°No way? How could Qin Zhi have any relationship with the Gu family?¡±


    ¡°Why is it impossible? You see, they didn¡¯t hesitate at all and went straight to Building 9. Now only Zhizhi lives in Building 9, and this girl is not willing to move out no matter what. She said that her sister¡¯s soul has been guarding her, sigh!¡±


    ¡°But what does this have to do with the Gu family? You¡¯re digressing too much.¡±


    ¡°Hey, didn¡¯t the Gu family lose a child a few years ago? I heard that Mrs. Gu has gone crazy from looking for the child. Oh my God, is our Zhizhi a child of the Gu family?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think your imagination is a little too rich? Our Zhizhi may be a little cutie, but this child¡¯s life is more bitter than black coffee. How could she have any relationship with the heavenly Gu family?¡±


    There were not many decent houses in Peppermint Alley, and they were not soundproof at all. They did not need to walk up and down the crude stairs, and could chat freely by leaning out of the window.


    ¡°Hurry! He looked there and there! She really went to Zhizhi¡¯s house! No, we have to go and take a look. Don¡¯t let the girl be bullied!¡±


    The entire Peppermint Alley was stirred.


    Qin Zhi quietly looked at the group of men and women who had rushed in. She had just been chased by this group of people and ran all the way to the fifth floor in one breath. Her breathing was rapid and even uneven for a moment.


    The small room seemed to be short of air with so many people in it.


    Qin Zhi¡¯s back was tightly pressed against the wall. She was holding a black cat that was as thin as her in her arms. She looked at the people in front of her alertly. Suddenly, her eyes fell on the face of the woman in the middle. She had the same face as her! It was just that this woman was a little old.


    Qin Zhi swallowed with great effort, trying to suppress her wildly beating heart.


    Everyone looked at Qin Zhi, and no one spoke for a while.


    Qin Zhi saw that almost everyone¡¯s eyes were glistening with tears, and the woman who looked very similar to her had tears streaming down her face. She had long been sobbing.


    ¡°Zhizhi, my Zhizhi! I¡¯m your mother! I¡¯m your mother!¡± Her entire body was trembling. She wanted to reach out to touch her, but it was as if she was imprisoned and could not move forward. She could only reach out to her with trembling hands and mumble her name.


    A younger woman beside her held onto her, gently caressing her back as she consoled her, ¡°Sister-in-law, don¡¯t be agitated. It¡¯s good that you¡¯ve found Zhizhi. Don¡¯t be agitated, and take care of your health.¡±


    The woman¡¯s body went soft and she collapsed on the old floor. Qin Zhi¡¯s heart tightened. She involuntarily took two steps forward and wanted to support her, but she backed away warily and leaned against the wall again as if the wall could give her a sense of security. The kitten in her arms jumped out and leaned tightly against her feet.


    Gu An squatted down and looked at the skinny little girl in front of him. Her face was yellow and she looked emaciated. His heart ached.


    Although she looked malnourished, her eyebrows and eyes were exactly the same as his wife, Han Li. He even felt that there was no need to do a paternity test at all.


    He tried his best to soften his voice. ¡°Zhizhi, I¡¯m your father and this is your mother. You¡¯re our biological daughter. I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s our fault for losing you and making you suffer.¡±


    Gu An was so sad that she could not continue.


    The daughter that he had been looking forward to, the chubby little ball, had been lost by those bastards. For so many years, his whole family had worked hard to find his daughter.


    Han Li blamed herself and was sad. Her body was exhausted, her heart was not good, and her mental state was also getting worse.


    He reached out to embrace Han Li and gently patted her back. Han Li, don¡¯t cry. Don¡¯t scare Zhizhi.


    Han Li immediately wiped away her tears, but her tears seemed to have burst out of a dam and could not be stopped. ¡°Zhizhi, I¡¯m sorry. Mommy has let you down. Mommy was wrong, it¡¯s all mommy¡¯s fault¡­¡±


    Han Li covered her mouth and cried so hard that she felt like her liver and guts were about to break.


    Gu An had no choice but to hold Han Li and support her swaying body. He looked at Qin Zhi, who was nervous and on guard, and said gently, ¡°Zhizhi, we¡¯re here to take you home. Grandpa and Grandma are waiting for you at home. They miss you very much.¡±


    He glanced at Han Li in his arms. ¡°Your mother¡¯s heart is not good. She misses you too much¡­¡±


    His last word turned into a sigh, and his eyes turned red.


    Qin Zhi finally took two steps forward and raised her eyes to look at Han Li. ¡°Are you really my mother?¡±


    In the end, she was still attracted by this face that was exactly the same as hers. The moment she opened her mouth, her voice stunned everyone. Her childish voice was crisp and soft, as if it was gently caressing the tip of everyone¡¯s heart, numbing and soft.


    Han Li¡¯s eyes were filled with surprise. She struggled to push Gu An away and slowly knelt down. She looked at Qin Zhi at eye level and nodded with tears in her eyes. ¡°Zhizhi, I¡¯m your mother¡­¡±


    She reached out her trembling hand, wanting to touch Qin Zhi¡¯s face, but she was afraid that her daughter would not accept her. She was hesitant and timid.


    Qin Zhi finally took two steps forward, allowing Han Li¡¯s hand to touch her.


    Qin Zhi opened her mouth again. ¡°I don¡¯t remember you. I didn¡¯t know I had a mother.¡±


    Her voice was soft, and there was an indescribable grievance in it.


    Han Li could not hold it in any longer. He grabbed Qin Zhi¡¯s hand and hugged her tightly in his arms, crying out loud.


    She was crying about her self-blame, her longing, and her pain.


    ¡°Baby, I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s all mommy¡¯s fault. Mommy accidentally lost you. Mommy¡¯s bad. Mommy¡¯s wrong!¡±

 Chapter 2

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The women present could not help but shed tears, and the men¡¯s eyes also reddened.


    Qin Zhi hesitated. She gently raised her hand and placed it on Han Li¡¯s head. Slowly, she stroked it over and over again. ¡°Don¡¯t cry, don¡¯t cry. Zhizhi doesn¡¯t blame you.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s crying stopped abruptly. She held Qin Zhi¡¯s thin shoulder and looked at her daughter in disbelief. ¡°Zhizhi, you don¡¯t blame Mommy?¡±


    Qin Zhi gently nodded. She raised her hand to wipe the tears on Han Li¡¯s face, and the tears fell onto her palm. She looked up at Han Li and said seriously, ¡°You¡¯re so sad. You didn¡¯t do it on purpose, did you?¡±


    Han Li nodded her head fiercely, tears flowing down his face. ¡°Mommy didn¡¯t do it on purpose. How could Mommy not want you? How could I not want Zhizhi? You¡¯re Mommy¡¯s baby! You¡¯re Mommy¡¯s most precious. Without you, Nommy¡¯s heart will always be in pain, always in pain!¡±


    Han Li thumped her chest and his face turned paler. Gu An was worried and wanted to help her up, but Han Li slapped his hand away.


    She only had her daughter in her eyes and heart now!


    Qin Zhi sighed softly and grabbed Han Li¡¯s hand. She was about to hit herself again. Qin Zhi called out softly, ¡°Mommy.¡±


    Everyone¡¯s breathing stopped.


    Han Li pulled Qin Zhi into her arms. This time, she did not cry. She only hugged her tightly, afraid that all of this was just a dream. She was afraid that it would disappear in the blink of an eye like the countless dreams she had had over the years.


    Gu Nian, who was standing next to her, wiped her tears away and said with a smile, ¡°Sister-in-law, don¡¯t cry. Look, Zhizhi has acknowledged you. You should be happy!¡±


    The sister-in-law, Lin Wan, laughed and tears fell. ¡°Sister-in-law, get up quickly. The ground is cold. Take care of your health. It¡¯ll be fine once Zhizhi is back.¡±


    As she spoke, she could not help but start sobbing again.


    Gu Nian and Lin Wan hugged each other and started crying. The Gu family had been waiting for this day for far too long.


    They were crying tears of joy.


    Gu An helped his wife up and also picked up Qin Zhi.


    This child¡¯s bones were extremely light. He could not help but feel pain in his heart. His baby had actually been reduced to such a state!


    From now on, he would never let his baby suffer the slightest grievance!


    Han Li grabbed Qin Zhi¡¯s small hand and did not want to let go for a moment. She was too afraid of losing her. She was afraid that all of this was not real. Only this small hand that was as thin as a small claw in her palm could give her a little dose of reality.


    Qin Zhi looked at Gu An, who was holding her in his arms. He was very good-looking, but he had two tufts of white hair on his temples. Qin Zhi felt inexplicably distressed. She touched the white hair with her free hand and called out softly, ¡°You¡¯re my father.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Daddy!¡± Gu An burst into tears. He buried his face in his daughter¡¯s arms and held her tightly.


    This belated ¡®Dady¡¯ made this man, who was revered by both the political and business circles, cry.


    The Gu family took turns introducing themselves in front of Qin Zhi.


    Uncle Gu Nian, Aunt Lin Wan, Aunt Gu Hao, Uncle He Zhao, Uncle Han Cheng, and Aunt Tang Xing all rushed to introduce themselves to Qin Zhi. This group of business elites, who were high and mighty in the eyes of others, were all as happy as children at this moment.


    Qin Zhi was a little overwhelmed. She could not remember these people¡¯s faces for a moment, but she greeted them very politely and greeted them one by one. Her soft and clear voice made every adult¡¯s heart warm.


    While everyone was overjoyed, they could not help but feel fortunate. They had never expected that Zhizhi, who had led a wandering life in such an environment, would turn out to be such a polite and well-behaved child. This must be the blessing of the Gu family¡¯s ancestors!


    Qin Zhi glanced at the wall that she had just leaned against from time to time. Gu An thought that her daughter was nervous and hugged her even tighter. ¡°Baby, let¡¯s go home. Let¡¯s go home to see Grandpa and Grandma. They all miss you. Oh, and also your brothers. They¡¯re all waiting for you to come home! You are the little princess of the Gu family! I promise you that I will never let you suffer again!¡±


    ¡°Princess?¡± Qin Zhi tilted her head and thought for a moment.


    ¡°Daddy, do you have money?¡± Qin Zhi asked softly.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Han Li, who was standing beside him, answered firmly.


    ¡°Baby, Mommy¡¯s money will be yours in the future!¡± What was money? From now on, no matter what her precious daughter wanted, she would give it to her!


    Qin Zhi was a little shocked. She looked down at the buttons on her father¡¯s shirt and said softly, ¡°Building 6¡¯s Uncle Guan broke his leg. He lent me some rice yesterday, and I haven¡¯t returned it yet¡­¡±


    The Gu family was stunned.


    Gu An¡¯s tears almost fell. The only daughter of the Gu family actually needed to borrow rice!


    He immediately said loudly, ¡°Daddy will pay it back for you. Not only will I pay for the rice, but I will also treat Uncle Guan¡¯s leg. What do you think? ¡±


    Qin Zhi¡¯s eyes lit up.


    Gu An was sad, but he could not help but feel gratified. His daughter was so loyal!


    He turned around and looked at the people outside, then said loudly to the bodyguards, ¡°Go! They went from house to house to thank the neighbors! Thank you for taking care of my Gu family¡¯s daughter. The Gu family is extremely grateful!¡±


    The bodyguards obeyed the order and left.


    The crowd could not help but cheer.


    ¡°Zhizhi, thank you!¡±


    ¡°Little Lucky Star, you have to live a good life when you go back with mom and dad!¡±


    ¡°Little baby Zhizhi! You must be happy!¡±


    ¡°Zhizhi, we will always wish you well!¡±


    ¡­


    Qin Zhi, who was in Gu An¡¯s arms, revealed a smile that went from a shallow smile to a deep one. When the smile appeared, everyone in the Gu family could not help but be stunned. This child¡¯s smile was as beautiful as a flower blooming in spring, even more dazzling than her mother¡¯s when she was young. She was indeed the Gu family¡¯s destined treasure to bring prosperity to the family!


    ¡°Meow, meow, meow!¡± A soft meow came from under his feet.


    Gu An lowered his head and saw a black cat with shiny fur rubbing against his feet.


    Qin Zhi, who was in his arms, immediately struggled and wanted to get down.


    Gu An put Qin Zhi down and the cat immediately jumped into her arms.


    Qin Zhi stretched out her hand and stroked the cat¡¯s back.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, Xiaofu!¡± she comforted it softly.


    She looked up at her parents and asked carefully, ¡°Can I bring Xiaofu along?¡±


    Han Li nodded without hesitation. ¡°Of course you can. Zhizhi, see if there¡¯s anything else you want to bring.¡±


    Even if her daughter wanted to bring a rat home, she would not refuse, let alone a cat!


    Qin Zhi looked around the small room and shook her head gently.


    Han Li¡¯s heart ached. He bent down to pick up his daughter and the cat. Gu An was worried about her body, so he picked them up first. ¡°You don¡¯t have to bring anything. Your mother has been preparing for this day since you were a child. She has everything you need!¡±

 Chapter 3

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    All these years, Han Li had been using these things to lie to herself. Her daughter was still by her side. If it was not for the support of such beliefs, Han Li would have fallen long ago.


    Because of Zhizhi, every household in Peppermint Alley received gifts from the Gu family to thank them for taking care of her.


    Although the various people in Peppermint Alley were engaged in various professions and lived completely different lives, they had a rare common point ¡ª They were good to Qin Zhi.


    Qin Zhi had lived here with her sister for a few years. Because her sister was often not at home, she had grown up eating the meals of poor families.


    Although the food was not that good, and the people were not easy to get along with, she still managed to survive. Perhaps the angelic Qin Zhi was the last ray of light in everyone¡¯s heart.


    Now that Qin Zhi was leaving Peppermint Alley, everyone hoped that her future would be bright. It was as if Qin Zhi¡¯s happiness would also mean that their future would be limitless.


    Along the way, Han Li held Qin Zhi in his arms and did not leave her for a moment. She was still worried that this was a new dream. Maybe in the blink of an eye or a cough, she would wake up from this dream and her daughter would be gone again.


    Qin Zhi did not know what Han Li was thinking. She obediently leaned into her mother¡¯s arms. It was warm and fragrant, and she felt a little drowsy. Han Li saw this and leaned his daughter¡¯s head on her chest. She gently patted her back and muttered, ¡°Zhizhi, go to sleep. Mommy¡¯s here.¡±


    Gu An could not help but feel sad.


    All these years, when his wife had been seriously ill, she had held the pillow in her arms as if it was her daughter. Now, her real daughter was finally in her arms. Her illness should be cured.


    ¡°Mommy.¡± Qin Zhi, who was in his arms, suddenly called out in a low voice.


    ¡°Yes, Mommy¡¯s here,¡± Han Li¡¯s spirit was lifted and he quickly said.


    Qin Zhi reached out and hugged Han Li¡¯s arm. She muttered, ¡°Mommy.¡±


    Only then did Han Li realize that his daughter had fallen asleep.


    ¡°Darling, our daughter! Our daughter!¡± she exclaimed in delight.


    Gu An¡¯s eyes turned red. He smiled and touched Han Li¡¯s head. He put his index finger on his lips and made a ¡®shush¡¯ gesture.


    Qin Zhi did not sleep well. As soon as the car stopped, she opened her eyes and looked around nervously. When she saw Gu An and Han Li, her shoulders dropped unnoticeably.


    Gu An saw this and did not say a word. He would definitely make it up to his daughter double what he owed her!


    The Old Master of the Gu family, Gu Sen, was already waiting in the living room. He clenched his walking stick and was extremely nervous. He asked the Butler, Uncle Jiang, who was standing beside him, ¡°Ah Jiang, why aren¡¯t they here yet? Didn¡¯t they say that they¡¯re coming back?¡±


    Uncle Jiang smiled. ¡°Old Master, don¡¯t be anxious. Wait a little longer.¡±


    A 12 or 13-year-old teenager beside him reached out and grabbed an apple from the coffee table. He tossed it in his hand and said casually, ¡°Grandpa, if you ask every three minutes, Uncle Xiaojiang must have been sneezing all the way back! That¡¯s not safe!¡±


    The old man was stunned for a moment before he understood what his grandson meant. He picked up his walking stick and was about to beat him up as he cursed, ¡°Gu Yu, you little brat, I¡¯ll let you jinx it! Can¡¯t you just hope for the best?¡±


    Gu Yu nimbly dodged his grandfather¡¯s walking stick and reached out to support his grandfather. After making sure that he would not fall, he grinned and said, ¡°It¡¯s true, how can you nag like this?¡±


    Old Master Gu Sen was about to scold his grandson again when a maid ran in from outside. ¡°They¡¯re back! They¡¯re back! Old master! They¡¯re back!¡±


    Gu Sen no longer cared about beating and scolding his grandson. He quickly walked out with his walking stick.


    Gu Yu helped his grandfather up and said impatiently, ¡°Grandpa! What¡¯s the hurry? Since they¡¯re already back, why don¡¯t you just sit here and wait? Don¡¯t you know what kind of body you¡¯re in? If you get agitated and your blood pressure rises, can you stand it? Sit properly! Otherwise, Dad will whip me later!¡±


    ¡°Old Master, listen to the Young Master, don¡¯t get too worked up!¡± Uncle Jiang quickly said. ¡°Don¡¯t get too excited!¡±


    After being reminded by the two, Gu Sen quickly calmed down and sat down on the sofa.


    Gu Yu said, ¡°That¡¯s right, don¡¯t get excited! Even if it¡¯s another failed attempt, you¡¯re not allowed to be sad! I¡¯ll get my sister back for you sooner or later, Grandpa! Promise me!¡±


    Gu Sen quickly nodded and pushed his grandson to the side. ¡°Go away! Go away! You¡¯re not allowed to jinx me! Your dad said that he¡¯s right this time! It¡¯s definitely correct!¡±


    Gu Yu stood aside disapprovingly. There had been a lot of failed attempts in finding his sister in the past few years. He was already numb.

 Chapter 4

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Gu An entered the house with Zhizhi in her arms, followed by Han Li. Gu An knelt down the moment she entered the house. ¡°Dad, we¡¯re back. We¡¯ve brought Zhizhi back!¡±


    He could not help but sob.


    Zhizhi jumped in shock. She turned around and saw an old man sitting on the sofa. He looked quite similar to her father, but he was a little more serious.


    Zhizhi could not help but feel a little nervous. Seeing that the people who came back with her had all knelt down, she followed suit and knelt in front of her parents.


    Gu Yu was startled and quickly jumped to the side. He looked at the petite little girl and said angrily, ¡°What is this? So ugly! How could she be my sister? My sister looks like a doll! Dad, you¡¯ve been tricked again! This is another fake!¡±


    Unfortunately, no one paid him any attention.


    Gu Sen reached out and pulled up Zhizhi. He nodded repeatedly. ¡°So similar! She looks exactly like your mother. She¡¯s our Gu Zhi! This time, it was correct! It¡¯s definitely correct! Get up, all of you, get up!¡±


    Gu Sen held onto Zhizhi¡¯s hand excitedly and stared at her.


    ¡°Zhizhi, this is Grandpa!¡± Gu An said to Zhizhi.


    Zhizhi looked at Gu Sen and said softly, ¡°Hello, Grandpa!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Gu Sen was so happy that his beard curled up.


    ¡°What a nice voice! Grandpa has been waiting for you for a long time, so long that I thought I wouldn¡¯t be able to hear it in my lifetime!¡± His eyes could not help but feel warm.


    Upon hearing this, Zhizhi called out again, ¡°Grandpa!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Gu Sen responded even louder and laughed happily.


    Zhizhi felt a sudden pain on her head, and she subconsciously covered her hair.


    Gu Yu glared at her in disdain. ¡°Why are you so ugly? There has never been such an ugly person in the Gu family! You¡¯re so ugly!¡±


    Zhizhi timidly retreated to Han Li¡¯s side.


    Han Li raised her hand and slapped Gu Yu on the back. ¡°How dare you bully your sister?! I¡¯ll kick you out!¡±


    She lowered her head and said to Zhizhi in a gentle voice, ¡°Zhizhi, don¡¯t be afraid. This is your little brother. He¡¯s just a mischievous fellow. If he dares to bully you, tell Mommy and Mommy will beat him up!¡±


    Then, she glared at Gu Yu.


    Gu Yu grinned and wailed, ¡°Daddy! Look at Mommy! Is it possible that my Mommy will become a stepmother if my sister is found?¡±


    Gu Nian patted Gu Yu¡¯s head and smiled. ¡°You little brat, how old are you? You still want to fight for your sister¡¯s favor? You can¡¯t blame your mother for beating you up. If you dare to bully your sister in the future, the whole family will not let you off!¡±


    Gu Yu pulled a long face and made a face at Zhizhi, who was hiding behind Han Li and looking at him curiously. Zhizhi was so scared that she quickly hid behind Han Li.


    The men stayed in the living room to chat with the old man and tell him what had happened.


    The women accompanied Han Li upstairs to bathe and change Zhizhi¡¯s clothes.


    Upon entering the room, Zhizhi could not help but be stunned. This room was too big. She had never seen such a big room before. Furthermore, it was so exquisite. Everything was so beautiful that she was a little at a loss.


    Han Li pulled open the wardrobe on the entire wall. The wardrobe was filled with clothes of all sizes, like a shop window. Zhizhi was dumbfounded.


    Her aunt, Tang Xing, squatted down and held onto Zhizhi¡¯s hand. ¡°Zhizhi, your mother has never stopped buying clothes for you all these years. When the season changes, she will always buy the prettiest clothes of the season when she thinks that you¡¯ve grown taller¡­¡±


    Tang Xing choked and could not continue.


    Zhizhi looked at Han Li and said sensibly, ¡°Thank you, Mommy.¡±


    Seeing that Han Li was about to cry again, Lin Wan quickly smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s a big day today. Let¡¯s see what we should put on Zhizhi. We have to make her look pretty! Our Zhizhi is a pretty little girl!¡±


    This was the first time that Zhizhi had seen so many beautiful clothes in her life. She could not help but smile. It seemed that going home was not as scary as she had imagined. Everyone in the family seemed to like her.


    She had to be obedient and be a good child!


    From now on, she would be Gu Zhi. Qin was her sister¡¯s last name. She would keep this last name in her heart. She would also do what her sister said seriously. She will be an obedient girl. She will listen to everything that everyone who loved her said to her!

 Chapter 5

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Zhizhi said that she knew how to take a bath, but Han Li refused and insisted on giving her a bath. She had missed out on taking care of her daughter for too long, and she had to make up for it!


    Zhizhi was a little shy, but seeing Han Li¡¯s teary eyes, she finally nodded.


    The water in the bathtub had a faint rose scent. Zhizhi sat in the warm water and took a deep breath. ¡°Mommy, it smells so good!¡±


    Han Li¡¯s hand gently caressed his daughter¡¯s emaciated shoulder and back. She finally felt the reality of his daughter¡¯s return.


    ¡°Zhizhi, do you like it? If Zhizhi likes it, we can ask Big Brother to help us find some other fragrances. Big Brother has a company that specializes in making fragrances. Let¡¯s go and visit one day, okay?¡± Han Li said gently.


    ¡°Alright!¡± Zhizhi nodded and gave a small smile. She was a little embarrassed, but also a little eager.


    ¡°Mom, does Big Brother know me? Will he like me?¡± Zhizhi¡¯s heart gradually softened in the mist, and her guard slowly fell.


    Han Li used a warm towel to gently wipe Zhizhi¡¯s face before saying, ¡°Your eldest and second brothers are twins. The eldest brother, Gu Su, was brought in and out of the company by your grandfather and father when he was very young. He is the appointed heir of the family. The second brother, Gu Tang, has been a top student since he was young. He has always wanted to be a scientist.¡±


    Han Li sighed softly. ¡°They both look exactly the same and have the same temper. They both work hard for their careers and don¡¯t care about their mother at all!¡±


    Han Li¡¯s tone had a hint of complaint, and Zhizhi smiled as she listened. She felt that her mother was a little cute.


    Han Li washed Zhizhi¡¯s messy hair bit by bit and gently said, ¡°I was just thinking that my sons are so useless. They can¡¯t even accompany me. If only I had a daughter, I could dress her up and take her out to play. After that, I gave birth to another stinky brat, and an extremely mischievous one at that!¡±


    Han Li¡¯s face was full of disdain. Zhizhi thought of that very cocky little brother and could not help but cover her mouth and laugh.


    Seeing his daughter¡¯s smile, Han Li felt so sweet in his heart. She helped her wash the foam off her head and continued, ¡°We have three sons. Your Youngest Uncle and Youngest Aunt had two more sons. Later, your other aunts also had sons. In the end, everyone hoped that I would have a daughter, and in the end, I had you. Mommy was so happy, and the whole family was so happy. Even Grandpa and Grandma were fighting to hold you!¡±


    Zhizhi was stunned for a moment. She stretched out her fingers and said in surprise, ¡°I have seven brothers?¡±


    She had seven brothers!


    Han Li smiled and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. Our Zhizhi has seven older brothers. Three of them are biological brothers, and the others are older cousins. You are their only younger sister. They should have received the news of your return by now, and might even be rushing back. It¡¯s almost the new year, and our family will definitely be very lively this year. Our Zhizhi is a Little Lucky Star!¡±


    ¡°Mommy, my little cat is called Xiaofu.¡± Zhizhi lifted her head and smiled.


    Han Li tapped the tip of her nose. ¡°Did you give it this name? It¡¯s so nice! Xiaofu¡¯s been sent for a check-up by the Butler, and he should be back tomorrow.¡±


    Zhizhi gently held Han Li¡¯s hand and seriously said, ¡°Thank you, Mommy!¡±


    Thank you for not looking down on her and Xiaofu.


    Han Li ignored the water on Zhizhi¡¯s body and gently hugged her shoulder. ¡°Mommy also thanks Zhizhi. Thank you for coming back. Thank you for not blaming me for losing you. Mommy will never leave you again! I won¡¯t ever do it again!¡±


    Zhizhi allowed Han Li to hug her and gently patted Han Li¡¯s back. ¡°Mommy, I will be very obedient!¡±


    Zhizhi¡¯s nose felt a little sour. This was the promise she made to her mother, and also to her sister. Brother Shen Bai said that her sister would be able to see them in Heaven.


    Her sister would only be at ease if they were fine.


    She would definitely grow up well.


    Zhizhi looked like a new person after being dolled up by her mother, aunt, and little aunt. She looked at herself in the mirror, and her mouth was wide open. Was that her?


    She was wearing a white dress. The style was simple but elegant, and it made her small face look even more exquisite.


    Tang Xing reached out and touched her hair that had just been dried. ¡°We have to go to the hair salon tomorrow to do Zhizhi¡¯s hair.¡±


    Han Li¡¯s heart ached as he looked at her daughter¡¯s frazzled blonde hair.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sister-in-law,¡± Lin Wan said with a smile, ¡°She¡¯ll regain her vitality in no time!¡±

 Chapter 6

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Tang Xing pinched Zhizhi¡¯s little face and smiled at her. ¡°Zhizhi, you have to eat well. You¡¯ll look better if you¡¯re chubby.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll only be uglier if you get fat! Aren¡¯t you women on a diet?¡± A boy¡¯s voice in his puberty interrupted. It was Gu Yu who could not wait and sneaked in.


    Gu Yu could not hide the surprise in his eyes when he saw his little sister, who seemed to have changed into a different person, but he still spoke rudely.


    Lin Wan said to Han Li and Tang Xing helplessly, ¡°Boys at this age are really brash. They just don¡¯t know how to talk nicely. Our Gu Chong was like this when he was young.


    ¡°Not all of them,¡± Tang Xing laughed and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think Gu Lin is like that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, even with Gu Su and Gu Tang added together, it isn¡¯t as annoying as Gu Yu!¡± Han Li said.


    The three women were talking about Gu Yu in front of him. Gu Yu exploded. ¡°Mom! You¡¯re too biased! You despise me, you really only like my brothers! Hmph! I want to run away from home!¡±


    His mouth was saying one thing, but his feet did not move. Instead, he made a face at the ladies that were looking at him curiously.


    The adults did not take his runaway seriously at all. After the age of ten, Gu Yu would always complain about running away from home, but he never moved. Later, even the Old Master advised him, ¡°Good grandson, why don¡¯t you take action for once? At least keep your word and don¡¯t let them always look down on you!¡±


    At that time, his family burst into laughter.


    Gu Yu¡¯s motto was-as long as I¡¯m not embarrassed, the one who¡¯s embarrassed is someone else!


    In terms of the thickness of his skin, if he claimed to be in second place, no one would compete with him for first place.


    ¡°You¡¯ll meet bad people if you run away from home,¡± only Zhizhi said softly. She blinked her big eyes and looked at the young man in front of her with a serious expression.


    Gu Yu¡¯s heart softened at the sight of those big eyes, but he said nonchalantly, ¡°Tsk! What¡¯s so great about bad guys?! I¡¯ll punch him left and right! I¡¯ll beat him to death!¡±


    As he spoke, he started to perform ¡®free combat¡¯ in front of everyone.


    Han Li rolled his eyes at her youngest son, but Zhizhi laughed.


    This young man did not seem to have a good brain. Brother Shen Bai was about the same height as him, but he knew everything.


    Thinking of Brother Shen Bai, Zhizhi lowered her eyes.


    Tang Xing stopped him with a smile. ¡°Alright! You¡¯re going to scare your sister like this! What are you doing up here?¡±


    Only then did Gu Yu remember the mission he had been assigned. ¡°Dad is asking if you¡¯re done and can eat now.¡±


    Han Li reached out and hit his son. ¡°Little Brat! Then why didn¡¯t you talk about serious matters?¡±


    Gu Yu felt wronged. ¡°Mom! You keep hitting my head! What if I¡¯m beaten silly?¡±


    Han Li was not in a good mood. ¡°So what if you¡¯re silly? You¡¯re not smart anyway. I don¡¯t mind hitting you a few more times!¡±


    After she finished speaking, she was about to attack again.


    Gu Yu bent down and picked up Zhizhi, who was watching the fun, and ran away. As he ran, he said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll take your precious daughter away!¡±


    Zhizhi jumped in shock and instinctively wrapped her arms around Gu Yu¡¯s neck. Gu Yu quickly ran downstairs, causing a group of women to shout behind him. ¡°Gu Yu, slow down!¡±


    ¡°Gu Yu, be careful of your sister!¡±


    ¡°Little Brat, stop right there!¡±


    Zhizhi could not help but giggle when she finally reacted. This brother was quite fun to play with.


    Gu Yu ran down the stairs with his sister in his arms and pushed her to his grandfather¡¯s side. He said in disdain, ¡°She¡¯s not even as heavy as a cat! There¡¯s really no challenge!¡±


    Gu Sen hugged Zhizhi and rebuked, ¡°Don¡¯t be so rough, don¡¯t drop your sister!¡±


    Gu Yu sat down on the other side of the old man, took his grandfather¡¯s arm, and complained, ¡°Grandpa, you¡¯re the best to me in the whole family. Now even you¡¯re favoring Sister. I¡¯m so pitiful!¡±


    Gu Sen laughed and held Zhizhi in his arms. ¡°You¡¯re already 12 years old. When your older brother is at your age, and he¡¯s already attending the Board of Directors. He¡¯s already starting to make money by investing in the stock market. You have the cheek to be jealous of your little sister?¡±


    Gu Yu blushed, which was a rare sight. He turned his head away and said nothing.


    Gu Sen patted Zhizhi¡¯s head affectionately and said to everyone, ¡°Before the child was born, Master Yongan of Lingye Temple said that she would solve the problem for the Gu family and suffer on behalf of all of us. Think about it, our Gu family has been thriving all these years. Everyone has been living a smooth life, but this child is suffering outside. Isn¡¯t it just as Master Yongan said?¡±


    No one thought that it was superstition or that the old man was biased. Han Li, Lin Yang, and Tang Xing even had tears in their eyes.

 Chapter 7

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Zhizhi did not understand what her grandfather was saying, so she looked at this kind grandfather with clear eyes.


    ¡°Zhizhi, it¡¯s time for you to go home. You won¡¯t have to suffer anymore. You¡¯re the little princess of the Gu family!¡± Gu Sen said gently.


    Zhizhi nodded her head lightly. She did not know how much the words ¡®little princess¡¯ meant, but her stomach growled in hunger. She quickly covered her stomach, her face red.


    Gu Sen was stunned for a moment before he burst out laughing. ¡°Is dinner ready? Our Zhizhi is hungry. If anyone dares to starve my precious granddaughter, I¡¯ll beat him up!¡±


    Gu An hurried over to carry Zhizhi while Gu Nian helped Old Master Gu up. They then moved to the dining room together.


    Zhizhi buried her head in her father¡¯s arms, feeling extremely ashamed.


    When she was placed on the dining chair by her father, she was once again stunned when she saw the table full of dishes.


    The aroma of food assailed their nostrils, and Zhizhi¡¯s stomach grumbled a few more times. However, no one heard it because the adults were talking.


    The servant standing beside her handed a wet handkerchief to Zhizhi and said gently, ¡°Miss, come and wipe your hands.¡±


    Zhizhi did as she was told.


    The Old Master glanced at the crowd. ¡°Is Gu Chong not back yet?¡±


    He then asked Zhizhi¡¯s uncle, Han Cheng, ¡°Why didn¡¯t your Han Ze come? ¡±


    Gu Yu quickly interjected, ¡± Grandpa, don¡¯t ask anymore. Big Brother is having a meeting in the United States. Second Brother is in some laboratory and we can¡¯t even be sure if he¡¯s received the news. Cousin He Zhan is filming in some deep mountain forest and he has no signal there. Third Brother should be on the plane right now since he¡¯s supposed to come back to take care of Grandma. Fourth Brother has an art exhibition today and it won¡¯t be midnight before it¡¯s over. Cousin Han Ze is probably detained by the teacher, right? There¡¯s no need to wait. Weren¡¯t you afraid that Sister would go hungry? Look at how hungry she is!¡±


    Gu Yu¡¯s mouth rattled off a bunch of things, telling her the whereabouts of all the people the old man had asked about but not asked about. At the same time, he gave a small steamed bun to Zhizhi and said with great disdain, ¡°Hurry up and eat. You¡¯re not allowed to leave the table if you don¡¯t finish a whole basket today. I¡¯ll supervise you when you eat in the future! You¡¯re not even as heavy as a cat, how embarrassing!¡±


    Gu An hit his son with her chopsticks with a smile. ¡°Can¡¯t you talk nicely? You¡¯re clearly concerned about your sister, but you had to say it in a disdainful tone? Your little sister is so young, she doesn¡¯t understand your enigma! Be careful, she might not like you!¡±


    Gu Yu was taken aback and a little worried, but his pride did not allow him to change his personality. He snorted with his head tilted.


    Zhizhi used her chopsticks to pick up the dumpling and took a small bite. Before she could taste it, she heard her father¡¯s words and quickly said in a soft voice, ¡°I like Brother. I know he¡¯s doing this for my own good.¡±


    Everyone was stunned for a moment and then moved. This child was too sensible.


    Gu Yu was also stunned. He looked into his sister¡¯s big, clear eyes and was speechless for a moment.


    Gu Sen nodded with relief and said to Zhizhi, ¡°Baby, your Brother is our family¡¯s devil incarnate, and your uncle¡¯s cousin Han Ze. When the two of them meet, they¡¯ll be a pair of Huskies. Do you know what a Husky is?¡±


    Zhizhi nodded. ¡°A dog.¡±


    She thought for a moment and added, ¡°A little silly dog.¡±


    The crowd could not help but burst into laughter.


    Gu Sen laughed so hard that he cried.


    Only Gu Yu could not laugh. He looked upset.


    Zhizhi looked at everyone in confusion.


    Han Li held her daughter in her arms and kissed her hard on the cheek.


    It had been many years since the Gu family had such a happy scene.


    When everyone¡¯s laughter died down, a sigh came from the door. ¡°I wasn¡¯t there, so I was forced to put on a colorful dress to entertain my family?¡±


    Zhizhi turned around and saw a tall boy with rainbow-colored hair standing at the entrance of the restaurant.


    Zhizhi¡¯s gaze fell on his hair, and she could not help but think in a daze, ¡°Even in Peppermint Alley, no one would dye their hair like this, right? This taste ¨C¡±


    ¡°Han ze! What¡¯s with your hair?¡± As expected, Zhizhi heard her uncle¡¯s angry roar.


    Han Ze walked to his seat smugly. ¡°Hello, Grandpa Gu! I¡¯m out of school, so I wasn¡¯t detained!¡±


    He then glared at the dumbfounded Gu Yu and ignored his father¡¯s angry roar.


    Han Ze looked at Zhizhi. ¡°Welcome home, Zhizhi. To welcome you home, I¡¯ve dyed my hair a rainbow color. What do you think? Does it look good? Do you like it?¡±


    Zhizhi swallowed the last bite of the soup dumpling and looked at Han Ze with a complicated expression. No matter how obedient and sensible she was, she could not praise a colorful head!


    This was an aesthetic that not even Peppermint Alley residents had, alright?

 Chapter 8

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Han Cheng had already stood up and walked to his son¡¯s side. He grabbed Han Ze¡¯s ear and said angrily, ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? You better dye it back!¡±


    Han Ze cried out in pain, ¡°Dad! Dad! Let go of me! Let go! I¡¯m just trying to make my sister happy. Zhizhi? Please save Big Brother!¡±


    Zhizhi looked at them helplessly, feeling a little nervous.


    Han Li hugged her daughter and said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t scare my daughter!¡±


    Only then did Han Cheng let go of his son. Tang Xing scolded her son in a bitter tone, ¡°Do you have any shame? How dare you use your sister as an excuse?¡±


    Gu Yu clapped his hands and laughed. ¡°I remember now. Cousin Han Ze made a bet with his classmates. Whoever dares to dye their hair three colors will be the Overlord of this year¡¯s Five School Alliance!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Everyone looked at Han Ze, who was covering his ears, especially Han Cheng and Tang Xing.


    Gu Yu ignored Han Ze¡¯s warning gaze and pretended to be enlightened. ¡°Oh, cousin, you¡¯re back so late. Did the teacher warn you that they¡¯ll call your parents? Should I go and back you up? I¡¯ll help you persuade your teacher!¡±


    ¡°Gu Yu! You¡¯ve got some guts! Just you wait!¡± Han Ze gritted his teeth and glared at his cousin, who wanted the world to be in chaos.


    Han Cheng slapped his son¡¯s head. ¡°Do you think you¡¯re cool? Dye your hair back to its original color! Otherwise, I¡¯ll shave it all off for you!¡±


    Seeing that his father was really angry, Han Ze immediately put on a smile. ¡°We¡¯re in Grandpa Gu¡¯s house, so don¡¯t lecture your son in front of the elders. I really dyed my hair like this to make Sister happy!¡±


    He turned around and asked Zhizhi, ¡°Little Sister, hurry up and tell me. Does Big Brother¡¯s hair look good?¡±


    He had an anxious look on his face and winked at his father to hint at him. He was not afraid of others seeing him, as long as his father could get through this.


    Zhizhi was caught off guard by the atmosphere. She opened her mouth, but still said softly, ¡°It¡¯s nice.¡±


    ¡°Dad! You heard it, Sister said it¡¯s nice. She just came back today, so let her look at it for the night. Tomorrow! I¡¯ll definitely dye it back for you tomorrow! I mean what I say! I¡¯ll keep my word!¡±


    Gu Sen coughed lightly to give Han Ze a way out. ¡°Alright, Han Cheng, let him go. He said he was doing it for entertainment. Let him continue.¡±


    The Han family and the Gu family had been friends for generations. Han Cheng treated Old Master Gu like his own father, and Old Master Gu had always treated Han Ze like his grandson.


    As soon as Gu Sen finished speaking, Han Ze immediately said, ¡°Grandpa Gu loves me the most.¡±


    Gu Sen held back his laughter and glared at him. ¡°Don¡¯t flatter me. You said that you would dye it back tomorrow! Our Zhizhi is helping you because she can¡¯t bear to see you get beaten up today. We don¡¯t want to see your colorful hair like a parrot.¡±


    Zhizhi pursed her lips and tried her best to suppress her laughter.


    Han Ze immediately promised, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I mean what I say!¡±


    Gu Yu looked at him with a smile. He was about to say something but was stopped by Han Ze¡¯s shushing gaze. Gu Yu thought about it and decided that he could use this to threaten his cousin. He would let him off for the time being and not hit him when he was down.


    After all this, Han Ze could finally sit down and eat.


    He picked up a chicken leg and put it in Zhizhi¡¯s bowl. ¡°Zhizhi, I¡¯m your cousin brother, Han Ze. I¡¯ll be the one who loves you the most out of all your brothers. Eat more. Look at how thin your little face is. This won¡¯t do. Big Brother will take you to eat good food tomorrow!¡±


    Zhizhi looked at the big chicken leg in front of her and did not even have the chance to thank her cousin when her brother, Gu Yu, said angrily, ¡°I¡¯m her biological brother, so you¡¯re not the one who loves Sister the most!¡±


    Han Ze rolled his eyes at him and continued to say to Zhizhi, ¡°Big brother will take you out to play tomorrow. Big Brother will protect you! Unlike some people, who are still children and need others to protect them when they go out!¡±


    Gu Yu glared at Han Ze.


    Han Cheng reached out and patted Han Ze¡¯s head. ¡°Are you itching for a beating? I¡¯m telling you, if you bully your brother and sister again, I¡¯ll make you kneel in the ancestral hall!¡±


    Only then did Han Ze shut his mouth and make a face at Gu Yu. Then, he picked up a piece of braised pork and put it on Gu Yu¡¯s plate. He said with a smile, ¡°Come, little cousin, eat some meat. Big Brother will also protect you!


    Gu Yu¡¯s face turned green with anger.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough. The two of you always quarrel whenever you see each other. If there¡¯s a problem, you¡¯ll stand together to fight it out. You two are made for each other!¡± Gu Nian tried to stop them.


    Gu Yu and Han Ze both glanced at each other in disgust.


    The crowd could not help but laugh.

 Chapter 9

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Han Li refused the servant¡¯s help and personally took the chicken leg from her daughter¡¯s plate. She carefully tore it into small pieces and put it back into the plate. She said to Zhizhi, ¡°Your brothers are naughty, but our Zhizhi is the most obedient. Come, let¡¯s eat.¡±


    Zhizhi had already eaten a few soup dumplings and was not that hungry anymore. She thanked her mother and focused on eating the meat on her plate.


    Seeing that she was eating so happily, everyone picked up some food for her. In a moment, the plate in front of Zhizhi was filled with all kinds of dishes. At first, Zhizhi was still eating hard, but her eyes were big and her stomach was small.


    She put down her chopsticks and looked at the food in front of her with regret.


    What to do? She could not eat anymore.


    Han Li immediately noticed his daughter¡¯s expression and quickly wiped her mouth with a tissue. ¡°Zhizhi, are you full? ¡±


    Zhizhi nodded hesitantly and said softly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t eat.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s there to be sorry about?¡± Han Li looked at her daughter with a smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s such a waste,¡± Zhizhi said softly.


    Everyone at the dining table could not help but fall silent.


    Gu An immediately took the plate in front of Zhizhi and said to her daughter with a smile, ¡°You won¡¯t waste it, Daddy¡¯s here! No matter how much food Zhizhi has left, Daddy can eat it all. Our Zhizhi is really a good child, she knows not to waste food!¡±


    Everyone nodded and praised her. Han Li glared at her picky youngest son, but Gu Yu did not refute her, which was rare.


    Gu Sen put down his chopsticks and looked at his granddaughter. ¡°Our Zhizhi is so good. She even motivated Grandpa eat half a bowl more. I want to eat with our Zhizhi every day from now on!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Gu Yu smiled. ¡°Zhizhi, I¡¯ll leave the matter of eating with Grandpa to you from now on. You and Grandpa have to eat well. You have to grow up. Grandpa is getting on in years, and he¡¯ll get sick if he doesn¡¯t eat well, don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    Zhizhi nodded seriously. ¡°Then I¡¯ll have dinner with Grandpa from now on! Grandpa, Zhizhi can cook too!¡±


    The whole family was stunned. This five-year-old child could actually cook?


    Facing everyone¡¯s doubts, Zhizhi¡¯s face was full of pride. ¡°I¡¯ve been learning how to cook from my sister since I was four years old. My sister said that if I want to survive, I must have the ability to support myself! Cooking was the first step to survival! Even my sister says that my cooking is delicious!¡±


    There was also Brother Shen Bai, but she could not say his name!


    Han Li¡¯s tears almost burst out. Her daughter! How much suffering had she gone through?


    Gu Sen forced himself to calm down. He looked at his granddaughter and continued the topic gently. ¡°Our Zhizhi is the best! Does that mean that Grandpa will be able to eat Zhizhi¡¯s cooking in the future?¡±


    Zhizhi nodded seriously and gave Gu Sen a big smile.


    Such a warm and loving environment made Zhizhi lower her guard bit by bit.


    Her sister and Brother Shen Bai both said that the human heart was sinister, but she did not quite understand this point. Whether it was in Peppermint Alley or in this house, she did not feel any malice from others. Everyone liked her so much, and similarly, she liked those who were good to her.


    The Gu family had a tacit understanding.


    A year ago, Zhizhi¡¯s older brother, Gu Su, received a piece of special news. Someone had found his younger sister, Gu Zhi. That person was called Qin Huai, and she was the older sister that Zhizhi had been talking about.


    Qin Huai and Gu Su had agreed on a time and place. She would send her sister back.


    However, the day before the appointed time, they suddenly lost contact with Qin Huai, and there was no news from her since.


    Gu Su used all means to track down Qin Huai¡¯s identity and whereabouts, but he only found out that she was a famous killer ranked fifth on the list of killers. However, no matter how hard he tried, he could not find Qin Huai¡¯s whereabouts. There were rumors in the underworld that Qin Huai was already dead.


    Gu Su had been keeping this news a secret from anyone until half a month ago when Qin Huai¡¯s number contacted him again and gave him his sister¡¯s location.


    This time, Gu Su was even more cautious. After a thorough investigation, he found out that in the past year, Qin Huai had been injured and was being hunted down by her enemies. It was not convenient for him to show her face, so she had been hiding in the notorious Peppermint Alley with Qin Zhi. It was close to their home. Gu Su did not know if it was because of Qin Huai¡¯s serious injuries or some other reason that she had only contacted him after a year.


    After Gu Su had investigated the matter, he told the elders of the family everything. To his surprise, no one cared about the process. They only cared about the result ¡ª Zhizhi had been found!


    He had to go abroad for a week due to urgent business. He had wanted to pick up his sister after he came back. After all, he had waited for several years, so one week was not a big deal. In the end, his family could not wait at all. As soon as he left, they picked up his sister on their own.

 Chapter 10

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Other than Gu Su, no one else knew about Qin Huai¡¯s background. Everyone only thought that she was Gu Su¡¯s friend.


    Now that he saw that Zhizhi was so well-mannered and sensible, he could not help but feel grateful to this girl called Qin Huai.


    Gu Sen sighed. While Han Li, Lin Wan, and Tang Xing were talking to Zhizhi, he whispered to his sons, Gu An and Gu Nian, ¡°Go and ask Gu Su if this Miss Qin Huai has any unfinished business. Our Gu family will bear all the responsibility. She is our Gu family¡¯s great benefactor!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Father. We¡¯ll do a good job.¡± Gu An and Gu Nian nodded.


    A servant ran in hurriedly. ¡°Old Master, Sir, the hospital called. They said that Old Madam, Old Madam is not very well!¡±


    This voice was like a thunderclap, blowing up the warm atmosphere in the Gu family.


    Gu An quickly comforted his father. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t worry. The doctor has already made the arrangements. Gu Lin is on his way back.¡±


    Gu Nian, He Zhao, and Han Cheng hurriedly got up to arrange the car while Zhizhi was carried out by her mother.


    ¡°Baby, let¡¯s go to the hospital to see Grandma,¡± Han Li said to her in a soft voice.


    Zhizhi obediently wrapped her arms around her mother¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Auntie,¡± Han Ze quickly said. ¡°Let me carry my sister.¡±


    Her aunt¡¯s health had not been good all these years.


    ¡°Mom, let me carry her,¡± Gu Yu said hurriedly. ¡°She¡¯s very light.¡±


    Han Ze pushed him away. ¡°You¡¯re still a child! Don¡¯t cause any trouble.¡±


    He promised Han Li, ¡°Aunt, I¡¯ll carry my sister and stay by your side. We won¡¯t leave your side.¡±


    Han Li was still hesitating. Zhizhi struggled for a while. ¡°Mom, I can walk on my own.¡±


    Han Ze smiled and pinched her face, taking her from Han Li¡¯s arms. ¡°Your legs are short. How can you keep up with everyone? If Big Brother runs while carrying you, even your Brother won¡¯t be able to catch up!¡±


    These words infuriated Gu Yu again, but Han Ze did not run away. He knew very well that his aunt could not leave his sister¡¯s side.


    The whole family rushed to the hospital, and Zhizhi¡¯s face was tense as she felt the tense atmosphere.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid,¡± Han Ze whispered in her ear. ¡°It¡¯s your grandmother who¡¯s sick. Zhizhi, be good.¡±


    Zhizhi nodded her head slightly, feeling a little scared. In her short life experience, the thing she feared the most was having someone fall sick.


    In Peppermint Alley, there would be people falling sick from time to time, and death was also a common occurrence. Every time Zhizhi found out about it, she would be sad for a while, especially when she had experienced it herself.


    Sitting in the car, Zhizhi could not help but reach out and grab Han Li¡¯s clothes.


    Seeing this, Han Li took her daughter into her arms. Zhizhi whispered into Han Li¡¯s ear, ¡°Mommy, will Grandma die?¡±


    Zhizhi¡¯s voice was very soft. This was the first time that Zhizhi had taken the initiative to ask her a question since she had returned.


    Han Li¡¯s heart ached, and she tightly hugged her daughter. She then looked at Zhizhi in the eye and softly said, ¡°Zhizhi, ever since you were born, Grandma has been very fond of you. After you went missing, Grandma was very sad. On top of that, I fell sick when I got old. Now that you¡¯re back, I¡¯m sure Grandma will be very happy.¡±


    She did not know how to continue to let such a young child understand life, old age, illness, and death.


    Zhizhi, however, nodded her head lightly and said seriously, ¡°I¡¯ll take care of Grandma then.¡±


    Han Li smiled and said with tears in his eyes. ¡°Our Zhizhi is the most obedient. Grandma will be happy.¡±


    Holding Zhizhi in his arms, Han Li¡¯s tears quietly fell.


    Han Ze sighed softly. ¡°Auntie, don¡¯t be so anxious. Didn¡¯t you say that Brother Gu Lin is already on his way back? The doctors in the hospital have already made arrangements. It will be fine.¡±


    Han Li knew very well that the old lady was getting on in years. There were some things that could not be solved with money or people. In order to comfort the children, Han Li nodded. ¡°Yes, Gu Lin is coming back. He¡¯s so powerful, he will definitely be able to cure his Grandmother.¡±


    Everyone in the Gu family had the same wish.


    The attending doctors hurriedly said a few words to Gu An and Gu Nian before entering the operating room.


    Gu Hao helped Gu Sen to the sofa in the lounge and comforted him, ¡°Dad, don¡¯t worry. Mom will be fine.¡±


    Gu Sen did not panic like his children. He waved to Zhizhi calmly. ¡°Baby, come to Grandpa.¡±


    Zhizhi obediently leaned against the Old Master¡¯s side.


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t Gu Lin here yet?¡± Gu Nian asked Lin Ran anxiously.


    Lin Ran raised her phone and said, ¡°He said he¡¯ll be there immediately.¡±

 Chapter 11

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Before he could finish his sentence, hurried footsteps came from outside. A tall and handsome young man barged in. He did not have time to greet the others and only said to Gu Sen, ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯ll go into the operating room first.¡±


    He saw the little girl beside his grandfather and smiled at her. ¡°Hello, Zhizhi, I¡¯m your Third Brother.¡±


    Before Zhizhi could react, he had already pushed open another door that led to the operating room and disappeared.


    Zhizhi only had time to sigh in her heart. This older brother was even better looking than her Youngest Elder Brother, Gu Yu, and Cousin Ze.


    Zhizhi¡¯s life today could be said to be full of ups and downs.


    In the morning, she was still a pitiful little girl in Peppermint Alley, racking her brain for a meal. In the afternoon, she became the famous little princess of the Gu family. She had just had a full meal, and now she came to the hospital to wait for her dying Grandma.


    No matter how tough she was, she was still a five-year-old child. After a while, she began to fall asleep and almost fell to the ground.


    Gu Sen supported his granddaughter who was on the verge of collapse. Tang Xing went forward and picked her up, putting her on his shoulder and patting her as they walked.


    Zhizhi kept reminding herself not to sleep, not to sleep, but her consciousness was still gradually blurring.


    She had never been to the hospital. If the people from Peppermint Alley went to the hospital, they would never come back.


    When her sister was at her worst, she did not go to the hospital. Brother Shen Bai said that her sister would be dead if she went to the hospital.


    Hence, in Zhizhi¡¯s heart, the hospital was an especially scary place.


    She had never seen her grandmother before, but she heard that her grandmother doted on her a lot. Zhizhi did not want her to die. She kept repeating this thought in her mind. She felt that as long as she repeated it a few more times, her grandmother would definitely hear it, just like her sister.


    The only doctor in Peppermint Alley said that her sister would not live, so she kept her wishes in her heart every day. Her sister accompanied her for another half a year, and so did Brother Shen Bai.


    When the door to the operating room opened again, Zhizhi instinctively lifted her head from the shoulder of the person who was carrying her. This time, it was her mother who was carrying her.


    ¡°Gu Lin, how¡¯s Grandma?¡± A group of people surrounded Gu Lin and fought to be the first to ask.


    Gu Lin looked exhausted. He gestured to his family and said in a raspy voice, ¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the surgery was a success.¡±


    After that, he sat down on the sofa nearby and apologized to Gu Sen, who was the nearest to him, ¡± ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯m too tired. Let me catch my breath.¡±


    Lin ran quickly handed him a glass of water. Although she felt bad for her son, she still asked, ¡± Gu Lin, everyone is worried about Grandma. Can you tell us more details? ¡±


    Gu Lin took the water and drank it all in one gulp. He seemed to have caught his breath and said slowly, ¡°My Master is the chief surgeon for the surgery, and my Senior Brother is the assistant. I¡¯m only the third assistant because I just flew for more than ten hours. I¡¯m too tired, and I¡¯m not supposed to be at the operating table.¡±


    He explained a little apologetically, then continued, ¡°The operation was very successful. Master said that we¡¯ve been waiting for the right time for the operation. The blood clot in Grandma¡¯s brain can only be operated on when it reaches a specific position. It wasn¡¯t optimistic before because the blood clot didn¡¯t move. I didn¡¯t expect that since this afternoon, the blood clot has started to move slowly. We had already prepared for the operation, but in the afternoon, the blood clot¡¯s movement suddenly accelerated, so we informed everyone.¡±


    Gu Lin heaved a long sigh of relief. ¡°It¡¯s safe now. Grandma is getting on in years and it really gave us a shock. I didn¡¯t expect the blood clot to move today after staying still for so long.¡±


    Gu Sen heard this and immediately looked at Zhizhi, who was in Han Li¡¯s arms.


    Gu Lin¡¯s spirits were lifted, and he immediately extended his hand to Zhizhi. ¡°This is our little sister? Didn¡¯t Big Brother say to wait for him to come back before going to pick her up?¡±


    Han Li put Zhizhi down and said to her, ¡°Zhizhi, call me Third Brother.¡±


    The moment Zhizhi landed on the ground, Gu Lin pulled her in front of him.


    ¡°Third Brother,¡± she called out obediently.


    ¡°Tsk, who wouldn¡¯t love you after hearing such a nice-sounding voice?!¡± He reached out and pinched Zhizhi¡¯s little nose.


    ¡°There¡¯s something I need to discuss with everyone.¡± Gu Lin walked Zhizhi to his grandfather¡¯s side. He stretched out his long legs and raised his hand to rub the space between his eyebrows.


    ¡°Grandma¡¯s surgery was a success, but she¡¯s not out of the critical stage yet. She has to wake up within three days, or it¡¯ll still be very dangerous. Our opinion is that we should take turns entering the ICU and talking to Grandma. This will help to wake Grandma up. Dad, arrange a shift. Gu Yu shouldn¡¯t go. That little kid doesn¡¯t know how to control himself.¡±

 Chapter 12

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    She yawned and covered her mouth with her hand. She fell asleep on the sofa.


    Lin Qi¡¯s heart ached. ¡°This child¡­¡±


    Gu Sen stretched out his index finger and made a shushing gesture. He whispered to the crowd, ¡°She¡¯s exhausted. Han Ze, Gu Yu, you two stay here with your Third Brother. Let¡¯s talk in another room.¡±


    Zhizhi had already woken up. Gu Sen held her hand and led her to a more spacious outer room.


    Gu An hurriedly said, ¡°Then let¡¯s do what Gu Lin said. We¡¯ll take turns talking to Mom.¡±


    Lin Wan said, ¡°Brother, you and Sister-in-law don¡¯t have to be here. You two should accompany Dad home. Zhizhi just came back and Sister-in-law is not in good health. You should stay at home and take care of them. There are still things to do at the company. Let us take care of things here at the hospital.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Brother. We¡¯ll split the work. You¡¯ll be in charge of the house while we¡¯ll be in charge of the hospital,¡± Gu Nian chimed in.


    Gu Yu and He Zhao also tried to persuade him.


    Han Cheng looked at the crowd. ¡°There¡¯s still my family. Auntie watched me grow up.¡±


    Neither Gu An nor Han Li wanted to leave the hospital.


    Gu Sen coughed lightly and motioned for everyone to listen to him. ¡°Stop arguing. I understand your feelings. We are husband and wife for life. If there is a need to wake her up, no one is more suitable than me. I will stay and not go anywhere. I want to accompany my wife.¡±


    Gu Sen¡¯s attitude was very firm. The old man had been in the business world all his life and was decisive. Now that his children and grandchildren had grown up, he had retired to the second-tier and ignored everything, but he still had power.


    Once he decided on something, no one could change his mind.


    After Gu Sen made his decision, he looked at Zhizhi with a gentle smile. He waved at her and called her over. ¡°Zhizhi, would you like to stay with Grandpa and accompany Grandma?¡±


    Zhizhi did not know much about the adults¡¯ conversation, but she understood what her grandfather was asking.


    She raised her head and looked at Han Li, ¡°Mom, can I stay with Grandpa? I want to keep Grandma company. A sick person needs someone to keep her company!¡±


    Her expression was especially serious.


    Han Li squatted down and ran her fingers through her daughter¡¯s hair. ¡°Okay, our Zhizhi is a good child. Let¡¯s stay here to accompany Grandpa and Grandma.¡±


    Zhizhi nodded and gave her mother a hug. She turned around and walked to her grandfather¡¯s side. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, Grandpa. Zhizhi will stay with you. Grandma will wake up, and Zhizhi will always call you Grandma!¡±


    She solemnly accepted this ¡®mission¡¯ despite her young age.


    Everyone cold not help but smile, feeling gratified and touched.


    Gu Sen touched Zhizhi¡¯s hair and said to her, and to everyone else, ¡°Grandma must have sensed that Zhizhi is back, so she tried her best to wake up from the moment Zhizhi entered the house. Our Zhizhi is our family¡¯s Lucky Star!¡±


    It was already the next day when Zhizhi saw her grandmother.


    She slept in the adults¡¯ arms for the whole night and was a little muddled.


    The entire atmosphere in the Gu family was a little depressing, and Zhizhi¡¯s mood was also a little tense.


    Gu Lin brought Gu Sen and Zhizhi to change into protective clothing and entered the ICU.


    Zhizhi hugged Gu Lin¡¯s neck tightly.


    Gu Lin could feel Zhizhi¡¯s anxiety and comforted her, ¡°Be good. Grandma¡¯s condition is quite stable. Just imagine that she¡¯s asleep and has entered a very, very deep dream. If we don¡¯t wake her up, she won¡¯t be able to find her way out, so we have to keep summoning her. Do you understand?¡±


    Zhizhi nodded her head solemnly.


    Old Madam Gu, Shi Cui, was lying quietly on the hospital bed, surrounded by instruments that made monotonous beeping sounds. She was full of tubes inserted into her body.


    Zhizhi could not help but frown.


    Gu Sen held his wife¡¯s hand when he saw her. He patted her hand gently. His eyes were red, but he could not say a word.


    Gu Lin quickly comforted his grandfather. ¡°You can¡¯t be agitated. If you can¡¯t calm down, I¡¯m going to cancel your right to see Grandma! Grandma¡¯s condition is quite optimistic. Look at you, if you¡¯re sick, when Grandma wakes up, she will scold me to death!¡±


    Gu Sen understood his grandson¡¯s meaning and nodded.


    Gu Lin put Zhizhi down and led her to the bed. He was thinking about what to say to Zhizhi.Zhizhi gently held her grandmother¡¯s hand and said in a soft voice, ¡°Grandma, it¡¯s Zhizhi. Does it hurt?¡±


    She lowered her head and rubbed her face against Grandma¡¯s hand. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯ve already talked to Grandpa. We¡¯ll accompany Grandma together. Third Brother said that you lost your way in your sleep. I have to call out to you more so cyou can find your way. Grandma, Grandma, do you hear me?¡±


    Zhizhi was so serious that she was almost pious.

 Chapter 13

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Gu Sen and Gu Lin did not expect Zhizhi to talk to her grandmother without being taught. The child¡¯s voice was as sweet as an Oriole¡¯s, and it could penetrate people¡¯s hearts.


    What they did not know was that Zhizhi had faced many life and death situations, and this was the deepest sorrow and helplessness in her heart.


    It would be great if calling could bring someone back to life. Even if she did not know her Grandma very well, she still hoped that she could wake up and come back to life. She did not want anyone to die.


    Just like her sister, never to wake up again, never to be with her again.


    Thinking of her sister, Zhizhi¡¯s tears fell on Shi Cui¡¯s palm like a broken string of pearls, forming a small puddle.


    ¡°It¡¯s moving!¡± Gu Lin exclaimed.


    The sound of the surrounding machines changed.


    Gu Lin shook Gu Sen in surprise. ¡°Grandma heard it. She has a reaction. She will wake up.¡±


    Gu Sen held Zhizhi in his arms. He had always said that Zhizhi was the Gu family¡¯s Lucky Star.


    The instrument gradually returned to normal.


    Gu Sen became nervous again, but Gu Lin heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Grandpa, now that Grandma is conscious, we have to stimulate her five senses, but we can¡¯t keep stimulating them, or else it will be too much. I want Grandma to rest first and come back in a few hours.¡±


    Although Gu Sen did not know much about medicine, he felt that his grandson¡¯s words made sense.


    He held his wife¡¯s hand. ¡°Wifey, we¡¯ve found our granddaughter. You have to open your eyes and look at our Zhizhi. She¡¯s so beautiful, obedient, and sensible. You have to work hard!¡±


    Everyone was excited when they heard the news. Gu An held her daughter high in the air. ¡°You¡¯re the Gu family¡¯s treasure!¡±


    Zhizhi, on the other hand, was very worried for her grandmother, who was lying inside.


    ¡°All of you take turns talking to your mother and listen to Gu Lin¡¯s arrangements. Then, go home and prepare a grand banquet. I want to officially announce that the Gu family¡¯s Young Miss, Gu Zhi, has been found!¡± Gu Sen said. ¡°I want everyone to know about this! Our Zhizhi is the pearl of the Gu family!¡±


    Everyone was stunned for a moment, but they immediately understood the Old Master¡¯s feelings.


    ¡°Zhizhi and I will stay here. We¡¯ll be ready to go in and see her grandmother at any time. She¡¯ll react when she hears Zhizhi¡¯s words. I believe that she¡¯ll wake up for Zhizhi¡¯s sake. By then, it¡¯ll be double the happiness of the Gu family!¡±


    He glanced at Han Li and said, ¡°If you are worried about the child, you can take turns accompanying us.¡±


    Anyway, he was keeping Zhizhi here.


    Han Li hurriedly said, ¡°Dad, I¡¯ll go back and get Zhizhi some clothes to change into. Zhizhi, follow Grandpa. Be good. Mom will be back soon.¡±


    Han Ze and Gu Yu volunteered to stay with them. Zhizhi smiled at them, and that smile became their permit.


    Gu Lin comforted Gu Sen, ¡°Grandpa, don¡¯t worry. Grandma is doing well now. You must take care of yourself.¡±


    Gu Sen touched Zhizhi¡¯s hand and calmly said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandpa. I know that Grandma will wake up. Zhizhi is a Lucky Star!¡±


    Gu Lin chimed in. so many people went in, but only Zhizhi made grandma¡¯s stats change. Zhizhi, Grandpa is right. You¡¯re our Lucky Star!


    Gu Sen was happy to hear his third grandson¡¯s agreement. He beckoned Gu Yu and Han Ze over and said to them, ¡°I want to build a playground for Zhizhi in the yard. What do you think?¡±


    The two of them could not help but be shocked. ¡°A playground?¡±


    Gu Sen nodded excitedly. ¡°Judging from Zhizhi¡¯s condition, she doesn¡¯t go out often. Why don¡¯t we build a playground for her at home? help me think of some projects!¡±


    The two of them looked at each other. After some thought, they felt that it was not impossible. After all, after grandfather made the announcement, Zhizhi would need a bodyguard when she went out, and it might not be safe.


    The two of them started drawing the layout and structure of the yard. ¡°Zhizhi, look, this is our yard. Grandpa wants to build you a playground. What do you want?¡±


    Zhizhi¡¯s gaze fell on the simple drawing and timidly said, ¡°Swing, can there be a swing here? I only want the swing.¡±

 Chapter 14

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Gu Yu frowned. ¡°I said I¡¯ll build you a playground, and you want a swing? Wouldn¡¯t that be letting down Grandpa¡¯s good intentions? Forget it, I¡¯ll make the decision for you!¡±


    Han Ze smacked his hand. ¡°Why are you making the decision to build a playground for Zhizhi? Zhizhi wanted a swing, right? We can set up a swing here and plant two rows of grapevines here. We can put the swing under the grapevines so that we won¡¯t be afraid of the sun!¡±


    Han Ze pointed at the picture and showed it to Zhizhi.


    Gu Yu pouted. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that caterpillars will climb onto Zhizhi? ¡±


    As he spoke, he crossed two fingers and placed them on Zhizhi¡¯s arm, wriggling it a little.


    All the hair on Zhizhi¡¯s body stood up. She dodged the young man¡¯s finger in fear and leaned toward Han Ze.


    Han Ze picked up Zhizhi and let her sit on his lap. He then pushed Gu Yu¡¯s head. ¡°Go away!¡±


    Gu Yu was caught off guard and was sitting on the armrest of the sofa. Han Ze pushed him and he immediately fell to the ground.


    Zhizhi could not help but laugh.


    Gu Yu sat up while rubbing his butt and said angrily, ¡°Zhizhi, I¡¯ll bring you to the biggest playground tomorrow. We¡¯ll build whatever you like when we get back. How about that?¡±


    Zhizhi was stunned.


    She had never been to a playground. She had only been to the dilapidated little square in the middle of Peppermint Alley. There was a very broken swing there, and it was Brother Shen Bai who fixed it for her to swing once.


    After that, she could not forget about the swing.


    Only then did Han Ze realize that Zhizhi might not have seen a playground before, but he could not lose face. He immediately said, ¡°It¡¯s better for me to bring you there!¡±


    Seeing that the two of them were about to start arguing again, Zhizhi hurriedly said, ¡°I¡¯m not going. I want to stay with Grandma. I¡¯m already five years old. I don¡¯t need a playground. I just need a swing.¡±


    Gu Sen and Gu Lin, who were sitting at the side, could not help but laugh.


    Gu Sen nodded and said to Gu Yi, ¡°I really hope Grandma wakes up soon. It¡¯s the Gu family¡¯s fortune to have such a sensible granddaughter!¡±


    Gu Lin agreed. ¡°She¡¯s not bad. She looks so much like First Aunt. I think we don¡¯t even need to do a DNA test. She¡¯s the girl of the Gu family.¡±


    A young nurse pushed the door open and came in. She said anxiously, ¡°Doctor Gu, the patient just opened his eyes.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± Everyone stood up in surprise.


    Gu Lin helped his grandfather up. ¡°Slow down.¡±


    Han Ze picked up Zhizhi and walked towards the ward.


    Gu Lin stopped them helplessly. don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll go in and take a look.


    When the doctor-in-charge saw Gu Lin, he quickly said in a low voice, ¡°Doctor Gu, the old lady¡¯s condition is very good. All the indicators have met the standard, which is very rare. I just asked the professors, and they think that it is the calling of the family members that played a crucial role.¡±


    Gu Lin nodded and looked at the number on the device. He then took the record from the doctor-in-charge and looked at it. He was overjoyed. ¡°Okay, I understand. I¡¯ll ask the family to continue doing so.¡±


    He bent over and held his grandmother¡¯s hand. ¡°Grandma, it¡¯s Gu Lin. Can you hear me?¡±


    The instrument beeped. Shi Cui¡¯s breathing was steady, and the oxygen mask had been removed.


    ¡°Grandma,¡± Gu Lin continued, ¡°Let me tell you some good news. Our Zhizhi is back! Uncle and the others have already brought Zhizhi back. Everyone is waiting for you to wake up so that we can hold a grand ceremony for her. Can you hear me? Do you want me to bring Zhizhi over to accompany you?¡±


    The hand in Gu Lin¡¯s hand suddenly moved. Although it was very slight, he still felt it and could not help but be overjoyed.


    ¡°Grandma, wait here. I¡¯ll call Zhizhi over.¡±


    He quickly ran out and hugged Zhizhi, saying excitedly, ¡°Zhizhi, Grandma wants to see you!¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Gu Sen grabbed his grandson.


    ¡°Grandpa, wait a moment!¡± Gu Lin said. ¡°I¡¯ll send Zhizhi in first!¡±


    Zhizhi was once again sent to her grandmother¡¯s bedside.


    Gu Lin moved a chair over for her. ¡°Here, Zhizhi. Hold grandma¡¯s hand and tell her you¡¯re here.¡±


    Zhizhi did as she was told and held her grandmother¡¯s hand with both of her small hands. ¡°Grandma, it¡¯s me, Zhizhi. I¡¯m here to keep you company. Don¡¯t be afraid, I¡¯ll always be here with you.¡±


    The child-like voice almost made Gu Lin cry. He saw his grandmother¡¯s hand move slightly again, but Zhizhi did not notice. She was focused on completing her brother¡¯s task ¡ª Talking to her Grandma.

 Chapter 15

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The first ray of the morning sun shone into the ward.


    Shi Cui opened her eyes and then closed them gently. Her mind was still a little confused.


    She had a long dream. In her dream, a little girl who looked like a ball of pink fur called her ¡®Grandma¡¯. That was her beloved granddaughter, Gu Zhi.


    Back then, she had hired the wrong person, trusted the wrong nanny, and led a wolf into the house. In the end, her one-year-old granddaughter was taken away by that black-hearted nanny. It was all her fault.


    Her Eldest Daughter-in-law¡¯s health was getting worse and worse, and her spirit was getting worse and worse. She felt so guilty that she felt uneasy day and night, and her health was also getting worse.


    She had been proud of herself for her entire life. Although she was a match for Gu Sen, she only married him because she was sure that they were in love with each other.


    She was a person who placed love above all else. Gu Sen had given her the best love, and their three children were all excellent. Even their marriage was blissful.


    Her life was full of merit and there was nothing to be picky about.


    However, she had never expected that she would suffer such a disaster after having so many children and grandchildren.


    Gu Lin said that her illness was caused by excessive worry and told her to relax. However, the fair and delicate little girl was gone just like that. How could she relax?


    Like all the other rich families, the Gu family was a big family. There were a few restless ones in the family. In the past few years, they had been thinking about Gu An and Han Li. Someone even tried to persuade Gu Sen to ask Gu An and Han Li to adopt their daughter. Han Li¡¯s desperate look at that time had upset her.


    The pent-up feelings that had been suppressed in her heart for many years surged again, and she fainted.


    Shi Cui wanted to find her granddaughter. At first, it was dark everywhere in her dream, and she could not even see her fingers when she stretched out her hand. She felt bitter, but she gritted her teeth and persevered, not daring to relax for a moment. No matter how dark it was, she had to walk out. She would definitely find her granddaughter if she walked out.


    Finally, her vision grew brighter and she could hear some sounds.


    When she heard everyone calling her ¡®Grandma¡¯, ¡®Mom¡¯, and ¡®Wifey¡¯, she knew that those were her children, grandchildren, and her husband who loved her. However, a special voice caught her attention. Who was that?


    She said she was Zhizhi!


    It¡¯s Zhizhi!


    Her Zhizhi was back!


    She used the last of her strength to finally crawl out of that dark dream.


    When she opened her eyes, she saw a little girl sleeping soundly next to her. Even with her eyes closed, she could still see that her features were similar to her eldest son¡¯s.


    Shi Cui¡¯s heart melted into a puddle of water. The little girl was sleeping so soundly that she did not notice that Shi Cui had woken up.


    Shi Cui felt that her body had an unprecedented sense of relaxation. The big stone that had been pressing on her heart in the past seemed to have disappeared.


    The door opened, and Gu Lin brought his grandfather in. Shi Cui¡¯s eyes met with theirs, and the grandfather and grandson were so excited that they wanted to shout out loud. Shi Cui quickly made a hand gesture to stop them, then lowered her eyes to look at the sweet little girl, her eyes full of love.


    Zhizhi was really too tired. From the moment she was acknowledged, she had not been able to rest. Even though she had dozed off in the middle, she was still very restless.


    In the end, she was just a five-year-old child.


    Third Brother said that Grandma had a reaction to her words, and she had also felt it. Based on her experience, Grandma must be very cold. Whether it was her sister or Brother Shen Bai, they would always hug her when they were seriously ill. She was a little sun!


    Thinking of this, she took off her shoes and carefully climbed into her grandmother¡¯s bed. She found a comfortable position and lay down. Her grandmother would definitely get better.


    Gu Lin carefully picked up Zhizhi.


    Zhizhi instinctively reached out and hugged her waist, mumbling, ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t be afraid. Zhizhi is here to sleep with you. Don¡¯t be afraid!¡±


    Gu Lin held her in his arms, feeling extremely tender and protective.


    His grandfather was right. She was the Gu family¡¯s little lucky Star. Even if he was an atheist, at this moment, he also believed that Zhizhi was the little Lucky Star sent to the Gu family by God.


    Perhaps it was because her heart had finally settled down, all her tensed nerves relaxed. Zhizhi fell into a sweet dream and slept deeply.

 Chapter 16

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Zhizhi dreamed of her sister.


    ¡®Big Sister rarely smiles, but she¡¯s a good-looking person. There¡¯s no other girl in the entire Peppermint Alley who¡¯s prettier than my Big Sister,¡¯ Zhizhi thought. She had heard the men in Peppermint Alley say the same thing.


    However, her sister said that the most important thing for a girl was whether she was capable or not. It didn¡¯t matter if she was good-looking or not. Sometimes, being good-looking was also a kind of trouble. She would be bullied.


    Zhizhi did not quite understand. Big Sister was so pretty, but it was not troublesome at all! Moreover, no one had ever dared to bully her sister. The old and young of Peppermint Lane would immediately become serious when they mentioned her. The good people would respect her sister, while the bad people would fear her.


    Because of her sister, Zhizhi had been treated well by the people of Peppermint Alley since she was young. It was her sister who had held up the sky for her in Peppermint Alley.


    In the dream, her sister hugged her, carried her on her back, and lifted her up high. All the injuries on her body had healed, and Zhizhi was so happy!


    Zhizhi, you have to listen to your family, eat well, and grow up quickly. Big Sister will always be watching over you and accompanying you.


    ¡°Sister, I miss you.¡± Zhizhi raised her head to look at her Big Sister, who was gradually becoming one with the Halo.


    Her sister smiled at her, and that smile was as bright as the sun. Zhizhi blinked, and her sister disappeared.


    Zhizhi opened her eyes in a hurry.


    She rolled up and was stunned. This was not her bed, nor was it her home.


    Big Sister¡­ She could not care less. Where was her sister?


    She jumped out of bed and ran. She opened the door, feeling a little dazed.


    Where was this place?


    After passing through the small corridor, they arrived at a very spacious living room.


    On the sofa in the living room, there was a strange man in a beige casual suit, working on a computer in his hand.


    Zhizhi stood there, at a loss.


    Her five-year-old little brain was really not sharp enough. At this time, her mind was only filled with her sister.


    Now that her sister was gone, her room was gone, and Peppermint Alley was gone, where was she?


    Zhizhi was so anxious that she started crying, like a small animal locked in a cage, pitiful and helpless.


    When the man sitting on the sofa heard her crying, he immediately put down his laptop and rushed over to pick her up. ¡°Zhizhi? What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t cry, don¡¯t cry, Big Brother is here.¡±


    Zhizhi¡¯s crying stopped abruptly. Big brother?


    Her brain was finally awake.


    She had returned to the Gu family. From now on, she was Gu Zhi.


    The person in front of her was her older brother, Gu Su.


    Gu Su held Zhizhi in his arms, and the brother and sister looked at each other.


    ¡°Young Miss, Young Miss? Why did you run here?¡± The maid¡¯s anxious voice came.


    The gentle expression on Gu Su¡¯s face immediately disappeared. ¡°What do you mean by running here? There was no one beside her when she woke up. You didn¡¯t look after her, and you blame her for running out on her own? Go find Uncle Jiang, get your pay, and leave!¡±


    The maid¡¯s face changed in fear. ¡°Young Master, I¡¯m sorry. I, I saw that Young Miss was asleep, so I went to see if the breakfast was ready for her. I didn¡¯t expect Young Miss to wake up and run out by herself¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to explain. I can¡¯t be bothered to waste my breath on you. Since you don¡¯t have a deep understanding of the job of taking care of Young Miss, you¡¯re not suitable to stay by her side. You may leave.¡± Gu Su¡¯s voice was even colder.


    The maid still wanted to argue, but Gu Su already snapped, ¡°Men!¡±


    Another older maid quickly ran over, ¡°Young Master!¡±


    Gu Su said coldly, ¡°Nanny Zhang, haven¡¯t you been training our servants? How can you arrange just any random person to be by the Young Miss¡¯s side? Go find Uncle Jiang to receive your punishment!¡±


    Madam Zhang did not dare to ask and quickly bowed. ¡°Yes, Young Master!¡±


    She pulled the maid away without giving her a chance to explain.


    When Gu Su saw Zhizhi again, his face had softened.


    Zhizhi was so frightened by his tone that she stopped crying. Gu Su touched her head and took out a tissue to wipe her tears and snot. He said gently, ¡°Is Zhizhi scared because she didn¡¯t see anyone after she woke up?¡±


    Zhizhi felt a little aggrieved and nodded her head lightly.


    ¡°Zhizhi, don¡¯t be afraid. There won¡¯t be such a thing in the future. This is your home, and you¡¯re our family¡¯s most precious Young Miss. Be good, don¡¯t cry! Do you know who I am?¡±


    Gu Su coaxed Zhizhi gently.


    Zhizhi blinked her big eyes and shook her head lightly.


    ¡°I¡¯m your Big Brother, the eldest.¡± Gu Su introduced himself.


    Zhizhi was a little shy and called out softly, ¡°Big brother.¡±


    Gu Su smiled and pinched her face.

 Chapter 17

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The sound of footsteps was heard. Gu Yu ran up, panting.


    Gu Su¡¯s face immediately changed. ¡°Didn¡¯t I ask you to take care of your sister? Where did you run off to?¡±


    Gu Yu swallowed hard and did not dare to explain. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Big Brother. I was wrong.¡±


    Zhizhi looked at her insufferably venomous-tongued Youngest Elder Brother in shock. He actually knew how to apologize? He actually did not get angry and actually knew how to speak properly!


    Gu Su¡¯s expression softened when he saw his brother admit his mistake. He glared at him and said, ¡°Get Sister Qi, who¡¯s always by mother¡¯s side, to take care of Zhizhi. Her servant is not up to standard, so I just fired her.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Gu Yu quickly agreed and ran off.


    Gu Su touched Zhizhi¡¯s bare feet and carried her back to the room. He placed her on the bed and covered her with a blanket. ¡°I¡¯ll get someone to help you put on your clothes later.¡±


    Zhizhi shook her head and nimbly jumped down from the bed. ¡°Big Brother, I can put on my own clothes.¡±


    She opened the wardrobe and looked up, but she was in a dilemma. Which one should she wear?


    Gu Su chuckled and handed her a set of beige sports clothes. ¡°Wear this. It should look good.¡±


    Zhizhi took it and looked at it. Then, she looked at her brother¡¯s clothes. They were of the same color scheme. She smiled. ¡°Alright!¡±


    She quickly ran to the bathroom to change her clothes.


    By the time Sister Qi came in, Zhizhi had already dressed up and walked out of the bathroom.


    Gu Su raised his eyebrows.


    ¡°Miss, you¡¯re wearing it yourself?¡± Sister Qi asked in surprise.


    Zhizhi nodded and thought to herself, ¡®Is this a difficult task?¡¯


    ¡°Sister Qi,¡± Gu Su said, ¡°pick someone capable to take care of Zhizhi. She¡¯s still too young. She can¡¯t be on her own.¡±


    Sister Qi quickly nodded. ¡°Yes, First Young Master. I¡¯ll go and get the Butler to choose someone.¡±


    After Sister Qi left, Gu Su sat on the chair in front of the dressing table and waved at Zhizhi. ¡°Come here and comb your hair.¡±


    Zhizhi obediently walked over and whispered, ¡°I can do it myself.¡±


    Gu Su did not give her the comb, but let her stand in front of him. They were both facing the mirror. Gu Su asked while combing her hair, ¡°Zhizhi is so capable. Did your sister teach you that?¡±


    Zhizhi looked at Gu Su in the mirror, pursed her lips, and said softly, ¡°Yes, Sister said that I¡¯ve grown up and I need to be able to take care of myself.¡±


    The corners of Gu Su¡¯s lips lifted slightly, and it was hard to tell if he was smiling or not. ¡°Does Big Sister treat you well?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Zhizhi hurriedly nodded.


    This nod tugged at her hair, ¡°Aiyo ¨C¡±


    Gu Su rubbed her head and smiled at her in the mirror, ¡°I¡¯m friends with Qin Huai. She was going to send you home, but something happened and I couldn¡¯t contact her. Sigh¡­¡±


    Gu Su sighed softly, ¡°I never thought that she would¡­¡±


    Zhizhi¡¯s tears immediately gushed out. This was the first time someone had asked about her sister since she returned home.


    She turned around and looked at Gu Su with tears in her eyes. ¡°Sister is very, very sick. She said that when she recovers, she will bring me home. It will be my home. She said that she is not my biological sister, but she will be my sister for the rest of my life.¡±


    Zhizhi¡¯s big eyes blinked, and tears immediately fell out of control.


    However, she was very patient and did not cry out loud. This made people feel even more pitiful. Gu Su carried Zhizhi onto her lap and gently patted her, ¡°Be good, Zhizhi. Don¡¯t cry, don¡¯t cry.¡±


    Zhizhi cried for a while and stopped crying. She said to Gu Su, ¡°Sister said that she¡¯ll be the first star that appears every night. She¡¯ll always look at me. If I¡¯m sad, she¡¯ll be sad too. So, I have to always be happy.¡±


    Zhizhi¡¯s tears fell again, and she reached out to wipe them.


    Gu Su¡¯s heart ached. He took out a tissue and wiped her tears. ¡°Big Sister is right. Our Zhizhi is a good child, an especially obedient child.¡±


    Zhizhi nodded heavily.


    Gu Su put her down and continued to comb her hair. He asked, ¡°Did Zhizhi live alone in Peppermint Alley after Sister left?¡±


    Zhizhi looked at Gu Su. He was not looking at her, so she said softly, ¡°Yes, Sister asked the uncles and aunties in Peppermint Lane to take care of me. She said that I would repay them when I grew up. Big brother, when I grew up, I have to repay them!¡±


    Gu Su smiled and patted her head. ¡°Yes, they are Zhizhi¡¯s benefactors. They are the benefactors of the Gu family. You don¡¯t have to wait until Zhizhi grows up to repay them. I will definitely repay them on your behalf!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll repay you when I grow up, Big Brother!¡± Zhizhi nodded.

 Chapter 18

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Gu Su chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re my sister. I¡¯ll do anything for you. I don¡¯t need you to repay me. As long as you¡¯re healthy and happy, I¡¯ll be happy!¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll make Big Brother happy every day!¡± Zhizhi said after some thought.


    Gu Su tried to tie a rubber band around Zhizhi¡¯s hair and smiled.


    Zhizhi looked at Gu Su in the mirror and was stunned. She thought to herself, ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Big Brother. I promised Sister and Big Brother Shen Bai that I would not tell anyone about Brother Shen Bai.¡¯


    Gu Su, the Eldest Young Master of the Gu family, was in charge of the economy of M City. Under his sister¡¯s patient guidance, he tied her sister¡¯s hair into a ponytail. She looked very good in her sportswear.


    He held his sister¡¯s hand and went downstairs, letting out a long sigh of relief in his heart.


    Qin Huai, no matter what your identity is, the Gu family will remember this favor!


    It had been half a year since Qin Huai had passed away and he had received news of Zhizhi¡¯s location. He could not believe that a five-year-old child could live alone for half a year. In that case, there should be someone taking care of Zhizhi. Why did this person suddenly give him news of Zhizhi? What was his motive? If he did not investigate clearly, how could he be at ease?


    He wanted his sister, and he also wanted the safety of his entire family. He could not afford to be careless! However, the results of the investigation he had sent were without exception. They all said that Zhizhi was living alone in Peppermint Alley. Qin Huai must have set a time to tell him the news in advance. He speculated that Qin Huai did not expect that she would die and wanted to live with Zhizhi for a longer period of time. This was because the information they had gathered showed that Qin Huai loved her younger sister as much as her life!


    Gu Su and Zhizhi chatted for a long time. It was easy for him to obtain information from a five-year-old child. He believed that Zhizhi indeed had the ability to take care of herself. Qin Huai had trained her well in this aspect.


    But he could not help but feel angry. His Zhizhi did not need to cultivate this ability at all!


    For a five-year-old child, clothes and food came to her hands and mouth. It was the right thing to do. At this young age, she could wear clothes and comb her own hair, wash her face and brush her teeth. She could eat on her own and clean her room. It was too incredible. How much hardship did she go through to cultivate this?


    When he thought of this, he bent down and carried Zhizhi in his arms.


    Zhizhi was a little surprised to be picked up again while she was walking.


    From the moment she returned home, she had almost always switched from one person carrying her to another. The adults were always willing to hold her, as if walking a little more would tire her out.


    She put her hand on Gu Su¡¯s shoulder and said seriously, ¡°Big Brother, I can run up to the fifth floor in one breath. I¡¯m very powerful! Sister said that when I grow up, just a little, she will teach me martial arts and make me very, very powerful!¡±


    Gu Su was stunned for a moment and then laughed out loud. ¡°Why do you want to become so, so powerful?¡±


    Zhizhi blinked her big eyes. ¡°Protect! Protect Mommy!¡±


    Her sister was no longer around. In the future, the person she had to protect would be her mother. Her mother was so thin and in poor health. She needed someone to protect her!


    Her expression was very serious.


    Gu Su¡¯s heart could not help but soften. He touched Zhizhi¡¯s head. ¡°Alright, Big Brother will find someone to teach Zhizhi martial arts and make Zhizhi very, very strong. No one will dare to bully Zhizhi in the future. Yes, Zhizhi still has to protect Mommy!¡±


    Gu Su was touched by Zhizhi¡¯s small wish.


    ¡°Big Brother.¡± Gu Yu carefully inched closer to him.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Gu Su replied indifferently. ¡°I heard that your ranking dropped five places in the monthly examination?¡±


    Gu Yu immediately fell silent.


    ¡°If you dare to take drop one more place, I¡¯ll break your legs!¡± Gu Su said.


    ¡°You can¡¯t use violence on children!¡± Gu Yu said in a low voice.


    Coincidentally, Gu Su heard him and glared at him. ¡°Then we¡¯ll confiscate your computer.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Gu Yu waved his hand at once. ¡°Just break my legs!¡±


    Zhizhi looked at Gu Yu in shock.


    ¡°Your brother is a fool, ignore him!¡± Gu Su said.


    Gu Yu followed behind them with a bitter face, looking very pitiful.


    ¡°What is the monthly examination?¡± Zhizhi asked Gu Su.


    Gu Su was very gentle to Zhizhi. ¡°It¡¯s an exam that we have to take every month.¡±


    Zhizhi nodded. ¡°Then during the next exam, if Little Big Brother doesn¡¯t improve, you won¡¯t break his legs, right?¡±


    Gu Su smiled. ¡°Yes, Zhizhi is right. If he does well next time, I will reward him!¡±


    ¡°Good luck, Little Big Brother!¡± Zhizhi clapped her hands.


    Gu Yu smiled bitterly. He realized that his sister was really a Lucky Star. He had to admit that!

 Chapter 19

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Gu Su brought Zhizhi and Gu Yi to the front hall to welcome the family.


    He did not expect so many things to happen during his emergency business trip.


    First, his family ignored his instructions and went to Peppermint Alley to pick up his sister. He was so scared that he hurriedly ended his work and immediately wanted to fly back. Fortunately, the matter of picking up Zhizhi went very smoothly.


    Before he could catch his breath, he received a call from his Third Brother, saying that Grandma¡¯s surgery was going to be brought forward. He was already on his way back. Without a word, he took a private plane and flew back overnight.


    This allowed him to catch up with his family, giving him the opportunity to have a private conversation with his sister and confirm his investigation of Qin Huai.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Mom? Why did you leave Zhizhi alone in the room?¡± Gu Su frowned and asked Gu Yu.


    Gu Yu touched his nose. ¡°Why can¡¯t I hide anything from you, Big Brother?¡±


    Gu Su rolled his eyes at him.


    Gu Yu sighed and told him the truth. ¡°Mom¡¯s mood was fluctuating. Aunt and the others were afraid that she couldn¡¯t take it, so they put sleeping pills in her milk and left her at home to rest. Han Ze and I were to look after Sister, so I went down to check on the venue. In the end, Zhizhi woke up¡­ And mom is still sleeping.¡±


    He looked at his omnipotent Big Brother in a daze.


    ¡°What about Han Ze?¡± Gu Su was not surprised at all by his brother¡¯s unreliable nature. He did not have any hope for him and Han Ze to form a team.


    ¡°He¡¯s looking at the venue at the back. Grandpa wants to build a playground for Sister and he asked us to design it. Oh, right, Brother, can you give us some advice?¡± Gu Yu was suddenly excited.


    Gu Su felt a little helpless at his grandfather¡¯s sudden idea. He looked at Zhizhi in his arms and did not object, which was rare. ¡°I¡¯ll leave Grandpa to you guys. I won¡¯t be giving you any advice. If you need any help, just let Jiang Yang know.¡±


    Jiang Yang was his special assistant and the son of uncle Jiang, the Butler.


    Gu Yu was overjoyed. He had never expected his Big Brother to help. It was already good enough that he was not picky about them, but Brother Jiang Yang was different.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Zhizhi? Zhizhi? Where¡¯s my Zhizhi?¡± Han Li¡¯s panicked voice suddenly came from upstairs.


    The brothers ¡®expressions changed.


    Gu Su turned around without hesitation and ran up the stairs. ¡°Mom, Zhizhi is here.¡±


    ¡°Call me Mommy,¡± she quickly said to Zhizhi, who was in her arms.


    ¡°Mommy?¡± Zhizhi¡¯s crisp voice shouted upstairs.


    ¡°Zhizhi¡­¡± Han Li almost rushed over and snatched Zhizhi from Gu Su¡¯s arms.


    She put her face on Zhizhi¡¯s chest and said incoherently, ¡°You scared me to death, you scared me to death. I lost you again in my dream.¡±


    Zhizhi was stunned.


    Gu Su was worried that Zhizhi would be frightened by her mother.


    However, Zhizhi reached out and patted her mother¡¯s head. ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t be afraid. Zhizhi is here. You didn¡¯t lose Zhizhi.¡±


    Han Li was relieved. She finally looked at her eldest son. ¡°You¡¯re back? Grandma¡¯s awake, she can be discharged.¡±


    Gu Su looked at his mother and nodded with a smile. ¡°I know.¡±


    Han Li showed the twig in her arms to Gu Su. ¡°We¡¯ve brought back Zhizhi, there¡¯s no danger!¡±


    She did not listen to her son¡¯s words and forced Gu An to pick up Zhizhi. Now that she saw her son, she was more or less a little embarrassed. Fortunately, everything was safe and there was no danger.


    Gu Su reached out and touched Zhizhi¡¯s little face. He said gently, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m thinking too much. I¡¯m always worried about this and that. I¡¯m overthinking it.¡±


    Seeing that her son did not blame her, Han Li quickly said, ¡°You¡¯re right to think too much. Your grandfather and father both praise you, but our Zhizhi is a Lucky Star. She¡¯s not in any danger. Gu Su, I¡¯ll never leave Zhizhi¡¯s side from now on. Never!¡±


    Han Li solemnly promised the child.


    Gu Su understood his mother¡¯s fear. She had almost gone crazy after all these years.


    ¡°Mom, don¡¯t be nervous. Zhizhi is back. You can see her every day and accompany her. Don¡¯t worry, nothing bad will happen again. Don¡¯t scare yourself. If you¡¯re nervous, it will affect Zhizhi¡¯s mood, don¡¯t you think?¡± Gu Su coaxed his mother gently.


    Han Li hesitated, but she still said firmly, ¡°I¡¯ll only be at ease if I look after her myself!¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s wait and see.¡± Gu Su did not force her mother.


    ¡°Zhizhi, you have to listen to Mommy from now on,¡± he said gently to Zhizhi.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be obedient!¡± Zhizhi wrapped her arms around Han Li¡¯s neck.


    Han Li¡¯s face was filled with satisfaction.


    It had been many years since Gu Su had seen her mother this awake.

 Chapter 20

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    ¡°Big Brother, Mommy, come quickly. Grandpa and Grandma are back!¡± Gu Yu shouted at them from downstairs.


    Gu Su took Zhizhi and helped his mother down the stairs.


    A team of medical staff first moved all kinds of medical equipment in.


    Ever since she woke up, Shi Cui could not stay a moment longer. She wanted to be discharged from the hospital and go home. She wanted to go home and recuperate.


    Gu Lin had no choice but to give his grandmother a full-body examination. For safety¡¯s sake, he also brought a full set of equipment from the hospital home. They owned the hospital anyway, so his Eldest Brother would pay for all the expenses.


    Shi Cui was sitting in a wheelchair with an oxygen bag tied to her neck. After entering the room, she pulled down the oxygen bag and looked around.¡±Where¡¯s Zhizhi? Where¡¯s my good granddaughter?¡±


    ¡°Grandma, Zhizhi is here.¡± Gu Su carried his younger sister and walked forward.


    He placed Zhizhi on the ground and motioned for her to go over.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Shi Cui glanced at her eldest grandson. ¡°You¡¯re back too.¡±


    Then, she looked at the little girl standing in front of her. The little girl¡¯s clear big eyes melted her with just one look.


    ¡°Grandma, you¡¯re better now? You escaped from the hospital?¡± Zhizhi looked at the old lady in front of her curiously. She looked different from when she was lying down.


    Shi Cui was stunned for a moment, and then she smiled. ¡°Yes, yes, yes, yes. Grandma escaped from the hospital. The hospital is not a good place!¡±


    Zhizhi nodded. ¡°Yes, I heard that hospitals eat people up. Many people can¡¯t get out after entering the hospital. Grandma, you¡¯re so amazing to be able to escape from the hospital!¡±


    Zhizhi¡¯s little face was full of admiration, and she was serious and sincere.


    Shi Cui was even happier. She made a shushing gesture with her index finger and whispered, ¡°It was your Third Brother who helped me. He¡¯s a doctor, that¡¯s why I was able to escape so smoothly.¡±


    Zhizhi¡¯s mouth was round, and she also whispered, ¡°Oh, Third Brother is amazing!¡±


    Shi Cui laughed out loud and pulled her into her arms. ¡°You¡¯re indeed my good granddaughter. You¡¯re like me!¡±


    Gu Lin picked up Zhizhi and rushed forward. He put his hand under her armpit and shook her with a smile. ¡°You little rascal!¡±


    Zhizhi did not understand what she said, or what she said wrong, but she felt itchy all over being lifted by Gu Lin. She laughed as she struggled.


    Gu An, Gu Nian, and Gu Su looked at each other and heaved a long sigh of relief. They felt as if the sky had cleared up and the dark clouds that had shrouded the Gu family¡¯s residence had all disappeared.


    Gu An patted his son¡¯s shoulder. ¡°That Miss Qin Huai is our family¡¯s great benefactor. So are the people from Peppermint Alley.¡±


    Gu Su nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know what to do.¡±


    The liveliness continued until night fell, and Zhizhi was so tired that she could not keep her eyes open anymore. Only then did everyone return to their rooms.


    Han Li personally washed Zhizhi and changed her into her pajamas, but she was reluctant to send Zhizhi back to her room.


    ¡°Let her sleep with us,¡± Gu An said. ¡°She¡¯s new here and might not be used to it. Gu Su fired the maid who followed Zhizhi today, saying that she didn¡¯t work hard enough.¡±


    Han Li immediately said, ¡°Those who don¡¯t work hard should resign. In the future, I¡¯ll personally take care of the child. I¡¯m going to make up for all the years that I¡¯ve owed!¡±


    Gu An watched as Han Li put Zhizhi, who had fallen asleep, on the bed and then carefully lay down next to her. She looked at her daughter¡¯s sleeping face unwillingly. Fortunately, she had found Zhizhi. Otherwise, Han Li would have gone crazy one day.


    The Heavens had taken pity on Zhizhi, and she had finally returned.


    It had been two days, and Zhizhi finally had a good night¡¯s sleep. She was so tired that she did not even have the time to dream.


    Everyone in the Gu family treated her so well, which made her feel a little more at ease. This was her home, indeed her home. Everyone liked her, which made the tension and vigilance in her heart gradually disappear.


    She wanted to live well and grow up well. Only when she grew up would she be able to find Brother Shen Bai.


    She wanted to bury Brother Shen Bai in her heart. No one could know about him. She could not let Brother Shen Bai be in danger. When she grew up, she wanted to be as capable as his sister. She wanted to protect Brother Shen Bai with her life like a sister and not let him be hurt even a little! She could definitely do it! Definitely!


    Zhizhi secretly made a wish in her sweet dream.

 Chapter 21

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The Gu family had double the reasons for the celebration.


    The Old Madam, who had been unconscious for a long time, suddenly recovered. She successfully underwent the surgery and woke up.


    The Young Miss of the Gu family who had been missing for many years had finally been found.


    Old Master Gu was overjoyed and sent out invitations to all his new friends and business partners to celebrate.


    The Gu family had been quiet for many years. Old Master Gu Sen had retired for many years. However, under the leadership of Gu An, Gu Nian, and Gu Su, the Gu family¡¯s business was booming. Whether it was in the country or in the world, the Gu family occupied a supreme position. Their strength was something that others could only look up to.


    A few years ago, the Gu family, which was full of men, had a daughter. The low-key Gu family had once held a grand full-moon banquet for this young lady. It was a three-day banquet with guests from all over the country. Not to mention M City, it was probably the only one in the country. It could be seen how important this girl was to the Gu family and how much she was doted on.


    Unfortunately, good times did not last long. More than a year later, this precious Miss Gu was plotted against by her enemies and was kidnapped. She went missing. The Gu family was frantically looking for her, and the bounty rose, again and again. This caused both the proper world and the underworld to go crazy.


    The strange thing was, even so, they could not find a little girl who was more than one year old.


    As a result, people slowly spread the news that the child was definitely dead.


    No one felt that this guess was unreasonable.


    After all, with such a method of searching, even if it was a needle, there should be a trace of her.


    The Old Madam and the Eldest Madam of the Gu family fell sick one after another from the sadness, especially the Eldest Madam. Her mental state was gradually becoming abnormal and she slowly withdrew from everyone¡¯s sight. Nonetheless, the Gu family still needed to maintain social appearances. The duty of attending banquets and social events fell on the Second Madam, Lin Wan.


    Speaking of the Gu family, the most admirable thing was not only the Gu family¡¯s amazing business operation ability for generations, but also the Gu family¡¯s kind father, filial son, and respectful brothers.


    They were used to seeing grudges between wealthy families, where the father, sons, and brothers killed each other for the family wealth. The Gu family was very different.


    The Gu family was full of men, but no matter which generation it was, there had never been a melodramatic incident of fighting for the family property or inheritance. No, it was a normal incident.


    As the saying went, ¡®Everything will prosper if the family is in harmony¡¯, the Gu family¡¯s business was at its peak. Some people said that if the moon was full, it would be a loss. The disappearance of the Gu family¡¯s young lady was because God was jealous of the Gu family¡¯s happiness, so he created some obstacles for them.


    These words were very reasonable.


    However, an old servant who had retired from the Gu family said that when the Eldest Young Lady was still in the Eldest Madam¡¯s womb, an expert had asserted that this girl would be the Gu family¡¯s little Lucky Star in the future. Unfortunately, fate was full of misfortune, and she met with disasters for the Gu family.


    The Old Master had once said that a girl¡¯s worst fate was nothing more than meeting an unvirtuous person. At most, his granddaughter would not marry for the rest of her life, and the Gu family could afford to support her.


    However, he did not expect that it was difficult to defy the will of the Heavens! Miss Gu had just turned one year old when she was kidnapped. If this was not enough to prove the expert¡¯s claim. Then in the next few years, the Gu family¡¯s business was at its peak. Every competitor or business partner would sigh and think that there was really someone in the Gu family who was blocking all the misfortunes for them!


    Unfortunately, the Gu family was heartbroken when they heard such words.


    Because if that was the case, it meant that Young Miss Gu, who was still alive in some corner, was suffering on their behalf.


    Some people said that if anyone could find Young Miss Gu, the Gu family would not even frown if they had to ask for half of the Gu family¡¯s assets.


    These people¡¯s guesses were not all correct.


    If Gu Zhi was used to exchange for all the assets of the Gu family, the head of the Gu family would not even refuse.


    For the Gu family, there was only one Gu Zhi, and the Gu family could earn back their assets at any time because they had the ability!


    The Young Miss Gu was only five years old, and it was unknown whether she was still alive or not, but she had already become a legend.


    Was there anything more amazing than a legend turning into reality?


    All of a sudden, the streets of M City were filled with the legend of Young Miss Gu, and all kinds of versions of the story were spreading.


    However, Peppermint Alley was silent.


    It was not because the Gu family had taken care of Peppermint Alley, but because from the moment Zhizhi had left, they had collectively decided to protect her! She would never embarrass Zhizhi. Zhizhi was the Gu family¡¯s, but she was also once from Peppermint Alley. She had been treated by the best in Peppermint Alley!


    The silence of Peppermint Lane made Young Miss Gu Zhi seem even more mysterious. No one knew how she went missing back then and how she got her back!


    It was inevitable that some people would question Gu Zhi¡¯s identity.

 Chapter 22

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    ¡°Where did this little bastard come from? Ah? We just went out for a vacation, why did Gu Zhi appear when we came back? Gu Cheng, I-I¡¯m telling you! The matter of our Gu Zhen being adopted by the first household is set in stone! No one is allowed to cause any destruction! Hurry up and find out where this little bastard came from! Get her out of here!¡± Li Dan was holding the invitation card from the main residence, and she was screaming at her husband, Gu Cheng.


    Gu Cheng was a side branch of the Gu family. Although he could not be considered a distant cousin, he was indeed quite far away.


    However, his father knew the ways of the world the best. Although they were not blood-related, their family was very close to the main residence! The Old Master was very good to this younger cousin, and he also cared for this nephew of his. As the saying goes, ¡®It¡¯s better to lean against a big tree to enjoy the shade¡¯. It was needless to say that the benefit of having a good relationship with the main residence was worth its weight in gold.


    The biggest regret in the main residence was Gu Zhi¡¯s disappearance. This was a pain that could not even be mentioned.


    Gu Cheng¡¯s wife, Li Dan, used to be a saleswoman in a department store under the Gu Group. She met Gu Cheng by chance. At that time, Gu Cheng was accompanying Gu Sen on an inspection.


    At that time, Li Dan had just entered the workplace and was waiting for an opportunity to strike. She felt like she had found a treasure. After several attempts of seduction, Gu Cheng was hooked. It was not until the two got married that Li Dan realized that the man she had hooked was not a rich man at all, but a snail in a turtle¡¯s shell.


    However, there was no medicine for regret in this world. Everyone thought that she had married into a rich family. She bragged and put up a good front. So, she could only force herself to hold on. Fortunately, Gu Cheng had a soft personality and listened to her about everything. Her in-laws were also very easy to control. Soon, the family was fully in her hands.


    Li Dan was very excited about the tragedy in the main house. She had always dreamed that they could find Gu Zhi, and then use Gu Zhi to become the main house¡¯s great benefactor, and then soar to success.


    However, Gu Zhi was too difficult to find. It was harder than finding a needle in a haystack.


    Gu Cheng had tried to persuade her, ¡°Gu Su has raised the bounty to 300 million yuan. Don¡¯t those gangsters have more manpower than you? If they can¡¯t find her, how can we?¡±


    Li Dan had no choice but to give up.


    One day, while she was thinking about how to make a fortune, her daughter fell down in front of her with a ¡®plop¡¯. She cried in pain.


    Not only did she not coax her, but she was also enlightened in an instant!


    She hugged her daughter and kissed her fiercely, smiling as she kissed her. ¡°Why do we need to find the real person? Can¡¯t we just give them a substitute?¡±


    Li Dan then mobilized the whole family and actively carried out activities. She asked the elders of each branch of the Gu family to lobby the Old Master and Old Madam of the main house, so that they would agree to adopt a girl from the family to Gu An and Han Li of the eldest branch.


    Unexpectedly, as soon as this idea came out, everyone followed suit. Every branch of the Gu family was fighting to put a girl in the main house.


    This stimulated Li Dan¡¯s potential, and she worked tirelessly to develop her daughter¡¯s various talents and abilities, while doing everything she could to make her competitors return in defeat. Her daughter, Gu Zhen, became the most promising candidate to move into the main residence and become the Eldest Lady of the Gu family.


    Under her mother¡¯s arrangement, the nine-year-old Gu Zhen had learned a lot of skills and had long considered herself the eldest daughter of the Gu family. Now that she heard that the real eldest daughter of the Gu family had returned and that she could no longer be the honorable eldest daughter of the Gu family, she suddenly cried as if the sky had fallen and the earth had collapsed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care, I want to go to the main house and be the Young Miss! I¡¯m the Young Miss of the Gu family! I don¡¯t care what method you use! You have to make me the Young Miss of the Gu family. Otherwise, I¡¯ll die in front of you!¡±


    Gu Zhen shrieked. She picked up the vase beside her and smashed it on the ground.


    Li Dan was shocked. She did not have the time to yell at her husband and quickly coaxed her daughter. ¡°Baby, baby, be careful not to hurt your hand!¡±


    ¡°Aiyo, my good baby, my good baby, don¡¯t be angry, don¡¯t get angry, you have to watch your manners! Manners! You¡¯re the Young Miss of the Gu family. The Young Miss of the Gu family should be dignified and generous. Think about your two aunts! You can¡¯t do this!¡±


    Nothing was more useful than this kind of comfort.


    Gu Zhen gasped and stopped. She widened her bloodshot eyes and glared at her parents fiercely. ¡°I must be the Eldest Miss of the Gu family!¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay, okay. You will definitely be the Eldest Miss of the Gu family!¡± Li dan comforted her daughter.


    ¡°Right? Husband? Quickly state your position!¡± Li Dan quickly pushed her submissive husband away.


    Gu Cheng frowned and mumbled, ¡°What can I do? The one who came back is the real Gu Zhi. People have seen her. She¡¯s a five-year-old girl and she¡¯s so pretty¡­¡±


    Pa!


    Li Dan slapped Gu Cheng¡¯s head. ¡°You¡¯re courting death! Who are you speaking for?! Who¡¯s your biological daughter?!¡±


    Gu Cheng did not dare to speak.

 Chapter 23

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Li Dan smiled at her daughter and said, ¡°My dear daughter, don¡¯t worry. Let¡¯s go to the main house to check out where this wild girl came from. I guess she must have taken advantage of our absence and forced herself on us. I don¡¯t know how she has won the favor of your uncle and aunt. I don¡¯t think the people in the main house have spread the news. It must be those people with ulterior motives!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, those were all defeated by you. They¡¯re no match for you. In terms of appearance, talent, and ability, which girl from the Gu family can be better than you now? Listen to Mom, we can¡¯t mess up now!¡±


    Li Dan tugged at Gu Cheng, who quickly said, ¡°Yes, yes, yes. Your mother is right. I¡¯ll ask your Grandma to go over and check it out.¡±


    Gu Zhen thought for a moment and immediately said, ¡°There¡¯s no need for Grandma to go. She won¡¯t understand! Mom, didn¡¯t you buy gifts for Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle, and Aunt in the main house? We¡¯ll send it over now!¡±


    Li Dan hesitated for a moment. She had put a lot of thought into those gifts. She had wanted to give them out when everyone was present, so that she could crush them. If she gave them now, she might not get the desired effect. No one would know.


    But on second thought, at such a critical time, if they did not be more proactive, someone else might get there first!


    ¡°Alright,¡± she said, gritting herteeth. ¡°Go back to your room and change your clothes. Pack up. We¡¯re going to the main house!¡±


    Gu Zhen was finally satisfied and revealed an arrogant expression.


    ¡­


    Zhizhi stood in front of the mirror, turning left and right in a circle. She shook her head left and right, making the people around her laugh.


    ¡°Zhizhi, do you think it looks good?¡± Han Li reached out and stroked his daughter¡¯s hair.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s nice.¡± Zhizhi looked at herself in the mirror.


    In the mirror, Zhizhi¡¯s hair had been cut short. It was shoulder-length, and her bangs were neat. It made her look quiet, gentle, and very pretty. The pink dress she was wearing hung down quietly when she stood still. There was nothing special about it, but when she made a big move, such as turning around quickly, the skirt would float up and form a Morning Glory. It was very beautiful.


    Zhizhi could not help but turn around a few times.


    Han Li squatted down and stroked his daughter¡¯s hair. ¡°Our Zhizhi is really pretty.¡±


    ¡°Mommy is pretty too.¡± Zhizhi tilted her head.


    She turned around and looked at the crowd. ¡°Aunty is pretty too. Aunty is pretty too. Aunty is pretty too. We all look pretty.¡±


    The crowd laughed.


    ¡°This girl¡¯s mouth is so sweet. She¡¯s also a master with compliments, giving them out fairly!¡± Tang Xing laughed.


    ¡°Go! Let¡¯s go see Grandpa and Grandma!¡± Gu Hao stepped forward and held his little niece¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Mom must be waiting for you. I¡¯ll go with you,¡± Han Li said with a smile.


    Everyone knew that Han Li could not leave Zhizhi for even a moment.


    ¡°You guys go ahead,¡± said Lin Wan with a smile. ¡°Tang Xing and I will go and see the plan for the banquet.¡±


    Han Li smiled. ¡°Okay, thank you. I¡¯ll only take care of my daughter from now on. I won¡¯t care about anything else.¡±


    ¡°Sure, no problem!¡± Lin Wan smiled. ¡°Who asked you to be my Sister-in-law?! In the future, you only need to accompany Zhizhi and we¡¯ll do everything else for you!¡±


    Han Li did not hesitate. She had always had an open personality and did not beat around the bush. Her parents had said more than once when they were alive that she was lucky to have married into the Gu family. Otherwise, she would have suffered a lot of losses from house fights!


    Women who married into the Gu family were all blessed!


    Zhizhi bounced around all the way, looking down at her skirt from time to time. She was in an extremely good mood as she watched the hem of her skirt bloom with her movements.


    ¡°Mom, I like this dress.¡± Zhizhi could not help but say to Han Li, who was holding her hand.


    Han Li smiled and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll buy you two more in other colors. How about a white one? What about the blue one?¡±


    Zhizhi regretted what she had just said. In the past two days, whenever she was slightly interested in something, her mother would immediately buy it.


    Gu Hao laughed. ¡°Zhizhi, all these years, your mother has been regretting that she couldn¡¯t buy you anything you like. No matter what she buys, you should accept it. That way, she¡¯ll be happy. If you don¡¯t like it later, you can give it to me secretly. After all, everything your mother buys is good stuff!¡±

 Chapter 24

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Zhizhi looked at her aunt, then at her mother. ¡°I like everything Mommy gives me.¡±


    Han Li laughed happily.


    Zhizhi¡¯s eyes curved into crescents as she smiled. ¡°I also like what Aunt gave me. When I grow up, I¡¯ll give Aunt a gift that she likes.¡±


    ¡°Oh, our Zhizhi is so good at coaxing people. Sister-in-law, listen to this. I¡¯ll go back and pick out a gift!¡± Gu Hao scratched Zhizhi¡¯s nose.


    Han Li looked at her obedient daughter and secretly felt relieved. She originally thought that it would be difficult for Zhizhi to integrate into the family after she came back. After all, she had lived in Peppermint Alley for so long. However, she did not expect that Zhizhi would adapt in just two days and get along with everyone in the family.


    Once again, she was grateful to Qin Huai for adopting Zhizhi. She had already set up a memorial for Qin Huai in her heart and was especially grateful to her for giving her such a good daughter. Zhizhi acted as if she had never left the Gu family. Even though she had never seen many things before, she did not show any signs of fear. She was honest and cute.


    ¡°Old Madam, you don¡¯t know this girl¡­ When I take her on a trip, she¡¯s always thinking about you guys. Whatever delicious food or fun things she sees, she wants to bring you guys, uncle, aunt, and Brother Gu Yu! This child! She¡¯s been missing you guys the moment she stepped out of the house. Look, these are the gifts she chose for you!¡±


    Before they even entered, he heard Li Dan¡¯s cheerful voice.


    Gu Yu could not help but frown.


    ¡°She hasn¡¯t given up and wants to get us to adopt her daughter,¡± Han Li said with a calm expression.


    Gu Yu sneered. ¡°She¡¯s so bold. The universe can¡¯t contain her!¡±


    Han Li pursed her lips and smiled.


    Gu Yu picked up Zhizhi and stuffed her into Han Li¡¯s arms. ¡°Sister-in-law, hold onto Zhizhi and ignore whatever they say! I¡¯ll block them for you!¡±


    Han Li carried her daughter and followed behind Gu Yu. She was such a lucky woman, and everyone around her protected her.


    ¡°Is that Sister-in-law Li Dan?¡± Gu Yu shouted as soon as he entered the room. ¡°Oh, you even brought so many gifts? You really put in a lot of effort. Oh, isn¡¯t it Zhenzhen? You¡¯re getting more and more beautiful!¡±


    Li Dan¡¯s expression changed when she saw Zhizhi in Han Li¡¯s arms. She did not even hear Gu Yu¡¯s greeting.


    ¡°This, this child, this child¡­¡± Li Dan pointed at Zhizhi.


    Zhizhi was a little shy, so she turned around and hugged Han Li¡¯s neck.


    In any case, her mother had not asked her to call for anyone.


    Old Madam Gu could not wait any longer. ¡°Zhizhi, quick, bring Zhizhi over for me to see! The few of you, do you need so long to cut Zhizhi¡¯s hair? My good granddaughter, come and let Grandma take a look!¡±


    Han Li carried Zhizhi and walked to the Old Madam¡¯s wheelchair.


    Zhizhi leaned into the Old Madam¡¯s arms and called out, ¡°Grandma.¡±


    The Old Madam was overjoyed. She touched her hair and praised, ¡°It¡¯s good! Our Zhizhi will look good no matter how you cut her hair!¡±


    Han Li stood to the side with a smile.


    Gu Yu looked on coldly from the side. He was shocked when he saw Gu Zhen looking at Gu Zhi with a venomous gaze.


    Li Dan¡¯s expression was also very unfriendly. Gu Yu sneered. This pair of mother and daughter had wild ambitions written all over their faces.


    ¡°Come, Zhizhi, let me introduce you to two guests. This is Big Auntie, this is Sister Gu Zhen, and this is Sister-in-law Li Dan. We¡¯ve found our Gu Zhi! Oh, by the way, you guys should have received the invitation by now, right? Ah, it¡¯s finally over. I don¡¯t have to deal with those people who want to force their daughter into our family.¡±


    Zhizhi turned her body around, and she looked up at the two people. She called out expressionlessly, ¡± Hello, Auntie. Hello, Sister Gu Zhen!


    Then, she leaned into the Old Madam¡¯s arms.


    The Old Madam touched Zhizhi¡¯s head lovingly. ¡°Our Zhizhi is a Lucky Star. Her grandfather said that my condition improved as soon as I received news about her. I could have surgery as soon as she returned home. In the end, she was the one who woke me up. Our Zhizhi is a gift from God to the Gu family.¡±


    Then, she kissed Zhizhi on the cheek.


    Zhizhi smiled at her grandmother obediently and reached out to touch the embroidery on her lapel.


    Before Li Dan and Gu Zhen could adjust their expressions, the Old Madam¡¯s housekeeper, Aunt Zhao, knocked on the door and entered. She smiled and said, ¡°Madam, Young Miss¡¯s cat is back.¡±


    ¡°Xiaofu!¡± Zhizhi¡¯s eyes lit up.


    She ran over and took the black cat from Aunt Zhao¡¯s hands, not forgetting to bow to Aunt Zhao, and said in a crisp voice, ¡± ¡°Thank you, Grandma Zhao!¡±


    ¡°No need to thank me, Young Miss.¡± Mother Zhao beamed.


    Zhizhi ran over to grandma with Xiaofu in her arms, raising her cat to the crowd. ¡°This is Xiaofu!¡±

 Chapter 25

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    That cute little expression could really warm a person¡¯s heart.


    It was a pity that someone had no heart. Li Dan and her daughter¡¯s faces were extremely ugly.


    Xiaofu meowed softly, happy to see its Little Master.


    Zhizhi¡¯s childish nature finally showed itself after seeing Xiaofu. She raised Xiaofu in front of her and pressed her face against it with a smile.


    Shi Cui and Han Li looked at Zhizhi lovingly. Seeing that Zhizhi was happy, they were also happy.


    Xiaofu happily played around with Zhizhi, struggling to jump off the ground. Zhizhi quickly called out, ¡°Xiaofu!¡±


    Xiaofu thought that Zhizhi was playing a game, so it ran forward. However, Li Dan and Gu Zhen were right in front of it.


    Before Xiaofu could reach Gu Zhen, the latter screamed and jumped onto the sofa. She threw herself into Li Dan¡¯s arms and cried, ¡°Mommy, I¡¯m scared!¡±


    Xiaofu was shocked and ran away with a whoosh.


    ¡°Xiaofu!¡± Zhizhi was startled.


    She wanted to chase after the cat, but she was too scared to move when she saw Gu Zhen crying.


    Han Li¡¯s expression changed. She quickly pulled Zhizhi into her arms and ordered the maid standing at the door, ¡°Go get Xiaofu back!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Xiaofu won¡¯t go far,¡± she comforted Zhizhi.


    Li Dan raised her voice to comfort Gu Zhen, ¡°Zhenzhen, don¡¯t be afraid, don¡¯t be afraid. Aiyo, our Zhenzhen is just timid. She can¡¯t be compared to those wild children from the outside.¡±


    Han Li held onto Zhizhi and said to Li Dan and her daughter, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, we must have frightened Zhenzhen.¡±


    Gu Yu looked at them in surprise, ¡°eh? I remember that Zhenzhen isn¡¯t afraid of cats or dogs. Doesn¡¯t your Grandma also have a cat?¡±


    Li Dan¡¯s hand that was patting her daughter¡¯s back paused.


    Gu Zhen left Li Dan¡¯s arms and sobbed pitifully. ¡°Auntie, you scared Zhenzhen to death. Why is that cat black? The black cat was too scary and ugly! Mom? Didn¡¯t they say that black cats were inauspicious? Why do people keep black cats?¡±


    Li Dan secretly praised her daughter in her heart for being clever, and hurriedly said, ¡°Aiyo, that¡¯s right! Sister-in-law, you see, even Zhenzhen knows that black cats are inauspicious. How can you keep a black cat at home?¡±


    ¡°Our Zhizhi likes it,¡± Han Li replied indifferently.


    ¡°Xiaofu isn¡¯t ugly, Xiaofu is auspicious!¡± Zhizhi¡¯s eyes reddened as she whispered and leaned into her mother¡¯s arms.


    Han Li touched his daughter¡¯s head and said in a soft and tender voice, ¡°Of course, Xiaofu¡¯s not ugly, it¡¯s very cute. They¡¯ll get it back soon, be good.¡±


    Li Dan rolled her eyes, but there was nothing she could do.


    Han Li came from a well-known family. Gu An and Han Ze were childhood sweethearts. The Han family and the Gu family had been friends for generations. The Han family did not have many descendants and had only one son for several generations. When it came to Gu Sen, he and Han Li¡¯s father were even closer. When Old Han passed away, he entrusted his son to Gu Sen. Gu Sen regarded Han Li as his own son, and even Han Ze respected Gu Sen and his wife as his own grandparents.


    As soon as Han Li graduated from college, Gu An could not wait to marry her. Han Li was not good with words, but she was born to be a young lady. Everyone in her in-laws and paternal family treated her like a treasure. Even her sister-in-law and aunt became best friends.


    Li Dan would never be able to catch up to her status no matter how hard she tried. She was usually very respectful to Han Li, but today, she was so angry that she could not care less.


    It was too hard to swallow her anger today, so she might as well go all out. She looked at Shi Cui. ¡°Old Madam, don¡¯t you agree? Our family is still very particular about Feng Shui. It¡¯s not auspicious to have black cats, don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    A maid rushed in with Xiaofu in her arms and handed it to Zhizhi. ¡°Young Miss, Xiaofu is here.¡±


    Zhizhi took Xiaofu and carefully held it in her arms, not letting it run away again. She raised her head and said to the maid, ¡°Thank you, Sister.¡±


    The maid smiled and left.


    Xiaofu squeaked in Zhizhi¡¯s arms and let her carry it.


    Shi Cui smiled. ¡°Gu Cheng, you might not know yet, right? Old Master said that Zhizhi is our Lucky Star. Our Lucky Star can do whatever she wants and take care of whatever she wants! Not to mention a black cat, even if she wanted to raise a tiger, those men would probably get it for her immediately! Hehehe.¡±


    When she laughed, Li Dan had no choice but to follow suit.


    ¡°Mom, you still don¡¯t know, do you?¡± Gu Hao¡¯s eyes turned and she smiled. Yesterday, when Gu Su came back, he fired the maid who took care of Zhizhi. He said that she was not by Zhizhi¡¯s side to take care of her after she woke up from her afternoon nap. Since when did Gu Su care about these things? It can be seen how much he cares about his sister!¡±

 Chapter 26

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    After she finished speaking, she glanced at Li Dan.


    Shi Cui was interested. ¡°Really? Even Gu Su got involved in the servant¡¯s affairs? I guess he won¡¯t be able to find his toothbrush anywhere else in his room.¡±


    Han Qing burst out laughing.


    Even Han Li laughed.


    Gu Su was a workaholic in this family, but he was an idiot in life.


    Shi Cui¡¯s looked to Han Li and said, ¡°Good job! Zhizhi must have a reliable person by her side. She must follow me closely. Nothing is more important than our Zhizhi!¡±


    Han Li quickly agreed. ¡°Yes, Mom, but I haven¡¯t found the right person yet. I want someone younger, someone who can play with Zhizhi, and someone who can be steady and take care of Zhizhi¡¯s food and daily life. Sigh, I¡¯ve been looking left and right, but there¡¯s no one suitable.¡±


    ¡°Do you like the sister who just brought you Xiaofu?¡± Shi Cui asked Zhizhi after some thought.


    Zhizhi did not know what was going on, so she looked out the door and said, ¡°I like her, she helped me find Xiaofu.¡±


    Shi Cui smiled and then said to Han Li, ¡°Let Bai Ling follow Zhizhi.¡±


    ¡°Mom¡­¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to keep Bai Ling by your side?¡±


    Shi Cui smiled faintly and said, ¡°The people I keep by my side will be given to Zhizhi in the future, right? It was better to put them together early on, which was also beneficial to cultivate feelings.¡±


    Gu Yu and Han Li were both very surprised.


    Even Li Dan, who was standing beside him, was stunned.


    Bai Ling was the housekeeper and Old Jiang¡¯s distant cousin. Her parents had died in a disaster, so Old Jiang brought the poor orphan here. When Shi Cui heard about this, she sponsored Bai Ling¡¯s studies.


    Bai Ling was an honest child. After graduation, she wanted to stay in the Gu family to take care of the Old Madam.


    After a few rejections, Shi Cui could not change this stubborn child¡¯s mind, so she let her stay. It just so happened that her Butler, Aunt Zhao, was getting on in years. In the future, she could take Aunt Zhao¡¯s place.


    They did not expect that for the sake of her granddaughter, the Old Madam would give Zhizhi all of the housekeeper candidates she had her eyes on!


    Li Dan had been paying attention to everything in the main residence, so she naturally knew about this matter. She was even more shocked.


    ¡°Thank you, Mom!¡± Han Li quickly stood up.


    Shi Cui waved her hand and asked her granddaughter, ¡°Zhizhi, that¡¯s Big Sister Bai Ling. Let her accompany you and play with you in the future, okay?¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡± Zhizhi nodded with a smile.


    Shi Cui called Bai Ling in and gave her a new job in front of Li Dan and her daughter.


    Bai Ling accepted the order.


    Han Li respected her mother-in-law even more because she knew that her mother-in-law had given her daughter a housekeeper, and not a maid. There was a big difference between the two.


    Li Dan was shocked, and her dislike for Zhizhi grew.


    This should have been her Gu Zhen¡¯s!


    She was angry, but she did not dare to show it.


    Looking at the little girl¡¯s face which was 70 to 80 percent similar to Han Li¡¯s, the coldness in her heart could not help but increase a bit. However, she was unwilling to give up no matter what.


    How long had she prepared for this? How much had she paid?


    How much had her Gu Zhen suffered? How could she fail at the last step?


    On the surface, Gu Zhen was quietly listening to the adults¡¯ conversation, but in fact, she was already very jealous. She secretly clenched her fists and looked at Gu Zhi, who was in a daze.


    This wild girl wanted to take her place? It¡¯s not that easy! She would never lose to this little girl!


    No one cared about the thoughts of this mother-daughter pair.


    Gu Yu was deliberately giving them the cold shoulder, so the two of them could not really interrupt.


    Gu Zhi hugged Xiaofu and whispered to him, looking very childish.


    Gu Zhen rolled her eyes and said to Zhizhi, ¡°Gu Zhi, the black cat looks too dirty. Why don¡¯t I give you a white one?¡±


    Li Dan looked at her daughter with admiration.


    His daughter was still the smart one. They could not force their way into these people in the main residence, so they had to be smart about it.


    Although his daughter was only nine years old, her intelligence was at the peak of Gu Cheng¡¯s group.


    No, no, no, Gu Zhen should belong to the main family. Look at Gu Su, Gu Tang, and Gu Yu. They were so smart. Her Gu Zhen should be their biological sister. She was definitely worthy of their family!


    Zhizhi hugged Xiaofu and took a small step back, whispering, ¡°No, I like Xiaofu.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll raise another white one. I¡¯ll give it to you,¡± Gu Zhen said.


    Zhizhi shook her head gently. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. Maybe you can do it when I grow up. I¡¯m afraid that I won¡¯t be able to take care of it now.


    The little girl¡¯s logic was very clear.


    Gu Yu could not help but feel happy.

 Chapter 27

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Li Dan took a deep breath to calm herself down, and then she smiled affectionately. ¡°Zhizhi, why don¡¯t you go out and play with Sister Zhenzhen? Let Big Sister take you for a walk in the garden, alright?¡±


    Zhizhi did not say anything. She turned around to look at her mother and grandmother.


    Gu Zhen walked forward and pulled Zhizhi¡¯s hand. She said in a friendly manner, ¡°Let¡¯s go, Big Sister will take you to play and let the adults chat here.¡±


    Zhizhi took a step back and did not hold Gu Zhen¡¯s hand. She looked at Gu Zhen timidly and hugged Xiaofu tightly in her arms, afraid that Xiaofu would scare her again. That would be impolite.


    Her instincts from Peppermint Alley made her feel that this beautiful sister did not like her.


    Han Li pulled Zhizhi back into her arms and said in a distant tone, ¡°Zhizhi is a little shy. Gu Zhen, you should go and play by yourself.¡±


    Han Li took Xiaofu from Zhizhi¡¯s hands. ¡°Can you let Mommy carry it?¡±


    Zhizhi immediately smiled and handed Xiaofu over to Han Li. Xiaofu was very well-behaved and was very quiet in Han Li¡¯s arms.


    Embarrassment flashed across Gu Zhen¡¯s beautiful face. She was caught in a dilemma.


    Li Dan stepped forward and forcefully took Zhizhi¡¯s hand and placed it in Gu Zhen¡¯s hand. ¡°Aiya, Sister-in-law, the more a child is afraid of strangers, the more you have to train her! How nice it would be to play with Zhenzhen! We adults are chatting here, and the children can¡¯t understand. Let¡¯s go out and play. Gu Zhen, you have to take good care of your sister. She¡¯s the most precious Young Miss in the Gu family! You must protect her well!¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± As Gu Zhen spoke, she held onto Zhizhi¡¯s small hand.


    Zhizhi was almost ¡®snatched¡¯ out of Han Li¡¯s arms by Gu Zhen and her daughter.


    Han Li immediately stood up.


    ¡°Aiya, Sister-in-law, quickly come and take a look at this pair of pearl earrings I brought back for you this time. What do you think?¡± Li Dan quickly said. ¡°Look at this color¡­¡±


    Han Li frowned and was about to refuse when he saw Han Ze and Gu Yu appear at the door.


    Han Li and Gu Yu asked in unison, ¡°Han Ze, what happened to your hair?¡±


    Han Ze¡¯s crew cut was a completely different person from yesterday¡¯s rainbow hair! Although he was still handsome, it was too shocking.


    Han Ze ignored his aunts and bent down to pick up Zhizhi, who was being pulled by Gu Zhen and was a little reluctant. ¡°Eh? Where is Zhizhi going?¡±


    Gu Yu, on the other hand, spoke quickly and gloated, ¡°Cousin Brother was not willing to dye his rainbow hair back and was forced by Uncle to shave it. Hehe, he could only trim it like this and dye the color back.¡±


    Zhizhi wrapped her arms around Han Ze¡¯s neck and called out softly, feeling wronged, ¡°Cousin Ze.¡±


    Han Ze patted her back and said with a smile, ¡°Let us see your hair ¡­ Hmm, it looks pretty good.¡±


    Gu Yu sneered, ¡°What¡¯s so nice about it? I still think your rainbow hair is better!¡±


    Han Ze grabbed Zhizhi¡¯s hand and touched his head.


    Han Ze laughed and said proudly, ¡°How is it? Aren¡¯t I handsome too?¡±


    Zhizhi immediately nodded, which made Han Ze very happy.


    Han Ze carried Zhizhi and came over to greet the Old Madam and the others. ¡°We¡¯re here to take Zhizhi to the backyard to see the playground.¡±


    The Old Madam nodded and smiled. ¡°Take good care of your sister. Don¡¯t bump into anything. She¡¯s a little timid. You have to take good care of her.¡±


    Han Ze quickly promised the elders before he carried Zhizhi out.


    Gu Yu took out his phone and showed it to Zhizhi. ¡°Zhizhi, do you like that rainbow hairstyle? Here, I have a photo for you, so you can remember it forever! You can look at it whenever you want to!¡±


    Zhizhi smiled and went to get Gu Yu¡¯s phone.


    Han Ze turned around and walked out with Zhizhi in his arms. He whispered in her ear, ¡°Hold on to your phone, don¡¯t return it to your brother.¡±


    As he spoke, he started running.


    ¡°Hey, Han Ze, you tricked me!¡± Gu Yu chased after her.


    ¡°Boo!¡± Han Ze ran away with Zhizhi in his arms without looking back.


    Gu Zhen stomped her feet and said, ¡°Little Big Brother, wait for me! I want to play with you guys too.¡±


    She threw all those little thoughts to the back of her mind and was so focused on following Gu Yu and Han Ze that she ran out without even saying goodbye to the elders.


    Li Dan chuckled to cover up her daughter¡¯s embarrassment. ¡°Gu Zhen likes to hang out with the older brothers here.¡±


    Gu Yu said, intentionally or otherwise, ¡°There are too few girls in our family. Finally, Zhizhi is back. We have to put all our efforts into her. She¡¯s so cute! I¡¯ve never seen such a cute child. Even though she hasn¡¯t been in our house for a few years, her upbringing and temperament have not been affected at all. It¡¯s all thanks to God¡¯s blessing!¡±

 Chapter 28

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Shi Cui and Han Li were deeply touched by his words, and they nodded repeatedly.


    Li Dan looked at the satisfaction of the mother, daughter, and daughter-in-law, which was very glaring, so she asked hesitantly, ¡°Is this child really our Zhizhi? Old Madam, have we done a DNA test? Don¡¯t be deceived by people with ulterior motives!¡±


    After saying that, Li Dan looked at Han Li with a gloating expression.


    As expected, Han Li¡¯s expression changed. Just as she was about to flare up, Gu Hao patted her hand, signaling her to ignore Li Dan. He smiled and said, ¡°Sister-in-law, you¡¯re so thoughtful. No wonder everyone says that Brother Gu Cheng has married a good wife, who can take care of the house and everything. Only a meticulous person like you, who is good at thinking from another person¡¯s perspective, can think of such a safe way!¡±


    Shi Cui¡¯s smile also faded.


    However, Li Dan ignored the mockery in Gu Hao¡¯s tone and seized the opportunity. ¡°Gu Hao, you¡¯re also the most distinguished lady of the Gu family. You¡¯ve been pampered since you were young, so you don¡¯t know how evil the world is! Think about how many people have tried to extort money from us in the past few years, forcing us to have children from God knows where! I¡¯m not suspecting Zhizhi, I¡¯m just worried. I¡¯m worried that we¡¯ll be overjoyed for nothing. If that¡¯s the case, how can Sister-in-law¡¯s body take it?¡±


    Her words were sincere and she said them for the good of the Gu family. Even Gu Hao could not refute her.


    Han Li stroked Xiaofu¡¯s fur and said indifferently, ¡°It¡¯s my own child. I know what I¡¯m doing. There¡¯s no need for Sister-in-law to worry. The paternity test will be shown to the family at Zhizhi¡¯s ceremony. After all, it¡¯s a big matter that will be recorded in the family genealogy, so we can¡¯t be careless.¡±


    Li Dan shut her mouth resentfully.


    Shi Cui secretly nodded. Her eldest daughter-in-law had been pampered by her parents, in-laws, and husband all her life. She never needed the ability to take charge of things on her own. Everything she had was too easy to obtain, so she had never had the desire to win. It was also because of this that the matters of the Gu family¡¯s social activities, big and small, had never been handed over to her. Later, because of Zhizhi¡¯s matter, she had a huge emotional problem and handed it over to her second daughter-in-law, Lin Wan. She had thought that Han Li would be like this for the rest of her life. After all, she had her husband and three sons to protect her, so her future was not in danger.


    It seemed that if he wanted to stimulate Han Li¡¯s potential, they only needed Zhizhi to do so.


    Zhizhi giggled as Han Ze ran while carrying her. No one could resist speed and passion.


    When they ran to the backyard and Han Ze stopped, Zhizhi was still a little unsatisfied. When she turned around and saw the playground under construction, she could not help but be stunned.


    Gu Yu had also arrived. Gu Zhen was walking over quickly from a distance.


    Gu Yu asked for the phone from Zhizhi. ¡°That¡¯s my phone. I¡¯m your brother. You can¡¯t side with Cousin Ze.¡±


    Gu Yu began to play his ¡®family card¡¯.


    Zhizhi looked at Gu Yu hesitantly, then at Han Ze, and said seriously, ¡°Don¡¯t fight.¡±


    Even Gu Yu could not help but laugh and said helplessly, ¡°I won¡¯t fight, I won¡¯t fight.¡±


    Han Ze could no longer ¡®bully¡¯ his cousin. He smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m just teasing him. Give him the phone. Let¡¯s go on the swing.¡±


    The two of them completely ignored Gu Zhen, who had rushed over.


    Han Ze put Zhizhi on the ground. Zhizhi looked at the swing in front of her in shock.


    She pointed at the swing and turned back to look at her two brothers.


    Gu Yu picked up Zhizhi and roughly put her on the swing. Zhizhi quickly grabbed the rope on both sides.


    Han Ze patted the back of Gu Yu¡¯s head. ¡°Be gentler, you¡¯re so rough!¡±


    Gu Yu was a little embarrassed.


    Han Ze gently pushed the swing. ¡°Zhizhi, are you scared? If you¡¯re scared, Big Brother will hug you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid!¡± Zhizhi replied loudly.


    The crisp voice made the hearts of the two people soften.


    Gu Yu looked at his sister and suddenly sighed. ¡°How am I going to protect her in the future?¡±


    Han Ze glared at him and said, ¡°You must give her full protection! In the future, when I leave, I¡¯ll have to rely on you. Are our brothers even reliable?¡±


    Gu Yu shook his head. They were not reliable.


    ¡°Hey, Brother, where are you going?¡± Gu Yu realized it later.


    Han Ze pushed the swing and did not even look up. ¡°I¡¯m going to take the college entrance examination a year earlier. After I leave, you have to protect Sister well.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Gu Yu was stunned while holding the phone. ¡°Then¡­ Then who¡¯s going to inherit your position as the Overlord of the Five School Alliance? ¡±


    ¡°Even if I¡¯m not here,¡± Han Ze said with a devilish smile, ¡°My legend will live on in this world!

 Chapter 29

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Gu Yu suddenly realized something and exclaimed, ¡°Oh, so you dyed your hair like that to¨C¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s to make Zhizhi happy!¡± Han Ze glared at Gu Yu.


    Gu Yu shut his mouth in a daze.


    ¡°Little Big Brother, Cousin Ze!¡± Gu Zhen rushed over, panting. She was surprised to find that many entertainment facilities had been added to the place.


    ¡°This¡­ This place¡­ When did it become like this?¡± she asked in surprise as she looked around.


    Gu Yu looked smug. ¡°This is the playground Grandpa built for Zhizhi. Cousin Ze and I came up with the design, and the construction was handed over to Brother Jiang Yang. It¡¯s the most advanced 3D printing technology. Awesome, right? It¡¯s not finished yet!¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that Grandpa built this playground for Gu Zhi?¡± Gu Zhen took a deep breath.


    Gu Yu nodded proudly.


    ¡°For her alone?¡± Gu Zhen could not help but clench her fists.


    Gu Yu nodded again. ¡°That¡¯s right. Because Zhizhi hasn¡¯t been to an amusement park yet. She can have as much fun at home as she wants in the future.¡±


    Gu Zhen¡¯s nails dug into her flesh. Seeing Gu Zhi sitting comfortably on the swing and Han Ze gently pushing her, she could not help but feel angry.


    This should have been hers! They were all hers! She should be the Young Miss of the Gu family!


    She did not know where this silly little girl had come from, but she had actually taken her place. She would never allow it!


    The way Han Ze and Gu Yu looked at the silly girl also made Gu Zhen so jealous that she was about to burst into flames.


    Gu Yu looked at Han Ze a little absent-mindedly. ¡°Brother, you¡¯ve decided?¡±


    Han Ze glared at him and then looked at Gu Zhen who was standing at the side.


    Gu Yu immediately shut his mouth.


    Gu Zhen knew that the two of them had something to say, so she quickly went forward to hold the other side of the swing. She smiled and said, ¡°Zhizhi, let¡¯s go play with the slide, shall we?¡±


    She pointed at the red and blue slide on the other side.


    Zhizhi looked in the direction she was pointing and was immediately attracted by the beautiful slide.


    The slide in Peppermint Alley was made of iron and had been polished until it was shiny by the children. There was always a group of children lining up there, and they would even start a fight over a single word. Zhizhi never went near it, afraid that she would be affected by the group of older children.


    Now, there was no one queuing up for such a beautiful slide, and Zhizhi¡¯s heart was beating faster.


    But she still restrained herself and looked at Gu mo and Han Ze.


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Gu Yu said casually, ¡°everything here is yours, so you can play as much as you want! Gu Zhen, take good care of her.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Brother,¡± Gu Zhen said with a sweet smile. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of her.¡±


    This time, she held onto Zhizhi¡¯s hand, and Zhizhi did not reject her.


    Han Ze was a little worried and wanted to follow them, but Gu Yu stopped him.


    ¡°So, you dyed your hair rainbow just to make Uncle angry, so you could take the opportunity to cut your hair like this?¡± he lowered his voice.


    Han Ze did not deny it this time.


    The two of them gathered together to discuss their own matters. Gu Zhen took Zhizhi¡¯s hand and went to the slide ladder.


    Zhizhi looked at the colorful ladder and was so happy. She shook off Gu Zhen¡¯s hand and ran up the small ladder. After four or five steps, there was a small pavilion on the left. Zhizhi touched here and there and went up a few steps. There was another small pavilion on the right. Zhizhi was so happy that she did not notice that Gu Zhen had already arrived behind her.


    She stood at the entrance of the slide and looked down at the spiral-shaped slide. She was excited and a little timid. This was her first time sliding.


    She turned around and called out, ¡°Sister¡­¡±


    Then she felt Gu Zhen¡¯s hand pushing her left shoulder hard.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Zhizhi could not stop her momentum and slid down the slide ladder.


    Zhizhi was so scared, ¡°Brother¡­¡±


    She shouted, but her brothers could not run over in time to save her.


    Gu Zhen shouted from above, ¡°Zhizhi, why are you so naughty?!¡± Be careful!¡±


    Zhizhi closed her eyes, thinking that she was done for.


    There was some distance between the exit of the slide in Peppermint Alley and the ground. If a child as young as her were to slide down the shiny slide without the support of an adult and fall directly onto the cement ground, the consequences would be unimaginable.


    He was so happy that he did not notice how high the exit of the slide was from the ground.


    Pa!


    Zhizhi instinctively hugged her head and fell to the ground.


    ¡°Zhizhi!¡±


    ¡°Zhizhi!¡± Gu Yu and Han Ze had already run over, their faces pale from fright. They helped Zhizhi up.


    ¡°Are you hurt? Which part hurts?¡± Han Ze asked.


    Zhizhi felt around and looked at the plastic floor beneath her feet. She shook her head gently and smiled. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt, it doesn¡¯t hurt.¡±

 Chapter 30

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    ¡°Gu Zhi, why are you so disobedient? Didn¡¯t I tell you to be careful, be careful? How could you slide down without me protecting you? If you fall and get injured, how will we explain it to the adults?! My mom will kill me! Little Big Brother and Cousin Ze will also be beaten!¡± Gu Zhen shouted at Zhizhi angrily.


    Han Ze and Gu Yu could not help but feel a chill in their hearts.


    Zhizhi raised her head to look at Gu Zhen and said instinctively, ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡±


    This older sister was blaming her so righteously. Could it be that she did not push her on purpose?


    She lowered her eyes, unable to understand.


    Han Ze checked to see if she was hurt anywhere and said, ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re fine. Zhizhi is still too small. This slide ladder shouldn¡¯t be suitable for her to play with.¡±


    Gu Zhen sneered, ¡°Cousin ze, we¡¯ve been playing roller coasters since we were two years old, okay? I think Gu Zhi must have come from some remote place and has never seen a ladder before. She doesn¡¯t know how to slide at all, Hmph!¡±


    Han Ze was displeased. ¡°Gu Zhen! What are you saying? She¡¯s your sister too!¡±


    Gu Zhen was a little scared, but she still stubbornly turned her head away. Her heart was already a mess. Brother Han ze actually scolded her. It was all this little country bumpkin¡¯s fault. Hmph! Just wait and see, she would not let her have an easy time!


    Gu Yu, however, squatted down and said with a smile, ¡°Zhizhi, I have something to discuss with you.¡±


    Zhizhi looked at the young man, waiting for him to speak.


    ¡°Zhizhi? ¡± Gu Yu scratched his head. ¡°Zhizhi, did you feel any pain from the fall?¡±


    Zhizhi shook her head.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s not tell mom when we get back, okay?¡± Gu Yu¡¯s smile was kind and moving.


    Gu Zhen¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Gu Zhi, if you tell the adults about this, do you know the consequences?¡±


    She continued, ¡°Your parents and big brother will beat Little Big Brother up! And Cousin Ze!¡±


    Her expression was fierce.


    Zhizhi took a step back and quickly shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not in pain. I won¡¯t say anything, I won¡¯t say anything.¡±


    Han Ze could not stand it anymore and glared at Gu Zhen and Gu Yu. ¡°Shut up! How could she bully Zhizhi like this? Zhizhi, don¡¯t care about them. If you fell, then you fell. Big Brother didn¡¯t take good care of you. Just tell me where It hurts, it¡¯s okay!¡±


    Zhizhi looked at Han Ze gratefully. ¡°Cousin Ze, it really doesn¡¯t hurt.¡±


    Gu Yu sat on the ground. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not teaching Zhizhi to lie. You know how worried my mother is about her. If I tell her, she probably won¡¯t let Zhizhi out of the house anymore. She¡¯ll hold her in her arms every day. Then, won¡¯t Zhizhi lose her freedom? ¡±


    Han Ze agreed with this, and Zhizhi understood as well. She smiled at Gu Yu. ¡°Little Big Brother, I understand.¡±


    ¡°Our Zhizhi is the most obedient,¡± Gu Yu patted her head.


    Han Ze picked her up. ¡°Come, I¡¯ll help you slide the ladder. Let¡¯s do it again. A few more times!¡±


    Zhizhi did not want to reject Han Ze¡¯s good intentions, so she nodded and said, ¡°Alright!¡±


    Han Ze stood on the steps and sighed. Gu Yu, get over here. ¡°You hug Zhizhi while sliding together!¡±


    He was already 1.8 meters tall, and this slide really did not suit him.


    Gu Yu followed after him with a bitter face. ¡°I¡¯m only five centimeters shorter than you, okay?¡±


    Han Ze raised his leg to kick Gu Yu, but the latter quickly dodged with a bitter expression.


    Zhizhi wrapped her arms around Han Ze¡¯s neck and laughed.


    Gu Zhen was clenching her fists and sulking at the side. When she heard this, she smiled and went forward. ¡°I can slide together with Gu Zhi.¡±


    Zhizhi¡¯s smile immediately disappeared. She struggled to get down from the ground. ¡°I can do it on my own!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go together,¡± Gu Zhen said as she walked up to her.


    ¡°Then, Big Sister will slide first.¡± Zhizhi grabbed onto the railing at the side.


    Gu Zhen glared at Zhizhi from an angle that Han Ze and Gu Yu could not see, but there was a hint of a smile in her voice. ¡°Then I¡¯ll slide down first, you follow me!¡±


    Zhizhi looked at Gu Zhen¡¯s back as she slid down. She decided that she would never let Gu Zhen walk behind her again. She was now a little sure that Gu Zhen did it on purpose, but she could not say it out loud. It was like what Little Big Brother had said. If she said it, her mother would be nervous. She did not want to be anyone¡¯s burden.

 Chapter 31

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Gu Zhen was in front while Zhizhi was behind her. Han Ze and Gu Hao were waiting for them below. The two of them played a few rounds. Although Zhizhi had to be on guard against Gu Zhen at all times, Gu Zhen did not dare to make any excessive movements because of Han Ze and Gu Hao. After a few rounds, Zhizhi gradually became happy. Every time she slid down, Han Ze and Gu Hao would each stand on one side and high-fived her. Zhizhi¡¯s giggling made Han Ze and Gu Hao¡¯s mood better.


    Only Gu Zhen was unhappy, but she could only suppress it deep in her heart.


    After playing for a while, a thin layer of sweat appeared on Zhizhi¡¯s forehead. Han Ze let her rest for a while, and the two of them brought her and Gu Zhen around the small playground. Zhizhi¡¯s eyes lit up, and she looked eager to try out every facility.


    Han Ze scratched her little nose and said, ¡°It¡¯s all yours. What¡¯s the rush? You can play with them one by one, and no one will snatch them from you.¡±


    Zhizhi was a little embarrassed.


    Gu Zhen gritted her teeth in hatred.


    There was a big trampoline at the edge of the playground, but the protection around it was not completed yet.


    Zhizhi could not help but take a few more glances. Gu Yu immediately carried Zhizhi and said, ¡°The protective net is not installed yet. You can go up and experience it first. Gently, Cousin Ze and I will watch you from the side. Don¡¯t be afraid.¡±


    Zhizhi was not afraid.


    She stood on the trampoline and bent her knees to try it out. It felt very bouncy. Her feet left the ground and she jumped a little. The feeling of rising was very wonderful. She did not let Han Ze and Gu Yi hold her and walked to the middle by herself. She turned around and smiled happily at her two brothers.


    ¡°Zhizhi! I¡¯m coming!¡± Suddenly, Gu Zhen¡¯s sweet voice came from above.


    ¡°Hey! Gu Zhen, don¡¯t jump!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t jump!¡±


    Han Ze and Gu Yu exclaimed loudly.


    Before Zhizhi could react, Gu Zhen had already landed beside her. Zhizhi¡¯s small body bounced up from the huge impact.


    ¡°Ah!¡± She let out a small scream and closed her eyes. She thought to herself, ¡®I¡¯m done for. I¡¯m not falling on a trampoline anymore, even if it¡¯s a plastic floor, I¡¯m going to fall half to death.¡¯


    However, she did not fall. Instead, she fell into a warm embrace.


    Zhizhi opened her eyes and saw a friendly face. It was sister Bai Ling, who had helped her find Xiaofu.


    ¡°Young Miss, are you scared?¡± Bai Ling placed Zhizhi on the ground.


    Zhizhi¡¯s little heart was beating rapidly as she stared at Bai Ling in a daze.


    Bai Ling squatted down and looked at Zhizhi. She smiled. ¡°Miss, are you alright?¡±


    Zhizhi suddenly felt aggrieved. The corner of her mouth pouted, but she forcefully restrained herself and said softly, ¡°Thank you, Sister.¡±


    Han Ze also ran over to comfort Zhizhi, knowing that she must have been frightened.


    On the other side, Gu mo was furious at Gu Zhen, ¡°Are you crazy? Can¡¯t you see that Zhizhi is below? And you even jumped down from such a high place!¡±


    Gu Zhen burst into tears and said aggrievedly, ¡°Isn¡¯t this how trampolines are played? Who asked her to be so stupid!¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Gu Yu was so angry that he wanted to hit Gu Zhen but was stopped by Han Ze. The two of them surrounded Zhizhi.


    Bai Ling picked up Zhizhi and said softly, ¡°Young Miss, are you tired? Do you want to go back and drink some water?¡±


    Zhizhi leaned her head on Bai Ling¡¯s shoulder and nodded. ¡°I want to drink some water.¡±


    ¡°Young Masters,¡± Bai Ling said to Han Ze and Gu Yu, ¡°I¡¯ll take the two ladies back. You can go and play.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Sister Bai Ling!¡± Gu Yu quickly thanked her. ¡°Let¡¯s go back and tell Mom that we didn¡¯t take good care of Sister. We¡¯ll only feel better after mom scolds us.¡±


    Bai Ling smiled and asked Zhizhi, who was in her arms, ¡°Is Young Miss angry with the Young Master?¡±


    Zhizhi shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not angry. I¡¯m having a lot of fun.¡±


    She was serious as she looked at her two brothers with her big, clear eyes.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s go back together.¡± Han Ze reached out and touched her hand.


    Bai Ling turned around and glanced at Gu Zhen. She said politely, ¡°Miss Zhenzhen, you can come too.¡±


    Gu Zhen hid her anger and timidly followed behind them.


    When she returned to the living room, she could hear Li Dan flattering the Old Madam from afar. ¡°How can your life of wealth be compared to others? You¡¯re turning misfortune into fortune. I think there¡¯s something better coming up, and we¡¯ll all benefit from your glory!¡±


    Gu Zhen could not help but clench her fists.


    Seeing that Zhizhi and the others had entered, Han Li stood up to welcome them and took Zhizhi from Bai Ling¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Waa!¡± Gu Zhen burst into tears, giving everyone a huge shock.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Li Dan quickly pulled her daughter to her side.


    Gu Zhen cried at Shi Cui. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Grandma. I¡¯ve frightened Zhizhi. It¡¯s all my fault.¡±

 Chapter 32

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Everyone hurriedly looked at Zhizhi in Han Li¡¯s arms.


    Zhizhi was a little listless and laid on Han Li¡¯s shoulder, not looking at anyone else.


    Han Li quickly helped her up and asked gently, ¡°Zhizhi? Are you alright?¡±


    Zhizhi gently shook her head and did not say anything.


    Han Ze and Gu Yu did not expect Gu Zhen to start crying first. This way, they could no longer talk because no matter what they said, it would become them complaining.


    ¡°Auntie, Grandma,¡± Han Ze said. ¡°It¡¯s Gu Yu and I who did not take good care of our sister.¡±


    Han Li glared at them. ¡°I knew you guys couldn¡¯t take good care of your little sister. Bai Ling, don¡¯t leave Zhizhi¡¯s side in the future. She¡¯s at an active age now, so you have to help me keep an eye on her.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Madam. Don¡¯t worry,¡± Bai Ling replied softly.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Shi Cui said. ¡°Gu Zhen, don¡¯t cry anymore. I believe you didn¡¯t do it on purpose.¡±


    Gu Hao glanced at Gu Zhen, who was crying miserably and could not help but feel a headache.


    ¡°Gu Zhen, do you like Little Sister Zhizhi?¡± she asked with a smile.


    Gu Zhen, who was sobbing, was stunned when she heard that. She looked at Gu Hao with a sincere expression. ¡°I like her, Auntie. I like my little sister.¡±


    Gu Hao laughed. ¡°Yes, Gu Zhen is really a sensible and good child. I also believe that you didn¡¯t do it on purpose. How bad and vicious must a child be to deliberately harm such a young sister? Don¡¯t you think so, Sister-in-law?¡±


    Gu Zhen¡¯s face turned pale.


    Li Dan tried her best to maintain her smile and replied, ¡°That¡¯s right. Our Zhenzhen is a well-known kind child.¡±


    She rolled her eyes. ¡°Speaking of which, our Zhenzhen and Zhizhi hit it off well. There aren¡¯t many girls in our family, and we don¡¯t have any sisters of such age. Zhenzhen, why don¡¯t you stay here for a few days and keep little sister Zhizhi company?¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure!¡± Gu Zhen clapped her hands.


    She looked at Shi Cui. ¡°Grandma, Auntie, I¡¯ll stay and play with Little Sister Zhizhi. She¡¯s so young, and my brothers are all boys. They don¡¯t know how to play the games that we girls play. I¡¯ll take care of Little Sister!¡±


    Gu Hao did not expect Li Dan and her daughter to react so quickly. They were talking on their own and did not even need the consent of the main family.


    Han Li¡¯s expression was very indifferent.


    ¡°That won¡¯t do,¡± Shi Cui said lightly. ¡°Gu Zhen is also a girl who is pampered. Now that Zhizhi is in the family, everyone is already in a mess. I¡¯m afraid that they won¡¯t be able to take care of Gu Zhen.¡±


    ¡°Grandma, I don¡¯t need anyone to take care of me. I¡¯ll take care of my younger sister!¡± Gu Zhen quickly said.


    Li Dan¡¯s phone suddenly rang. She picked up the call and raised her voice, ¡°What? Her mother-in-law was hospitalized? Aiya, what should I do? I, I, I¡¯ll go to the hospital immediately.¡±


    After she put down the phone, she said anxiously, ¡°Zhenzhen! Your Grandma fell and is in the hospital. I have to take care of her and don¡¯t have the energy to take care of you.¡±


    Then, he turned to Shi Cui and the others. ¡°Old Madam, I¡¯m really sorry. I¡¯ll have to leave Gu Zhen here for a few days. I¡¯ll also have to ask you to take care of her for a few days. I¡¯ll have to go and look after my mother-in-law.¡±


    Then, without waiting for Shi Cui¡¯s reply, she turned around and left.


    Gu Zhen said to Li Dan¡¯s back sensibly, ¡°Mom, I¡¯ll be good!¡±


    Han Li and Gu Hao looked at each other.


    Shi Cui was expressionless. She said lightly, ¡°Aunt Zhao, arrange a guest room for Miss Zhenzhen and send someone to take good care of her. Then, send someone to the hospital for a check-up.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Old Madam!¡± Aunt Zhao responded.


    ¡°Miss Zhenzhen, let¡¯s go.¡± Aunt Zhao went forward to invite Gu Zhen over.


    Gu Zhen looked at Gu Zhi who was in Han Li¡¯s arms and said carefully, ¡°I want to be with my sister.¡±


    Zhizhi wrapped her arms around Han Li¡¯s neck and turned her back to everyone.


    Han Ze reached out and pinched her little face. ¡°Zhizhi, do you want to sleep?¡±


    Zhizhi did not say anything and gently closed her eyes.


    Han Li ignored Gu Zhen¡¯s words and held Zhizhi in her arms. ¡°Mom, I¡¯ll take Zhizhi to take an afternoon nap first. This child¡¯s sleeping patterns are still a little messy.¡±


    Shi Cui nodded. ¡°Alright. Go ahead. Watch her well.¡±


    Han Ze and Gu Yu also expressed that they wanted to go out and play, so they were let go.


    Aunt Zhao asked Gu Zhen to leave again.


    Gu Hao looked at Gu Zhen¡¯s back and sighed. ¡°I think Gu Zhen did it on purpose.¡±


    Shi Cui glanced at her daughter. ¡°You¡¯re so straightforward. After all, we are still within the larger family. Although our family is the main branch, we still have to balance the power of each branch.¡±


    ¡°Even if it¡¯s a balance, we can¡¯t let them do whatever they want, can we?¡± Gu Hao was displeased.

 Chapter 33

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Shi Cui said lightly, ¡°Some thoughts won¡¯t go away so easily once they¡¯ve been raised. They¡¯ll only stop after they¡¯ve been taught a lesson. If we teach Gu Zhen a lesson at her age, it should be enough. Besides, your sister-in-law has been hurt a lot because of Zhizhi these few years. It¡¯s understandable that we¡¯ve protected her and doted on her. Gu Su and the rest have the ability to protect her for the rest of her life, but now that Zhizhi is back, she¡¯ll have to take care of her personally before Zhizhi is of age. If she doesn¡¯t wake up soon¡­ How is she going to protect her own daughter?¡±


    Gu Hao had not thought so deeply into the matter and fell silent.


    Shi Cui looked at her daughter and could not help but sigh. ¡°When parents love their children, they plan for the future. How can it be so easy to be a mother? Zhizhi is destined to be a child with many misfortunes, and hiding is not a long-term solution. No one can be on guard forever, and they must eventually stand on their own two feet.¡±


    ¡°No matter if it¡¯s Zhizhi, Han Li, or even us, we have to face all the good and bad things calmly. We can¡¯t just blindly protect her. We can¡¯t overprotect her just because she¡¯s small. We have to teach her. I¡¯ll slowly tell your sister-in-law about this.¡±


    Gu Hao put his hand on Shi Cui¡¯s knee and said with heartfelt admiration, ¡°Mom, I understand. You¡¯re the best. Fortunately, you¡¯re healthy. Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid I wouldn¡¯t be able to understand these principles.¡±


    Shi Cui patted her daughter¡¯s hand. ¡°Child, there¡¯s a long way to go in life. There are many things to go through. As parents, we always hope that our children will suffer less. It¡¯s not wrong to think about it, but no one can live a life for another. It¡¯s better to solve problems than avoid them. You should also advise your sister-in-law at the right time.¡±


    Gu Hao nodded and noted it down.


    ¡­


    Gu Zhen obediently thanked Aunt Zhao. After she left, she immediately called Li Dan. ¡°Hello, Mom, did my Grandma really fall?¡±


    ¡°How is that possible?¡± Li Dan said nonchalantly. ¡°I said that on purpose so they would hear it. Otherwise, how could I have an excuse to make you stay?¡±


    ¡°Old Madam just sent someone to the hospital to check on this,¡± Gu Zhen said anxiously.


    Li Dan sneered. ¡°I¡¯ve already sent your grandmother to the hospital. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll definitely make things right. You can just stay in the main residence. How was that little girl? Was she easy to deal with? We, mother and daughter, really have the same heart and mind. Today, our cooperation was simply flawless.¡±


    In contrast to Li Dan¡¯s pride, Gu Zhen was not as happy. ¡°I just don¡¯t understand. What¡¯s so good about that country bumpkin-like girl? Didn¡¯t she just look like Aunt? What¡¯s the big deal? She doesn¡¯t look like a Young Miss at all, just a country bumpkin!¡±


    Li Dan hesitated for a moment. ¡°I can see that your aunt¡¯s attitude is quite certain. I don¡¯t know if the DNA test has been done yet, but with the results, this girl¡¯s identity will be confirmed. Daughter, the most important thing for you now is to build a good relationship with that girl, make her trust you, and make everyone in the main house like you. Then we can slowly plan our scheme, understand?¡±


    ¡°What scheme? Why don¡¯t you think of a way to stop the paternity test¡­¡± Gu Zhen could not help but complain.


    Suddenly, she had an idea. ¡°Mom, hurry up and find someone to see which hospital they¡¯re going to do the DNA test. Can¡¯t you do something to stop that girl from being Uncle¡¯s biological daughter?¡±


    Li Dan was shocked. ¡°Aiyo, my good daughter, how can you do such a thing? The people in the main residence are more cunning than monkeys. How could we possibly pull off such a thing? You¡¯d better put in some effort on this little girl and get close to her.¡±


    ¡°How can I put in more effort? Auntie is watching her closely, and I can¡¯t do anything to her. Shouldn¡¯t you do this for me? I should just get into the adults¡¯ good books, right?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you waiting for me to adopt you to the main residence and bring you to a meteoric rise? You want me to think of a way on my own? I¡¯m just a child, what can I do? What kind of parent are you? You only think about your own benefits and don¡¯t care about my life at all? Why do I have such a hard life to have parents like you?¡±


    Gu Zhen sat on the carpet and cried while covering her mouth with her phone.


    Li Dan immediately panicked. ¡°Baby, baby, don¡¯t cry. I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry. I was wrong, I was wrong. I¡¯ll think of a way, I¡¯ll think of a way. Don¡¯t cry. Your eyes will become puffy if you cry. I¡¯ll think of a way. Baby, you just have to make the adults happy.¡±

 Chapter 34

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Gu Zhen hung up the phone and wiped her face. She immediately stopped crying and looked cold.


    The adults were like this. If you took a step back, they would take ten steps forward. If you took a step forward, they would immediately compromise.


    She had understood this principle since she was young.


    Although she had received her mother¡¯s promise, she knew that she still had to rely on herself for everything. It was useless to completely rely on others. Her idiotic parents had never been worthy of 100 percent trust!


    Before that little country bumpkin came, everything was fine. So, as long as that little country bumpkin disappeared, everything would naturally return to how it was before.


    ¡°How to make a child disappear?¡± She searched the internet on her phone.


    Looking at the comments below, Gu Zhen felt her blood boiling.


    There had to be a way!


    Mother is an idiot, Hmph! It was better for her to do it herself.


    ¡­


    Zhizhi took an afternoon nap on Han Li¡¯s bed. Han Li took out a picture book and read a story to Zhizhi.


    This feeling made Zhizhi feel a lot more at ease.


    Both her sister and Brother Shen Bai had done the same thing. Listening to a story to sleep would give Zhizhi a sense of security.


    Han Li looked at his daughter¡¯s sleeping face and felt extremely satisfied.


    At this moment, she did not care about anything else. As long as her daughter was back by her side, she would be the happiest woman in the world. For the rest of her life, her life would be in Zhizhi¡¯s hands. She leaned against her daughter and had the most peaceful sleep in many years.


    In the top-floor meeting room of the Gu Group, Gu An and Gu Nian were listening to Gu Su¡¯s briefing.


    The door suddenly opened and the secretary led Gu Sen in.


    ¡°Dad? What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Grandpa?¡±


    The three of them quickly stood up to welcome him.


    Gu Sen walked in with his walking stick. Gu An gave up the main seat and helped his father sit down.


    After the secretary left, Gu Sen slowly said, ¡°Why didn¡¯t any of you tell me that something happened to the Shen family in the capital?¡±


    The father, son, uncle, and nephew looked at each other. Gu An said, ¡°Dad, what happened to the Shen family was an accident. We¡¯ve already gone to ask about it. Uncle Shen¡¯s health isn¡¯t good, so Shen Da didn¡¯t tell Uncle Shen about Shen Chao¡¯s family. He was afraid that he wouldn¡¯t be able to take it. We don¡¯t want you to be sad too. We¡¯ll help as much as we can. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Shen Da has always been in the core position of the Shen family,¡± Gu Nian added. ¡°Even though the incident happened suddenly, it did not cause too much chaos in the Shen family. It stabilized in about half a year. Dad, don¡¯t be sad. We¡¯ll arrange for you two to meet when Uncle Shen is better.¡±


    Gu Su did not say anything.


    The old man¡¯s gaze fell on Gu Su¡¯s face. ¡°How about you? Is there any different news?¡±


    Gu Su lowered his eyes.


    ¡°Tell me.¡± The old man looked at him. ¡°I know you¡¯re more open than your father and uncle.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t hide anything from you, Grandpa,¡± Gu Su said with a bitter smile.


    Gu An and Gu Nian looked at Gu Su. They were not surprised at all. This child had never been under their control since he was a child. If there was any sense of defeat, it would have been long gone. He had long assumed his position as an elder and accepted that this young man had surpassed him.


    ¡°I once saved Qin Huai¡¯s life by accident. Qin Huai then owed me a favor,¡± Gu Su said.


    ¡°Qin Huai?¡± Gu Nian exclaimed. ¡°The one who saved our Zhizhi?¡±


    Gu Su nodded slightly. ¡°Yes, when Qin Huai wanted to return the favor, I made this request. I didn¡¯t expect her to really do it. The first time she sent me a message was half a year ago. She told me that she was sure that she had found my sister and that we had agreed on a time and place to pick her up. In addition, she would also give me information of the organization that kidnapped my sister, as a way of returning the favor.¡±


    ¡°However, she didn¡¯t show up at the agreed time and place. She disappeared. I used many connections to look for her, but in the end, I said that she died while carrying out a mission.¡±


    ¡°Then what about our Zhizhi?¡±


    Looking at his grandfather, father, and uncle¡¯s nervous expressions, he let out a soft sigh.


    Only then did the three of them realize that they had been too nervous. Zhizhi was already at home.


    ¡°Qin Huai and I agreed to meet overseas. However, half a year later, Zhizhi appeared at Peppermint Alley,¡± Gu Su continued.


    ¡°This means that Qin Huai didn¡¯t die half a year ago.¡± Gu An said.


    Gu Su shook his head gently. ¡°Of course, the person who helped me investigate had irrefutable evidence. There shouldn¡¯t be any mistakes. But I¡¯ve also asked Zhizhi and the people in Peppermint Alley. Qin Huai did die after returning to Peppermint Alley.¡±

 Chapter 35

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    ¡°I can guarantee that no one knows about the matter between me and Qin Huai. If it wasn¡¯t for Zhizhi, I wouldn¡¯t have paid attention to an assassin. Even if I did, it would have stopped when she died during a mission.¡±


    Gu Su stopped, and the father and son took a while to digest Gu Su¡¯s words.


    ¡°Boy, what are you trying to say?¡± Gu Sen frowned.


    They were on edge.


    ¡°Qin Huai¡¯s last mission was to protect the Shen family son, Shen Bai. She was hired by the eldest uncle of the Shen family, Shen Chao.¡± Gu Su¡¯s expression was grave.


    The three of them looked at Gu Su in surprise.


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Gu Sen¡¯s voice was unstable.


    Gu Su¡¯s voice became even lower, even though this was the Gu family¡¯s office and there were no outsiders around.


    ¡°Uncle Shen Chao¡¯s family died an unnatural death, and they claimed that it was an accident. But why did Uncle Shen hire a top assassin like Qin Huai to protect his only son before that?¡±


    The breathing of the father and son trio became much lighter.


    Gu Su continued to analyze. ¡°I¡¯ve also arranged for people to protect every member of our family. Our family has a special security company. However, I¡¯ve never thought that I would need to hire someone like Qin Huai to protect Mother, Young Aunt, and even Zhizhi. This can only mean that Uncle Shen knew that they were in danger. Then, this accident is not an accident.¡±


    No one spoke. They were all digesting this shocking news.


    ¡°Dad,¡± Gu An said after a long time. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Gu Sen put his right hand on the table and slowly opened it. In his palm, there was an exquisite blood-red jade pendant.


    Gu Su was taken aback. He hurriedly reached out to take off his necklace. It was a green jade pendant.


    ¡°Grandpa ¡­¡± Gu Sen sighed and took his grandson¡¯s jade. He placed the two pieces side by side.


    ¡°I was shocked when I received this today. I know that Shen Ke did not pass the jade pendant to his children and grandchildren because he thought that he was still strong despite his old age. Now that this token representing the head of the family has been given out and you say that there is nothing wrong with the Shen family, it can only mean that something has happened within the Shen family. It is not just because of Old Shen¡¯s poor health. I¡¯m afraid that the Shen family will not arrange for me to meet him.¡±


    ¡°What should we do then?¡± Gu Nian asked in shock. ¡°Dad, if what you said is true, then Uncle Shen is in danger. This Shen Da, could it be that he wants to keep the family business for himself?¡±


    Gu Sen sighed and said, ¡°What¡¯s so strange about that? Shen Chao and Shen Da were half-brothers, so it was inevitable that they had different thoughts. Old Shen sent the jade pendant to me, which means that he doesn¡¯t acknowledge Shen Da. Sigh, I don¡¯t know what we can do for him. If Shen Chao was still alive, I could help him support Shen Chao, but now that Shen Chao must have met with a mishap, I don¡¯t know where to start even if I want to help him!¡±


    Gu An and Gu Nian could not help but sigh.


    Gu Su was silent for a while, but he still said what he was thinking, ¡°Grandpa, Dad, Second Uncle, I only received news from Zhizhi about half a year after Qin Huai¡¯s death. I can¡¯t find out who gave me the news. Also, after Qin Huai¡¯s death, Zhizhi lived alone in that small broken house for half a year. I can¡¯t figure out how she survived.¡±


    Gu An hurriedly explained, ¡°Zhizhi ate the most basic of meals in Peppermint Alley. I¡¯ve already asked people to thank every family in Peppermint Alley. The little girl is very self-sufficient. She can cook for herself. Sometimes, people give her some rice, and sometimes, kind-hearted people send her cooked food¡­¡±


    Gu An was stunned. He seemed to have realized that something was wrong.


    Gu Su said slowly, ¡± I¡¯ve observed Zhizhi. She¡¯s very afraid of being alone after she wakes up. So, after Qin Huai¡¯s death, how did she get through the night? I¡¯ve done my research, and no one in Peppermint Alley has been to her house to keep her company, because Zhizhi said that her sister¡¯s soul was in that house. Also, I later brought people to Zhizhi¡¯s house, and I discovered¡­¡±


    His gaze swept across the faces of the elders one by one.


    ¡°What did you find?¡± Gu Nian asked anxiously.


    ¡°I realized that the partition in the middle of Zhizhi¡¯s room is empty. It¡¯s a secret compartment that can accommodate one person¡­¡± Gu Su said slowly.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Gu An gasped. ¡°Are you saying that our Zhizhi is lying?¡±


    Gu Su shook his head. ¡°No, Zhizhi didn¡¯t lie. She just avoided the topic. Zhizhi doesn¡¯t remember what happened before she met Qin Huai. Qin Huai told me about this before. She wanted to tell me personally who abducted Zhizhi, but I didn¡¯t get to see her. But Zhizhi still has memories of what happened after she followed Qin Huai, and her relationship with Qin Huai is very good.¡±


    ¡°Then, then are you trying to say?¡± Gu Nian was a little confused.

 Chapter 36

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    ¡°I think Zhizhi is hiding something, or she promised Qin Huai that she wouldn¡¯t tell anyone. Let me make a bold guess. If the child Qin Huai was protecting didn¡¯t die, is it possible that Zhizhi was with Qin Huai? After Qin Huai died, Zhizhi was with that child, and it was that child who sent me a message to get us to pick up Zhizhi?¡±


    Gu Su paused for a moment. ¡°I was just guessing when I saw the two jade pendants. In fact, I¡¯m not sure if Zhizhi is hiding anything. After all, when you ask her about what happened after Qin Huai¡¯s death, she can answer you fluently. She just looks a little nervous,¡± he said softly.


    Gu Nian gently rubbed her thigh and nodded. ¡°She answered fluently, or she might have rehearsed it beforehand.¡±


    Gu An felt sorry for her. ¡°I was too happy the day I took her in. I didn¡¯t pay attention to the house. I only felt that my daughter was living in such a shabby house. It was so sad.¡±


    He suddenly thought of something and stared at everyone with his eyes wide open. ¡°That day, Zhizhi ran from downstairs to upstairs in one breath. She had her back against that wall, as if she could rely on it. When we carried her away, she even took one last look at that wall.¡±


    Gu Su was also stunned. He was not confident in his own reasoning, and it was somewhat imaginative.


    Gu Nian stood up. ¡°Then what are we waiting for? Go home and ask Zhizhi!¡±


    Gu Sen glared at him. ¡°You, sit down!¡±


    Gu Nian did not understand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t scare the child!¡± Gu Sen said.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Only then did Gu Nian sit down. Zhizhi was small and pitiful, so he did not want to scare her.


    Gu Sen looked at Gu Su and the latter nodded. ¡°Qin Huai said that when she found Zhizhi, she had lost her memory. She probably suffered from PTSD, which is the side effect of stress trauma. Her memory might have been too horrible for her, so she chose to forget it.¡±


    Gu An¡¯s heart immediately ached. ¡°Then forget it. Forget it for a lifetime and don¡¯t think about it again.¡±


    Gu Sen glanced at his son and did not say anything.


    Some of the Gu family¡¯s characters were indeed good, but sometimes, they were not necessarily good. Gu An only thought about the good side of everything and did not care about the past because he was kind and also because he was unwilling to face it.


    Fortunately, Gu Su was not.


    He looked at his grandson. Gu Su understood what he meant. ¡°That organization has been destroyed by Qin Huai, but we haven¡¯t found out who hired them. Grandpa, I won¡¯t give up!¡±


    Gu Sen nodded.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing that our Zhizhi is fine,¡± Gu An and Gu Nian said. ¡°Thank God.¡±


    Gu Sen sighed. ¡°We can¡¯t rely on God¡¯s blessing for everything. Just look at the Shen family. Gu Su, tell me your thoughts.¡±


    Gu Su picked up the two jade pendants and played with them. After a moment of silence, he said, ¡°Grandpa, if my speculation is correct, the child of the Shen family is still alive. He even sent me news about Zhizhi, so he probably means no harm to her. I don¡¯t want to talk to Zhizhi about this. A five-year-old child who witnessed her sister¡¯s death with her own eyes is already a trauma to her. If she doesn¡¯t want to tell me if there is another person accompanying her, then let¡¯s not talk about it.¡±


    Gu Sen nodded. ¡°What about the Shen family? Shen Ke and I are friends who have gone through life and death together. Now that the jade pendant is in my hands, I will not ignore the Shen family¡¯s affairs.¡±


    Gu Su was not surprised. ¡°I know, Grandpa! Qin Huai has already set up a trap, so we can¡¯t act rashly. Otherwise, we might not be able to find any clues, but if we alert Second Uncle Shen, I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be good for the situation. Why don¡¯t we wait and see first? Aren¡¯t we going to hold a big banquet in two days to celebrate the return of Zhizhi and Grandma? Please invite Grandpa Shen to M City and see what he has to say.¡±


    Gu An nodded. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. Dad, I¡¯m going to the capital the day after tomorrow. How about I visit Uncle Shen first?¡±


    ¡°Uncle Shen even used this method to send the jade pendant to me. Brother, even if you go, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be able to see Uncle Shen!¡± Gu Nian replied after some thought.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether you see him or not,¡± Gu Su said calmly.


    Gu Sen nodded slowly. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go and investigate first. If there¡¯s a snake, it¡¯ll come out earlier.¡±


    Gu Nian suddenly realized that his brain was not working well enough.


    Gu Sen said to Gu Su, ¡°You can keep the Shen family¡¯s jade. The Gu family will be handed over to you sooner or later. Your Grandpa Shen has entrusted the Shen family to me, so I¡¯ll leave this matter to you. Also, don¡¯t let anyone else know about this except us.¡±

 Chapter 37

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    ¡°Yes! Grandpa!¡± Gu Su had always been calm and composed since he was young, making everyone around him feel at ease.


    ¡°Shen Chao¡¯s son?¡± Gu An mumbled. ¡°I remember that he¡¯s the same age as Gu Yu. How old is he? If this is true¡­ how could it be possible? If it was Gu Yu, what would he do? Can he do it?¡±


    Gu An fell into deep thought.


    Gu Su kept the jade pendant and said lightly, ¡°Dad, at the moment of life and death, people can force out their potential. Grandpa, I was just about to report this quarter¡¯s briefing to Dad and Second Uncle. Since you¡¯re here, let¡¯s listen to it together.¡±


    Gu Sen nodded. ¡°Alright.¡±


    Gu Sen stepped down as soon as Gu Su graduated from University. Gu An was the Chairman of the Gu group in name, and Gu Nian was the Vice Chairman, but Gu Su was the one really in charge.


    Gu Sen had told his children and grandchildren back then, ¡°I¡¯ve dedicated most of my life to the Gu family. It¡¯s my turn to enjoy my old age. Where you want to take the Gu family is up to you young people. I just want to accompany my wife and take care of my grandchildren.¡±


    Gu Su¡¯s personality was more like his, but his two sons were pampered and had always been under his wing, so they did not have any sense of urgency.


    Although Gu An and Gu Nian had been deeply shocked by what had happened to the Shen family, they were more attracted to their own company¡¯s affairs. Since the matter had been handed over to Gu Su, they would not interfere and let Gu Su do what he wanted.


    ¡­


    The first thing Zhizhi saw when she woke up was her mother, who was sleeping beside her. Her nervousness was instantly relieved.


    The moment she moved, Han Li opened her eyes. ¡°Zhizhi? ¡±


    She naturally placed her hand on Zhizhi¡¯s head to feel if it was warm. This action was almost instinctive.


    ¡°Mommy.¡± Zhizhi called out softly. This form of address was a little unfamiliar to her.


    Han Li smiled as he got up and picked up Zhizhi as well. She buried her face in Zhizhi¡¯s chest and took a deep breath. Her eyes were a little red as she looked at Zhizhi. ¡°Mommy always feels a little dazed. I¡¯m always worried that this is a dream. Mommy used to have this kind of dream, but when I opened my eyes, Zhizhi was gone. Zhizhi, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Zhizhi¡¯s heart felt as if a thin layer of rain had fallen, moistening her heart and making it soft.


    She reached out and cupped Han Li¡¯s face. ¡°Mommy, I¡¯m Zhizhi. I¡¯m back.¡±


    She tilted her head and thought for a while. Then, she pouted and kissed Han Li¡¯s face. ¡°Mommy, I¡¯m really back.¡±


    ¡°Zhizhi,¡± Han Li held Zhizhi tightly in her arms and once again thanked the gods and Buddhas in her heart.


    The mother and daughter were intimate for a while before they got up. Han Li helped Zhizhi change into a set of pink sportswear. Zhizhi stood in front of the mirror and said, a little embarrassed, ¡°Mommy, isn¡¯t this a little too wasteful? ¡±


    Han Li pinched her little face from behind and said with a smile, ¡°Our Zhizhi is so pretty, so you have to dress up nicely. In the afternoon, Mommy will bring you around to familiarize you with the house. Let¡¯s go for a walk, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Zhizhi happily pulled Han Li¡¯s hand and walked out.


    ¡°Mommy, can I cook for everyone tonight?¡± Zhizhi asked Han Li.


    Han Li was stunned. ¡°Zhizhi really knows how to cook?¡±


    Zhizhi nodded and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s true. Zhizhi really knows how to cook! When my sister was sick, she said that Zhizhi must learn how to cook so that she can survive. Everyone has to rely on themselves to survive, not others, and it¡¯s the same for children!¡±


    At this moment, Han Li really did not know what to say. She was both sad and touched. ¡°Then, our Zhizhi will add more food for everyone tonight!¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡± Zhizhi patted her chest and promised.


    Bai Ling came up to her. Han Li said, ¡°I¡¯m going to show Zhizhi around the house. Zhizhi wants to cook for everyone tonight. Go and get the kitchen to prepare.¡±


    Bai Ling agreed with a smile. She bent over and asked Zhizhi, ¡°Young Miss, can you help me make a menu? I¡¯ll see if the kitchen is short of ingredients so that I can buy them.¡±


    Seeing that her mother and Bai Ling were paying so much attention to her, Zhizhi was very happy. She told them all the dishes she knew how to cook. Han Li and Bai Ling looked at each other. For a five-year-old child, Zhizhi knew a lot.


    Bai Ling thought for a moment. ¡°Miss, let¡¯s just make two dishes and a soup today, okay? We¡¯ll make two today and two more every two days. This way, everyone will look forward to you making good food for them every day. What do you think?¡±


    Zhizhi¡¯s eyes curved into crescents as she smiled. ¡°Alright!


    Han Li also praised Bai Ling and said, ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡±

 Chapter 38

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Bai Ling¡¯s eyes reddened as she looked at Zhizhi, who was bouncing around. She said softly, ¡°If my little sister was still alive, she would be this old.¡±


    Han Li understood. She patted Bai Ling¡¯s hand gently and said, ¡°We¡¯ll leave Zhizhi to you from now on.¡±


    Bai Ling nodded her head solemnly.


    Han Li brought Zhizhi to visit everyone in the main house. Zhizhi sighed. ¡°Mommy, our house is so big. If Zhizhi were to walk alone, I would get lost.¡±


    She looked at Han Li with a bitter expression.


    Han Li laughed. ¡°We¡¯ll walk around once every day, and we¡¯ll slowly get familiar with it. Mommy will accompany you, sister Bai Ling can also accompany you, and so will our brothers. We won¡¯t let Zhizhi get lost.¡±


    Upstairs, Gu Zhen looked at the mother and daughter who were walking hand in hand downstairs with a look of disdain.


    ¡°She¡¯s just a country bumpkin. I really don¡¯t understand if Aunt is blind. Why does she like such a brat? she¡¯s not compatible with this super-rich family at all!¡±


    Gu Zhen suppressed the anger in her heart and looked away from Gu Zhi. She changed her clothes and went to the Old Madam¡¯s room.


    Gu Zhen could tell who was the most important person in this family. If she wanted to stay in the main residence, she had to get past the Old Madam. If she could not get the Old Madam¡¯s approval, then everything would be out of the question.


    After Zhizhi had enough fun, Han Li helped her wash her face and change her clothes. Then, he went to the kitchen to show off her skills.


    The servants in the kitchen were all curious about the young lady¡¯s intention to cook. They thought that she was just playing with the child and putting on an act. They did not expect this Young Miss to be serious.


    Bai Ling had prepared a small apron for her, so Zhizhi rolled up her sleeves and started working. Today, she was going to make a vegetable meatball, a stir-fried bean sprout, and a tofu and bamboo shoot soup.


    Bai Ling got someone to prepare a shorter cooking table for her and showed her the prepared ingredients one by one. She thanked her politely, ¡°I don¡¯t need any help. You guys just do what you need to do. I¡¯m just taking up a little space. Sorry.¡±


    Everyone was stunned by her politeness.


    She recalled how Miss Gu Zhen had ordered everyone to stop what they were doing and quickly make her a bowl of bird¡¯s nest. She wanted to wait for Old Madam to wake up from her afternoon nap and serve it to her. She had ordered all the servants in the kitchen around and even blamed them for not doing their job well.


    In comparison, Miss Zhizhi was like a little angel.


    Han Li smiled and said to everyone, ¡°You guys go do what you need to do. Don¡¯t delay your work. I¡¯ll stay here with Zhizhi.¡±


    The servants even walked briskly, and from time to time, they would secretly glance at the Young Miss who was doing her work in a proper manner.


    Han Li stood close to her daughter and did not help. She did not really want to test Zhizhi, but she did not know where to start. She knew nothing about cooking.


    Zhizhi cut the vegetables into small pieces. Han Li reminded her, ¡°Be careful of the knife. Do you want someone to help you cut it?¡±


    Zhizhi¡¯s eyes curved into crescents as she smiled. ¡°Mommy, Do you not know how to cook?¡±


    Han Li nodded graciously. ¡°Yes! Mommy has never cooked before, but our Zhizhi is really amazing!¡±


    Zhizhi was a little smug. ¡°Sister said that talent is also important in cooking. No matter how smart a person is, they won¡¯t be able to learn how to cook without talent.¡±


    Han Li felt that it was very reasonable.


    Zhizhi said while cutting the cabbage, ¡°We¡¯re using cabbage to make meatballs today. I asked Big Sister Bai Ling and Grandma Zhao, and they said that everyone in the family eats cabbage.¡±


    Han Li was a little surprised. ¡°Why are you asking?¡±


    Zhizhi was also a little surprised. ¡°You have to consider the taste of the person who¡¯s eating!¡±


    Han Li came to a sudden realization and gave a thumbs up to Zhizhi. ¡°Zhizhi is so awesome!¡±


    Zhizhi thought that her mother was a little silly, but she was very cute. After thinking for a while, she explained to her mother as she cooked. ¡°You have to put this chopped vegetable into the well-made flour paste, then add the seasoning, and heat up the pot. Then, we can fry the meatballs.¡±


    Zhizhi skillfully lit the fire and poured the oil. Han Li was frightened. ¡°Zhizhi, let¡¯s find a cook to fry it. Can you command from the side?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Zhizhi asked, confused. ¡°It¡¯s more meaningful if I cook it myself. I¡¯m the one who¡¯s going to cook for everyone!¡±


    Han Li had no choice but to admit it. ¡°Mommy thinks it¡¯s a little dangerous.¡±


    Zhizhi chuckled. ¡°What¡¯s so dangerous about that? Mommy, look, meatballs are dancing in the hot oil, and then their color will change. Don¡¯t be afraid, just stand behind me, I¡¯ll protect you!¡±


    Han Li could not help but feel a mix of emotions.

 Chapter 39

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The servants at the side had unknowingly stopped. They looked over and whispered, ¡°Our Young Miss is so amazing. She knows how to cook at such a young age and even knows how to protect her mother!¡±


    ¡°It seems that upbringing is something that¡¯s engraved in one¡¯s genes. She didn¡¯t grow up by Madam¡¯s side, but she still has the bearing of a big family. Madam gave birth to an excellent child!¡±


    Although it was said in a low voice, Han Li still heard these words. They were all compliments.


    Han Li knew that in the eyes of these servants, the Young Miss doing these things herself was lowering her status. Although they said this, they were actually looking down on Zhizhi in their hearts.


    Han Li¡¯s heart ached. What did her daughter do wrong? She was kidnapped when she was one year old. It was already a blessing in the midst of misfortune for her to be able to survive and come back. She had even lived as a polite, well-mannered, and self-sufficient child. This was simply a gift from the heavens.


    She composed herself and recorded her daughter¡¯s every move on her phone.


    If her daughter wanted to protect her, she had to protect her daughter¡¯s small heart! She could not shut everyone up, but she could train her daughter¡¯s heart to be strong!


    Gradually, the maidservants found that the Madam was focused on accompanying her daughter and did not care about what they said, so they began to concentrate on their own work.


    Han Li secretly heaved a sigh of relief. In the past, she would have gone to Gu An to settle things, but it turned out that there were some things that could be won as long as one persisted a little!


    Zhizhi deftly prepared two dishes and a soup. She excitedly watched as her mother brought the food to the table. She was satisfied. She was still a child after all!


    Gu Zhen pushed the Old Madam¡¯s wheelchair out arrogantly.


    Zhizhi felt uncomfortable the moment she saw Gu Zhen. She lowered her eyes and warned herself not to do this.


    Shi Cui saw that Zhizhi was wearing a snow-white apron and was surprised. ¡°What did Zhizhi do?¡±


    Zhizhi hurriedly walked to the side of the wheelchair. ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m going to cook for everyone!¡±


    The Old Madam was pleasantly surprised. ¡°Our Zhizhi is so young, but she can actually cook?¡±


    Zhizhi nodded her head heavily. ¡°Grandma, try it!¡±


    As they were talking, Gu Sen and the others came back. When they entered, they heard that Zhizhi had cooked for them. They could not help but speed up to the table.


    Zhizhi looked around and did not see Little Big Brother or Cousin Ze, so she asked Bai Ling quietly.


    Bai Ling also whispered to her, ¡°Our family has to rush back for dinner on the last weekend of every month. This is the rule. The rest of the time, they are busy with their own things. Those who can come back, come back. Those who can¡¯t, don¡¯t bother about them. It means that they have something to do outside. The two Young Masters are very busy with their homework at school, so they don¡¯t come back for dinner often.¡±


    Zhizhi nodded, indicating that she understood.


    Han Li gave everyone a small bowl of the soup that Zhizhi made and introduced the other two dishes that she made.


    Gu Zhen scooped a spoonful of soup and took a sip.


    ¡°Eh? Pfft!¡± She spat the soup back into the bowl.


    She frowned and asked the servant standing behind her to take the bowl away. ¡°Throw it away! It¡¯s too unpalatable. Throw away the one in front of everyone too. They don¡¯t have to try it, it¡¯s really unpalatable!¡±


    She took another small meatball and bit into it, but spat it out again. ¡°What? it¡¯s so bad! Take it away!¡±


    Zhizhi had just been carried to a chair and sat down. She could not help but be stunned and looked at Gu Zhen, at a loss.


    Gu Zhen looked at Zhizhi and frowned. ¡°Zhizhi, please don¡¯t do such things in the future. We are the young ladies of the Gu family. We never enter the kitchen. We even have to ask someone to pour us water. We can¡¯t do it ourselves. Do you understand?¡±


    Zhizhi shook her head.


    Gu Zhen covered her mouth and chuckled. ¡°Then you have to remember that the young ladies of the Gu family are born to be superior. Clothes are given to you, and food is given to you. You can¡¯t enter the kitchen to do such a self-deprecating thing. How is this the behavior of us rich daughters? She¡¯s clearly a country girl from a small family who has never seen the world!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine if it¡¯s just family members today. If there were outsiders, wouldn¡¯t you be disgracing the family? Our Gu family is the top family in M City and we¡¯re much nobler than the ladies outside. If people find out that you¡¯re in the kitchen and that your food tastes so bad, wouldn¡¯t they laugh their heads off?¡±


    As Gu Zhen spoke, she called the servants over. ¡°Hurry up and throw away the dishes that Zhizhi made. Seriously, how can you let her do whatever she wants? If she¡¯s messing around, then so be it. Why did you guys really serve it to Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle, and Aunt?¡±


    The nine-year-old Gu Zhen had the air of a rich young lady. She lectured Gu Zhi and the servants in one go. Her delicate little face was tense, and her words were clear and unquestionable.

 Chapter 40

    Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Ever since she went to the kitchen to make bird¡¯s nest soup for the Old Madam and found out that the servants were preparing the ingredients for Gu Zhi, she had already prepared a script in her mind. She wanted to show her grandparents, uncle, and aunt what a real lady should be like!


    This Zhizhi was just a foreign girl. The Gu family had used this incident to send out invitations to hold a grand banquet. Gu Zhi would only embarrass the Gu family. Only she, who had been taught etiquette since she was a young lady of the Gu family, could represent the Gu family.


    His parents had said that for a wealthy family like theirs, where face was more important than money. Money was just a number to them. Even if she did not do anything for a few lifetimes, she could still rely on money to make money and live a life of luxury. However, face was different. Losing face was the worst thing.


    She did not believe that she could not win against a five-year-old silly girl!


    Gu Zhen was waiting for the servants to clear the vegetables and praise her. She was also waiting for Gu Zhi to cry so that she could continue to teach her a lesson by coaxing her.


    Gu Zhi struggled to get up from her high chair. Han Li quickly held her. ¡°Zhizhi? What do you want to do?¡±


    ¡°Move my cooking to my side!¡± Zhizhi said loudly.


    Han Li did not have time to say anything else. She was afraid that his daughter would fall, so she quickly moved the meatballs and beans over. ¡°Be careful not to spill it.¡±


    Zhizhi used her chopsticks to pick up a small meatball and brought it to Han Li¡¯s lips. She said with a smile, ¡°Mommy, try it. Does it taste good?¡±


    Han Li opened his mouth and ate the small meatball. As she chewed, she said, ¡°Delicious!¡±


    Zhizhi picked up another one and brought it to Gu An¡¯s lips. ¡°Daddy, try it.¡±


    Gu An quickly ate it and said with a smile, ¡°Mmm, it¡¯s delicious.¡±


    Zhizhi smiled sweetly at her grandparents. ¡°Do you want some, Grandpa and Grandma?¡±


    Gu Sen and Shi Cui¡¯s eyes narrowed as they smiled. ¡°I want to eat, I want to eat!¡±


    Zhizhi steadily picked up a meatball and stretched her arm with great effort to personally feed her grandparents. She then smiled and asked them, ¡°Is it delicious?¡±


    ¡°Delicious!¡±


    ¡°Our Zhizhi is so capable!¡±


    By the time Zhizhi turned to look at her uncle, aunt, and big brother, they had already started eating by themselves and were praising how delicious the food was.


    Zhizhi sat down and drank a mouthful of soup. Then, she bit into the meatball and shook her head. She squinted her eyes and said, ¡°I also think it¡¯s delicious!¡±


    After the meal, only Gu Zhen did not know what the food really tasted like. She was so angry that she was full.


    None of the elders in the Gu family followed Gu Zhen¡¯s lead and gave Gu Zhi a lesson on the etiquette that the eldest daughter of the Gu family should have. This made Gu Zhen even more embarrassed.


    After dinner, Gu Zhi saw her standing alone on the balcony and walked over. She was about to scold her, but Gu Zhi smiled and said, ¡°Sister, do you know why everyone likes my cooking?¡±


    Without waiting for Gu Zhen to speak, Gu Zhi said, ¡°Because I did it!¡±


    Gu Zhi walked away without looking back. The children who grew up in Peppermint Alley might not have seen the world, but they were not stupid! Even if she was only five years old!


    Gu Zhen was so angry that she could not speak. She wanted to push Gu Zhi down from upstairs. She called her mother to pick her up in anger.


    She wanted to be the Young Miss of the main house, but she did not want to be bullied by a wild girl!


    Li Dan quickly comforted her, ¡°My precious daughter! You can¡¯t come back yet, so you have to stay in the main residence no matter what! Your father said that the banquet in a few days will be attended by the rich and powerful from all over the country! This is the best chance for you to make friends. You must enter their circle. These are all resources for you in the future! You have to let them know that you¡¯re the real Young Miss Gu!¡±


    Gu Zhen gritted her teeth. ¡°But I hate that girl! I want to strangle her!¡±


    Li Dan lowered her voice and said, ¡°My good daughter, don¡¯t be angry. She¡¯s not worth it for you to put yourself in danger! Put your energy where it¡¯s useful. Mom has prepared a surprise for that little girl. I won¡¯t let her become an obstacle for you, don¡¯t worry!¡±


    Gu Zhen¡¯s heart calmed down a little, but she was still a little worried. ¡°You guys have to make the necessary arrangements!¡±


    Li Dan smiled easily. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, baby. I¡¯m telling you, you will be the Young Miss of the Gu family! That little b*tch will know what¡¯s coming for her! Hmph!¡±