Adopting and Raising the Male Lead and the Villain

by Usui Takumii

not mine, new novel . org

1. 00 to 20

Zhong Yuhuan had transmigrated into a book and became the female supporting character who was destined to die an untimely and tragic death. Coincidentally, her family adopted two boys — the male lead and the villain of the book!

The male lead of the book would become a superstar in the show business and the villain a super successful and powerful businessman.

Zhong Yuhuan thus began her life of raising the male lead and the villain while faceslapping other scums. She would grow up quickly and live the life of the rich and powerful Mary Sue!

Chapter 1

Zhong Yuhuan opened her eyes and what she saw was faded drawings on a chalkboard – some cartoon characters holding hands.

She looked above the board and saw five large characters also written in chalk – Sunshine Welfare Agency.

"Oh look, Miss Zhong had awoken!" Someone cried out happily and shoved a glass of red sugar water into her hand and said, "Have some quickly, Miss Zhong. Are you still feeling dizzy?"

Zhong Yuhuan did not drink the sugary water; a look of confusion flashed passed her face.

She didn't die?

She had just suffered from multiple organ failure, and no doctors had been able to revive her.

"Do you want to get checked out at a hospital?"

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"Miss Zhong? Are you feeling alright, Miss Zhong?"

Zhong Yuhuan finally looked up slowly toward those speaking next to her.

The one speaking to her right now was a middle-aged woman; her outfit didn't fit her too well and a was a little outdated. She also seemed a little intimidated.

On her shirt was the words "Welfare Agency".

She looked to be a worker there.

"I am alright," said Zhong Yuhuan.

The middle-aged woman let out a sigh of relief and said, "Then… have you made up your mind? Who would your family like to adopt?"

Adopt?

She was here to adopt a child?

Zhong Yuhuan wasn't quite sure what was going on, so all she could say was, "Let me think about it some more….." When she opened her mouth, the voice she heard was young and soft, that belonging to a small child.

"Would you like to go meet them again?"

"Sure."

Zhong Yuhuan stood up from the chair and walked passed a large mirror.

She could see herself clearly now.

Blue and white sailor outfit, long, black hair, nicely maintained bangs, moist-looking almond-shaped eyes, along with a straight nose and pink lips. It was a pretty and very delicate face. Bu,t it was also a very childish-looking face.

It looked like she had been crying recently — her eyes were very puffy and blood-shot.

Her lips looked as though it had been bitten on with a lot of force.

She estimated her own height to be about 1.4 meter from looking at her reflection in the mirror.

As for her age…. Probably around 12 or 13.

This face and this body looked almost identical to hers when she was still a kid.

But she was already 21 when she died.

"Miss Zhong?"

"Huh?" responded Zhong Yuhuan. She looked up and followed the middle-aged woman into the backyard.

There were quite a few of the kids inside the backyard, lining up in order of their height. They were all wearing white clothing that obviously had been washed too many times and didn't really fit them properly. A few of them even had a runny nose and they all looked at Zhong Yuhuan as if they were intimidated by her.

Zhong Yuhuan scanned across all of them and stopped abruptly.

Among the group of kids were two that were obviously older than the rest. Standing among the other kids, they looked like two cranes in the midst of a flock of chickens.

One of them looked to be around 10 years old and a bit shorter than her. He had on a long sleeve tee-shirt with half-faded printings on it along with a pair of pants of a nondescript grey color. His shoes had seen better days. They had obviously been mended many times and the front of them were already deformed.

His hair looked to not have been cut for quite a while, a few strands were falling down his face making it looked like a bob cut from some 90s TV show. But, it also made him look like a good and obedient little boy.

Suddenly, there was a cold breeze, and he shuddered.

Chapter 2

The other one looked to be about the same age as him. He was about the same height as Zhong Yuhuan. His hair went in all sorts of directions, making them look like the messed-up mane of a little lion.

He had on an old sweater with loose strands. His pants were a bit on the short side, revealing his ankles.

Looking further down, the white sneakers that he had on didn't fit him very well, and one of them has a red lace and the other a black one.

Both of the children were looking at her, from time to time, one could catch a glimpse of hope in their eyes.

The middle-age woman standing to one side noticed her look and immediately said, "This one already has a name when he arrived at the agency. His name is Li Jinyuan. We never found out why he was abandoned in the middle of the road. The police found him and brought him here. We did a physical on him and he was quite healthy. He is a very good boy."

Zhong Yuhuan suddenly thought of a storyline.

Could it be…?

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She had read this book called "The Secret Lover of the Male God" before she died. Li Jinyuan was the name of the male lead in the book! Come to think about it, the book also had a cannon fodder female supporting character who had the exact same name as her!

Zhong Yuhuan could feel a tingling sensation at the tips of her fingers. She had a bad feeling about this.

The middle-age women did not stop stalking. She pointed at the messy-haired little lion and said, "This one, his parents both died in a car accident and his family really couldn't afford to raise another child, so they sent him over here…. His name is Huo Chengming. He had a physical as well and he was healthy. As for his personality…. Aye, his personality is pretty nice too."

Zhong Yuhuan could hear the sound of a bomb exploding in her head.

Huo Chengming!

Wasn't he the main villain in "The Secret Lover of the Male God"?

So, that would mean she had really transmigrated as the cannon fodder female supporting character in the book with the same name as her!

Zhong Yuhuan felt a chill went down her spine and she looked at the two boys once again.

This one – the male lead.

This one – the villain.

The male lead has a pair of beautiful eyes under his bob cut hair.

The little boy's features haven't all grown apart yet; his eyes were slightly rounded, like that of a little deer, and watery.

Even though his features have yet to grow apart, his nose was already straight and his lips abnormally beautiful. Combined those with his elegant brows, he already looking like a prince in the making.

He was no doubt the male lead.

Looking back at the big villain, under his messy hair were brows that were sticking up slightly, his nose cringed together. Even at his young age, he had very long eyelashes, they were so long that even the corners of his eyes pointed slightly upward, giving him a mean look. But, that did not put a damper on his good looks. The little kid had red lips and white teeth and very defined features. It wasn't hard to tell that he would grow into a handsome man.

The mean little lion was definitely the big villain.

Right now, Zhong Yuhuan wasn't thinking about how pretty they are.

All that was going through her mind at the moment was the tragic death of the female supporting character!

Zhong Yuhuan pinched herself.

Ouch! That hurt!

This wasn't a dream.

Did that mean she'd take the original owner's place and followed the path that would ultimately lead her to her tragic death?

The middle-age woman asked anxiously, "So, now that you have met them. What type of a kid do you think your mom would like to adopt? Are any of them suitable?"

"Have they been here long?" Zhong Yuhuan pursed her lips a little and asked.

"Yes, roughly two years or so."

Zhong Yuhuan couldn't help but ask, "And nobody adopted them?"

They were such pretty boys in a welfare agency. She couldn't believe they have not yet been adopted.

"They were on the older side. For people who are looking to adopt, the ideal age is 7 or below. At that age they were still very innocent and easy to raise, and also easier to become part of the new family," said the middle-age woman, feeling slightly awkward.

Chapter 3

They were standing a little distance away from the two boys.

But the male lead and the big villain seemed to have sensed something. They were looking straight up at Zhong Yuhuan. There were moisture in their eyes and a hint of hopefulness, waiting patiently for her to pick one of them to bring home.

Zhong Yuhuan calmed down quickly and thought about the background and growing up of both the male lead and the big villain as well as their accomplishments later on.

One of these two would become a superstar in show biz!

The other one would turn into a powerful business man!

Either one of them will be able to protect this little female supporting character to live out her life safely!

So, which one should she choose?

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Zhong Yuhuan licked her lips nervously.

The most powerful two characters from the entire book…

If she picked the male lead, she would for sure became the enemy of the big villain in the future.

Big villain was ruthless, and she was but a little female supporting character. She was not protected by the female lead halo. What if the male lead wasn't able to protect her when the time comes…

But if she picked the big villain now, the male lead was the one with the halo. He was destined to become the ultimate winner.

Her siding with the big villain could not end well for her.

"Miss Zhong, perhaps we can have them come and talk to you a little before you make a decision?" The middle-age woman seemed very concerned. She looked to be worried that Zhong Yuhuan would pick neither one of them.

"No, that won't be necessary," said Zhong Yuhuan lightly once she was able to catch her breath. "I will take both of them."

Little kids make decisions, adults, of course, would — pick BOTH!

That's what you'd call insurance!

The middle-aged woman was dumbfounded for a little, then said ecstatically, "…. Yes! Sure! Just give me a minute! I will go fetch the documents for adoption right away!"

When the middle-aged woman returned with the documents, there was a man returning with her.

Zhong Yuhuan searched in her memory for the identity of this man.

He was the secretary sent by her cousin to help with taking care of the details of the adoption. His last name was Cheng.

It took about 3 hours before all the documentation was filled out and processed and the two boys were adopted under the name of the original owner's maternal grandfather.

The staff members of the welfare agency quickly packed their stuff for them. There weren't a lot of items, just two backpacks, and one ugly knit bag.

The two boys still looked in a daze, probably because they didn't expect things to happen so quickly.

The middle-age woman saw them out. Wiping away her tears, she held Zhong Yuhuan's hands and said with reddened eyes and a choked voice, "Thank you, thank you, Miss Zhong. You are a good person. Good things will happen to good people and you will have a lucky life!"

"Thank you," said Zhong Yuhuan.

But deep down inside she let out a big sigh.

She certainly hoped what the middle-aged woman said would come true and that she would be able to live out the rest of her life in peace…

"Do you feel happier now, Miss?" asked Secretary Cheng.

Zhong Yuhuan nodded with hesitation.

Secretary Cheng seemed to have let out a sigh of relief and said, "I am glad to hear that, Miss. Old Mr. Ding was genuinely worried about you."

Secretary Cheng's words jotted memories belonging to the original owner.

Original owner's mother married Zhong Chi, original owner's father, for the sake of business partnership. After they were married, Zhong Chi cheated on his wife time after time. Pictures of him meeting up with his lovers at night made the media all the time. Original owner's mother never had the best of health and finally fell ill from being upset all the time from all the scandals and eventually fallen from her illness.

Her mother had always been sickly and fragile and wasn't able to care for her, and her father cared about her even less.

And that was how the original owner went down the path of a rebellious girl.

After the death of her mother, the original owner's grandfather was so upset that he transposed all his love for his daughter onto his granddaughter.

In the original book, that was exactly how the original owner was spoiled rotten and because a useless person by her grandfather. Finally, she was used as a pawn by someone else, offended the female lead, and finally met her untimely and tragic end.

Chapter 4

At this moment in time, the original owner's mother had just passed away, and her father had already brought in his lover and registered themselves as husband and wife at the county office. The lover also brought with her a pair of children. The daughter was much older than the original owner, at the mature age of 26.

One could only imagine how long this affair had gone on.

The original owner felt that the world was crumbling around her.

She told her grandfather that she would never get married because she didn't want to run into any man that was just like her father.

Grandfather Ding loved his granddaughter so much that he suggested for her to pick a boy from the welfare agency so they could grow up together. At least, he would care for her in the future more than Zhong Chi ever would.

Except that in the original novel, it never mentioned anything about the Ding's adopting either the male lead or the villain.

Zhong Yuhuan gathered that most likely when the original owner stopped crying and started to recover, she had changed her mind at the last minute and missed her opportunity to meet the male lead and the villain earlier in time.

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Zhong Yuhuan sighed.

She had been ill most of her previous life, and now she had gained such a healthy body after her death. No matter what, she would do whatever it takes to live a productive life.

Thinking about this, she turned to look at the two young boys.

Immediately she felt a jolt of energy, "Get in!"

Secretary Cheng placed the backpacks and the knitted bag into the trunk of the black SUV.

Zhong Yuhuan also opened the car door for the two boys.

Neither one of the two boys behind her moved. It seemed this was the first time they have ever seen a car that was so clean and so pretty. It was so pretty that they didn't even dare to reach out and touch it.

Zhong Yuhuan thought about it for a second, after all, she was someone who was going to start raising these two boys from this point forward. So she turned around and reached out her hand toward Huo Chengming, "C'mon, let's get in!"

He was the future villain after all; surely, he was a little more stuck up.

So she must take his hand first. She didn't want him to hold grudges against her for this moment in the future.

Huo Chengming's eyes widened and his face turned red all of a sudden. Even his limbs froze.

The little lion had turned into a little puppet in no time flat.

The kid version of the villain was still quite cute.

Zhong Yuhuan blinked and thought to herself.

"C'mon, give me your hand!" said Zhong Yuhuan once again.

Huo Chengming just tightened up his fist.

Whether it was the school that he used to go to or at the welfare agency, he had never seen such a good-looking person. She was like the barbie doll donated by some philanthropist last year…

Zhong Yuhuan was a little disappointed that he never moved.

Naturally the big villain would have more guards up, refusing to even take her hand.

Zhong Yuhuan was just about to bring her hand back when Huo Chengming suddenly put his hand into hers.

There was a thin layer of callouses on his hand.

When his hand touched Zhong Yuhuan's, Huo Chengming suddenly remembered all the callouses on his hand. He couldn't help but curled up his fingers and wanted to take his hand back.

But Zhong Yuhuan hand already gripped onto his hand tightly.

Zhong Yuhuan dragged and pulled him into the car.

She then turned around and reached her hand out to Li Jinyuan. Li Jinyuan blushed as well and his eyelids fluttered quickly.

Zhong Yuhuan held his hand and sat inside the car with him. She situated herself in between the two boys.

"Do you know how to put on the seat belt?" asked Zhong Yuhuan.

The two boys shook their head quietly.

"Okay, let me help you then," Zhong Yuhuan turned around and, with much struggle, finally able to buckle them both.

Li Jinyuan supported his own weight and carefully held on to the seat belt without moving.

Zhong Yuhuan turned and looked at Huo Chengming while Huo CHengming also happened to turn and look at her.

The male lead and the big villain looked nothing alike but the way they were looking at Zhong Yuhuan right now were identical, with a slight hint of tenderness.

Chapter 5 – Harshly scolding (1)

Zhong Chi moved his lover Xu Yunhui in the Zhong's villa. The original owner hated her father and his lover's guts so naturally she refused to just move out.

Zhong Yuhuan rather torture herself by staying and watching them be mushy to each other than moving out, and giving the entire place to their nice family of four by themselves.

And that was why she was still living in the Zhong's villa.

That was also why Secretary Cheng took the three of them to the Zhong's villa before he took off.

The Zhong's butler heard the engine from the car and had already came out and waiting for them.

"Miss, you are back. And they… they are…." The old butler was dumbfounded when he saw the two boys following behind Zhong Yuhuan and wasn't sure what to make of that.

He couldn't help but talked to himself under his breath…. Could they… could they be the object of her puppy love? But even so, why were there two of them?

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"They were the kids my mom had adopted, you are to refer to them as Young Masters going forward, understood?" Zhong Yuhuan said so matter-of-factly.

The two boys subconsciously shuffled behind Zhong Yuhuan. They weren't intimidated by the humongous and unfamiliar villa in front of them; they merely felt that the way they look didn't measure up to the villa in front of them and would bring shame to her.

"Did… Did you really go to the welfare agency?!" the butler couldn't help but shouted out involuntarily.

He had heard the Miss mentioned this in the past, but Madam had been gone for over two months. What was the point of adopting two boys under her name? The new Madam had already birthed a son for the Master.

The butler was panicking and he circled Zhong Yuhuan as he said to her, "My dearest Miss. Master will be very angry when he finds out about this. Are you aware that you are giving her exactly what she wanted when you pull something like this?"

Zhong Yuhuan pouted slightly and said, "It doesn't matter as long as I am happy."

The original owner had been extremely impulsive ever since she had entered into her rebellious phase. Her wants and desires changed from day to day, so the butler has long grown used to it and didn't think anything was out of the ordinary.

Seeing that he wouldn't be able to talk her out of it, the butler let out a deep and long sigh.

Li Jinyuan and Huo Chengming exchanged a look and had a pretty good idea about what was going on.

Her grandfather said she could adopt them.

But not her father, and most likely would scold her for it.

And she lived with her father.

Their being there… would get her into trouble.

Thinking about that, the two boys pinched their lips shut tightly.

Right then, two figures entered into the room.

"Where have you been, Huanhuan? Your dad and I looked for you all over the place." The woman who spoke was wearing a flowy, beige-colored dress. Her body was curvy and full and she had light make up on. Her voice has the sweetness and stickiness of honey.

And the man by her side had on three-piece suit, moustache, and a stern look. In between his brows, there was a deep furrow from too much frowning. He looked at Zhong Yuhuan and frowned, "Where did you go? Didn't your mother teach you any manners? You threw the bowl then ran off? Is that the appropriate behavior from someone of your status? And if you were going to stay out till this time of day, why do you even bother coming back at all?"

"My mom had been in her sick bed most of the time, so she wasn't able to teach me any manner. But what about you? You have a healthy body and physique, why haven't you taught me any manners?" The emotions belonging to the original owner exploded from inside of Zhong Yuhuan. Even she was getting angrier with the memories. She did not back off when she was talking, and as she was talking, her eyes turned red.

Her pair of almond eyes became watery, making her look even more soft and pitiful.

Chapter 6 – Harshly scolding (2)

The man, Zhong Chi, was speechless for a second. And, seeing her look, all the more couldn't think of any words to say.

He stopped that conversation with his daughter altogether and turned to look at the two boys, "And who are they?"

Zhong Yuhuan spoke slowly, "Didn't Xu Yushan want to have my fiancée? Okay, she can have him. Come to think about it, it all makes sense. After all, she had been growing up with her single mother her entire life and been looked down upon this entire time. Now that she is already 26, naturally she was eager to get married the first chance she got. Isn't this the opportunity that she had been waiting for? Moving into a big mansion and starting to plot about how to steal away the formerly-wedded wife's daughter's fiancée. Hey, if she missed this opportunity, she just might have to be like her mother and get with a man your age in order to have the wealthy lifestyle that she wanted so badly. So, I will let her have this one."

She paused for a bit before smiling and carrying on, "After all, I was not like her. I wasn't born out of wedlock and my mother was also from a prestigious family. I have been spoiled rotten by so many ever since I was a child and have plenty of money to spend. There's no need for me to chase after wealthy men. And, I am still young. This is how I would like to spend my money – by adopting a couple of sons for my mother, and also for you. So, when that day comes, at least that will be someone to "toss the bowl" for you! That boy that Xu Yunhui brought with her was the seed of someone else; he isn't exactly your son, you know?"

(T/N: In some part of China, it was a tradition for the oldest son to toss and smash a bowl at the parents' funeral. Or, the grandson if the son was absent.)

Zhong Chi was so angry that his face turned black.

"Am I wrong?" Zhong Yuhuan just pretended that she didn't notice that. As she was talking, she looked up in the direction of the mansion.

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On the steps of the mansion stood a young woman. She was wearing a knee-length blue dress. She has a full figure body but didn't look too much like Xu Yunhui.

That was Xu Yushan.

The daughter that Xu Yunhui brought with her.

After Xu Yushan heard her whole spiel, her envy and hatred were so thick they could materialize.

Zhong Yuhuan was young but she had a way with words. Each and every single word coming from her stabbed Xu Yushan like a dagger.

How could she not be envious? How could she not hate?

What was this rich little girl doing back in the days when she and her mother were barely getting by? As the only daughter of the Zhong's, she was chauffeured everywhere she went. There were always those were chasing after her and fighting to fawn over her. And, as Zhong Yuhuan had said it herself, she had an unlimited amount of money to spend….

Just that alone was able to make Xu Yushan turn green with envy.

What make her even more envy was finding out about her marriage arrangement after they have moved into the Zhong's. Little Miss Zhong might be young, but her mother had already arranged her marriage before she was born, and with the young master from the Nan's no less.

She was already 26 and had yet to find a good family!

And this girl in front of her, she hasn't even have her bosoms yet and she already has a wealthy fiancé. Why was it that she could have everything?!

"That's enough!" said Zhong Chi coldly.

Zhong Chi had, after all, been a successful business and the founder of Zhong's Group. He was naturally intimidating.

His intimidation made Zhong Yuhuan felt sick.

Yet she managed to stand with her back straight and looked him right in his eyes.

Yet her eyes were stuff puffy. With a slight pout, her pretty face looked both pitiful and stubborn.

Chapter 7 – Harshly scolding (3)

Zhong Chi scolded, "Who do you think they are? One of them is your father's current wife, and the other is your sister. What did you just say? Have you no manners? You…."

Zhong Chi met her gaze as he was talking.

Her lips were shut tight and her eyes slightly red, tears were twirling in her eyes but not yet fallen.

She was the most vicious when she was talking, and now the weakest of them all.

Zhong Chi suddenly lost some of his steam and held back the worst of his words.

"We have talked about this before. You are still young but your sister is already the right age to get married. The young master of the Nan's just returned from overseas and his family wanted him to get married soon. Do you really think you are of the right age to get married? No! And that was why we introduced your sister to them. You can have any boy you want in the future. There's no need to hold grudges against your sister over this and caused all kinds of ruckus at home…" Zhong Chi was still twisting the words to make it sound as if he had her best interest in mind.

Zhong Yuhuan had nothing else to add. She had already said all the hurtful things that she had wanted anyway.

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She stretched out her hand and said, "Give me this month's allowances and pocket money."

"And now you ask me for money?" Zhong Chi was so angry that he busted out laughing.

"Of course. I am your daughter after all. If you stop giving me money, what would the rumors say outside? They'd say 'Oh, the original wife's daughter was abused as soon as the stepmother married into the family….'"

Before Zhong Yuhuan was even done talking, Xu Yunhui already turned pale. She tugged Zhong Chi on his arm and said tenderly, "Aye, she's just a child and that's what's rightfully hers. We wouldn't want to hear any rumors about me being the evil stepmother who was mistreating Huanhuan…"

Zhong Chi wasn't happy about it but he didn't want Xu Yunhui's reputation to be tainted either, so he finally picked up the phone and dialed the secretary to get money for Zhong Yuhuan.

"How much?" he asked.

Zhong Yuhuan had no idea how much is necessary, so she just randomly blurted out an amount, "5 million."

"For one month's allowances and living expenses? Why do you need so much? How old do you think you are?"

"I'm a girl! I need to buy purses, shoes, clothes. And I am also quite fond of a house. Great locations, close to my school. I am about to start high school; if I buy the place, I will be able to move over there and be closer to school." Zhong Yushan just made stuff up as she went on.

That idea appealed to Xu Yunhui.

Oh, what she wouldn't do to have Zhong Yushan moved out, but naturally the idea couldn't come from her. She could only hope that Zhong Yushan would finally decide on her own to move out. When she heard her words, she immediately said, "Oh, it's fine. Let's just give it to her. Huanhuan hasn't been happy lately and she did give up on her marriage arrangement. We should make it up to her."

Zhong Chi didn't want any rumors at this sensitive time.

And he has always bragged about being a good father.

He wouldn't even miss this amount, not to mention Xu Yunhui also chimed in so he folded right away and immediately told his secretary the amount.

Zhong Yuhuan was happy. She held the villain with her left hand and the male lead in her right and started walking toward the direction of the door. Softly to the butler she said, "Grandpa Lin, please have the maid bring my dinner upstairs in a bit. I need servings for three."

Lin was the butler's last name. He had been the butler for the Zhong's for dozens of years and basically watched Zhong Yuhuan grew up. He looked at Zhong Chi and replied loudly, "Aye!"

Zhong Chi was fuming from that.

"Zhong Yuhuan, do you understand that you are a girl and they are boys? Why are you holding their hands?"

"So what?" was Zhong Yuhuan's response.

Chapter 8 – Harshly scolding (4)

Zhong Chi was even more angry.

The way she talked to the butler was sweet and tender, when it came to talking to him, she sounded like he owed her some $3,000,000!

The Zhong's mansion has a total of three floors.

First floor was the living room, a theater room, and the living quarters of the helpers.

Second floor was the bedrooms of the owners.

Three floor was knocked down into one large open area. The entire space had six doors and the center part was connected. It was used for bookshelves, storage, and had even hosted parties in the past. But for the most part it was unused.

Zhong Yuhuan summoned the maid and said, "Empty out the third floor and move all my stuff up there. And, go and buy two more small beds."

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"But, the master…."

"Just do it!" Zhong Yuhuan just cut her off.

Xu Yunhui and her lot hadn't been living there for long but Zhong Yuhuan had. When it all came down to it, the maid did gravitate more toward the Miss. After a little hesitation, she finally followed Zhong Yuhuan's instructions.

It was getting late.

Zhong Chi and Xu Yunhui had just crawled into bed before they heard clanging noises coming from outside of the mansion.

Zhong Chi was always busy at work so when he heard the noises, he just frowned but didn't get up.

"What the heck is she doing now?" He scolded angrily, but nonetheless closed his eyes and fell asleep shortly. He still has a meeting the next morning.

But Xu Yunhui wasn't able to fall sleep anymore.

She didn't dare toss and turn in bed and risked disturbing Zhong Chi so she could only lay there stiffly for most of the night.

On the other hand, Zhong Yuhuan had already arranged the two boys to be seated and dinner was being served.

"Let's have dinner first," said Zhong Yuhuan.

Warm, yellow light flooded every corner of this spacious, open area.

The light seemed to have finally calmed the two kids down a bit.

"Oh wait, let's wash your hands first," said Zhong Yuhuan as she got up from the chair and let them to the bathroom by their hands.

The kids seemed to have finally gotten used to her grabbing their hands by now.

Their cheeks were no longer beet red like they were earlier.

By now the bathroom has already been set up. There was even liquid soap for kids prepared on the sink.

Zhong Yuhuan first grabbed the Huo Chengming's left hand and washed it out carefully. She then grabbed Li Jinyuan's right hand and also washed it out carefully. Then it was Li Jinyuan's left hand followed by Huo Chengming's right hand.

This way she was not playing favoritism.

Zhong Yuhuan felt that she was practically a genius.

The two boys had never hand their hands held like that and washed out ever so tenderly before today.

Their eyes moved around slowly and quietly observing Zhong Yuhuan.

The house was very quiet for a moment there and almost started to feel a bit of warmth among the three.

"Okay, done! Just dry your hands and we can start eating!" Zhong Yuhuan handed them each a paper towel.

They each took a paper towel and dried their hands with them before following Zhong Yuhuan back to the dinner table.

Butler Lin was an observant person. Considering that the kids were from the welfare agency, he figured they were not used to many foods. So, he only arranged to have chicken and mushroom porridge and a few side dishes delivered.

Sitting down in front of the table, neither one of the two boys moved.

Zhong Yuhuan looked at them in surprise.

She could already hear their stomachs grumbling. Even then they didn't scramble to pick up their chopsticks and start eating? They have already learned self-control at their young age?

Zhong Yuhuan dished out a ladle of porridge each and said to them, "Here, let's start with some porridge."

Chapter 9 – Harshly scolding (5)

The two young boys quietly picked up their spoon and started to eat slowly. They were still able to main their forms in the first couple of sips. After all, they were still young and have been starving. Let alone that they had never had food that smelled so good and have meat inside! They started wolfing down the food and didn't even care when food was splattered on their faces.

The two bowls of porridge were gone in no time.

When they finally realized how quickly they had finished it, they carefully put down their spoons and again sat quietly with their face tightened as though they felt that the way they ate in front of Zhong Yuhuan was embarrassing.

"Want some more?" asked Zhong Yuhuan.

They hesitated for a second, then finally nodded.

Zhong Yuhuan summoned the maid and have her brought up two more bowls of porridge.

They must really be starving.

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The way they ate looked like they would have swallowed their own tongue with it if only they could.

And just like that, each of them ate three bowls of porridge.

Neither one of them touched any of the small plates of food on the sides.

Zhong Yuhuan glanced over at the dishes… carrots, sautéed phoenix tail grass, Chinese yam and black mushroom…. Okay, so they were all vegetables, no wonder they didn't touch them at all. She figured at their age, only rice and meat would be able to satisfy their hunger.

Thought Zhong Yuhuan as her heart ached for them.

How could anyone abandon such a cute villain and male lead?

"Miss, your room is ready and the beds were set. And we have pajamas prepared for the two young masters," said the maid with a soft voice.

When you have money, anything could be prepared at any time of the day.

And just like that, they were the only three left in the entire area.

"Do you know how to bathe yourself?" asked Zhong Yuhuan.

Li Jinyuan nodded immediately.

Huo Chengming's face was stiff as he nodded stiffly. He blushed all the way through the tips of his ears.

Zhong Yuhuan smiled and said, "Well, good. Otherwise I will have to summon the stewards!"

Stewards?

Huo Chengming's blush disappeared right away.

"Why don't you two go play and digest the food a bit before taking a bath?" said Zhong Yuhuan as she sluggishly settled into the couch. Casually, she grabbed a throw pillow into her arms. The pillow was a pastel white, as was her face. She was so pretty it was difficult to look straight at her.

Li Jinyuan and Huo Chengming were both staring at her, but after a while, they couldn't help but turn away their eyes.

Zhong Yuhuan yawned and her eyes teared up, making her face look even more delicate than it was. She said, "You two can walk around here all you want. There are no others on this floor so you don't have to worry about anything."

The two boys, however, merely walked to the side of the couch and sat down on the carpeted floor.

"Why are you sitting on the floor?" asked Zhong Yuhuan as she sat up.

"We haven't bathed yet," replied Li Jinyuan softly.

"Don't worry about that," said Zhong Yuhuan as she pulled the two up one after the other. She didn't care how stiff their bodies were but just shoved them forcefully onto the couch next to her. "Okay, if you would rather not walk around, then just sit here. It's quite relaxing."

Stiffly, they fumbled until they could find the back of the couch before they clumsily mimicked Zhong Yuhuan and leaned and sinked into the couch….

Oh yeah…..

It was very comfortable and relaxing…

They couldn't help but closed their eyes.

It seemed…. There had never been a moment like this in their lives before.

Chapter 10 – Don't cry (1)

Xu Yushan had finally moved into the Zhong's mansion; naturally she couldn't wait to show off her new status as Miss Zhong to her friends.

She had invited her old co-workers, some closer girlfriends from the past, even some male friends to a party at the Zhong's mansion. She had heard that the third floor of the mansion was unoccupied and rarely used. On top of that it even has an indoor swimming pool, perfect for hosting gatherings.

After she had contacted everyone by phone, she turned around and told the maid, "Set up the third floor, I have guests coming for a party this afternoon."

Zhong Chi would be out of the country for a couple of days for meetings and wouldn't be returning to the mansion. Xu Yunhui went with him as well to take care of him.

Otherwise, Xu Yushan would not be daring enough to host a party at home.

The maid paused for a second and said, stuttering, "The third floor… the third floor was cleaned up yesterday. Miss had moved in with the two young masters."

Xu Yushan's face turned colors, "What Miss? From now on, you are to refer to her as Second Miss! And what are these young masters you speak of? The Zhong's has only one young master, and that's my brother!"

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The maid lowered her head without saying another word.

It had been over ten years; it wouldn't be easy to start referring to them differently.

Her reaction enraged Xu Yushan even more.

Still, there was a bit of distance, a bit distance between herself and Zhong Yuhuan! That's why even the servants in this mansion had no respect for her!

"Where is Zhong Yuhuan? Is she up yet?" asked Xu Yushan as she tried to suppress her feeling of loathing toward Zhong Yuhuan.

Zhong Yuhuan's words from yesterday were still seared deeply into her memories. She replayed those words in her head over and over again and each time she did that she became more envious and hateful.

How could Zhong Yuhuan had so much?!

Why was she such a bully and continue to have a hold on everything here? The new Madam of this mansion was her mother!

"Miss…." The maid was half way through before she corrected herself, "Second Miss is not yet up."

Xu Yushan immediately started running upstairs, "I am going to talk to her. This is ridiculous. This is the Zhong's mansion, why does she get an entire floor to herself?" After she finished saying that, she immediately added, "If dad was home, he'd be very upset!"

The maid chased after her and tried to talk her out of it by saying, "Second Miss is usually quite cranky when she first wakes up. Now might not be the best time."

Xu Yushan thought to herself, her being cranky would be perfect.

Ideally, she should start going off on me, then I could show the surveillance video to dad and have Zhong Yuhuan removed from the third floor.

Xu Yushan picked up her pace and arrived on the third floor in no time.

When she arrived at the end of the stairs on the third floor, there was a door, a wooden door. It looked fragile, yet Xu Yushan wasn't able to open it.

Xu Yushan almost couldn't keep her mean tone under control but finally was able to force a smile on her face and said to the maid, "What is the meaning of this? We are a family. Why does she have a door here? Is the purpose to keep the rest of us out?"

The maid smiled but didn't comment.

Xu Yushan turned around to give Zhong Chi a call.

But at this time, Zhong Chi had just boarded the plane as did Xu Yunhui. Naturally she wasn't able to reach any one of them.

Xu Yushan had no choice but to grit her teeth and let it go for now.

But what was she to do?

She had already called up all her friends and the words had already gotten out.

Now that Zhong Yuhuan had taken up the entire third floor, how was she going to host her gathering?

Chapter 11 – Don't cry (2)

Zhong Yuhuan didn't sleep very well on the new bed. She had woken up earlier in the day, bathed, and put on a set of clean clothes.

The weather was starting to get cold. Zhong Yuhuan pulled open the curtain and looked at the fall leaves outside before she turned around, pulled out a jacket and put it on.

After standing there for a few minutes, she finally recall that she was no longer by herself; she had just adopted two boys, and they were about her age.

Zhong Yuhuan had never raised any children before. She thought about it for a second and felt that as a "parent", it was about time to go and wake up the kids.

She slowly walked over to the section that was divided out for the boys.

The door was unlocked. As soon as she walked inside, she noticed that both boys were lying on the bed with their eyes widened. They both looked pale, and that they didn't get much sleep.

Zhong Yuhuan panicked and turned pale herself.

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She didn't want to, but two drops of tears fell from her eyes before she could even say anything.

Did … did both the male lead and the villain die while under her care?

She immediately dialed the internal line and summoned the maid.

The maid fished out the key, unlocked the wooden door, and entered into the third floor.

When Xu Yushan saw this, she was furious, "Why didn't you tell me that you have the key?"

Innocently, the maid replied, "But you didn't ask."

Having said that, two servants immediately ran toward the room on the third floor.

On the other side, Zhong Yuhuan tried to fight back her tears and touched their foreheads with her hand. They were a bit cool to the touch.

"Did you not sleep well last night? What seems to be the problem?" asked Zhong Yuhuan, choking back her tears.

The two boys kept their mouth shut; neither one of them made a sound.

The servants walked in right at this moment and she immediately barked her orders, "Pick them up. We are taking them to the hospital."

The servants were worried too. Immediately, each of them picked up one boy and headed back downstairs.

Zhong Yuhuan grabbed her purse, changed into some flats, and also headed downstairs.

Xu Yushan stopped her on her way. "Where are you going, Huanhuan?" asked Xu Yushan with a smile.

"Where do you think?"" Zhong Yuhuan didn't particularly has a lot of patience toward her. She shoved away Xu Yushan's arm. Zhong Yuhuan was young, and petite in size. Xu Yushan didn't want to try to stop her; she worried that any amount of force could cause her to fall down the stairs.

She could only look on as Zhong Yuhuan walked downstairs and disappeared from her sight.

Staring at the back of Zhong Yuhuan, a shred of envy flashed passed Xu Yushan's eyes.

Zhong Yuhuan, born into wealth, was simply different from her. She was pretty, the kind of pretty that exuded from the inside of her. Each little expression or motion of hers only accentuated her beauty. The kind of beauty and aura that could only come with being raised in a family where she could always have her ways.

They were not the same. Xu Yushan pursed her lips.

The Zhong's was a major shareholder of Hai City's Heyi Private Hospital. Zhong Yuhuan took the kids directly to this hospital and when they got there, the doctors and nurses were already waiting for them. As soon as the servants got out of the car with the kids, they immediately came forward and took the kids from them.

The entire examination took less than 10 minutes.

When the doctor finally came out, he said with a complicated look, "….. nothing serious. They just ate too much. They will be fine as soon as they puke them all out."

Chapter 12 – Don't cry (3)

Zhong Yuhuan paused for a second. She thought she now understood why they had refused to say a word. Mostly likely they didn't want to soil the bed sheets, or wasted food, or were just embarrassed. Boys this age definitely have a strong ego.

Zhong Yuhuan's heart ached when she thought about this.

She had a good family in her previous life as well. After she had fallen ill when she started high school, her family was even nicer to her than before. She had never experienced hardship like this.

Before long, both Li Jinyuan and Huo Chengming puked everything out.

"Let me give them some fluid to help them replenish faster. They will be a little bit dehydrated after they have vomited," said the doctor.

They walked toward the side of the chair by themselves and sat down.

They were quiet but, after a while, Li Jinyuan suddenly said to Zhong Yuhuan, "Don't cry."

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Huo Chengming's face was all cringed together. He looked up quickly at Zhong Yuhuan but finally didn't say a thing.

Zhong Yuhuan got up and walked in front of them. Squatting down in front of them, she looked up and asked, "Do you still feel sick?"

Li Jinyuan shook his head slightly.

Huo Chengming was probably still too embarrassed to answer her.

Boys this age and their egos!

Zhong Yuhuan blinked slowly at them.

Her eyelashes were so long, like that of a doll. And they sparkled like stars in the sky when she blinked, thought Li Jinyuan to himself.

"You must speak up when you feel sick," said Zhong Yuhuan tenderly as she poked the back of their hands with her fingers.

With a barely audible voice, Li Jinyuan responded, "…. En."

Huo Chengming's face was still cringed and he still did not make a sound.

Zhong Yuhuan was not upset over that.

He was the boss villain after all; naturally he would be a little quirky.

Zhong Yuhuan finally stood up and sat down next to Huo Chengming and started to talk slowly, "When I was a kid, I loooove strawberries. Once, I had a bowl this big!" As she was talking, she gestured in the air with her white and slender fingers.

"After I was done eating, I felt so sick I wanted to cry. But that's strawberries, and I loooooove strawberries, so I refused to puke them out. Finally, I had to be taken to the hospital." Sighed Zhong Yuhuan. "You two, don't be like me, okay?"

The nurse was now approaching them with the IV fluid.

Zhong Yuhuan turned her head slightly and took a look at the nurse before she continued, "See? Now you are going to get stuck with a needle and that really hurts…." She even wrinkled her nose after she said that.

Both Li Jinyuan and Huo Chengming coudlnt' help but stare at her.

She was so nice.

She only told them the strawberry story because she didn't want them to feel ashamed from vomiting from overeating!

It was the winter break and Zhong Yuhuan didn't have a lot on her plate so she decided to stay at the hospital with the two boys before they went home together after they have had their IV fluids.

After the whole fiasco, the two boys felt much more relieved and the aftermath of not getting much sleep was catching up to them. The two of them started dozing off in the car.

When they returned to the mansion, Zhong Yuhuan received a phone call.

It was a call from her cousin.

In the original owner's memory, this cousin hasn't always been that friendly to her.

The reason being that this cousin was the only child in his family and he became independent at a very early age. He joined the corporation early and had already have a somewhat successful career.

In contrast, the original owner had always been rebellious and impulsive.

Chapter 13 – Don't cry (4)

The cousin obviously had a difficult time understanding a girl her age. The generation gap compounded by the fact that they have nothing in common, the two of them have never been closed. Part of it was also that this cousin had also always been a little stern and the original owner had always been a little bit intimidated by him.

Yet Zhong Yuhuan herself was quite fond of him.

After all, he was the one who sent Secretary Cheng to assist her; even though there was a possibility that her maternal grandfather was the one that orchestrated the whole thing.

Zhong Yuhuan picked up the phone and in came a deep, male voice, "Secretary Cheng said you brought home two boys?"

"Yeah, why?"

The man on the other end of the phone did not comment on whether he agreed or disagreed with her decision. He merely asked indifferently, "Grandpa misses you, when are you coming over?"

The original owner rarely visited her grandfather. Her eyes were clouded by her hatred. She focused 100% of her energy on keeping track on what Xu Yunhui and her children were doing day in and day out. At the end, she was still set up by them.

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She had neglected how nice her mother's side of the family was to her.

Zhong Yuhuan thought about it for a bit and said, "I am free, when is it a good time for grandpa?"

The man on the other side paused for a second, as though caught off guard by her reply. A few seconds passed before he spoke again, "How about tomorrow afternoon at Yue Lan Mansion? Can you come?"

"Sure!"

"Alright, then it's set. I will let grandpa know right away."

"Okay!"

Xu Yushan was still troubled by how she could host her gathering. She had no choice but to let the butler look around and see if there's any suitable location nearby that they could rent for her gathering.

The butler was able to find a location, but Xu Yushan was stunned silent when he told her the cost.

Ever since she had moved in, she had been going above and beyond to show what kind of a nice girl she was for the sake of contrasting herself with Zhong Yuhuan. She had never asked Zhong Chi for a penny.

Zhong Chi did give her a credit card and have the secretary bought her many stuff.

But her card was almost maxed out and she couldn't possibly sell stuff for cash.

Xu Yushan immediately thought about Zhong Yuhuan's $5 million.

What a selfish and impulsive little brat? She could just straight up ask for $5 million!

But Xu Yushan wouldn't dare….

Xu Yushan felt so unjust that she always died from anger.

After resting for an entire day and night, Li Jinyuan and Huo Chengming were mostly recovered.

The dinner was still very light and this time everybody ate slowly. After dinner, Zhong Yuhuan had someone brought up two big boxes full of toys.

"Do you know how these work?" asked Zhong Yuhuan.

Li Jinyuan shook his head and said softly, "We don't need toys."

Of course they'd need toys!

Toys are good for child development!

Zhong Yuhuan sat on the floor. With her hair pouring down, she started unwrapping the toys and showing them how to play with them.

As time progressed, she was really getting into playing them herself.

So the other two just watched her played for three hours before everybody finally went to bed.

Zhong Yuhuan didn't feel embarrassed at all. She was slowly getting used to this new environment. She went and had a nice night's rest. The next morning, she purposefully put on a more conservative dress and left the house after she'd breakfast.

The male lead and boss villain still didn't have any clothes that fit them. She needed to buy some clothes for them, and a gift for her grandfather and her cousin…maybe something for her cousin too.

And, the boys didn't seem to like the toys from last night too much, maybe buy a new box today?

Thinking of toys, Zhong Yuhuan's mood was lifted. Kids toys were quite fun!

Chapter 14 – Cousin (1)

With her credit card in her purse, Zhong Yuhuan spent a few hours at the mall before she finally bought all the toys and gifts that she had wanted.

She got into the car after she had paid for them all.

"Go to Yue Lan Mansion."

The driver turned around and gave her a surprised look before starting the car.

Yue Lan Mansion was the name of a collective group of mansions. It was one of the first batch of mansions being built in Goldwater City and also the most well known rich area in Goldwater City back in the days.

To this day, it signified old wealth.

Ding Ruxue, original owner's late mother, grew up here with her parents, but this was Zhong Yuhuan's first trip here.

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Once she was inside the mansion district, she called her cousin up on her phone right away.

"Where are you?" asked the deep voice from the other end.

Zhong Yuhuan looked outside the window and said to him, "Next to a large water fountain surrounded by lots of yellow roses…"

"Okay, I know where you are now. Stay there and wait for me. Don't go anywhere." The man's voice seemed a bit rigid, seemingly uncomfortable talking to a girl her age.

"Okay," replied Zhong Yuhuan. She put away her cell phone and stepped out of the car to wait for her cousin after sending the driver home.

This cousin of Zhong Yuhuan was the son of her mother's older sister. His name was Lang Jinzhi.

When Lang Jinzhi rolled up in his car, he immediately saw that figure of the small and delicate girl standing there, along with a few large shopping bags next to her on the ground.

The last time Lang Jinzhi saw this cousin was at her mother's funeral. At the time, she was wearing a black dress and stood quietly in the very front. He stood in the back. Every time he looked up, he could see her skinny arms and legs.

She was so scrawny she looked pitiful.

He thought to himself – sure, they have not been close, but he was her cousin after all and he should go up and talk to her.

So he went up and talked to her.

She looked up and, with a stubbornness all over her face, she said, "I don't need any of you to be concerned about me!"

After that, he had been hearing rumors about the Zhong's from time to time.

One day little Miss Zhong had a big fight with her father and making everybody in the Zhong's house uncomfortable; another day little Miss Zhong went and caused a scene in front of the Zhong's office and almost cost them a business negotiation; day after that she had ran off on her own at her young age and the family almost thought she had become a missing person….

Lang Jinzhi understood that she felt unjust and upset, but he couldn't agree with her behaviors.

She had turned away any members from the Ding's family who tried to be nice to her. She was determined to fight Zhong Chi to the end of time and, on top of that, all her methods were just stupid and destructive.

That had also led to the decrease of fondness that Lang Jinzhi had for her.

Over time, he had lost all interest to try and take care of her.

Lang Jinzhi parked and got out of the car.

After getting closer to her, he noticed how she looked today – a white dress, her eyes and brows relaxed, and a small hint of a smile at the corners of her mouth.

She was almost like…. A completely different person than the one from his memory.

On the other side, Zhong Yuhuan had already called out to him, "Cousin!"

Even her voice was sweet.

She acted as though she was genuinely happy to see him.

Lang Jinzhi paused for a second but didn't say anything. He bent over and picked up the large shopping bags and placed him inside his truck. "Get in," he said.

Zhong Yuhuan nodded and opened up the door to the passenger seat by herself, got inside the car, and immediately buckled herself up.

Chapter 15 – Cousin (2)

It was then when Zhong Yuhuan finally turned and slowly looked this cousin up and down.

Lang Jinzhi looked to be about 24 to 25, but already have that authoritative look to him.

He had on classic business suit and a golden, wired-frame spectacles. Under his handsome brows was a sharp and indifferent feel.

No wonder the original owner was intimidated by him. The cousin just exuded the air of "I am difficult to get along"!

Lang Jinzhi had noticed Zhong Yuhuan looking him up and down

He couldn't help but looked over at her and saw her looking at him. Her eyes have a little sparks and looked like two stars in the night sky.

She was almost … a little cute.

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Lang Jinzhi had never seen this look on her before.

Could it be that she had ran into enough hardships that had finally softened her up a little?

Whether that was the reason or not, the way that Lang Jinzhi looked at her had softened. She was his cousin after all, and they were related by blood.

To avoid the awkward air in the car, Lang Jinzhi started talking to her, "Grandpa is already waiting at the mansion."

"Mm," Zhong Yuhuan nodded and said softly, "I miss grandpa already."

After hearing that, Lang Jinzhi's look softened up even more and said, "And grandpa misses you too."

"Have I lived in the Yue Lan Mansion before?" asked Zhong Yuhuan.

"Yes, when you were very little, aunty had brought you here and spent a few nights there." Lang Jinzhi paused and continued, "Now, not even grandpa lives there anymore. Ever since aunty was gone, grandpa didn't want to be reminded of her so he moved away to a different location."

Zhong Yuhuan fell silent.

After that, Lang JInzhi did not talk again until he had parked and the two of them got out of the car.

Lang Jinzhi took her stuff out from the trunk and said to her, "I'll carry this for you."

Zhong Yuhuan finally looked up and responded with a "Mm."

Lang Jinzhi paused.

There was a hint of tears in her eyes. It was obvious that she had already cried a bit in the car.

Was it because of what he said?

Looking at her like that, Lang Jinzhi couldn't help but lifted his hand and stroked her hair awkwardly and said, "Don't cry. Grandpa will be even more sad if he sees that."

Zhong Yuhuan nodded and rubbed her eyes with her hand. Her eyes looked even redden after she had rubbed them.

She looked very pitiful.

Lang Jinzhi didn't know what to do or say.

He started to think that perhaps the way she was strong, stubborn, and offensive before was just her way to protect herself being in an environment that she was in.

And he was finally seeing the real her.

A maid heard them right then and came out with a slight jog, "Young Master Lang."

After that, the maid looked at Zhong Yuhuan with uncertainty and finally said with a doubtful tone, "Miss Zhong."

"Let's go inside," Lang Jinzhi thought about it for a second and switch the bag he was holding in his right hand to his other hand, then held her hand with his right one.

Zhong Yuhuan did not break free of her hand but just followed him in.

The man inside the mansion was stunned by her appearance.

"Huanhuan," came a deep, low voice.

Zhong Yuhuan looked up.

She saw a skinny, old man in a traditional garb looking at her intently and opened up his arms at her.

Zhong Yuhuan recognized him.

"Grandpa," she said softly.

Grandpa Ding walked over to her and threw his arms around her.

"Huanhuan had grew taller … taller …."

Lang Jinzhi finally let go of Zhong Yuhuan's hand and stood to one said.

"Let's have dinner," he said.

"Yes, we should eat first." Grandpa Ding finally her out of his arms.

Grandpa Ding did not have a look of a gentle, loving old man. His features were prominent, even when he was just sitting, exuded authoritativeness.

But when he looked at Zhong Yuhuan, the complicated look in his eyes were mixed with tenderness and carefulness.

Chapter 16 – Cousin (3)

At this banquet at home, there were just the three of them – Grandpa Ding, Lang Jinzhi, and Zhong Yuhuan. They sat down together around the round dinner table and the maids quickly came and brought over the utensils.

"Wait," said Zhong Yuhuan as she bent over and picked up the large bag sitting by her feet and took out a box, "I brought a gift for grandpa."

"A gift?" Grandpa Ding and Lang Jinzhi were both dumbfounded.

"Huanhuan has a gift for grandpa?" asked Grandpa Ding incredulously.

When Ding Ruxue gave birth to Zhong Yuhuan, Grandpa Ding was still in his prime and focused a lot on his career. Not only did he not visit his granddaughter a lot, he barely even has time for his daughter. That was why he was not surprised when his granddaughter was cold and distant to him nor did he expect her to turn around and have a relationship with them right away.

Naturally, he had never seen a gift before.

"Mm," nodded Zhong Yuhuan as she pushed the box in front of Grandpa Ding.

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Grandpa Ding opened up the box and inside was three cans of tea leaves. He didn't even care to look at the label on the cans before he handed them to the maid and said, "Go make a cup, I want to try."

The maid took the tea leaves from him and left right away.

When Lang Jinzhi witnessed this, he thought to himself – she was finally growing up.

Zhong Yuhuan bent over again and pulled out another box, "This one is for you, cousin."

Now Lang Jinzhi was really dumbfounded.

Never in a million years would he have imagined that he'd be getting a gift too.

Grandpa Ding frowned and said, "Why does he get a gift? He was never around and never take good care of you."

His words were harsh but he had a look of envy on him.

This was the very first time he received a gift from Huanhuan!

How could Lang Jinzhi get one too!

Zhong Yuhuan was not intimidated by her grandfather, she looked at him and smiled, "Sure it is necessary. Cousin did help me! He sent Secretary Cheng to come and help me with matters!"

"So what? If you want, you can have Secretary Cheng, or Secretary Dong, anyone you want. You can even have grandpa's secretary…."

"No, it's alright. What do I need so many secretaries for?" Zhong Yuhuan shook her head quickly.

Grandpa Ding couldn't hide his look of disappointment.

He felt that he owed too much to his daughter and his granddaughter. When he finally wanted to make amends, he had no outlet to anymore. He really wish Zhong Yuhuan would just have endless requests.

Zhong Yuhuan pushed the box over to Lang Jinzhi, "Here you go, cousin."

Lang Jinzhi looked at the box and hesitantly reached out and opened it up. He saw a Swiss Richard Mille fountain pen.

Growing up in the family that he did, of course Lang Jinzhi knew the worth of this pen.

He closed the lid of the box and said lowly, "Thank you." And after more thought, added, "Thank you, cousin."

"Alright, alright. You can stare at it some more when you get home. Let's eat. I am sure Huanhuan is starving."

"Mm," replied Lang Jinzhi.

Everybody picked up their chopsticks and focused on eating. There weren't a lot of exchanges during dinner.

After dinner, Grandpa Ding looked like he wanted Zhong Yuhuan to stay for longer, "This is where your mother grew up…. You should come visit more often."

Zhong Yuhuan nodded.

Lang Jinzhi put his suit jacket back on quietly before he said, "I'll give you a ride back."

Zhong Yuhuan look at him, surprised.

Was this is the same cousin in the original owner's memory? This was certainly the polar opposite from the one in her memories. So all it took was a pen? It was that easy?

And it was all paid for from the $5 million she got from Zhong Chi!

Chapter 17 – What should we call you? (1)

The car quickly took Zhong Yuhuan back to Zhong's mansion.

Lang Jinzhi got out of the car and opened the passenger side door for Zhong Yuhuan as he said to her, "If you need help with anything next time, you can reach out to Secretary Cheng directly."

He paused and went on, "Don't go disappearing again; grandpa will be sad."

Zhong Yuhuan asked directly, "I do have a favor to ask cousin."

Lang Jinzhi did not expect the directness from her, he paused for a second before asking her, "What is it?"

"Li Jinyuan and Huo Chengming need to go to school!"

Lang Jinzhi had to think about it for a minute or so before he realized those were the names of the two boys that she had brought back from the welfare agency.

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"Yes, school indeed. But I am afraid they would fall behind in class. We should arrange for tutors for them first before having them start school. Let me have Secretary Cheng handle this. There are still 10 days or so left of the winter break, they ought to be able to learn quite a bit from tutors during this time," said Lang Jinzhi in a very organized manner.

Zhong Yuhuan nodded and said to him, "Thank you, cousin."

Lang Jinzhi was a busy man. He quickly got back into his car and drove away after he had dropped off Zhong Yuhuan.

Zhong Yuhuan went inside with her big bag of toys happily.

The mansion was very quiet. There was no signs of Xu Yushan, and Zhong Chi and his wife were not home either.

"Grandpa Lin, have they had dinner yet?" Zhong Yuhuan asked the butler.

Of course Butler Lin knew who she was asking about. Troubled, he shook his head and said, "The servants had checked on them a couple of times but there were no sound…" he paused. Then, "We think they are waiting for you, Miss."

Zhong Yuhuan was a little surprised.

They were waiting for her?

"Have the kitchen servants start preparing dinner and bring them up when they are done," said Zhong Yuhuan before she changed out of her shoes and ran upstairs with heavy steps.

When she got to the third floor, she found Li Jinyuan and Huo Chengming sitting there in the spacious living room and just looking at each other motionlessly.

Zhong Yuhuan slowed her steps but her slippers wasn't being very helpful. It made slapping noises against the floor as she walked toward them.

The two boys turned around and looked when they heard the noise.

Their lips moved and it was then when they realize they had no idea what to call her.

Zhong Yuhuan was already in front of them in a few steps. She put down the big bag in her hand, pointed and it and said, "New toys, would you like to take a look at them?"

Being in the welfare agency, even kids in 3 or 4 years old had lost interest in toys; let alone someone their age. They care more about what there was to eat than what there was to play with.

Li Jinyuan stuttered a little, "…sure…. we will take a look."

Huo Chengming didn't say anything so Zhong Yuhuan assumed he agreed as well.

She sat down cross legged and grabbed a pair of small scissors from the table. She continued to talk to them as she was opening up the toys, "I went to see my cousin and my grandpa today. What grades were you in before? I am going to have my cousin arrange for you to return to school."

The two young boys fell silent.

They were both smart kids. They were able to glean a lot of information from the simple thing she said.

She wanted to arrange for them to return to school, but she asked her more distant cousin to help instead of her father. That must be because she did not have a good relationship with her father, but…. Reaching out to her cousin for help, that must still be a lot of hassle.

"Eh, why aren't you talking?" Zhong Yuhuan just finished opening up a box. She put it aside and looked up at them.

"….. 4th grade," said Huo Chengming.

Li Jinyuan blushed and wouldn't say anything.

Zhong Yuhuan leaned into him with both hands on the ground and asked softly, "Well, what about you?"

Li Jinyuan kept his mouth tightly shut for a long while before he finally spoke, "I have never been to school before, just a little self-study that I have done at home in the past."

He would not look her in the eyes when he said that, as though he was worried that he'd detect any signs of surprise or repulsiveness.

Zhong Yuhuan nodded and said, "Okay, I will keep that in mind."

Chapter 18 – What should we call you? (2)

They couldn't help but looked at her. She had already returned to her original position and went back to opening up the toys. Her face looking as normal as usual.

Li Jinyuan let out a sigh before he said softly, "What should I call you?"

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that," said Zhong Yuhuan as she put down the pair of scissors. She thought about it long and hard and said, "Since you were adopted as my mother's sons, that would make you my … di di."

(T/N: Di di means younger brother.)

Zhong Yuhuan was a single child in her previous life so this all felt very novel to her.

The corners of her mouth turned upward and she said, "You should call me 'jie jie'."

(T/N: Jie jie means older sister.)

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Huo Chengming seemed reluctant and suddenly added, lowly, "How old are you?"

Zhong Yuhuan replied slowly, "I am 12, older than you, right?"

Huo Chengming lowered his head, "I am 13."

Zhong Yuhuan opened her mouth and was about to say, "Wow, I really couldn't tell."

But, luckily, she was able to stop herself before the words escaped.

Boys, after all, developed slower than girls. Not to mention that they were raised in a welfare agency, they definitely did not have enough nutrients to grow…

"Alright," Zhong Yuhuan changed her tune right away, "Ge ge."

(T/N: Ge ge means older brother.)

Hearing that term out of the blue, Huo Chengming froze on the spot. Even his sight froze as though he was stunned greatly.

A few seconds have passed before his ears started to burn, bit by bit, his entire ear turned beet red all the way to his neck.

Zhong Yuhuan cocked her head and looked at Li Jinyuan, "Well, you must be younger than me."

Li Jinyuan said softly, "I am also 12, and my birthday is November 5th."

Zhong Yuhuan looked at him with surprise, "What a coincidence? Mine is November 4th!" She had the same birthday before and after her transmigration.

Zhong Yuhuan pointed at herself and said, "So I am still jie jie."

Li Jinyuan opened up his mouth but failed to make a sound.

Right then the maid brought up dinner.

"Why don't we have dinner first?" Zhong Yuhuan generously let the male lead off the hook.

The two boys were finally released from the awkward situation and quickly stood up and walked over to the dinner table.

Zhong Yuhuan stayed where she was and started unwrapping the new clothes. When she was finally done, she yawned and said, "Your new clothes are on the couch. I am going to bed."

"Mmm," they responded softly.

Zhong Yuhuan turned around and went into her bedroom and crawled into bed.

It was tiring to have to get up so early.

Zhong Yuhuan didn't wake up till the next morning.

Zhong Chi still hasn't come home yet.

But the tutors that Lang Jinzhi arranged had already arrived.

Zhong Yuhuan had the tutors headed to the third floor directly.

The tutors brought all the textbooks with them so as soon as the brief introduction was over, they practically started the cramming session immediately for the two of them.

Zhong Yuhuan joined them for the first two days before she called it quits. Now, whenever a tutor started talking, she'd start to yawn right away.

In order to take a break from it all, she went shopping once again.

Shopping for toys, shopping for clothes, and anything else needed for when school starts. Stuff like backpacks, pens, etc.

A week had gone by quickly, and Zhong Chi and Xu Yunhui finally returned to the Zhong's mansion.

Xu Yushan wasn't able to have her gathering, naturally she was in a very foul mood. She had been waiting for this moment to wreck havoc for Zhong Yuhuan.

When Zhong Yuhuan came downstairs and saw the three of them on the couch, she beat her to the punch by saying, "Xu Yushan told me a few days ago that you are planning on having her change her last name to Zhong and recognize her as your own daughter?"

Naturally that idea had been on Xu Yushan's mind, but she has yet to say that out aloud…

Zhong Chi's face dropped on the other side.

When Xu Yunhui saw that, she knew this wasn't going to go well.

She and Xu Yushan had always taken the lower position in front of Zhong Chi and always pretended to be someone agreeable, considerate, and never have their own agendas.

Chapter 19 – What should we call you? (3)

Before Zhong Chi was able to say a word, Zhong Yuhuan continued, "No way. If she becomes your daughter, then what about me? If she's going to be a Zhong, then I might as well be a Ding."

The first half of the sentence was alright, the second half made Zhong Chi's face changed color.

He had clearly learned his daughter's character by now, whatever it was that she spewed out, she had always followed through with them.

Whether Xu Yushan became a Zhong is of no importance; if Zhong Yuhuan really changed her surname, he would certainly turn into Hai City's laughing stock.

That and Zhong Chi had always have a very suspicious personality; Zhong Yuhuan's words had put doubts in his mind.

Xu Yushan had never said anything like that in front of him….

Naturally, Zhong Chi wouldn't admit to anything right away. He merely said nonchalantly, "Yushan is older than you, naturally she couldn't be my daughter."

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Xu Yushan turned pale immediately.

But, Zhong Chi didn't even look over at her, he merely continued, "But your brother is different. He is your real brother, naturally he will become part of the family."

"What about my mom's adopted sons? Would you recognize them as well?" asked Zhong Yuhuan.

"I can recognize them as adopted sons," said Zhong Chi.

Zhong Yuhuan cocked her head and smiled at Xu Yushan, "That's more like it."

The original owner was too deep in the situation to see it all clearly. But Zhong Yuhuan didn't have the same problem, she could see clearly from where she stood.

Zhong Chi has always been a tyrant. He enjoyed the satisfying feeling of giveth it and taketh it away. One reason he brought Xu Yunhui into the house was because she was good at acting in front of him. She was tender, drama-free, never asked for anything; she played right into the role that pleased him. A second reason was that Xu Yunhui was not the same as Ding Yuxue – Ding Yuxue was from a wealthy family but Xu Yunhui was completely dependent on him. He raised her above her situation and he could also force her right back down. He enjoyed the feeling that he has complete control over her fate.

From where he was now, Xu Yushan had said stuff that she shouldn't have, and now he needed to push her down and teach her a lesson.

Not to mention that Xu Yushan had never been an important character in his life.

He had only been nice to her because he enjoyed the feeling of being looked up to and respected after his kind gestures.

Zhong Yuhuan smiled and said, "I am going to have breakfast upstairs." Then, before Zhong Chi could even react to her, she quickly took the tray from the maid, turned around, and went back upstairs; leaving behind her Xu Yunhui and her daughter who were both pale from anger.

Xu Yunhui was still doing better. After all, she had been putting up with so much all these years. This was nothing she hadn't already seen.

But Xu Yushan was too young. And she had just graduated from her past life to the mansion of the Zhong's and became a Miss Zhong. She had always felt that she and her mother were in favor with Zhong Chi and that it was only a matter of time when the trouble-making brat was kicked out of the house….

Now she had just heard her own death sentence.

She couldn't change her surname; she would not become a legitimate Miss Zhong…

The shock from this new development, compounded by the fact that Zhong Yuhuan pointed straight at her nose and shouted at her, and that she wasn't able to have her gathering, Xu Yushan snapped.

With a quivering voice, she asked, "Daddy, why?"

Zhong Yuhuan was long gone after she had dropped the bomb.

She went upstairs with breakfast and Li Jinyuan and Huo Chengming were already waiting by the dinner table.

Hearing Zhong Yuhuan's footsteps, they both looked over at her and, all of a sudden, they both abruptly got up and reached over to help her with the tray.

Li Jinyuan grabbed the left side of the tray.

Huo Chengming grabbed the right side of the tray.

Zhong Yuhuan was trapped in the middle. She paused for a moment, who should she give the tray to?

This was awkward….

Chapter 20 – It's all for them (1)

Zhong Yuhuan grabbed the tray and tugged it backward forcefully before she looked and, with feigned confusion, asked, "Why are you two fighting with me?"

Li Jinyuan and Huo Chengming both paused for a second and awkwardly let go of the tray.

"I wanted to help you with it," said Li Jinyuan awkwardly, "It's heavy."

"It wasn't that heavy," Zhong Yuhuan took the opportunity when they let go to quickly put the tray down properly.

"Alright, let's eat!" Zhong Yuhuan grabbed a paper towel and wiped her hands with it.

"Don't we need to go downstairs?" asked Huo Chengming softly.

It wasn't quiet when Zhong Chi returned home; they could hear it clearly from the third floor. They could even see what's going on downstairs clearly from the third-floor banister!

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"No need," Zhong Yuhuan picked up her chopsticks and, without looking at it, said cheerfully, "From now on, it will be fine just the three of us."

Li Jinyuan and Huo Chengming both paused.

Just… the three of them?

Zhong Yuhuan was worried that they didn't understand the meaning of that so she looked up and added, "You see, my father, he has a new family now…. He has a new wife, a new son, a new daughter. My mother was gone, so…. It's just us now…."

The two boys just stared at her.

With the chopsticks still in her hand, she frowned slightly. Her tone had a forced calmness and strength.

…. She was probably sadder deep down inside.

She wasn't the same as them. She had never experienced any hardship before. It must have hit her harder than it would have hit them.

They both lowered their heads and for a moment there nobody said another word.

Half way through breakfast, fighting noises could be heard coming from downstairs.

Zhong Yuhuan figured that Xu Yushan couldn't contain herself anymore and blew up.

"Downstairs…" said Li Jinyuan in a low voice.

"Hmm, yeah, they are fighting now. When I went downstairs to pick up breakfast, I ran into Xu Yushan. Daddy planned to recognize her as a Zhong's daughter and formally have her name changed. So I said only if he will recognize the both you too…." Said Zhong Yuhuan half seriously. Naturally, she did not mention the part where she dropped the bomb and quickly left the scene.

Li Jinyuan and Huo Chengming both put down their chopsticks at the same time.

"You didn't need to…." Huo Chengming squeezed the words out of his throat softly.

Li Jinyuan also said in a low voice, "You didn't need to do that for us…"

Zhong Yuhuan looked down slowly.

Well… she really only just brought it up a bit….. it wasn't that much of a big deal…

But both Li Jinyuan and Huo Chengming had their brows furrowed deeply, their mouths shut tightly as thought she had made some incredible sacrifices for them.

The noises from downstairs got even louder.

Li Jinyuan thought to himself, was this the environment that she had been living in?

Huo Chengming couldn't help but take a sneak peek at her also, it wasn't supposed to be like this for her…

Zhong Yuhuan just kept her head lowered and continued eating her breakfast earnestly.

The worse the fight, the better.

She didn't mind this as music for her breakfast time at all!

After they've finished breakfast, the tutors arrived on time.

Of course, Zhong Chi didn't want outsiders to witness the fighting among his family, so he left angrily for work, leaving behind Xu Yushan bawling with her arms wrapped around Xu Yunhui's neck.

"Why? She's daddy's daughter, so am I! Daddy likes you, he had you moved into here. Why can't I be his daughter?" Xu Yushan gritted her teeth in seething hatred.

She had had a very rough childhood because of her status. She understood clearly that she was a bastard child from an affair. And the more aware she was, the more envious she was.

She had been wanting this for so long, to become a real Miss Zhong, so nobody else would ever look down on her again.

But now….

Zhong Yuhuan had ruined it all for her!

"Why did you go and say that to her? Do you see me saying anything like that to her?" Xu Yunhui was upset too. She had it all planned out. But after this whole fiasco, she also felt angry and awkward, but she had no choice but to pretend that she was still very understanding.

Xu Yushan screeched, "I didn't tell her!"

Naturally, Xu Yunhui did not believe her.