The fake heiress loves to act? The max-level boss isn't interested in playing along.

Zhang Wen's nose suddenly felt sore.

She nodded vigorously, tears welling up in her eyes.

It's not sadness, but a kind of...

The feeling of being illuminated.

It's like walking in the dark for a long time, and suddenly someone hands you a lamp.

He said, "Look, the road is here, let's walk together."

The two walked together to the entrance of the military family compound.

Fu Hua got out of the car and habitually said, "See you tomorrow."

"Huahua,"

Zhang Wen suddenly called out to her, her voice choked with emotion.

"Thank you... not just for helping me with my problem, but for showing me that girls can live like this too."

Fu Hua paused, turned around and smiled: "Zhang Wen, you're already great. Remember, it's good to be affirmed by others, but the most reassuring feeling comes from your own self-affirmation."

The streetlights turned on completely at that moment.

An orange halo enveloped the two girls.

Watching Fu Hua's retreating figure, Zhang Wen was filled with admiration.

There seemed to be a power in Fu Hua that she had never seen before.

Perhaps, she too can be as composed as Fu Hua.

With effort, she too can stand in the light.

A strange sense of fulfillment welled up from the bottom of my heart.

Fu Youchuan searched for Fu Chaochao at school for a long time but couldn't find her.

I asked Zhou Rong and learned that my younger sister had already gone home alone.

They are usually together.

He knew she must be in a bad mood, and he didn't blame her.

But when I got home, I didn't see Fu Chaochao.

Fu Youchuan was getting anxious, so he put down his schoolbag and hurriedly went out.

Qin Family

Qin Che was playing chess with his father in the study.

Suddenly, someone banged on the door.

"Who could it be so late?"

Qin's father looked up at the window and said, "Alright, that's enough for today. Go down and take a look."

"Okay, I'll go right away."

Qin Che grabbed a coat and walked through the moonlit courtyard.

Upon opening the door, I saw Fu Youchuan.

His face showed anxiety and a hint of anger.

"Qin Che, is Chaochao with you?"

Fu Youchuan asked abruptly, his eyes glancing behind Qin Che.

Qin Che frowned: "No, what happened to her? Didn't she go home? Why?"

"It's all because of Fu Hua—"

Fu Youchuan blurted out, then suddenly slammed on the brakes.

It cannot be said that Chaochao hid away because of her grades.

Furthermore, Qin Che must not be allowed to feel that he is inferior to Fu Hua.

Fu Youchuan scratched his hair in frustration, his eyes darting away. "Forget it, there's no point in talking to you."

He turned to leave, but Qin Che quickly reached out to stop him: "You Chuan, what happened? Is Chaochao in danger?"

The word "danger" made Fu Youchuan pause for a moment.

He remembered how his little sister was scared to tears by stray dogs when he was a child.

I remember how she hid in the practice room and cried when she failed her piano exam.

—Those moments when he needed to protect us.

His second brother has always been there.

But now... the danger seems different.

It's hard to explain, but that makes it even more unsettling.

"Just remember that."

Fu Youchuan ultimately didn't answer, but just stared at Qin Che.

Her tone carried a warning, "Chaochao is the little sister we've watched grow up. Some people... are cold-blooded and ruthless. What does blood relation matter?"

These words seemed nonsensical, but Qin Che understood their underlying meaning.

He wanted to ask again to clarify, but Fu Youchuan had already mounted his bicycle and disappeared at the end of the alley.

The night breeze ruffled Qin Che's clothes as he stood at the doorway.

Suddenly, Fu Hua's calm gaze flashed through my mind at the family reunion banquet.

Will he really not regret it?

Fu Youchuan was under the old locust tree in the abandoned residential compound of the old steel factory.

Found Fu Chaochao.

This was the secret hideout of the three siblings when they were children.

The eldest brother was in charge of keeping watch, while the second brother, who was the most agile, climbed the tree to pick locust flowers.

The little girl stood under the tree with a smile, catching the food in her skirt pocket.

The dried locust flowers were later made into sachets by Mom and hung above their respective bedrooms.

The pale moonlight shone under the tree, where Fu Chaochao sat with her knees drawn up to her chest, her shoulders trembling.

Hearing footsteps, she looked up, her face streaked with tears, her eyes swollen and red like peaches.

"Second Brother..."

That soft, aggrieved cry instantly clenched Fu Youchuan's heart.

He strode over, took off his coat, and draped it over her shoulders: "Why are you here? Aren't you afraid your parents and I will worry about you staying so late?"

"Mom and Dad, they're not worried at all."

Fu Chaochao buried her face in her knees, her voice muffled.

"Now we have Fu Hua... Her grades are so good, even Lin Bei can't compare. If I can't outperform her, how will my parents even care about me anymore..."

"nonsense!"

Fu Youchuan sat down beside her, his tone resolute, "You are the daughter our Fu family has raised for seventeen years. What is she? Just a country bumpkin who grew up in the countryside."

"When I got home today, my parents were in the study discussing Fu Hua. They're going to hire the best tutor for her."

Fu Chaochao looked up with tearful eyes, "Mom, she likes Fu Hua more."

Fu Youchuan immediately exploded: "Why? Since she's already so good, why does she need a tutor? Even if we were to hire one, it should be for you. Your parents are really confused."

Seeing that he had taken the bait, Fu Chaochao cried even harder: "Second brother, I'm scared... I'm afraid that I'll no longer have a place in this family..."

No, it won't.

Fu Youchuan put his arm around her shoulder, just like when she fell down as a child, and said, "Second brother will always be on your side."

Remember, you are the daughter of the Fu family—you can play Chopin, you can dance ballet, how many awards have you won since you were little? What can Fu Hua do besides study? A complete country bumpkin.

Fu Chaochao leaned on his shoulder, tears still streaming down her face, but the corners of her mouth curled up very slightly.

Yes, she has so many things that Fu Hua doesn't have.

Those qualities that require more than a decade of cultivation to develop.

Those talents recognized by high society

Those memories she shared with Fu Youchuan, Qin Che, and this circle—

These are things Fu Hua can't take away.

The moonlight cast their shadows on the ground, making them appear as close as real siblings.

The locust trees rustled in the wind, as if they were sighing.

The crystal chandelier in the Fu family's living room was so bright it was dazzling.

Fu Hua stood in front of Fu Xiao and Su Yurou.

He took the brown paper envelope out of his schoolbag and handed it over with both hands: "Dad, Mom, this is the stipend from Professor Yan. It's three hundred yuan for the first month."

At school, they didn't dare take the money directly.

The living room was quiet for a few seconds.

Su Yurou looked at the envelope, then at her daughter's calm face, and suddenly felt a tightness in her throat—

This child treats even paying money like it's part of a ritual.

"What are you doing?"

Fu Xiao spoke first, his brows furrowing slightly, then he sighed, "Son, keep the money you earned yourself; you don't need to give it to us."

"It should be given to the family."

Fu Hua's voice was steady, "I'm eating and sleeping at home now, so this money is..."

"You deserve it."

Su Yurou interrupted her, stood up and walked over.

She took the envelope, but instead of putting it away, she stuffed it back into Fu Hua's hand.

He paused when his fingers touched the thin calluses on his daughter's palm. "Huahua, keep this money. Buy books, school supplies, or... some new clothes."