A leisurely life starting in a bar after being reborn

"Later? Later, when I was three or four years old..."

Chen Shiwen's voice trembled slightly, "My adoptive parents... that is, my aunt and uncle, have their own children."

"Chen Shih-hua".

"Well, I don't know if he's my brother or my cousin." Chen Shiwen gave a wry smile. "At the same time, my biological parents also had a younger brother."

Both families now have biological children, both sons.

"Yes." Chen Shiwen lowered her head. "Then my parents—my adoptive parents—told me that their family wasn't well-off and couldn't afford to raise so many children. My biological parents also said that their family was poor and lived in the countryside, so having another child would be too much of a burden."

"At first, the two families were discussing who would take care of me, but later they argued more and more fiercely, and neither family took care of me anymore."

"When I was three years old," Chen Shiwen said, "I was taken home by my maternal grandparents."

Fu Yan frowned slightly.

"My maternal grandparents couldn't stand their constant bickering, so they took me to their home to raise. But they're both old, and it's age when their children should be taking care of them, but now there's another child for them."

"Wouldn't that just add to the burden on the elderly?"

"Yes," Chen Shiwen said, "but both families felt it was the best solution. My maternal grandparents said they would raise the child themselves, without costing either family a penny. So, I lived with my maternal grandparents."

Do you have an uncle and aunt? What's their attitude towards you?

"My uncle is the second oldest in his family, a year younger than my aunt and three years older than my mother," Chen Shiwen said. "They are kind-hearted and helped raise me. In my memory, my uncle and aunt are exceptionally kind people. They would buy me clothes and give me pocket money during holidays, and they were the ones who took care of my grandparents when they were unwell."

"To pay for your schooling?"

"Yes," Chen Shiwen nodded, "My grandparents are getting old and their income isn't much. My uncle pays for my tuition and living expenses every year, and my aunt also gives me pocket money from time to time. This continued until I graduated from university."

Fu Yan remained silent.

"I grew up with my maternal grandparents," Chen Shiwen's voice grew softer and softer, "They were so good to me, really so good. And my uncle and aunt, they really treated me like their own daughter. When I was little, I didn't understand, and I asked why my parents didn't want me anymore. My grandma hugged me and cried, saying it wasn't that they didn't want me, it was that they couldn't bear to be separated from me."

"They are my best family members in this world."

"But……"

Her voice suddenly choked up.

"What's wrong?"

"They're gone," Chen Shiwen said. "They were old."

"My grandfather passed away during my sophomore year. My grandmother passed away in the second semester of my junior year."

"I have no relatives in this world except for my uncle and aunt."

The night breeze carried Chen Shiwen's voice, making it slightly distorted.

"Every time I go back to my hometown for vacation, I stay alone in the old house left by my maternal grandmother," she said. "Sometimes I visit my uncle's house, but I don't stay for long. My aunt is a kind person, but I always feel like I'm living under her roof."

"My biological parents have never contacted me. My adoptive parents have also stopped caring about me. Both families have their own children now, and it's as if I, the one who was given away, never existed."

"It doesn't matter anymore, I'm used to it anyway. I'm used to living alone."

After she finished speaking, she remained silent for a long time.

Then she added, "But in the last six months..."

"What's wrong?"

My biological parents are looking for me.

Fu Yan's expression changed.

"They somehow found out I was a teacher at Yenching University and managed to contact me," Chen Shiwen said. "At first, I thought they were trying to reunite with a relative, but it turned out they weren't."

"They want me... to help my family."

"Help with what?"

"Help my brother." Chen Shiwen's voice was a little cold. "My biological brother's name is Mu Honglin. He just finished the college entrance examination this year. His grades were not good, and he won't be able to get into university. They want me to pay for him to repeat a year, or send him to a vocational school to learn a trade."

"Why are you paying?" Fu Yan said, "Their son is their own..."

"That's right! Why should I?" Chen Shiwen interrupted him. "But they said that even though I was given away, they still gave birth to me and I can't forget my roots."

"They even said that now that I'm working and earning money, they'll help support the family and your brother. If I don't take care of them, they'll cause trouble at my school."

"Go cause trouble at the school?"

"Yes." Chen Shiwen clenched her fingers. "They threatened me. They said if I didn't take care of it, they would come to Yanjing to find me, go to my school to find my superiors, and let everyone know that I am an unfilial daughter."

"I haven't slept well for months," Chen Shiwen said, head down. "I think about this every day, but I just can't understand it. I was sent away as a child, and I have absolutely no connection with them. Did they ever raise me for even a single day? Did they ever feed me a single bite? Why are they asking me for money now, just because they gave birth to me?"

"I don't owe them anything. I really don't."

"But they are my biological parents..." Her voice began to tremble again, "Am I unfilial? Did I do something wrong?"

Fu Yan did not rush to answer.

He looked at the girl in front of him—twenty-three years old, thin and small, sitting on a platform chair, her shoulders trembling slightly. She had been abandoned by two families when she was young and raised by her maternal grandparents. She finally went to university and got a job, thinking she could start a new life, but then her biological parents came out demanding money.

He even threatened her.

"Chen Shiwen," Fu Yan said.

"Um?"

"Listen to me."

Chen Shiwen raised her head, her eyes red-rimmed, and the moonlight shone on her face, revealing tear tracks.

Fu Yan looked at her intently and said, word by word:

"What kind of parents are those who give birth but don't raise their children?"

"When they sent you away, they had already made their choice. Your maternal grandparents raised you for twenty years, and your uncle and aunt helped you for more than ten years. Remember these kindnesses; you should repay them. It's only right."

"But those two people—your biological parents—have no right to talk to you about the debt of gratitude for giving birth to and raising you."

"You owe them?" Fu Yan sneered. "They don't even pay back what they owe you, so why should you pay them back?"

Chen Shiwen stared at him blankly.

"As for causing trouble at the school—" Fu Yan thought for a moment, "Don't be afraid. I'll figure something out for you."

"Brother Fu..."

"I'm a billionaire, rich and powerful," Fu Yan said. "Can't I handle this little thing?"

"Just remember one thing—"

Fu Yan looked at the stars in the sky, his voice calm but firm:

"You are not alone. You have us, your friends."

Chen Shiwen lowered her head, and tears fell again, but this time they weren't tears of grievance, but tears of relief that someone was finally standing by her side.

She nodded vigorously without saying a word.

……

The two sat on the platform for a long time.

Chen Shiwen cried for a while, releasing all her emotions. Then, she wiped her face sheepishly, thanked Fu Yan, and went downstairs to her west wing to sleep.

Fu Yan sat alone in a recliner, looking at the starry sky.

This girl has such a hard life.

Fortunately, she was ambitious and got into university, and even got a job in the government sector. She also had a good personality; even though Fu Xiao was always chattering away, she didn't mind and stayed quiet behind him, never causing any trouble.

People like this shouldn't be bullied by those shameless people.