Rebirth: My Childhood Sweetheart Came into My Arms

He Ningqiu: "Why?"

"Don't ask so many questions, just do whatever your mother tells you to do." After saying that, Xiao Shan added, "You won't go wrong if you listen to me."

He Ningqiu held the room key in her hand, her expression somber.

After a moment, he sighed, "Is it really possible that there's no mistake...?"

Xiao Shan stopped rummaging through the clothes. "What did you say?"

"I said..." He Ningqiu looked directly at Xiao Shan, her eyes filled with obvious confusion, "Will listening to you really be the right thing to do?"

Xiao Shan straightened up and faced He Ningqiu. "What do you mean? Explain yourself."

After a brief silence, He Ningqiu said:

"You sent me to the He family, making me compete with He Ziyu in every way, and try my best to be an obedient, sensible, and unambitious child in front of Dad... I did all of that, but I don't know why, I seem to be becoming more and more unhappy."

"He Ziyu seems to have seen through everything long ago. Every step I take is under his control. Sometimes I wonder if things would be different if I hadn't been so hostile to him from the beginning and hadn't tried to replace him."

"Mom, do you know...?"

"When you mentioned a while ago that you owed a huge gambling debt, I was so anxious that I couldn't sleep for nights on end. As a result, I developed insomnia. I couldn't sleep at night and had no energy during the day, and my grades kept getting worse."

"They told me to see a doctor, but I didn't go because I didn't want to admit that I was sick, and I didn't want to admit that I was not as good as He Ziyu."

"But later I sadly discovered that if I didn't go to the doctor, I wouldn't even have anyone to confide in."

"Those I thought were friends treated me like a tool, while those I thought were adversaries never took me seriously."

"This feeling is so tiring, I'm so tired I can't take it anymore..."

He Ningqiu's shoulders slumped, as if all the strength in her body had been drained.

Seeing this, Xiao Shan quickly stepped forward and grabbed his shoulder.

"Ning Qiu, what are you talking about? What do you mean you can't hold on anymore? Our good days haven't even started yet!"

"What exactly constitutes a good life..." He Ningqiu frowned and muttered to himself.

"The best days will be when I become Mrs. He, you become the true young master of the He family, and the three of us can be together legitimately, securing the title of heir... That way, others won't look down on us anymore, and He Ziyu won't despise you anymore..."

"But my status as an illegitimate child can never be erased," He Ningqiu stared at Xiao Shan. "Even without Zhou Ying and He Ziyu, my status as a successor is enough to explain everything."

A boy about the same age as He Ziyu suddenly joined the He family; even a fool would know what was going on.

It's just something we both understand but don't say out loud.

Hearing He Ningqiu refer to himself as an "illegitimate child," Xiao Shan was hit where it hurt and instantly lost her composure.

"Ning Qiu, wake up! It's one thing for those people outside to label you, but why are you labeling yourself too? This nonsense about being an illegitimate child! Your father and I are truly in love; Zhou Ying is the real homewrecker!"

"If we truly love each other, why is she the one respectfully addressed as Mrs. He, and not you? Why does Dad always look at her with a smile in his eyes, and why are his plans for the future all about her, with no mention of you?"

"..."

"So, we're the ones who's superfluous, aren't we?" He Ningqiu chuckled. "Maybe Dad has wanted to get rid of us for a long time, but he's held back because of our so-called blood ties..."

"Snap—"

Xiao Shan slapped He Ningqiu hard across the face, interrupting him before he could finish speaking.

"I'm warning you, He Ningqiu, stop your damn self-pity in front of me! You have no worries about food or clothing now, and you're even attending a top high school. Who's to thank for that? Me! If I hadn't maintained such a good image for you in front of your father, would he have taken you back and given you the status of the second young master of the He family?"

"You can't even do this simple task right now, and you're still saying all sorts of weird things..."

"Where's your conscience? Did a dog eat it?!"

The pent-up frustration that had been building up inside Xiao Shan finally burst forth, causing her to completely break down and squat on the ground, sobbing.

She had a really tough time during that period.

Although the gambling debt was eventually paid off by the man, his ex-wife refused to let it go and spread all sorts of dark history about her in the industry, making their relationship extremely tense.

One time, while she was sleeping at home, her ex-wife came to her door with a group of people, smashing and robbing her place, leaving it in a complete mess.

For the next few days, Xiao Shan was awakened by nightmares and stayed up until the early hours of the morning in a cold sweat.

He Ningqiu said he was tired...

How could she not be tired?

If it weren't for wanting to live the life she dreamed of, would she have suffered so much and endured so much pain?

Xiao Shan cried harder and harder until she collapsed on the ground, unable to stand up.

He Ningqiu was still soft-hearted. Seeing Xiao Shan crying like this, she disregarded her own sore face and helped her up, saying, "Mom, please get up, don't sit on the ground..."

"I don't want to live anymore, I don't want to live anymore, there's no point in living at all..." Xiao Shan muttered, wiping snot and tears on He Ningqiu, "Mom worked so hard to raise you, and you turn around and betray me..."

"I haven't strayed from the right path," He Ningqiu patted her shoulder gently. "From beginning to end, you've always been my only mother, and you're the closest person to me in this world."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Shan's crying finally subsided.

After a moment, she asked, sobbing, "Since your mother is your closest person, shouldn't you listen to her?"

"Um……"

"Alright," Xiao Shan said, helping He Ningqiu to her feet. "Mom has something to ask of you. Can you do it?"

"What is it?"

Xiao Shan released He Ningqiu and sat on the bed, putting away her previous dramatic expression. She said seriously, "Find a way to scratch Zhou Ying's new car before we leave, and then tell me the license plate number. You don't need to do anything else."

……

"Hello sir, that'll be 52.3 yuan in total. Would you like to pay by WeChat or credit card?"

"gentlemen?"

The shop assistant stretched out his hand and waved it in front of He Ningqiu, whose eyes were vacant.

"Huh?" He Ningqiu snapped out of her daze. "What did you say?"

"WeChat or credit card?" the clerk patiently repeated.

"Oh, swipe your card..." He Ningqiu absentmindedly took out her bank card from her wallet and handed it to the clerk.

After he paid, the clerk handed him the items, saying, "Welcome to visit again!"

As He Ningqiu walked out of the convenience store, he repeatedly thought about the matter his mother had asked him to do.

Did they vandalize Zhou Ying's car?

Why do this?

He Ningqiu thought for a long time but couldn't come up with an answer.

Surely the mother wasn't just bored and taking out her anger on Zhou Ying's car?

As I pondered, a car drove up from a distance.

Upon seeing He Ningqiu slowly crossing the pedestrian crossing when the light was red, the driver immediately honked his horn.

"Beep beep beep—"

The piercing horn pulled He Ningqiu back to the present moment.

A car coming from the opposite direction braked suddenly and stopped in front of him.

The driver rolled down his window and cursed, "Don't you watch where you're going?! Aren't you afraid of getting hit and killed?"

He Ningqiu hurriedly said a few sorrys and walked forward with her head down.

As I was walking, something suddenly occurred to me.

A scratched car must be returned to the repair shop, and the repair process is the easiest time to tamper with the car.

Could it be that his mother wanted him to feign illness on the day of the trip because...?

He Ningqiu frowned and quickened her pace back to the hotel.

Pushing open the door, he blurted out, "Mom, are you going to get rid of Zhou Ying and He Ziyu?"

Xiao Shan had just finished showering and was drying her hair when she heard He Ningqiu's question, so she slowly turned off the hairdryer.

"Didn't we already reach a consensus on this?"

"I was talking about the car..." He Ningqiu's chest heaved. "You wanted me to damage that car, were you planning to tamper with it while it was in the repair shop?"

Xiao Shan was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, and then a smile appeared on her lips.

"As expected of my precious son, he understands his mother's thoughts better than anyone else."

"..."

He Ningqiu placed the food on the coffee table and quickly walked over to Xiao Shan.

"Mom, think this through. If this gets caught, you'll go to jail!"

Xiao Shan chuckled, "Your mother isn't even afraid of death, why would I be afraid of going to jail?"

"But……"

"As far as I know, He Ziyu has already started contacting the upper echelons of the He Group?" Xiao Shan interrupted him. "And you, has your father taken you to the company to meet those people?"

He Ningqiu clenched his hands and shook his head.

"So you should know exactly what the situation is now, right?"

"..."

"Your father is determined to make He Ziyu his heir. If we continue to sit idly by, we'll have no chance at all," Xiao Shan said, taking He Ningqiu's hand. "Ningqiu, I've come back this time with a do-or-die mentality. You have to stand by me, understand?"

He Ningqiu's hands were very cold.

But the warmth of Xiao Shan's palm made him feel much more comfortable.

Before coming to Yuecheng, he had always lived with his mother, and all the joys and sorrows of his short life were related to Xiao Shan.

Therefore, this family bond is irreplaceable by anyone.

After a long pause, he nodded and said, "Okay, I promise you, I will definitely stand by your side..."

……

Bishui Bay.

"Ayu, it's one thing for you to buy a car at your age, but to put it in my name... I can't even drive, so I'll just have to transfer it back to you eventually, won't I?" Zhou Ying complained while mopping the floor. "Lift your feet up a bit! Don't think that just because you're making some money at your studio you can act like a little princess at home!"

He Ziyu lifted his leg and said with a grin, "I'm the little ancestor, and you're the great ancestor, isn't that perfect?"

"I don't want to be some kind of tyrannical matriarch," Zhou Ying scoffed. "I'm still young!"

"Yes, yes, you'll always be eighteen..."

After his cousin and professional marketing staff took over the management of the studio, the copyright fees soared. To date, He Ziyu alone has hundreds of thousands of yuan in working capital in his personal account.

In this situation, buying a cheaper car outright is not difficult.

However, Zhou Ying, who was used to being frugal, would still say "money should be spent sparingly" from time to time.

"Mom, you can tell me what you just said in private, but please don't let He Ningqiu hear it, otherwise he will feel uncomfortable."

"Oh, I know, I wouldn't tell you even if you asked me to." Zhou Ying wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Ning Qiu is a sensitive child, and he hasn't been in a good mood lately. If he finds out that you paid for such a big thing out of your own pocket, he'll probably start overthinking things."