That day couldn’t exactly be called unlucky, but it definitely wasn’t Jin Zhao’s lucky day.

Life is like this—every day, unknown things happen. You never know at which moment something might suddenly appear that makes you unhappy yet unable to let go. Maybe it’s not even a “thing,” just a single sentence.

It has nothing to do with what kind of person she is, and nothing to do with whether she’s careful or not. No matter how thorough someone is, it’s impossible to never run into troubles. That is life.

Not just life—even nature is the same.

For the past half month, spring had returned to the earth, temperatures steadily rising. The flowers in the residential complex bloomed lively and lush. Yet in the afternoon, dark clouds suddenly gathered in the sky. With a muffled peal of thunder, torrential rain poured down, shattering the flowers that were just at their best.

Little Tuanzi was on the bed playing with Meng Yanxi. The father and son didn’t even know who was teasing whom. Little Tuanzi had been clever since he was small; it felt like coaxing anyone was within his comfort zone—there was no one he couldn’t coax. Meng Yanxi seemed to be an exception. Not only could Little Tuanzi not coax him, he was instead picked up by him and placed facedown on the bed.

This position was uncomfortable. The little baby was forced to lift his head, babbling in protest at his dad.

“Want to lie down?” Meng Yanxi sat at the edge of the bed, smiling quite shamelessly at someone smaller than him.

Little Tuanzi: “Yi-ya yi-oh.”

The little baby’s eyes were bright—black and white, clear and glistening, round and watery—as he stared straight at Meng Yanxi. Someone, however, was stubbornly hard-hearted and completely unmoved.

Meng Yanxi: “Flip over by yourself.”

Little Tuanzi was only three months old and couldn’t flip over yet. But he seemed to understand his father’s words and really tried. Unfortunately, he was too small. With his little arms braced against the bed, he struggled to prop up his tiny body. His little face flushed pink with effort, but he just couldn’t turn over.

Meng Yanxi propped one hand on the bed, leaning his body sideways as he unrestrainedly laughed at his own son, thoroughly lacking in decency.

Little Tuanzi didn’t cry. He twisted his head to look at Meng Yanxi, babbling “yi-ya yi-oh” even louder, his “words” coming faster and denser.

Meng Yanxi raised an eyebrow. “Scolding me?”

Little Tuanzi: “Yi-yi oh-oh!”

Meng Yanxi said shamelessly, “Everyone likes me—only you scold me. Little Meng Jue, your sense of right and wrong has some serious problems.”

Little Tuanzi might have been shocked by his father’s brazenness; his babbling grew even louder.

But he was, after all, just a baby—how could he out-argue his dad? Before long, drool spilled out. Clear saliva slid from the corner of the little baby’s mouth, stretching into a thin string and sticking to the bed.

Meng Yanxi burst out laughing. “Look at you, your drool’s coming out.”

Laughing aside, Meng Yanxi was very practiced at taking care of a child. Ever since Little Tuanzi was born, changing diapers and patting out milk burps had all been done by him personally. He pulled over a tissue, complaining with his mouth while his hands gently wiped the baby’s mouth.

As he turned to throw the tissue away, a muffled thunderclap suddenly exploded in the sky, startling the little person on the bed into flipping over directly—from lying facedown to lying on his back—his chubby arms and legs kicking wildly in the air.

Meng Yanxi’s expression changed. He hurried forward and scooped the little one into his arms, no longer laughing. He gently patted the baby’s back and soothed him softly, “Don’t be scared. Little Tuanzi, don’t be scared. Daddy’s here.”

Little Tuanzi’s small arm wrapped around his neck, his little face smelling of milk, humming and nuzzling against him.

It was originally Meng Yanxi who was coaxing him, but with this hug, Meng Yanxi was instead coaxed by him until his heart nearly melted.

“You were frightened, weren’t you?” Meng Yanxi gently kissed his little face. “It’s Daddy’s fault. Daddy should’ve picked you up sooner.”

Little Tuanzi grinned at him.

When Jin Zhao came in, what she saw was precisely such a picture of deep father-son affection.

Outside, the sky was dark and gloomy; inside, the lights were warm and bright. Little Tuanzi’s drool had flowed onto Meng Yanxi, and he hadn’t even noticed, smiling foolishly as he was coaxed by the baby.

Hearing Jin Zhao’s footsteps, Meng Yanxi turned around holding the baby and said to her as if presenting a treasure, “Lingling, our Little Tuanzi can flip over now!”

He even seemed to want to seek the baby’s agreement. After saying that, he turned to look at Little Tuanzi, just about to say: Come on, let’s show Mommy.

However, before he could open his mouth, Little Tuanzi was faster than him—letting out a “wa,” an earth-shaking cry bursting out.

Crying as he did so, his little hands pushed at Meng Yanxi, twisting his body as he opened his arms toward Jin Zhao. He looked as if he had been bullied by his dad, crying so pitifully, urgently wanting Mommy to hold him, wanting Mommy to comfort him.

Meng Yanxi: ?

No—what, you brat, you’ve got two faces?

In his whole life, Meng Yanxi had only ever tricked others; no one had ever managed to trick him. And in the end, he had actually fallen at the hands of a little green-tea seedling.

Little Tuanzi cried in his mother’s arms for a while, crying until his eyebrows turned red, shedding two teardrops. After Mommy put on a show of scolding Daddy, he reluctantly forgave Daddy, and took the opportunity to scam himself a feeding.

Little Tuanzi was breastfed. His little hands tugged at Mommy’s clothes as he hid his face in Mommy’s chest, at the same time making satisfied swallowing sounds.

Listening to it made Meng Yanxi feel hot all over.

After Little Tuanzi ate his fill and slept for a while, when he woke up again, he was no longer in Daddy and Mommy’s bedroom.

Outside, wind and rain raged, petals crushed to pieces. The smell in the room was unfamiliar. Recognizing that this was not Daddy and Mommy’s room, Little Tuanzi clenched his little fists, just about to make a fuss, when the nanny watching over him came in swiftly and picked him up.

……

Meng Yanxi was still more magnanimous than his son. After eating and drinking his fill himself, he didn’t forget to come over and take a look at his son.

Little Tuanzi had woken once in the middle; the nanny had fed him milk, and the little one was now asleep again.

Meng Yanxi sat at the bedside, his fingertip lightly touching the little one’s soft, springy cheek, and chuckled softly. “Little green tea, you even set your dad up?”

After a moment, he added, “You’re even better at being born into the right family than Meng Zhuxi. As long as I think about how hard Lingling worked to give birth to you—even if you keep setting your dad up, I still love you.”

Meng Yanxi bent down and lightly kissed the baby’s forehead.

In his dream, the little infant let out even, long breaths, the milky scent rhythmically brushing against his face.

When Meng Yanxi returned to the master bedroom, Jin Zhao was already asleep.

The bedroom was dim; the person on the bed lay on her side, the air thick with the intense scent of love.

Meng Yanxi took off his clothes and got into bed, wrapping his arms around her from behind.

Her body was still very warm. His palm landed on her lower abdomen, pressing as if savoring the feeling.

Jin Zhao opened her eyes.

“Is the baby asleep?” she asked softly.

“Mm.” The man kissed her earlobe and neck.

Jin Zhao didn’t say anything more and closed her eyes again.

Meng Yanxi knew she wasn’t asleep. After kissing her for a while, he asked indistinctly, “Is there anything you want to say to me?”

Jin Zhao was quiet for a moment, then asked, “You heard everything?”

Meng Yanxi: “No. I have a strong sense of morality—I don’t eavesdrop on you when you’re on the phone.”

Jin Zhao: “……”

He would’ve been better off not saying anything. Saying it only made it all the more a case of protesting too much.

Meng Yanxi didn’t care.

He had never been much of a gentleman to begin with.

Jin Wenhui’s ending had no small part of his push behind the scenes—its nature was far worse than eavesdropping.

But if Jin Zhao were to speak to him, he would be willing to step in. Money, influence—anything. Even if he loathed it, even if he knew she didn’t want to.

But if it came down to it, he was willing to stomach the disgust.

That was what liking someone was like—rather violate everything than watch her bear it alone, wanting to share her troubles so that hers could be fewer.

Jin Zhao was silent in the darkness.

Meng Yanxi wanted to hear her speak to him, but after waiting a while, she still didn’t. A little helpless, he compromised and said, “I want to hire a speaking tutor.”

Jin Zhao paused. “Speaking? For whom?”

Meng Yanxi: “Mm. English speaking. For myself.”

Jin Zhao: “……”

She wanted to say—did you forget you have a younger sister? Why don’t you remember to send your sister into battle now?

Amused, she reminded him, “You have an IELTS 8.5. Your speaking is very good.”

Meng Yanxi’s voice sounded very serious. “But I want to practice British pronunciation. Practice with me—how about 500?”

Jin Zhao thought about it and said fairly, “Five hundred per speaking practice session is very generous. You could hire an excellent British foreign teacher.”

Meng Yanxi: “I meant 500 per minute. Not hiring a British foreign teacher—just hiring Teacher Lingling.”

Jin Zhao: “……”

Five hundred per minute—one hour per session meant thirty thousand. If she worked a bit harder, ten hours a day, her daily pay would be three hundred thousand.

Jin Zhao said helplessly, “Meng Yanxi, no need.”

Meng Yanxi fell silent. After a long moment, he accused, “Jin Zhao, are you implying that you don’t need me?”

Jin Zhao: “……”

What a massive pot to dump on her head.

How does this man even have the nerve to call Little Tuanzi a green tea?

Jin Zhao thought for a moment and sighed softly. “Meng Yanxi.”

Meng Yanxi: “Mm?”

A single syllable, yet he clearly conveyed something as complex as “I’ll give you one more chance.”

Jin Zhao asked, “When you run into something difficult, what do you usually do?”

Meng Yanxi said honestly, “I don’t really run into difficult situations. I usually make things difficult for other people.”

Jin Zhao: “Alright, thank you. You’ve helped me.”

Meng Yanxi: “?”

After that, Jin Zhao stopped talking to him. No matter how he tried to provoke her, she ignored him. Meng Yanxi was also very helpless—he had said it long ago, a person can’t have someone competing with them for affection, not even a son.

Now he just felt that he wasn’t that important in Jin Zhao’s heart anymore, someone she could casually brush off.

Meng Yanxi felt a bit emo. Just as he was about to fall asleep, he suddenly felt Jin Zhao lightly kiss the corner of his mouth.

Her voice, in the dim light, was soft yet firm: “Meng Yanxi, I’ll handle it properly.”

♥︎ ྀི◟ ͜ ◞♥︎ ྀི◟ ͜ ◞♥︎ ྀི

Although Jin Wenyi had spoken to Jin Zhao, she didn’t hold much hope in her heart.

Zhao Xu advised her, “Your brother never really gave much to Jin Zhao. Even if Jin Zhao ignores it, that would still be perfectly reasonable.”

“It is reasonable, but I still have to think about our parents,” Jin Wenyi raised a hand to cover her face. “Loan sharks coming to collect debts isn’t a small matter. Our parents are old—if something were to go wrong, what then?”

Zhao Xu fell silent.

Jin Wenyi sighed lightly. “Those people are really terrifying. The interest compounds and snowballs, leaving no room for maneuver at all. I didn’t go to Lingling to ask her to pay the money— I just wanted to borrow Meng Yanxi’s connections, so we could sit down with the other side and negotiate an amount, stop at that amount. I’ll repay the money myself. I only ask that it doesn’t keep snowballing. If it keeps rolling, it will truly force everyone into a dead end.”

Zhao Xu frowned helplessly. “If you ask me, to untie the bell you need the one who tied it. Whoever has the money should be the one to spit it out. I’ve already consulted a lawyer. Lin Yao committed fraud within the marriage. Whether it was all the gifts your brother gave her in the past, or the division of property during the divorce, they were all based on trust in the parent-child relationship. But now that parent-child relationship no longer exists. As long as your brother files a lawsuit, he can revoke the original property division agreement, recover the gifted property, and claim compensation for emotional damages from Lin Yao.”

Jin Wenyi shook her head. “I’ve told my brother. But right now he’s suffered an enormous blow—utterly disheartened—and he’s completely unwilling to go to court. He’s been proud and concerned about face his whole life. With such an unspeakable humiliation, how could he be willing to tear it apart and display it in front of others, to fight it out in court? His mental state right now is completely off. I’m afraid he’ll do something foolish if he can’t think it through. I don’t dare force him either. I can only think of other ways.”

Zhao Xu sighed. “If that incident hadn’t happened last May Day, maybe Lingling would have softened her heart once more. But now, I’m afraid that’s impossible.”

Jin Wenyi gave a bitter smile. “There’s nothing that can be done about that either. It’s just that when the time comes, when none of us can handle it, the loan sharks will probably still come looking for Lingling. There’s no choice. She can’t choose her birth, and she can’t choose the trouble that comes with it. I told her—just to let her be mentally prepared in advance.”

To Jin Wenyi’s surprise, Jin Zhao gave her an answer the very next day—clean and simple, a single word—

【Okay.】

Jin Wenyi felt as if she had seen daylight.

On the day they met, Jin Zhao had Jin Wenyi invite Jin Wenhui along with Grandpa and Grandma. In the end, Jin Wenhui didn’t come; only Grandpa and Grandma, and Jin Wenyi and her husband, arrived.

Jin Wenyi said apologetically, “Your dad is sick and still in the hospital. He couldn’t make it.”

Jin Zhao smiled faintly. “It’s fine. The court summons will be delivered to him and to Lin Yao separately when the time comes.”

Jin Wenyi froze. Grandpa asked, “What do you mean?”

Jin Zhao kept them in suspense for the moment and only said, “The loan shark issue must be resolved as soon as possible. The earlier, the better. Otherwise, it won’t be good for any of us.”

On this point, everyone agreed.

Jin Wenyi and Zhao Xu were both teachers, and Jin Zhao was also a teacher. Although they weren’t the ones who borrowed the money, loan sharks wouldn’t bother with such reasoning. If one of them caused trouble at the school, it would be a blow to all of their careers.

Jin Wenyi nodded. “Yes. That’s also why I told you. Whether you agree or not, I hope you can prepare early.”

Jin Zhao said crisply, “I agree.”

Zhao Xu glanced behind her.

It was empty—Meng Yanxi did not appear.

The loan sharks’ side now owed several million. Without Meng Yanxi, relying solely on Jin Zhao’s current ability, there was no way she could repay it.

Jin Wenyi and Zhao Xu exchanged a tacit look. Jin Zhao smiled politely at them and said, “Grandpa, Grandma, Aunt, Uncle—please, have a seat.”

The private dining room was reserved by Jin Wenyi. The lunch dishes were exquisite; she had put thought into the selection. But in truth, no one present had much of an appetite.

In front of Grandpa and Grandma, Jin Zhao asked Jin Wenyi for the exact figure.

Jin Wenyi entered a number on her phone calculator and showed it to her. When she handed it over, there was a hint of embarrassment on everyone’s face.

Jin Zhao glanced at it, her expression calm. “If it doesn’t keep rolling, it should be enough to repay.”

Seeing her attitude, Grandpa and Grandma let out a sigh of relief. Jin Wenyi, however, knew her financial situation best and asked suspiciously, “What do you mean, enough to repay?”

Jin Zhao said gently, “The money from selling a house would be enough.”

Jin Wenyi was stunned. “You have a house?”

Jin Zhao shook her head. “I don’t. My mother does.”

Jin Zhao said calmly, “When my mother passed away, I was still in elementary school. You all thought I didn’t know—at that time, I really didn’t. But over the years, I’ve gradually remembered. I don’t know about anything else, but at least the school-district apartment I lived in before high school was joint marital property of my mom and my dad. By rights, I should have had a share of the inheritance. But the year Lin Yao gave birth to a son, my dad transferred the house into her name. No one asked me, and no one obtained my consent.”

There was awkwardness on everyone’s faces.

Jin Zhao’s expression was open and composed. She turned to look at Jin Wenyi. “Aunt is right. After all, my dad did raise me until I was seventeen. So I’ll go to court shortly to file a lawsuit, recover the rights that should belong to me, and then use the money to repay his grace of giving birth and raising me. But I only know of this one house. I’m not sure whether it’s enough.”

She paused, then continued, “If it’s still not enough, then it may be troublesome. Things like loan sharks must be dealt with by cutting them off at the root, eliminating future trouble completely. If even a little remains unpaid, it will snowball afterward. By then, everything we did in the early stages will have been in vain.”

Jin Zhao looked at Grandma and asked softly, “So besides that house, is there anything else?”