Once he started, there was no turning back. A gambler's mentality is always to crave more after winning and chase losses after losing. He kept saying it was his last time, but in truth, there would never be a last time.
So he stole the family's savings and even borrowed money from the gambling den. When he couldn't repay it, his legs were broken as punishment. The loan sharks warned him they’d come back for their money.
Chen's Mother looked as if she had been struck by lightning after hearing this. Chen's Father, who had remained silent until then, stepped forward and started hitting him, only to be stopped by Chen's Mother after a few blows.
"Enough! Are you trying to kill him? Who will take care of us in our old age if he dies?"
Chen's Father glared furiously at his good-for-nothing son.
"What do we do now?"
Chen Azhi's eyes darted around before he suggested, "Find Chen Xiaoxiao!"
A glimmer of hope flashed in Chen's Mother's eyes.
Gu Xiaoxiao was called out of class by a schoolmate and found her birth parents waiting at the school gate. Chen's Mother scrutinized her while showering her with praise, making Gu Xiaoxiao uncomfortable. They had only met once before—why were they here today?
Sure enough, after a few pleasantries, Chen's Mother cut straight to the point and demanded money.
Gu Xiaoxiao was furious. "Why should I give you money? I have nothing to do with you!"
Chen's Mother froze, her eyes reddening as she wiped away tears. "You're our daughter! How can you say that? Xiaoxiao, you can’t be so heartless."
Her sobbing drew the attention of passersby.
Gu Xiaoxiao panicked. "Keep your voice down!"
"They took our daughter away, and you never came back! And now you won’t even acknowledge us? Heaven help us!" Chen's Mother wailed even louder.
"That’s not true! My parents gave you money!" Gu Xiaoxiao shouted.
But Chen's Father suddenly stepped forward and slapped her across the face. "Talking back? You’re my flesh and blood, understand?"
Gu Xiaoxiao was stunned.
"Money? Can money cut blood ties? You’re our daughter! Back then, if we hadn’t let you go to live a better life and help your brother someday, do you think you’d be living as a city girl now?"
More people gathered, and Gu Xiaoxiao spotted her classmates among them, wishing she could disappear into the ground.
"Talk to her properly, don’t hit her," Chen's Mother intervened. "Our daughter has always been filial."
Gu Xiaoxiao didn’t hear a word of it, clutching her stinging cheek, her eyes burning with hatred.
"You old monsters! I’m not your daughter!" she suddenly screamed before turning and running away.
Chen's Father was livid but didn’t dare chase her into the school.
Gu Xiaoxiao locked herself in her dorm room as her phone buzzed incessantly. She checked it—another message from that unknown number.
"Xiaoxiao, don’t blame your father for hitting you. Your brother is in the hospital and needs money. Please, help him."
Her heart turned to ice. So it had been her birth mother messaging her all along!
Trembling, she called Gu Xiuyuan, who dropped everything and rushed to pick her up.
The moment she saw him, the humiliation of being slapped overwhelmed her, and she threw herself into his arms, sobbing.
Gu Xiuyuan stiffened for a second before tightening his embrace, his eyes turning cold. Whoever had hurt his sister would pay.
But Gu Xiaoxiao never expected to see those two waiting in her home when she and her brother returned.
"Oh, Xiaoxiao’s back!" Chen's Mother greeted her with exaggerated delight.
Chen's Father stood stone-faced, as did Gu's parents.
"Dad, Mom, what’s going on?" Gu Xiuyuan had already heard the story on the way and was disgusted by anyone who harmed his sister.
"Hmph, ask your sister," Gu's Father said coldly, his voice dripping with resentment.
Gu Xiaoxiao’s heart skipped a beat—her father had never spoken to her or her brother like that before.
Gu Xiuyuan looked at her questioningly, but she shook her head frantically, clueless.
"Xiaoxiao, you... sigh." Gu's Mother also sighed in disappointment.
Chen's Father spoke up. "You already know the truth. I’m not an educated man, but blood is thicker than water. Our daughter has lived with your family for so long, yet she still remembers us. Now that her brother is in trouble, of course she should help."
Gu Xiaoxiao shook her head repeatedly but forced herself to maintain composure in front of her parents. "I... I cut ties with you long ago. I’m grateful you gave birth to me, but the ones who raised me are my real parents..."
Chen's Father’s face darkened.
Chen's Mother added, "Xiaoxiao, your father and I are right here. No need to pretend. You’ve been secretly saving your allowance to send us money because you worried about us. I was so touched."
Gu Xiaoxiao was stunned.
So was Gu Xiuyuan. Gu's parents stared at her in silence.
"What are you talking about? I never gave you money!" Gu Xiaoxiao panicked. She knew Gu's Father better than anyone—he had once berated Gu Panxi for supposedly still caring about her birth parents. His love was conditional.
"No wonder you suddenly asked for so much allowance before college," Gu's Father said icily. He despised being deceived most of all. "So you could support your birth parents."
"Old Gu! Is it wrong for a child to be filial?" Gu's Mother cut in.
"Filial?" Gu's Father scoffed. "Filial to people she’s met once? Using my money to play the dutiful daughter? Do you know how much she spent?" He stormed off to his room.
"No, that allowance was—" Gu Xiaoxiao wanted to explain but stopped abruptly. How could she say it? Admit she gave the money to Fang Zhiyi to bully Gu Panxi?
She was trapped. Who had impersonated her to send money to her birth parents? Was it Gu Panxi? Impossible—Gu Panxi had no money!
Seeing her distress, Gu's Mother sighed. "Xiaoxiao, talk things over with your birth parents. Once you’ve settled it, let me know, and I’ll try to calm your father down."
Gu Xiaoxiao’s mind was in chaos.
Chen's Mother reached for her hand. "Daughter, let’s go see your brother now."
Gu Xiaoxiao recoiled, but Gu Xiuyuan shielded her.
"No! I don’t acknowledge you!" she screamed before bolting out of the house. Gu Xiuyuan hesitated, then chased after her.
Gu Xiaoxiao wandered the streets, crying uncontrollably, with Gu Xiuyuan trailing behind.
"Let’s go home, Xiaoxiao."
She turned to him, eyes red. "Do I even have a home anymore?"
Gu Xiuyuan’s heart ached for her.
She bought alcohol with the little cash she had, checked into a hotel, and started drinking. Gu Xiuyuan couldn’t stop her, so he joined her. Soon, both were drunk.
The turning point of the original plot had arrived ahead of time.
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
e school belle recognized by the whole school, a genius girl from the kendo club. She also has a hidden identity, the youngest legendary demon hunter. Chen Shuo just transmigrated and found himself turned into a weak, helpless little vampire. He was caught by Su Xiyen and taken home at the very beginning. Since then, Chen Shuo's life creed only had two items. "First, classmate Su Xiyen is always right." "Second, if classmate Su Xiyen is wrong, please refer back to item one." Many years later, Chen Shuo, who had turned back into a human, led a pair of twins to appear in front of all the vampires to share the secret of how he turned back into a human. "It's simple, I tricked a female demon hunter into becoming my wife!"
ial death, also known as "shè sǐ" in Chinese, generally refers to... well, never mind, it's not important. My name is Ye Cheng, and I'm about to experience social death firsthand. ... 【Host, your mission is to confess your love to the young lady of the Dongfang family, the current student council president, in a way that will be unforgettable for everyone at the freshman ceremony!】 【Host, assist the girl with a sprained ankle in front of you to reach the infirmary, and fulfill the wicked thoughts in your heart!】 【Host, act on your desires and punish the arrogant young lady before you mercilessly!】 【Host, follow your instincts—abandon shameful surrender, begging, or groveling, and ruthlessly criticize the domineering, ill-mannered young lady in front of you!】 【Host...】 Ye Cheng: "Here, here, you take this host role—I quit!" Wait, why is the girl with a sprained ankle the daughter of a mafia boss? And what kind of punishment method is this for the arrogant young lady? Also, who the heck said anything about wicked thoughts in my heart? Come out here, let’s settle this one-on-one!!! ... The haughty student council president, the scheming mafia princess, the fragile yandere young lady, the airheaded maid-in-waiting, the mixed-blood loli/...
reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?
