"Co this way."
Hearing the man repeatedly call out "Little Qing," Shi Qing felt quite uncomfortable.
"Oh." The man chuckled and scratched his head. The little girl in front of him seed difficult to deal with; he really didn’t want to interact with her. But since she was standing there, he couldn’t just leave on his own, especially since she was the child of that woman.
As Shi Qing noticed the man’s gaze sweeping over her, his eyes assessing her from head to toe, she had to suppress her feelings. Rembering what she needed to ask about, she tried to keep her tone as gentle as possible, "My mom has been spending money lavishly lately, could you please control it a bit?"
"Don’t worry, I will." The man’s heart blossod upon hearing the young girl’s words.
The ntion of money ant that the little girl didn’t see him as an outsider, which made the man quite pleased. Previously, that woman had said her younger daughter was heartless, an ungrateful wretch who couldn’t be raised properly. Earlier, when the man saw the girl’s aloof deanor at ho, he almost agreed with the woman’s opinion.
Now, that thought seed unfounded. The little girl had so human warmth after all.
"Next ti, mom won’t be so generous. Could you please tell her to be a bit more frugal?" Shi Qing continued with a hint of apprehension.
"Rest assured, this isn’t the first ti she’s given money." The man repeated verbatim what Shi’s mother had told him, "This is what he owes your family, besides, is your sister’s life worth only this much money?"
As the man spoke, he sensed that his words were a bit inappropriate and quickly shut his mouth, cautiously observing the girl’s facial expression.
Fortunately, Shi Qing was wearing oversized black-rimd glasses, hiding her shocked eyes.
One of her hands was clenched into a fist behind her back, her nails digging into her palm, causing sharp pain that kept her emotions from spiraling out of control.
As her sanity gradually returned, Shi Qing feigned indifference, "It’s okay, my sister has been gone for many years; it doesn’t really affect anymore."
"That’s good. I was worried it might dredge up your mories." The man let out a sigh of relief and awkwardly added, "Don’t be fooled by how generous they appear. This little bit of money is nothing to the Bao Family."
Bao Family?
Shi Qing held her breath. The influx of critical information was overwhelming, and she couldn’t process it all at once.
She tried to maintain a smile—albeit an awkward one—and muttered, "The Bao Family is so stingy. They’ll eventually go bankrupt soday."
She forcibly steered the topic towards the "Bao Family." As the truth seed on the verge of revelation, her mood surprisingly cald. For years, she had tried every trick to coax so information about her sister from her mother, who always pretended to be clueless.
Hmph...
It turned out her mother had been taking hush money behind her back.
Shi Qing suppressed the resentnt and anger in her heart.
The man didn’t notice the hatred in the young girl’s eyes, assuming she was just being amiable as she chatted with him, which made him speak even more enthusiastically, "They won’t ever go bankrupt. They’re well-established here in T City. Apart from the ng Family, the Bao Family is the most influential and wealthy. We can’t afford to offend them, and getting occasional money from them is considered good fortune."
Thinking about the money in Shi’s mother’s possession, the man’s eyes glead with greed.
Shi Qing silently noted the thoughts he expressed, then raised her head, "Could you please not tell my mom about running into you this ti?" She softened her tone, revealing a pitiful expression.
"Why?" The man seed confused.
"Mom doesn’t like . If you ntion in front of her, she’ll be upset, and it’ll impact your relationship. I’d feel guilty about that." Shi Qing murmured seriously.
"You’re such a considerate child." The man praised with a smile.
That woman always said her daughter was no good, but now it seems she might have been mistaken, the man thought to himself.
"Thank you, Uncle, for the complint. Goodbye, Uncle!" Shi Qing said as she turned around.
Just then, the restaurant owner called from outside, "Old Wu, your dish is ready, co get it."
"Coming."
The man glanced at the little girl’s receding figure before heading into the restaurant.
After walking so distance, Shi Qing turned back with tears in her eyes. Once she could no longer see the man, she stumbled to a corner, collapsed to the ground, and let her tears flow freely.
Finally...
She had finally found the culprit who hard her sister.
The Bao Family...
Knowing just "Bao Family" would be like finding a needle in a haystack, as there were too many wealthy families with the surna Bao. It would be impossible to investigate each one. However, the "Bao Family" that could stand on equal footing with the "ng Family" in T City—there was only one.
Given her previous temper, she would have impulsively confronted her mother. Yet, she knows very well that her mother is the type to be blinded by money. She wouldn’t be able to get a single truth from her, let alone any words if money is involved!
Over the years, she’s worked various part-ti jobs, especially in places like bars where information flows freely.
She had heard plenty of rumors about the influential figures of T City but had never paid attention, dismissing the tales from idle rich young n as worthless.
Next, she would use her job at the bar to gather so information about the "Bao Family."
She must find the man who caused her sister’s demise and ensure he faces due punishnt.
Her sister was pregnant, two lives taken just like that—she would demand justice herself.
No matter what his status, no matter how high his rank, he must pay the price.
On the street, passersby glanced towards the corner, seeing a young girl crying her heart out, looking pitiful. However, to avoid trouble, no one approached to offer comfort, except for a few gossip-loving older won who gathered around her, peering curiously.
After wiping away her tears, Shi Qing’s eyes flickered with resilience.
When she supported herself against the wall and slowly stood up, she noticed quite a few people around her. After she dumbfoundedly looked around, the elderly won exchanged glances and quickly left as if nothing had happened.
Only then did Shi Qing start walking, but she found her legs numb and her palms throbbing painfully. She opened her hand and glanced at it, seeing the shocking marks left by her nails.
Yet, compared to her inner pain, the physical pain on her hand was nothing.
Her sister’s gentle and sweet smile was etched deeply in her heart, like a brand.
A gentle breeze swept through, and the leaves from the trees lining the road slowly drifted down. After swirling in the air a few tis, they finally landed on the road, to be carried away instantly by passing cars...
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