Another quiet afternoon found us seated across from each other in a café near my apartment, nestled in a corner of the bustling city. Since our last encounter, Xu Manli and I had exchanged contact information.
I knew she wanted revenge for my past life's death, but my cousin's fiery temper and impulsive nature worried me.
"Manli, you have to stay calm. Don't act recklessly," I urged softly, hoping she'd understand my concern.
She studied me, a flicker of something unreadable in her eyes, then nodded. "You sound just like my cousin. How many times have you said that now? No wonder you two were friends."
I smiled faintly, though a pang of sorrow twisted inside me. Su Xiaoran was gone. Now, I could only interact with her as "Su Xiaoran's friend."
"We'll be okay," I murmured.
Xu Manli didn't respond, sipping her coffee in silence.
Then my phone buzzed. A message lit up the screen:
「Mom: Zhizhi, I'm downstairs at your place.」
My fingers hovered for two seconds before replying with a terse "Got it." After bidding my cousin farewell, I headed home.
"Sweetheart!" Nan Zhi's mother threw her arms open the moment she saw me. "Mom missed you so much~"
"How much this time?" I sidestepped her embrace, walking straight to the liquor cabinet. "Did you already burn through the money I sent last time?"
Her smile froze. "What nonsense! Mom just wanted to see you…" She hesitated, then added, "But your brother's situation—"
I projected my banking records onto the TV screen.
「Dec 8, 2023: ¥150,000 transfer」
「Mar 21, 2024: ¥80,000 transfer」
「…」
The red digits pulsed until they settled on one glaring total:
[¥976,500]
"This," I said slowly, stepping closer, "could buy a condo outright in a Tier-2 city."
Her lips trembled. Mascara bled down her cheeks as tears welled. "How… how can you treat Mom like this?"
"Either tell the truth," I shut off the projection, "or I call Sister-in-law right now. Isn't Ziyu starting international elementary next month?"
"No!" She lunged with a shriek. "Jie was just led astray! The loan sharks threatened to cut off his fingers—" She choked, realizing her slip.
I laughed—a sound so cold it could frost the air. "So every tearful guilt trip was just to bail out your gambling addict son?"
Then, Nan Zhi's memories detonated in my skull.
Eighteenth birthday. Nan Zhi huddled in a closet, listening to her parents argue:
"Raising a daughter is a waste!" Her father's drunken roar pierced the door. "What's the point of schooling a girl?"
"Her teacher said she could get into a top university—" Her mother's voice was needle-thin.
"Bullshit! Pull her out tomorrow! Old Wang's girl makes 30K a month at a nightclub!"
Back in the present, my nails bit into my palms. The woman before me whimpered: "Mom had no choice… Your dad died young, I had to scrape together your brother's bride price alone! For the family line! You know how hard it was for him to marry—if his wife finds out, his family will collapse! You wouldn't want Ziyu to grow up broken, would you?"
I wrenched my wrist free, staring at her utterly revolting face.
"Hard?" I sneered. "What did Nan Zhi owe you? She studied like her life depended on it. Earned every penny. All for one word of approval from you. And you? You treated her like an ATM. A cash cow. Even—"
My voice wavered.
Even got her killed.
"From today, you won't get another cent." I turned toward the door. "And this insurance policy? My lawyer already voided it."
I flung the document at her face—a life insurance policy Nan Zhi had signed, naming her mother as beneficiary.
Her head snapped up, eyes flashing with venom. "You—!"
I looked back, gaze sharp as a blade. "Try extorting me again, and I'll make sure Sister-in-law learns exactly how much her husband owes."
Her expression contorted. She lunged, claws outstretched: "Ungrateful wretch! After all I've done—!"
I dodged. She crashed to the floor, wailing.
"Security's waiting downstairs," I said coldly. "Will you walk out, or be dragged?"
As she glared up at me with pure hatred, it struck me:
How vast the difference between mothers could be.
Some, like mine in my past life, cherished their daughters like treasures.
Others, like Nan Zhi's, saw them as currency.