Ch 44: After My Mother Returned to the Rich Family

In the quiet study, Old Master Liang and Liang Zongqi sat across from each other, both wearing somber expressions. It was clear that Ruan Cha’s offhand comment had left a deep impression.

Liang Zongqi furrowed his brow, his expression heavy with contemplation. His own sister scheming against his son was hard to digest, no matter how broad-minded one might be. “Dad, do you think what Cha Cha said is possible?”

In wealthy families, especially those with older generations, belief in feng shui was common. The Liang family was no exception; they consulted masters for everything from ancestral graves to the location of their family home. However, hypnotists and spiritual masters were a different matter.

To them, no matter how skilled a hypnotist was, it seemed impossible for hypnosis to alter a person’s cognition and memory entirely. After all, apart from growing more ruthless and irritable, Liang Qianling exhibited no other strange behaviors.

Old Master Liang’s face was stern and cold. “Your sister has always been headstrong and selfish since she was a child. As she grew up, those flaws only became more pronounced. But what Cha Cha said—better safe than sorry.”

In truth, he didn’t want to believe that the daughter he had raised for over twenty years could betray her family to support her in-laws.

He sighed deeply, the lines of worry on his face deepening. “And besides, even if your sister is foolish, she should know that her status in the Song family is largely due to the Liang family’s backing. Even if her judgment is clouded, she wouldn’t dare jeopardize us entirely.”

“Privately, investigate this matter. Look into which spiritual masters or psychologists the Song family or your sister may have been involved with over the years. But remember, don’t let them catch wind of this.”

If his second daughter had indeed been manipulated or influenced, he would ensure justice. But if she had acted knowingly and willingly…

Then the Liang family could no longer accommodate her.

Liang Zongqi understood the unspoken conclusion. Despite having spent more time with his second sister than with the third branch of the family, Liang Qianling’s repeated selfishness over the past decade had eroded much of the familial bond.

---

While the Liang family’s leadership was investigating Liang Qianling and the Song family, one of the heads of the Ruan household—Ruan Zhengfei—was making a dazzling appearance at Second High School on Friday afternoon.

Ruan Zhengfei, though in his forties, remained tall and handsome. Even in a simple outfit of a black sweater and jeans, his warm and scholarly demeanor was unmistakable.

The campus buzzed with activity during the break after the second class of the afternoon. Parents streamed in for the parent-teacher meeting, mingling with their children. Among the crowd, Ruan Zhengfei stood out with his looks and style. On a scale of 1 to 10, he’d easily score a 9. No wonder that back when he returned to the Liang family, Liang Qianling had mockingly referred to him as a “pretty boy.”

When Ruan Zhengfei heard this back then, he hadn’t been offended. Instead, he stroked his face and smugly remarked, “At forty-something, being called a pretty boy is quite flattering.”

Wei Jiao and Ruan Cha: “…”

The moment Ruan Cha emerged from the teaching building, she spotted Ruan Zhengfei. Her face lit up with a radiant smile, and she waved enthusiastically. Her cheerful voice rang like a silver bell, brimming with joy. “Dad! You’re here!”

“Cha Cha! Dad’s here!” Ruan Zhengfei mirrored her wave, abandoning his refined demeanor entirely. Without waiting for Ruan Cha to run to him, he charged toward her, legs pumping energetically. His previous elegance and warmth vanished like a puff of smoke.

Onlookers: “…”

That was… abrupt.

Having previously visited Second High to handle Ruan Cha’s enrollment, Ruan Zhengfei was already familiar with the campus layout. There was no need for Ruan Cha to lead the way. With the confidence of someone on a mission, he guided her toward Class 10, located on the second floor.

Despite Ruan Cha earning the top rank in the midterm exams, her reassignment to Class 1 wouldn’t take effect until the following week. Hence, the parent-teacher meeting was still being held in Class 10, as only her homeroom teacher, Ms. Liao Lan, was familiar with her academic progress over the past two months.

On the way, Ruan Zhengfei noticed many students greeting Ruan Cha with smiles. He felt both proud and puzzled—his daughter seemed to have good relationships at school, so why did she shut herself in her room to study so intensely after school?

Turning to look at Ruan Cha’s now thinner face, he felt a pang of distress. “Cha Cha, we’ll have the parent-teacher meeting in the classroom. Where will you guys be?”

“Our class has a basketball game, or we can head to the study room. When the meeting ends in two hours, we can go home together,” Ruan Cha replied. Then, tilting her head toward him with a playful smile, she asked, “Dad, it’s your first time attending my parent-teacher meeting. Are you nervous?”

Ruan Zhengfei’s emotions were conflicted. “Not nervous.”

Mostly curious about why you suddenly became so passionate about studying.

Neither he nor Wei Jiao had ever discouraged studying diligently—it made sense for Ruan Cha to change after starting high school. But it was clear their daughter had something on her mind. She was working so hard, driven by some underlying issue they couldn’t ignore.

In the past, during the events described in the book, both Ruan Zhengfei and Wei Jiao had been too preoccupied with their store and the Liang family’s affairs to notice the mental state of the original “Ruan Cha.” But now, in their relaxed and laid-back state, they were hyper-aware of any changes, even overthinking them.

“Dad, let me tell you something—during the meeting, the teacher might ask—” Ruan Cha had just led him to the Class 10 doorway when her words abruptly stopped mid-sentence. She quickly averted her gaze to conceal the flicker of surprise in her eyes.

Ahead of them was another father-and-son pair. The son, pale and sickly, had an average build and a pair of amber-colored, cat-like eyes. The father, with tanned skin and a tall, upright posture, exuded a scholarly air. His gold-framed glasses rested on his refined features, and he was impeccably dressed in a suit and tie.

Ruan Cha had long suspected a connection between Yu Zhiyan and Yu Zheng, but seeing Yu Zheng at the classroom door made the residual emotions from her dreams tighten around her heart, leaving her momentarily breathless.

In her past life, she had witnessed Yu Zheng wearing that same calm smile, patiently manipulating the original “Ruan Cha” into a psychological breakdown, pushing her to despair, and finally, to suicide.

Yu Zheng.

A demon in human skin.

Luckily, Ruan Cha’s unease passed as quickly as it arose, and no one seemed to notice. Yu Zheng, already seated in the classroom, didn’t appear to see them either.

Taking a deep breath, Ruan Cha patted her father’s arm. “Dad, message me on WeChat if you need anything. I’ll be just outside.”

To her surprise, Ruan Zhengfei chuckled. “Alright, don’t worry about me. I’m a grown man. Go enjoy yourself. I’ll take this chance to chat with your classmates’ parents.”

By “chat,” he meant picking up some tips on parenting in the city to bring back to Wei Jiao.

From the doorway, Ruan Cha watched as her father took her seat in the classroom. Her pupils contracted slightly when she noticed Yu Zheng leaning toward her father to strike up a conversation.

Her heart sank.

It seemed Yu Zheng wasn’t only targeting her—her parents might be part of his plan as well. But why?

Yu Zhiyan, noticing her furrowed brows, coughed lightly to catch her attention. His hoarse voice broke the silence. “Ruan Cha, what are you staring at?”

She glanced at him, keeping her expression neutral. Her voice was calm as she asked, “Is that your father? Just based on looks, it’s hard to tell.”

Their appearances and temperaments were worlds apart.

To Ruan Cha’s surprise, Yu Zhiyan didn’t avoid the topic. He nodded openly, his voice tinged with laughter but carrying a chill, as if recounting something irrelevant to himself. “Not resembling each other is normal—after all, I’m not biologically related to him.”

Hearing Yu Zhiyan’s response, Ruan Cha turned her head, her eyes showing clear astonishment. “You two are…?”

Yu Zhiyan shrugged, his expression still cheerful, but his words carried a pointed undertone. “I was adopted by him from an orphanage when I was very young. Funny enough, this is his first time attending a parent-teacher meeting. Quite surprising, isn’t it?”

Then, as if joking, he added, “He’s quite the expert in psychology. Let me give you a heads-up—if you ever meet him, stay focused. Otherwise, who knows? He might hypnotize you without you even realizing it. Pretty scary, right?”

Yu Zhiyan chuckled lightly as if he had just shared a casual joke.

Ruan Cha lowered her gaze. The fact that Yu Zheng was attending the parent-teacher meeting for the first time and had immediately struck up a conversation with her father felt far from coincidental. But why was Yu Zhiyan hinting at this to her?

“Have you ever seen him hypnotize anyone?” Ruan Cha asked.

Yu Zhiyan carefully studied her expression, trying to discern whether she had taken his words seriously. But he didn’t elaborate further—nor did he feel obligated to.

He shrugged nonchalantly. “Nope. His studio only allows patients inside. No one else is permitted, not even me.”

Well, not exactly true. In a way, he could count as one of Yu Zheng’s “patients”—a highly useful and perfectly tailored one.

Ruan Cha didn’t press further. It was impossible to tell how much truth was in Yu Zhiyan’s words. She would need to investigate Yu Zheng on her own when the opportunity arose. As for Yu Zhiyan, there might be a chance to glean more from him in the future. Even half-truths were better than having no leads at all.

---

While the two remained silent, at the corner of the staircase between the second and third floors, another pair stood side by side.

One was a middle-aged man, the other a young man. Their facial features bore a faint resemblance to each other.

Father Fu glanced at the students below, his gaze lingering on Ruan Cha. Then he turned to his son, a faint, rare smile appearing on his usually stern face. “Ah Chen, who are you looking at?”

Fu Chen didn’t shift his gaze. His voice was calm. “Why ask when you already know?”

The last time he saw Yu Zhiyan interacting with Ren Qingqing, he had someone investigate Yu Zhiyan. From kindergarten to high school, all of Yu Zhiyan’s records were impeccably clean—so clean, in fact, that it seemed orchestrated.

Too clean to be believable.

Father Fu didn’t take offense to his son’s blunt tone. Instead, he stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Son, as your father, I’ve always wanted to ask—didn’t you say you’ve always seen Ruan Cha as a little sister?”

Before Fu Chen could respond, his father continued on his own. “But honestly, you should take a good look in the mirror. Does the way you look at her seem like you’re looking at a sister?”

Fu Chen frowned. “You—”

“What, ‘you’ what?” Father Fu lightly knocked on Fu Chen’s forehead with his knuckles, smirking. “I got engaged to your mother right after high school. Do you think I’m blind? Anyone can see what’s going on.”

No wonder you’ve been funneling every bit of property under your name toward the Ruan family under the guise of ‘making amends.’ Turns out, you’re sneakily arranging a dowry, huh?

After a brief pause, Father Fu’s expression turned contemplative. In a calm yet incredulous tone, he added, “Or maybe it’s you who’s blind?”

Fu Chen: “…”

Can you just stop talking already?