Chapter 6: Chapter 6: Society’s Outcast, Yet Mom’s Little Pride
In the affluent district of Wan City…
At Rose Castle, within a spacious 160-square-meter apartment, Shen Rongfei sat in her bedroom, managing company affairs online.
At this point, her family hadn't yet fallen into decline.
And her husband hadn't yet met the woman who would bear him a son and push him to abandon his wife and daughter.
Her family, for now, was still comfortable and prosperous.
Suddenly, the "cough" notification sound from QQ rang out, signaling that an 18-year-old boy had sent her a friend request, accompanied by a simple greeting: "Hello."
She glanced at it briefly before closing the notification.
Though online chatting was incredibly popular during this time, she was already 42 and felt there was nothing meaningful to discuss with a young kid.
A short while later, Shen Rongfei made her way to her daughter Su Mengchen's room.
"Mengchen."
"Do you want to go on a trip? I could take you to Hong Village."
Hong Village was an ancient settlement with distinct Hui-style architecture—a place Shen Rongfei had visited a few times and found particularly charming.
But as she gazed down at her daughter's snow-white ankles, a pang of heartache surfaced once again.
Such a lovely girl, inheriting both her looks and her figure.
Yet born with a congenital limp, and after visiting numerous hospitals, there was still no solution.
"Mom, I don't want to go out."
Su Mengchen looked at Shen Rongfei, who stood there in black stockings and high heels, feeling a deep sense of inferiority and envy.
Her mother looked strikingly like that actress Zeng Li, but with an even better figure, boasting a full D-cup.
If only she could walk in high heels like her mother.
Her classmates secretly mocked her, calling her a "cripple."
Those words cut into her, piercing her heart again and again like sharp knives.
"Think it over, okay?"
"Alright?"
"I understand, Mom…"
The mother-daughter conversation was short. After leaving her daughter's room, Shen Rongfei headed to the study.
Her husband, Su Yu, sporting a face covered with stubble, was busy with his company's affairs.
Both of them ran their own companies, so their schedules were often packed.
Today, it was rare for Su Yu to even be home.
"Honey, won't you stay tonight? I miss you."
She couldn't remember the last time they'd shared an intimate moment. She was a normal woman with needs, naturally hoping to keep him close.
"I have work at the office later. There's also dinner with Director Sun."
"I won't be able to stay."
"Oh…"
Before her stood a wife with a naturally alluring face.
Beautiful, stunning, and with an incredible figure. She was like the D-cup version of Zeng Li, always in black stockings and high heels. Any ordinary man would find her irresistible.
But every time he thought about being intimate with her, an unsettling image from the delivery room resurfaced, draining all his interest.
Quietly, she exited the study and returned to the master bedroom, locking the door behind her. She slumped over her desk and silently wept.
Her husband's disinterest began the day he entered that delivery room.
People always said not to let your husband witness childbirth, but back then, she hadn't believed it.
And now, after all these years…
Her husband and daughter's situations weighed heavily on Shen Rongfei's heart.
It was suffocating, leaving tears as her only release.
...
An hour later, seeing that his friend request had gone unanswered, Li Zhiyan sighed, realizing his impatience had been in vain. At this time, that QQ account was probably still in the hands of his future mother-in-law.
An 18-year-old kid randomly adding her on QQ? Of course, she wouldn't accept it.
Right now, the Su family was still wealthy.
The betrayal and divorce that would later befall his future mother-in-law hadn't happened yet. Li Zhiyan didn't know many details about Su Mengchen's family, only that they lived in the affluent district. But he had no idea which residence it was exactly.
"Well, only forty days left until the start of university."
"It'll pass in no time."
"I'll find her then."
Reborn, Li Zhiyan found his attraction shifting from young girls to mature women.
But Su Mengchen was his one exception—his soulmate, his true love. In his previous life, he had never thought that, aside from his mother, there could be a girl who loved him just as much.
This time, he was determined to protect her.
And, of course, he needed to complete the tasks assigned by the system.
Weak as it might be, in this world, only money could protect everything he held dear.
Natural disasters, marriage, divorce, death—every unforeseen event required money as support.
"Damn, these teammates suck!"
Beside him, Li Shiyu was still complaining.
Li Zhiyan glanced at his friend's score.
1 kill, 15 deaths.
"Alright, I'll get online and carry you."
The youthful energy of being 18 swept over him, helping him settle back into his teenage years.
"You go scout the other team for me, and I'll take down those damn players."
...
The two of them played on the New Year Plaza map until six in the evening. Li Zhiyan realized his mom would be finishing work soon.
"Li Shiyu, I need to head home."
He pulled out his last hundred-yuan bill. He knew that Li Shiyu was completely broke. Today's internet café session would leave him penniless for tomorrow.
Even so, he insisted on buying two bottles of cola so they could share a drink as brothers.
"Here, take it. It's for your internet fee."
"Are you crazy? Where'd you get this much money?"
Li Zhiyan replied, "Don't worry, I have some cash now. If it makes you feel guilty, just pay me back when you get your college allowance."
They would be attending different schools—one a second-tier university and the other a vocational college—but luckily, the campuses weren't far apart.
Once they started college, they could still hang out, playing Crossfire or Dungeon Fighter together.
"Fine."
In the end, Li Shiyu couldn't resist the temptation of ten days of unlimited internet access at New Year Plaza and accepted the money from Li Zhiyan.
After parting ways, Li Zhiyan headed home.
His steps were light and full of anticipation at the thought of seeing his mom again.
His mom had her accident shortly after he started college.
She had gone to Shanghai for work, hoping to save enough for a house.
Wages in Wan City were too low, after all.
But a year later, tragedy struck, and she never came back.
He couldn't remember how many times he'd cried over her.
But soon, he would see his mom again.
After about ten minutes, he finally reached home.
The sunlight cast slanted beams through the narrow alleyways of the old residential area, filtering through the tree branches and landing softly on the young man's shoulders.
A sense of nostalgia sparkled in his eyes.
Li Zhiyan closed his eyes for a moment, recalling a question he'd asked his mom at seventeen.
"Mom, I'm so ordinary. Do you think I'll ever find a girl who'll like me and stay with me until I'm old?"
In the warm moonlight of a summer night in the countryside, Zhou Rongrong had gently patted her son's head.
"Yes, of course. When I first met you, I was just a young girl full of dreams too."
He might be society's outcast, but he was also his mom's little pride!
Silent tears slipped down his cheeks as he lifted his foot.
Time to go home.
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