Chapter 15: Ji Chuan Wants to Change Apartments

Within the agreement, two conditions were stipulated: accompanying his daughter as she grew up, and maintaining a secret marriage. At that time, Jiang Sui didn’t care at all whether there was a daughter or not. She only wanted to marry this man. Money and good looks had thoroughly bewitched her.

Only after registering their marriage did she realize that the daughter in the secret marriage agreement was not Lu Ye’s biological child, but his brother’s daughter—an adopted child. Since she wasn’t his real daughter, Jiang Sui never took her seriously and treated this so-called adopted daughter rather coldly.

The ordinary and honest girl Lu Ye thought he’d married turned out to be far more restless than she first appeared, hardly the plain and simple person she pretended to be, and she was determined to break into show business. To make things worse, Lu Xuanxuan had spoken ill of Jiang Sui often, deepening Lu Ye’s dissatisfaction and aversion toward her. Fearing she might do something to Lu Xuanxuan, he frequently brought the girl to stay by his side.

This time, Jiang Sui managed to exploit a loophole. Taking advantage of Lu Ye’s busy schedule, and with Lu Xuanxuan not by his side, she brought the girl to the show.

Meanwhile, after the triathlon game, the other three little ones suffered varying degrees of discomfort. Xu Manman’s daughter’s skin was so sunburned it blistered and cracked, prompting her mother to quarrel with the show’s producers. Thus, no further activities took place that day, and everyone was recuperating in their rooms.

Viewers in the live chat praised Jiang Sui’s foresight. Fortunately, she’d applied sunscreen to Xuanxuan in advance, sparing her from sunburn. Those who had earlier accused her of being too rough now apologized in droves. Some even began to warm to her, turning from critics to fans.

As Jiang Sui was preparing to cook dinner, Ji Chuan arrived.

“What are you doing here?” Lu Xuanxuan demanded, playing the little hostess.

Ji Chuan stared at her for a few seconds before replying, “My mommy asked me to see if we could spend the night here tonight.”

Hearing voices, Jiang Sui came out, arms folded, leaning casually in the doorway. “Oh? And what exactly did your mommy say?”

Ji Chuan replied coolly, “She said our house is too shabby and doesn’t want me to suffer. So she asked me to find Auntie Jiang Sui and see if you could take us in for the night.”

The live chat erupted:
“Please say yes—how can our little prince stay in such a place? My heart aches for him.”
“Ji Chuan: I’m just a humble, unfeeling errand boy.”
“Our little Chuan is so sensible.”
“Jiang Sui, what are you waiting for? Say yes already!”
“Exactly! No matter how tough things are, you can’t let the kids suffer. I just saw their house—no toilet, drafty walls. How can anyone live there? I respect Bai Xixue for this—no matter what, she won’t let her child endure hardship.”

Before Jiang Sui could respond, Lu Xuanxuan loudly declared, “Dream on! I’m not letting you stay in our house! You only live in a dump because you don’t work hard. If you won’t work for it, you have no right to stay here. Dream on!”

Jiang Sui was a little surprised, then applauded Xuanxuan. Indeed, the child could be taught.

She looked at Ji Chuan and smiled. “Did you hear what Xuanxuan said? You ran your own race and ended up last; the house was your choice. If those who finish last get the same reward as those who come first, is there any fairness left?

“Actually, if it were just you, Auntie was willing to take you in for a night. But didn’t your mommy say she wanted to stargaze with you tonight? Auntie can’t separate you and your mommy, can she?”

She patted Ji Chuan kindly on the shoulder. “So, I’m afraid Auntie really can’t help you this time.”

If it weren’t for the fact that this little future CEO would one day target Xuanxuan, she could have reluctantly taken him in—after all, she was generally friendly towards children. But she was determined to cut off any chance of Ji Chuan and Xuanxuan growing close, so she could only apologize.

The live chat buzzed:
“I used to admire Bai Xixue’s laidback attitude, but Jiang Sui’s words woke me up. If you get the same rewards whether you work hard or not, what’s fair about that?”
“This reminds me of when I worked so hard to secure a grad school spot, only to be replaced by a rich, lazy classmate. I still get furious remembering that!”
“Me too. I was a fan of Bai Xixue because of this show, but now I’m starting to question my values.”
“Jiang Sui has a point. If you don’t work hard, you’re just waiting for miracles to fall from the sky. But who ever gets those miracles? Bai Xixue can slack off because she has a husband who can provide. Ordinary people like us don’t.”
“Damn, that hit hard.”
“Say what you want, but why drag our Xuexue into this? Any nobody thinks they can compare to her now?”
…