Transmigrated as a Scum Alpha Cannon Fodder, Sweetly Pampering the Heroine - Chapter 45

Given Yin Xue’s personality, the second possibility seemed more likely.

Xu Jinman had occasionally seen news about DY abroad, but this was just speculation. The truth likely lay only with the original owner of the body and Yin Xue herself.

Moreover, she sensed a subtle discrepancy between the original owner’s attitude in that memory fragment and her own genuine feelings.

At least, when she thought of that place, she felt no resistance or aversion.

In fact, there was even a sense of familiarity.

Carefully reviewing the images from her memories, she traced the upper right corner of the white paper Xiaoyueya had drawn and found a name: Yuhua Orphanage.

There were many Yuhua Orphanages across the country, so Xu Jinman memorized the approximate environment.

She instructed Chen Yue to temporarily set aside the Wang Zheng case and focus on locating this place first.

Chen Yue might appear lazy and unprofessional, but he had special channels for gathering information and moved in rough circles. This task would be no challenge for him.

Xu Jinman and Shen Shu stayed at Rongcheng Hospital for a day.

By the time they returned to Beicheng, Yin Xue had already been taken back to the Special Management Office for supervision. The police informed them that her sentence would be extended. As for the drug, she claimed ignorance, and the investigation had yet to yield any results.

On the way back, Xu Jinman couldn’t shake the memory of Yin Xue’s gaze—that venomous hatred that made one recoil. It was both heartbreaking and terrifying.

As she pondered, she suddenly realized what was off.

She had always assumed Yin Xue held some leverage over the original Xu Jinman. Yet, despite causing such a massive incident and harboring such deep hatred, Yin Xue had remained silent.

Had she miscalculated?

Or was the current situation simply not desperate enough for Yin Xue to use her trump card?

Her phone buzzed, interrupting her thoughts.

To her surprise, it was Li Lan calling.

“I just heard from the Special Management Office… you’ve been making too much noise lately. Why are you always getting into trouble? You were trending on social media just a few days ago. How’s your health? Are you okay?” Li Lan’s voice was interrupted by a chorus of “Greetings, Commander” from her end. “I have half an hour free,” Li Lan continued. “I’m coming to check on you now.”

Xu Jinman raised an eyebrow, surprised by Li Lan’s concern.

She chuckled. “No need. I’m already on my way back.”

“Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Perfectly fine.”

Li Lan persisted, “Your brother still hasn’t returned. If he finds out you’ve been causing so much trouble, won’t he worry?”

Xu Jinman knew her original self harbored no animosity toward Xu Yincheng. But hearing Li Lan’s words, she wondered if their relationship was actually quite good?

Still, Lu Yun had initially been overly doting and protective. It was hard to take that at face value.

Li Lan’s concern meant Xu Jinman couldn’t act childish. She replied gently, “Don’t worry, I’m fine.”

Shen Shu, who was driving and stopped at a red light, glanced sideways at her.

Xu Jinman thought Li Lan’s tone sounded a bit like… a sister-in-law.

She had never met Xu Yincheng and didn’t know Li Lan well. Given Li Lan’s previous mention of Xu Yincheng’s rejection, she couldn’t be sure of their relationship.

After encountering so many shady characters since arriving here, her standards for those around her had simplified: as long as they weren’t enemies, that was enough.

Outside, the midday sun blazed fiercely, its afternoon rays at their most scorching.

Xu Jinman felt drowsy. She glanced at Shen Shu in the driver’s seat. Shen Shu had come with her yesterday morning and hadn’t even managed to meet the Director in the afternoon.

She hadn’t changed her clothes and had barely rested, caring for Xu Jinman from yesterday until today.

Shen Shu’s hair was casually coiled at the back of her head, and the soft sunlight added a touch of languor to her delicate features. Only her lips looked a bit dry.

It didn’t look awkward at all; instead, it resembled a rose petal dried halfway, its gentle pink hue still visible from within.

Xu Jinman’s lips were also a little dry.

She opened a bottle of mineral water and handed it to Shen Shu. “Have some water.”

“I haven’t driven in a while,” Shen Shu said.

Xu Jinman frowned. “?”

“I don’t want to die on the road because I drank water,” Shen Shu replied.

Xu Jinman stared at her, momentarily unable to tell if she was joking or serious.

Xu Jinman nodded. “Alright.” Safety first, and there was a traffic light just ahead.

She took a sip herself, the cool water soothing her parched throat. The dryness vanished instantly.

Perhaps due to her exhaustion, this brief comfort made her sigh contentedly.

Shen Shu’s throat moved slightly as she unconsciously glanced at Xu Jinman. The glance lasted only a second before she looked away, but the glistening sheen on Xu Jinman’s lips lingered in her mind for over a thousand meters.

Shen Shu first drove Xu Jinman back to Star City, then took her car to meet the Director. She had canceled their appointment yesterday, but fortunately, the Director understood and rescheduled for today.

After finishing up, she went to Sacred Heart Studio again, not returning until after six o’clock.

Even before opening the door, she could smell the distinctive tangy aroma of tomatoes, mingled with the savory scent of cooked food and the warmth of a hearth.

For a fleeting moment, the day’s fatigue and stress vanished, leaving only a sense of warmth and tranquility in her heart.

One of the rare moments in her life that truly felt like home was unexpectedly found in Xu Jinman’s presence.

And this feeling… wasn’t bad at all.

Hearing the door close, Xu Jinman stepped out from behind the counter, leaning halfway out. “Miss Shen, wash your hands and come eat?”

She was wearing the bear-patterned apron over a long black T-shirt. The apron was tied snugly, its bear ears standing upright on either side. The T-shirt’s hem matched the apron’s length perfectly, revealing her long, slender legs.

“Mm-hmm.” Shen Shu quickly averted her gaze. “Weren’t you feeling unwell?”

Xu Jinman returned to the cutting board, replying lightly, “I slept all day. I’m feeling alright now.”

Three dishes and a soup were laid out on the table: tomato shrimp, steamed egg custard, bamboo shoots with sliced pork, and seaweed soup.

“How did the meeting with the Director go?”

“It’s basically settled. I’ll join the crew next month.”

Xu Jinman noticed Shen Shu struggling to eat the tomato shrimp, which she hadn’t shelled. “That’s great! What kind of role is it?” she asked, placing a peeled shrimp into Shen Shu’s bowl.

Shen Shu lowered her gaze to the shrimp. “Tong Jia mentioned a modern workplace drama filming in Beicheng. I’ll be playing the third female lead.”

“Who’s the main actress?” Xu Jinman asked casually.

“I don’t know yet,” Shen Shu replied.

Regardless, this was an excellent start for Shen Shu.

The trending search results from the past few days had significantly boosted Shen Shu’s public profile. Her popularity had exceeded their expectations, with her fan base surpassing two million in just two days.

Several brands had already approached her for endorsements. Tong Jia had narrowed down the options to two, and they planned to meet with Shen Shu tomorrow to discuss and finalize the deals.

Xu Jinman didn’t understand the entertainment industry, but she understood commercial value.

Popularity meant value.

Value determined Shen Shu’s future freedom in choosing roles—or, in other words, her career prospects.

It was a mutually reinforcing, virtuous cycle.

Shen Shu would continue to improve until one day she no longer needed Xu Jinman’s protection, Xu Jinman thought.

After resting for two days, Xu Jinman returned to the office to tackle the backlog of work. Meanwhile, Shen Shu stayed home to study scripts and memorize lines.

In the afternoon, Zhou Pei entered and reported on handling the new apartment: “Two suitcases, mainly containing a dozen handbags. Should I have them delivered to Miss Shen’s place now?”

Xu Jinman texted Shen Shu to confirm she was home, then instructed Zhou Pei to proceed with the delivery.

Over an hour later, Xu Jinman was in a meeting with several department heads, discussing matters related to the live-streaming platform.

Shen Shu sent her a short video. Xu Jinman muted the video, listened to the report, and then tapped to play it.

Her gaze froze.

A row of luxury handbags was arranged on the living room sofa. The camera panned, revealing the two large suitcases Zhou Pei had delivered, one of them blue.

She didn’t even need to recall the memory. The moment she saw the suitcase, her mind flashed back to that morning when she and Shen Shu had been handcuffed together, methodically pulling out each perverse item from the suitcase…

Xu Jinman pressed her hand to her forehead. She had originally planned to dispose of the suitcase at an opportune moment, perhaps late at night when no one was around.

But after moving in with Shen Shu, she had completely forgotten about it.

Shen Shu must have recognized the suitcase.

What does sending this video mean? Did she say anything?

Unable to speak, Xu Jinman tapped her fingertip rhythmically against the A4 paper in her folder.

An hour later, the meeting finally ended. The attendees rose with a collective sigh of relief, as if they had just survived a minor earthquake. As the employees filed out, they began to murmur among themselves.

“What’s wrong with President Xu today? She clearly approved the proposal, but her expression seemed so dissatisfied.”

When they asked Zhou Pei, she claimed to be equally clueless.

Finally, someone with a keen eye remarked, “I bet she had a fight with the Boss’s Wife. President Xu was fine at first, but her expression soured after checking her phone.”

“President Xu is usually quite approachable, but when she shows no emotion at all, it’s terrifying. When it was my turn to speak earlier, her eyes were fixed on me, and I started sweating.”

“Same here! Thank goodness I’m out on fieldwork today and don’t have to stay in the office.”

“I’m meeting with some software developers this afternoon.”

The group then turned their collective gaze toward Zhou Pei.

“Assistant Zhou, you’ve been working so hard.”

Zhou Pei: “……”

Indeed, she understood Xu Jinman’s temper well. When her boss was angry, Zhou Pei dared not say a word. She glanced at Xu Jinman’s tightly closed office door, but lately, she often found herself unable to decipher what Xu Jinman was thinking.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that Xu Jinman no longer trusted her as much as before.

Xu Jinman returned to her office and immediately turned on the sound.

Shen Shu’s calm voice paused as the camera panned over the box: “Your… things have arrived.”

Xu Jinman: “……”

She said nothing, yet everything was conveyed.

Shen Shu undoubtedly thought it was one of Xu Jinman’s peculiar preferences. Xu Jinman sighed, wondering why she hadn’t remembered this when Zhou Pei asked her earlier.

By late afternoon, around 3 PM, Xu Jinman had finished most of her work and decided to leave early.

Due to the medication Yin Xue had given her, Xu Jinman’s hands had been prone to trembling lately, so she always had Zhou Pei drive her home.

As she got into the car, she noticed a bouquet of roses on the back seat, their buds just beginning to unfurl, vibrant and dewy, radiating freshness.

Zhou Pei explained, “The office downstairs got a new batch of potted plants. The boss recognized you and Miss Shen as her idols, so she sent these as a gift.”

Xu Jinman murmured a soft “Ah,” gently touching the rose petals with her fingertip.

When she arrived home after work, the box in the living room was gone. Hearing movement in the bedroom, Xu Jinman pushed open the door and saw Shen Shu on the balcony, taking down laundry.

Shen Shu turned and noticed the flowers in Xu Jinman’s hand, a hint of curiosity flickering in her eyes.

Xu Jinman suddenly felt playful. “These are for you.”

Shen Shu stared at her for a few seconds. Xu Jinman relented. “…Okay, someone else gave them to me.”

Shen Shu withdrew her gaze and resumed her tasks.

“Do you have a vase?”

After a short wait, Shen Shu returned from the balcony with a vase. “This is the only one I have.”

It was a clear, Nordic-style vase with a flared rim, about twenty centimeters tall—just right.

As Shen Shu laid the clothes on the bed, she saw Xu Jinman squatting on the balcony, trimming the rose stems with scissors and arranging them in the vase.

She seemed to genuinely enjoy doing this.

Soon, Xu Jinman stood up, placed the vase on the bedside table, and asked lazily, “Does it look good?”

She had that relaxed air of someone who’d just finished a task.

Shen Shu glanced at it. “Someone else gave them to you. Why are you putting them on my bedside table?”

“They weren’t just for me,” Xu Jinman explained simply. “They’re for both of us.”

Shen Shu’s gaze lingered on the vase for a couple of seconds. “Not bad.”

“Tsk, getting a compliment from you is like pulling teeth.”

Xu Jinman bent down to clean up the broken glass on the floor. After a few seconds, she suddenly heard Shen Shu say, “It’s beautiful.”

Xu Jinman looked up in surprise, but Shen Shu’s gaze had already shifted away. Was it just my imagination, or was she looking at me just now?

Xu Jinman paused, a faint smile curving her lips. Why does it feel like I’m being coaxed?

Since half the flowers were without a vase, Xu Jinman found a white ceramic soup pot and arranged them inside, placing it casually on the kitchen counter.

Turning around, she noticed two large boxes in the center of the living room—one blue, one pink—and a row of designer bags lined up on the sofa. She remembered why she had come home early today and carried the items into the guest room.

I’ll sort through everything tonight and throw out what I don’t need, she thought.

Later that evening, after dinner, the television was on in the living room.

Shen Shu took out grapes from the refrigerator and asked Xu Jinman if she wanted some mango.

Xu Jinman, who was chatting about work in a group chat on her phone, declined, saying she had eaten too much at dinner.

Just as she finished speaking, Chen Yue called.

The location had been found.

Yuhua Orphanage was located 70 kilometers north of Beicheng, in a remote town called Ronghe. The drive took about two hours.

Xu Jinman compared Chen Yue’s photos with the image in her mind, and they matched perfectly.

Shen Shu sat down beside her with a plate of grapes. “Are you going?”

“Mm-hmm,” Xu Jinman nodded.

She couldn’t explain the feeling, but she felt compelled to go there, as if something were drawing her.

And then there was that little girl.

“I suspect that besides Yin Xue and me, no one else knows about the child’s existence. During Yin Xue’s time at the Special Management Office, the child…” Xu Jinman frowned, not trying to take responsibility, but the child was innocent.

Shen Shu asked, “When are you planning to go?”

“In the next couple of days,” Xu Jinman replied.

“Alone?”

Xu Jinman blurted out, “Yes.”

Given her relationship with Lu Yun, it was best to keep these secret matters away from Zhou Pei. If Lu Yun got involved, things would become even more complicated.

Realizing what she’d said, Xu Jinman turned to look at Shen Shu, who simultaneously said, “I’m free these days. I’ll join you.”

Xu Jinman gazed at her, shifted closer to Shen Shu by half a person’s width, and leaned in. “You’ve been… unusually kind to me lately?”

Shen Shu raised an eyebrow.

“Was I ever unkind to you before?” Shen Shu countered, meeting her gaze directly.

Xu Jinman blinked slowly, leaned in a little closer, picked a grape from the plate, straightened up, and replied with a smile, “No, you’ve always been quite good.”

Shen Shu remained silent.

In a good mood, Xu Jinman turned off her phone, picked up the remote, and switched the channel from the current variety show to a movie channel.

This was the ABO-exclusive movie channel, also known as the late-night channel.

In this world, censorship wasn’t as strict. While particularly explicit content was still cut, the types of films shown weren’t heavily restricted. Same-s3x romances, AA relationships, or OO relationships—any film with high ratings and critical acclaim had a chance of being broadcast.

The TV was showing a typical AO historical drama. Shen Shu watched half of it before returning to her room to review her script, while Xu Jinman handled her messages until the movie ended.

She liked having some activity in the room.

After contacting Yuhua Orphanage in advance, the middle-aged woman who answered the phone seemed very familiar with her calls. As soon as she picked up, before Xu Jinman could even speak, she greeted her warmly as “Miss Xu.”

Two days later, Xu Jinman decided to set out.

Before leaving, Shen Shu said she needed to go to the supermarket. Xu Jinman went with her and realized Shen Shu was buying a lot of candy and snacks.

“For the children?” Xu Jinman asked, having never considered this since she had no experience with kids.

“Mm-hmm.”

“Then let’s get more,” Xu Jinman suggested.

The two of them bought several large bags of snacks and loaded them into the car.

Xu Jinman had felt almost no physical discomfort in recent days, so she refused Shen Shu’s offer to drive, insisting that Shen Shu focus on her script.

As they headed toward the small town, the scenery grew noticeably more remote compared to the bustling city of Beicheng.

To Xu Jinman, this remoteness held a rare tranquility. The sun shone brightly throughout the journey, and vibrant rapeseed flowers bloomed along both sides of the road, though the road itself was occasionally rough.

Shen Shu shared her sentiment. They stopped midway to rest, and Xu Jinman took a few photos of the scenery through the car window with her phone.

Shen Shu twisted open the bottle cap and said, “You look more like you’re going on a trip.”

“What kind of trip?” Xu Jinman asked with a smile. “A honeymoon?”

Both women paused after she spoke.

Xu Jinman glanced at Shen Shu, quickly put away her phone, and changed the subject. “Let’s go. We have half an hour left. If you’re tired, you can take a nap.”

“Should I drive for a while?”

“No need.”

The car started again, arriving at their destination at 2 p.m. The security guard at the gate recognized Xu Jinman but still had her register her information. The Director, having been notified of their arrival, quickly came out to greet them.

The Director was a slightly plump middle-aged woman with dark brown glasses, her smile warm and kind.

When she saw Shen Shu, her expression momentarily froze. Miss Yin had always accompanied Xu Jinman before. Her face betrayed no hint of surprise as she said with a smile, “It’s been a while since you last visited. You’ve brought so many things—you must be exhausted.”

“It’s our pleasure,” Xu Jinman replied, gently placing a hand on Shen Shu’s back to draw them closer. “This is my wife, Shen Shu.”

Hearing this, the Director’s eyes widened slightly, her mind quickly processing the information. “Oh my, Miss Shen is as beautiful as a flower, and her name is lovely too. You two are a match made in heaven!”

Without lingering, Xu Jinman and Shen Shu followed the Director inside.

As they walked behind her, Xu Jinman and Shen Shu exchanged a knowing glance. The Director was clearly a shrewd and perceptive woman.

As they walked deeper into the orphanage, they occasionally spotted children around five years old playing marbles in the shade, watched over by a caregiver in a green uniform who leaned slightly forward, smiling at them. Laughter drifted through the air.

The orphanage was better than Xu Jinman had imagined.

“The environment here is decent,” Xu Jinman murmured to Shen Shu, keeping her voice low.

When she didn’t hear a response, Xu Jinman glanced over and saw Shen Shu staring at the swings in the distance.

After a brief pause, Shen Shu casually replied, “Mm.”

Xu Jinman was about to say something more when someone suddenly called out in surprise, “Miss Xu!”

It was the caregiver who had been watching the children.

The caregiver appeared to be around twenty-one or twenty-two years old, with delicate features and a figure that seemed too voluptuous for her uniform, making the clothes appear ill-fitting.

“Hello,” Xu Jinman greeted her.

The caregiver hurried over, her smile faltering slightly when she noticed Shen Shu beside Xu Jinman before turning back to Xu Jinman. “Miss Xu, Xiaoyueya has been asking about you several times. I’m so glad you finally came.”

Shen Shu’s gaze swept over the caregiver before drifting away indifferently.

Hearing this, Xu Jinman thought to herself, Given the original owner’s attitude, would Xiaoyueya really be asking about her?

She simply smiled. “Is that so? I’ve been missing her too.”

Someone called for the Director, who turned back and said, “Lin Wei, please show Miss Xu around. I need to check if the pipes in the back are leaking again.”

“Yes, Director,” Lin Wei replied.

The orphanage’s exterior walls were painted white, adorned with large cartoon characters: Tom and Jerry, SpongeBob SquarePants, and crude crayon and pencil doodles scattered beneath them, chaotic and childlike.

Inside, the corridors split into two wings: one painted pink, the other blue.

Walking down the pink corridor, Xu Jinman finally recognized the environment from her memories.

She opened a pink door to a room roughly 20 square meters. Hearing Lin Wei’s voice, a little girl looked up. “Xiaoyueya, look who’s here!”

Xiaoyueya turned around, her dim eyes brightening momentarily. “Auntie Manman!”

Xu Jinman took out the candy she had been given earlier and placed it on the table. Bending down, she reached out to pat Xiaoyueya’s head. The child instinctively flinched, but Xu Jinman realized it wasn’t fear—only a hint of unfamiliarity in her round eyes.

She withdrew her hand. “You can go back to your work now. We’ll chat by ourselves.”

After Lin Wei left, Xu Jinman knelt down in front of Xiaoyueya, studying her carefully.

Xiaoyueya wore her hair in two neat buns, with soft bangs framing her forehead above a pair of bright, dark eyes. She looked utterly adorable.

Her features bore a striking resemblance to Yin Xue’s.

“It’s been a while since we last saw each other,” Xu Jinman said gently. “I’ve been quite busy lately.”

Xiaoyueya nodded. “I understand. The Director told me you have so much work and are very busy. Mom is busy too, that’s why she doesn’t visit me, right?”

Xu Jinman paused, her heart aching at the girl’s earnest gaze.

Suddenly, a sweet fragrance wafted through the air. Shen Shu approached, bent down, and held out her hand. “Strawberry-flavored candy. Want one? It’s delicious!”

Shen Shu’s face was so close that Xiaoyueya could hear the soft rustle of her tail.

Xiaoyueya glanced at the candy, blinked, and then looked at Xu Jinman.

Xu Jinman smiled. “This is Auntie Shen Shu. Go ahead and take one, she bought them especially for you.”

Xiaoyueya reached out, completely forgetting her earlier question.

The candy quickly dissolved Xiaoyueya’s initial shyness, and she grew lively. “Auntie Shen Shu, can you draw birds?”

Shen Shu bent down beside Xiaoyueya, took the watercolor brush, and said gently, “Sure, I can draw a bird.”

Xu Jinman raised an eyebrow at Shen Shu’s tone. Does she really like kids that much?

Unlike Shen Shu, Xu Jinman wasn’t particularly good with children. She could only make small talk from the side, but her mind was already busy observing everything in the room.

The feeling was the same as before… familiar.

Suddenly, she heard Xiaoyueya say, “Auntie Manman loves birds the most! Can I give her this one?”

Xu Jinman lowered her gaze, meeting Xiaoyueya’s smiling, crescent-shaped eyes.

“Of course,” Shen Shu replied smoothly. “She said she likes birds?”

Xiaoyueya nodded. “She draws them herself! Her notebook is full of birds… Didn’t Auntie Manman tell you? She draws birds all the time. Auntie Manman, can I show Auntie Shen Shu the birds you drew?”

Xu Jinman froze.

So, the original owner’s interactions with Xiaoyueya weren’t limited to that one memory fragment.

That fragment was from before the wedding. Afterward, the original owner had seen Xiaoyueya again, and more than once.

Judging by Xiaoyueya’s attitude toward her, she must have treated the child well.

This might explain why Xu Jinman felt no discomfort when recalling this place, and even a sense of familiarity.

“Of course! Go ahead and take it,” Xu Jinman said.

Xiaoyueya hopped off the stool, pulled open a drawer, and retrieved a sketchbook.

“Look!” Xiaoyueya flipped open the book with the pride of someone showing off a treasure. “I want to draw as well as Auntie Manman someday!”

Xu Jinman walked over and flipped through the pages with Shen Shu.

Each page was dated. The original Xu Jinman had accompanied Xiaoyueya in drawing during every visit. Most of the sketches were of birds or butterflies, with occasional pages featuring stick figures. The one consistent feature was that all the drawings were in black.

Judging by the dates, these drawing sessions had begun two months before Xu Jinman and Shen Shu’s wedding.

“We all want to be birds so we can fly away!” Xiaoyueya’s childish voice echoed in the room. “Right, Auntie Manman?”

Xu Jinman’s heart jolted.

She nodded. “Yes, one day you’ll become a bird.”

“Yes! Little birds have so many friends and can fly so far to meet even more friends. Then I can play with them all! Auntie Shen Shu, do you want to be a little bird? You could be a butterfly too—butterflies are so pretty, and you’re pretty too.”

Shen Shu remembered Xu Jinman’s words: “Will you play with me?”

Xu Jinman might drive alone for two hours, covering eighty kilometers, just to visit this orphanage, talk to Xiaoyueya, and treat her like her younger self.

Even though she knew the person from the past wasn’t the Xu Jinman she knew now, superimposing that image onto Xu Jinman’s face still made her heart clench.

After spending over an hour with Xiaoyueya, the little girl yawned several times but stubbornly refused to sleep. Shen Shu and Xu Jinman exchanged a glance.

Xu Jinman ruffled Xiaoyueya’s hair. “The Director needs to talk to Auntie Manman about something. Why don’t you take a nap? I’ll come back to play with you after we’re done, okay?”

Xiaoyueya grabbed her hand. “But I’m not sleepy! Not even a little bit! Let’s draw some more! I just learned how to draw sunflowers—I’ll show you…”

“She really has something important to do. If we delay her, she’ll be too embarrassed to come back next time,” Shen Shu said, pulling Xiaoyueya into her arms and patting her back. “Go to sleep now. I promise you’ll see her when you wake up.”

They didn’t need much persuading. Xiaoyueya, unusually mature for her age, nodded and climbed into bed herself. “Then I’ll be a good girl and sleep. When I wake up, we can play together.”

Xu Jinman smiled and agreed. Shen Shu asked her to leave first, staying behind for a few more minutes.

After Xu Jinman left, Xiaoyueya peeked open one eye and saw Shen Shu still watching her. She immediately closed it again.

Shen Shu stroked her head. “I saw you. Now go to sleep.”

Xiaoyueya opened both eyes. “Auntie Shen Shu, are you and Auntie Manman together now?”

Shen Shu froze.

Xiaoyueya blinked, her small hand emerging from under the covers to pat Shen Shu’s hand. “It’s okay. You don’t need to comfort me. The Director said that even if two moms have a child, they might not stay together. Adults have lots of worries and reasons… So I’m not sad at all.”

Shen Shu didn’t know what to say. She gently squeezed Xiaoyueya’s hand, managing only to reassure her, “But their love for you is just as strong.”

“Really?” Xiaoyueya asked. “If I’m good and obedient, they won’t abandon me, right?”

Shen Shu’s nose stung with emotion. She affirmed firmly, “No one would ever abandon Xiaoyueya.”

Xu Jinman stepped outside alone.

In the original owner’s world, which appeared vibrant and colorful on the surface, she had no one to confide in. The endless darkness pressed down on her, and she could only find relief by talking to Xiaoyueya.

But she felt like she was overlooking something.

Suddenly, she wondered: if the original owner had left a sketchbook here, might she have left other things behind as well, like that password box?

Just as she was thinking this,

“Miss Xu.”

Xu Jinman saw Lin Wei approaching with a smile. Lin Wei was Xiaoyueya’s caregiver, and since the original owner had visited over a dozen times, Xu Jinman thought she might be able to glean some information from her.

After coaxing Xiaoyueya to sleep, Shen Shu emerged from the room. As soon as she stepped out, she saw Xu Jinman standing at the end of the corridor, talking to Lin Wei with her head bowed slightly.

Xu Jinman was tall, and to accommodate Lin Wei’s height, she leaned forward slightly, her lips curving into their habitual gentle smile as she spoke.

Lin Wei, with her full figure, stood at a slight angle, their upper bodies almost touching from Shen Shu’s perspective.

Whatever Xu Jinman said made Lin Wei laugh.