SWTHTC - 26

Chapter 26: “Fate”

Neon lights flickered, cars streamed by, and beneath the myriad of lit windows lay the many facets of human life.

Every household in Butterfly Bay was illuminated.

This was an old-guard high-end community in City A. Having been occupied for about six or seven years, it naturally couldn’t compare to the newly built Haoting International two streets away. Still, it remained respectable.

This had once been Zhou Leqi’s home. Now, Gao Xiang was picking vegetables in what used to be Yu Qing’s kitchen. Hearing a noise at the door, she peeked out and saw her daughter, Luo Siyu, walking in.

Gao Xiang greeted her with a smile. “Back already? Go wash your hands first, then come help Mom.”

Luo Siyu replied and, after changing clothes and washing her hands, entered the kitchen.

She helped her mother rinse the rice but remained silent, her expression troubled. Gao Xiang glanced at her and asked, “What’s wrong? Did something happen at school?”

Luo Siyu stayed sullen. “No.”

Gao Xiang patted her. “Why are you putting on a brave face for me? Your dad isn’t back yet. Tell Mom what’s going on.”

By “your dad,” she meant Zhou Lei.

Although Zhou Lei and Gao Xiang worked at the same foreign enterprise, their schedules rarely overlapped. Gao Xiang was just a small cashier in the finance department, working regular hours without overtime. Zhou Lei, on the other hand, worked in marketing and frequently had late meetings. Since they began living together, they usually only commuted together in the mornings, while their evenings were staggered.

Luo Siyu continued to stay quiet. Unable to coax anything out of her, Gao Xiang could only guess. “Are you struggling to adjust to the new school? Are you being excluded?”

Her words struck a nerve. Annoyed, Luo Siyu splashed water from the faucet. “Transferring schools in senior year is so unreasonable. Everyone’s social circles are already set; I can’t break in! And…”

“And what?” Gao Xiang pressed.

“All those top students look down on me,” Luo Siyu started wiping her tears. “They all think I’m a poor student, a bottom feeder…”

There was truth to her words.

In the recent Chinese weekly exam, out of a possible 150 points, Luo Siyu scored only 72—and Chinese was her strongest subject. If it had been math, she wouldn’t have even reached 40.

The students in Class 43 weren’t deliberately mocking her. For students at No. 1 High School, Luo Siyu’s score was simply astonishing. Most couldn’t hide their shock when they looked at her.

Naturally, Luo Siyu felt excluded.

She was deeply upset, gripping the rice in the pot tightly. Seeing this, Gao Xiang felt immense pity. She quickly put down her knife, hugged her daughter’s shoulders, and consoled her. “Honey, let’s not worry about these things, okay? You’re at No. 1 High School to study, not to make friends with them. Let them say what they want; what matters most is that we learn.”

Luo Siyu continued to cry, refusing to accept her mother’s comfort. “It’s not like that, Mom. Those girls isolate me, don’t talk to me, and laugh behind my back. How can I focus on studying when my mood is such a mess?”

With that, she angrily threw the pot of rice into the sink.

Gao Xiang was startled. She hurriedly held her daughter again, trying to soothe her. After a long while of futile attempts, she finally asked, “Then what do you want me to do? Transfer you back to Third High?”

Luo Siyu wasn’t satisfied with that solution either. She actually liked attending No. 1 High School. Whenever she walked down the street in her school uniform, she felt passersby looked up to her. Her former classmates at Third High were envious, and she didn’t want to lose all of that.

She shook her head vigorously. Gao Xiang asked, “Then what do you want?”

After some thought, Luo Siyu said, “Mom, give me some money.”

“Huh?”

“I need to buy some nice things,” Luo Siyu wiped her tears. “Those people are so materialistic. If they know we’re rich, they’ll definitely want to be friends with me.”

This viewpoint was somewhat extreme.

High school students were nearly adults, and everyone had their own judgment. While family background certainly influenced social dynamics, its impact wasn’t absolute. Luo Siyu’s overemphasis on wealth stemmed from her previous modest family situation. The sudden acquisition of wealth caused a dramatic shift in her mindset, making her eager to flaunt this newfound superiority and test whether it worked as she expected.

Gao Xiang understood her daughter’s subtle psychology well, but she didn’t criticize her. She knew Luo Siyu had also been affected by the family upheaval, so compensating her with money was reasonable.

Thus, she readily agreed. “Alright, whatever our baby wants. After dinner, Mom will give you the money.”

Luo Siyu was finally satisfied. She retrieved the pot from the sink and resumed rinsing the rice.

Gao Xiang relaxed slightly and turned back to chopping vegetables. A moment later, she heard her daughter say, “Mom, can you get Dad to buy you a car? Then you can pick me up after school and show off to my classmates.”

A car.

Gao Xiang had actually been contemplating this for a while.

Though she and Zhou Lei were close to getting married, their relationship lacked trust. Take this house in Butterfly Bay, for example—Zhou Lei hadn’t added her name to the property title, and they had even drawn up a prenuptial agreement to clarify their respective assets.

Honestly, Zhou Lei treated her fairly well. He didn’t insist on splitting expenses; all household costs were covered by him, and he occasionally bought her bags or clothes. However, there were things about him that irked her. For instance, he had bought another house for his ex-wife and provided a substantial alimony. His daughter was already an adult—what was the point?

Gao Xiang was furious but hid it well. On the surface, she appeared magnanimous and kind, never petty or spiteful.

This approach had its advantages—it maintained her image in Zhou Lei’s eyes—but it also hindered her ability to ask him for money. Without money, what was the point of betraying her family and pursuing Zhou Lei?

She needed a way to extract money from Zhou Lei’s pocket.

The solution was simple: children.

Currently, she and Zhou Lei were just living together, not yet truly husband and wife. But if they had a child together, that would change. If she could bear Zhou Lei a son, wouldn’t he have no choice but to provide for his own flesh and blood? A son who carried the family lineage versus his daughter who had repeated a grade twice—wasn’t the difference obvious?

No one was stupid. Gao Xiang was shrewd in her calculations.

After finishing chopping vegetables, she began peeling garlic, speaking to Luo Siyu as she worked. “This matter can’t be rushed. Once your little brother is born, everything will fall into place.”

Luo Siyu turned to glance at her mother’s already protruding belly, frowning. “Mom, did you go for your prenatal checkup today? What did the doctor say?”

“Yes, yes,” Gao Xiang nodded repeatedly. “What’s there to say? Everything’s normal. Just take good care of yourself.”

Gao Xiang was four months pregnant, and it wasn’t very noticeable yet, so her colleagues at work still didn’t know about her relationship with Zhou Lei. He hadn’t even publicly acknowledged their relationship within the company. She diligently cared for her body and focused on having a healthy child. But at 40 years old, she was far from young—a genuine high-risk pregnancy. In fact, the doctor had initially advised her to reconsider having another child due to the risks.

However, Gao Xiang refused to give up. She was determined to secure Zhou Lei’s money and completely transform the fates of herself and her children.

Luo Siyu hadn’t received the best educational resources as a child or been raised like a princess. When her son was born, she vowed to give him the best of everything and raise him to be a perfect little prince.

Luo Siyu knew exactly how her mother felt and understood that Zhou Lei, despite appearing kind to her as his “stepdaughter,” viewed her as an outsider. For her and her mother to live comfortably in Butterfly Bay, they needed the unborn child in her mother’s belly.

She felt a bit resentful, muttering, “Disgusting old man. At his age, he still wants a son. Is all the effort we put into pleasing him worthless?”

Her words were sharp and biting, a far cry from the delicate, innocent persona she maintained at school.

Just as she vented, the sound of keys unlocking the door came from the entrance. Mother and daughter exchanged glances—they knew Zhou Lei was home.

Gao Xiang quickly washed her hands and went to greet her new husband, while Luo Siyu immediately changed her demeanor, becoming docile and obedient. She stayed in the kitchen, pretending to be shy around her new father. This was part of her mother’s guidance—to not appear too accepting of Zhou Lei too quickly. By making him feel he still needed to win her over, they could achieve their goals more effectively.

She played her role perfectly, even displaying a touch of appropriate melancholy in front of Zhou Lei, expressing her struggles with transferring schools. In the end, Zhou Lei felt sympathy for her plight and developed a sense of protectiveness toward her.

Everything was proceeding smoothly.

At the dinner table, this newly patched-together family appeared harmonious and joyful. Each wore a mask of sincerity, though none truly knew how the others viewed them. Luo Siyu found this new dynamic both fascinating and slightly tiresome.

Watching her mother’s efforts to please Zhou Lei, Luo Siyu thought: I won’t live like this in the future.

She wanted to marry a good man—one who was excellent, handsome, and whom she genuinely loved. He had to be wealthy. She wanted to be his first wife, preferably his first love, so they would both be morally unassailable. If treated poorly, she could confidently accuse him and seek support from others.

Where could she find such a person?

She thought of Hou Zihao again.

The boy who had captured her heart since middle school.

She had written him love letters—sweet, secret confessions of a young girl. But he likely never read them; even back then, he was pursued by so many admirers that he never bothered with such notes.

After the high school entrance exams, they attended different schools. She thought she’d never have the chance to get close to him again. Yet fate had intervened, bringing her back to his side.

Wasn’t this destiny?

Silently pondering, Luo Siyu returned to her room after dinner—a spacious, bright space, a beautiful princess’s haven with a wide bed, a clean desk, and a small private balcony.

This had once belonged to Zhou Leqi.

But now, it was Luo Siyu’s.

Standing on the balcony, gazing at the glittering city lights, she thought: I’ll get what I want.

Yes, everything will come true.