“Hey, you surnamed Mu, are we done with this life or not?”
In the tiny ten-square-meter room, a woman in her thirties glared viciously at the man before her, her voice trembling.
“We still have to live, of course.”
The man scratched his head impatiently, his hair becoming a mess. “The company’s hole is urgent right now. This money has to be used to fill that big hole.”
“Big hole?”
The woman sneered. “I call it a bottomless pit!”
“All the savings in the bank card have been poured into it. Now the tuition we saved up for Mu Wannuo is gone too, and you even sold the car.”
The woman’s tone grew increasingly agitated until she was practically screaming. “Now you want to sell the house your father left behind as well?”
“Everything you’re doing now is just to fill that bottomless pit!”
“But look back at what you’ve accomplished. You haven’t gained anything—you’ve only lost the family foundation. What exactly are you trying to do?”
Facing the woman’s reprimand, the man lowered his head and stayed silent.
“Ha, I never should have agreed to let you start a business in the first place. Now you want me and Mu Wannuo to go drink the northwest wind.”
“I’ll take care of things for you and the kid. You don’t need to worry about it.”
“What do you mean by that?”
The woman felt a surge of inexplicable anger and nearly lost her balance. “Are you trying to cut ties with us?”
“I’m not.”
Facing the man’s defense, the woman’s anger didn’t subside. “Even if you don’t consider me, don’t you consider Mu Wannuo?”
“Are you daring to say you haven’t?”
“Your ‘haven’t’ means not only are the savings gone, but you’ve also sold the house? All that’s left is debt!?”
“I told you, as long as we put up this money, the company will definitely turn around.”
Facing the woman’s scolding, the man seemed to have had enough.
“Why won’t you two just believe me!?”
The man stood up, his clenched fist slamming hard against the nearby cabinet.
Suddenly, the leg supporting the entire cabinet gave way under the force and toppled toward the woman’s direction.
It wasn’t that the man’s strength was that great—rather, the leg had been faulty since the day it was bought. Over time, cracks had formed from prolonged use, and no one had ever noticed.
Now, struck by the man’s blow, it could no longer hold up.
“Bang—”
The violent crash echoed into the man’s ears.
The man froze in place, completely at a loss.
He hurried forward in a panic to check the situation, praying inwardly.
The cabinet was heavy. Even with all his strength, he couldn’t move it an inch.
Regret welled up inside him. He was endlessly sorry for why he had to punch that cabinet.
Footsteps came from the doorway, accompanied by a “creak” as the living room light spilled into the room.
“Dad, Mom…”
A small figure stood at the door.
“Dad…”
After she saw what had happened clearly, she instinctively took a few steps back.
“Mu Wannuo, come here!”
The man’s voice snapped her out of it.
With red eyes, she ran over and joined the man in lifting the cabinet with all her might.
But even with Mu Wannuo’s added strength, how much more could it help?
***
“I’m sorry for bringing up those unpleasant memories.”
“No, I should be thanking you for being willing to fund the improvements here…”
At the entrance of the orphanage, a girl of about fifteen quickly waved her hands, declining the apologies of the man and woman before her.
Mu Wannuo’s parents’ conflict had gone horribly wrong. Her mother was crushed under the cabinet and ultimately couldn’t be saved, while her father was sentenced to life imprisonment for involuntary manslaughter.
If it had only been that charge, it wouldn’t have warranted life in prison, but her father’s business rivals quietly stirred the pot behind the scenes, ultimately leading to that outcome.
But Mu Wannuo herself didn’t show much emotional reaction.
Her father had been away all year, living at the company and rarely coming home even once a year.
Her mother loved to indulge in leisure and stayed out every night without coming home.
Since Mu Wannuo could remember, she had never felt maternal love or paternal love from her parents.
She had only ever felt care from the nanny by her side.
But the nanny was advanced in years and had gone home to retire.
A few days later, she heard from rumors that the nanny had passed away from lung cancer.
With nowhere to go, Mu Wannuo was settled into this orphanage.
Because of her cold personality, the children in the orphanage rarely approached her or tried to talk to her.
Over time, Mu Wannuo began to feel like she was an eccentric.
She thought she would live here aimlessly until adulthood, then find a job outside, and finally spend this awful life in mediocrity.
But in her thirteenth year, a very strange adult appeared at the entrance of the orphanage.
For some inexplicable reason, Mu Wannuo wanted to go take a look.
That flash of inspiration was the decision that changed her life.
“Um…”
Mu Wannuo looked at the kind person who had come to fund the orphanage, hesitating as she spoke.
The other party had already been planning to leave, but when she heard Mu Wannuo speak, she stopped and turned back to look at her. “What’s the matter?”
Thirteen-year-old Mu Wannuo opened her mouth, but quickly closed it again, as if she was mustering something.
Seeing this, the girl before her turned back around and crouched down in front of her. “You can take your time telling me. No need to rush, okay?”
The girl’s voice was soft and gentle.
It drifted into Mu Wannuo’s ears like a warm spring breeze.
She stood still, her gaze wavering, as if she wanted to say something but didn’t have the courage to voice it.
The girl in front of her wasn’t in a hurry either, patiently waiting for her to speak her mind.
Mu Wannuo bit her lower lip, no longer hesitating. “I want to go with you!”
The moment those words left her mouth, it was as if she had completed a very important task, and her whole body went weak and limp.
The crouching girl froze for a moment, then asked in confusion, “You mean… you want to come home with me?”
Mu Wannuo nodded, looking at her nervously.
She didn’t know why she wanted to go back with the girl before her.
A spontaneous thought and a strong urge intertwined.
So much so that now that she had calmed down, she didn’t even understand what the meaning of her actions was.
Looking at the girl crouching in front of her, Mu Wannuo had already prepared herself for rejection.
The girl’s lips were painted with a vivid rose-colored lipstick.
She opened her mouth and spoke. “That’s fine.”
“Okay.”
Mu Wannuo said subconsciously, expecting to be rejected.
Suddenly, she snapped back to reality, nervousness mixed with surprise. “Really!?”
The girl in front of her affectionately stroked her jet-black hair. “Come on. Maybe you’ll get along well with my daughter.”
Mu Wannuo was thrilled, following her toward the entrance of the orphanage. “What does Sister Ning’s daughter look like?”
“You’ll see in a bit, little Mu. But she’s very shy around strangers.”
“That’s fine!”
Mu Wannuo answered her cheerfully, feeling excited inside.
This was the first time in her life she had felt anticipation for someone.