Fu Zhi pushed me!

“She just can’t stand the fact that I’m better than her! Only one of us can remain in the house. It will either be me or her!

“Mom, you have to kick her out! You have to get her back to the orphanage! I don’t want to see her again for the rest of my life!”

2

September was the season when the weather in their town was oppressive, and people would get irritated more easily than in the other months of the year. As she was standing outside the ward with the bill in her hand, the commotion in the room was getting clearer and clearer in Fu Zhi’s ears.

“I don’t care, Zhao Mingquan. You must send her away this time!

BoxNovel.com

“In any case, I will not keep an ingrate like her in my house anymore!”

“But when we adopted Fu Zhi from the orphanage last year, we promised the director that we would take good care of her,” said the man, leaning against the bedside pitifully after shooting a glance at his daughter, whose right leg was in a cast.

After a short while, he pitched his voice low and told his sobbing wife, “Lanzhi, you should know Youyou better than anyone else. There is no way Zhizhi would push her…”

“Who told you that she wouldn’t do something like that?!” Xu Lanzhi snarled, staring indignantly at her husband for not being on their side. “Look carefully, Zhao Mingquan. Your daughter is in her sickbed right now. If Fu Zhi didn’t do it, how could your daughter possibly say that she pushed her down?”

Zhao Youyou, who was lying in her sickbed, turned her head toward her father and added indifferently, “Dad, I’m your daughter. She is just an outsider. She’s the one who tried to harm me. I don’t understand why you still want to defend her.”

“Youyou, she is your younger sister…”

“Have you ever come across a younger sister who would push her elder sister down the stairs? The doctor has said that there is a high possibility our daughter will develop complications if we don’t take care of her leg properly. This is all Fu Zhi’s fault!

“I have contacted the orphanage, and they said they will send someone to take her away today. I’m warning you to stay out of this. If you try to stop them from taking her away, I’ll divorce you.”

2

The woman’s voice was ear-grating, and this was undoubtedly a killer move.

Zhao Mingquan had always been a nose of wax, so he never dared to talk back to his wife. As a result, he shrank back a little and said, “Don’t say that, Lanzhi. I promise you that I won’t stop them from taking Zhizhi away…”

It had all happened roughly a year ago. At the time, his eldest son had been in need of money to pay for his university fees. Had the orphanage not told them that the government was willing to provide 200,000 yuan to the family that would take in Fu Zhi, Zhao Mingquan would not have been foolish enough to adopt someone else’s child.

8

As he was immersed in his own thoughts, his phone rang. He took it out, and then he froze. The director of the orphanage was calling.

He stole a glance at his wife. However, upon seeing the frigid expression on her face, he knew there was nothing he could do to change the situation anymore. Therefore, he forced himself to open his mouth and said, “Yes, we are at the town hospital right now. You can come and take her away.”

He then walked out of the room peevishly to continue speaking on the phone. Just as he was about to light a cigarette, he saw Fu Zhi, who was standing beside the door.

Her eyes were kind of tilted, and her eyelashes were long and delicately arranged. The light in the corridor was dazzling, and her features were veiled by the crooked shadow of the first-aid box in the distance, rendering Zhao Mingquan unable to read her expression.

“Yeah, that’s all.”

The man then hung up the phone, as he could feel a surge of anxiety begin to spread in him. He knew the girl must have heard everything since the walls in the hospital provided little to no soundproofing effect. Rubbing his hands in guilt, he said, “Did… Did you hear everything, Zhizhi?”

Upon hearing his voice, Fu Zhi raised her head and stared at him silently, boring into him with her clear almond eyes.

It took no longer than a second for Zhao Mingquan to avert his gaze, as he felt as if his soul was being stripped bare under her gaze. After a short while, as if he had suddenly remembered something, he pulled a few notes out of his pocket and handed them sincerely over to Fu Zhi. “Here is 500 Yuan. Consider it a little something from me and Aunt Xu. You don’t have to thank us. The director of the orphanage will come to pick you up in a while. You can take the money and live a better life. You can buy anything you want. Don’t be too harsh on yourself.”

12

Fu Zhi looked at the money in the man’s hand and said, “It’s okay. I don’t need it.”

He was still holding the bill in his hand. When she spoke, her voice was faint. She looked past Zhao Mingquan and stared at Zhao Youyou, who was in the ward, as she said, “You know I didn’t push her.”

Zhao Mingquan froze.

Yes, both Zhao Mingquan and his wife knew very well that Fu Zhi would never push someone off the stairs. After all, it was their daughter who had been constantly making things difficult for Fu Zhi since the day they had taken her in.

2

However, at the end of the day, Zhao Youyou was their biological daughter and Fu Zhi had no blood relation of theirs. Right now, it was Zhao Youyou who was lying in her sickbed, so the two of them could only blame Fu Zhi for being so inconsiderate because she was depending on them.

7

“Zhizhi, there is no use saying such things right now. Don’t blame your sister and Aunt Xu. Both of them are facing their own difficulties…”

3

As Zhao Mingquan talked, he shoved the money into Fu Zhi’s hand. “Just take the money. I’ll feel bad if you don’t take it.”

6

Fu Zhi took a step back. As she felt unable to get herself out of the situation, a woman of a certain age approached them and said, “Mr. Zhao, I’m here to pick up Fu Zhi.”

Zhao Mingquan turned his head around. When he saw the director of the orphanage, he was stunned for a moment. Holding the money in his hand, he nodded blankly. “Okay.”

The director did not look at him again. She turned to Fu Zhi and said, “Zhizhi, I already know everything. This isn’t your fault, so you don’t have to feel sad. Anyway, I have found you a new family.”

2

She then added, “Do you remember the aunty who adored you very much when you returned to the orphanage last time? I called her before I came here, and after hearing about your situation, she’s eager to take you in to live with her.”

1

The director’s voice contained the gentleness of an eldery person. “She and her family are waiting for you outside the hospital. If you want, you can follow me and meet them right now.”

1

A pretty and gentle face surfaced in Fu Zhi’s mind.

She thought for a moment before she nodded slowly.

From the window came a ray of gentle sunlight. It shone on Fu Zhi’s face and melted the coldness in her dark irises and eyelashes.

3

Zhao Mingquan followed them. He wanted to see Fu Zhi off. Besides, he also wanted to know who had adopted Fu Zhi and make sure that he or she would treat her well.

10

By the time the three of them arrived at the entrance, the car of the Lu Family was waiting for them outside the hospital.

It was noon, but it seemed as if there was a shield around the car, as the sunlight could do little to dispel the gloom inside it. Lu Jingqing was holding his head low, so half of his face was shrouded in the darkness.

He did not lift his head until his secretary, who was in the driver’s seat, reminded him. Even in the dark, his eyes looked deep and intense. He looked past the director of the orphanage and zeroed in on Fu Zhi. He studied the girl for a few seconds before averting his gaze.

This was the family that was going to take Fu Zhi under its care. The man was Lu Jingqing, one of the magnates of Yu City.

Lu Jingqing and his wife, Xu Wei, were a loving couple. Unfortunately, a catastrophic event had occurred when Xu Wei had gotten pregnant with her second child after they’d tied the knot. She had experienced a miscarriage-like symptom which had not only caused her son to be born with an intellectual disability but had also rendered her unable to bear another child.

BoxNovel.com

Xu Wei had always wanted to have a daughter. Thus, she had talked with Lu Jingqing and the two of them had decided to adopt a little girl from the orphanage. She had taken a fancy to Fu Zhi the first time she had met her, but sadly, she had been adopted at the time.

When the director of the orphanage had phoned Xu Wei today, she had not been holding on to much hope. However, little had she known that Xu Wei would agree to take Fu Zhi under her wings without any hesitation. Also, since Yu City was half a day away from this small town, she had urged her husband, who was on a business trip to the small town to pick Fu Zhi up, as she did not want anything to get in the way of adopting Fu Zhi again.

After some time that seemed like an eternity, the secretary sitting in the driver’s seat reminded the man once more, “Sir, don’t you want to go out and meet Ms. Fu?”

Upon hearing these words, Lu Jingqing raised his hand and opened the door. He was dressed in sapphire. His features were perfect and classic, and his deep and narrow eyes further accentuated his great charisma.

3

The director pointed at Fu Zhi and said, “Mr. Lu, meet Fu Zhi.”

A hint of amazement blossomed across Lu Jingqing’s face.

He had shot her only a hurried glance earlier, so this was the first time he came face to face with the little girl that his wife had always been talking about.

Lu Jingqing knew that the living conditions in a small town were not that favorable. Initially, he had pictured Fu Zhi as a girl with ordinary facial features in a rustic dress who’d had all her edges smoothened by life, just like the man standing behind her.

However, when he took a closer look at her, he realized that Fu Zhi was wearing a white t-shirt and a pair of long dungarees that wrapped around her legs, leaving only her delicate ankles bared to the air.

She was undoubtedly a pretty girl. Her long black hair cascaded down her back and over her shoulders. Her almond-shaped eyes were half-closed, and her eyelashes were long and delicately arranged. She exuded a kind of serenity that seemed to draw people closer to her.

First impressions were imperative in human interactions. It took Lu Jingqing only a glance to understand why his wife’s eyes would sparkle with joy whenever she mentioned this little girl.

Upon seeing Lu Jingqing nod, the director turned to Fu Zhi and said, “Zhizhi, this is Mr. Lu Jingqing that I told you about.”

Fu Zhi followed the director’s gaze and met Lu Jingqing’s gaze.

There was no expression on his hard-lined face.

Zhao Mingquan was standing dumbfoundedly behind Fu Zhi.

He was familiar with the car that Lu Jingqing had exited. It was a Land Rover that cost as much as a seven-figure sum.

“Mr. Lu, do you really want to adopt Zhizhi?” It was apparent that the Lu Family was affluent. The gap between them and the Lu Family was too huge. Zhao Mingquan had a hunch that the Lu Family had only adopted Fu Zhi on the spur of the moment, and he feared that they would not take good care of her.

8

Lu Jingqing turned his body sideways and looked at him. It took him quite a long while to study the man in front of him before he said in a level tone, “You are?”

Zhao Mingquan was stumped. Nevertheless, he soon collected himself and said with confidence, “I’m Fu Zhi’s foster father!”

1

Even though Zhao Mingquan felt a little embarrassed by Lu Jingqing’s attitude, since he was still Fu Zhi’s guardian, he bit the bullet and said, “If I could be so forward, Mr. Lu, I think it would not be good for either your family or Zhizhi if you adopted her without knowing anything about her.”

Generally, people would find out a kid’s background and personality before adopting it from an orphanage. However, Lu Jingqing gave Zhao Mingquan the impression that he had decided to adopt Fu Zhi on a whim.

3

Therefore, he felt that he had the obligation to let him know about the whole situation. “Zhizhi doesn’t look as obedient as she seems. She has a weird temperament, and she is a particularly poor student at school…”

8

“We will hire the best teacher to tutor her, but it’s fine even if she doesn’t like to study. The Lu Family has more than enough money to support her for her entire life.”

4

Zhao Mingquan thought Lu Jingqing would back away, but it seemed that he was wrong. He raised his head and looked at him.

The man before him stood as straight as a ramrod. The unperturbed expression etched on his face told Zhao Mingquan that he had not taken anything he had said to heart.

Judging by what he had just said, Zhao Mingquan knew he was the kind of person who thought money could solve every problem in the world. He did not care about the pride of the poor and he made it look like they had been treating Fu Zhi badly all along.

8

It was apparent to Zhao Mingquan that Lu Jingqing was a self-contained and conceited rich man.

12

Considering the fact that Fu Zhi had refused to take the 500 yuan that he had given her, he was certain that she would never be superficial enough to take a liking to a businessman like Li Jingqing who put money above everything.

2

Therefore, he mustered up all his courage and pressed on. “Although we’re poor, we’ve treated Fu Zhi as our own daughter. She had a good life here, and most importantly, she didn’t have to worry about being sent back to the orphanage because of a blot on the escutcheon!”

10

“Mr. Zhao!” The director sounded tense and angry. She instinctively turned to look at Lu Jingqing. Right now, he was leaning against the side of his car with his hands half-tucked into his pockets, and the bones of his fingers were slightly protruded.

His eyes were half-closed, but she knew that he was looking at Fu Zhi.

He had not taken anything Zhao Mingqing had said to heart.

The director heaved a sigh of relief. She then turned to Fu Zhi and said, “Zhizhi, Mr. Lu is here to take you to live with Mrs. Lu in Yu City. What do you think?”

Fu Zhi lifted her eyes to take a look at the director, whose face was shining with expectation, and then turned to look at Lu Jingqing.

She did not say anything, and Lu Jingqing just stood there and allowed her to study him.

The two of them did not talk at all, and the director wondered if they would make a good family or not.

Just as she was starting to worry, she heard Fu Zhi ask Lu Jingqing in a straightforward manner, “Would you abandon me?”

19

Her voice was light and devoid of emotion. It was as if getting abandoned was a normal thing for her.

Lu Jingqing felt his heart ache when he heard this question.

1

Mrs. Lu had always wanted a daughter. Lu Jingqing knew she liked Fu Zhi, and there was no pressure for him to have one more child in his house.

Therefore, he replied resolutely, “No. I would never abandon you.”

Then, the moment he finished talking, he saw light burst out of the little girl’s almond eyes as if there were stars in them. She reminded him of his wife when she was happy. Thus, he added, “When you join the Lu Family, you will be my daughter. No one will ever dare to think of you as a bane.”

7

The director knew Lu Jingqing was a man of his word. She felt assured leaving Fu Zhi in his care, so she said, “Zhizhi, after you pack up your stuff from the Zhao Family’s house, you can follow Mr. Lu to your new home.”

Fu Zhi nodded and answered, “Okay.”

Zhao Mingquan looked in disbelief at the three people in front of him with sadness and disappointment written all over his wrinkled face.

11

The Land Rover soon drove away. Before he could tell Fu Zhi to be more tolerant of the other children in her new home, the phone in his pocket rang.

When he answered it, Mrs. Zhao’s flustered voice blared out. “I just received a call from the school. They said Youyou lied about bullying other students, and they are going to expel her!”

The house of the Zhao Family was located at the corner of the small town, and the path in front of the house was rough.

Fu Zhi did not have many belongings. A notebook, a mechanical watch, a few clothes, several potted plants, and an ultra-thin phone were everything she had, and only one bag was needed to store everything.

She picked up the phone while sitting on the bed. The screen lit up, and a list of missed phone calls appeared.

The calls were all from an unknown phone number.

She dialed back, and the call was picked up very soon. Then, a careful voice rang out from the other side of the line, “I heard that the director has found a new family for you?”

Fu Zhi put the other person on speaker and continued to pack her stuff. When she heard this question, she answered plainly, “Yeah.”

BoxNovel.com

The voice paused for a short while before speaking up again, sounding a little hesitant. “The Lu Family was not on our list when we were looking for a family for you. We know very little about them, and all we ever understood is that this family is very complicated. We hope that you can come back for now, and then we will find another family for you. What about you? What do you think?”

2

Fu Zhi froze for a moment. She pressed her lips into a fine line and did not say anything.

She used to be a person who kept everything to herself. However, after spending some time with her, the person on the other side of the line could somewhat figure out if she was happy or angry whenever she stayed silent.

After about five seconds of silence, the other person gave in and let out a sigh. “If you don’t feel comfortable with the Lu Family, don’t force yourself. Come back.”

It was only then that Fu Zhi said something in return. Then, something suddenly popped up in her mind and she said, “I’ve planted some flowers in the backyard of the Zhao Family. You can come and take them away.”

There was some unused land behind the house. After Zhao Mingquan and Xu Lanzhi had taken her in, she had claimed the land for herself and planted some unknown plants in it.

2

The Zhao Family had often criticized Fu Zhi for paying more attention to this kind of unhealthy practice than to her studies. Initially, she’d wanted to leave those plants for them, but it did not seem necessary to her anymore.

6

The other person was taken aback for a few seconds. Then, his voice rose by a few octaves when he began to speak again. “Didn’t you tell me that the temperature and the soil there were not suitable for planting? Have all the seeds germinated?”

“Yeah,” Fu Zhi replied flatly.

The news came as a bombshell and gave the person on the phone a pleasant feeling. “That’s great! I’ll send some special staff to bring those babies back! Don’t worry, I’ll take better care of them than of my own mother!”

7

Fu Zhi did not know what to say. She did not want to listen to this person’s nonsense anymore, so she hung up the call. Then, she picked up her bag and bade the director farewell.

The sky outside the window dimmed, and a cold breeze began razing over the ground. The car drove around the small town for four hours before arriving at the Lu Mansion.

1

The Lu Family lived in a high-end residence. They were some of the most influential figures in Yu City, so the Lu Mansion was impressively large. There were a few ancient woody trees planted around the periphery, and the mansion in the center followed the classical architectural design of ancient times. As a result, it was pleasing to the eye.

“What took your dad so long?” a woman in a sky-blue tailor-made qipao asked the young man standing next to her. She was pacing back and forth nervously in front of the door as she gazed longingly at the gate.

One of them was Lu Jingqing’s wife, Xu Wei, while the other was his son, Lu Yushen.

When two figures appeared in her line of vision, her eyes shone and she shouted, “Your dad has returned!”

Then, when she saw the little girl, who she’d kept dreaming about for days and nights behind her husband’s back, she grabbed her son excitedly and said, “Yushen, the little girl over there is the younger sister that mom told you about.”

The young man followed Xu Wei’s finger and his eyes landed on the little girl walking behind his father.

The day had become gloomy, and every swirl of wind took some of Fu Zhi’s heat away.

Her skin was fair, and her cheeks were flushed pink. The whites of her eyes were so pure that they stood out like pearls on black satin. Her black pupils were at once clear and enigmatic.

After taking a brief look at his sister, Lu Yushen slowly lowered his head. He did not react in any way.

On the other hand, Xu Wei was excited. As if she could not wait any longer, she approached Fu Zhi with a large stride and grasped her hands.

All her motions were graceful, and time seemed to have been particularly lenient with her. She still retained her charm, and she now had an air of elegance about her.

Fu Zhi could smell the faint daisy perfume coming from the woman’s body. She was not used to having physical interaction with other people. As soon as her body turned stiff, the woman in front of her wrapped her into her embrace.

When she pulled Fu Zhi into her arms and felt her warm body against hers, tears began to fill Xu Wei’s eyes. Meanwhile, she cried out, “Zhizhi, mommy thought she had lost her chance to take care of you! I really didn’t expect that you would return to my side in the end. Mommy is so happy right now. It’s as if I’m dreaming!

12

“Mommy had been praying to God that you would have a smooth life. Perhaps God listened to my prayers, as you became an orphan again!”

12

Fu Zhi was speechless. She wondered why Xu Wei loved her so much.

3

Xu Wei, who did not care about Fu Zhi’s embarrassment, bawled her eyes out.

Lu Jingqing looked back and forth between his sobbing wife and Fu Zhi, who was in her arms. Enveloped in this sad atmosphere, he raised his hand to rub his temples and said, “Let go of Zhizhi first and let’s go inside. Zhizhi is exhausted. We should let her go rest in her room.”

3

It was only then that Xu Wei came back to her senses. She realized that her husband was right. Fu Zhi was exhausted from the trip, so she should let her rest in her room. She wiped the tears off her cheeks with the back of her hand and led Fu Zhi into the mansion, leaving her husband and son standing outside the door.

“Zhizhi, mommy didn’t know what you’d like, so the room has been decorated according to the house’s design. If you want to change anything, just let me know. Mommy will change it for you.”

4

As she was talking, the door to Fu Zhi’s room was pushed open.

Even though they had a tight work schedule, the room was equipped with everything that Fu Zhi needed. The bedsheets were pink in color, and there were plenty of dolls on the bed and on the floor.

4

The entire room was pink and looked very warm.

1

It was different from the room that she used to stay in when she’d been living with the Zhao Family. It was not just a resting place. It looked more like a warm abode that had been decorated with care.

“Zhizhi, we are a family, so you don’t have to thank mommy. This is what mom should do for you,” Xu Wei said as she placed her hand on Fu Zhi’s head. “This is not the first time your daddy and I are becoming parents. We know what we should do and what we shouldn’t do, and we will certainly take good care of you. Therefore, please don’t shut us out. Okay, Zhizhi?”

8

Fu Zhi lowered her head and said softly, “Thank you.”