Chapter 3

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

During the winter of the year when she turned ten, Xu Zhaomu was sent to an orphanage. But by the third day of her admission, the orphanage director was already suffering from insomnia brought about by her.

Every time the orphanage director tried to do secret, naughty things with his lover, a firecracker would explode with an enormous BANG outside his window. The window frame would shake and clatter from the impact.

The first time it happened, the orphanage director ran out in shock, pulling up his pants.

The second time, the orphanage director patrolled the building after pulling up his pants.

The third time, the orphanage director tugged at her clothes and pulled her out of the tree.

“Xu Zhaomu, you are punished! You have to go into the classroom and write your name 100 times!” The orphanage director gnashed his teeth furiously.

“You’re hurting me… Let go of my hand, let go…” Xu Zhaomu bawled.

“100 times. Did you hear me?”

“I heard you…”

In defeat, Xu Zhaomu got her exercise book and started to write. The next day, she planted her exercise book on the orphanage director’s desk respectfully.

When the orphanage director looked at what she’d written in the book, he saw she’d written the word b*stard everywhere. Now, he was seething with anger. He slammed the book onto the table and began to search for Xu Zhaomu far and wide.

“Little bunny, come out. I promise I won’t beat you to death.”

After scouring the entire building multiple times, he was unable to find Xu Zhaomu. On the contrary, another group of the little kids ran up to him.

Some with bare torsos, some with mucus dripping out of their noses, and some wiping away their tears…

“Director, my pants have gone missing…”

“Director, black ink has been splattered on my head…”

“Director, there are firecrackers in the toilet…”

“All of you, go and drag Xu Zhaomu over here!” The orphanage director flew into a rage.

The peaceful, quiet orphanage of the past had been transformed into a pigsty ever since the arrival of Xu Zhaomu. The director felt as if his head was on the verge of exploding.

At the same time, Xu Zhaomu was basking in the sun as she lay on a pile of hay. Although she had done all these terrible things, she pretended as though they had nothing to do with her.

The sun warmed her entire being. Since it was winter, it was especially comfortable. She stretched her body cozily.

That afternoon, the humble orphanage welcomed two distinguished guests.

A distinguished woman in her 30s arrived before the entrance of the orphanage with a teenage boy.

The woman carried herself with grace and poise. She wore a pair of black stilettos and had draped an expensive white fur coat over her body. Her ears, neck, and wrists were all adorned with jeweled accessories, each reflecting dazzling rays of sunlight.

The ten-year-old Xu Zhaomu was completely uninterested in all of this. But when she caught sight of the teenage boy standing next to the woman, her eyes instantly sparkled and twinkled brilliantly.

Much later, Xu Zhaomu thought, being lecherous could truly be considered an ability. Both males and females couldn’t escape.

However, she couldn’t be blamed for this. Who’d asked that certain someone to possess such a devastatingly handsome face ever since his childhood days.

That teenage boy was indeed very good-looking. He was fair and handsome. However, he was always frowning, and he carried himself with caution. Even his eyes were gloomy. A sense of maturity that did not correspond to his age could be seen on his face, even though he was still so young.

As Xu Zhaomu hid stealthily within the pile of hay, two cold eyes glinted at her. She trembled and almost tumbled off the haystack in fright.

Alas, the boy had seen her.

“Greetings to you both. Welcome to our orphanage.” The orphanage director stood before them with a grin on his face. His expression didn’t seem natural.

Although the orphanage was located in the prosperous C City, this district where it was was one of the poorest and most unruly areas.

“I’m here to adopt a child.”

The woman spoke quietly, her voice resembling a flower. There wasn’t much expression on her face.

The orphanage director said, “Oh.” Such occurrences were very common. From time to time, children would be adopted, although it was rarely the wealthy who would pay a visit.

“Please follow me then. I will introduce you to some children.”

“No need, let’s just speak here.”

“That’s fine, that’s fine. Do you want to adopt a boy or a girl?”

“Do you have a girl named Xu Zhaomu here?”

The face of the orphanage director lit up. It was as radiant as the colors of the rainbow. Xu Zhaomu?

“Yes, Madame. We do indeed have a child called Xu Zhaomu. She was sent here three days ago. She used to live with her mother, and I heard rumors that she was illegitimate. However, their house recently exploded and caught on fire. The mother of this child passed away. But…”

The orphanage director paused. He was considering if he should reveal all the glorious achievements that Xu Zhaomu had accomplished since she’d been at the orphanage.

Xu Zhaomu perked up her ears. What? Someone wanted to adopt her?

The woman frowned. A trace of displeasure could be seen in her eyes. “But what?”

“This child is quite clever… She’s a little mischievous, I’m afraid you might not like her. Actually, we have a lot of other children in our orphanage…”

“No need. Just bring Xu Zhaomu out,” the woman demanded indifferently.

The orphanage director dabbed his sweat away. He didn’t even know where Xu Zhaomu had run off to.

“Are you all looking for me?”

Xu Zhaomu leaped off the haystack and dusted off her hands. However, her eyes were fixed on the boy.

The boy wasn’t looking at her, and his eyes were filled with disdain. “She’s so ugly and scrawny. Just like a monkey.”

“Are you blind?” Xu Zhaomu was furious.

“Xu Zhaomu, watch how you speak to the guests,” the orphanage director berated her, despite knowing that it wouldn’t be very effective.

“Madame, this is Xu Zhaomu. She is already ten years old, and she is impudent. I must ask you to forgive her,” the orphanage director explained.

“Let’s choose another one. I’m worried that I’ll lose my appetite in the future if we take that one,” the boy spoke nonchalantly to the woman.

“Ah, Chi, don’t make trouble. We’re not trying to pick out a wife for you. In the future, Zhaomu will stay at our house. Please treat her kindly.” The lady’s face remained expressionless.

“If I do end up marrying someone like her, then I really must be blind.”

The youth spoke apathetically. He continued to carry himself with disdain. He didn’t even cast a glance at Xu Zhaomu.

“Do you want to fight? Let me tell you, a poisonous tongue is considered a disease. You have to treat it.”

Xu Zhaomu stood arrogantly before the youth. However, she was at least one head shorter than he was. The youth simply harrumphed coldly, completely ignoring her presence.

“Director, please take me to complete the paperwork. I will take her away today,” the woman spoke in a faint voice.

“Madame, why don’t you reconsider. There are countless children in our orphanage who are all very obedient. This kid…is a little cheeky, I’m afraid…”

The orphanage director wanted to say that he was afraid that she would demand a refund. If that kid stirred up trouble, they’d probably come looking for him. If a wealthy family wagged their fingers, the entire orphanage could go bankrupt.

He could not afford to offend them. He would even need to hide.

“No need, I’m here to take her away. If you need anything, just let me know.” The woman’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was very impressive.

“This… Let me ask Xu Zhaomu.” The orphanage director was still a bit uneasy.

He bent down and smiled amiably, “Zhaomu, someone wants to take you away. Are you willing?”

“If there are no benefits, why should I follow them? I’m not a ball that you can kick around.” This time, Xu Zhaomu was the one expressing her disdain.

The woman bent down and stroked Xu Zhaomu’s hair. Her slender hands were just like the willow branches that bloomed in February.

The moment she bent down, Xu Zhaomu could smell a crisp fragrance that resembled a mix of jasmine and magnolia flowers. This was her first time discovering what it meant to be an aristocrat. At that time, Mrs. Shen was just like a deity who had descended into the mortal world.

As the lady raised her arms, the bracelets on her wrists clinked together, producing a jingle that sounded crisp and pleasant to the ear.

Very gently, she helped Xu Zhaomu to pick out pieces of hay from her hair. “Follow me back. We have everything.”

“She’s young, but greedy.” On the side, the boy didn’t look very pleased.

Xu Zhaomu had originally felt a dilemma as she considered whether or not to follow this lady home. Because of the gentleness she had displayed, Xu Zhaomu’s nose twitched as she was reminded of her own mother.

However, the boy was a huge eyesore. She raised her head and glared at him in disagreement. “You call this greed? I have even more greed up my sleeves, do you want to take a look?”