The He Family had indeed come looking for her again after twenty years because they learned she was running a company and making money.
However, she wasn’t panicked at all, after all, she also had a trump card.
“He Meijun, no matter what, I am your mom. All these years, you never took care of me and your dad. Now that you’ve made it big as the daughter, you should properly show some filial piety to us…”
“That’s right! I heard you’re now cooperating with a big boss from Hong Kong, making piles of money. As long as you hand over the cash to us, everything can be talked about.”
Because of yesterday’s incident, the He Family mother and son dropped the pretense and shamelessly stated their demands.
Hearing their words, although He Meijun and Qiao Chang were surprised at how the He Family knew these things.
They dismissed their threats completely.
“Heh, what if I don’t agree?”
He Meijun sneered, her gaze filled with disgust as she looked at the He Family mother and son, her heart ice-cold.
“If you don’t agree, we’ll make a huge fuss! We’ll let that big boss from Hong Kong you’re cooperating with know you’re an ungrateful wretch who disregards family ties! What do you think he’ll do once he knows you can coldly ignore even your own parents? Do you think he’ll still feel safe partnering with an ungrateful wretch like you???”
“That’s right! He Meijun, we’re family at least. You’ve made so much money, what’s wrong with sharing some with the family? You can’t be that selfish, or you’ll get karmic retribution!”
Hearing the threats from the He Family mother and son, He Meijun found it utterly ridiculous.
“Karmic retribution? Heh, you have the nerve to say that.”
As He Meijun recalled her experiences from her early years, her heart grew even colder.
Back then, she had been bullied and manipulated by this family, but that was only because she was young and powerless to resist.
Yet this family still treated her as if she were as easy to bully as before.
“Don’t worry, no matter how much noise you make, it won’t reach Hong Kong. A big boss like that has no time for clowns like you.”
Seeing He Meijun so ‘arrogant’ and unafraid, He Yaodong immediately flew into a rage. “He Meijun, don’t get cocky! Even if we can’t reach your Hong Kong business partner, we can still go to the newspaper! Let the whole nation know you’re a heartless wretch who ignores your family’s life or death after striking it rich! Then everyone will know you’re an unfilial daughter who even abandons her parents…”
Hearing He Yaodong say this, Qiao Chang, who had been silently standing by He Meijun’s side, gently holding her hand, suddenly grew anxious.
If this really made the papers, it might indeed be unfavorable to his wife.
After all, no matter what, they were He Meijun’s parents. Some people would naturally side with the parents regardless of the truth.
But before he could say anything, he saw He Meijun suddenly burst out laughing, her gaze full of disdain and mockery as she looked toward Li Feng.
“You want me in the papers? Fine, go ahead. I’m curious, if everyone finds out I’m not your daughter but stolen by your family, will they wonder whose daughter I really am? Will it blow up even bigger and lead my real parents to find me?”
These words stunned He Yaodong, who had been threatening He Meijun. He had no idea what his sister was talking about.
But Li Feng, who had been composed, turned pale with shock upon hearing He Meijun’s words, a flicker of terror appearing in her turbid eyes.
She instinctively wanted to ask how He Meijun knew, but when her eyes met He Meijun’s mocking gaze, her heart trembled violently.
“Let’s go! Back home!”
Now, Li Feng no longer thought about squeezing any benefits from He Meijun. She was completely flustered and dragged her son’s hand, wanting to leave.
He Yaodong was baffled by his mother’s sudden change in attitude. They hadn’t gotten any benefits yet—why was she in such a hurry to go?
“Mom, we…”
“Shut up! I’ll explain when we get back! Let’s leave now!”
At this moment, Li Feng just wanted to get as far away from He Meijun as possible!
Watching He Yaodong and Li Feng leave like that, Qiao Chang looked utterly confused.
He didn’t understand how this seemingly tough mother-son duo had just walked away.
And what did his wife just say? Not their daughter, but stolen by their family???
“Meijun, what’s really going on? Are you really not their daughter???”
Facing her husband’s question, He Meijun gave a bitter smile and said helplessly.
“I wasn’t sure before, but from Li Feng’s reaction just now, it seems I guessed right.”
“Guessed???”
Hearing this, Qiao Chang grew even more puzzled.
“You saw it too—I don’t look like the He Family at all. Growing up in the Military Family Courtyard, everyone said I didn’t resemble them. I suspected it as a child, wondering if I was really their kid. After all, what parents treat their own child like that?
But every time I mentioned it, they beat me. One night, I even overheard them saying I was ungrateful and talking about throwing me into the mountains.
Back then, I was scared they’d abandon me, so afterward, I never brought it up again and just obeyed them…”
As He Meijun recalled those past memories, she felt a chill run through her body.
But soon, she was enveloped in a warm embrace.
“It’s all in the past. They can never hurt you again…”
He Meijun’s heart warmed, and she nodded gently. The gloom in her heart instantly dissipated.
“I thought they’d never show up in my life again, so that doubt would remain unsolved forever. But they appeared once more, and… this bluff of mine actually confirmed I’m not their child…”
Listening to his wife’s words, Qiao Chang felt nothing but heartache.
These years, he knew his wife had a bad relationship with her family, but He Meijun had never talked about her natal family, so he had no idea they had treated her so poorly.
“Meijun, do you want to find your real parents? If you do, let’s go confront that family right now and get the truth!”
Hearing this, He Meijun shook her head lightly and said calmly.
“If I’d known this twenty-something years ago, I definitely would’ve searched for my real parents. But now I’m over forty. I have you all, my own family. I don’t need them anymore…”
At this moment, with the doubt that had lingered since childhood finally resolved, the nearly fifty-year-old He Meijun felt some resentment toward her unknown family.
As her parents, they hadn’t protected her, letting her be taken away and abused growing up, filling her childhood with shadows.
No matter the reason, her biological parents were at fault.
Now, she had been healed by her husband and children. She lived happily and no longer needed the parents who had ‘lost’ her for whatever reason…
“Alright, we’ll do as you say. If you don’t want to find them, we won’t. From now on, just the four of us living happily!”
Qiao Chang agreed without hesitation, grinning brightly.
“Mm, the kids’ dad, let’s work hard and make money. I miss our daughter. I want to go to the Capital early to be with her…”
…
At this moment, Qiao Shu had no idea that her parents far away in Qiao Village had encountered such a sudden incident.
Nor that her mother had this melodramatic twist of not being her biological parents.
Right now, she was listening to Weng Kanya’s endless over-the-top flattery! And all of it fresh and varied!
“Teacher Qiao! You’re truly amazing! Our magazine’s first issue has outsold so many others! The debut Fairy Tale Princess is completely sold out! The printing plant is rushing reprints right now!!!”
Whenever Weng Kanya thought about how this was just their magazine’s launch and it had such a explosive start, her heart raced with excitement.
Her worship for her goddess surged like an endless river, growing ever more turbulent!
“I told them early on, with Fairy Tale Princess’s quality so high and all the fairy tales personally written by you, Teacher Qiao, we should’ve printed way more. But Brother Jiang thought we should play it safe and not print too many. And now? Fairy Tale Princess is in such high demand we have to reprint!”
Seeing Weng Kanya’s flushed, excited little face, Qiao Shu’s lips curved up.
“Actually, the magazine’s great sales aren’t just my credit. You deserve some too.”
Qiao Shu smiled at Weng Kanya and said softly, “My brother-in-law told me it was your idea to have every bookstore and newsstand hang eye-catching banners with my name, letting everyone know Fairy Tale Princess was created by me alone…”
Weng Kanya had really been underutilized as just an editor before.
Her mind was incredibly sharp; she even thought of modern marketing tactics like that.
“Aw, it was luck! Who knew that pig-headed editor who refused to raise our pay before would suddenly come begging with apologies and big money to get us back? I figured something was up, so I asked a former colleague. Turns out, so many readers bought the magazine just for your stories, Teacher Qiao. They were all eager for your fairy tales—sending letters, making calls, way more than my hundred Reader Survey Reports! So I thought, since everyone wants your fairy tales so badly, we can’t let them miss out on finding our Teacher Qiao!
Just then, I looked up and saw the school’s banner celebrating some student’s great exam results. It hit me—we could do banners at bookstores and kiosks too! Size doesn’t matter, as long as they’re eye-catching! Let everyone know Fairy Tale Princess is by Teacher Qiao!
Then I figured, since we’re making banners anyway, let’s make the money count and introduce you to readers who don’t know you yet as the amazing fairy tale writer you are…”
Hearing Weng Kanya veer back into flattery, Qiao Shu quickly interrupted with a laugh.
“Alright, alright! Those words on the banners introducing me—you really went overboard. You nearly hyped me up as some world-famous fairy tale author.”
Jiang Zheng had sent her photos, and she’d been so embarrassed her toes curled!
She knew Weng Kanya was her ‘brainless fan’, but she hadn’t realized the girl would hype her to such absurd heights.
Those praise words made it sound like she could win a Nobel Prize in Literature—totally over the top!
“Teacher Qiao, that’s not hype. You’re that amazing in my heart!”
Weng Kanya gazed at Qiao Shu worshipfully, her tone utterly sincere.
“Besides, hyping you up more gets unfamiliar readers to buy and discover you~!”
“…” Great, she suddenly saw Weng Kanya had real ‘shrewd merchant’ potential!
“Heh heh heh, Teacher Qiao, I have a feeling that pig-headed editor will soon agree to my demand of 100 yuan per thousand words for you.”
Weng Kanya suddenly thought of something and laughed out loud.
Hearing this, Qiao Shu asked puzzled.
“If he agrees to all your demands, then what?”
“I just said I’d consider it. I never said I’d definitely go back.”
Weng Kanya smirked slyly, her tone mischievously wicked.
However, to Weng Kanya’s surprise, the first call she received was not from Happy Children Magazine…