Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
How was that possible?!
She knew her own strength. The teacher had indeed said that she could compete for the top scorer; but in her previous life, she had clearly failed the exam. In the end, she could only go to a third-rate university.
On the other hand, Xu Yue’s usual results were average, but she performed very well in the college entrance exam and became the top scorer in Science this year. She was fought over by all the schools, which made her parents very happy.
It was because of this that the gap between her and Xu Yue became wider and wider. Everyone said that an adopted daughter was an adopted daughter after all, and she was far inferior to Xu Yue.
But now, the provincial top scorer in Science… had become her?
Seeing the girl’s blank face, Li Jingran sighed in his heart, and his heart inexplicably softened.
Maybe she really lost her memory.
The Xu family was stupid enough. Did they become addicted to raising an imposter? They actually said that their biological daughter was an adopted daughter and even forced her out of the house at the birthday party. If he had not happened to pick her up, she might have encountered someone else.
Of course, Li Jingran would not show mercy to a woman who came close to him with ulterior motives. However, he could not be cold-hearted to a young girl who had good grades, was well-behaved, and was in a pitiful situation with amnesia.
Moreover… today, the Xu family had spread the news, faintly hinting that Xu Yue had passed the provincial scholar examination.
Not only did she steal her identity, but she was also planning to steal her results and steal her life?
Li Jingran thought that he was not a good person, but the way the Xu family bullied people really amazed him.
At this time, Xu Wanwan gently tugged on his sleeve.
“Brother, I’m the provincial top scorer. Can I be your sister now?”
Her voice was crisp and sweet, and her eyes were clear, like a poor rabbit, looking at him eagerly—as if being his sister was the most important thing in her heart. Her face was still filled with unease and pleading.
The circumstance of a hatchling.
After all, she had lost her memory, and he was the first person she saw…
Li Jingran tried his best to explain Xu Wanwan’s dependence on him. He tried to be expressionless, but the corners of his mouth could not help but curl up.
The little girl was indeed quite capable. If he nurtured her now, he could take her under his wing when she regained her memory in the future, and she could contribute to the Li family. He could treat it as… funding a child’s studies.
Li Jingran found a very reasonable excuse for himself. It was not because she was so obedient and cute that it made people instinctively want to treat her well.
“Alright, in the future…”
His tone was still cold, but his gaze had already softened.
“I’ll protect you. What should be yours is yours. No one can take it away.”
Xu Wanwan’s heart skipped a beat, and a surge of uncontrollable joy burst out.
This was the first time someone was willing to protect her explicitly.
“Brother, you’re so kind!”
That evening.
Xu Wanwan held a tray, her small face solemn. She stood outside the study room and tried her luck, carefully knocking on the door.
“Come in,” Li Jingran’s voice rang out inside.
Xu Wanwan took a deep breath. Because she was holding something in her hand, she used her shoulder to push against the door. She first poked her head in, carefully sizing up Li Jingran, who was dealing with work. When she saw that Li Jingran’s expression was calm… she then tiptoed in.
“What are you doing?”
Li Jingran saw everything from the corner of his eye. He pursed his lips and stopped smiling.
Sneaky, really cute.
“Brother didn’t eat tonight.” Xu Wanwan put the tray on the small coffee table in the study and said each word carefully, “I made fish porridge. Brother, can you help me taste it?”
Li Jingran opened his mouth, but he didn’t say a word of refusal.
The girl stood in front of him obediently, her eyes fawning with a dazzlingly bright light, causing one to feel tender-hearted.
He had a sharp mouth, and it was very troublesome to eat a meal that suited his heart. In addition, he was busy and didn’t have time, so he often had no meal during mealtime.
The servants at home knew his habits and never interfered. Only this little girl…
“I know Brother doesn’t eat much at night, but it’s bad for your stomach if you don’t eat.” Seeing that the other party did not respond, Xu Wanwan was afraid of being rejected, she tried her best to persuade him, “It hurts especially when you have stomach problems and you have to avoid eating. There are so many delicious foods that you can’t eat. I don’t want Brother to get sick. Just a little bit. Brother, eat a little bit, okay?”
In her previous life, she was afraid of causing trouble for others. She did not ask for a single cent from her family when she went to university. She relied on her spare time to work. Because time was too tight and her diet was irregular, she suffered from stomach problems due to hunger. When she was sick, it was simply worse than death.
This person was the son of Fate. She had to take good care of him. Otherwise, she would die prematurely and she would continue to be sucked by the heroine.
‘Take good care of him so that you and I can be good together.’
However, in Li Jingran’s eyes, all of this became the little girl’s careful fawning.
As expected, she was still worried that he would throw her away? Or, she was worried that he was only willing to accept his own sister because of her grades.
How much suffering had she gone through in the past to develop such a sensitive and delicate mind?
“…Bring it over.”
Li Jingran met her gaze and was silent for a moment, but he still nodded.
Xu Wanwan’s eyes lit up, and she quickly placed the porridge in front of him.
The snow-white rice was boiled for a long time, and it had absorbed enough water to turn into rice. The solidified fish meat was partially visible, and it was buried in the porridge that has the right consistency. It emitted a faint salty smell, and the surface was sprinkled with green onions. A dense white mist rose up, and it looked surprisingly delicious.
Li Jingran paused and picked up the spoon.
He actually didn’t eat fish very much. He always felt that there would be a fishy smell, and he never had these made at home.
However, after he ate one spoonful, he couldn’t help but widen his eyes slightly.
It wasn’t a very amazing taste, but it was just the right amount of salty freshness. There wasn’t a hint of fishy smell. The soft and tender fish meat in the smooth base was mixed with ginger powder, warming the stomach. Each ingredient had its own duties and was so well-coordinated that it seemed like they were born to do so.
There was not much porridge, and he finished it in a few bites.
“This… Did you make it yourself?”
Li Jingran put down the spoon, still not satisfied. His whole body was warm, and he looked at Xu Wanwan with surprise in his eyes.
“Is it good?” Xu Wanwan smiled and narrowed her eyes, looking satisfied.
Watching others show a happy expression because they had eaten her own cooking was one of the few interests that she had.
Not only did Li Jingran take her in out of kindness, but he also promised to protect her. She did not have anything except for the cooking skills that she had learned in her previous life in order to please her family. She wanted to do something for him to express her gratitude.
“I actually know how to do other things…”
Xu Wanwan probed, “If you like it, I can make some every day?”
“There’s a chef at home. You don’t need to.”
Li Jingran refused decisively. This was not why he took Xu Wanwan in.
The light in Xu Wanwan’s eyes dimmed, and she lowered her head, feeling wronged.
She was a person who knew how to repay kindness. In her previous life, the Xu family had let her down, so she no longer cared about them in this life. However, being rejected by Li Jingran still made her feel a little disappointed, and she stood there listlessly.
Why did she always look like she was being bullied?
Li Jingran had a headache, so he could only take a step back.
“Once a week.”
“Okay!” Xu Wanwan quickly looked up. Her happiness was written all over her face.
Her goal had been achieved, so she did not disturb Li Jingran anymore. She briskly cleaned up the dishes and cutlery. The view of her back leaving the house was lively.
It was obvious that she had worked hard to cook, but it was as if she had obtained some treasure.
She was indeed a child.
Li Jingran pinched the bridge of his nose and could not help but laugh.
The Xu family… really mistook the fish eye for a pearl. They will regret it in the future!
“The Xu family did not call the police. They are looking for Miss Xu in private.”
After hanging up the phone with his assistant, Li Jingran could not help but sneer.
What a bunch of idiots. They were fooled by a fake. Their long-lost biological daughter went missing for four days before they remembered to look for her. They even listened to the instigation of their adopted daughter and chose not to call the police for the sake of a false reputation.
Even in an ordinary family, the family would be anxious if their barely adult daughter went missing.
“Knock, knock.”
The next moment, there was a careful knock on the study door.
Li Jingran almost subconsciously stretched his eyebrows. “Come in.”
“Brother, are you free now?”
Xu Wanwan pushed the door open and touched the tip of her nose as if she was covering it. She said in embarrassment, “My grades are out. I want to choose which school to apply to. Brother, can you give me some advice?”
“Discuss it with me?”
Li Jingran raised his eyebrows and then fell silent again.
Xu Wanwan’s results were so good that the whole family should be very happy to choose a school and a major, but the situation of the Xu family and the intentions that they revealed…
He took a deep breath and tapped the table with his fingertips. He asked, “Actually, I’ve found your family. Do you want to go back?”
Xu Wanwanwas stunned.
The next second, her eyes turned red, and she looked like she was about to cry.
