Chapter 2: Mommy, My Daddy Hates Being Lied to the Most…

Faced with the police officer’s question,

Zhou Zhaodi shrank her neck and didn’t dare utter another word.

The young officer then turned his gaze to Bai Yuanzhi.

Bai Yuanzhi smiled faintly, “Yes, Officer, Zhou Xiangmei is my aunt, and also her mother.”

She remained calm and composed, “So you know my aunt too.”

The serene expression on Bai Yuanzhi’s face did not reflect her true feelings at that moment.

In fact—

She had already prepared herself for the worst.

Yes, Bai Yuanzhi was a reincarnator.

Her original name was Zhou Pandi, born in a small mountain village deep in the borderlands of Hunan and Guizhou.

The family consisted of seven members: parents, four daughters, and one son.

Zhou Pandi was the third child.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year six years ago, her mother, Zhou Xiangmei, could no longer endure her father’s long-term domestic violence after drinking and fled with her eldest sister, Zhou Sidi, who was only sixteen at the time.

From then on, the burden of supporting the family fell on the shoulders of twelve-year-old Zhou Pandi.

But in her previous life, Zhou Pandi never knew that her mother and eldest sister had actually gone to Hong Kong City!

Nor did she know that her eldest sister had been writing letters to her all along!

It turned out that after her eldest sister had settled in Hong Kong City in her previous life, she applied for immigration and relocation documents for Zhou Pandi in April six years later, in 1981, and sent them to her.

However, all the letters sent by her eldest sister, including the immigration and relocation documents, were taken by her second sister, Zhou Niandi.

In April 1981 in her previous life, her second sister, Zhou Niandi, used the complete immigration and relocation documents to impersonate Zhou Pandi and took their fifth brother, Zhou Baocai, to Hong Kong City.

They didn’t even inform Zhou Pandi before leaving.

Zhou Pandi only found out that the house was empty when she returned home after finishing her work in the fields.

But that wasn’t the worst part.

The worst part was—

Before fleeing, Zhou Niandi, fearing that Zhou Pandi might chase after them, went to great lengths to arrange a “good” marriage for Zhou Pandi to keep her tied down.

The ignorant Zhou Genfa had always been obedient to his second daughter’s words.

Thus, on the day Zhou Pandi returned home, her father knocked her unconscious with a club. When she woke up, she had already been sold by her father to an older man in his forties from a remote village in another mountain range!

Zhou Pandi attempted to escape time and time again.

But unfamiliar with the terrain, she was caught and brought back each time.

The older man chained her hands and feet…

She endured three years of humiliation before finally finding an opportunity to escape back home.

By then, Zhou Genfa had just passed away.

Her fourth sister, Zhou Zhaodi, had received the immigration documents sent by Zhou Xiangmei from Hong Kong City and was preparing to leave home.

Zhou Pandi followed Zhou Zhaodi to Shenzhen City first.

Zhou Zhaodi bought a boat ticket and boarded the ship openly and legitimately.

Zhou Pandi collected over a dozen empty plastic bottles, tied them together with a rope around her body, and swam across the strait, following far behind the ship carrying Zhou Zhaodi.

Unexpectedly—

It wasn’t until she arrived in Hong Kong City that Zhou Pandi learned her eldest sister had died from a fall three years earlier, shortly after sending the immigration and relocation documents to Zhou Pandi!

It was said to be suicide.

Zhou Pandi struggled for a long time to establish herself in Hong Kong City.

Years later, after falling into an unfortunate relationship, she began to suspect that her eldest sister’s death might have been more than it seemed.

Later, she accidentally came across her eldest sister’s belongings and discovered that her sister had placed high hopes on her and had grand aspirations…

Her eldest sister would never have committed suicide!

Zhou Pandi wanted to investigate the truth behind her eldest sister’s death.

Who would have thought that even she herself would meet an untimely death!

Upon opening her eyes, Zhou Pandi found herself back in the remote mountain village of 1981.

This time, she waited by the postal station, personally intercepting the immigration and relocation documents her eldest sister had sent her, carefully tucking them away.

Then she turned her fifth brother, Zhou Baocai, against the family.

Zhou Baocai wasn’t particularly bright.

He was easily swayed by Zhou Pandi’s words: “If we find a good marriage for your second sister, the bride price will let you and Dad eat braised pork knuckles every day.”

When Zhou Niandi was knocked out by Zhou Genfa and dragged off to an old man’s house,

Zhou Pandi also knocked Zhou Baocai unconscious with a stick and hurriedly fled.

Along the way, Zhou Zhaodi caught up, wanting to escape with her.

Zhou Pandi didn’t refuse, but she didn’t offer Zhou Zhaodi much help either.

Before heading to Hong Kong City, however, Zhou Pandi first made a detour to the county police station to change her name to Bai Yuanzhi.

And so, Bai Yuanzhi hurried toward Hong Kong City.

She wanted to prevent her eldest sister’s death.

But—

Why did this young policeman look at the two sisters with such surprise and astonishment upon hearing the name “Zhou Xiangmei”?

A bad premonition began to rise in Bai Yuanzhi’s heart.

At that moment, the young policeman was also sizing up the pair of young sisters before him.

—Bai Yuanzhi looked about sixteen or seventeen, and Zhou Zhaodi seemed around the same age. But since Zhou Zhaodi called Bai Yuanzhi “third sister,” she was likely a year or two younger.

“I do know Aunt Xiang,” the young policeman said, restarting the car and heading toward Kai Tak Road. “…Strictly speaking, my family and your aunt’s family live quite close. We’re in the same building—my floor is higher, on the sixteenth.”

Bai Yuanzhi bit her lower lip.

She desperately wanted to ask—Then, how is my eldest sister Zhou Sier doing now?

Yes, eldest sister Zhou Sidi later changed her name to Zhou Sier.

Zhou Zhaodi had already eagerly chimed in, “Officer, so you know my mom! It’s like the river god clashing with the dragon king—family not recognizing family!”

Zhou Zhaodi relaxed completely and asked with a smile, “By the way, officer, how have my mom and eldest sister been lately?”

Bai Yuanzhi pricked up her ears.

At the same time, she carefully tried to recall whether her eldest sister in her previous life had such a young policeman as a friend.

No matter how hard she thought, Bai Yuanzhi couldn’t remember.

The young policeman remained silent for a long while before answering, “Aunt Xiang… has been doing well lately.”

Zhou Zhaodi pressed on, “What about my eldest sister? I heard she went to university?”

Bai Yuanzhi’s heart instantly tightened again.

But this time, the young policeman took an even longer time to respond.

Bai Yuanzhi’s heart sank little by little.

Zhou Zhaodi thought the officer hadn’t heard clearly. “Officer, I meant—”

The young policeman introduced himself, “My surname is Jiang, Jiang Yiming.”

Zhou Zhaodi quickly adapted, “Brother Yiming, my eldest sister, she—”

After a long pause, Jiang Yiming finally said, “I’m sorry, but I can’t disclose Zhou Sier’s recent situation.”

Zhou Zhaodi froze, turning to look at Bai Yuanzhi in confusion, her eyes filled with bewilderment.

Bai Yuanzhi’s face turned deathly pale.

Jiang Yiming added, “You can ask Aunt Xiang when you see her.”

Now, even Zhou Zhaodi sensed something was wrong. She fell silent, not daring to speak another word.

Suppressing the unease in her heart, Bai Yuanzhi began to review the situation:

In her previous life, Zhou Xiangmei had been deeply secretive about Zhou Sier’s death.

In her previous life, when Bai Yuanzhi arrived in Hong Kong, more than three years had already passed since Zhou Sier’s death.

She had once carefully asked Zhou Xiangmei which day exactly was Zhou Sier’s death anniversary.

Zhou Xiangmei said it was April 20th.

But today was only April 18th.

Jiang Yiming’s attitude also seemed to suggest that Zhou Sier was already…

So—

What on earth was going on?!

The atmosphere in the car was heavy.

Jiang Yiming finally drove the car into Youde Garden and brought Bai Yuanzhi and Zhou Zhaodi to Zhou Xiangmei’s home.

It was already 2 a.m.

The one who came to open the door was a plump, middle-aged beauty with a sleeping cap and nightgown, who looked well-rounded and delicate.

She had heavy dark circles under her eyes. Seeing that the visitor was Jiang Yiming, she spoke impatiently in fluent Cantonese:

“Officer Jiang, I’ve told you many times I don’t know why Zhou Sier suddenly appeared at the Bilanting Hotel, and I don’t know where she got that sexy, high-end lingerie…”

“I may be her mother, but she moved out a long time ago! And our mother-daughter relationship is quite distant. I really don’t know anything about her affairs!”

“Officer Jiang, could I please ask you not to knock on my door at 2 a.m. to ask me anything about Zhou Sier’s fall from the building?”

Bai Yuanzhi certainly knew this middle-aged beauty was her biological mother—Zhou Xiangmei.

But upon hearing Zhou Xiangmei’s words, Bai Yuanzhi was stunned.

So?

Had she still arrived too late?

Zhou Zhaodi also recognized Zhou Xiangmei.

After six years apart, the mother she remembered as thin and gaunt had not only gained weight, become fairer and more beautiful, but had even transformed into the appearance of a wealthy lady!

But Zhou Zhaodi couldn’t feel happy.

Because Zhou Xiangmei’s words terrified Zhou Zhaodi.

She screamed, “Mom! What are you saying? Zhou Sier… Big sister, she… she’s dead?”

Zhou Xiangmei froze.

Jiang Yiming said awkwardly, “Aunt Xiang, I’m not here to ask you about Sier. I… I just ran into your daughter and your niece on the road and gave them a ride to you.”

Hearing this, Zhou Xiangmei looked at Bai Yuanzhi and Zhou Zhaodi standing behind Jiang Yiming in surprise, “You—”

She looked the two sisters up and down, showing an incredulous expression, “Pan—”

“Aunt, I’m Bai Yuanzhi,” Bai Yuanzhi interrupted Zhou Xiangmei.

Zhou Xiangmei was taken aback.

Aunt?

During the famine years, her family had long since died out.

Where would she have a sister?

A delicate voice called out from behind Zhou Xiangmei, “Mommy, who is it coming so late at night?”

Soon, two young girls wrapped in bathrobes squeezed out from inside the house.

Bai Yuanzhi certainly knew them.

These two girls: one was Wu Jiayin, the daughter of Zhou Xiangmei’s current husband, Wu Hao;

The other was Li Yongzhen, the daughter of Wu Hao’s sister.

Wu Jiayin first spotted Jiang Yiming, her face lighting up with joy. Before she could call out “Brother Yiming,” she suddenly noticed the rustic-looking Bai Yuanzhi and Zhou Zhaodi and couldn’t help but freeze.

Li Yongzhen directly exclaimed, “Aunt, who are they?”

Zhou Xiangmei looked troubled.

Jiang Yiming had already begun introducing the girls:

“Jiayin, Yongzhen, this is Bai Yuanzhi, Aunt Xiang’s niece. This is Zhou Zhaodi, Aunt Xiang’s daughter.”

“Yuanzhi, Zhaodi, this is Wu Jiayin, the daughter of Aunt Xiang’s current husband, Mr. Wu. And this is Li Yongzhen, Mr. Wu’s niece.”

“Well, it’s too late now. You all should get some rest early. See you later!”

With that, Jiang Yiming turned and left.

The girls exchanged glances.

Wu Jiayin stared at Zhou Zhaodi for a while, then revealed a look of contempt and disdain. “Mommy, how many daughters do you actually have?”

Cold sweat beaded on Zhou Xiangmei’s forehead.