Xia Fumeng.

 It was a nice name. The medals in the cabinet all reflected the child’s excellence.

 There were piano trophies, dancing trophies, and medals for the International Mathematical Olympiad. This was a versatile and multi-talented child.

 Looking at all the honor and glory in this cabinet, Qianmo’s eyes were filled with pity.

 The child’s intelligence had not been used in the right place.

 There was no one in the living room, only the faint sound of a dispute coming from upstairs. It seemed that the members of this family were discussing things upstairs.

 In this room filled with luxury everywhere, Qianmo looked at the cabinet full of recognition. It was as if she could see the girl named Xia Fumeng wandering around this ice-cold home alone every day.

 No one cared for her, and no one bothered about her. Although she had won so many trophies, she could not use them to exchange for her parents’ companionship.

 As Qianmo looked at the exorbitant grand piano, she felt as though she had returned to her childhood, where she sat alone on the piano stool.

 Chen Baichuan’s ancestors were ordinary fishermen, and there had never been anybody cultured in their family. The moment he had some money, he immediately sent Qianmo to learn some skills.

 Painting, dancing, piano, chess… He would sign her up to all the classes as long as he could.

 Therefore, Qianmo, the versatile goddess, was multi-talented, cultured, and could dance. It was all due to that period when her father threw money into her classes.

 Qianmo had the experience of being reborn, so she could now understand her father’s actions at that time. Nevertheless, she actually hated her father when she was young.

 Every day, these things occupied her entire life.

 She still remembered holding her examination certificate and looking for her father excitedly, hoping that he would play with her for a day. Instead, he had pushed her away before turning around to go for a business meeting. At that time, Qianmo’s heart was filled with hatred.

 It was the first time she had tasted that emotion.

 She did not loathe her father for pushing her away; rather, she hated herself for putting in so much effort yet not reaping any rewards in return.

 The trauma suffered during childhood would affect the lifelong character of the child. Since then, Qianmo became more and more rebellious and would even openly oppose her father in a harsh manner during the later period.

 Had she not spent a lot of time in prison and seen through everything, she would still not be able to understand her father now.

Seeing the child’s cabinet of trophies and the lonely piano stool, Qianmo felt like it struck a chord with her. When she lifted the piano cover and saw an obscure nook inside, she suddenly understood how Xia Fumeng’s extremity came about.

 Black watched as she kept staring at the cabinet and the piano but dared not disturb her, just accompanying her quietly.

 From a very young age, he and his younger brother had followed their mother to investigate cases.

 His mother was hard at work, and as she could not leave him and his younger brother behind, she would always bring them along with her on her business trips. Therefore, the seriousness and focus in Qianmo’s eyes at the moment were not unfamiliar to Black.

 His mother also had this kind of concentration that was unique to women in the workplace. However, the difference was that his mother’s concentration did not include the melancholy that Qianmo was showing. At his mother’s current age now, she could afford to live innocently and indifferently, purely maintaining her focus. On the other hand, Qianmo was very mature, so much so that it made his heart wrench.

 Black felt that he could use his mother as a goal and take care of Qianmo with that goal in mind: Make her life simple and tranquil and to be able to do whatever she liked, without any heavy burdens.

 When Qianmo was done staring, she snapped out of her reverie. Looking at Black, she gestured upstairs, and they both went towards the noise quietly.

 There was the sound of a dispute, and a woman’s cry coming from a room upstairs.

 Because it was so ‘lively’, none of them noticed the unexpected guests in their home.

 The voice of an elderly man bellowed, “Such a huge problem happened. It’s all your wife’s fault for not knowing how to educate the child!”

“Sniff, sniff…” A woman’s weeping followed, probably the mother who had attempted to take the blame for her child, albeit unsuccessfully.

 “Useless idiot, you jinx!” an elderly woman yelled and spewed some vulgarities involving human organs, probably at the child’s mother.

 Qianmo speculated that these two people should be the child’s paternal grandparents.

 Only the husband’s family would treat their daughter-in-law as an outsider. If something went wrong, they would reprimand the daughter-in-law first without even distinguishing between right and wrong.

After the child’s grandmother finished scolding the child’s mother, she changed her tone and said, “What’s going to happen to Mengmeng in the future? Did they say when they would release her? My good granddaughter, is she being bullied in the police station? Did you find someone to take care of her?”

 The grandfather demanded overbearingly, “Call the police station’s chief. If they dare to let Mengmeng suffer inside there, I’ll not let him off!”

“Dad, Mom, the situation is more serious. Mengmeng is suspected of poisoning someone. The victim is still lying in the hospital…” The voice of the man who said this was a little weak. It belonged to the sleazy man.

 “You still have the audacity to talk! If it weren’t for your affairs with those nasty women outside, would Mengmeng be so unlucky today? You can mess around with that kind of dirty woman, but that should be it. It’s fine for men to fool around, but to harm my poor granddaughter over such an insignificant matter… “The old lady broke into tears towards the end.

 “Mom, don’t cry. Mengmeng is also at fault in this matter. It was originally her who—”

 “Her who what?! Didn’t she merely poison a worthless, penniless, lowly woman? Isn’t this matter just about money? Ask that beggar’s family how much money they want. We’ll give it to them! Mengmeng has been with us since young. You’re always not home day after day; it’s your dad and me who raised her. If any misfortune befalls her, I’ll not want to live as well. I’ll kill myself!”

 The old lady was extremely emotional, and the room was in chaos.

 Standing in the corridor, Qianmo and Black heard everything clearly. The expression on their faces was cold.

 This was human nature.

 This was the dark side.

 No one cared about the woman lying in the hospital. Although the woman only had herself to blame for her current state, no matter what she had done, she was still a living, breathing person. A person’s life should not be categorized based on their wealth. But this family had already clearly marked a price on the person.

 The people in the room were worried that the future of the girl who poisoned the victim would be affected, but no one cared whether the woman in the hospital would die.

 There was a complete disregard for human life. Qianmo could practically hear them shouting in their hearts, ‘That woman is nothing but worthless. Our little princess, however, has lost the opportunity to go to school. She’s so pitiful to be locked up for one night.’

 The man comforted his mother, who had gone out of control, “Mom, don’t worry. I’ve made some inquiries. Mengmeng is still under fourteen, so she’ll not be sentenced. She’ll be released soon, but she may not be able to go back to her school.”

“Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up and contact the schools overseas! Find the best one to send Mengmeng to! And you, this jinx, you’ll go with her! If you still can’t look after your child, just wait to be divorced!” the old lady barked furiously at her daughter-in-law, who had the lowest status in the family.

 The daughter-in-law begged for mercy while sobbing, “Mom, give me another chance…”

Closing her eyes, Qianmo deemed it unnecessary for her to go in. She had grasped the child’s situation.

 She made a hand gesture at Black, signaling for him to retreat.

 When they got out, the chubby Husky looked at them pitifully, as if reluctant to part with them.

 In this house without human warmth, this dog turned out to be the most human-like one. Huh. Huh.