Since Li Kun went bankrupt, Luo Qianqian decisively cut ties with him. Li Kun, stressed and frustrated, didn't get any benefits from her.
Luo Qianqian, fuming with hatred, thought Li Kun was useless and deleted all his contact information. Without his financial support, she couldn't go shopping and spent her days cooped up at home.
Recently, Luo Jianguo seemed to be in a good mood and treated her more gently, buying groceries and cooking dinner after work.
Luo Qianqian had sold all her jewelry and bags, and the money was spent. With no funds left, she could only stay at home.
"Knock knock—" The sound of knocking at the door came.
Luo Qianqian opened the door to find Luo Jianguo removing his apron and saying, "Dinner is ready, Qianqian."
Luo Qianqian responded coldly and walked to the dining table, pouting with dissatisfaction, "Why are we eating leftover lunch again?"
Luo Jianguo, spooning rice onto a plate, snorted, "You don't know how expensive it is to manage a household."
Luo Jianguo's thoughts wandered to the time when the Luo Group was thriving, with several servants and drivers living a luxurious life.
Now things were different; he never expected the Luo family to fall so low. Zhu Shulan had divorced him, and despite his efforts to persuade her, Zhu Shulan was clearly determined and had no intention of returning.
Luo Qianqian, pouting and grumbling a few complaints, picked up her rice and took a few bites.
Seeing that Luo Qianqian had been quite well-behaved recently, not going out to cause trouble, Luo Jianguo felt satisfied.
Luo Qianqian put down her bowl and looked up, "Dad, when will Mom come back?"
Hearing this, Luo Jianguo paused, putting down his bowl as well. He hadn't told Luo Qianqian that he and Zhu Shulan had divorced. He didn't know how to break it to his daughter. For a middle-aged man who was aging, broke, and facing a divorce, it was a great humiliation.
"Dad, I'm asking you a question." Luo Qianqian raised her voice.
"I've already divorced your mother," Luo Jianguo sighed and said with frustration.
"What?" Luo Qianqian was astonished. "Why did you agree to the divorce? Now it's just the two of us. Are we going to starve?"
"If your mother wants a divorce, there's nothing I can do. I do feel sorry for Shulan," Luo Jianguo looked down, his expression dark.
"Smack—" Luo Qianqian slammed her chopsticks on the table. "I’m not eating anymore."
With that, she got up and walked back to her room, slamming the door behind her.
Luo Jianguo shook his head, looking troubled, and silently finished the leftover lunch.
Luo Qianqian lay on her bed, feeling dejected. The saying goes, "Heaven never bars one's path." Why had God closed her window so tightly?
She couldn't rely on men anymore. Even with her beauty and charm, men were indifferent to her.
Men who had previously fawned over her were now ignoring her calls or hanging up quickly when she reached out, treating her like a plague.
Luo Qianqian couldn't understand why things had turned out this way. Her reputation in Yanjing City had become notorious.
She had considered quitting this line of work and finding a job to support herself, but all the resumes she sent were read but not replied to.
Luo Qianqian's resentment towards Luo Wei increased. If it weren’t for Luo Wei, she wouldn't have ended up in this situation.
After much contemplation, she decided to call Zhu Shulan.
Meanwhile, Zhu Shulan was chatting with He Wanling when her phone rang. She picked it up and her face immediately darkened.
He Wanling, concerned, asked, "Why don’t you answer?"
Zhu Shulan smiled and said, "It's an unimportant call." She hung up the phone.
"Ring ring—" The phone rang again.
He Wanling glanced at Zhu Shulan's phone screen, placing her hand on Zhu Shulan’s hand, and said, "Answer it. It might be important."
Zhu Shulan hesitated for a few seconds before answering the call.
When the call connected, Luo Qianqian’s voice trembled, "Mom, it's Qianqian. Where are you now?"
Zhu Shulan sneered, unable to forget how Luo Qianqian had once been so arrogant and confrontational with her. She took a moment to compose herself before replying, "What is it?"
"Mom, I miss you. Please come home. I know I was wrong," Luo Qianqian's voice was soft and pleading.
"I’ve divorced Luo Jianguo. You're not my biological daughter. Why should I come back? I've severed ties with the Luo family," Zhu Shulan said with a deep, cold gaze.
"Are you living at Uncle's house now? Can I come over? I can't survive like this. Mom, please," Luo Qianqian pretended to choke up and pleaded.
Zhu Shulan then realized that Luo Qianqian was calling because she wanted to rely on Zhu Shulan since Luo Jianguo could no longer support her and provide the luxurious life she was accustomed to. Luo Qianqian wasn’t seeking her out of gratitude but to exploit her family for financial gain.
Zhu Shulan understood Luo Qianqian's nature well. She hadn't even confronted Luo Qianqian about stealing her savings back then.
After a moment, Zhu Shulan said scornfully, "Don't even think about it. We have nothing to do with each other. Don’t call me ‘Mom.’ I can’t bear it."
Zhu Shulan's tone was icy. Luo Qianqian, frustrated, dropped her pretense and was enraged.
"Ha, you’re really disgusting," Luo Qianqian sneered, her eyes filled with resentment.
"What did you say?" Zhu Shulan frowned, surprised.
He Wanling looked at Zhu Shulan with concern, patting her shoulder to calm her down.
"Do you think Luo Wei will forgive you? Don't dream. Have you forgotten how you punished Luo Wei? It’s her misfortune to have such a cruel mother. I’m sure you’ll feel guilty until the day you die, haha..." Luo Qianqian mocked, laughing derisively.
Zhu Shulan’s hand trembled as she held the phone, her eyes blazing with anger. "You..." She struggled to find words.
Luo Qianqian swore a few times and hung up the phone.
Zhu Shulan was stunned. Her thoughts were dragged back to the past when little Luo Wei had been proud to show her first-place exam paper, waiting for praise. Instead, Zhu Shulan had impatiently glanced at it and turned her attention to Luo Qianqian, who was second to last, showering her with praise.
Little Luo Wei stood there with a disappointed look, eyes filled with tears, but Zhu Shulan pretended not to see and grew even colder towards her.
At this moment, Zhu Shulan felt she deserved punishment. Why had she been so cruel to Luo Wei? Even as an adoptive mother, she shouldn’t have used emotional abuse.
She didn’t deserve to be a mother and now didn’t deserve to seek forgiveness from Luo Wei.
Thinking of this, Zhu Shulan knelt on the ground, crying in agony.
He Wanling, panicked, quickly comforted her, "Sister, don’t be upset. Wei Wei just doesn’t want to see you right now. She will surely forgive you in the future."
Zhu Shulan clung to He Wanling, sobbing on her shoulder, "Wanling, this is my retribution. This pain is what I deserve."
He Wanling sighed deeply, not knowing what else to say.
—-----
T/N: I’ll never forget that this story started because she set up her child to get SAed
You can read ahead to chapterr 135 here
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