After listening to the last few sentences, Luo Meixin's inner voice fell silent. The entire hall of the Luo family was now filled with the sound of Liao Shujuan recounting her life, from childhood to adulthood.
Luo Meixin stood to the side, a smug smile occasionally tugging at her lips, her eyes gleaming with a hint of provocation.
Song Zhiyao remained calm. If she hadn't been able to hear Luo Meixin's inner thoughts, she wouldn't have known that this world was part of a novel, and Luo Meixin carefully calculated everything that had just happened.
She might have even felt a little sad. After all, the adoptive mother who had raised her for eighteen years had been swayed by Luo Meixin in just a few days. With such a deep mother-daughter bond between them, it was clear there was no place left for her—an outsider.
Liao Shujuan's curses now sounded even harsher:
"So, you were born into a family with a father, but had no father to raise you. Song Zhiyao, the Luo family does not welcome you anymore."
The father of the Song family had left when Luo Meixin was ten years old. No one knew where he had gone. Even if she had never met him, Song Zhiyao could not allow Liao Shujuan to speak about her like that.
"Mom," she said, her voice steady, "this will be the last time I call you that. You shouldn't have said such things. Do you still look like a propaganda officer? Anyone who doesn't know better might think you're just some foul-mouthed woman from the street."
With those words, Song Zhiyao had effectively scolded Liao Shujuan—but the blow landed more squarely on Luo Meixin. After all, one had grown up in the Song family, and the other in the Luo family. There was no scolding that could change that.
Liao Shujuan's expression turned uglier, while Luo Meixin seemed pleased by the conflict.
"Song Zhiyao, how can you speak to Mom like that?" Luo Meixin chimed in.
"She raised you, trained you to become a young doctor. Even if you're leaving the Luo family and are no longer part of it, can't you show some basic respect?"
Luo Meixin stared at her in disbelief. Wasn't Song Zhiyao supposed to be reserved and cold? Why was she suddenly speaking out so sharply?
"You really can't raise someone else's child right. All those years of studying were a waste!"
Liao Shujuan exclaimed, clearly proud to have her biological daughter on her side.
Seeing the two of them in sync—mirroring each other's words and expressions—gave the impression that they had somehow gained the upper hand.
"I'm grateful to the Luo family for taking care of me all these years," Song Zhiyao said calmly. "You gave me a quiet place to live and a chance to study well. I skipped grades, didn't ask for money, and even brought honor to your name through awards and achievements. If anything, we benefited each other."
She wasn't about to let the Luo family guilt her with moral debt, nor would she let Luo Meixin take credit undeservedly.
Glancing at Liao Shujuan, who looked displeased with her calm retort, Song Zhiyao added, "Luo Meixin seems to be doing quite well in the Song family. Just look at her delicate hands—hardly the hands of someone who's done a day of work."
Startled, Luo Meixin quickly tucked her hands into her sleeves. The truth was too difficult to hide.
Liao Shujuan couldn't even pretend anymore that her daughter had a hard life in the Song household. In these times, whose daughters didn't work at home? Song Zhiyao had done her share in the Luo family, as the calluses on her hands could prove.
Unbothered by Liao Shujuan's awkward silence, Song Zhiyao continued, "The Song family supported Luo Meixin through high school and even bought her a job at the textile factory. Aunt Liao, as a propaganda officer at the steel plant, you know better than anyone—jobs aren't just given, they're bought with connections and money. So, didn't the Song family invest more than the Luo family?"
She hadn't wanted to bring this up, but if she didn't, they would always throw her upbringing in her face.
[Isn't Song Zhiyao a bookworm who only cares about studying and is very noble? How could she understand this?
She must go to the Song family later to prevent them from saying that they spent more than 600 to buy her a job. Let the Song family know that they owe the Luo family.]
Luo Meixin's calculations echoed in Song Zhiyao's mind, every word as clear as if it had been spoken aloud.
She almost laughed.
Luo Meixin still didn't realize she could hear her thoughts. That was fine—let her go on plotting. It would only make things easier for Song Zhiyao in the long run.
"Over 600 yuan?" she said aloud, eyebrows raised. She had thought three or four hundred would've been enough. But recalling recent national policies—where returning educated youth scrambled for jobs—she understood the price could easily be higher.
"Aunt Liao, with today's policy encouraging educated youth to seek work on their own, jobs are hard to come by. The Song family must have spent their entire savings to secure one for Luo Meixin."
"Song's mother is only a second-level worker at the textile mill. Her salary would've been no more than forty-five yuan, likely less before. With three children to raise, she couldn't have saved much.
That job must've cost more than just savings—it probably pushed them into life debt."
Her argument, logical and undeniable, left everyone speechless.
"How do you know it cost 600 yuan?" Luo Meixin blurted out before realizing her mistake—and immediately fell silent.
Seeing Luo Meixin's shocked expression amused Song Zhiyao. She had more surprises for her in the future.
"How do I know?" she said playfully. "I'm smart. I don't talk much, but I observe everything."
Luo Meixin's expression shifted with disbelief and panic. Even without reading her thoughts, Song Zhiyao could guess what she was worried about.
Turning to Liao Shujuan, she added, "Your family is indeed better off than the Song family. On the surface, it looks like I took advantage. But let's not forget how much support the Song family gave Luo Meixin."
"If we're really calculating, then the Luo family should return the 600 yuan to the Song family. As for me—I'll repay everything the Luo family spent on me."
Liao Shujuan, being a propaganda officer, knew very well how much truth lay in Song Zhiyao's words. Seeing her own daughter's guilty look only confirmed it.
She looked at Song Zhiyao with complicated emotions. In addition to admiration, there was a tinge of regret. After all, she had raised this child for eighteen years—there were feelings involved.
But she wasn't her biological daughter, so bias toward Luo Meixin was inevitable.
Even so, she knew Song Zhiyao would have a promising future with her intelligence.
There was no need to create such an ugly scene. If Luo Hongxing found out, he would blame her.
A trace of guilt flashed across her face. "Zhiyao, I apologize. I was too emotional just now."
Even if she couldn't hear her thoughts, Song Zhiyao would've known how insincere the apology was.
But then came Liao Shujuan's inner voice:
[Better not to offend this girl too much. She's so clever—she might have a bright future. Even if she just ends up a small-time doctor, with her looks, she can marry into a good family. Lao Luo's old leader even mentioned her as a potential daughter-in-law.]
Song Zhiyao was stunned. She had thought she could only hear Luo Meixin's thoughts. Why could she hear Liao Shujuan's voice too? What had changed?
There was no answer for now. She would think about it later.
For now, it was best to leave the Luo family.
"Aunt Liao, I've said everything I needed to. In the future, don't speak as if I owed the Luo family."
With that, she turned and left without a second glance.
"Mom, did you see that?!" Luo Meixin grabbed Liao Shujuan's hand, pouting in frustration. Her anger was palpable.
She was furious that Song Zhiyao hadn't shown any sign of weakness. As the fake daughter, shouldn't she have been the one to bow her head?
Why was she still so arrogant?
Wasn't she supposed to be heartbroken about leaving? That's how it happened in the original novel. The Luo family raised two daughters, but Song Zhiyao's excellence overshadowed Luo Meixin. In the end, Zhiyao married an unknown man and led a mediocre life.
Looking at her daughter, Liao Shujuan could only sigh. The two girls would never get along. She'd need to discuss the matter with Luo Hongxing.
Song Zhiyao walked through the steel factory compound, her luggage in hand.
People stared at her with a mix of pity and schadenfreude.
She ignored them.
A short, plump girl deliberately sneered, "The real daughter of the director is back, and the fake one got kicked out. Let's see how noble this fake daughter can act now!"
"I heard the Song family is very poor. Life's going to be tough for her."
"She used to be so high and mighty as Luo Zhiyao. Now she's just poor little Song Zhiyao."
Song Zhiyao had always been the golden child in the steel factory compound—the one every parent compared their children to. Smart, well-behaved, and gifted enough to skip grades.
Naturally, many people delighted in her fall from grace.
The plump girl had been jealous of her since childhood. Song Zhiyao had it all—looks, intelligence, and even the admiration of the boy she liked.
But Song Zhiyao never cared for romance. Especially not for such petty crushes.