Volume One, Chapter Two: Don’t Be Crazy Like Your Mother

Shu Ya felt dizzy and opened her eyes in discomfort.

She was lying on the bed. Sunlight streamed in from the window, and a small figure ran toward her, silhouetted against the light. She couldn't see the little girl's face clearly, but she knew it was her Nannan.

"Nannan..."
"Nannan!"

She reached out to grab Nannan’s arm. She knew her actions were futile. Nannan was already dead. Yet, she couldn't help but reach out, desperate to keep Nannan there, to stop her from leaving her all alone!

The next second, her hand pressed firmly onto Nannan’s arm. Shu Ya’s pupils dilated in shock. How could this be real? Wasn't this just a hallucination from when she died?

While Shu Ya was still stunned, Nannan scrambled onto the bed, wiggled into her arms, and wrapped her small hands around her waist. Her voice was crisp and tender, as refreshing as a sweet melon.

"Mommy, you big lazy pig, it’s time to get up!"

This touch... this voice... A wild thought sprouted in Shu Ya’s mind. She grabbed her phone to check the date on the screen—it was six months ago.

She had been reborn! At this time, her Nannan had not yet been killed in that car accident!

Overwhelmed by a surge of immense joy, Shu Ya pulled Nannan into her arms, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably. "Nannan, my Nannan, Mommy loves you, I love you so much!"

Nannan was stunned. The next second, she reached out her little hands and patted her mother’s back one tap after another, imitating her mother’s tone: "Be good, Mommy, don’t cry. As long as you stop crying, Baby will give you some candy!"

Shu Ya broke into a tearful smile. How could her Nannan be so adorable?

"Alright, alright, Mommy won't cry anymore." Shu Ya wiped away her tears. The most intense wave of emotion had passed, and she felt a deep sense of relief. She was grateful to have a second chance!

She would definitely change the desperate fate of her past life. She had to eliminate that woman, Shen Qingzhu, before she could make her move! Her daughter was her bottom line. Anyone who crossed it was asking for death.

After crying, Shu Ya felt exhausted, and her stomach growled. She checked the time—it was 8:30 AM, time to go down for breakfast.

She took her daughter downstairs. Breakfast consisted of shredded chicken porridge and a few side dishes. Nannan ate with gusto, finishing quickly before saying, "Mommy, I’m full! I’m going upstairs to play with my puzzles!"

Shu Ya urged, "Run slowly, don't fall."
"Don't worry!"
In a moment, Nannan had scurried out of sight.

Shu Ya sat in her chair, stirring the porridge with her spoon, her expression dark and unreadable. She said to the nanny beside her, "Chen Ma, please keep the meals a bit lighter lately."

Chen Ma asked respectfully, "Ma'am, have the meals I’ve been making been too heavy?"

Shu Ya smiled and shook her head. "No, I love your cooking. It’s just that I’m not feeling well lately and need to eat lightly to recover. I have to attend Mrs. Zhou’s private party in a few days."

"Yichen is looking to negotiate a partnership with the Zhou family. I’m thinking that if I attend this party and win over Mrs. Zhou to help secure the deal, I’ll hold the leverage. That woman will never be able to surpass me; she’ll only ever be a mistress lurking in the shadows!"

A flicker of sharp light passed through Chen Ma’s eyes before quickly fading. "You’re right, Ma’am. I’ll prepare light meals for you these next few days."

Chen Ma picked up her basket and went out to buy groceries. Watching her retreating back, Shu Ya curled her lips into a silent, mocking smile. In her past life, she had treated Chen Ma like family. Later, she was devastated by Shen Qingzhu’s schemes; it seemed Shen Qingzhu knew her every move, always setting traps for her to walk into. Only after investigating did she realize that Chen Ma had been taking money from Shen Qingzhu to report her every action.

Go ahead. Tell Shen Qingzhu everything I just said. The stage is set. She was just waiting for Shen Qingzhu to step onto it and perform.

...

Night fell, and the autumn chill was deep.

When Fu Yichen entered, his clothes still carried the cold from outside. He took off his coat and hung it on the rack, watching his wife and daughter sitting in a corner of the living room. The warm yellow light shining on them felt almost cozy.

They were bickering.
"Oh, you little idiot, I told you that piece doesn't go there. Look, you messed it up."
"If I'm a little pig, then you're a big pig!"
"I'm not a pig, I'm a human."
"Then Nannan is a human, too."
"Your IQ isn't high enough; I'm stripping you of your human rights."
"You mean Mommy!"

Fu Yichen frowned. The brief warmth he had felt vanished instantly. Shu Ya was actually letting the child play with puzzles. He had told her many times that puzzles were useless and only wasted their daughter’s study time.

Beibei was much better in this regard. Beibei kept her books close, already able to recite dozens of ancient poems, while Nannan only knew how to play. They were both daughters of the same age—why was Nannan so inferior?

"Mommy, look, I finished it!" Nannan held up the puzzle like a treasure.

But in the next second, the puzzle was snatched away by a pair of large hands and thrown to the floor. The puzzle shattered into pieces. They had spent half a month working on it together. She had been so careful with every single piece. Now, it was ruined.

A cold, stern voice came from above.

"What is the point of playing with this trash? Why don't you go read a book? Look at any other girl outside—are they as playful as you? From now on, study hard and be a lady. Don't be crazy like your mother, you hear me?"