Extra Chapter: She Atones

The dinner is scheduled for 4 p.m.

The "Night of True Love," which appeared out of nowhere, swept across major online platforms, attracting over 100 million viewers at its peak by featuring dozens of top-tier celebrities from the Chinese entertainment industry.

Following the red carpet and performances, a dinner and charity auction will be held simultaneously.

Nearly a thousand charity items were auctioned off at the event, all donated by wealthy ladies and heiresses, including jewelry, children's handicrafts, and paintings.

Lu Zhenyu's "neighbors" all came to support her.

This dinner was originally supposed to be organized by Shi Yiqiao and Lu Zhenyu, the vice presidents of the foundation.

She was in her late pregnancy and wanted to come, but Lu Zhenyu vetoed it.

And so, Shi Yiqiao even had Siwei accompany her, saying she wanted to support Lu Zhenyu.

The couple snapped up the first few items.

Following them were Bei Tingwan and her husband, plus Feng Manman.

Once you get off to a good start, you'll be in your element from there.

Lu Zhenyu presided over the meeting in an orderly manner.

"The final item for auction, 'Hope for the World'"

The ten-meter-long painting, unfurled by the staff, depicts children playing and frolicking on a battlefield amidst the chaos of war.

Lu Zhenyu explained, "This painting was initiated by young painter Lu Xinsen, and nearly a hundred children participated in its creation."

Their exact words were, "This may not be the most perfect smile, but it is certainly the most precious smile. Children need hope, the world needs hope, and hope is in the hands of adults."

On the big screen, videos of aid efforts filmed by Shi Yiqiao's team of journalists in various war-torn countries over the past few years were played.

Finally, we arrived at the interviews with the children.

"Little friend, what is your dream?"

"I dream of becoming a superhero."

What happens after you become Superman?

"Save the world."

"So what do you hope for most?"

"I hope that every morning when I wake up, I will hear the birds singing."

"We hope for world peace."

The video has finished playing.

The audience was completely silent.

That documentary was so real that it made my heart ache and my eyes well up with tears.

After a long pause, Lu Zhenyu spoke, "Alright, the last item for auction, 'Hope for the World,' is now officially up for auction. Starting price: one yuan."

The audience continued to bid, eventually reaching Feng Jinheng's offer of 30 million.

The second after "30 million twice" came up, a card was raised, "500 million".

Upon hearing the sound, everyone turned around and looked at the figure standing at the entrance of the banquet hall.

As Lu Zhenyu looked over in surprise, she saw Chen's mother, dressed exquisitely, carrying a handbag and walking step by step on the carpet.

Standing below the stage, to the astonishment of the crowd, she raised her paddle again, "I bid five hundred million."

Lu Zhenyu said calmly, "Five hundred million at a time."

"Five hundred million twice."

"Five hundred million in three transactions." With a swift fall of the gavel, she raised her hand to signal, "Ms. Chen Jie has purchased 'Hope of the World' for five hundred million. Sold."

The applause from the audience was mixed with gasps of amazement.

"I know that Ms. Chen Jie's 500 million yuan was not just for a painting, but also for the future hope of the children." Lu Zhenyu said each word carefully. "I also ask all the guests to join me in applauding Ms. Chen Jie's great love."

Applause erupted again from the audience.

The live stream camera then turned to Chen Jie.

A faint smile appeared on the woman's pale, thin face as she nodded gracefully. "Thank you."

But then he looked ashamed, saying, "The truth is, I'm not that great. Five hundred million is all my life savings. I chose to donate it just to take this opportunity to say something to my daughter."

Chen Jie met Lu Zhenyu's gaze and smiled, "Thank you."

This simple "thank you" contains so much.

Perhaps what she wanted to say was, thank you Lu Zhenyu for coming to the Shen family's house that night to help them out.

Thank you, Lu Zhenyu, for giving the Shen family such a lovely daughter.

Thank you Lu Zhenyu and Shen Jingsi for reconciling, which saved her from losing both her daughter and her son.

Thank you, Lu Zhenyu, for still being alive.

That way, she won't live her whole life filled with endless self-loathing and regret.

Chen Jie did not take this opportunity to say anything to Lu Zhenyu, even though as the guest with the highest transaction amount, she had every right to do so.

But she didn't. After the auction was completed, she quietly left alone.

Chen Jie once said that she would slowly repay the debt she owed to this daughter.

And the rest of his life would be spent separated from his wife and children, and endlessly tormented by cancer.

-

"Mommy, are we going to Daddy's house?"

"yes."

"So, does that mean I'll be able to see my grandparents again?"

While driving, Lu Zhenyu reached out and rubbed her daughter's head. "Grandpa isn't here this time; only Grandma is home by herself."

Lu Xinsen looked at her mother, "Is it the same as before? You wait for me outside, and I go in by myself?"

"This time, you can stay at Grandma's house for a few more days."

Unlike before, this time Lu Zhenyu drove the car directly into the old house.

Having received the news, the butler and his men were already waiting outside the villa.

Before Lu Zhenyu could get out of the car, Lu Xinsen had already gotten out of the passenger seat.

"Grandpa Butler, good afternoon."

"Young Miss, how are you?"

Lu Zhenyu handed her daughter's luggage to the maid, saying, "I have things to do at the company, so I'll leave Pearl to Butler Li."

Butler Li said, "Don't worry, we will definitely take good care of the young lady."

After seeing her mother off, Lu Xinsen was led upstairs by the housekeeper.

"Grandpa Butler, why didn't my grandma come down to wait for me today?"

The butler looked a little embarrassed. "Miss, you'll know once you go up and take a look."

The tightly closed door opened, and a strong smell of Chinese medicine wafted out.

Other children would have run away in disgust long ago.

Lu Xinsen, who had been brewing medicine from a small jar, acted as if nothing had happened.

She saw her grandmother lying in bed, so thin that she was unrecognizable compared to when she last visited. Her face fell, and she quickly ran over.

"grandmother!"

Chen Jie, still in a daze, slowly opened her eyes. Upon seeing her granddaughter, she instinctively tried to hide herself.

She quickly smoothed her slightly disheveled hair, helped herself to a sitting position, and pulled Lu Xinsen, who had climbed onto the bed, into her arms.

"Why didn't you call your granddaughter beforehand that she was coming?"

Lu Xinsen was terrified by Chen Jie's appearance and hugged her very tightly.

"Mommy said she's too busy with work to take care of me lately, so she told me to stay at my grandparents' house for a couple of days and then she'll pick me up when she's less busy."

Whether they're busy or not, there are nearly a hundred servants on the estate; they don't need to take care of the children.

Chen Jie naturally guessed Lu Zhenyu's intentions.

His yellowish, cloudy eyes welled up with tears, and he quickly wiped them away before his granddaughter could look up.

"Are you hungry, baby? Grandma will come downstairs and make you something delicious."

Lu Xinsen shook her head, "I'm not hungry, Grandma, please don't get out of bed, I'm afraid you'll get tired."

This huge old house, back when my son was alive, had a lively atmosphere with people coming and going every day.

Now, only Chen Jie remains, as cold and desolate as the cold palace in the imperial city.

The house only feels lively when my granddaughter comes over every month.

The little one was lively and active, always coming up with a new idea. The servants were busy running around, and Chen Jie also became energetic as a result.

But the good days didn't last long.

The day had come for Lu Zhenyu to pick up her daughter.

Chen Jie had already tidied up Lu Xinsen early on.

They came with one suitcase, and left with ten.

No one knows what the grandmother and grandson bought these days. When Lu Xinsen left, she was dressed up like a little princess, with diamond necklaces and jewelry all over her neck, head and hands.

When Lu Zhenyu entered the hall, the first thing she saw was the long painting hanging on the wall.

It's the painting "Hope for the World" from the auction.

Lu Xinsen came downstairs with a group of servants. "Mommy, are we leaving now?"

Lu Zhenyu hugged her daughter and said, "Sweetie, wait for Mommy. Mommy will go upstairs and say a few words to Grandma."

"good."

…

The slightly ajar bedroom door was opened.

Lu Zhenyu walked through the bedroom, which was filled with the smell of Chinese medicine, and came to the balcony.

Chen Jie stood there wrapped in a cloak, without turning around. "Pearl, Grandma won't go down. Let Grandpa Butler take you."

Lu Zhenyu looked at that slender figure with a rather somber gaze.

I heard you're sick.

The figure paused for a moment.

Chen Jie turned around slowly, her turbid eyes darting towards Cullinan downstairs.

Seven years later, this was the second time she had been face-to-face with Lu Zhenyu at close range, apart from the previous dinner party.

His emotions surged, but Chen Jie silently suppressed them.

“I didn’t expect that you would come up to see me, Zhenzhen.”

Lu Zhenyu's smile was politely distant. "You've taken care of my child for so many days, I should come up and thank you."

Chen Jie wanted to say that this was also her granddaughter, and it was only right that she should.

But Lu Zhenyu's politeness prevented her from saying what she wanted to say.

“I know you want Pearl to keep me company. Pearl, thank you.”

The word "Mom" was on the tip of Chen Jie's tongue, but she immediately swallowed it back after realizing what she was saying.

Nowadays, she is the least qualified to call herself Lu Zhenyu's mother.

This year in particular, Pearl has been brought to the old house every now and then, where she stays for a day before being picked up again in the evening.

Shen Jingsi probably doesn't even know about this, because it was all given by Lu Zhenyu.

Chen Jie, however, knew.

Compared to the daughter she hurt, her son is the one who least wants her to have contact with the mother and daughter.

I'm afraid she'll hurt them again.

The two didn't say much, just looked at each other quietly.

It wasn't until just before she left, when she reached the door, that Lu Zhenyu spoke, "Do you think that you owed me something during those five years?"

Chen Jie did not speak.

"Actually, it's a pearl."

Lu Zhenyu turned around and met the woman's gaze. "From being born prematurely in June to being four years old, she has suffered far more than me and Jing Si over the years. And all of this is because of her beloved grandmother."

Chen Jie's eyes welled with tears, her chest heaving violently in silence.

"If you think about it carefully, you, as her grandmother, have indirectly owed her too much. If you truly feel guilty, then try to make up for it slowly over the rest of your life."

"But given the current situation, you may not even live for three more years. You won't be able to repay your debts, and your granddaughter will have to live in an unhappy family from now on. Every year on the anniversary of your death, when I look at your memorial tablet, my heart is filled with sadness and longing."

Lu Zhenyu shook her head, "This isn't atonement, it's selfishness."

Chen Jie was already sobbing uncontrollably, and she leaned against the wall, slowly collapsing to the ground.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

Lu Zhenyu wiped the moisture from the corner of her eye and let out a long sigh. "I said long ago that from the day I swore this oath, we have nothing to do with each other anymore. You have nothing to do with me, and I don't need to be grateful to you anymore."

“But you are still my daughter’s grandmother and my husband’s mother,” Lu Zhenyu said. “As the person who loves them the most, I don’t want my two most important relatives to spend the rest of their lives with the regret of losing their grandmother and mother.”

"So live on, for only by living can you atone for your sins, while death will only bring relief to yourself."