Chapter 18

"...Don't you want to sponsor your orphanage anymore?"

The agent squinted. "Didn't you say your orphanage is in terrible condition, and all the children there are living in dire poverty, so you need to earn a lot of money to help them? What? You don't want to make money anymore?"

Xu Gui sat on the only stool in the room, his body relaxed, sprawled on it like a soft cake.

"...Yes, I find making money too tiring, I don't want to make it anymore," she said, her tone languid.

"?" The agent was stunned for a moment, then asked, "If you don't want to make money, what do you want to do?"

Xu Gui replied matter-of-factly, "Of course, you can eat whenever you want and sleep whenever you want, and ideally, you could sleep for thirty years straight!"

Eat, sleep, sleep, eat?

The agent quipped, "...So you actually want to be a pig now?"

Xu Gui frowned upon hearing this and retorted, "You really have a foul mouth!"

She snorted lightly, and said with a hint of arrogance, "How can such stupid creatures as pigs compare to us... to us?"

She wasn't trying to disparage pigs; she simply looked down on every creature other than the Xuan Turtle—this sentiment wasn't unique to Xu Gui; it extended to all the Xuan Turtles. In their eyes, the Xuan Turtle race was the most perfect creature in the world, bar none.

In other words, each black tortoise is a creature with a high opinion of itself and is extremely confident, and humans call this behavior "narcissism".

The agent rolled his eyes. He was impatient to say anything more to Xu Gui and said in a tough tone, "I don't care whether you like it or not. Anyway, I've already talked to Qiu Nai and the others about this. You have to go whether you want to or not!"

After saying that, he looked at Xu Gui suspiciously and said, "Why do I feel like you've become more clever? And you've also become bolder; now you even dare to contradict me."

Xu Gui confidently stated, "I've always been very clever!"

"Pshaw! Give me a break." The agent scoffed, "If you're so clever, then there's no one clever in this world."

Xu Gui: ...It's confirmed, this person is the human she hates the most!

Seeing that she didn't speak, the agent said in a somewhat irritable tone, "Did you hear what I just said?"

Xu Gui lifted his eyelids to look at him, pointing out a crucial issue: "What good would it do me to do this? Last time, I listened to you and knocked on Qiu Nai's hotel door, and afterwards, the whole internet was cursing me..."

“Everyone says I’m a mistress, that I’m interfering in other people’s relationships, and that I get scorned when I walk down the street.”

She possessed the original memories of this body, so she naturally knew what had happened before. Now, recalling it, the stifling feeling of being wronged still seemed to linger in her heart.

The agent instinctively resorted to the same old line: "Of course doing this will benefit you. It increases your exposure, you know? These days, we're not afraid of you getting criticized, we're afraid of nobody knowing who you are!"

"The pairing of Qiu Nai and Tang Xu is currently very popular. Anyone online who brings up a topic that even remotely relates to them can attract a lot of traffic..."

"You're new to the industry and don't have many works yet. It just so happens that Qiu Nai and Tang Xu need to create buzz and generate interest. As long as the news of your involvement gets out, they can both rub off some flak on their fans and solidify their CP fanbase, while you can also gain some buzz and popularity."

"This is a win-win situation!"

In the agent's words, this opportunity was incredibly tempting, and he said, "Look, if you hadn't attracted some attention with this incident, do you think this opportunity would have fallen into your lap?"

The agent put on a stern face and played his trump card: "If you don't do it, plenty of others will. If you don't cherish it, the opportunity will be taken by someone else."

"...Since this is such a good opportunity, let's give it to someone else." Xu Gui said lazily, completely unmoved.

Seeing this, the agent immediately revealed his true intentions and dropped his hypocritical "I'm doing this for your own good" act.

"Don't forget, you signed a contract with our company. You're obligated to do the work we assign you!" he sneered. "Or are you trying to breach the contract? But as an orphan with no parents, can you come up with 80 million in breach of contract fees?"

Xu Gui: ?

Xu Gui: ! !

At this moment, Xu Gui perfectly demonstrated what it means to sit up in shock while on the verge of death.

Damn it, another breach of contract penalty? Why is there such a thing as breach of contract penalties everywhere in this world? Not taking the show seriously costs you a penalty, and now not following your manager's instructions costs you a penalty too?!

Xu Gui: QAQ. Is the human world really this terrifying?

Seeing that Xu Gui no longer had that sullen face, the manager finally showed a satisfied expression.

After slapping Xu Gui, he gave her a sweet treat, saying, "Don't worry, I'm your manager. We're in this together, so how could I not think about you? As long as you cooperate with me, you'll definitely be the next hottest actress!"

Xu Gui: Do you think I believe you?

You have sharp eyes, a monkey-like face, and narrow, slanted eyes. You look like a sinister and vicious person. I would be a fool to believe you.

...Xu Gui, who had only recently arrived in human society, had already mastered the art of making empty promises without any formal instruction.

After the agent left, Xu Gui looked at the closed door, turned on the phone he had been holding, and opened the voice message he had just recorded.

Soon, the agent's unpleasant voice came through the phone.

Xu Gui, feeling proud, muttered to himself, "I knew it! People who love playing on their phones are usually lucky!"

If she hadn't been so engrossed in playing on her phone, she wouldn't have been able to record what that ugly guy was saying in time. Although she didn't know what use it was now, she knew it would be useful sooner or later.

She plugged in her phone, grabbed her clothes, and went to the bathroom to shower before taking a nap.

As for what that guy called the agent said, let's talk about it after she wakes up. Nothing is more important than sleeping and eating.

...

Perhaps because her agent had brought up the orphanage, Xu Gui didn't sleep well. She kept having dreams about the orphanage.

It was more like a memory than a dream. She dreamt of her past experiences in the orphanage from a first-person perspective, as if she had personally experienced them.

However, it seems so, because when Xu Gui woke up, all he remembered was the persimmon tree in the orphanage.

The persimmon tree was tall and big. It was said to have been there before the orphanage was built. Every year it would bear a lot of persimmons. After the director thinned the fruit and fertilized it, the remaining persimmons would gradually grow round and plump, eventually becoming quite large.

In her dream, Xu Gui's small hands could barely hold a large persimmon.

As autumn fades into early winter, bright yellow persimmons hang on branches that have lost most of their leaves, looking festive and sweet.

Back then, the children in the orphanage looked forward to the persimmons ripening the most. Once ripe, the persimmons would be picked and left to ripen for two days, making them taste as sweet as honey.

When Xu Gui opened his eyes, he felt as if the sweet, thick aroma of persimmons still lingered in his mouth.

However, she smacked her lips but couldn't taste anything—the sweetness of persimmons was just her imagination!

Xu Gui was disappointed.

She glanced at the time and realized it was only four in the afternoon. She had only slept for an hour, and she obviously hadn't slept well, because instead of feeling refreshed, she felt a little tired.

Xu Gui got up and went to the bathroom to wash her face. After returning, she lay on the bed and started to stare blankly—she had completely forgotten to play on her phone.

For some reason, she kept thinking about the orphanage in her dream, the old and kind director, and the poor but happy children in the orphanage.

Finally, there was that big, golden persimmon tree.

Xu Gui muttered, "...It feels like my own memories." Even the bittersweet emotions felt like his own.

As the memories of the orphanage in his mind became more vivid, Xu Gui suddenly realized that it was the memories of this body that were merging with his own.

*

Xu Gui wasn't one to let himself suffer internally. Since he kept thinking about the orphanage, he decided to go and take a look.

She thought to herself with a clear conscience: since she has already said that she is taking the day off, then she can arrange the rest of her time as she sees fit.

Without hesitation, Xu Gui packed his things, grabbed his phone, and immediately left.

She remembered the orphanage's address, but as she left the hotel, a thought crossed her mind: Should she buy something to take back? Going empty-handed didn't seem quite right.

After thinking for a moment, Xu Gui found the nearest well-known fast food restaurant and ordered a fried chicken and hamburger combo meal for twenty-eight people—their orphanage was very small, with only thirteen children inside, and the rest were staff members.

Because of the large volume of orders, the merchant chose to handle the delivery themselves, using a van.

“…Then send me off too!” Xu Gui suddenly had a bright idea, her eyes sparkling. “I’m going to the orphanage too, so just think of me as the twenty-ninth meal deal!”

One more than the 28-serving set meal.

Staff member: "...Okay."

Xu Gui happily got into the van, thinking how clever she was, as this would save her the cost of a taxi.

*

The orphanage was not located near the outskirts of the city, and it took the car two hours to arrive at the orphanage's gate.

Xu Gui jumped out of the car, sniffed himself, and muttered, "I smell so delicious right now..." He was covered in the aroma of fried chicken and hamburgers.

Slurp~

She looked up at the orphanage in front of her.

The orphanage has a very ordinary name, "Love and Care Orphanage." There is a large iron gate at the entrance, which is locked at the moment. There are also small doors on both sides for people to enter and exit, but these small doors are also locked.

Xu Gui asked the delivery driver to wait while he went to knock on the door.

"Hello, is anyone there?"

"Someone come open the door!"

She shouted loudly.

She called out for a while, and finally there was a response from inside. A short, plump middle-aged woman wearing an apron came out.

When the other person came out, their expression was somewhat puzzled and wary, but when they saw Xu Gui standing there, all their expressions turned into surprise and delight.

"Xu Gui!" she exclaimed in surprise, quickly walking over to open the small door and saying, "Why are you back? Come in quickly! Your headmistress will be so happy to know you're back."

Xu Gui looked at the other person and called out the name he remembered.

"Auntie Tuanzi!"

...

Aunt Tuanzi's name is not Tuanzi, of course. Her surname is Li and her name is Li Ru.

I don't remember who started calling her Aunt Tuanzi first, but by the time everyone realized it, the title Aunt Tuanzi had already become a common name among the children.

Fortunately, Aunt Tuanzi accepted the nickname readily and was not angry.

Aunt Tuanzi is not an employee of the orphanage, but a volunteer. She has been volunteering at the orphanage for thirteen years.

For the past thirteen years, Aunt Tuanzi has come to the orphanage to help out every day after get off work or on her days off, rain or shine.

However, every now and then, Aunt Tuanzi would disappear for a period of time, and after a while, she would reappear. At this time, the Aunt Tuanzi in front of the children would be thinner and frail than before, and would look old and tired.

When Xu Gui was a child, she heard other volunteers at the orphanage talking about Aunt Tuanzi. They probably thought Xu Gui was a bit silly and didn't understand anything, so they didn't hide their conversation from her.

I heard that Aunt Tuanzi originally had a child, a son, but he was lost when he was two years old. At that time, Aunt Tuanzi's mother-in-law took the child out for a walk and chatted with the people around her. After she finished chatting, she found that the child was gone.

After the child went missing, Aunt Tuanzi never gave up searching. Every year during the period when she disappeared, she would travel all over the country to look for the child. She always carried a photo of the child in her pocket.

However, that photo was taken when the child was only two years old. Now, thirteen years have passed, and we don't know what the child looks like now.

Xu Gui gave Aunt Tuanzi a deep look.

"...Why didn't you call before you came back?" Aunt Tuanzi was still nagging as she pulled Xu Gui inside. "Come on in, what are you doing standing at the door?"

Xu Gui called out to her, "Wait, I bought something."

When Aunt Tuanzi saw the hamburgers and fried chicken that Xu Gui had bought, and so much of it, she couldn't help but scold her: "You child, why are you spending money so recklessly? You don't earn money easily, you should buy yourself more food and other necessities instead."

Xu Gui said softly, "I've come back so often, of course I have to buy something for the children... and these things aren't expensive."

The two of them, along with the fast food restaurant staff, carried the food inside. It was dinnertime, and since Xu Gui had bought so many hamburgers and fried chicken, they wouldn't have to cook dinner.

As Xu Gui walked inside, he looked around the orphanage.

Their orphanage is a somewhat historic one. It's small, and the facilities inside are visibly dilapidated. Fortunately, everyone keeps it very clean, so it doesn't look too run-down.

Xu Gui and the others put their things in the cafeteria. The cafeteria lady heard the noise and poked her head out. When she saw Xu Gui, she happily came out to talk to her.

"...I've seen the variety show you filmed. You looked so beautiful in it! I don't think any other female celebrities are as pretty as you!"

The cafeteria lady praised Xu Gui highly, saying she had the eyes of a loving mother and thought Xu Gui was wonderful no matter what she did—although she was just a nobody in the entertainment industry, everyone at the orphanage was proud of her.

"But Little Turtle, can you really tell fortunes? I've never heard of you having this ability before."

When the cafeteria lady mentioned fortune telling, Xu Gui noticed that Aunt Tuanzi, who was standing next to her, seemed to move slightly.

"I'm self-taught, I'm a natural!" Xu Gui shamelessly boasted. "Aren't there people in this world who are just exceptionally talented in certain things? Obviously, I'm one of those people!"

Seeing her lively expression, the cafeteria lady couldn't help but exclaim, "...You're so energetic now! It's true, children really need to get some outdoor experience."

Look at how dull she used to be, now she's so lively and energetic.

They chatted for a while, and then the children came over. When they saw the fries, hamburgers, and fried chicken on the table, their eyes lit up, and they called out "Sister Xu Gui" over and over again, their voices as sweet as honey.

—Sure enough, no child can resist the temptation of fried chicken and hamburgers.

The dean also came over. She was very happy to see Xu Gui return. She pulled Xu Gui aside and spoke to her softly, asking if she had been wronged outside.

Xu Gui looked at her and felt a surge of emotion in her heart. When asked by the dean, she simply smiled and said that she was fine.

"What's going on with those news articles online?" the dean asked, looking at her hesitantly. "They're all calling you a mistress..."

As someone who watched Xu Gui grow up, the dean absolutely did not believe that Xu Gui would interfere in other people's relationships. Besides... to put it bluntly, this child is a bit duller than the average person, and it is even less likely that he would do such a thing.

The dean was worried that Xu Gui might have suffered some injustice.

Seeing the dean's somewhat worried expression, Xu Gui smiled and explained, "There's actually a reason for this; it was something we discussed with the other party."

The dean asked in confusion, "Was this planned?"

“Yes!” Xu Gui pulled out the same excuse his agent had given him, and said at the end, “These are all methods my agent came up with to make me famous. Look, now quite a few people online know my name, right? Anyway, in our line of work, being criticized isn’t scary, what’s scary is no one knowing me anymore.”

The dean sighed and said, "I don't understand these things in your circle either, but personally, I still don't want to see you use this method to enhance your reputation."

Every parent feels sorry for their child. The dean felt annoyed just thinking about all the things people said to Xu Gui online.

Xu Gui said, "I understand what you mean. If you don't like it, I'll tell my agent that we won't do it again..."

The dean said embarrassedly, "...I'm not an expert either. If I'm wrong, just pretend I didn't hear me."

Xu Gui took the hospital director's arm and said, "I know you're doing this for my own good. Don't worry, my agent treats me very well. He said that as long as I follow the path he's laid out for me, becoming famous is only a matter of time!"

"Once I become incredibly famous and earn lots and lots of money, I'll use it to renovate our orphanage, and then everyone will envy the children in our orphanage!"

The headmistress listened to her words and gently patted her head.

"Seeing you like this, I'm finally relieved."

The dean said, "I didn't agree with your previous statement that you wanted to become a star. You're not very smart, and you don't know how to talk to people when you're wronged... The entertainment industry is a mess, and I'm really afraid you'll be bullied."

Xu Gui: "..." If someone else said she wasn't smart, she would definitely disagree, but it was the headmistress who said it... well, let it be. After all, she's a magnanimous turtle.

The dean had no idea what Xu Gui was thinking. She looked at Xu Gui with a smile, her expression quite relieved.

Xu Gui suddenly thought of something and asked the dean with some curiosity, "Dean, why is my name Xu Gui? Is my nickname Xiao Gui (Little Turtle)?" It's the "gui" in "turtle."

“Oh,” the director chuckled, “that’s because when you were thrown into the orphanage, there was a turtle wrapped in the cloth bag that covered you, and the surname ‘Xu’ was written on it!”

"I was originally thinking of naming you Xu Gui, the name of turtle, but I didn't think it was a good name. I was afraid that you would be laughed at when you grow up."

The word "turtle" is easily used by children to make fun of them.

The dean continued, "After thinking about it, everyone changed the character for 'turtle' to 'return,' and decided to name you Xu Gui!"

Returning also carries the hopes of everyone in the orphanage for Xu Gui, hoping that she can return home soon and find her parents and relatives, instead of becoming an orphan.

After listening, Xu Gui seemed to be deep in thought.

If there's only one coincidence, it can still be called a coincidence, but when countless coincidences are piled up, Xu Gui feels that it's no longer a coincidence. Now Xu Gui is very certain that he is probably "Xu Gui".

But are they identical entities from different worlds, or is Xu Gui merely a clone that he can revive after being struck by lightning?

"Probably only the Third Elder knows," Xu Gui muttered.

*

With one question in her heart answered, Xu Gui felt much more at ease. After all, as a kind-hearted turtle, she didn't want to have been resurrected by possessing someone else's body.

She thought to herself, "No wonder I feel that this body and my soul are so well-matched!" It's her body, how could it not be well-matched?

Over there, Aunt Tuanzi and the other staff members of the orphanage were calling the children to eat. The children rarely had the opportunity to eat fast food, and at this moment, they were all eating with oil on their lips and their faces were very excited.

Aunt Tuanzi looked at the children with a loving and gentle expression.

“Dean Mama,” Xu Gui began, “Aunt Tuanzi, have you not given up on finding your child?”

The dean sighed and said, "No, she's still looking... Come to think of it, it's almost time for her to go find the child."

The dean looked outside.

Every year starting in August, Aunt Tuanzi packs her bags and travels all over the country until she runs out of money, then she returns to continue working.

Work, save money, start looking for the child, run out of money, then go back to work and save money again... and so on.

This is Aunt Tuanzi's life over the past thirteen years.

Xu Gui asked, "Where is Aunt Tuanzi's husband?"

Dean: "...She's divorced. Her husband and his family don't approve of her continuing this search."

They felt that instead of searching endlessly, it would be better for Aunt Tuanzi and her husband to have another child. By the time they had spent searching for the child, the new child would be quite grown up.

However, Aunt Tuanzi disagreed, and her husband initially disagreed as well, but later, perhaps feeling too tired, he gave in.

Aunt Tuanzi was unwilling to give up searching for her child, so he divorced her and remarried within two years. Not long after, he and his second wife had two more children. Now that the two children are quite grown up, he cares even less about the son he lost before.

The dean couldn't help but sigh when he talked about this.

Xu Gui seemed to be deep in thought.

*

After the children finished eating, Xu Gui played with them for a while longer.

Most of the children in the orphanage have some kind of problem. After all, children without problems would not end up in an orphanage unless there are special reasons.

The children in the orphanage now either have disabilities or underlying medical conditions.

Xu Gui was helping the children with origami. It was a quiet activity suitable for most children, but Xu Gui was clumsy and after folding for a long time, he couldn't fold anything decent. Instead, he made a mess of the paper, making it all wrinkled and messy.

Xu Gui: She just wouldn't believe it, and she couldn't even fold a decent thing.

Just then, accompanied by a sweet voice, a rose folded from red paper was handed to Xu Gui.

"Sister, this is for you!" The little girl in the red dress held up a paper rose and smiled sweetly. She said, "Thank you for buying us food today."

Xu Gui blinked. "A gift for me?" She hesitated before taking the flowers.

She glanced at the girl who was naturally lying on her lap. She remembered that her name seemed to be Dongzhi, because she was abandoned at the orphanage on a winter's day, hence the name "Dongzhi". She took the surname Chen from the director.

Dongzhi is a very well-behaved and clever little girl. She is only five years old, but she has a congenital heart disease. Because of this disease, she doesn't look well. Her lips are not very bloody and are always bluish. She looks pitiful and cute.

"...Sister, is work fun?" Dongzhi asked curiously, lying on her lap. After asking, she muttered to herself, "Dongzhi also wants to grow up quickly and go out to work."

Xu Gui touched her head, which was dry and sparse, and asked her softly, "Why?"

Dongzhi innocently said, "Because that way, I can earn money to support myself and won't have to worry about the headmistress anymore... just like you, sister. Also, I want to go to many places, but I'm not healthy. The headmistress said that as long as I grow up, my health will improve, and then I can go out and play whenever I want!"

She exclaimed, "I wish I could grow up right away so that my body could get better."

Xu Gui remembered the director saying that Dongzhi's illness required surgery, and the younger the child, the better the surgery would be and the fewer the aftereffects. Unfortunately, the orphanage was already struggling to make ends meet with so many children, and simply couldn't afford to pay for her surgery.

Without surgery, Dongzhi would likely not live to adulthood.

Xu Gui gently stroked Dongzhi's head and said, "Yes, you will grow up quickly."

Dongzhi looked up and smiled at her. Only then did Xu Gui notice that Dongzhi had two small dimples at the corners of her mouth. They were not very obvious and only appeared when she smiled very much.

Xu Gui looked at it and reached out to poke it.

Dongzhi wasn't angry when her cheek was poked. Instead, she offered her face to Xu Gui so that Xu Gui could poke her face even more easily.

Xu Gui: Oh no, I think I'm a little bit charmed.

"Sister Turtle! We're giving you our flowers too." By this time, the other children had almost finished folding their origami. They all gathered around Xu Gui, placing their folded items in front of her.

The children chattered excitedly: "Thank you, Sister Turtle, for buying us all this delicious food! The hamburgers are so good!"

Xu Gui paused for a moment, her eyes crinkling slightly, and said, "Then I'll thank you for the flowers too."

When she left, she had a bunch of origami roses in her arms. Although they were all roses, they were all different. Some were ugly, while others were folded perfectly. However, Xu Gui cherished each one.

The dean and his colleagues saw her to the door and said, "Next time you come back, don't buy anything; it's a waste of money."

Xu Gui replied, "Okay."

But in my heart I was thinking, I'll buy even more things next time.

"And another thing," the dean continued, "you shouldn't send any more money to the hospital. You've just started working, so keep some money for yourself and don't send it all to us, understand?"

Xu Gui continued to nod. She would listen to whatever the dean said for now, and whether or not to do as she was told was a matter for later.

The car she had called had arrived, and Xu Gui obediently greeted the dean and the others: "...Then I'm off."

The dean raised his hand and quickly added, "Be careful."

Xu Gui opened the car door and was about to get in when suddenly, she thought of something and hesitated as she looked at Aunt Tuanzi standing in the night.

"Aunt Tuanzi," she called out, and under Aunt Tuanzi's questioning gaze, she asked softly, "Aunt Tuanzi, if you never find your child in this lifetime, will you still continue searching?"

Aunt Tuanzi was surprised that she would ask such a question. She was stunned for a moment, and then nodded without hesitation.

"Yes," she said. "Even if I search my whole life, until I'm old and gray and die, I will keep searching..."

Xu Gui: "...What if the price of finding the child is that you will suffer another huge blow, and your life will be in danger as a result?"

Aunt Tuanzi smiled, smoothed her hair which had been ruffled by the night wind, and said casually, "He is my child, and I am his mother. If even I abandon him and forget him, who else in this world will remember him? So, anyone can give up, but I will not."

Aunt Tuanzi's tone was relaxed, but the weight in her words made Xu Gui's heart sink, as if a heavy stone was pressing down on him.

Xu Gui took a breath—she already knew Aunt Tuanzi's determination to find her child, and she had made up her mind.

She knew what she had to do.

“…Aunt Tuanzi, I can tell you where your child is,” she said, her expression serious. “If you want to find your child, go ask your ex-husband, because he knows best where the child is!”

Aunt Tuanzi was taken aback.

After saying this, Xu Gui suddenly reached out and hugged her, saying, "Aunt Tuanzi, I've always been very lucky. Now I'm sharing some of my good luck with you... I promise you, no matter what danger you encounter, you'll definitely be able to turn the situation around."

As Xu Gui spoke, something subtle that humans could see floated from her body to Aunt Tuanzi.

Xu Gui hugged Aunt Tuanzi, then let go and smiled, "I'm really leaving this time..."

She waved to the dean and the others, bent down to get into the car, and finally got in and left.

Sitting in the car, Xu Gui suddenly sighed.

She had actually hesitated before, wondering whether to tell Aunt Tuanzi about this, because if Aunt Tuanzi knew the truth, she would be greatly shocked and might even be in danger of being killed. Xu Gui didn't want to see her get hurt.

However, Aunt Tuanzi said that even if she couldn't find it, she would keep searching until the moment she died.

Xu Gui: "...Thirteen years have passed. I thought Aunt Tuanzi's resolve had begun to waver." After all, thirteen years is a very long time for a human's short lifespan. How many thirteen-year periods does a person have?

But Aunt Tuanzi's answer was like a slap in the face to Xu Gui. Her gray hair seemed to be mocking Xu Gui's self-righteousness, her arrogance, and her condescension.

This answer seems to be questioning Xu Gui: What gives you the right to make decisions for me?

Xu Gui pursed her lips, feeling somewhat ashamed.

She knew perfectly well how much Aunt Tuanzi had sacrificed to find her child, but because of her arrogance and self-righteousness, she wanted to make decisions for her. This kind of thinking not only showed her arrogance but also looked down on Aunt Tuanzi and a great mother.

She even felt that, as time went by, Aunt Tuanzi might not be so sad anymore, and might have even thought about giving up on finding her child.

Xu Gui was dejected: "I was too arrogant. I'm such a bad turtle. No wonder the Third Elder said I wasn't a good child..."

Whether or not to continue searching for the child should be decided by Aunt Tuanzi, the person involved, not by her own assumptions as an outsider.

*

At that moment, Aunt Tuanzi stood at the gate of the orphanage, looking somewhat dazed. It wasn't until a gust of cold wind blew by that she shivered and snapped back to reality.

At this moment, Xu Gui's words kept echoing in her mind: "If you want to find your child, go ask your ex-husband..."

Aunt Tuanzi was somewhat bewildered, "...Why would Xiao Gui say that Fan Yuejin would know where the child is?"

Fan Yuejin is her ex-husband and the father of her child.

Aunt Tuanzi really couldn't understand how her ex-husband knew where the child was, since the child had been lost.

It can't be that the child's disappearance is related to her ex-husband, can it?

This thought suddenly flashed through Aunt Tuanzi's mind.

The moment this thought crossed her mind, a tremendous fear welled up uncontrollably in Aunt Tuanzi's heart. She suddenly realized that if what Xu Gui said was true, then if she continued to investigate further, something far beyond her comprehension might happen.

This incident could very well turn her life upside down.

Aunt Tuanzi suddenly smiled.

She thought that nothing in the world was more important to her than finding her child. Even if it meant her life, she would give it up without hesitation, no matter how much it might disrupt her life.

Aunt Tuanzi's eyes gradually changed from blank and fearful to firm.

"Director, I have something to do tomorrow, so I won't be able to come to the orphanage!"