They stayed on the ship for twelve days.

Because of the accident on the first day, very few people went up to the deck afterward.

Chen Zikang also stayed obediently in his second-class cabin. Xu Keke hardly saw him again, knowing that he must have been terrified.

Xu Keke was very satisfied that she didn't have to see him. Her mood improved a lot along the way.

Life on a ship, however, is far from pleasant. You're trapped in one place, and the scenery is always the same.

Especially when there are storms, the ship rocking and rolling makes people very uncomfortable.

Fortunately, we arrived safely five days later.

As soon as the ship arrived at the port, Chen Zikang excitedly waved to the crowd below. His demeanor was a stark contrast to his indifferent attitude when boarding the ship.

Xu Keke knew that this was a sense of belonging that people showed when they returned to a familiar environment and saw familiar people.

Commonly known as, "I'm home."

Especially for Chen Zikang, who almost had an accident, going home was undoubtedly a safe and extremely pleasant experience.

As he walked down the ladder, he wished he could push aside everyone in front of him and rush down himself.

When the original owner returned, Li Shi led her into the Chen family mansion, and that's when she met the people standing below.

Therefore, they probably didn't come specifically to pick me up.

The original owner's mother, Li Wan, stood in the center, wearing a light purple cheongsam made of Hangzhou silk, which clung tightly to her body. She looked younger than when the original owner had seen her. She was still a charming young woman.

On one side of her was her younger brother, Chen Pu, who was two years younger than the original owner of this body. He was not yet eight years old, and he was a bit chubby with an unusually round face. His belly was protruding, making him look somewhat fat and big-eared.

On the other side, the girl who was running towards them was Huihui, who was adopted by the Chen family.

A girl with willow-leaf eyebrows, slender eyes, and freckles on her face.

From a normal person's perspective, she wasn't as pretty as the original owner of the body. However, the Chen family and she herself didn't seem to think so.

They often praised her beauty, but always told the original owner that she would have been even more beautiful if her eyes were a little longer or her eyebrows weren't so thick.

This Huihui also loves to joke. In the original owner's memories, she would often run to the side where the original owner couldn't hear anything and suddenly pat her, or accidentally bump into her with something.

It often startled the original owner. For a period of time, the original owner developed a severe fear of that side and would always subconsciously look behind.

Over time, she started making fun of the original owner for having a crooked neck.

Xu Keke looked at the father and daughter embracing each other. Their joy was genuine; it was evident in their eyes.

Sometimes, the eyes don't lie.

Just like the nervousness and helplessness that Li Wan saw in her eyes.

Too much time had passed, and she didn't know how to face her daughter. When her daughter returned and learned of the hurt she had suffered, she chose to run away.

I hide in my shell, ignoring everything—listening, looking, and caring. I think nothing ever happened.

Living under the same roof, Xu Keke couldn't believe that this woman hadn't felt anything when the original owner was being bullied.

Chen Zikang finally returned to his territory. He briefly introduced Xu Keke, then shouted...

"I need to get home right away; this trip has been so unpleasant."

He was holding his daughter's hand, not Xu Keke's, but the hand of his favorite daughter.

With his arm around his wife's shoulder, he called out to Xu Keke's son, who was still standing there dumbfounded, and the family of four happily walked forward.

Li Wan didn't stop, but looked back with some worry at Xu Keke, who was lagging behind. She quickly turned back to listen carefully to what Chen Zikang had said.

Perhaps because he was too fat, Chen Pu was always half a step behind the three of them, lagging behind. His hand was being tightly gripped by Li Wan.

Xu Keke wasn't in a hurry. Unless it was a matter of life and death, and there was no benefit in it, why should she rush to accommodate others' pace?

If he's so capable, Chen Zikang will just leave her at this dock. She guarantees he'll be begging to come back.

As it turns out, Chen Zikang was incompetent.

Chen Zikang suddenly spotted Chairman Lin of the Chamber of Commerce. He let go of his daughter's hand, released his wife, and jogged over to him.

When Chairman Lin saw him, his eyes lit up. "Oh, Brother Zikang, why are you so late? We've been waiting for you for ages."

Following his hand, Chen Zikang looked back and was surprised to see several bigwigs from the Chamber of Commerce.

"What are you talking about? What urgent matter do you have to discuss with me?" Chen Zikang immediately broke out in a sweat.

He can't compare to these guys. They're the kind of people who can make this place tremble with a single stomp of their foot.

He had initially thought it was a chance encounter, and given such a rare opportunity, he naturally wanted to say hello. Upon hearing that they were looking for him, Chen Zikang looked at them nervously.

"You brat, why are you unhappy that we've come to pick you up?" The tall, thin man inside, wearing a long gown and holding an iron ball, glared at Chen Zikang.

Chen Zikang was so scared he almost wet himself. "Master Zhang, Master Zhang, you're joking! How could I dare!"

Chairman Lin waved his hand, "Alright, Lao Zhang, why are you scaring him for no reason? He's always been honest and law-abiding."

He then said to Chen Zikang, "Knowing you were coming back today, we came to the dock to pick you up. We've already arranged with Jufulou to have your siblings and children join us for a welcome-back dinner."

Chen Zikang then believed it. There were people around him he knew and people he didn't. But the entourage was so large that everyone was glancing at them, intentionally or unintentionally.

Seeing the stares he was getting, Chen Zikang smiled broadly.

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