"Mom!" A surprised voice suddenly rang out in the air.

Xie Li pressed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. Another one had come along to cause trouble.

Li Chen ran over happily, so excited he didn't know what to do. "Mom, what brings you here?"

Meeting Xie Li's gaze, she suddenly shrank back, "Good morning, Brother Li!"

Xie Li looked at him coolly: "I didn't know you had a habit of randomly recognizing mothers."

Wang Cuihua panicked upon hearing this, "Lili, you probably don't know, do you? I think Li Chen is a pretty good guy. He's been devoted to you all these years, so I've arranged for you two to get engaged! He's already given the bride price, so why can't he call me 'Mom'?"

She still quite liked Li Chen. After all, she was weak and incompetent, and even Xie Li disliked her. Only Li Chen had always respected her and treated her with exceptional deference and warmth. She called him "Mom" affectionately and warmly, genuinely regarding Li Chen as her own son.

This statement revealed a lot of information, and Xie Li was a celebrity at Linjiang No. 1 Middle School, so there was a collective gasp from those around.

Although Li Chen kept proclaiming that he was Xie Li's son-in-law and fiancé, he knew that Xie Li did not agree.

Moreover, they are students, and this is in the city. Linjiang No. 1 Middle School has strict discipline, and if this gets out, it won't be good for Xie Li.

He had never publicly announced any relationship between himself and Xie Li, and felt a little embarrassed upon hearing this. He quickly changed his words, "Auntie, why don't you come to my house for a while? We have to go to class now, and I'll go back to keep you company after school."

Wang Cuihua was easily swayed, so she nodded in agreement.

Li's housekeeper also came to take Li Chen to school today. She strode forward and greeted Wang Cuihua with a smile, "Sister Cuihua, you've worked hard. Let's find a place to get something to eat first!"

When he smiled, the fat on his face jiggled, making him look ferocious.

Fear flashed in Wang Cuihua's eyes as she looked expectantly at Xie Li.

This relative of the Li family has a bad reputation in Shenjia Village, Tiandu Mountain. Many people speculate that he used to be a murderer who made a living by killing and robbing.

I've heard that he often lures the weak into the deep mountains and forests to kill them, then lets wild animals eat the bodies, thus erasing all evidence and making it impossible for the police to arrest him.

These rumors circulated in the village with great detail and conviction, and Wang Cuihua always believed them without question.

She felt that as long as she showed fear or distress, Xie Li would definitely drop his schoolbag and come back to protect her, just like before.

Xie Li is so powerful and has so many ideas, Wang Cuihua habitually wants to rely on her.

To her disappointment this time, Xie Li didn't say a word and turned to walk towards the school.

Xie Li actually saw the pleading in Wang Cuihua's eyes, but she didn't want to get involved. Wang Cuihua was an adult, with hands and feet; surely she had the ability to interact with people normally?

She could no longer act as she used to, rushing out of school to protect Wang Cuihua whenever she had a problem.

Back then, in the mountain village primary school, she could still get first place even if she didn't attend class; but it's different here, she has to maintain her score of 750 points without wavering!

"Lili..." Watching Xie Li's figure disappear at the school gate, Wang Cuihua couldn't help but shed tears again.

Her husband was right, Xie Li really has changed!

Didn't she realize that she had traveled all this way, to a place she didn't know, and was feeling anxious and uneasy? She hadn't even properly stayed with her, comforted her, or made sure she was settled in!

They even gave her to a murderer!