Quick Transmigration: I Was Cannon Fodder But Became the White Moonlight

The Lin family arrived at the Chen family's residence on a gloomy afternoon.

The atmosphere in the living room became even more somber and formal.

Besides the Chen couple, Lin Zhixia, Lu Yuze, and Chen Su, there were also two lawyers in suits with solemn expressions. Several thick documents were spread out on the coffee table.

When the Lin family members were led in by the butler, they were almost immediately overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the scene and the invisible pressure of the environment.

Lin Zhiqiang, Lin Zhixia's nominal father. He is a thin, dark-skinned middle-aged man wearing a faded old jacket. His eyes are evasive, revealing a dullness and cowardice honed by life.

From the moment he entered, his gaze frequently drifted to Lin Zhixia, who sat quietly to the side. His eyes held a complex mix of disbelief, confusion, and perhaps an unspeakable reluctance befitting a father.

The shock of suddenly being told that a daughter he had raised for twenty years was clearly too great for a man who was already reserved.

Zhou Cuimei, Lin Zhixia's stepmother, is a completely different person.

She wore a slightly gaudy floral suit, her hair was permed into small curls, and she wore a deliberately forced, shrewd and mercenary smile.

Even when facing Chen Zonghan, a man who clearly held a high position and exuded an imposing aura, Lu Yuze's eyes, though showing a hint of fear, were mostly driven by greed and audacity.

She quickly scanned the expensive decor in the living room and the understated yet luxurious attire of the Chen family members, her eyes burning with increasing intensity.

The two sides sat down, and the brief introductions and pleasantries were filled with awkwardness and distance.

The lawyer handed them several pre-prepared agreements.

As expected, before Chen Zonghan or his lawyer could explain the contents of the agreement, Zhou Cuimei had already launched her attack.

She puffed out her chest, trying to make her voice sound assertive, yet with the calculating edge of a common woman haggling: "Mr. Chen, Mrs. Chen, and this… Mr. Lu, let's get straight to the point. Although Zhixia isn't my biological daughter, our Lin family has raised her with great care, providing for her food, clothing, and education. We've done our part, treating her like our own daughter for the past twenty years! Now that you want to take her back, you can't expect us to pay for those twenty years of upbringing for nothing, can you?"

She gave a number.

What would be an astronomical figure for an ordinary wage earner is, for the Chen and Lu families, just a drop in the ocean.

Clearly, she had done her homework before coming, trying to figure out the Chen family's bottom line.

Su Wan and Chen Zonghan both frowned at the same time.

It wasn't about the money, but rather Zhou Cuimei's attitude of treating raising children like a business transaction and putting a price tag on family ties, which made them extremely uncomfortable and angry.

They looked at Lin Zhixia, who remained standing to the side with her head down and expressionless. The thought that their daughter might have grown up in such an environment for the past twenty years filled them with unbearable heartache.

Seeing that the Chen couple looked solemn and remained silent for a long time, Zhou Cuimei's heart skipped a beat, thinking that she had asked for too high a price and scared them off.

Her eyes darted around, and an even more ingratiating smile immediately spread across her face as she prepared to lower the price: "Of course, if you don't like this number... we can discuss it further, after all, it's all..."

"Can."

A calm, even voice interrupted her.

Lu Yu crossed his legs and leaned back on the sofa, his gaze not even falling on Zhou Cuimei, but rather indifferently looking at the agreements on the coffee table.

His tone was indifferent, without any emotional fluctuation.

"This amount is acceptable."

He raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over Zhou Cuimei's eyes, which suddenly lit up with an astonishing brightness, and Lin Zhiqiang's bewildered yet slightly uneasy face. His tone remained calm as he said, "As compensation for the past twenty years of raising Miss Lin, and... as a proper conclusion to this matter."

He emphasized the word "finally" slightly.

The lawyer beside her immediately understood and pushed a more detailed agreement in front of Zhou Cuimei, explaining in a monotone voice:

"This is a supplementary agreement. The amount Mr. Chen is willing to pay is compensation based on voluntary negotiation between both parties. In exchange, Mr. and Mrs. Lin, you need to sign this confidentiality agreement. You promise to permanently keep the specific details of Ms. Lin's background confidential and not to disclose, disseminate, or profit from it in any form to the outside world. At the same time, you relinquish the right to interfere in all of Ms. Lin's future affairs. If you violate this agreement, not only will the amount already paid be fully refunded, but you will also be liable for the substantial penalty specified in the agreement."

Zhou Cuimei almost couldn't wait to take the agreement. She only glanced at the densely packed clauses before her eyes finally settled on the monetary figures and the liquidated damages that the lawyer emphasized at the end.

Her smile grew even more smug as she patted her chest and assured them, "Don't worry! Don't worry! We'll definitely keep our mouths shut! We're overjoyed that Zhixia can go back to her biological parents and live a good life, how could we possibly say anything that would ruin her future? We'll sign, we'll sign right now!"

She practically forced Lin Zhiqiang's still hesitant hand to sign his name crookedly on the agreement.

Su Wan and Chen Zonghan felt even more frustrated watching this scene.

They looked at Lin Zhixia, who was still looking down, her hands clasped tightly on her knees, as if trying to shut herself out of this cold transaction.

The more silent she remained, the more excruciating the pain became for her biological parents.

Lin Zhiqiang, on the other hand, seemed to have finally mustered up some courage after signing the document. He timidly raised his head, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the Chen family members. Finally, his gaze landed on Chen Su, who was sitting next to Lu Yuze and had been trying to keep a low profile.

His eyes held confusion, inquiry, and an almost humble expectation.

His lips moved a few times, and in a voice barely audible to himself, he asked hesitantly, "Then...then where is my...my biological daughter? Where is she?"

The question was asked lightly, but it was like a pebble thrown into a seemingly calm lake.

Zhou Cuimei's face darkened abruptly, and she interrupted him sharply, her tone biting: "Lin Zhiqiang! What's there to ask? Isn't Xiao Hao enough? What more do you want? We haven't seen each other for twenty years, what feelings could there possibly be? Don't embarrass yourself here!"

The "Xiao Hao" she mentioned was clearly the little boy with the pompadour hairstyle.

Lin Zhiqiang shrank back after being yelled at, his lips trembled a few times, but he didn't say anything more. His cloudy eyes were filled with endless confusion and loss. He secretly glanced at Chen Su, and then lowered his head dejectedly.

Chen Zonghan, Su Wan, and Lu Yuze all tacitly avoided responding to Lin Zhiqiang's words, and did not reveal the fact that Chen Su was his biological daughter.

For a cowardly man like Lin Zhiqiang, who is firmly controlled by his wife, and a shrewd and calculating woman like Zhou Cuimei, knowing about Chen Su's existence may not be a good thing; it could bring endless troubles and entanglements.

It's better to avoid trouble. Since the matter has already been settled with money, there's no need to create any further complications.

The whole process went so smoothly it was almost unbelievable.

It's hard to imagine that Lin Zhixia, with her resilient, hardworking, and bookish demeanor, struggled to survive for twenty years in such a family environment.

Lu Yuze's gaze swept lightly over Lin Zhiqiang's face, rough and dark from the hardships of life, filled with timidity, before glancing at Chen Su beside him, whose skin was fair and delicate, and whose features were exquisitely beautiful.

Chen Su's personality, temperament, and taste are undoubtedly the result of being carefully pampered by the Chen family for twenty years.

Upon closer observation, her appearance... indeed, there seems to be no resemblance whatsoever to Lin Zhiqiang.

Fate can be cruel, and sometimes it manifests in these subtle yet drastically different traces.

The check was signed, and the agreement was put away by both parties.

Everything seemed to have settled down just like that.

Absurd yet realistic.

The butler stepped forward and politely but distantly led the Lin couple away.

Chen Su watched as Zhou Cuimei eagerly clutched the check, her face beaming with an undisguised smile. Lin Zhiqiang, hunched over, followed behind, his steps dragging. He glanced back at the living room one last time, his gaze complex and unreadable, before finally turning away in silence and disappearing into the shadows of the porch.

It seemed as if her previously tense nerves had finally relaxed.

An invisible boulder quietly landed.

_

The living room quieted down again, but the atmosphere didn't lighten much.

Chen Zonghan rubbed his temples, as if remembering something, and spoke again, his voice tinged with weariness: "There's one more thing. Regarding the ceremony for Zhixia's formal recognition of her family, we've tentatively set it for..."

He paused, then looked at Lu Yuze and Chen Su, "...It will be held after Yuze and Susu's engagement banquet. This way, we can have more time and handle the happy events in sequence."

got engaged.

These two words made Chen Su's heart skip a beat. She subconsciously raised her head and looked at Lu Yuze beside her.

Lu Yuze was also looking at her, his light-colored eyes reflecting her slightly dazed face.

He didn't speak, but gently took her hand that was resting on her knee.

Yes, her engagement party with Lu Yuze is coming soon.

It will be a grand ceremony to announce their relationship to everyone.

This will bind her even more closely to the Chen family and Lu Yu.

For some reason, she suddenly remembered what Lu Yuze had once said to her.

Don't lie to me.