I raised stunning young ladies, but they all wanted to possess me.

Cecilia watched her adoptive mother bend down and take out fresh vegetables and ribs from the refrigerator, her movements as swift as if she had practiced a thousand times. She also watched her adoptive father drag his not-so-flexible right leg back and forth, serving tea and water.

Her gaze lingered for a moment on her adoptive father's legs, then shifted to the white hair at her adoptive mother's temples. She pursed her lips slightly and lowered her eyes thoughtfully.

Fu Wanqing pulled Gu Yan to sit down on the sofa, sitting close to him, her long pink hair cascading over her shoulders like a soft little flag.

She smiled and picked up the chopsticks on the table, took a piece of braised pork and brought it to Gu Yan's lips, insisting that he open his mouth and taste it.

Gu Yan couldn't resist taking a bite. It was fatty but not greasy and melted in her mouth. It was indeed delicious. Her adoptive mother's cooking skills were even better than those of restaurants outside.

Fu Wanqing nodded in satisfaction, then kept piling food into Gu Yan's bowl: a piece of pork rib, a chopstick of greens, and a chicken leg, piling it up like a small mountain.

"Eat more, you're too thin. No one cooks for you in Jinghai, right? Look how pale you are. Try my foster mother's sweet and sour pork ribs."

Her voice was as clear as a lark's, and as she picked up food, she watched Gu Yan eat it, her amber eyes full of anticipation.

Gu Yan lowered her head and ate a few mouthfuls of rice, chewing on the fragrant braised pork. While Fu Wanqing turned around to pick up other dishes, she secretly activated her Emotional Eyes.

A seven-colored light flashed silently in his eyes, like fragments of a rainbow sinking into deep water; no one noticed this instantaneous change.

He quickly glanced at his adoptive parents' emotional castle; both of them were calm and composed, like two cups of lukewarm water, neither too hot nor too cold, in a warm tone.

There was a hint of longing for Fu Wanqing in the adoptive father's emotions, and a hint of joy at his daughter's return home in the adoptive mother's emotions; there was no pretense or deliberate effort in them.

Their eyes were full of love and tenderness when they looked at Fu Wanqing; it was something that couldn't be faked, just like when Chen Sinian looked at Cecilia.

Gu Yan breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that Fu Wanqing hadn't lied to him; her adoptive parents were indeed good to her, genuinely so.

But then he thought about it again and wondered, according to the usual novel formula, shouldn't a character with such a tragic background and who has been abandoned be paired with a terrible adoptive family?

The biological parents cruelly abandoned their daughter, and the adoptive parents abused and beat her, making her live in the shadows from childhood. Then she turned into a villain. This is the standard script.

But Fu Wanqing's adoptive parents treated her with all their heart, wishing they could give her their hearts, and she herself smiled like a little sun, which was completely out of character.

Gu Yan chewed on the chicken leg, becoming more and more confused. Could it be that he had been reading too many novels and that there were simply more good people than bad people in reality, or was there some hidden truth that he hadn't yet discovered?

He swallowed the chicken in his mouth and then stole a glance at Cecilia, who was slowly sipping her soup with a small spoon, her movements as elegant as if she were savoring tea.

Her white hair fell down, obscuring half her face, making it impossible to see the expression in her eyes. But there seemed to be something extra in her icy blue eyes, as if she was scrutinizing something or calculating something.

Fu Wanqing picked up another piece of pork rib and stuffed it into Gu Yan's bowl, urging him to eat quickly with a smile, saying that it wouldn't taste good if it got cold, and that it was rare for her foster mother to cook so many good dishes.

"My uncle and aunt's cooking is delicious, better than many restaurants I've eaten at, especially the sweet and sour pork ribs, which are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside."

Gu Yan tasted a few bites of the food, put down her chopsticks, and said.

His foster mother beamed with joy, her wrinkles smoothing out. She added another piece of pork rib to his bowl, saying, "Eat more if you like it. Young people should be growing; it's heartbreaking to see you so thin."

After dinner, the group sat in the living room and chatted about everyday things. The living room wasn't big, but it was very clean. There was a plate of melon seeds and fruit on the coffee table, and sunlight streamed in through the window, falling on the light-colored floor.

The adoptive father asked Gu Yan what kind of work she did in Jinghai, his voice gentle as if he were chatting with a younger member of his family.

Gu Yan said vaguely, "I help people with their medical problems and occasionally handle some miscellaneous tasks."

I didn't dare to go into too much detail.

The adoptive father nodded.

"Hello doctor, you save lives and heal the wounded."

The adoptive mother added from the side, "Wanqing wanted to be a doctor when she was little, but she stopped mentioning it later for some reason." She then glanced at Fu Wanqing.

The adoptive parents exchanged a glance, then looked at Gu Yan with a heavy sense of entrustment in their eyes, as if they were handing over their most precious possession to someone else.

The foster mother gently patted Fu Wanqing's hand, her eyes slightly red, her voice choked with emotion but she held back her tears.

"Mr. Gu, Wanqing has had a tough life since she was little. She has suffered a lot. You must take good care of her and not let her suffer any injustice. She doesn't like to talk about her problems."

The adoptive father nodded in agreement, his fingers gently stroking his knees, his voice low and earnest: "Although Wanqing loves to laugh, she doesn't like to talk about her worries. Please be understanding and attentive to her."

"We're getting old and can't stay with her forever. We'll have to rely on you from now on. If she gets stubborn, please be patient with her and don't argue with her."

Gu Yan felt that something was off about what he was saying, as if he were giving instructions for his death. The atmosphere suddenly became heavy, but he still nodded without saying anything more.

Cecilia was very uncomfortable when she heard this. Her icy blue eyes turned cold, and her fingers clenched tightly on the armrests of her wheelchair for a moment before she was the first to turn around and walk out.

The wheelchair rolled over the threshold with a soft sound, and white hair flashed past the door frame, stirring up a faint breeze. It left without even saying goodbye, and Aunt Tian hurriedly followed.

Gu Yan hurriedly followed, and as she walked out the door, she turned back to look at her adoptive parents. The two stood at the door watching her go, their eyes full of concern and reluctance.

Fu Wanqing lagged behind and spoke a few more words to her adoptive parents in a low voice, making it difficult to hear what she was saying. Then she quickly caught up, her long pink hair bouncing on her shoulders.

She ran to Gu Yan's side, her face beaming with a smile as bright as if she had just been pulled out of a honey pot, her amber eyes curving into crescents, her whole being radiant.

"How about it, Gu Yan? I told you my adoptive parents are great, right? They've been so good to me, they've never let me suffer any injustice since I was little."

"Look how delicious their cooking is! My adoptive mother's cooking skills are famous for miles around. I've been eating her cooking since I was a child."

Gu Yan nodded and said, "Yes, you're right, it's very good."

His expression was natural, even smiling, but something felt off.

It was an indescribable feeling; it wasn't fake, it was just too perfect, so perfect it didn't seem real, like a meticulously rehearsed play where everyone acted perfectly.

He recalled the expression on his adoptive mother's face when her eyes reddened, and the look in his adoptive father's eyes when he said, "I'll be counting on you from now on." They were so real and so touching, but the more real they were, the more uneasy he felt.

When they returned to the Chen family's backyard, it was already dark. One by one, the lights in the corridor were turned on, casting an orange glow on the bluestone floor.