My girlfriend isn't as cute as me.

It wasn't because Uncle Yang had a particularly high sense of responsibility or was solely focused on his work; rather, it was because he was getting old and finding another job would be difficult. To support his daughter's education and high school entrance exams, Uncle Yang often spent most of his day at work. Even when Lin Jiu, who was twenty years younger than him, was ordering him around, he did it happily, unlike the other shop assistants who felt impatient and disgusted with Lin Jiu.

Later, Lin Jiu met Wang Yuting's mother.

Wang Yuting's mother was very different from the "mother" in Lin Jiu's mind.

It might be a bit impolite to say this, but Lin Jiu always felt that the other person's mental age was rather young, completely lacking the demeanor of an adult. However, considering that she flew all the way from afar just to see her daughter, she did seem quite responsible... Plus, buying a house for her child who was working far away—adding points, adding a hundred points! I hereby unilaterally declare Wang Yuting's parents the best parents of the year!

Now, Lin Jiu met Ning Yueyao's parents.

Ning Yueyao's father was gentle and polite, showing respect even to Lin Jiu, who was a younger generation. He remained calm in the face of anyone and anything—this was his outward appearance, but in reality, he was quite young at heart, always wanting to show off in front of his daughter. He would be happy over the smallest things and doted on his daughter. Ning Yueyao's mother appeared to be physically weak and somewhat taciturn, but she didn't give off a bad impression.

"...That's wonderful."

Whether it's Uncle Yang, Mo Xiao, or Ning Yuan and Ning's mother, they're all great.

Lin Jiu picked up a braised lion's head and put it in her mouth. It was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, soft and flavorful, with no fishy taste at all.

As he ate, his nose started to sting, so he buried his face in the bowl, trying to hide his expression with the ugliest eating posture.

Lin Jiu has a habit of not showing his vulnerable side to anyone, because he doesn't want to be pitied.

The scariest thing in the world is not that everyone hates you, but that everyone pities you.

This is why Lin Jiu never talks about his parents. He would rather work part-time, eat expired convenience store meals and bread, and catch up on sleep when he goes to school, than talk about his family's affairs with others.

But that's all in the past.

Lin Jiu couldn't change those two people, but he could change himself and become a better person.

Lin Jiu was confident that if it were him and Wang Yuting, they could definitely be excellent parents and ensure their child grew up healthy. Although Wang Yuting was completely inept at housework, he would make up for her shortcomings. There were things he couldn't handle, but Wang Yuting would handle them very well, except for horror movies… neither of them had any defense against them.

Lin Jiu couldn't help but smile when she thought of Wang Yuting.

Ning Yueyao, who was eating while secretly glancing at Lin Jiu, was taken aback because Lin Jiu's smile was different from the professional smile she had shown before.

This is a genuine, heartwarming smile, as refreshing as a spring breeze.

This was unlike any expression she had ever seen from Lin Jiu before; it was as if she were glowing.

"Is my dad's cooking really this delicious?"

Ning Yueyao fell into deep thought.

How about we start learning to cook today?

"I'm stuffed."

Lin Jiu ate every last grain of rice in his bowl, and he also drank a bowl of tofu soup, which tasted better than he had expected.

Ning Yuan has real skills; he has calculated everything perfectly, from the speed of cooking to the taste and the combination of healthy foods.

This made Lin Jiu feel particularly close to her, because when he cooked for Wang Yuting, he would consider whether the food was nutritious enough, rather than simply cooking whatever tasted good. Cooking for someone you care about adds a touch of happiness to the meal.

After finishing his meal, Lin Jiu was about to clear the table when someone took over his task.

"If you have something to talk about, go to the study. Yao Yao and I will clean up the dishes."

Ning's mother, who was always taciturn, suddenly spoke up, and she even gestured to her daughter with her eyes.

Ning Yueyao, who originally wanted to learn from Lin Jiu, had no choice but to obediently comply, even though she was unwilling.

Lin Jiu originally wanted to help, but Ning's mother's aura was too strong, so she had to give up in the end.

"So, is there something you need?"

Ning Yuan led Lin Jiu into the study and looked at him, asking a question.

Lin Jiu stared at the bookshelves that took up almost half of the study, her gaze momentarily lost in admiration.

Seeing Lin Jiu like this, Ning Yuan was not annoyed by her neglect; instead, his appreciation for her deepened.

This is someone who truly loves knowledge.

Only someone with a genuine desire to acquire knowledge would look at a book with such eyes.

Ning Yuan couldn't help but sigh to himself, "Humans are just so despicable! They don't cherish things they can easily obtain, and only regret it when they can't get them."

Now, the more he looked at Lin Jiu, the more he liked her. If he entrusted his daughter to him, he probably wouldn't have to worry about the rest of his life. Even puppy love was fine with him; he agreed, he gave his permission. Unfortunately, unfortunately, Lin Jiu's heart wasn't in that relationship at all.

"Sorry, I was just spacing out."

Lin Jiu snapped out of his daze and remembered that Ning Yuan had just called him.

"It's alright, no problem. You're welcome to visit my home anytime. By the way, you can read any of these books, or borrow them to take home if you want, just remember to return them. Some cabinets are locked, so I can't let you see the notes inside. Those are things I use for work, and they relate to a lot of things. It wouldn't be good for you if you saw them." Ning Yuan raised his hand with a graceful demeanor and revealed a gentle smile.

"Thank you, Uncle Ning."

Lin Jiu expressed his heartfelt gratitude.

For Lin Jiu, these books were the most precious things.

Knowing Lin Jiu's personality, even if Wang Yuting paid him his salary, he might not buy it. For Lin Jiu, a book read once doesn't need to be read a second time, and as for collecting, he doesn't have the means right now. One or two books are fine, but if there are too many, he'll need to set aside a special place at home to store them... Wang Yuting's house isn't spacious enough to have a study.

Thinking about it this way, Ning Yueyao's family is really well-off. They can afford a three-bedroom, two-living room house with a separate study, a balcony, a kitchen, and two bathrooms in such an expensive place as Mingyuexuan.

This family is no ordinary family.

“It’s alright. Yaoyao doesn’t really like reading. She says extracurricular books don’t help her grades,” Ning Yuan said with some regret. “These books have just been sitting here, and I haven’t had the energy to look at them again, which is a shame. I’m happy that you’re interested in them. Okay, let’s not talk about this anymore. Is there anything you want to talk to me about? My wife is very good at judging people, and she can’t hide your little schemes from her.”

Lin Jiu said frankly, "I would like to ask Uncle Ning for a favor."

"You said I would help as much as I could, that's what I promised you." Ning Yuan had no intention of going back on his word. He had told Lin Jiu at the school gate that she should contact him if anything happened, as a way of repaying Lin Jiu for protecting his daughter.

"Come, sit down and talk."

Ning Yuan placed the chair in front of Lin Jiu.

Important matters cannot be discussed standing up; that would be disrespectful to both parties.

Lin Jiu did not refuse Ning Yuan's kindness. He took the chair and sat down generously.

"I want to report someone." Lin Jiu's expression was solemn, and his tone was calm, without any extra emotion.

Then you should call the police.

Ning Yuan originally wanted to say that, but he noticed Lin Jiu's gaze. Lin Jiu was looking at the medals he had placed in the bookshelf.

"You little rascal, when did you figure that out?"

"At the beginning."

"Good guy!"

Ning Yuan was impressed.

"Tell me, who do you want to report? Let me make this clear first, if you lie about this, I won't let you off the hook. I'll also go back on my promises, and I won't lend you a single book."

Ning Yuan is principled and will not abuse his power... unless the other party really has a problem.

For example, in the case of Li Zhihao's parents, Ning Yuan discovered that the hotel they owned offered escort services, and the severity of the situation was beyond imagination.

"Escort services" refers to a group of people who solicit sex work under the guise of models; they are known in the industry as "business models." Most of these women have a respectable profession on the surface, such as having appeared in obscure films or television dramas, or having published little-known academic papers. They act as intermediaries for each other, sharing a special service list containing... things that are definitely not to be seen.

Li Zhihao's ability to obtain psychotropic drugs at such a young age is undoubtedly related to the business his family was involved in behind the scenes.

In China, providing escort services is prohibited by law and is considered illegal.

This is why they were able to seal off all of Li Zhihao's hotels within a single day; the fire hazard was merely a pretext to lower people's guard. The police are always swift, accurate, and ruthless in their actions, striking at the heart of the matter and never letting any criminal escape.

After Ning Yuan returned from the police station, he told his daughter that everything was alright, that everything was really alright.

All the criminals who broke the law were apprehended and brought to justice, including Li Zhihao's parents.

The family of three sat in a row, eating fruit.

"Please rest assured, I will not do such a thing."

Lin Jiu straightened his posture, understanding how important what was about to happen was.

Lin Jiu said firmly, "The person I want to report is my father, Lin Shanzong."

"..."

Ning Yuan slowly opened his eyes wide.

what is this?

Rebelling against my handsome father?

Lin Mordred Nine?

Ning Yuan retracted his previous thought; he definitely couldn't let this person become his son-in-law! He might just sell him off one day.

"Excuse me, may I write it down on paper?" Lin Jiu asked.

"Please, please."

Ning Yuan's gaze towards Lin Jiu changed slightly; it was one of respect.

If a family had a child like that, wouldn't they be worried?

Ning Yuan originally thought so, but after seeing what Lin Jiu wrote on the paper, his expression gradually changed.

Lin Jiu suppressed his nausea and disgust, pulling out countless fragments of memories from the bookshelf of his mind—memories he wanted to forget but couldn't. He never expected they would come in handy now. Without Wang Yuting's courage, he wouldn't even want to revisit these fragments of memory. Since Wang Yuting had led him out of the cramped room, he had to bravely take that step for her too.

“My father hasn’t looked for work in eight years. Every month, he takes the child support money my mother gives him and gambles it all away, then he has to borrow money from others.” Lin Jiu continued, suppressing her nausea, “These addresses are where my father and his gambling buddies play cards; these are the times they usually gather to gamble. Last Friday, my father sold the house, and all the money went to gambling. According to Article 43 of the ‘Regulations on the Standards for Filing and Prosecuting Criminal Cases under the Jurisdiction of Public Security Organs’ issued by the Supreme People’s Procuratorate and the Ministry of Public Security, gambling is a crime. Anyone who, for profit, organizes gambling involving three or more people, with a total gambling amount exceeding 50,000 yuan, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years, criminal detention, or public surveillance.”

Lin Jiu returned to reality from the bookshelf of memories. He looked at the paper in front of him filled with writing, and his fingers unconsciously clenched the paper.

Lin Jiu didn't just write about Lin Shanzong's affairs; he also recorded the words of Lin Shanzong's gambling buddies and their illegal and criminal acts. None of these people were innocent; they were all scum unfit to be parents.

"Uncle Ning."

Lin Jiu handed the paper to Ning Yuan with both hands, bowed his head, and solemnly pleaded, "Please."

Lin Jiu's hands were trembling.

He wasn't as calm as he appeared on the surface.

Lin Jiu has endured it all over the years; he has tolerated it all.

This is what Lin Jiu thought when she was only ten years old the year her parents divorced.

If he stayed with his mother, she would have to work hard for him for the rest of her life. But she wasn't particularly capable, and she spent money extravagantly; who knew what the future would hold with him as a burden? So, Lin Jiu, presumptuously thinking it was for Xia Mei's sake, offered to live with Lin Shanzong so as not to bother her. Later, Xia Mei started a new life, and she never contacted Lin Jiu again, not even once.

Over the past eight years, Lin Jiu had considered calling the police, but he was too young to live independently. If he gave up, all his suffering would be in vain, and his initial intentions and sacrifices would be for naught. According to juvenile law and custody rules, he would inevitably have to live with his mother, but she already had a new family.

The night Lin Shanzong sold the house, Lin Jiu called him, and Lin Shanzong used the law to pressure him.