Chapter 11: Debts of Sin, One by One

The vase crashed to the floor. Hearing the door, Lian Meng quickly pocketed the things she had pilfered and slipped away.

She never had the strength of mind to listen to that group of executioners finish their words anyway, so she had gone downstairs, hoping to steal some antiques and calligraphy before anyone noticed, to sell them for money. Unexpectedly, the housekeeper caught her, and in her haste, she knocked over the vase...

Looking at that family with their ferocious faces, she considered it a miracle if not only the photographs and bankbooks survived, but if little Youyou could even grow up alive!

There would be time enough in the days ahead—these debts, one by one, she would be sure to settle with them.

Calligraphy and traditional paintings were priceless treasures to Lian Meng; she couldn’t bear to sell them. So she found a nearby gold shop, sold the golden ruyi scepter for a little over a hundred thousand yuan, and then used her daughter’s ID to open a savings account, depositing the money.

With money in her pocket, she felt a new confidence in every step. Lian Meng carried her bank card to buy clothes, cosmetics, and skincare products, purchased a new phone for over ten thousand, then went to a photography studio for some portraits in traditional costume, paying extra to have the images retouched within three days.

The devaluation of money these days was truly severe—a single bottle of toner cost over a thousand, a phone over ten thousand.

She wondered what side business Professor Lu was running; with just a sideline, he could afford a Maserati and a luxury apartment. Once she found out, she’d take up a side business too.

The taxi passed by the community where her parents had lived. Lian Meng hastily signaled the driver to stop and sat, staring blankly at the almost-demolished neighborhood for a long time.

She had no idea where her parents were living now. The place looked about to be torn down, and it was already deserted.

“Miss, are you getting out or not?” the driver tapped the steering wheel impatiently.

Suppressing her emotions, Lian Meng replied, “No, keep driving toward the Seaside Residence.”

She could probably ask Professor Lu for her parents’ address or phone number, but she still didn’t have the courage to face them.

If not for her stubbornness back then—insisting on marrying Fan Chi against her parents’ wishes—things would never have turned out like this. How could she face them now?

The next day, Lian Meng put on a floral dress with a blazer. Her daughter’s original hairstyle was too prim, so she took matters into her own hands and trimmed a wispy fringe. With a beret and a crossbody YSL bag, her look was even more striking.

Gazing at her daughter’s student ID, she vowed that from now on, she would live well, for her daughter’s sake.

She was Lian Youyou now.

Walking down the tree-lined avenue of campus, Lian Youyou drew countless curious glances—not just because she’d miraculously survived a fall from the sixth floor, but also because she was completely transformed. Her fashion, her vivacity, the way her eyes sparkled like a mischievous fairy—all of it caught attention.

This wasn’t just her daughter’s university; it was once her own. She had once been an outstanding student here at Binhai University.

Her steps paused before the display wall of the university’s exemplary graduates.

The wall was long and imposing; after all, Binhai University was a top-ranked institution in the nation, with too many accomplished alumni for the limited space. Only those at the very pinnacle were featured here.

From a distance, the rows of ID photos looked almost identical, yet among this sea of stars, Lian Youyou found her own image in an instant.

In the photo, she was radiant, her smile bright and eyes curved, seeming to contain a skyful of shining stars—a smile that could warm the coldest heart. She had never shown such a genuine smile since stepping into the entertainment industry.

Suddenly, her gaze fell on the photograph of the young man beside hers.

“It’s been a long time, Lu Zhijun.”