CHAPTER 547: CHAPTER 547: GREEN TEA GU JIN

"We’re just giving you what was always meant to be yours."

Just then, the sound of footsteps came from the hallway.

Xia Lan and Xia Fei walked in together, holding small envelopes. When they saw Gu Jin standing with her backpack and the debit card in hand, they smiled brightly.

"You’re really leaving?" Xia Lan asked.

"Just for a while," Gu Jin replied.

"Well, in that case," Xia Fei said, holding out an envelope, "here’s something from us too."

Xia Lan handed hers over as well. "Each card has 1 billion mutes. We hope you’ll accept it."

Gu Jin’s eyes widened. "No, I... I can’t accept this."

"Yes, you can," Xia Lan said quickly. "It’s a gift. For being our sister."

"Just think of it as a late birthday gift," Xia Fei added with a wink.

Gu Jin hesitated, but they both placed the cards into her hands. She had no choice but to smile and hold them close.

"Thank you... thank you so much," she said, her heart warmed by their kindness.

But just then...

A sharp voice came from the hallway.

Everyone turned to see Xia Wei standing at the door.

Her eyes were red, like she had been crying. Her lips trembled as she stepped into the room.

"You’ve never given me that much money," Xia Wei said, her voice shaking. "Not even close to 3 billion. Not even 1 billion."

She looked at her adoptive parents, then the two sisters.

"I see now. Blood really is thicker than water. You’re giving everything to her, and nothing to me. I understand. I don’t belong here anymore."

Gu Jin turned to her, a faint chuckle escaping her lips.

"You’ve been enjoying the best of everything for seventeen years," she said coolly. "My room, my parents, my sisters... all while pretending you didn’t know the truth."

Her voice sharpened slightly.

"And now, just because they gave me some money, you suddenly feel hurt? I honestly can’t figure out what’s going on in your head."

Xia Wei’s face turned pale, but she quickly changed her expression to look weak and helpless.

She wiped her fake tears and walked closer.

"Rou’er, you’ve never handled so much money before," she said sweetly. "You’ve never even gone out shopping alone."

She reached for the cards in Gu Jin’s hands.

"Let me take care of them for you. I’ll manage it, and if you need anything, I’ll help you buy it. You don’t need to worry."

Before she could grab them, Gu Jin stepped back sharply.

Her eyes were cold now.

"I may not know everything," she said. "But I know enough to never trust you with my money."

The room went quiet.

Mrs. Xia stood up slowly and walked over.

She pulled Gu Jin to her side and looked at Xia Wei with disappointment.

"That’s enough," she said firmly.

The room went quiet after Mrs. Xia’s firm voice.

Then she turned her eyes toward Xia Wei and spoke clearly,

"From the time you were a child till now, we’ve spent no less than 10 billion mutes on you, Xia Wei. And if we include all your hobbies—like dancing, painting, horse riding, and collecting expensive dolls—we’ve spent at least 30 billion mutes more."

She took a deep breath and said slowly,

"You say we never gave you money... but just look around your room. Look at all the shelves, filled with rare collections, branded clothes, and items that most kids only dream about."

Her words hit like a stone.

The entire room went completely silent. No one said a word.

Gu Jin blinked, surprised. 30 billion mutes...? She glanced at the two cards in her hand, adding up to just 2 billion.

She had never thought it was a small amount—until now.

So the Xia parents are stingier than they look, she thought. Still, better than nothing...

She kept her face still, not showing anything.

Xia Wei, standing at the center of attention, suddenly burst into tears. Her shoulders shook, and she started sobbing loudly.

"I... I didn’t know it was that much!" she cried. "I didn’t mean to blame you, really! I was wrong, I was wrong! I’m sorry, I’m really sorry!"

She cried harder and bowed her head.

But Gu Jin didn’t believe a single tear.

She narrowed her eyes slightly. Trying to get away with fake tears again?

she thought.

Gu Jin stayed quiet, but her hand moved slightly. Inside her space, she asked for a small packet of fake tear solution she had once made for acting practice.

In a flash, it appeared in her palm.

Without anyone noticing, she lowered her face into her hands and began to shake her shoulders.

It looked like she was crying too.

But really, she was rubbing the fake tears gently on her cheeks and around her eyes.

After a moment, she looked up.

Her eyes were red, and tears rolled down her cheeks like crystal drops.

Everyone was stunned.

Mrs. Xia gasped. "Rou’er...? What’s wrong?"

Gu Jin sniffled, her voice trembling with pain.

"I... I’ve never had any money of my own," she whispered. "Not even one coin. I never had hobbies... never had time to learn what I liked."

Her voice broke a little.

"My adoptive parents always said I had to live like a simple girl. They said being picky was bad. So I only ate plain porridge. They didn’t buy me toys or clothes... they said learning to be frugal would make me a better person."

She looked at Xia Wei with wet eyes and said softly,

"Xia Wei is really lucky. She got to live twenty years full of hobbies and laughter. But me... someone who was meant to have that life... I had to live with the bare minimum."

She lowered her eyes again. "I know I shouldn’t be jealous. But... hearing you spent 40 billion on her... while I had nothing but porridge and old clothes..."

She didn’t finish the sentence, but her words had already stabbed deep into everyone’s heart.

Mrs. Xia covered her mouth, her eyes full of guilt. The General frowned, his jaw tight. Xia Lan and Xia Fei looked down, shame on their faces.

And all eyes slowly turned to Xia Wei.

She felt all their stares like needles.

How... how did this turn on me?

She came here to take Gu Jin’s money.

Now, it felt like she had to pay to survive.

She quickly forced a smile and took a step forward.

"Rou’er, please don’t cry. I... I’ll give you all my collections. My bags, my clothes, my dolls... everything. You can have them all."

Gu Jin didn’t answer.

She simply wiped her fake tears and whispered, "I’m a little tired. I want to go get some fresh air."

The General started to speak, but Mrs. Xia gently touched his arm. She looked at Gu Jin and nodded softly.

"Alright, dear. Just don’t stay out too long."

Gu Jin gave a small nod and turned to leave the mansion.

But the moment she stepped outside, her sad face vanished.

She straightened her back, her steps light.

Her lips curved up into a quiet smirk.

Acting? I never learned it. But faking emotions? I’ve had a lifetime of practice.

She walked away from the gate, hands tucked into her coat pocket, thinking deeply.

Xia Wei must be furious right now. She thought she could steal my cards. Instead, I just dug a deep hole for her. She’ll be the number one suspect once I go missing.

But Gu Jin wasn’t afraid.

She had already contacted her own people.

They would "kidnap" her tonight and drop her off secretly at Zhenmu Mountain.

Gu Jin stepped out of the mansion and walked quickly toward the bus station.

When she reached the station, she waited calmly at the corner. After a few minutes, a bus arrived. Just as Gu Jin stepped forward to get on...

A hand suddenly came from behind.

Before she could react, a white cloth was pressed tightly over her mouth and nose.

Gu Jin’s eyes widened. She struggled for a second, but soon her body went limp.

The man who grabbed her quickly carried her to a dark alley nearby.

No one noticed. Everything happened too fast.

Once they were inside the alley, away from people and lights...

Gu Jin’s eyes snapped open.

She sat up quickly and dusted off her coat.

"Well done," she said in a calm voice, patting the man on the back.

The man looked confused. "You... you weren’t really unconscious?"

"Of course not," Gu Jin replied. "This was all part of the plan."

The man scratched his head and smiled. "So... about the payment?"

Gu Jin took out her phone—the one the Xia family had given her—and quickly transferred the money.

"Done," she said.

The man checked his phone, nodded, and then ran off without another word.

Gu Jin stood alone in the alley, the street now completely quiet again.

She looked up at the sky.

"Time to go," she whispered.