The girl's ability to change expressions was truly remarkable.
Especially that couple - they stared at Su Ci in disbelief. Who was really bullying whom? The person who had been arguing with them just a second ago suddenly turned into a pitiful little rabbit?
Lu Zhe frowned instinctively, "What happened?"
"These two aren't good people. They have ulterior motives for adopting Tiancai. I overheard their conversation, and when I exposed them, they became angry and started insulting me," Su Ci said.
She was beautiful, with a fair face that glowed enchantingly in the sunlight. Her dark eyes sparkled with moisture, making her impossibly likeable from any angle. Even if she were the one bullying others rather than being bullied, people would instinctively find it justified.
"You're lying," the middle-aged woman rushed to argue. "What's wrong with you, young lady? We have nothing but good intentions in adopting a child from the orphanage. Why are you slandering us? What do you gain from ruining this child's opportunity? You're just making up stories."
After all, the other party had no evidence and couldn't prove anything.
The Female Staff Member hadn't expected such a sudden turn of events. "Miss Su, what exactly did you hear Mr. Zhang and Mrs. Zhang say?"
Adoptive parents were all thoroughly investigated and had to meet certain criteria to qualify for adoption.
Mr. Zhang and Mrs. Zhang had no children of their own, and they had good financial means. They didn't even mind that Zhen Tiancai had a heart condition. This was a rare opportunity, and just as Zhen Tiancai was about to be adopted, the Female Staff Member really didn't want anything to go wrong.
After all, given Zhen Tiancai's heart condition, if they missed this good opportunity, it would be very difficult to find anyone else willing to adopt him.
Lu Zhe lowered his gaze to Su Ci and asked her as well, "What did you hear?"
Su Ci directly quoted the middle-aged man's words, "He said his boss's daughter has leukemia and needs blood from someone with the Panda blood type. Tiancai happens to have Panda blood type. He's adopting Tiancai to make him serve as a mobile blood bank for his boss's daughter, and in exchange, he would be promoted to general manager."
Su Ci pursed her lips in contempt and continued, "Oh, and this woman wants to become the general manager's wife. After they were exposed by me, they started yelling at me. If you hadn't arrived, they probably would have gotten physical with me."
The first part was true, but the last sentence was false.
If they had really dared to get physical, she would have screamed for help!
The Female Staff Member looked incredulous. "Mr. Zhang, Mrs. Zhang, is what Miss Su saying true?"
Were they adopting Zhen Tiancai with such malicious intentions?
The middle-aged man and his wife's faces darkened at Su Ci's words.
"When did we ever try to get physical with you?" Mrs. Zhang demanded angrily.
Su Ci replied airily, "Just now."
After all, as they had said earlier, words carry no proof, and lying only requires a mouth - Su Ci felt she excelled at this!
"You..." Mrs. Zhang had never encountered such a sharp-tongued girl who could infuriate people to death.
The middle-aged man was much calmer than his wife. He held his wife's hand, signaling her to stay quiet. "We came here today to adopt a child, to do a good deed. Now your orphanage is making such a scene - who would dare to come adopt children in the future?"
The man's words carried an obvious threat - if they continued to make a big deal of this, only the orphanage and the children would suffer.
"Besides, you're slandering us and damaging our reputation. Do you know I could sue you?" The middle-aged man had many tactics up his sleeve.
In his view, he had seen many young people like her who thought they were being righteous but were actually muddle-headed. They thought they were doing good deeds, but when real trouble came, they would be the first to back down.
"I believe her," the young man's cool voice rang out. "It's simple to verify if she's lying. We just need to confirm whether your boss's daughter has leukemia and needs blood transfusions. That will make everything clear."
When Su Ci heard Lu Zhe say he believed her, she immediately shot him a satisfied glance.
The Female Staff Member nodded in agreement. If Miss Su wasn't lying, then this couple with such malicious intentions couldn't be allowed to adopt Zhen Tiancai.
The middle-aged man's face darkened, but he still refused to admit it. "Even if my boss's daughter is sick, that doesn't mean I want the child to donate blood."
In contrast to the couple's fury, Su Ci maintained a relaxed expression except for the coldness in her eyes. She stood close to Lu Zhe, taunting the couple like she was playing with mice. "Is it true that heartless people like you always have such thick skin? As long as your face isn't completely torn apart, you'll just keep denying everything?"
"Watch your words," the middle-aged man's face turned extremely ugly as he warned Su Ci.
Su Ci acted as if she was frightened, immediately leaning against Lu Zhe and looking at him with pitiful eyes. "Lu Zhe, he's being mean to me and wants to hit me."
"You..." The middle-aged man's temple throbbed with anger.
In the sunlight, there was a hint of amusement in Lu Zhe's dark eyes.
Even though he knew the girl was just putting on an act, his body still moved forward slightly, standing in front of her to block the middle-aged man's fierce glare.
"How do you want to resolve this? If you're going to bully us like this, we'll leave today and won't dare to adopt the child. Whoever wants to adopt him can go ahead." The middle-aged man couldn't deal with Su Ci, so he spoke directly to the Female Staff Member.
The Female Staff Member was in a difficult position. The child had already packed his belongings and was eagerly expecting new parents. If she told him now that this couple wouldn't be adopting him, the child would surely be devastated.
However, if Miss Su's words were true, the child absolutely couldn't go with this couple.
The Female Staff Member fell silent.
Su Ci watched the couple's furious expressions and, leaning against Lu Zhe, let out a light laugh. "Alright, I'll stop teasing you now. I can't stand looking at your ugly expressions anymore."
Under their angry glares, Su Ci took out her phone and played the recording she had made earlier.
Hearing the voices in the recording, the middle-aged couple immediately knew they were in trouble. They hadn't expected this little girl to be so cunning as to make a recording.
Initially, the couple had been calm because they thought she had no evidence - after all, under normal circumstances, anyone with evidence would have produced it immediately. But Su Ci was different; she preferred to toy with people, gradually exposing the couple's true nature before delivering the final blow.
The recording quality was good, and the volume was clear enough for everyone present to hear distinctly.
The Female Staff Member was filled with anger. "Mr. Zhang, Mrs. Zhang, you've gone too far. The child is so young and has a heart condition. You had such evil intentions - you have absolutely no conscience."
The middle-aged couple's faces were both embarrassed and ugly. Even with their thick skin and shamelessness, being exposed and humiliated on the spot left them unable to maintain their arrogance.
The middle-aged man started playing on emotions, "We did this to save someone. My boss's daughter needs platelet transfusions, and Panda blood type is very rare, with limited blood bank supplies. We saw how this little girl was so young yet suffering from such an illness, barely hanging on. We felt sorry for her, that's why we planned to have Zhen Tiancai donate blood. This is a good deed to save someone."
"Oh, shut up," Su Ci was exasperated. "Our ears work fine, we're not deaf. In the recording, you clearly said you were trading Zhen Tiancai for a general manager position. Now you're portraying yourself as a savior? I think your skin is so thick even a bullet couldn't penetrate it."
Su Ci suddenly realized her own skin wasn't thick at all - this middle-aged couple's shamelessness made them the kings of thick skin.
Lu Zhe cast a calm glance at the girl beside him. Right now, her eyes were bright, like a rabbit that had extended its claws, adorably fierce as she attacked the bad people.
The middle-aged couple had never encountered such a shrewd girl who was also skilled at verbal attacks. For every ten sentences they spoke, she could completely shut them down with just one, leaving them furious but unable to rebut.
The Female Staff Member spoke up: "Mr. Zhang, Mrs. Zhang, due to your ill intentions in adopting the child, you cannot take him with you." Now that the couple's motives were clear, the child absolutely couldn't go with them.
The middle-aged man persisted, "Are you sure? Do you think anyone else would adopt a child with a heart condition after passing up on us?"
"That's not your concern, Mr. Zhang." The female staff member wasn't foolish - she knew that staying in the orphanage was better than falling into a wolf's den.
"Hmph!" The middle-aged woman snorted angrily. Now that their scheme had failed, there was no need to pretend anymore. "You really think I wanted to raise a sick, useless child? Fine, we won't adopt. What's the big deal?"
As she spoke, she tried to pull her husband away.
"Do you know why you've never been able to have children of your own?" Su Ci's words successfully stopped them in their tracks.
Seeing the middle-aged couple turn around, she curved her red lips into a cold smirk and said, "It's because you're too wicked."
"What did you say?" The middle-aged man's expression turned vicious. Their childlessness was a sore spot, and being called out on it made him snap.
Lu Zhe shielded the girl behind him, his dark eyes coldly meeting the middle-aged man's. "Want to try something?"
The young man was tall, with a stern face, standing half a head taller than the middle-aged man.
Meeting the youth's dark eyes, the middle-aged man's aggression deflated somewhat. "Not worth my time."
As they turned to leave, they noticed Zhen Tiancai hiding behind a potted plant.
Faced with the child's bright eyes, the middle-aged couple finally felt a hint of discomfort.
"It's not that we don't want to adopt you, it's the orphanage that won't allow it," the middle-aged woman said, somewhat embarrassed under the child's innocent gaze.
Zhen Tiancai was still holding the teddy bear the middle-aged man had casually given him earlier. He looked at the couple and said, "I'm not afraid of pain. I can donate blood to save someone."
Su Ci looked over in shock - had the little one heard everything?
"I can save people." He was sick himself and hoped someone would save him too. Now hearing that a little girl was sick and only he could save her, little Tiancai felt he wasn't afraid of pain and could help.
"Are you serious?" The middle-aged man thought their plan had failed, but now the child was volunteering.
"Yes, I want to save people." Though Tiancai's voice was childish, his words were firm.
Su Ci instinctively looked at Lu Zhe, seeing in Tiancai a glimpse of Lu Zhe's childhood - quiet on the outside, cold in appearance, but with a pure and passionate heart.
Su Ci took out her phone and asked the middle-aged man directly, "What's your boss's phone number?"
"What are you planning to do?" The middle-aged man had grown wary of this sharp-tongued young girl.
"Just give it to me, no questions," Su Ci said coldly. "If you don't, I'll put your recording online and let the whole country condemn you."
"You..." The middle-aged man's eyes grew bloodshot with anger, but with evidence against him in her hands, he had no choice but to comply.
After getting the contact information, Su Ci snorted, "Now you can get lost."
She noticed Tiancai's eyes dim.
She went over to him and said, "You're still young. Even if you want to save someone, you need the doctor's approval. Only if the doctor examines you and says you can donate blood can you help save someone, understand?"
Tiancai nodded obediently.
"Miss Su, are you really going to let him donate?" the female staff member asked.
"Sister Yin, I want to save people," Tiancai answered proactively.
Su Ci pinched his serious little cheeks and reminded him, "Your health comes first. You can only help if the doctor approves."
Tiancai nodded, "I understand."
Su Ci walked back to Lu Zhe's side and complained pitifully, "That couple was so mean, cursing at me and trying to hit me. My poor heart almost jumped out, and my legs are weak now."
Lu Zhe was clearly used to the girl's dramatic exaggerations - it was actually the couple who had been angered to the point of nearly having heart attacks before storming off.
"Want me to carry you?" Lu Zhe asked coldly.
Su Ci was surprised - had Lu Zhe finally caught on?
Her eyes lit up, without any pretense of modesty, "Yes! Yes! Yes!"
Lu Zhe reached out, his long fingers lightly flicking her smooth forehead, "Just kidding." With that, he walked towards Fat Fu, who was waving at him from a distance.
Su Ci stood there stunned.
Wah, her young man had learned to be naughty!
...
Fat Fu drove while Su Ci and Lu Zhe took Zhen Tiancai to the hospital for a medical examination.
Su Ci had contacted the boss mentioned by the middle-aged man, who was already waiting at the hospital.
The distance from the orphanage to the town hospital wasn't far - they arrived twenty minutes later.
Su Ci met the boss, who compared to the middle-aged man, had an upright appearance and clear, honest eyes. His brow was furrowed with worry, but he didn't seem like a cunning person.
"Miss Su, thank you all so much for being willing to help my daughter," Boss Wu said, his shock from the sudden phone call now transformed into gratitude and hope.
"Don't thank me yet. We still need the doctor's approval for whether the child can donate blood, and you should be thanking him, not me," Su Ci said, standing beside Lu Zhe with Tiancai at her side.
"Yes, yes, of course." Boss Wu's eyes were moist as he led them into the hospital.
Soon after, Tiancai finished his examination, and they needed to wait for the results.
"Uncle, can I go see little sister?" Tiancai asked Boss Wu in his childish voice.
"Of course you can." Boss Wu was genuinely grateful to the little boy.
Boss Wu's daughter was in the inpatient department, and he led Su Ci and the others there.
It was a private room with a pretty little girl lying in bed and Boss Wu's wife standing nearby. She clearly knew the situation, as her eyes shone with both gratitude and sympathy when looking at Tiancai - like her daughter, he too was ill, yet remained kind and pure-hearted.
The little girl obviously hadn't seen so many strange brothers and sisters before. Though slightly shy, she still politely greeted everyone.
"Chacha, this big brother is here to help you. Say hello," Boss Wu smiled at his daughter.
Little Chacha's beautiful big eyes looked at Tiancai. Her face was pale and bloodless, her baby-like voice somewhat weak. "Hello, big brother. I'm Chacha."
"I'm Zhen Tiancai." His fair little face remained serious as he introduced himself formally.
"Brother Tiancai, you must be very smart." Mom had told her that 'tiancai' meant genius.
Tiancai looked at the little sister lying in bed. Being praised made his ears turn red, and his serious expression almost slipped.
The little girl's hand lay outside the blanket. Su Ci looked at her wrist and saw that her life value was marked in red, with a notation of one month beside it.
Su Ci called out Wealth: "The little girl dies from illness?"
Wealth: [Yes, they couldn't find a suitable blood donor, and she died from her illness.]
Su Ci pressed her lips together. This wasn't something she could save - only Tiancai could help.
But everything depended on not harming Tiancai's health.
The examination results came an hour later.
Tiancai's blood type indeed matched the little girl's.
The moment she saw the report, Su Ci noticed the little girl's life value change from a red line to five yellow squares.
She fell silent. Even before the doctor spoke, Su Ci knew Tiancai was suitable to donate blood to the little girl.
...
They left the hospital with Boss Wu and his wife's gratitude. Before leaving, Su Ci made a request to Boss Wu to fire the middle-aged man. Even though the couple's scheme hadn't succeeded, they were still despicable, and such wicked people deserved some punishment.
With his daughter's life crisis temporarily resolved, Boss Wu was already overjoyed and didn't dare ask for more. He was truly grateful for Tiancai's life-saving help.
Actually, even without Su Ci's suggestion, Boss Wu had planned to fire Zhang Yong. He allowed his subordinates to have ambition, but not to lack morals and conscience. Moreover, the middle-aged man had intended to harm his daughter's savior, which he absolutely wouldn't tolerate.
Back in the car.
The car fell silent again. With the passing of the old dean and the failed adoption hopes for the little genius, everyone was quiet.
Su Ci glanced at the little genius sitting beside her. He was looking out the window, sitting quietly.
From learning about his potential adoption, to having those hopes dashed, to his need to donate blood - the little fellow hadn't complained once or thrown any tantrums. He was mature beyond his years.
She remembered how shy yet bright-eyed he had been when meeting that middle-aged couple. No matter how mature he acted, he was still a child, and every child hopes for parents.
Su Ci wondered if Lu Zhe had been like this little genius when he was young, making people's hearts ache for him.
She looked over at Lu Zhe beside her.
The young man sat just as quietly - the big and little one really did share similar personalities.
In the front, Fat Fu drove silently. He understood the whole situation, having stayed at the orphanage with Lu Zhe. They knew well an orphan's yearning for parents - they all wanted to be like normal children with loving mothers and fathers.
Though the little genius had escaped a bad situation this time, it would be difficult for him to find adoptive parents in the future, not only because of his heart condition but also because he was already five years old.
At the orphanage, potential parents preferred to choose younger children who hadn't formed memories yet, believing it would be easier to form close bonds with them.
Fat Fu felt deep sympathy for the little genius who shared his background.
The car returned to the orphanage.
Su Ci opened the car door for the little genius.
"Goodbye, Sister Ci." The little genius knew Su Ci and Lu Zhe would be leaving today.
Su Ci stroked his head and asked, "Are you feeling sad?"
The little genius stared at Su Ci blankly before tears suddenly welled up in his big dark eyes. He nodded honestly, "A little bit."
"Just a little?" Su Ci watched his flowing tears.
The little genius didn't like lying. He pressed his small lips together, unable to contain his sadness anymore. His childish voice became choked with emotion, "Very sad."
He was a child that nobody wanted.
"It's okay to cry. You're a child - cry when you want to cry, laugh when you want to laugh. There's no need to hold it in." Su Ci patted his little head, wondering how a five-year-old could act so much like a little old man. Was Lu Zhe the same way when he was young?
"Mm." The little genius wiped his tears with his small hand and nodded.
"I'm leaving now. We'll meet again if we have the chance." Su Ci waved to him.
The little genius's eyes were full of reluctance, but he obediently raised his small hand to wave, "Goodbye, Sister Ci."
After closing the car window, Fat Fu started the engine.
Su Ci glanced at the little genius still standing dazed outside the car. She turned away and leaned against Lu Zhe, asking, "Will someone willing to adopt him come along in the future?"
Su Ci had never considered herself an emotional person, but this child was as sweet as an angel. He deserved to live in a happy family and enjoy parental love.
Lu Zhe let the girl lean on him and replied flatly, "I don't know."
Su Ci pressed her lips together and looked up at Lu Zhe. Though his expression was cold, his gaze at her was gentle. She glanced at the driver's seat where Fat Fu was concentrating on driving.
Su Ci lifted her head and quickly kissed Lu Zhe's lips before saying: "Fat Fu, please drive back to the orphanage."
"Did you forget something at the orphanage?" Fat Fu slowed down.
"Yes, I forgot the little genius." Su Ci's eyes crinkled as she smiled, meeting Lu Zhe's shocked gaze.
She hadn't been able to raise little Lu Zhe, but she could raise this little genius.
Su Ci took out her phone and called Su's Mother directly. "Mom, I found a friend for Su Ning. What do you think?"
Su's Mother was surprised but didn't have a particularly strong reaction. To her, it seemed normal that her daughter would find a playmate for her little brother, just as Su Ci had Qin Shiyan as a playmate when she was young.
Su's Mother was more concerned about when her daughter would return home, as she missed her very much.
After reporting to Su's Mother, Su Ci called her older brother Su ZhiYuan and explained the orphanage situation, telling him she hoped to adopt the child today.
After the car had left, the little genius sniffled, standing quietly and looking outside the orphanage gates. Sister Ci had said he was a child and could cry if he wanted to.
He pressed his little lips together as tears streamed from his eyes. He would cry just this once, and afterward, he would be very strong.
Through his tear-blurred vision, he saw the car that had just left returning.
The little genius watched the car stop at the entrance and saw Sister Su Ci get out. He stood there dumbfounded.
"Little genius, I forgot something very important that I needed to take with me," Su Ci said, both amused and heartbroken at the sight of the crying child.
The little genius asked in his naive, stuffy voice, "What did Sister Ci forget?"
"You." Su Ci stroked his head. "Would you like to come with me? I'll take you to my home."
Though the little genius was clever, he was still just a five-year-old child, and hearing Su Ci's words, he clearly hadn't processed them yet.
Su Ci asked him: "Would you like to come home with me as my little brother?"
She wasn't someone who indiscriminately helped everyone. While all the children at the orphanage were lovely and pitiful, she only wanted to take the little genius home.
She saw Lu Zhe's shadow in the little genius.
She wondered if Lu Zhe had been like this little genius when he was young, standing at the entrance crying sadly, hoping someone would adopt him.
Su Ci turned back to look at Lu Zhe standing by the car. In the sunset, the young man stood tall with elegant features.
She hadn't told Lu Zhe about her ulterior motive - that she wanted her family to adopt this child because he reminded her of Lu Zhe's younger self.
......
It was already night when they returned to D City.
Su Ci looked at the little genius sitting somewhat uncertainly in the living room and smiled, "We have to catch a flight tomorrow, so you should rest early. Go to sleep now."
"Okay." The little genius shuffled in Lu Zhe's slippers, which were a full half size bigger than his feet, and obediently went to the room Su Ci had prepared for him.
Su Ci turned off the TV, her eyes crinkling as she walked to another room and knocked on the door.
The door opened, and the young man stood behind it.
She smiled at him and said, "The little genius is sleeping in my room, so it looks like I'll have to squeeze in with you tonight."
Squeeze what?
The fold-out bed, of course.
