Endure!
She had to endure it!
She was not going to beat around the bush. She had to uncover her father's hypocrisy bit by bit.
She wanted her mother to realize it gradually, accept the process slowly. Not like in her previous life, when she found out about it suddenly and couldn't take the blow, which made her collapse completely and let the mistress ride roughshod over them.
Kong Liji saw his daughter did not rush over to hug him as usual, and wondered in his heart. Just then he saw her grab her mother's hand and say coquettishly, "Daddy, I'm not going to eat this. I want to lose weight."
The doubt in Kong Liji's mind instantly disappeared. He smiled and agreed, "Okay, okay, if you don't eat, your mom and I will eat this. Let's see how long you can endure it."
The mother patted her daughter's hand indulgently, "You little glutton, don't cry and yell regret later."
Ren Ran acted like her past self, sticking out her tongue mischievously.
In the evening, she coaxed to sleep with her mother. The couple could not refuse her request and agreed.
After closing the door, it was time for private talk.
"Mom, what kind of person do you think Dad is?"
Ren Suya thought for a while, "Your dad is a responsible man who cares for the family. He is a great father."
"Mom, can you tell me how you and Dad met? Did you pursue Dad, or did Dad pursue you?" Ren Ran acted out an inquisitive child eager for gossip about her parents' past.
Pestered by her daughter, Ren Suya recalled with a smile, "Once on my way back to school I ran into a group of hooligans. Suddenly your dad appeared and helped fight off those hooligans. We met several times on campus afterwards, and our relationship grew closer..."
Looking at the bliss on her mother's face, Ren Ran felt a surge of sourness.
Because she knew none of this was true.
There was no hero saving the beauty. There was only a calculated approach.
She really wanted to tell her mother that her father did not even like her at all. His heart belonged to someone else. He only chose her mother because he did not want to struggle in life.
"Mom," Ren Ran could not bear to listen anymore and interrupted. She hugged her mother and said, "Mom, Dad would never betray us, right?"
Ren Suya was surprised. She felt something was off about her daughter today. What she said now seemed to have hidden meanings.
"Ranran, did you hear some gossip?"
"I'm just asking casually." Although Ren Ran said so, her face clearly expressed 'I'm so worried'.
How could Ren Suya not see through this? "Now you've started keeping secrets from Mom?"
"I, I..." Ren Ran struggled, then seemed to make a decision. She looked at her mother worriedly, "I saw Dad being intimate with a woman. Don't overthink it, Mom. I might have seen wrong."
Ren Suya felt her daughter's concern.
"Ranran, don't tell your dad about this. I'm afraid he would feel hurt, thinking you don't trust him."
"Silly child." Looking at her daughter's worried, cautious eyes, she stroked her cheek, "Mom won't say anything. I believe in your dad's character."
"Mm." Ren Ran buried her head in her mother's arms, feeling awful inside.
She knew one or two sentences could not shake her father's status in her mother's heart. But she was not afraid. She believed in dripping water wearing away a stone. One day her mother would see through the true colors of the man beside her.
Today she would plant a seed in her mother's heart first, and let her discover and nurture it bit by bit until it grew. The process might be painful, but she would be by her side, removing the tumor in their hearts together little by little.
"Mom, who all knows my birth details and Bazi?"
Although Ren Suya felt it odd, she still replied, "Our family members know. Dad, Mom, grandpa, grandma, and also maternal grandpa and grandma. Others probably don't know the details."
"Speaking of which, I just recalled that your aunt (mother's cousin) asked about your birth details and Bazi sometime ago."
Aunt?
Her mother was her maternal grandparents' only child. This aunt was her mother's cousin. The two families had a good relationship.
"Why did Aunt suddenly ask about my birth details and Bazi?"
"You silly girl, did you forget? Last month, the Buddha pendant Aunt gave you."
Because it was too long ago, Ren Ran had forgotten about it.
When her mother reminded her, she recalled there was such an incident.
Earlier last month, Aunt's family went on vacation in Thailand. They got a Buddha pendant that was said to be quite famous and efficacious from a temple there for each family member.
Every family member had one of these safe pendants.
"Ranran, why did you suddenly ask about this?"
"I just wanted to see if you guys care about me."
Ren Ran did not know that at this moment, in Ren Suya's eyes, she was like an anxious child who desperately wanted to prove her worth through something.
Ren Suya lovingly stroked her daughter. "Ranran, whether it's Mom or Dad, we all love you."
"Mm."
Mother and daughter fell asleep in each other's arms.
Hearing the steady breathing beside her ear, Ren Ran opened her eyes wide awake. Her mind was wandering in the boundless cosmos.
If what the Taoist said was true, the tragedy in her last life all stemmed from her fate being swapped.
Only her closest family members knew her birth details and Bazi.
Did her family intentionally leak the information, or was it unintentionally known by others?
She could not let the hatred from her past life cloud her judgment and suspect whoever she wanted. She had to analyze calmly and find out who was behind it.
Let's assume they intentionally leaked the information.
Combine the various events in her past life and what the young Taoist said, there were two parties who benefited from this, and both were closely related to her. These two suspects were none other than her own kin.
The first one, Kong Liji, her birth father.
His mistress whom he supported outside, Ruan Fengru, could be said to have lived in splendor and glory in her past life, a famous businesswoman in the commercial circle. Their daughter Kong Lian entered the entertainment industry and squeezed into the top tier of starlets within just two years. She was a famous national goddess, with a thriving career. Her love life was also enviable. It was said the top princes in the entertainment industry were her suitors.
Although this was not without Kong Liji's help, using the assets of their Ren family, it could not be denied that she and her mother lived wonderful glorious lives in the past life.
The second one, Ren Shuyun, her aunt.
Aunt's family had always been on good terms with them. They often dined together and exchanged gifts during holidays. Ever since their family started declining, Aunt's family had been rising instead. She used to be the child of others in adults' conversations, an example relatives could bring up.
Yet at some unknown point, this person became Aunt's daughter Xu Ying.
The glory and praises that were once hers were all transferred to Xu Ying.
At that time, Aunt's husband's supermarkets were thriving, rapidly opening over a dozen stores.
After her mother was harmed by Kong Liji and Ruan Fengru, she had sought their help but they not only did not lend a hand, they even mocked and ridiculed.
Ren Ran understood feelings fade over time, but their behavior was not just growing apart. It was kicking someone who's down.
