Finally, Gu Qinghuan gave a cough. "Xiao Jiu, conditions at home are a bit tough, but don't worry, we will all love you well."
As the saying goes, children from poor families value family affection deeply, and the Li Family was just like that.
"Okay." Li Jiu nodded. Her personality was relatively cold, and since she had just returned, she spoke very little.
However, Li Jiu found it quite amusing that the Li Family actually had four daughters...
"I... where is Dad?" Li Jiu looked around and didn't see a single man anywhere, so she asked subconsciously.
As soon as Li Jiu finished speaking, everyone's expressions turned collectively uglier.
"Dead?" Li Jiu spoke her mind innocently.
Gu Qinghuan pressed her lips tightly together, a flash of anger crossing her pretty face. "It would be better if he were dead! He gambled and drank every day, and forgot about this family long ago!"
A gambling-addicted dad, a sickly mom, a few battered and ragged sisters, and her, still in school.
Li Jiu wondered how on earth this hand of lousy cards could possibly be turned around.
Looking at the emotional matron, Li Jiu felt a pang of pity for a moment. She stepped forward and patted Gu Qinghuan on the shoulder. "Everything will get better."
"Really?" Gu Qinghuan looked at Li Jiu with hope in her eyes.
Li Jiu nodded solemnly.
The three sisters looked at each other in confusion.
Li Yuan muttered softly, "This... didn't even scare her off?"
"Yuan Yuan, take Xiao Jiu to see her room," Gu Qinghuan instructed gently.
Following behind Li Yuan, Li Jiu felt a stir in her heart when she saw the best-decorated room.
The Li Family was indeed impoverished, but this room was the finest: it had good sunlight, the largest floor space, and pink mosquito netting, making it look just like a princess room.
"Chu Yunyun used to stay in this room. Now that she's gone, you can live here. Don't worry, the bedsheets have all been changed to new ones," Li Yuan explained casually.
Li Jiu glanced at the vanity table, which was covered in cosmetics of various brands. It seemed... the Li Family was poor, but Chu Yunyun was not.
Yet even so, when Chu Yunyun heard she was the child of a wealthy family, she had left without looking back, and even... cursed a few times, blaming the Li Family for their carelessness. Why had they mixed up the children at birth? Otherwise, she wouldn't have suffered so much.
The Li Family's hearts had been broken over this.
They were all deeply emotional people, but never had they expected... to still raise someone as selfish and self-centered as Chu Yunyun. It probably had something to do with genetics.
"Thank you." Li Jiu placed her hands in front of her and offered a refined expression of gratitude.
Although the Li Family later treated her poorly, she still had to thank them for their twenty years of upbringing. Her etiquette teachers had all come from royal backgrounds, so her breeding was exceptional.
"If there's anything you're not used to..." Li Yuan paused before continuing, "just bear with it for a bit. It's normal not to be used to it; after all, the gap between our lifestyles before and after is just too huge."
Li Jiu: "..."
This sister certainly had a way with words.
"Get some rest first." After saying that, Li Yuan went out first.
The family still needed to properly decompress and adjust.
Li Jiu placed her computer on the table and instinctively went to sit down and rest. But the moment she sat down... with a crash, the chair collapsed, falling apart all over the floor.
"Wait a minute..." Li Yuan rushed back in, and upon seeing the mess on the floor, slapped her forehead.
Li Jiu instantly grew cautious, taking a subconscious step back.
Back at the Chu Family, this would have definitely led straight to a beating.
Unexpectedly, however, Li Yuan stepped forward and anxiously grabbed Li Jiu's hands. "Are you alright? I forgot to mention, this chair is old and shouldn't be sat on! I was supposed to move it out, but I forgot for a moment!"
When Li Jiu felt the warmth radiating from her palm, her icy heart melted just a bit.
"I... I'm fine." Li Jiu had always been quick-witted; sensing something was wrong with the chair, she had stood up ahead of time, so she hadn't been hurt.
Li Yuan slowly breathed a sigh of relief. "As long as you're fine. Wait here, older sister will go buy you a new chair in a moment. Rest on the bed for now; don't worry, the bed was just replaced, it's fine."
"It doesn't matter, I can fix..." Before Li Jiu could finish, Li Yuan assumed she was just joking and ran off to buy a chair.
Li Jiu glanced at the wood on the floor, a flicker of surprise crossing her eyes.
If she wasn't mistaken... was this rosewood? She touched the texture with her hand; it was indeed top-grade rosewood.
This...
You probably couldn't even buy this nowadays; how could the Li Family possess such a precious item?
Li Jiu didn't dwell on it too much. Finding a few simple tools, she got straight to work. Fixing a chair was far too simple for her.
A few minutes later, Li Jiu opened her computer, and several notifications popped up.
A chat group named Princess and Her Servants was particularly eye-catching.
— Knight One: Boss, I heard you got kicked out?
— Knight Two: What kind of blunt truths are you blurting out! How could she possibly have been kicked out? Boss left on her own.
— Knight Three: Boss, I just researched a new type of bomb and don't know where to put it yet. Shall I toss it at the Chu Family to test its firepower?
Li Jiu rolled her eyes.
— Princess: Cut it out, all of you.
After casually replying with a few words, Li Jiu exited the group chat directly and opened her email.
Sure enough, she saw the notification that she had been expelled from Qingji Royal Academy.
The content was concise and to the point: student enrollment numbers were full, and Li Jiu had failed the admissions process.
It had been just like this in her past life. Li Jiu narrowed her eyes and let out a cold laugh.
She prided herself on having done well on the exams, but for some reason, her score had been listed as zero when results were released. At that exact juncture, Chu Yunyun had returned to the Chu Family, and the Chu Family had forcibly stripped away her admission slot, arranging a low-tier institution for her instead, while Chu Yunyun took her place at the prestigious school. Not only that, but when Li Jiu later won international awards, Chu Yunyun had usurped those identities and achievements as well.
Thus, right up until she ended her life, everyone only knew of Chu Yunyun.
As for her, she carried her regrets to the grave.
This time, it would not be like that.
Li Jiu stood up, and just as she was about to go out, she heard hushed murmurs from outside.
"Younger sister is still in school. I just wonder how her grades are," Second Sister Li Xin sighed, looking a bit worried.
Gu Qinghuan slammed her hand on the table, startling everyone.
"No matter what, even if I have to smash the pots and sell the iron, I will send your younger sister to school!" Gu Qinghuan declared solemnly.
The three sisters: "..."
"Even though... going to school doesn't necessarily guarantee a way out." Gu Qinghuan cast a disdainful look at her three daughters.
They could all be considered top students, but who knew how they had managed to... turn out like this?
"But we must give Xiao Jiu the absolute best." Gu Qinghuan said with utmost seriousness.
"Well... the royal academy is the best," Li Yuan raised an eyebrow.
In the last second, Gu Qinghuan was full of high-spirited bravado; in the next, she instantly shrank back.
Li Jiu pushed open the door, lowering her gaze to conceal the fleeting expression on her face.
"I've already made arrangements regarding school. You don't need to worry."