The system glanced at the woman in the distance, then at the little kid who had switched sides so quickly, feeling a bit exasperated: "You're going to use your points to buy her clothes?!"
Just a week ago, these two little ones were barely surviving on the meager likes they scraped together to exchange for small loaves of bread. Now that things had finally taken a turn for the better, they were going to spend their first big earnings on clothes for that woman?!
Little Le Jia lowered his head, fiddling with his clothes. "She bought us clothes too."
Well, he was just returning the favor to the mean auntie.
"She was supposed to buy you clothes—it's her duty," the system retorted, then paused. "It's her obligation."
Huh, the auntie had said something like that too.
The two kids didn’t quite understand what "obligation" meant, but they trusted Uncle System.
Little Le Jia was quicker on the uptake: "Does obligation mean… she has to do good things for us?"
"More or less."
A few seconds later, the previously hesitant Little Le Jia straightened his expression, making up his mind. "Then since she has to be good to us, we’ll buy her clothes."
Yeah! Adults shouldn’t go back on their word.
Besides, his little sister had said the mean auntie was going to send them to kindergarten. She’d even threatened to record him going to the bathroom and show it to the other kids. If she was fulfilling her obligations now… then he’d… he’d reluctantly be a little nicer to her.
"And this was her idea," Little Le Jia reasoned fairly. The auntie had said he looked better this way, which was why they got so many likes.
The system was left speechless—it had never seen a kid who could convince himself like this.
But then again, this way of thinking was the first step for the kids not to become villains. They still held kindness toward the world.
Fine. It’d just have to keep a closer eye on them from now on.
Little Le Jia was still browsing for clothes that didn’t look like rags for his auntie when Lin Jian suddenly asked, "Le Jia, last time I saw you and your sister, you were picking up trash. Can you tell me why?"
His little sister raised her hand—she knew this one. "Grandma said to trade for bread."
There was an old lady downstairs who often collected bottles and cardboard, so the siblings had copied her.
Their obsession with bread was a bit extreme, but Lin Jian could guess that in their world, bread equaled money. "Did your auntie know about this?"
Both kids shook their heads vigorously.
Back then, they couldn’t let the auntie find out. Not only would she scold them for being dirty, but she’d also take their bread away.
Lin Jian misunderstood their reaction, assuming they’d sneaked out without telling an adult. She pressed further, "Then… is your auntie good to you?"
The siblings fell silent.
Was she good or not?
Before, she wasn’t. But now, even though the auntie didn’t talk much, she bought them new clothes, cooked every day, gave them cakes and candy… and even said they weren’t wrong.
Kids had clear-cut judgments—good was good, bad was bad.
They couldn’t honestly say the current auntie was bad.
"She’s good and bad," Little Le Jia answered carefully.
Lin Jian chuckled and handed him a pastry to coax him. "Do you like her?"
Little Le'an, holding her cake, pondered seriously. "I like the auntie now."
"Lin Jian, why are you so interested in these kids today?" one of the wealthy young men nearby asked. The others had only just learned that Lin Jian had run into these kids before and even taken their photo. But Lin Jian traveled everywhere—she encountered countless people and scenes. She couldn’t possibly be this invested in every single one. Did she even have the time? Babysitting?
Babysitting was exhausting. Thankfully, these two were well-behaved and adorable.
Lin Jian withdrew her hand. "Just making conversation."
She wasn’t that interested, really. At first, she’d just felt sorry for the kids. Her love for beauty had stirred a bit of pity, but that was it.
If anything, her curiosity was more about their auntie.
Anyone who’d attended Lin Shengxi’s gatherings wouldn’t be dirt poor. She wondered how someone like that could let kids scavenge for trash. But after meeting the woman in person, she seemed different from what Lin Jian had imagined.
Then there was Le Qing’s face—a gift from the heavens—and that hollow, ethereal aura about her.
It was… strangely captivating.
So she’d asked a few more questions. Lin Jian appreciated beauty, but she also needed to know a person’s character.
A man sitting closer to the kids suddenly leaned in, intrigued. "You know, the more I look at these two, the more familiar they seem."
Lin Jian glanced at him. "Oh?"
The man scratched his nose, lowering his voice. "Remember the Jiang family’s eldest son from a few years back?"
The small terrace, already quiet, fell completely silent. Only the two oblivious children continued happily munching on their cakes while keeping an eye on their auntie below.
After a long pause, Lin Jian took a sip of wine, breaking the tension. "Jiang Yan?"
Their circles didn’t overlap much, so she hadn’t seen Jiang Yan often. From what she recalled, though he was a few years older, he never attended the usual social gatherings of their peers. No one had ever mentioned him being close to anyone.
But as the Jiang family’s only son, a prodigy who took over the family business young and handled matters with ruthless efficiency—coupled with the Jiangs’ unshakable status among the elite—no one dared speak ill of him. Everyone wanted to curry favor.
Lin Jian’s last memory of Jiang Yan was that he wasn’t as coldly decisive as the rumors claimed. Instead, he’d been gentle and refined.
But still…
"He’s been gone for years, hasn’t he?" she said.
His funeral had been kept quiet, known only to a few close families.
"Yeah," the man agreed. "Don’t these kids look a bit like him?"
Now that he mentioned it… Lin Jian studied the children’s features. There was a resemblance, especially the little girl.
Others who’d met Jiang Yan grew curious, craning their necks for a better look.
Lin Jian clicked her tongue and waved them off. "Don’t scare them."
They got the hint and leaned back, murmuring among themselves. "But Jiang Yan never married. Even if he had a secret girlfriend, the Jiangs wouldn’t let their bloodline live like this, would they?"
"Cut the drama," Lin Jian said. "It’s just a coincidence. And keep it down—this isn’t something to spread around, especially not near the Jiangs."
The wealthy world had plenty of secrets, and illegitimate children weren’t uncommon. Gossiping behind closed doors was one thing, but bringing it into the open? No.
Especially when it involved the Jiang family. The current Jiangs were… unpredictable.
The topic shifted.
Someone asked, "Has anyone here stayed in touch with… you know, the current head of the Jiang family?"
"Not a chance," another scoffed. "He’s even harder to pin down than Jiang Yan. You could camp outside Jiang Corporation’s headquarters and still not catch him. Who’d have thought a bastard son brought back from who-knows-where would be this capable? Everyone assumed the Jiangs would collapse after Jiang Yan died, but he single-handedly held it all together."
Lin Jian arched a brow. "Who?"
"Jiang Suizhi."
Lin Jian smirked faintly. "Alright, since when did you all become such gossips?"
Everyone knew when to stop—some things were better left unsaid, so they just laughed it off.
Unlike others who had no means to get close to Jiang Suizhi, Lin Jian shared some history with him, though that was before he returned to the Jiang family. Back then, he was still the illegitimate son who couldn’t be acknowledged publicly, yet he had his pride, earning his own tuition money. That was how he crossed paths with Lin Jian, who was constantly scouting for models, and they collaborated a few times.
However, all those photos had since been taken down at his request after he returned to the Jiang family. In the years since his return, the two hadn’t contacted each other even once.
Thinking of him, Lin Jian couldn’t help clicking her tongue. Back then, Jiang Suizhi was still a student, perpetually covered in bruises—fierce and untamed, like a wolf abandoned yet fighting to survive. Who could’ve guessed he’d now be the head of Jiang Corporation?
But… She couldn’t resist glancing again at the little girl’s eyes. They really did look alike.
Could he really have left a little wolf cub out there?
Then again, Jiang Suizhi had been just a teenager back then—poor but strikingly handsome. Wealthy or not, girls and even older women flocked around him, yet he never spared them a glance. Worse, he seemed to have this bizarre aversion to touch. Whether it was a man or a woman, if anyone so much as brushed against him, his expression would turn downright ghastly. The worst instance sent him rushing to the bathroom to vomit.
That time, when Lin Jian happened to see him, he was scrubbing his hands raw, eyes red, his whole body trembling.
How could someone like that have a child?
Lin Jian caught herself overthinking. What did it have to do with her?
As she snapped out of it, she noticed the woman coming to pick up the child—Le Qing, was it?
Admittedly, watching a stunning beauty approach was a pleasure, so Lin Jian didn’t speak first, merely narrowing her eyes slightly.
The tattered black down jacket made Le Qing blend almost seamlessly into the night, yet her skin was pale, her features gradually sharpening under the flickering firelight.
What caught attention first were her eyes—the kind that could calm anyone’s restless heart at a glance.
Cool.
For no reason, Lin Jian felt that while Le Qing appeared aloof, there was something undeniably captivating about her, reminiscent of Jiang Suizhi in his younger days.
One was notoriously unyielding; the other, so soft there seemed no way in.
Le Qing sensed their scrutiny but was used to it. Walking over, she smiled at Lin Jian. "Thank you for looking after them tonight."
"No trouble, they were well-behaved." Lin Jian stood, eyeing the camera hanging from Le Qing’s neck. "Are you a professional photographer?"
"No." Le Qing knew her limits in front of a professional. "Just enough experience to get by."
Lin Jian hadn’t seen her published work to comment, but she had watched Le Qing demonstrate for the kids, so she asked, "Have you modeled before?"
Le Qing was puzzled but didn’t mind the question from someone without ill intent.
The woman before her had status, connections, and a reputable career. Le Qing wasn’t foolish enough to antagonize her, especially when this person might be the "opportunity" her little ones needed.
"I did some part-time modeling in college," Le Qing said. "But I’m not professional."
"Experience and talent." Lin Jian pulled up her WeChat. "That’s enough."
Le Qing didn’t quite follow. "Enough for what?"
"We might work well together. Interested in adding me and setting up a collaboration?" Lin Jian paused, then added, "Of course, there’d be payment—terms based on your performance."
Le Qing never expected the opportunity meant for the kids would land on her instead.
Was this the universe rewarding her for being a good mom?
She had an epiphany.
The old Le Qing had built a modest reputation as a model thanks to her looks and experience, commanding decent pay.
After a moment’s thought, Le Qing replied earnestly, "I’m in. But you’ll have to pay more."
With a debt in the millions hanging over her, she definitely didn’t come cheap!
