After marrying her mother, he had never once allowed her to call him "Dad." Even when her mother gently suggested it, he would always deflect the topic with ease. Looking back now, she realized her mother must have known all along how he truly felt—and never brought it up again. Meanwhile, she had still been foolishly yearning for a father's love.
"I understand," Shu Ran said almost serenely, her clear eyes void of shame or fear. Her calmness made Gao Jianjun's anger dissipate, replaced by a faint sense of unease.
"Daddy\~" Gao Yuanyuan suddenly chirped in a sweet, pampered voice, wrapping her arms around his neck and pouting just enough to redirect his attention. "I helped you out so much today! Don't I deserve a reward?"
In an instant, Gao Jianjun forgot all about Shu Ran's odd behavior. He lifted Gao Yuanyuan into his arms and planted two loud kisses on her cheeks, laughing heartily. "Didn't you say you've always wanted to go to Hong Kong? I'll take you there this summer, and I'll buy you whatever you want."
"Really? Then that summer trip—it'll just be you and me, right?" Yuanyuan clung to his neck, throwing Shu Ran a triumphant glance, her lips curling into a victorious little smirk. "Just this one summer, okay?"
Gao Jianjun hesitated. His gaze swept over Song Yahan and her daughter, and he felt a fleeting pang of guilt. But when he thought about Shu Ran offending Director Shen, the guilt quickly turned to irritation. He nodded without hesitation and tapped Yuanyuan on the nose. "Alright."
Yuanyuan clapped her hands happily and gave him two kisses in return.
"Let's eat," Gao Jianjun said lightly as he set her down.
At the dinner table, things looked no different than usual—Gao Jianjun and his daughter chatting and laughing as though no one else were present. Sitting quietly, Song Yahan reached out and gently squeezed Shu Ran's small hand. Shu Ran looked up and offered her a soft smile before lowering her head again to eat in silence. It was obvious to anyone: these were people from two different worlds.
Perhaps it was because of her rebirth, or perhaps it was Gao Yuanyuan's presence—but Shu Ran had grown reluctant to talk to anyone. Chin propped in her hand, she stared out the window. In just over a month, middle school would begin. Her brows furrowed slightly. Back then, she'd entered the same middle school as Gao Yuanyuan, hoping to better integrate herself and her mother into this family. Not only had it failed, but it had dragged her mother down with her. This time, she would never entrust her fate to anyone else.
"Yuanyuan, which middle school are you planning to attend?"
"Isn't it obvious? She's pretty and smart—of course she's going to the top key middle school in the city! If her grades are good, she can directly move on to high school there."
"I heard that Experimental Middle School has this boy—he's smart, from a rich family, great at sports and studies, and he's super handsome!"
"For real?! No way!"
Several girls chirped excitedly around Gao Yuanyuan's desk. She listened like a graceful little princess, smiling sweetly from time to time.
Shu Ran knew that all of it—the sweetness, the charm—was nothing but a carefully curated mask. She would never again be foolish enough to believe that this so-called sister had ever truly cared for her.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, dappled and warm, lulling her into a lazy drowsiness.
"Shu Ran, which middle school are you going to?"
"Duh, she's obviously going to the same one as Yuanyuan. They're sisters, after all."
Somehow, the conversation had drifted to her. Shu Ran simply closed her eyes, refusing to engage.
"So rude. How could someone like Yuanyuan have a sister like her?"
"Ranran can choose whichever school she wants. Don't pressure her," Gao Yuanyuan said with a sweet smile, stealing a glance at Shu Ran sprawled on the desk. "Alright, enough about her. What about you guys—where are you planning to go?"
Shu Ran had only been pretending to sleep, wanting to block out their noise—but the warmth of the sun was too comforting. Before she knew it, she had actually fallen asleep.
In her dream, she once again saw her mother being thrown out by Gao Jianjun, cast aside for a mistress. Her mother's cries were raw and agonizing, cutting into her like knives. It was then she finally realized—through all those years, she and her mother had never truly been a part of this family. She dreamed of Gao Yuanyuan's tear-stained face as she stole away Shu Ran's fiancé, and she dreamed of the moment of her own death.
She jerked awake, cold sweat soaking her back. Her shirt clung to her skin, sticky and itchy. The bell rang, signaling the start of class, but she didn't move. She lay motionless on her desk, remembering that the final two months before middle school had been nothing but an endless cycle of mock exams and review sessions.
"Put your books away. Time for a math quiz."
As the teacher's voice faded, groans erupted around the classroom.
"Another test? We've been doing this every single day!"
"If I fail again, my dad's gonna kill me."
Shu Ran listened to their complaints with a slight curve at the corner of her lips. Back then, she had been one of the students terrified of exams. No matter how hard she worked, she could never catch up to Gao Yuanyuan. At home, she'd be met with nothing but disdainful glances from the father-daughter pair. She had grown to hate tests. Deeply.
Their math teacher, an elderly man named Lu, was hunched over, his voice hoarse and shaky, and he walked with a wavering gait. Sometimes, Shu Ran couldn't help but wonder if a strong gust of wind might just knock him over.
She slowly lifted her head. Around her, classmates reluctantly stowed their books under their desks and stared at "Old Lu" with mournful expressions.
Test papers were passed down row by row. Soon, the only sound in the classroom was the rustling of pens against paper.
Shu Ran gave her paper a quick scan and let out a quiet, self-deprecating laugh. The problems that once felt impossible now seemed as simple as 1+1. She picked up her pen, jotted down her name, and completed the entire test in under fifteen minutes.
The sunlight remained warm, gently coaxing her back into drowsiness. She rested her head on her arms and drifted off again. Old Lu stopped beside her, sighed, and shook his head gently. Shu Ran had never passed a math exam—her highest score was 39. He didn't expect much. As long as the weaker students didn't cause trouble, he was satisfied.
And so, Shu Ran slept peacefully.
"Anyone done can hand in their paper," Old Lu said softly, glancing at the clock on the wall. Nearly half an hour had passed.
Everyone assumed the class monitor or math rep would be the first to turn theirs in—but to their shock, Shu Ran stood up, handed in her paper, and left the classroom without a word, ignoring all the eyes following her.
It wasn't until her figure disappeared from view that the class finally looked away. Their gazes shimmered with a mix of emotions—contempt, curiosity, envy, and confusion.