Chapter 22

As I spoke, I reached for my bank card.

The Dean of Students pressed down on my hand and sighed deeply. “I know she’s a good kid. Unless she can deal with her parents, otherwise…”

“I can refund your tuition.”

At that moment, I saw despair on Shasha’s face.

She lowered her head, tears in her eyes, and held my hand, giving a faint smile:

“Let it go, Xiaoxia.

“I won’t go to school anymore.

“Maybe this is just my fate.”

My heart was about to explode. Eyes red, I roared:

“I don’t believe it!

“I don’t believe in this damn fate.

“Why should all the suffering fall on you?

“Shasha, you’re not allowed to give up. I’ll go buy a knife right now and kill those two bastards.”

Shasha hugged me tightly, her tears bursting forth.

“Xiaoxia, don’t do anything stupid.

“It’s not worth ruining your life for them.

“I’m fine. Not going to college isn’t a big deal. The tuition can be refunded, so we won’t lose anything.

“I’ll take this money and run away. They’ll never find me again.

“I’m fine, really.”

Her burning tears all fell onto the back of my hand: “I’m fine, I really am.”

The early summer wind was icy cold.

It swept through the empty corridor.

I cried out, heartbroken: “Why, why!”

Shasha just clung to me, repeating over and over: “I’m fine, I’m really fine.”

“I’m fine, really.”

I don’t know how long we cried. Suddenly, a trembling female voice sounded in my ear: “Excuse me, which one of you is Zhao Shasha?”

I looked up blankly and saw a face almost identical to Shasha’s.

Shasha was stunned too.

The woman was shaking all over, tears streaming down her face. She rushed forward and hugged Shasha tightly. After a long, long time, she finally spoke in a trembling voice:

“Linlin, Mama finally found you.

“Linlin, I’m your mother.

“Do you still remember me? I’m your mother, I’m your mama. I’m sorry, Mama came too late. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…

“I’m sorry, baby…”

Lin, as in beautiful jade.

So it turns out Shasha really was the treasured daughter, the precious jade in her parents’ hearts.

It was Shasha’s biological brother who saw the post I made on the forum.

I had attached a sticker photo that Shasha and I took together to that post.

When she was three, Uncle Song and Aunt Zhou took their two children traveling together.

But in the brief moment it took to buy some cotton candy, Shasha was abducted.

Later, the police caught the human trafficker.

That person confessed that all those children had been sold to the north.

So all these years, Aunt Zhou had been searching in cities all over the north.

But unexpectedly, Shasha ended up in our little mountain village.

Shasha still looked dazed.

I grabbed her hand, overwhelmed with excitement: “Shasha, this is your real mother. I told you, with a girl as beautiful and lovely as you, what parents would ever give you away?”

“Shasha, you actually always had a family who loves you. You have loving parents, and you even have a brother.”

Tears welled up in Shasha’s eyes.

“Really?”