Rebirth as the Richest Woman in the World
Chapter 519, Chu Tian (second update)

Chapter 519: 519, Chu Tian (second update)

"Sister likes honest little treasures like you the best."

The little loli hurriedly corrected, "Sister, call me Peng Ge. Otherwise, I won’t let you hug me." Saying this, she haughtily raised her adorable little head.

Mo Qingyi’s heart nearly melted with her cuteness as she agreed, "Peng Ge, Peng Ge. Is that good now? Smart beyond your years!"

While saying this, Mo Qingyi took the little loli from Chu Jin’s arms, her arm sank, and she stumbled. Thankfully, Chu Jin was there to steady her, or she would have lost her balance completely. She had thought that the little girl couldn’t weigh much and that lifting her would be effortless, but to her surprise, the little loli was unexpectedly heavy, like a small chubby pig.

It didn’t take long for Mo Qingyi to hit it off with the little loli. The two of them and a dog played together, having a great time, and laughter could be heard every now and then.

Meanwhile, Chu Jin was entertaining the first guest of the morning.

A sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl.

Although clad in international brand clothing, her physique was extremely frail, and her complexion was sickly pale, giving off an impression of malnutrition.

One could see that her facial features were actually very striking, a perfect diamond-shaped face with almond eyes. However, there was always a layer of melancholy shading her face, concealing her advantages, making her very uncomfortable to look at upon first glance.

"Can, can I call you sister?" The girl twisted her hands nervously, hardly daring to look directly into Chu Jin’s eyes. She lowered her head and after a moment, uttered these words.

She was very nervous, anxious, and terrified.

"Of course, you can. I’m eighteen years old, my surname is Chu, with a single name Jin. Nice to meet you." To ease her nervousness, Chu Jin smiled amiably and extended her right hand toward her.

Still looking down, the girl hesitated but did not reach out her hand, lost in thought.

Chu Jin did not mind her attitude and didn’t withdraw her hand, continuing, "Won’t you ask what my full name is?"

Seemingly not expecting Chu Jin to say this, the girl suddenly looked up, her gaze meeting Chu Jin’s for a second before swiftly looking away, "I, I know who you are, you are the Master Chu they talk about." At the same time, she cautiously reached out and shook Chu Jin’s hand lightly.

This was not the hand a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl should have. Her hand was full of calluses, rough beyond belief, and the back of her hand was darkened, like that of someone accustomed to heavy labor. Held together with Chu Jin’s hand, it created a stark contrast.

Judging by her clothes, she should be from a wealthy family. But how could someone born into wealth have such hands?

The girl, realizing this contradiction, quickly withdrew her own hand and shoved it in her coat pocket, still bowing her head in a downcast manner.

The girl felt very inferior, especially in front of Chu Jin. The girl across from her was so outstanding, so beautiful and generous. Although she was merely wearing a simple dress with no visible logo, she still drew the eye. Her ethereal quality was impossible to ignore.

Although she seemed better dressed than Chu Jin, clad in international luxury brands, it was all just for show. In this world, no one cared about her, no one took care of her. Even if she disappeared or died, no one would notice. She felt as though she were an unnecessary existence.

"You’re a student at Ally Bridge?" Chu Jin pulled a bottle of mineral water from the drawer and handed it to the girl.

The girl looked at her with some surprise, "How did you know?" Her voice was low and slightly hoarse, as if she hadn’t spoken in a very long time.

Chu Jin smiled slightly, "Have you forgotten? I’m a fortune-teller, of course I divined it."

In fact, Chu Jin hadn’t divined it. She had taken her college entrance exam at Ally Bridge High School, where she had seen this girl’s photo on the bulletin board. With her photographic memory, even though she had only glanced at it in passing, she vividly remembered.

The bulletin board was adorned with photos of students with outstanding academic achievements.

The atmosphere was slowly getting better, and the girl’s mood was also gradually becoming more relaxed.

"My name is Chu Tian, ’Chu’ as in double wood, and ’Tian’ as in tranquil and the bright moon," the girl said. "Sister, do you really know fortune-telling?" In her last words, her eyes were filled with longing, no longer dim and lifeless.

Chu Jin slightly curved her lips, not directly answering Chu Tian’s question, but said with a gentle smile, "What a coincidence, your surname is also Chu. Maybe we were one family five hundred years ago. ’Tranquil and the bright moon’ suggests purity and nobleness, which shows that you have a father who loves you very much."

"Indeed, it was he who chose my name, but he doesn’t love me, he can’t even see me..." By the end of her confession, Chu Tian’s eyes became moist with tears.

From beginning to end, she hadn’t once said the word ’Dad,’ instead using ’he’ as a substitute, which indicated that ’father’ might just be a stranger to her.

Chu Jin looked up at her and spoke in a calm tone, "There are no parents in the world who don’t love their own children. Could there be some misunderstanding?"

Chu Tian didn’t speak, just silently shedding tears. Or perhaps, she didn’t know where to start. Ever since she arrived in this family, she had been the superfluous one. Her original name wasn’t Chu Tian, but Li Qinghe, a girl born and raised in the countryside.

She lived there for thirteen years, carefree, until one day, several black sedans shattered her once peaceful life.

The man in the suit, wearing a gold watch, claimed to be her father.

The woman dressed ostentatiously, her actual age indiscernible, claimed to be her mother.

Her foster mother didn’t even ask her opinion and, for a sum that must’ve seemed astronomical to her, let them take her away just like that.

From the countryside to the city, from an ugly duckling to a swan, it took a long time to adjust. Even now, she hadn’t gotten used to it—she saw everyone here as above her, someone she had to look up to.

She still remembered the embarrassment of not knowing how to use the water heater and the toilet the first time she came here.

In that big villa, the servants could bully her, her brothers and sisters could bully her, even the pets in the house were held in higher esteem than her.

Her father’s ignoring her was even more painful than openly bullying her.

Initially, her father would occasionally show some concern for her, but later, he too started treating her with cold indifference.

Her mother, on the other hand, wished she would just die.

Did she really deserve to die?

Chu Jin let out a light sigh, took out a tissue, and handed it to her, "Actually, you are quite fortunate. At least your parents are alive. Unlike me, I’ve almost forgotten what my father looked like."

Chu Tian was stunned for a moment, then took the tissue, looking incredulously at Chu Jin, "Your, your parents?"

"My father is dead, and my mother has been a vegetative patient for 11 years now, lying in the hospital..." Chu Jin said in a detached tone, with no trace of sadness on her face. She was merely stating a fact, not seeking sympathy.

She wanted to let Chu Tian know that everyone in this world had their unique life and experiences. There were many who had it worse than her and yet continued to fight on. What reason did you have not to strive, not to give up, or even to think about giving up on life?

Chu Tian hadn’t expected that a girl who seemed so exquisite and outstanding could have such a past. Was she consoling herself? Had she concocted a tragic tale to deceive herself?

Chu Jin seemed to read her thoughts and smiled slightly, "If you don’t know who Chu Jin is, then surely you’ve heard of the Miss Chu of the Chu family of Capital City?"

Chu Tian’s eyes widened as she looked at Chu Jin, who declared word by word under her astonished gaze, "I am that Miss Chu."

It had been over three years since she came to Capital City, and she had heard a bit about the deeds of the young miss of the Chu family. That woman who claimed to be her mother would often point at her and scold fiercely, "Look at that dead fish face of yours, as if someone owes you millions! Bad luck! I think you’re even worse than that good-for-nothing of the Chu family! I really regret bringing you back!"

At first, she didn’t know who the good-for-nothing of the Chu family referred to. Later, she learned that this good-for-nothing was the young miss of the Chu family herself, a waste who couldn’t even recognize the 26 letters of the English alphabet.

To Chu Tian’s surprise, the person before her was that legendary waste.

"You?"

Chu Jin didn’t mind talking about her past to others, she nodded and said, "Yes, I’m that good-for-nothing who couldn’t even recognize the 26 letters of the English alphabet," she paused, then countered, "But do you think I look like a good-for-nothing?"

Chu Tian shook her head, "No."

The person before her was as different from the rumored good-for-nothing as heaven is from earth.

"That’s right," Chu Jin slightly curved her lips and continued, "That’s why we should never live in someone else’s world, no matter how others view you, you must not give in to despair or feel inferior. Born human, we all have two eyes and a mouth; no one is inherently worse than the other, it’s only a matter of who works harder. Only with effort can we see hope. Remember, happiness is something you fight for; we should neither live forever in other’s worlds nor in our worlds. Try to open your heart, communicate with people more—some things call for gentleness when it’s needed, and firmness when it’s due. But also remember this, never harbor intentions to harm others, yet never let down your guard."

The person before her was not only unlike a good-for-nothing, she didn’t even resemble an eighteen-year-old girl. She was wise, shrewd, her words logical, and her advice was like an enchanting chant that lifted the long-standing heaviness in Chu Tian’s heart. She was more like a ray of sunshine, bringing hope to others.

In fact, the reason why Chu Tian ended up in her current state, apart from some external factors, was also inseparably linked to herself.

She was too self-effacing and too soft, allowing others to manipulate her. No matter how much others slandered her, she would never retort.

She was submissive, and this continued behavior formed a flaw in her character. Day after day, the knots in her heart piled up, becoming more and more burdensome. Over time, this manifested as a psychological disease, namely depression.

Ask yourself, which parent would like a child who is gloomy all day long?

A girl with special circumstances like Chu Tian, if not guided correctly, would face only two outcomes.

The first is to become utterly corrupted and take a path of no return.

The second is to end her own life, becoming nothing but a pile of dry bones.

"Are you really the young miss of the Chu family?" Chu Tian asked in a low voice.

Chu Jin smiled faintly, "Of course not."

At her words, a look of despondency flashed in Chu Tian’s eyes. She knew that this world didn’t really hold such ’comeback’ stories. Just when her heart had grown cold, Chu Jin continued, "Because in addition to being the young miss of the Chu family, I am also a fortune-teller who can guide you out of your confusion."

As Chu Jin spoke, she quickly shuffled the cards.

"Can you really help me?" Chu Tian’s eyes rekindled with hope, somewhat amazed by her card shuffling skills.

Chu Jin quickly laid out a ’Universal type’ spread, and said with a steady tone, "Of course."

"Draw a card first," Chu Jin pointed to the spread on the table and said.

"Okay," Chu Tian nodded lightly, then drew a card.

The first card represented the past.

The reversed Three of Cups.

On the face of the card, inside a monastery, a sculptor was at work, while two monks stood by with a draft, seemingly discussing the progress of the work with the sculptor.

The three people on the card appeared to be doing their respective jobs, but in reality, they had already been bickering incessantly.

Above their heads, there were three circular carvings, and the outer edge of each circle had three more large circles. Aside from the sculptor, the other two were clad in long robes and scarves on their heads, with no one knowing what lay hidden beneath those robes.

It seemed that Chu Tian’s background was not ordinary, and incredibly complicated.

Chu Jin slightly frowned, looked at the card and softly said, "At the age of three, you were tricked by human traffickers and subsequently sold to a childless peasant family. In the following year, your adoptive mother gave birth to a son, and the year after that, to a daughter. Fortunately, your adoptive mother did not mistreat you because of her biological children. They have always treated you as one of their own, considering you the family’s lucky star. When you were thirteen, your biological parents found you and brought you back to Capital City, and that was three years ago."

Except for her family, no one else knew these things. She had not expected that today, Chu Jin would recount them in such detail. As an outstanding student, Chu Tian had never believed in supernatural things, but today, for the first time, she began to doubt her own beliefs.

The Chu family of Capital City was extremely concerned with maintaining appearances, never speaking of these matters publicly, and only claiming that she was raised in the countryside by relatives.

"Am I right?" Chu Jin lifted her eyes to look at Chu Tian, her tone mild.

"Yes," Chu Tian nodded, her voice choked up as she remembered the past, still struggling to control her emotions.

Chu Jin patted her hand, "What’s past is past, don’t dwell on it too much. Go on and draw the second card."

Just then, the system’s voice echoed in Chu Jin’s mind, [Ding! Harvested 8% Faith Value.]

Chu Tian’s hands trembled as she drew the third card.

The reversed: The Hanged Man.

The Hanged Man is a Major Arcana card, the twelfth in the deck. Whether upright or reversed, it is not considered an auspicious card. Those with even a slight understanding of tarot would avoid it, as it is said to be more terrifying than the Grim Reaper.

On the card, a man was hanging upside down, his hands bound behind him to a T-shaped tree. His bound hands formed a triangle, and his crossed legs formed a cross; put together, they happened to create an alchemical symbol from Western alchemy.

This was the first time that Chu Jin had drawn two reversed cards in a row.

And on this card, she saw something different.

The reason why Chu Tian and her family were in their current situation was also largely due to the schemers around her.

Furthermore, there was more than one villain.

Not only did they verbally incite discord between Chu Tian and her father, but they also tampered with things behind the scenes.

"Your current mother, is she not your real biological mother?" Chu Jin raised her eyes to look at Chu Tian and asked with a hint of suspicion.

"What?" Chu Tian looked at Chu Jin with some bewilderment. "You’re saying she isn’t my mother?"

Clearly, she herself was unaware of this fact. After she returned to that villa, she had seldom interacted with them. In the past, she had doubted whether this family was her kin at all, but then again, if they were not her relatives, why would they go to such expense to bring her back?

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