"And then... before he could even apply, the mission came. Flood control and disaster relief. He went to the front line."

"And after that, there was no 'after that'."

I sat on the chair, my body as rigid as iron.

"Who was that man?"

Beth looked at me, tears streaming down her sallow face.

"Gary."

The air suddenly condensed—

The room was deathly silent.

While my father was still alive, my mother was already with the man who would later become my stepfather.

My father found out and wanted to take me away.

But he didn't live to see that day.

He went to the levee and never returned.

And a year and a half after he died, his wife openly married that man, used his pension to raise that man’s daughter, gave his house to that man, and threw his military uniform into a woven bag in the attic.

She used his biological daughter as a punching bag for six years.

Because that daughter looked like him.

Because seeing that daughter reminded her of what she had done.

This wasn't just a bad temper.

This was eliminating the witness.

Mental elimination.

She wanted to erase me from this family, just as she erased any trace of my father’s existence.

I stood up.

The chair leg scraped harshly against the floor.

"It’s not me you’ve wronged."

"It’s Jiang Yuanzheng you’ve wronged."

Chapter 20

When I walked out of the hospital gates, the sky had turned completely dark.

Streetlights shone overhead, casting my shadow long and thin on the ground.

I stood by the roadside, not moving.

My mind was filled with everything just said.

Gary.

It had been Gary from the very beginning.

While my father was still in the military, she was already involved with this man.

My father found out. He wanted to take me away.

But he didn't have enough time.

Fate didn't give him the time.

He went to the levee, saved three lives, and sacrificed his own.

And his wife, after he died, openly married that man, used his pension to raise that man’s daughter, gave his house to that man, and threw his military uniform into a woven bag in the attic.

She treated his own biological daughter as a punching bag, beating me for six years.

Because that daughter looked like him.

Because seeing that daughter reminded her of what she had done.

This wasn't just having a bad temper.

This was a form of elimination.

A spiritual elimination.

She wanted to erase me from this home, just as she erased any traces of my father's existence.

I took out my phone and called Liu Tiezhu.

"Uncle Liu."

"Nora? What's wrong? It's so late."

"I want to ask you something. You know my father took leave to come home in August 2004, right?"

The other end of the line was quiet for a moment.

"I know. He asked the company commander for three days of home leave. He was in a very bad mood when he came back. I asked him what was wrong, and he said there were some things at home."

"Did he mention wanting to transfer out of the military?"

"He did. He submitted an application for transfer after he came back. But it wasn't approved yet when the mission came down."

"Did he ever mention anything about Beth and Gary?"

Liu Tiezhu was silent for a long time.

"Nora..."

"You knew, didn't you?"

"I... Yuanzheng had been drinking and told me a few things. He said his wife had someone else outside. He said he was going to take the child away."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I didn't know if I should say anything. That was a matter between your mother and father, and Yuanzheng asked me not to tell anyone at the time. He said he would handle it."

"He didn't have time to handle it."

"...Right."

I hung up the phone.

Standing by the side of the road, the cold wind blew into my collar.

Just then, Cole’s car pulled up and stopped beside me.

He rolled down the window.

"Get in."

I got into the car without saying a word.

He didn't ask anything either.

The car drove quietly down the road.

Five minutes later, he spoke.

"Lu told me you went to the hospital."

"Mhm."

"What did she tell you?"

"The truth."

"What truth?"

"While my father was still alive, she was already with Gary. My father found out and wanted to take me away, but he didn't have time."

The car slowed down abruptly.

Cole turned to look at me once, then returned his gaze to the road ahead.

His jaw was clenched tight.

"How do you plan to handle this?"

"I want everyone to know."

"Nora—"

"It’s not for revenge," I said, "It’s for my father. He died not knowing how his wife would treat his daughter after he was gone. But the last thing he did before he died was try to take me away. He was protecting me."

"So I want to protect him, too. Protect his reputation, protect what he left for me, protect the truth."

"Okay." Cole’s voice was deep.

"What do you need me to do?"

"Help me set up a meeting with reporter Fang Ran."

"When?"

"Tomorrow."

The next day, Fang Ran came.

I relayed to her exactly what Beth had told me, word for word.

Fang Ran held her notebook, never interrupting me.

When I finished, she closed the notebook.

"I won't report this publicly."

"Why?"

"Because this involves your father’s personal life, and making it public will do no good for his image."

I froze.

Fang Ran looked at me: "Your father was a hero. He sacrificed himself to save people. That is what the public should remember. As for your mother’s affairs, the law will handle it. You don’t need to trade your father’s privacy for justice."

I sat there in silence for a long time.

"You’re right."

"However—" Fang Ran spoke again.

"Hmm?"

"You can use this information in court. In the pension recovery case, Beth’s character will influence the judge’s assessment of whether the 'guardian has fulfilled their duties.' The fact that she cheated during the marriage can be used as evidence that she is an unfit guardian."

"It doesn't need to be publicly reported, but it can be written into the petition."

I nodded.

"Thank you, Fang Ran."

She smiled.

"You're welcome. You are the most clear-headed client I have ever interviewed."

I wasn't clear-headed.

I had just learned not to turn the blade on myself.

Grandma C taught me that.

A person who cooks must have a steady hand with the knife.

When the hand is steady, what is sliced comes out looking good.

Chapter 21

The pension recovery case was officially filed ten days after the property case verdict.

Sienna’s lawsuit was airtight.

Defendant: Beth.

Claim: Return of misappropriated martyr pension funds and child education subsidies totaling 348,000 RMB.

The lawsuit detailed various instances of professional negligence during Beth's time as a guardian—

Failure to provide the ward with basic living security;

Failure to use pension funds and education subsidies for the ward’s actual needs;

The ward was subjected to long-term physical abuse;

The guardian disposed of property in violation of regulations without the ward's knowledge.

The final point added the fact of Beth's marital infidelity as evidence of her character.

On the day of the filing, Lucy showed up at my doorstep.

This time, she didn't come to the shop to make a scene.

She waited for me downstairs at my apartment.

When I got home, I saw her sitting by the flowerbed, holding a three- or four-year-old boy in her arms.

That was her son. She had been raising him alone since her divorce.

"Nora." She stood up; the child was startled awake and rubbed his eyes, whimpering.

"Say what you have to say."

"Are you planning to sue my mother until she's destitute?"

"I’m just taking back what belongs to me."

"348,000—where would my mother get 348,000 now? She can't even afford her medical bills."

"That’s her problem."

Lucy held the child, her arms trembling.

"Nora, I’m begging you. If you sue my mother and the court enforces it, she’ll have nothing left. She’s still in the ICU."

"Her being in the ICU doesn't affect the legal proceedings."

"Can’t you leave any room at all?"

"Did she leave any room for me?"

Lucy bit her lip, unable to speak for a long time.

The child in her arms started to cry, his small fists tugging at her collar.

She lowered her head to soothe him, but the child wouldn't quiet down.

I looked at the child.

Three or four years old. The same age as I was when I was held in my father’s arms.

"Lucy."

"Yeah?"

"Have you ever hit him?"

She looked up sharply: "How could I possibly hit him!"

"Why is it impossible? When your mother hit me, she never hit you. You think it’s a matter of course, don't you?"