Chapter 26: Childhood Memories

And Jiang Zihan scored a total of 132 points!

Watching him jump around in excitement, Mo Shiyan couldn’t help but let out a light smile. The moment Jiang Zihan saw the score, he finally let out the breath he’d been holding.

"Let’s go celebrate it!" Jiang Zihan said.

"Where do you want to go?" Mo Shiyan asked.

"Hmm... There aren’t many choices around. How about we just hold a party at home and celebrate with Mom? She’s been worrying about our scores the past few weeks, and barely slept. We can come up with an excuse to send her on a two-day vacation, then prepare a surprise for her," Jiang Zihan suggested, his voice cheerful as he looked toward Mo Shiyan, asking for his feedback.

After they made their decision, they quickly started their preparation. Mo Shiyan took responsibility for taking Jiang Zihan’s mother on vacation for a few days, while Jiang Zihan spent that time redecorating the house and preparing for the surprise.

Two days later...

"Where are you taking me?" Jiang Zihan’s mother asked nervously.

"Just follow me," Jiang Zihan responded with a calm voice as he gently covered her eyes with both hands, leading her the way.

"We’re at home right now. What’s so mysterious about it?" his mother asked, feeling a bit helpless. "Just before, it was the same, suddenly telling Shiyan to bring me out for vacation. Don’t you know how much money that’ll cost?"

"It’s such a waste of money... Both of you are going to Hunter Academy in a few months, and the tuition is super expensive. You shouldn’t be spending so carelessly," she continued to lecture them the whole way, while Jiang Zihan could only listen and nod helplessly.

"Mom, it’s okay. We are able to afford it, and there’s no need to worry. Don’t forget that both of us have received full scholarships, and Shiyan and I can work part-time to cover our living expenses," Jiang Zihan replied, trying to comfort her.

Finally, he stopped his steps.

"Open your eyes," Jiang Zihan said as he removed his hands from her eyes. His mother instinctively looked up.

"Surprise!" Both of them shouted out.

The moment she opened her eyes, she was stunned in place.

The living room looked completely different than before. The once-plain living room was now decorated with colorful streamers, balloons floated against the ceiling, and the walls were taped with beautiful stickers, all expressing how much time and effort the decorator had put in it.

There was a cake on the table. It looked super simple, far from perfect, but it was a cake that her child made on his own. She turned her head and noticed that there was also a small gift box sitting at the corner of the table.

She walked forward and picked up the gift box. Tears gathered around the corner of her eyes as she opened it. Inside lay a necklace with a heart-shaped pendant.

She turned around and suddenly gave Jiang Zihan a hug, causing him to freeze for a second, not sure of what to do.

Although he had always tried to differentiate himself from the original owner of this body, the unconditional love from "Jiang Zihan’s" mother had still caused his heart to ache.

Maybe because those emotions are something that he wished he had after he left home.

Jiang Zihan’s childhood... could be pretty easy to explain. His father was addicted to gambling, and every time he lost, he would bring his rage home with him.

The family’s savings disappear again and again under his father’s hands, including his tuition to go to college. After losing all his savings, he would drown his frustration in alcohol and come home drunk. Then he would smash dishes and even yell at his mother.

Every time that happened, his mother would always hide him in the closet so that he wouldn’t have to face his father’s anger. He wanted to help his mother; however, he was too young at that time and didn’t have the power to stop him.

All he could do was to quietly stay in the closet and cover his ears with both hands, pretending that nothing had happened. However, that was not enough to block the sounds coming through the door.

Those days were so long ago that he could barely remember the specific details, although his father’s voice still stuck deeply into his mind.

Every day when his father leaves the house, his mother would always pretend that nothing had happened and bring him to school with a warm smile on her face. She worked at a small restaurant, leaving before dawn and returning home late at night, and using the money she saved to support his life.

He didn’t want to let her down and studied as hard as he could in school. However, fate seems to take particular pleasure in mocking those who worked the hardest.

The year he entered his final year of high school, he knew that his father not only was burdened with massive debt, but that he had also stolen the family’s remaining savings before disappearing.

His mother borrowed money wherever she could, but it still wasn’t enough to cover his tuition. Just as he thought that he wouldn’t be able to go to school anymore, an anonymous payment suddenly appeared in his mother’s account.

No one knew who helped them, but he just knew that using this money, he was able to go to college and even get into graduate school.

The next year, he was accepted into university and began earning money through part-time jobs. He had originally planned to bring his mother to live with him once he was financially independent, but when he wanted to do so, he suddenly knew that she had already divorced his father and remarried, now living in another city.

In those years of college, she had never told him about that. He knew that she was afraid that he might still be connecting with his father and might tell his father her location.