Chapter 277: Belated Repentance

Just as the two were chatting.

Liu Yanxi suddenly walked in and said to Wang Yingna, 'Your man is back!'

"I'll go check it out!"

Although Wang Yingna didn't believe it, she couldn't help feeling hopeful inside.

What if this is actually true?

Even if there's the slightest chance, she would be overjoyed.

But Li Jiaci returned to the lumber mill, didn't stay long, and took his brothers away.

Wang Yingna said dejectedly, 'As expected, he never even thought of proposing to me!'

"Sis, you just don't get it!"

Zhou Wanting had come up behind her at some point.

With a cigarette dangling from his lips, exhaling clouds of smoke, he said, 'Proposing is such a big deal—he couldn't handle it alone, so he brought his brothers to help; just wait here!'

"Really?"

Hope flared again in Wang Yingna's eyes.

"Just trust me and you'll be right!"

"I know all about a man's little tricks!"

Zhou Wanting raised an eyebrow at her.

An inexplicable confidence.

Inside a certain hotel in Pingzhou.

A van screeched to a halt there.

Li Jiaci and his brothers got out of the van, heads down, and walked inside.

Zhao Chen asked glumly, 'Bro, why did you bring us to a hotel? Are we staying here tonight?'

"Naturally, there's a surprise waiting for you!"

Li Jiaci replied mysteriously.

The group took the elevator to a room upstairs.

Opening the door, several middle-aged couples were seen eagerly looking outside.

The brothers were all dumbfounded.

Li Jiaci finally dropped all pretense and told them, 'During this time I left everything to you because I wanted to find some time to help you locate your lost relatives; after my relentless efforts, I've finally found them all!'

"……"

The brothers fell silent together.

They had been abandoned at the orphanage's door since childhood, scraping by on social aid; after the orphanage closed, they even ended up wandering the streets, reduced to lowly status,

"What is familial love? What is family?"

To them, Li Jiaci was family.

Yet those who abandoned them had countless chances to regret and take them back to raise properly, but such a thing never happened.

Zhao Chen turned first, coldly saying, 'Bro, I'm heading back to the lumber mill first; tomorrow I have to connect with the outbound shipment line, so I need to rest early!'

Hearing that, Li Jiaci grabbed his wrist, lowered his voice, and asked, 'Don't you want to see what your parents look like?'

"No."

Zhao Chen shook off his hand for the first time.

He walked straight toward the elevator.

Zhang Chuqiang followed closely behind, silent as he left.

The couples in the room stared at each other.

Their faces were full of embarrassment.

At that moment, Liu Jiang glanced at them a few times, then sneered, 'Back then the orphanage director searched for you desperately for years but never found a trace; now my brother only spent half a month and located you all—could it be that he heard we've become rich and everyone wants to come mooch money?'

"Child, you've misunderstood us!"

A woman with tear-filled eyes stepped forward, wiping her tears as she spoke.

Liu Jiang's gaze was cold, the corner of his mouth curling into a mocking smile.

"When I needed you, you didn't know where to be; now I don't need you, so please don't disturb my peaceful life!"

Having said that, he grabbed Li Yihu's hand and left.

The reason Wang Lan didn't leave.

was that a middle-aged man suddenly lunged at her and held her tightly in his arms.

"Son, my son!"

"It's all Dad's fault back then, but Dad had no choice!"

"Your sister fell seriously ill; we couldn't afford it, so we had to send you to the orphanage, asking the director to look after you for a while!"

"Later I tried countless times to come pick you up and bring you home, but then your mom got into a car accident, her legs left disabled, adding to our family's misery!"

"It's Dad's inadequacy—couldn't support such a big family, sorry, my son!"

The man's heart-wrenching sobs made others burst into tears of regret.

Wang Lan also learned her family's situation at that moment.

He was somewhat at a loss, held in the man's arms, unsure how to respond.

Because he had never experienced paternal love, he simply didn't know how to interact with a father.

He couldn't even bring himself to say comforting words.

Li Jiaci let out a sigh.

He never expected that his plan to help the brothers find their relatives would provoke such strong opposition from the brothers.

I thought it would be a scene where everyone would be happy.

A woman in a wheelchair wiped her tears and choked out: "Son, it's all my fault; I dragged this family down, leaving you with a home you can't return to!"

Wang Lan looked at her; both legs below the knees had been amputated.

But why did he feel not a ripple in his heart?

Not even sympathy.

The man touched Wang Lan's dull face and asked, "Are you willing to go home with Mom and Dad?"

Wang Lan stared blankly and shook his head.

He then stepped back a few steps and hid behind Li Jiaci.

He is the youngest among the brothers and also the most fragile in heart.

Moreover, Li Jiaci raised him from infancy.

Whenever he felt lost and helpless, Wang Lan would instinctively draw close to Li Jiaci to seek a sense of security.

At this moment he severely lacked a sense of security.

He feared that these so‑called parents would take him away.

Leaving the older brother who cherished him like gold.

"Son, do you still resent Mom and Dad in your heart?"

"Dad has knelt for you; please forgive his helpless act back then—it was all for your sister…"

The man kept speaking and then fell to his knees with a thud.

Wang Lan furrowed his brows tightly.

He grabbed Li Jiaci's sleeve, shook it, and said, "Brother, I want to go home!"

"Yes, yes, yes, son, go home with Mom!"

The woman pushed her wheelchair forward, her eyes flashing with sharp light.

Seeing this, Wang Lan replied in a resistant tone: "When I say go home, I mean returning to our brothers' home, not yours!"

"But after all, they are outsiders; we are your true kin!"

The woman anxiously slapped her thigh repeatedly.

Wang Lan asked: "If you are my true kin, why did you abandon me? At the moment you abandoned us, we had no relation left, right?"

"I… I'm sorry to you!"

The woman lowered her head in shame.

That man kept kneeling on the ground, constantly repenting.

"Son, these years our family's fortunes have turned; life has been decent. I own three houses, one of which I prepared for you. As long as you come back with me, we'll transfer the title right away!"

Hearing this, Wang Lan bluntly said: "Houses? I can buy as many as I want now!"

Voices of discussion rose all around the room.

Wang Lan's gaze swept over their expressions, which ranged from surprise to delight.

"Brother, I don't want to acknowledge these relatives; the brothers are still waiting downstairs—I'm leaving first!"

Li Jiaci did not stop him.

Instead, when the man prepared to chase after him, he reached out and blocked Wang Lan a bit.