When Toph first laid eyes on Lina, he couldn't help but stare at her for a while. He not only stared, but he also approached her directly, wanting to get a closer look.However, just as he was getting closer, a big hand suddenly grabbed him by the back of his neck! A stern and icy voice followed. "What do you think you're doing?"Toph sat back in his seat, wearing an embarrassed smile as he scratched his head. "No, no... Zuko, let go!"Lina joined in with a smile and coughed lightly to ease the awkwardness.Zuko glanced at his brother and pulled Lina's chair closer to him.Toph had never seen his older brother act so possessive before. He chuckled and stood up, taking the initiative to introduce himself, "I'm Toph, his favorite younger brother!"Zuko scowled. "Not anymore.""Bro, do me a favor!"Zuko looked at Toph, and their eyes met, causing them both to burst into laughter."This is Renee Thompson." Toph placed a hand on Renee's shoulder. "Renee, this is the sister-in-law I
A thought crossed Zuko's mind. 'Perhaps the two of them are not "like sisters," but…'"Zuko, what's wrong with you?" Toph reached out and waved his hand in front of Zuko. "Why are you spacing out? Come on. They went to get ice cream!""Oh." Zuko snapped back to reality and looked at his brother. "What's wrong with getting ice cream? Lina likes it.""But Renee can't have it now!""Can't?"Toph froze, his face turning red. He quickly grabbed Zuko's arm and hurriedly followed....The enjoyable day came to an end swiftly. Zuko and Lina returned home just in time for dinner. The table was filled with Melissa's specialties."Zeke, Lina! Come and have dinner!" Melissa happily served them.As a mother, she always worried that her children did not eat enough. The large bowl Zuko used could easily be placed on top of Lina's head like a hat. Zuko smiled helplessly and rubbed his stomach, concerned that his well-maintained abs had turned into a soft little belly under Melissa's constant
"Zeke, if you... If you don't believe it, I'll prove it to you!" Jesse tugged at Melissa's sleeve, urging her to sit down and eat, but she ignored it and insisted on going into the room to rummage through the cabinets. Soon, she held a thin birth certificate in her hand and placed it in front of Zuko."Look, this is Lina's birth certificate!" Melissa's voice trembled as she pointed at the name on it. "Father: Jesse Jenner, Mother: Melissa Jones. What's wrong with that!? The hospital issued this!"Zuko quickly stood up. "Auntie, please calm down. I never doubted—" "Stop listening to Mary's nonsense!" Melissa trembled as she angrily scolded and returned the birth certificate to her room, refusing to finish dinner.After dinner, Zuko made a call to Toph at the entrance of the alley."I have a question for you," he said in a low voice. "How would you react if you had a son, but everyone said he wasn't your son?""What do you mean, bro?" Toph's tone rose at the end. "You're not hopin
Zuko glanced at Lina, who was immersed in the joy of being with her family, her genuine smile touching his heart. If he were to disrupt this peace rashly, would he still witness such pure beauty in her smile?Besides, everything had yet to reach a final conclusion. What if it was all just a misunderstanding?A long sigh escaped Zuko's lips as he felt a heavy weight in his heart....In the stillness of the night, Jesse and Melissa's bedroom door was tightly shut, allowing a faint light to seep through the window.Jesse looked at his wife with a heavy heart. After much hesitation, he finally spoke with a stiff tone. "Next time... don't show Lina's birth certificate again."Melissa, who was flipping through old photos of Lina as a child, froze suddenly, her finger hovering over a particular picture of them holding Lina at the pier."That birth certificate is fake." Jesse glanced around and whispered, "You shouldn't have shown it to Zeke. He's been jailed for forging documents befo
Melissa chuckled, pursing her lips as she thought. "It's easy. It'll work as long as we treat them well.""How do we do that?" asked Jesse.She had already formulated a plan for that.They had worked hard to run the small supermarket for years. Although they were not wealthy, their standard of living was considered above average in the city.In addition to their old house in the alley, they had purchased a brand new condo in the city center.Her plan was to leave the supermarket and the old house to Lina while they would live in the condo with their son. As long as they had some savings, everything would be fine.Lina's income would be guaranteed as she would take over the supermarket and have a place to live since they were also giving her the old house.Moreover, the house was located in a great area with a school nearby. Its value would increase over time, and it would be convenient for them when they had children.Melissa smiled as she touched the deed. "I'll do my best as
Renee looked at the brothers in surprise, her eyes flashing with envy."Lina is so lucky," she exclaimed softly.Zuko signaled his brother, and Toph instantly took her hand, speaking with allure. "I would do the same if similar things happened to you.""Toph..." She hesitated, biting her lip, and softly removed her hand.In reality, she wanted to keep her distance from him. She was Melvin's daughter, the one responsible for harming the Thompsons.How could she deserve to be with Toph?Even if he didn't reject her, the Hamerton parents might not forgive her.However, love was a strange thing. The more one tried to control it, the more it slipped away from their grasp.She discreetly glanced at him, then quickly looked away. She rubbed her hands, gripping the corner of her shirt nervously."Oh yeah, about getting Renee to approach Gia..." Zuko paused. "Renee, I'll handle all your student passes and try my best to get you in the same building as Gia."She nodded earnestly, snapp
After confirming that she had found the right person, Renee smiled and politely asked, "This is a public elective class, but I didn't bring my textbook... Do you mind if I take a look at yours?"Gia glared at her and shoved the book she was holding in her direction. She didn't care to look at it anyway.Renee smiled gratefully and thanked her. Then, out of the blue, she let out a scream."What are you doing?" Gia was taken aback. "What's wrong now?""Oh no, this isn't my yearbook!" Renee pretended to panic. "So this isn't my class... I should have called you senior!"Gia rolled her eyes, feeling even more annoyed.Everyone at this university was wealthy, but it seemed that the wealthy kids lacked intelligence. Just like the person standing in front of her. How did she even get into university if she couldn't even distinguish her classes?Renee stood frozen in panic, clutching the corner of her shirt with teary eyes.Gia felt a sense of satisfaction seeing how timid Renee appear
Gia clenched her fists, a confident smile appearing on her face. Thoughts filled her head after realizing that Ms. Rene had a brother.Renee came from a big family business, and if Gia could be with the son of that family, Zuko would mean nothing to her.Taking a deep breath, Gia had a strong desire to compete with Lina in everything, even when it came to men. She wanted to surpass and step on her. Smirking with satisfaction, she picked up her book and hurriedly left the classroom.…In Further Mathematics class, which was known to be challenging, even for many boys, Renee found enjoyment. She understood the subject before the lecturer even explained it, effortlessly grasping concepts like calculus.However, her understanding only remained on paper, as she struggled to answer questions when called upon. Her panicked state brought tears to her eyes, entertaining her classmates, much to the lecturer's annoyance.After class, Renee secretly tore up her draft, sensing that something