WBSGVS Chapter 135 V2

A one-year-old child can already understand a lot of words.

Yang Qing didn’t doubt it. Seeing how sharp her son was made her happy. Many people said that children born to older parents might not be as smart as those born to younger ones. But the more clever her son appeared, the more at ease she felt. Pretending to be displeased, she said, “Hmm, Mommy will punish her for you!”

Then she clapped her hands in the air with a playful “smack” but didn’t hit anyone.

Xia Zhihao: “…”

Was this for real? He couldn’t even be bothered to react.

But then, the person who had been “punished” suddenly stood up, frowning in dissatisfaction. “Mom, what do you mean by that?”

Xia Zhihao: “???”

What was going on? Did Xia Qingli dare to talk to their mother like that? The sense of discord grew stronger.

Yang Qing gave an awkward smile. “I was just teasing your little brother. I wasn’t hitting you.”

Qingli spoke seriously. “I don’t want this to happen again. Even as a joke, you shouldn’t act like this. Otherwise, he’ll start thinking I’m supposed to be beneath him.”

“Why are you making such a big deal out of something so small?” Yang Qing’s smile faded as she glared at her daughter.

Xia Zhihao clenched his fists, thinking their mother was about to hit Qingli for real this time. But to his surprise, young Qingli had such a tough personality!

Qingli remained indifferent. “I’m not happy about it, and that makes it a big deal. If this continues, I might as well leave. At least then, I could make more money. After all, I’m paying for my tuition next semester anyway.”

Yang Qing gritted her teeth and forced a smile. “Fine, that was my mistake. Don’t be mad. I won’t do it again.”

Xia Zhihao was even more confused.

What was happening?

Mom admitted she was wrong? And she wasn’t even angry?

Qingli noticed his gaze, glanced at him briefly, then walked off to her room. Their grandparents had been sick recently and were staying with their daughters for care, so they weren’t around.

Still, she disliked staying in this house. Her grandfather, the original owner of the room, had been a heavy smoker. Even though the place had been cleaned, the lingering scent of tobacco still irritated her. She would only rest here briefly.

After closing the door, she heard Yang Qing sigh in frustration. Qingli frowned.

Something about Gou Dan felt off.

That look in his eyes—it wasn’t that of a child.

But the way he instinctively reached out for a hug was so practiced that Qingli suspected something. Could it be that the same Xia Zhihao who betrayed and caused the original owner’s death in the past had returned to this timeline?

Her lips curled into a smirk, and she nearly laughed out loud.

Well, this was interesting.

Before, she’d felt a little uneasy about ignoring an innocent child who had to bear the consequences of his parents’ choices. But if the Xia Zhihao from the previous life had truly returned to this body… then let him experience firsthand just how “wonderful” life could be without a doting sister.

Xia Zhihao felt disoriented by this world—so familiar yet so strange. He wasn’t adjusting well, but since he couldn’t go back, he had no choice but to accept reality.

The strangeness peaked when he saw his father standing with two healthy legs.

For a moment, he was overjoyed.

In his past life, his father had been paralyzed in a car accident, leaving their family struggling. Because of this, he had to rely on his sister for financial support, which made him feel ashamed in front of others. He even resented her for making him lose face.

Why did she have to rely on a much older man for marriage? Why did she have to suffer through veiled insults from her in-laws?

Every New Year’s visit to her home had been a nightmare. He had to endure seeing his sister being subtly berated by her husband’s family. Eventually, he stopped going altogether and just let her send food and drinks over instead.

And it was all because their father couldn’t stand on his own!

But now, Xia Zhihao was beyond thrilled. His father was fine! He wobbled on unsteady legs and ran toward Xia Yong.

After a whole afternoon of failing to close a single deal, Xia Yong was exhausted and frustrated. But seeing his son rush toward him with such enthusiasm melted his heart. He picked the boy up and smothered him in kisses, exclaiming, “A son is the best! They say daughters are supposed to be ‘warm cotton-padded jackets’—but mine must be full of holes because she sure isn’t keeping me warm!”

“You!” Yang Qing scolded lightly, but she didn’t disagree. She wasn’t fond of her disobedient daughter, either. But she couldn’t just abandon her—otherwise, what would happen to all the effort she had put into raising her for over twenty years?

“You watch Gou Dan for a bit. I’ll go make dinner,” Yang Qing said.

At the mention of “Gou Dan,” Xia Zhihao’s smile froze.

Xia Yong agreed readily. “Sure, sure. Go ahead.”

Qingli didn’t come out until it was time to eat.

Meanwhile, Xia Yong, Yang Qing, and Xia Zhihao enjoyed a cozy family moment together. After finishing her meal in silence, Qingli washed her dishes and prepared to leave.

Xia Yong stopped her. “Ah Li, it’s still early. Take your little brother downstairs for a walk so your mom and I can get some rest.”

Soon, it would be time for their nighttime routine, which involved alternating childcare responsibilities. But Xia Yong had spent all afternoon working and was too tired to move, while their son was still full of energy.

Qingli paused, then reached out her hand. “I have a tutoring session right now—online, 45 minutes, $100 per session. I’ll watch him for one lesson’s worth of pay. Just $100.”

The easygoing smile on Xia Yong’s face vanished. His expression darkened.

Pay her?

She should be grateful they weren’t demanding money from her instead!

Their child cost way more than most babies. While others mainly spent on formula and diapers, theirs had constant hospital bills. He had been born prematurely, and with both parents being older, his health was weaker than other children’s. Even with their best efforts, he often fell ill. Every hospital visit cost at least several hundred dollars, and the more serious cases ran into the thousands. Xia Yong worked himself to the bone to earn this money—why should he fork over $100 just to get 45 minutes of peace?

Qingli saw his reaction, retracted her hand, and smiled. “No pay? Then don’t waste my time.”

With that, she turned and walked out, closing the door behind her.

“F***!” In the very next moment, Xia Yong grabbed a pillow and hurled it furiously at the shut door. “Ungrateful brat! She left just like that?!”

Xia Zhihao quietly took a deep breath and shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

His sister was completely different from before. Could she have been reborn too?

But even if she had, something still didn’t add up. She was acting like an entirely different person. Judging from their father’s reaction, this wasn’t the first time, either. Maybe this was just her real personality all along.

Which meant…

This wasn’t his past life at all.

Maybe he hadn’t gone back in time. Maybe he’d entered an alternate reality—a parallel world.

Still, at least in this world…

He had a father who was alive and well.