Besides, he also felt that Liu Ling had had too hard a time these past few years and ought to have a good rest now.

And he used the connections in his hands to change everything about Liu Ling.

Her name was changed back to her old name, Liu Ling.

Her current adoptive parents had given her another name, but for Liu Ling, it felt as if everything had returned to how it used to be.

And that adopted daughter of the Qi Family had completely vanished from the world.

Doing all this was not difficult at all for Chu Chengfeng.

What was hard now was that he wanted to bring Liu Ling back home, but he was worried Father Chu would scold him. After all, there were a lot of things he knew, too.

He felt he should call and ask Liu Ling’s opinion. He had also bought Liu Ling a mobile phone; Liu Ling picked up very quickly, and when she heard his question, she fell silent for a moment, then said with a gentle smile, "Mo Li-gege, don’t put yourself in a bind. As long as you still remember me, I’m already completely satisfied. Nothing else matters."

Chu Chengfeng was very moved. "Ling Ling, I knew you’re the one who understands me best."

"Mo Li-gege, don’t say that. This is a small matter, don’t keep it on your mind. Once some time has passed and people stop talking about it, it won’t be too late for you to take me to meet Father Chu."

A trace of a smile flashed between Chu Chengfeng’s brows. He gave a soft "mm," and said, "All right, I’ll listen to you."

Then he went on, "I’ll go home first. When I have time I’ll take you out to have some fun."

"Mo Li-gege, go take care of your own things, you don’t have to worry about me. I’m very familiar with this place anyway; I’ve already been here for three years."

Liu Ling said in a light, cheerful tone. On the other end, Chu Chengfeng hung up, and Liu Ling slowly set the phone down on the side of the sofa.

The gentleness faded away bit by bit, replaced by an unfathomable expression.

Liu Ling slowly stood up and walked step by step to the balcony. This apartment was quite large, with very good décor; whether in terms of view or living environment, it was top tier.

But to her it was nothing more than a temporary place to stay.

Liu Ling looked at the dull-gray sky outside the window, and her brows knit slightly. Although Mo Li had lost some of his memories, he remembered her and remembered everything that had been between them.

He thought everything was still the same as before. After all, the two of them were just like those novels nowadays describe—childhood sweethearts, innocent playmates—but after the vicissitudes of the world, meeting again, it seemed many things had quietly changed.

Although she was still, as before, wholeheartedly devoted to him, ever since she came back, apart from the one time he took her hand, he had never again made any intimate gesture toward her.

Yet he treated her extremely well, thinking of everything that could be thought of, giving her everything he could give: he changed her name, changed her household registration, changed all her ID records and files.

She now had absolutely nothing to do with the Qi Family anymore. Trying to find her would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

He had even told her that she could spend his money however she wished.

But she still distinctly felt that although Mo Li was polite and gentle with her now, he couldn’t help but carry a slight sense of distance.

Thinking of this, the corners of Liu Ling’s lips curled with a touch of coldness, and her gaze grew somewhat chilly. She reached out and tapped on the glass window. This wasn’t what she wanted. What she wanted was something very important.

She had gone through untold hardships, only to fail at the last moment and end up with nothing. Now that there was a sliver of hope again, how could she possibly give up?

With that thing, she could finally do what she most wanted to do—for example, go to another world together with Mo Li-gege.

That world was very beautiful, very pure, filled everywhere with Immortal Mansions and Immortal Mountains, rich in Spiritual Energy, utterly incomparable to this filthy, barren world devoid of Spiritual Energy.

So she had to wait patiently for an opportunity to appear.

At this time, Chu Chengfeng had already driven to the building where the Chu Family lived. Speaking of which, he hadn’t been home for more than a month. Mother Chu didn’t mind, but Father Chu had urged him several times.

Especially after he broke up with Sima Xiaowen. Although that matter hadn’t caused a huge stir, he really ought to say something to his own father.

He had already guessed that the Old Patriarch definitely wouldn’t let his father off, and would absolutely tear into him. After all, the two families’ relationship went back many years, and in Father Chu’s eyes, the Old Patriarch was also the elder he respected the most.

When Chu Chengfeng returned, it happened to be noon.

Father Chu had already come home from work. He had been sitting there fuming, and then he saw his son, Chu Chengfeng, who hadn’t answered his calls and couldn’t be found, finally walk in.

Father Chu’s eyes bulged. He grabbed the throw pillow beside him and hurled it at Chu Chengfeng’s head. Chu Chengfeng didn’t dodge; he caught the pillow in one go and looked at Father Chu helplessly. "Dad, I haven’t been back in so long, and the moment we meet you’re this fierce. What are you trying to do?" 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"What am I trying to do? I want to beat you to death, you little punk! What is going on with you and Sima Xiaowen? I didn’t know a thing beforehand. The Old Patriarch called and chewed me out before I knew what was happening. Tell me, are you treating your dad like he doesn’t exist...?"

Mother Chu was busy in the kitchen at this time. Hearing the noise, she hurried out. Seeing that it was Chu Chengfeng, her gaze flickered and she smiled, saying to Father Chu, "You two haven’t seen each other in so long. Can’t you talk properly?"

"Chengfeng, don’t blame your dad. Even I got a scolding from the Old Patriarch’s wife. You tell me, this kind of thing, by rights we shouldn’t be hearing it from someone else, shouldn’t we?"

Of course Mother Chu harbored some resentment in her heart. There were some things she had to let this child know.

Chu Chengfeng looked at the two in front of him, but in the end his gaze still fell on his father. He said somewhat guiltily, "Dad, listen to me..."

"Fine, talk. If you can’t explain yourself clearly, just watch how I deal with you." Father Chu said fiercely.

Chu Chengfeng of course couldn’t tell Father Chu that he was the Phoenix Clan’s Clan Leader. Maybe he would say it someday, but now was obviously not the best time.

Even more so he couldn’t tell Father Chu that his real name was Mo Li, and that for the moment he was still the Chu Family’s son, named Chu Chengfeng, and nothing more than a scumbag.

"...Xiao Wen and I were planning to get married, but recently I realized that our personalities don’t match. Of course, this is all my fault. At first I thought everything was great. Dad, you know I’m not a steady person; I’ve got a bit of a flirtatious streak. So once I’d chased Xiao Wen and gotten her, I gradually lost interest. This whole thing is my responsibility. I’m a bastard. But now we’ve already separated and there’s no way to patch it up. Don’t work yourself into a rage over it. It’s not worth ruining your health over a playboy son like me, is it?"