Chapter 3

Of course, in her previous life, Lu Mingjun had been deeply moved after hearing her mother's "sincere and heartfelt" words.

Mother Lu had said again, "Your Uncle Zhu and I are both getting old. At home, everything depends on whose children are more promising and who has the louder voice."

At that point, Mother Lu's voice had turned a little choked. "But if you really want to go to S City, I won't stop you. Just make sure to come back often and don't leave me here all alone!"

Lu Mingjun remembered that after her mother said those words in her previous life, she had been overcome with emotion. Completely swept away by it.

So moved, in fact, that she had declared on the spot she would stay in W City to take care of her mother.

And in the end? She had ruined her own future—all for the sake of "taking good care of" her.

Now, hearing the same words again, Lu Mingjun felt nothing.

Mother Lu, noticing the silence on the other end, seemed slightly dissatisfied and continued:

"By the way, just a few days ago, your Uncle Zhu was saying that you spent seven years in college, and the tuition must've cost a lot, right? Mingjun, your surname is Lu, not Zhu. They've already done their best raising you to this age. The money for your education shouldn't be spent by people named Zhu."

At that, Mother Lu sighed as if she had borne great hardship, then added, "It hasn't been easy for me to live in the Zhu family with you. I already told your Uncle Zhu privately that the tuition fees were a loan from him. Once you get a job, you'll have to pay him back!"

She continued, "Even if you become a lawyer, you won't be making money right away. What will you do then?" Seeing that love and guilt weren't working, Mother Lu immediately switched tactics.

When Lu Mingjun heard this, she smiled and said calmly, "Mom, I understand your difficulties. How about this—if Uncle Zhu insists, then you can just sell the house my dad owned before he died!"

Her voice was soft, but every word landed like a bomb, blowing up Mother Lu on the other end of the phone.

Over the years, she had never once mentioned that house to Lu Mingjun. Now, she didn't understand why her always obedient daughter would suddenly bring it up.

After a brief silence, Mother Lu used the excuse she had likely prepared long ago. "Silly girl, that house is for your dowry in the future. No one will touch it!"

The more she spoke, the more excited she became. "You're my only daughter. You're still too naive. I can't just let you do whatever you want!"

Hearing this familiar routine again brought back memories of her past life.

Yes—the house was sold as a "dowry," but in the end, it wasn't given to her at all.

What now? The hatred in her heart just kept growing.

After a long pause, Lu Mingjun pulled herself out of the swirl of emotion and asked jokingly, "Mom, I think you make a good point."

"Of course! I'm your mother. I think more carefully than you do!" Mother Lu replied, sounding a little proud.

Unfortunately for her, that pride didn't last long.

Lu Mingjun replied smoothly, "But Mom, I remember that house was rented out. After all these years, the rent must have added up. Don't save it for me—just give the rent to Uncle Zhu. That should be enough to repay him, right?"

After saying that, Lu Mingjun waited, curious to hear her mother's response.

From what she had learned in her previous life, the house brought in about two thousand yuan a month. It was just enough to cover the monthly expenses for their family of three.

To hold her head high in the Zhu family, Mother Lu had used every penny on them.

And she had kept all of it hidden from Lu Mingjun.

Mother Lu's selfish plan was to make her daughter eternally grateful for the supposed sacrifices of motherhood, so she would never question her.

The Zhu family, meanwhile, was more than happy with the arrangement.

They spent Mr. Lu's money while keeping his daughter in a position where she couldn't even lift her head. What a bargain.

In her previous life, Lu Mingjun hadn't known any of this. But now, she knew everything.

On the other end of the line, Mother Lu had gone completely silent.

She couldn't help but grumble inwardly—Why is this girl so hard to fool now?

After a moment of thought, she finally said, "Our family relies on your Uncle Zhu to earn money. I need food too, and clothes. The rent is already spent!"

Lu Mingjun pretended to understand and sighed, responding calmly, "Mom, you're right."

Just as Mother Lu breathed a sigh of relief, Lu Mingjun's voice rang out again:

"But if that's the case, then the food I've eaten since I was little wasn't paid for by Uncle Zhu, right? That guy really has nerve—acting like I owe him something when I didn't even eat his food."

Mother Lu snapped back, "Then you didn't wear clothes? You didn't go to school? You didn't get anything mended...?"

Lu Mingjun replied immediately, "Mom, I never took extra classes. I wore Zhu Qing's hand-me-downs. And my tuition fees weren't that high, so really, it didn't cost much."

Mother Lu was completely silent again.

After a long pause, she finally said, "Mingjun, you should be grateful. Even if our family spends two thousand yuan every month, at least they gave you a roof over your head!"

Lu Mingjun nodded and said calmly, "I am grateful. But to be specific, my father's house rent was used to cover Uncle Zhu's expenses. So Mom, I don't really owe him anything… do I?"