The Mighty Mage
Chapter 546: Money

Chapter 546: Chapter 546: Money

Xia Wei froze.

She hadn’t expected Gu Jin to say that. Her smile dropped, and for a second, her face looked blank.

Gu Jin wiped her eyes and turned around like she was about to walk away. Her voice trembled a little, full of sadness.

"I will leave."

With that, she turned around to run away. In her heart, she cheered,

"Finally! Finally, I can leave. Once Xia Wei saw me leaving, she would make sure that I didn’t get found out. After all, with me, she can enjoy the luxuries."

Gu Jin’s plan was almost perfect.

She pretended to be hurt and ran out of the dining room.

She walked quickly toward the back gate of the mansion.

But... she made one small mistake.

She forgot that Xia Wei wasn’t as careless as she looked.

Just as Gu Jin turned the corner, someone was already waiting there.

It was Xia Wei.

She was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed and a small, cold smile on her face.

"Leaving so soon, Sister Lian?" Xia Wei asked sweetly, but her voice was sharp like a knife.

Gu Jin stopped walking. Her face stayed calm.

"You followed me?" she asked.

Xia Wei laughed. "Follow you? No, I just knew you too well. Were you planning to run away and make it seem like it was my remark that hurt you?"

Gu Jin narrowed her eyes. She wasn’t scared, she was uninterested. Her only mission for now was to run away.

"I thought you’d be happy to see me leave. You don’t want me in that house anyway."

Xia Wei tilted her head. "That’s true. But you leaving too early ruins my plan. I still need you here a little longer."

Gu Jin raised an eyebrow. "Plan?"

"Yes," Xia Wei said, stepping closer.

"You think you’re the smart one, don’t you? But all your little tricks are nothing compared to mine. Even if you want to leave, I shouldn’t be the one who should bear all the blame.

If you dare to run away now, I will dare to act like a sister who tried her best to stop her younger sister from running away but got hurt and fell sick.

Then my sickness will continue, and I repeat the cycle and force you to run away permanently."

Gu Jin paused. Xia Wei could indeed force the real daughter like that. That won’t do... she was borrowing Lian Rou’s identity to gain information, if she ends up harming her for reason, Gu Jin will regret her actions today.

Xia Wei leaned in and whispered, "And when they catch you, you’ll really be sent away. Forever. I have an easier option, though. Just vanish completely. I will give you enough money, just stay away from this country."

Gu Jin stayed still for a moment.

Then... she smiled.

A soft, calm smile that made Xia Wei feel cold inside.

"I already told you before, didn’t I?" Gu Jin said gently. "If you want to win, then try."

She took a step back.

"But I’ll give you a warning, Xia Wei. You think I’m alone, but I’m not. And you think you can always fool everyone, but not forever. Time’s ticking."

With that, Gu Jin turned and walked back toward the mansion.

’Not tonight... I need to find an opportunity tomorrow, I guess.’

Xia Wei stood there frozen for a second.

That smile... those words...

Why did it feel like Gu Jin wasn’t scared of her at all?

She clenched her fists. "Fine, stay then. I’ll make sure you regret it."

........................

Meanwhile, inside the mansion, Xia Lan and Xia Fei had just returned from buying small gifts, a soft scarf, a bracelet, and some warm snacks that they found Lian Rou might like.

When they saw Gu Jin walking back inside, their eyes lit up.

"Rou’er!" Xia Lan rushed over. "Are you alright? We were so worried!"

Gu Jin looked at them, a little surprised. "You were... worried?"

"Of course!" Xia Fei said, holding out the small gift bag. "Here. We’ve got something for you. We didn’t want you to feel left out anymore."

Gu Jin stared at the bag, then slowly reached out and took it.

"...Thank you," she said softly.

Xia Lan smiled gently. "You’re our sister. From now on, we’ll protect you."

Xia Wei, standing at the hallway entrance, saw this scene and felt like something inside her cracked.

She wanted to scream.

But she couldn’t. She could only smile again and walk to her room, her eyes dark and full of hate.

"Enjoy your little moment, Lian Rou," she whispered to herself.

"Because soon... it’ll all be mine again."

After dinner, Gu Jin returned to her room and sat on her bed, deep in thought.

She had to leave the mansion somehow, but not in a way that would make the General or Mrs. Xia suspicious. And definitely not in a way that would give Xia Wei another chance to cause trouble.

She thought for a long time.

She paced back and forth, tapping her fingers against her chin.

Then, finally, an idea came to her.

"I’ll say I need to meet an old friend," Gu Jin whispered to herself. "But instead of going to that place, I’ll disappear... I’ll pretend someone kidnapped me."

That way, nobody would blame the Xia family, and Xia Wei wouldn’t have a reason to cause a scene.

Once she was gone, she could head straight to Zhenmu Mountain to find Long Yifan. If she found him, she would put him into her space and leave this world quietly.

But then another problem came to mind.

"The real Lian Rou won’t remember anything," she said softly. "And she won’t know how to deal with Xia Wei. What if Xia Wei tricks her again?"

Gu Jin sat down and sighed.

After thinking hard, she finally decided on something important.

"I’ll write a letter," she said.

"I’ll tell her everything. The truth about this family, Xia Wei, and what I’ve done. She has the right to know."

She opened a drawer and pulled out a notebook.

She started writing the letter carefully, explaining everything in simple words so that the real Lian Rou wouldn’t be confused when she woke up.

Once the letter was done, she placed it inside her bag and waited for morning.

.........

The next morning, Gu Jin woke up early. She packed her clothes, her notebook, the letter, and a few useful herbs from her alchemy pouch. She looked at herself in the mirror and nodded.

It was time.

She carried her small backpack downstairs. The dining room was quiet, with only the General and Mrs. Xia sitting at the table, drinking tea.

When they saw Gu Jin holding her bag, they looked surprised.

"Rou’er?" Mrs. Xia asked. "Where are you going?"

Gu Jin took a deep breath. "There’s someone I need to thank. Someone who stood by my side and never expected anything in return."

Hearing Gu Jin’s soft words, "There’s someone I need to thank. Someone who stood by my side and never expected anything in return," the General and Mrs. Xia exchanged a quiet look.

The General slowly reached into his inner coat pocket and pulled out a sleek, silver debit card. He placed it on the table and gently pushed it toward Gu Jin.

"This card has 1 billion mutes," he said in a calm voice. "Use it however you want. It’s the least we can do for you."

Gu Jin looked at the card, stunned.

One billion?

Her fingers curled slightly, but she didn’t reach out.

"I don’t need money," she said quietly, shaking her head.

"No amount of money can make up for the years I lost. The childhood I never had. The memories I was supposed to have with all of you."

Her voice was soft, not angry, but it struck both the General and Mrs. Xia hard. They were silent for a moment, their expressions filled with guilt and sadness.

The General sighed deeply. "You’re right... But we truly didn’t know. We lost so much too."

Mrs. Xia leaned forward, her eyes misty.

"And still, even after everything, you’re standing here thinking about us. You’re... so kind."

Gu Jin lowered her eyes, her heart feeling heavy. She wanted to take the card, but she had just refused it—it would be awkward to suddenly accept it now.

How do I take it without looking greedy?

She was still thinking when Mrs. Xia gently took her hand and closed her fingers around the debit card.

"Rou’er, please take it," she said softly. "Yesterday... I was wrong. I believed in Xia Wei because she always looked like such a good daughter. I didn’t see clearly."

She paused and looked away for a second, ashamed.

"But now... now I see that she kept hurting you, again and again. And still, you never once tried to hurt her back. You’re not only kind, you’re strong. You deserve this."

Gu Jin looked up at Mrs. Xia’s warm face. Her heart softened, and this time, she nodded.

"...Okay," she said, her voice light. "Thank you."