C18 One Million!

At the dining table, Su Yunna kept piling food into Qiao Mo's bowl. "Mo, eat more... Oh! You've gotten so skinny from hunger."

Playing the role of the gentle and kind stepmother came naturally to her.

Qiao Chu snapped out of her initial shock and began her own performance. "Sister, we were all so worried about you while you were gone. I'm just glad you're okay." Her big eyes brimmed with tears, as if she'd been through a lot of distress.

Her crying scenes were compelling, with a strong sense of immersion. In her previous life, Qiao Chu had climbed the entertainment ladder with her superb crying performances, becoming a hot commodity in the industry.

Qiao Mo watched coldly, a faint hint of sarcasm in her eyes.

What a touching sisterly bond, with such flawless acting, leaving no trace of pretense.

Qiao Mo grinned foolishly. "I just missed you all too much to die."

After breakfast, Qiao Jinnian set his chopsticks down and said coldly, "Now that you're back, you should head to school and decide whether to continue your studies or take a break."

Qiao Mo replied calmly, "Okay."

"I didn't expect you'd come back alive. Your clothes were all burned, so you'll need to buy new ones. Yunna, give her some money."

"Sure, honey, I'll go with her to shop."

Her scheming stepmother accompanying her shopping? Probably to buy those cheap clothes from the flea market.

Qiao Mo looked down silently, her gaze coldly fixed on the bowl in front of her. There was no pain in her heart, only a chilling numbness.

Qiao Jinnian had showered all his love and tenderness on Su Yunna and Qiao Chu, treating Mo with indifference, day in and day out, for ten years. When her mother was around, he had once treated her like a princess. It felt as if the father who had adored her had died overnight. If she didn’t resemble him so much, Mo would seriously doubt she was his biological daughter.

“Auntie, you don’t need to give me money. I heard there’s over a million dollars in compensation for my accident on the yacht. Just give me that money.”

Su Yunna replied, “That money was all used in the search and rescue for you.”

Mo laughed carelessly, “Really? A friend told me they searched for a day and spent only about ten thousand. A life for over a million—quite a bargain.”

Su Yunna was speechless.

Qiao Zhenhua said, “Since the compensation is for Mo, give it to her. She’s been wandering for over two months and has suffered enough.”

Qiao Jinnian coldly ordered, “Give it to her!” With that, he stood up and left.

“Auntie, transfer it to this account,” Mo said, jotting down her bank details and handing them to Su Yunna. “Do it now, online transfer is fine.”

Su Yunna’s face stiffened, but she awkwardly picked up her phone. Shortly after, Mo received a notification of a million-dollar transfer.

She hugged Su Yunna affectionately and said with a sweet smile, "Thank you, Auntie."

As she stood up from the chair, Qiao Mo's smile vanished the moment she turned around, hiding the fleeting shadow that crossed her eyes.

In the bedroom, none of her clothes were in the closet anymore; instead, it was filled with Qiao Chu's outfits. She loved shopping and was a devoted fan of Chanel.

Hua University was also in River State, a bit far from Qiao Garden. Qiao Mo had opted to live on campus and often worked part-time on weekends, so she rarely spent time at Qiao Garden.

In this family, her grandfather was the only one who truly cared for her.

Oh, right, Grandpa!

In her previous life, Grandpa died of lung cancer... She needed to take him to the hospital for a check-up soon.

After greeting her grandfather, Qiao Mo went to the police station to get a replacement ID card, which delighted the staff there. With her temporary ID in hand, she went to the phone store to replace her SIM card and then to the bank to get a new bank card, opening a brokerage account while she was at it.

Half an hour later, she looked up at the white letters on the brick-red building that read "Hua University Biology Department."

A minute later, she stood at the door of the department chair's office, knocking gently. A deep male voice from inside said, "Come in!"

Qiao Mo's eyes instantly welled up with tears.

She pushed the door open and entered, finding Mu Zhiyuan, the department chair, bent over his notebook, jotting down notes.

Choking back a sob, Qiao Mo cleared her throat and called out tearfully, "Director!"

The man behind the desk suddenly looked up, then quickly stood from his chair, his eyes reddening as he gazed intently at Qiao Mo.