A thought crossed Zuko’s mind. ‘Perhaps the two of them are not “like sisters,” but…’
“Zuko, what’s wrong with you?” Toph reached out and waved his hand in front of Zuko. “Why are you spacing out?
Come on. They went to get ice cream!”
“Oh.” Zuko snapped back to reality and looked at his brother. “What’s wrong with getting ice cream? Lina likes it.”
“But Renee can’t have it now!”
“Can’t?”
Toph froze, his face turning red. He quickly grabbed Zuko’s arm and hurriedly followed.
The enjoyable day came to an end swiftly. Zuko and Lina returned home just in time for dinner. The table was filled
with Melissa’s specialties.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt“Zeke, Lina! Come and have dinner!” Melissa happily served them.
As a mother, she always worried that her children did not eat enough. The large bowl Zuko used could easily be
placed on top of Lina’s head like a hat. Zuko smiled helplessly and rubbed his stomach, concerned that his well-
maintained abs had turned into a soft little belly under Melissa’s constant feeding.
He ate while quietly observing the family of four at the dining table. Since joining this family, he had never observed
them so carefully. The more he observed, the more he realized that Mary’s remark of “How can two country
bumpkins give birth to such a girl” was accurate…
Zuko frowned slightly, placing his cutlery down and casually saying with a smile, “I think I saw Mrs. Nash dancing in
the park when we came back just now.”
“Mary?” Melissa snorted. “It’s probably her daughter who came back again, bringing her some good stuff, and she
wanted to show off!”
“That’s possible!” Zuko warmly replied. “There was a girl with her, but it was too dark to see her clearly… Heh, but
the last time she came for treatment, she did look exactly like Mrs. Nash.”
“Exactly!” Dave laughed. “They both have the same round faces! Door Guardian, genetics can’t be resisted. When I
go out with my dad, everyone says I’m Jesse Jr.”
“Eat your food!” Melissa knocked Dave’s head with her spoon, her expression somewhat unnatural.
In this family, they could talk about anything except for appearance—because she felt guilty and was deceiving
herself. She thought that as long as they did not talk about it at home, the matter did not exist.
Despite that, the neighbors all knew that a duck and a swan were two different species, and a country bumpkin
could not give birth to a graceful swan.
Zuko smiled. “Auntie, actually, I think Mrs. Nash must be jealous of you. She’s jealous that your daughter is prettier
and better than hers, so she spreads rumors about you everywhere.”
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm
“W-What did she say?” Melissa became nervous. “What did she say about me!?”
Zuko lowered his voice. “She just said that you adopted Lina. That she’s not your biological daughter.”
“She’s crazy!” Melissa reacted strongly, nearly dropping her bowl. She shouted, “You can’t expect anything nice to
come out of Mary Nash’s mouth! Lina is clearly my daughter! She is!”
“Mom…” Lina quickly grabbed her and shot Zuko a look. She had grown immune to such rumors since she was
young but also found it strange. Were these people so idle that they had to create such rumors just because she
looked a little better?
“Alright, that’s enough!” She nudged Zuko and then walked over to Melissa, affectionately hugging her from behind.
“Of course, I’m my mom’s daughter. Who else dotes on me like this besides my mom? Right?”
Upon hearing these words, Melissa finally forced a smile, patting Lina’s hand, and softly uttered, “Good girl.”
Despite it all, the depth of darkness in Zuko’s eyes grew deeper.