At thirty-three, single, and child-free, I was happily rotting on my couch, cuddling my cats, when my phone rang. "Hey! Someone dumped a baby in the complex next door. You want it?" Hearing the word "dumped," my reflex kicked in. "Yes!" I cursed all the way out the door. When I got to the next complex, I froze. I must have inhaled too much cat hair. It wasn't a dumped kitten. It was a dumped human baby. My mom shoved the bundle into my arms and bolted. Running away, she shouted over her shoulder: "That's my granddaughter now! Your biological daughter!" "I already filed the paperwork! You're raising her whether you like it or not!" Resigned, I carried this two-legged money pit home. I raised her with blood, sweat, and tears. Who knew she was actually a billionaire heiress? 1 At thirty-three, I was a professional couch potato. Aside from my six fur babies, I was the only living, breathing thing in the house. "Look at you. Thirty-three. No husband, no kids. You think these cats are going to take care of you when you're old?" My mom was scooping the litter box on the balcony, nagging as usual. I bobbed my head, in one ear and out the other. She finished scooping and suddenly materialized by my bed. "When you die, no one's even going to visit your grave." She was worried sick! I rolled over, turning my back to her. "It's fine. Someone will visit the wrong grave eventually." "Besides, I still have you and Dad! I'll just haunt you guys." "Worst case, I'll prepay for my own funeral services." My mom punched my duvet twice in frustration, stomped her foot, and went to the kitchen to cook. "Honey, if you really don't want to get married or have kids, that's fine. But can't you at least adopt one?" "Your dad and I won't be around forever. Think about how lonely you'll be all by yourself... sob..." At the dinner table, she started crying crocodile tears again. "Okay, okay. If I find a suitable one, I'll adopt." I brushed her off. My mom stopped crying instantly, eyes gleaming. "Deal!" The next day, I was at home huffing my cat when my mom called. "Hey! There's a dumped baby in the complex next door. You want it?" Hearing the word "dumped," I immediately shouted, "Yes!" I stormed out of the house, cursing. On the way, I cursed the person who abandoned it eight hundred times. If you're going to raise something, raise it to the end! If you really can't, find it a new home. Abandonment is trash behavior. As a long-time cat owner, I can't stand words like "abuse" or "abandon." When I got to the next complex, I was stunned. I must have been high on cat fumes. I didn't hear her clearly. It wasn't a dumped kitten. It was a dumped infant. I've heard kids are money shredders. Formula alone costs hundreds a month. My wallet couldn't handle that! Looking at the baby in my mom's arms, I turned to run. My mom saw me, shoved the baby into my arms, and took off. Running away, she yelled back: "That's my granddaughter now! Your biological daughter!" "I already filed the paperwork! You're raising her whether you like it or not!" Helpless, I had to carry this two-legged money shredder home. 2 Back home, the fur babies were fascinated by the creature in my arms, sniffing her non-stop. The kid seemed pretty chill. She didn't cry or fuss on the way, just stared at me with big, round eyes. I opened her swaddle, and my household register fell out. My mom had actually registered her already. The name was casual as hell: Penny Zhou. Looking at the baby on the bed, I felt dazed. I had a daughter! Then came the endless panic. I'm great with cats, but what do I do with a kid? I can't feed her kibble, right? "Guys, how do you raise a human? Tutorial needed!" I sent a voice message to my group chat, "The Plastic Sisters." "Holy sh*t! Sarah, you secretly had a baby behind our backs?" "Which wild man is the father? Confess immediately!" "You didn't steal it, did you? Kidnapping is a felony, girl. If you really want one, take my two monsters, no thanks needed." The usually dead group chat exploded. I laughed bitterly. "No, adopted. My mom adopted her for me!" "I don't know how to raise her! What formula is good? What brand of diapers? Does she need shots?" My brain was swarming with questions. This kid came so suddenly I didn't even have time to Google. An hour later, the girls showed up at my door with bags of stuff. Diapers, formula, hand-me-down clothes. "Use these for now. We'll send you the Amazon links later." My friend Jessica was beaming. Rachel was laughing so hard she couldn't close her mouth. "Hahaha, just thinking about you suffering through parenting like us makes me so happy." "Let's see how you enjoy your 'freedom' now, hahahaha." Emily was scribbling furiously at the table. "I'm writing down all the things to watch out for. Stick it on the wall and read it." "Raising a kid isn't like raising a cat. You have to be careful." The girls stayed until eleven, giving me a crash course in parenting. Then, summoned by their mothers-in-law and husbands, they reluctantly left. Luckily, I'm smart and a quick learner. After struggling for half a month, I got the hang of it. The fur babies were helpful too. Every time the kid cried, peed, or pooped, they'd smell it and come get me. But my bank account hit zero. I usually worked for six months and took a year off. That plan was dead. "How is it? Does being a mother feel blissful?" A month later, my mom, who was hiding out at some relative's house, video called me. In the video, she looked glowing and smug, while I looked like I'd lost ten pounds. "You want this bliss? You can have it!" I hung up angrily. 3 Time flies. The kid was in elementary school. "Get me two corn dogs on your way home. With sweet chili sauce." I fished out three dollars and fifty cents from the drawer for my daughter. "Mom, I have a test this afternoon. Also, corn dogs are two dollars each now." She stood by my bed, puffing her cheeks. I pouted. "I'm fifty cents short. Cover it for me. I'll pay you back when Grandma sends money." Yes, I was still leeching off my parents. Before it was just me, now it's two of us. My mom regretted everything. Afraid I'd spend her granddaughter's share, she sent the money separately. My daughter sighed like a little adult and walked to the door. "Mom, I have a test today," she repeated. "Oh. If you don't know the answers, just skip them. Come out early." "Why?" She was confused. "If you're late, the corn dog stand might close." Bang. The door shut. I shuddered and went back to scrolling TikTok. People say raising kids is hard, but once you get the hang of it, it's not that bad. My friends' kids were in middle school, so I dumped Penny on them every few days. Plus, with my mom's financial support, I had zero stress. I even skimmed off the top sometimes. Most importantly, now that she's bigger, she can do more than just buy soy sauce! She can buy vinegar, salt, scoop litter, pick up packages, grab takeout... she's so useful. "Mom, why do you think my biological parents didn't want me?" When Penny got to middle school, she started asking questions. "Did something happen at school?" I was confused. I never hid that she was abandoned. She never mentioned it before. Why today? Penny slammed the table. "It's that Chloe Wu in my class! Just because her family is rich, she bullies me." "Today was parent-teacher conferences. Her dad came in a luxury car. She mocked me in front of the whole class for not having a dad~" "That's pretty mean. You didn't roast her back?" It was annoying, but it was a fact. I didn't want to sugarcoat it. I wanted her to face reality. "Of course I did! I told her to tell her mom to dress up better, or else when my mom steals her dad, she won't have a dad either." "Mom, you can do it, right? So many hot guys like you, Chloe's old dad should be easy." I choked. I didn't know she knew about the models I snuck home at night. "Also Mom, I told the teacher you were recovering from childbirth this time. What do I say next time? I'm running out of excuses." I never went to parent-teacher conferences. Her homeroom teacher was my homeroom teacher. I didn't want to hear him nag. I looked at my cat, Mr. Whiskers, feeding three kittens in the corner. I had an idea. "Next time, tell him your sister is having her one-month celebration. You really can't get away." Penny was speechless and rolled her eyes. Penny overperformed on her high school entrance exams. She got second in the city. I was terrified. "Did you buy the answers? That's illegal, you know!" Penny's grades were okay, but second in the city? Impossible. "Oh, Mom. Would I do that?" "I just... peeked a little at the answer sheet of the guy sitting diagonally in front of me. Just a little bit. Hehe~" 4 I was overjoyed. All those fish eyes I fed her growing up weren't wasted. Good eyes, hit the jackpot. "You copied him and got second? How smart is that kid?" I realized belatedly. Penny shrugged. "He's the provincial top scorer. The school genius and heartthrob. And his family is loaded." How can someone be that lucky? Rich, handsome, and smart? "God is unfair!" I lamented. That summer, Penny and I were chilling in the AC when someone knocked. "It must be Grandma bringing money!" Penny ran to open the door, holding half a watermelon. Outside stood a couple. The man in a suit, the woman elegant and expensive-looking. Definitely rich. "It's her. It's really her. Exactly the same," the woman wept. After their explanation, Penny and I were stunned. "You mean... she was swapped by your nanny? You're her biological parents?" Holy crap! My mom has a gift. She picked up a billionaire heiress! I rubbed my hands excitedly, wondering how much they'd pay me. "Yes. I got suspicious when I saw her at the parent-teacher conference. She looks exactly like my wife did when she was young!" "Forgive me, but I secretly did a DNA test on both girls. Penny is indeed our biological daughter." The man explained. Penny put down the watermelon and wiped her mouth. "So you're here to take me away?" The woman hugged her. "Yes, child. We are your real parents. Come home with us, okay?" "You've suffered all these years. Mom and Dad will make it up to you." Hearing "make it up," I knew we were set. "What about Chloe Wu? What happens to her?" Penny's question surprised the couple. Especially the wife, a flash of annoyance crossed her face. "Chloe... well, she'll be your sister from now on. We'll tell everyone you're twins!" The man smiled. I felt a bit annoyed. They knew the nanny did it, but they were going to keep raising the criminal's daughter to annoy their own kid? What were they thinking? "You guys go. I'm not going back with you. I won't acknowledge you." Penny pointed at the door. Seeing her kick them out, the man panicked. "Child, don't you want to be with your real parents?" "Yes, daughter, we are your real mom and dad!" The woman chimed in.
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "385896", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel