The Unpromising Adopted Daughter

I adopted an abandoned baby girl.

After years of effort, she became a prestigious university student, making me incredibly proud.

However, her biological parents resurfaced and acknowledged her existence.

To my dismay, she transferred the house and car I had prepared for her to her younger brother from her biological family.

She even used my hard-earned pension money to help him get married.

When I confronted her,

she tearfully said,

"You're not my real parents.”

“How could you understand the bond of blood?"

Heartbroken, I found myself transported back in time to the day her biological parents came to claim her.

This time, I vowed to nurture her filial devotion towards her biological family.

It was Lindsay's graduation party, and all my relatives enviously watched us.

My daughter clung to my arm, coquettishly reminding me of the promised gifts – Apple products and high-end skincare – for getting into a prestigious university.

Before I could respond, my husband Liam chimed in, "Your mother's just teasing you. She bought them right after the National University Entrance Examination, waiting to surprise you after the results."

Lindsay beamed, hugging me tightly. "Mom, you're the best! I love you so much."

A best mom? More like an ATM!

During the banquet, Lindsay recounted how much Liam and I had provided for her over the years.

Relatives whispered, "You're so blessed to have adopted such a child. More blessings will come your way."

I muttered a halfhearted, "I hope so,"

How could we be so fortunate? We should just be grateful she doesn't feel obligated to support her birth parents financially with our hard-earned money.

Recalling how Lindsay had voluntarily given away the house, car, and even our retirement savings to her biological brother as a wedding gift.

I couldn't fathom how the child I raised could be so callous and selfish.

Despite the banquet hall being blasted with air conditioning, beads of cold sweat still formed on my back.

Suddenly, a simply dressed middle-aged couple rushed onto the stage, exclaiming, "Sunny, Sunny, we've finally found you!"

Chaos erupted as Lindsay's classmates realized she was adopted, a fact known only to close relatives.

Lindsay's face flushed with panic and embarrassment as she shrank behind me.

The couple started playing up their pitifulness.

The woman fell to her knees, pleading, "Sunny, the day I gave you away, I didn't eat for three days. I'm so glad you worked hard and got into a good university. Please, let me make it up to you."

Lindsay had never witnessed anything like this before. Seeing the woman kneel, she quickly helped her back up. "You're too old for that. Please, just stand up and tell me what you need to say."

The woman declared loudly, "Sunny, you're a Hale. If we weren't so poor, we'd never have given you away. You're the luckiest of your sisters. Forgive me, and let me take you home."

The graduation party was ruined by this outburst.

On the drive home, Lindsay wept until Liam promised her $1000 for a graduation trip, finally making her laugh.

I smiled wryly, thinking," still dreaming of a trip? How could we adoptive parents understand your biological family's bond? Let them fund your travels."

Though distressed that day, Lindsay soon caved to her biological parents' coaxing.

Lounging in the silk pajamas and using the branded skincare I'd bought her, she leaned against me, asking, "Mom, was what they said true?"

I nodded, recounting how Liam and I had impulsively adopted her as a newborn after stumbling upon a family about to drown her in a chamber pot during a business trip to Boli Village.

"When I held you, your wet eyes seemed to light up the darkness. We decided to keep you then and there."

Disbelieving, she scoffed, "Drowned in a chamber pot? If you don't want to tell me, don't make up stories!"

Little did she know, if not for that chance encounter, the person known as Sunny might never have existed.

Now that she'd been admitted to a good university, the Hale family had come to leech off her success.