Chapter 120: Talent

"Wait a moment, A-Mo, look over there—"

Li Mochen turned his head and saw a Norfolk Silver Wing sedan driving toward them at the intersection.

"That used to be Hazel's father's car, but now~"

Li Mei gave a light snort, full of dissatisfaction and disdain: "Her aunt, Dani Jakes, once tried to sell the car, but probably couldn't bypass the social services supervisors, as well as the foundation and private lawyers entrusted by Hazel's father, Vivian. They spent another thousand gold shields to buy it back, and then simply started using it themselves."

Li Mochen asked noncommittally, "So she's here to pick up Hazel?"

"No! She's here to pick up her daughter."

Li Mei pointed to a slightly plump girl in the crowd: "Her daughter, Aona, also attends this school, in the same grade as Hazel."

"But this should be the best aristocratic school in Baxley City, right? It seems even better than Linden Academy. Hazel's aunt must be quite well-off? Or is her daughter a top student?"

"You'd be wrong to think that. This girl's grades are a complete mess. The Jakes family isn't very wealthy; Dani's husband is a plumber—plumbers make good money, but he's also a drunkard. As for Dani, her job is a store manager."

Li Mei shook her head: "The reason Aona can attend Linden Academy is because of Hazel. Hazel's father, Vivian, entrusted the Seagull Foundation to manage his remaining assets of one hundred and seventeen thousand gold shields. The foundation provides an annual interest of five percent, and each year it pays a portion for Hazel's tuition and living expenses, with the remainder settled in a lump sum when she comes of age. But since Hazel is still a minor, the money can only be deposited into her guardian's account."

"That's tricky. Five thousand gold shields a year, that's sixty thousand over twelve years."

Li Mochen rubbed his forehead in frustration. With such a large sum of money involved, it wouldn't be easy to wrest custody from this woman named Dani Jakes. The chance of her voluntarily giving up was zero.

Just as they were speaking, the Norfolk Silver Wing sedan slowly pulled over to the curb. A well-dressed woman stepped out from the driver's seat and walked toward the two girls in the crowd with a full smile.

Aona, Dani Jakes's daughter, ran over joyfully, but Hazel's face turned pale, and she hesitated. She clearly wanted to board the departing school bus, but under the woman's sharp gaze, she reluctantly walked over.

After what seemed like a conversation, about five minutes later, Aona suddenly slapped Hazel across the face.

Li Mochen frowned. The girl struck hard, and she wore a ring on her finger, leaving a clear bloody mark on Hazel's left cheek.

But what was even more excessive came a minute later. When Hazel followed Aona into the Silver Wing sedan, the slightly plump girl kicked her, sending her tumbling to the ground.

Soon after, Dani Jakes drove off in the luxurious car, leaving Hazel, covered in mud, behind.

Li Mei's face turned ashen: "See, that's one of the ways they torment Hazel. That was the last school bus. Since this is the suburbs, there are few buses here. Hazel has to wait at the bus stop for at least half an hour, then walk five hundred meters home. The school area is fine, but the problem is the neighborhood where they live—the security has never been good. I've always worried about her safety; Hazel is very pretty."

Li Mochen's eyes flared with anger, and a sense of malice grew within him. Such behavior was unbearable not only for the original owner of this body, who was somewhat cynical, but even for Wenjian Taoran.

"This should count as abuse, shouldn't it? Doesn't the social services or the oversight agency do anything?"

"They can't."

Li Mei smiled bitterly: "The school and Hazel's neighbors have reported it, but Dani is clever. She never hits Hazel herself; it's always her daughter's conflicts with Hazel, which is normal among teenagers, isn't it? And Dani is the only direct relative Hazel can rely on now. So far, the social services and the local community youth protection center have only issued two warnings."

"To solve this girl's problem, we need to get custody of her."

Li Mochen took a deep breath to calm his anger: "But it's very difficult. My parents had a deep friendship with Vivian, but I'm not his direct relative."

Even more troublesome was his age. A sixteen-year-old boy who couldn't even manage his own affairs—how could he convince the social services and those matrons at the youth protection center?

"Indeed."

Li Mei sighed: "Unless we get direct evidence of domestic abuse, it's hard to take custody from her."

"I'll try first, but before that, we need to ask Hazel herself."

After saying this, Li Mochen walked alone toward the girl. While they were talking, Hazel had already reached the bus stop. Her eyes were vacant, almost like a walking corpse. It wasn't until Li Mochen was within ten steps of her that the girl with bright golden hair noticed him.

"Are you... my cousin Andre?"

Hazel hesitated at first, but then she recognized him from his features. Overjoyed, she dropped her schoolbag and threw herself into Li Mochen's arms, hugging him tightly around the waist.

Li Mochen was momentarily stunned, but then his cold expression softened slightly, and he gently stroked Hazel's head.

"I'm sorry, Hazel. I only learned about your situation a few days ago. I kept you waiting. You've had a hard time, haven't you?"

He thought that when the girl wrote that letter, she must have been full of hope and expectation. But after days without any reply, her feelings must have been utterly bleak in such an environment.

"No, I thought maybe my letter got lost. If I didn't hear back in a few days, I was going to send another one."

Hazel shook her head, then looked behind Li Mochen. Her light golden eyes showed surprise: "Aunt Elena and Uncle Li? They didn't come this time?"

Li Mochen gave a bitter smile and patted Hazel's head again: "It's a long story. Let's find a place to sit and talk. How about that coffee shop over there? The atmosphere looks decent?"

Just then, Li Mochen's eyes flickered with surprise, and he stared intently at Hazel again.

Was it his imagination? Andre's cousin clearly had top-tier cultivation talent. Had the Wiltonstein family members who tested Hazel's aptitude really tested her? Were they sure they hadn't made a mistake?