Chapter 121: Adoption

"So, Aunt Elena and Uncle Li passed away in an accident half a year ago?"

In the café, Hazel's gaze was vacant and unfocused, her face as pale as paper—the look of utterly shattered hope. Yet the little girl still tried to comfort Li Mochen: "I'm sorry, Andre, I had no idea. Aunt Elena and Uncle Li were good people; I believe they must have entered the Radiant Heaven."

"Thank you for your blessing, but Hazel, you seem quite disappointed?"

Li Mochen gazed steadily at Hazel, a hint of admiration flickering in his eyes: "You think I can't provide the help you need?"

He had taken a liking to this little girl; from their first meeting until now, Hazel's demeanor and speech were very endearing.

It was clear she was a well-bred girl with a good personality. Even in her current situation, she remained sincere, without any attempt to gain his sympathy by playing the victim.

"That's not what I mean."

Hazel first waved her hands in a flustered manner, then slumped down and confessed honestly: "Andre, I don't think you're unreliable, but I imagine your situation isn't much better than mine."

"It's still a bit better. At least I've inherited a company worth two or three million gold shields and half ownership of a villa. Those assets are enough to cover my living expenses."

Li Mochen chuckled, then turned serious: "Hazel, I think the only way I can help you now is to gain custody of you. So I want to know, what do you think? Are you willing to leave your current home and live with me?"

Hazel was stunned, staring at Li Mochen in disbelief, her eyes flickering with hesitation.

Li Mochen, experienced in reading people, saw at once the struggle within Hazel. The girl was tempted by his offer but worried about trusting the wrong person. She was also likely concerned that he lacked the ability to wrest custody from the Jax couple—which might make her situation even worse.

But Li Mochen didn't intend to explain further; it was up to Hazel to decide.

"No need to worry, Hazel."

Li Mei also sensed the girl's thoughts. She gently stroked Hazel's head with affection: "I can assure you that A-Mo's finances are fine; he can support both of you. We'll keep an eye on him; he'll be a good brother. Even if you don't trust me, you should trust Aunt Elena and Mr. Li—A-Mo is their child. And look at it another way: no matter how bad a new environment is, can it be worse than this?"

Hazel said nothing. Her gaze shifted between Li Mei and Li Mochen for a moment, then settled on Qi Tai.

"Excuse me, sir, are you the bodyguard Andre hired?"

"I am an employee of Nathan Sports Group. According to the sponsorship contract between our company and Mr. Wiltonstein, I am responsible for Mr. Wiltonstein's personal security."

Qi Tai returned a friendly smile: "You may not know this, but Mr. Wiltonstein is an unparalleled genius in magical energy. In fact, I am no longer his match. That's why our CEO, Mr. Payton, values him highly. Besides that, Mr. Wiltonstein also possesses noble character—"

This remark not only surprised Hazel, but Li Mei also looked astonished, glancing at Li Mochen with a mix of disbelief. She only knew that her boss had signed a sponsorship contract with Nathan Sports Group and gained their support, but she had no idea what level Li Mochen's strength and talent were at.

Just as Qi Tai was vigorously boasting about Li Mochen, a sudden 'ding' sound came from the entrance of the coffee shop. Li Mochen didn't pay much attention at first, assuming it was just a customer, but then his peripheral vision caught sight of Mike Ross entering.

Li Mochen was secretly surprised, thinking this guy was fast. He had called the Pearson-Darby-Specter Law Firm just before entering the coffee shop. In less than twenty minutes, Mike had already appeared before him.

"I happened to be in South Atlanta, very close to here."

Mike Ross casually explained as he sat down next to Li Mochen: "I've got the gist of the situation from Harvey, so let's get straight to the point. Your situation is indeed tricky, but not without solutions. First, it would be best if we could find evidence of them using violence or even abuse against Hazel. Second, evidence of misuse of Hazel's child support could also sway the judge. Then there's the school—we can gather opinions and testimonies from teachers and Hazel's classmates. Of course, the Jax's neighbors could also provide strong support."

"Finally, there's the Jax couple's family situation. I don't know their circumstances yet, so I'll just speak generally. I think if they lose their jobs or have unstable employment, it would be hard for this family to provide good care for Hazel. Also, Mr. Jax is an alcoholic, right? From what I know, these heavy drinkers often have violent tendencies. It would be best if we could gather evidence to prove that. If we can achieve all this, I'm confident enough to have the Jax couple lose their guardianship rights—"

The corner of Li Mochen's mouth twitched. The first few suggestions this guy made were quite normal. But the latter part bordered on instigation.

Although Mike Ross's words were very subtle and implicit, Li Mochen still understood.

Getting the Jax couple fired, staging a violent incident involving Andy Jax—these were things he could manage now.

"Actually, we don't need to go through all that trouble."

Hazel suddenly spoke up, interrupting Mike Ross: "I've collected some evidence, including their bills and several tape recordings, all hidden in my school locker."

Li Mochen exchanged glances with the others present, and Li Mei's face showed obvious surprise: "But Hazel, since you had evidence, why didn't you tell the Social Services Bureau and the Youth Protection Center before? They could have helped you get away from that bitch Dani Jax."

"But I wasn't sure what kind of people would adopt me next."

Hazel said calmly: "My mother has many relatives, so I couldn't enter an orphanage. But most of those relatives are not very good people. With the Jax couple, at least I've adapted. Besides humiliating me and making fun of me, they wouldn't do anything too extreme. But with others, I don't know what the situation would be. I thought it was better to maintain the status quo than to rashly jump into an unknown future."

A strange light flickered in Li Mochen's eyes.

He liked this little girl even more. She was not only smart but also patient enough.

"That's a very smart move. But since you're willing to voluntarily produce this evidence, does that mean you agree to be adopted by me?"

"Yes, Mr. Wertenstein."

Hazel took a deep breath and looked at Li Mochen seriously: "Please, by all means, adopt me. Hazel will be very obedient and will never cause you trouble."

"As you wish!"

The corner of Li Mochen's mouth lifted. Just then, he felt the 'Divine Resonance Purple Gold Pagoda' in the sword bag behind him tremble violently, almost breaking free from the bag.