Seeing that the Shu family’s fate had been decided, Liu Yan opened her mouth, wanting to say something. Her mother noticed it and gave her a disapproving look. “What? Do you still have objections?”
For the first time, Liu Yan felt that family affairs were such a headache, far more troublesome than handling ten contracts.
When she returned home that day, Shu Er was quietly sitting on the doorstep, hugging her knees, chin resting on top, looking so small and pitiful, yet adorable. Seeing this, Liu Yan’s memory flashed back to the distant past.
Both she and her husband had always been busy with work, often too busy to look after the household. After school, little Shu Er would refuse to go inside, no matter how much the nanny tried to persuade her. She’d sit on the steps like she was now, hugging her knees, stubbornly waiting for them to come home.
Today, Shu Er eagerly came to her, telling her she did well in her monthly exams. Although Liu Yan knew Shu Jia Er didn’t like Shu Er and didn’t want to see her, how could she turn Shu Er away? This was the daughter she raised tenderly for seventeen years. Even if it wasn’t entirely fair to Shu Jia Er, Liu Yan couldn’t bring herself to be cold-hearted toward Shu Er. In her memory, Shu Er was still that small, kind, and fragile girl waiting for her to come home, hoping for a bit more attention.
Liu Yan knew well that sending the Shu family away from Beijing was the best resolution for both families and the best way to handle the child-swapping incident.
Out of sight, out of mind.
And with less longing, it would be easier for everyone to move on.
But understanding is one thing; accepting it emotionally is another.
Finally, under the watchful eyes of the elderly couple, Liu Yan reluctantly nodded, “I have no objections.”
Shu Jia Er’s grandparents are going to stay with the Shu family for a few days, and the day the decision was made, her grandmother informed Shu Jia Er of it.
Shu Jia Er was a bit surprised but felt it was to be expected.
It was indeed a decision her grandparents would make.
Before retirement, her grandfather had held a leadership position. Even though his network had diminished over the years, arranging a job for Shu’s father was not a problem.
The arrangements for the Shu family to leave Beijing progressed quickly. Soon, Shu’s father had left his position and was waiting to start at a branch office in Jiangcheng.
During these few days, Shu Jia Er kept an eye on Shu Er, and surprisingly, Shu Er hadn’t caused any trouble, which was strange.
Shu Jia Er had expected Shu Er to throw a big tantrum to try to stay.
Of course, crying and making a scene would do nothing but embarrass Shu Er, as the decision was final with her grandparents’ involvement.
Another Monday arrived. High school life was often mundane, a routine of morning classes, lectures, assignments, exams, and evening study sessions, repeated until the college entrance exams.
High school students rarely get enough sleep, and comfort and ease don’t belong to senior students.
Shu Jia Er yawned as she looked at the blackboard, rubbing her sleepy eyes.
Just then, the bell signaling the end of class rang. Shu Jia Er yawned again and then she softly said, “Ning Meng, I’m going to the convenience store to grab a drink and wake myself up.”
Hearing this, Ning Meng put down her pen, ready to go with her. But Shu Jia Er waved her off, “Keep working on your exercises. I’ll be right back.”
The school is very safe, especially since nobody dared bother Shu Jia Er anymore after Zhang Beibei’s pursuer had his wrists twisted by Huo Chao for picking on her.
So, after hesitating briefly, Ning Meng stayed put.
The National Day holiday had already passed, marking the beginning of autumn. The cool autumn breeze instantly refreshed Shu Jia Er’s drowsy mind.
She rubbed her eyes and headed toward the convenience store.
Near the store was a sports equipment room filled with items for PE classes, such as soccer balls, volleyballs, basketballs, shot puts, badminton, and table tennis. Shu Jia Er doesn’t like PE, so she didn’t pay much attention to the equipment room.
She was about to walk by when she inadvertently noticed two familiar figures.
Ahead of her, two figures were heading into the equipment room!
One of them looked just like Huo Chao! The other figure was also familiar to Shu Jia Er—it was Shu Er.
What were they up to?
Why was Shu Er seeking out Huo Chao again?
A flurry of thoughts flashed through Shu Jia Er’s mind. She gritted her teeth, a hint of anger crossing her face. That jerk—what was he up to behind her back?!
Before she could think further, her body moved faster than her mind, crouching and sneaking toward the equipment room.
The convenience store is bustling, always packed during break times, but the equipment room, though close to it, is often deserted. The old man in charge of the equipment is frequently neglectful and nowhere to be found. The room was cramped with equipment, had limited space to move around, and the air inside wasn’t pleasant, so most students avoided it.
As Shu Jia Er crouched down and moved closer, she angrily thought to herself that if Huo Chao dared to do anything shady behind her back, she’d break his stupid legs!
Thankfully, Huo Chao and Shu Er hadn’t closed the door to the equipment room after entering, or she really would have been furious.
Inside, Shu Er was feeling very uneasy as she looked at the cold expression on Huo Chao’s face.
She knew she would soon be leaving Beijing. She had begged, cried, but even so, Liu Yan only looked at her helplessly, saying this was a decision made by her grandparents, and she couldn’t interfere.
The moment she heard this explanation, not only did her hatred for Shu Jia Er grow, but she even started to resent Liu Yan.
She had called her “Mom” for seventeen years; how could she not even keep her around?
She hated this world deeply. But it didn’t matter; if she wasn’t happy, she didn’t want Shu Jia Er to be happy either.
So today, she took the initiative to find Huo Chao and claimed that she had something important to tell him.
Did she really have anything important to say? Not at all.
She just wanted to drive a wedge between Huo Chao and Shu Jia Er before leaving, hoping they would break up—that would be ideal.
While Shu Er was still figuring out what to say, Huo Chao, noticing her silence, spoke first, “I saw the messages you sent me.”
Shu Er’s eyes lit up, a smile appearing on her face. So, was this her chance?
She knew things wouldn’t always go against her!
But in the next second, her hopes were crushed.
Huo Chao spoke calmly, “I went back to County B and found out that the person who saved me wasn’t you.”
Shu Er froze, then shrieked, “How is that possible? I was the one who woke you up!”
“I don’t deny that,” Huo Chao replied. “But before you, there was another girl who risked her life to protect me. That’s the only reason I could lie there unharmed.”
When he mentioned that girl, a softness appeared in Huo Chao’s eyes.
The light in Shu Er’s eyes slowly faded. How could this be? How could it turn out like this? Why did it turn out this way!
Her heart was filled with helplessness, confusion, and rage. Suddenly, she wanted to throw all caution to the wind.
She screamed desperately, “You like Shu Jia Er, don’t you?”
Huo Chao didn’t hesitate to admit it. “Yes.”
Shu Er screeched, “What’s so great about her? She has such a bad temper, acts spoiled, and is full of princess disease. Does she even really like you? I doubt it! She’s just taking advantage of you, seeing you as a walking ATM. She approaches you, asking you to borrow a cruise ship, indulging her vanity—yet even after all that, you still like her?”
Huo Chao’s expression didn’t change in the slightest, and he replied without a second thought, “I do.”
Shu Er looked at Huo Chao in utter disbelief. Like her? Even after all that?
“You’re Huo Chao! You could have anyone, but you chose her? Are you out of your mind? Are you really that pathetic?”
Huo Chao snorted, “Yeah, I like being pathetic—what’s it to you?”
Shu Er instantly deflated, like a balloon with all the air let out, suddenly at a loss for words.
Why was that his answer?
Why? Why does Shu Jia Er get to be so lucky? Even with all her temper and spoiled behavior, there’s still someone willing to cherish her?
What else could she do? She felt utterly hopeless.
Holding back the tears that were about to spill from her eyes, Shu Er glared at Huo Chao and shouted, “You won’t be happy together! You’ll definitely regret this!”
Today, Shu Er was determined to drive a wedge between them, so she spoke with the greatest malice she could muster.
What could be more hurtful than wishing unhappiness on someone’s future?
Nothing.
After saying her piece, Shu Er didn’t dare look at Huo Chao’s expression and ran off, head down.
Shu Jia Er didn’t go after her. In fact, her emotions were just as tangled, no better than Shu Er’s.
She had overheard Shu Er’s accusations toward Huo Chao and found herself eagerly waiting for his answer.
Even though she had a feeling Huo Chao wouldn’t let her down, when she heard the firm ‘like’ come out of his mouth, she was still taken aback.
She knew well that she had a bad temper in front of Huo Chao and often gave him a hard time.
She’d painted his nails green and even once joked about trimming his chest hair.
Her mischievous nature would have driven most guys away a long time ago, but Huo Chao had never gotten mad at her. The most he’d ever said was a helpless ‘Stop it,’ or ‘What is it this time?’
She’d been constantly testing Huo Chao’s limits, dancing on the edge of death, yet his boundaries for her kept shifting, lowering. She even felt as though Huo Chao had no limits when it came to her.
When Huo Chao responded to Shu Er’s provocations with that line about ‘enjoying being a fool,’ it truly made her heart skip a beat.
How could he be so nice?
At that moment, the school bell rang right on time.
The break had been a mere ten minutes, and in the blink of an eye, it was over.
Huo Chao tidied his hair, shoved his hands in his pockets, and casually walked out of the equipment room.
The next second, he saw Shu Jia Er standing right outside the door.
GET THE WHOLE NOVEL HERE!
