Aside from Qiao Lei, Fu Yingzi also sent a message to Shen Yuan about the matter.
They all hail from the broadcast station, and it was through Fu Yingzi's introduction that Long Jinghan got to know Shen Yuan. Later, they all worked at the entrepreneurial base with Jingfu, maintaining a good relationship.
Shen Yuan replied that he would handle it. He thought about it and figured that parents generally don't confine their children—there must be some misunderstanding.
Soon, Qiao Lei rushed over anxiously, but as soon as she stepped into the office, she smelled the scent of several perfumes.
Qiao Lei snorted, "Stinky men! I knew it!"
She didn't expect Shen Yuan to meet with other girls apart from Fang Minhui, but right now, the pressing matter was Long Jinghan's situation, so she quickly asked, "Senior, what do you plan to do? Will you go to her family's home?"
"Why are you in such a hurry? We still don't understand the situation. It makes no sense to rush over there."
Shen Yuan looked at Qiao Lei's anxious appearance and found it somewhat amusing. "Also, why are you so nervous? Are you two really that close?"
Qiao Lei rolled her eyes, "You hardly ever pay attention to us, so of course you don't understand our comrades-in-arms friendship!"
Shen Yuan chuckled. He really didn't understand the camaraderie borne out of shared hardships.
Initially, the two were at odds, especially during their first meeting.
Fortunately, Long Jinghan always gave in to Qiao Lei, and over time, as they did yoga together and traveled to and from work together, they naturally became best friends.
Mainly because Long Jinghan was the type who didn't argue or compete for anything. If it had been Liew Menglu, they would probably have been at each other's throats all day.
But then again, if Long Jinghan knew how worried Qiao Lei was about her, she must have felt very comforted... Shen Yuan thought to himself before continuing, "Tell me, what exactly did Jinghan say to you?"
"She didn't say much, but it's a good thing I had some prior understanding."
Qiao Lei blurted out, "Her parents are not good to her. She has a younger brother at home, and her parents are very biased in favor of males."
"Whatever good stuff there is, they give to the brother first—food, clothes, essentials, they provide the best for him, and they buy lesser for sis or give her his hand-me-downs."
"They're also very impatient with sis, scolding her for the slightest mistakes, yet they're extremely lenient with her brother."
"They hardly care about sis and always tell her to help her brother after she graduates. They even want to arrange her future for her."
"How can there be such parents in this world?"
Qiao Lei grew more agitated as she spoke, as if she was the one receiving this unfair treatment.
While listening, Shen Yuan wanted to record a video to capture it. If Long Jinghan saw someone so indignant on her behalf, she would probably be moved to tears.
"First, tell me, how do they want to arrange her future?" Shen Yuan asked.
"They want her to take the civil service exam because they think having a government job would help her brother in the future, and it's also easier to find a partner that way."
Qiao Lei continued indignantly, "And that's not all. They don't even allow her to have a relationship with someone from another place, insisting she marries locally. That way, not only sis but her future husband will be there to help their son."
"Senior! Are there really such parents in this world? Don't both the palm and the back of the hand have flesh? Isn't she their own flesh and blood?"
Qiao Lei's fists clenched red, and her eyes blazed with dissatisfaction.
Shen Yuan listened quietly. As the situation became clearer, it seemed Long Jinghan's character flaws were indeed influenced by her family.
Many children, lacking love and security at home, try to win their parents' affection by pleasing them.
Such as by doing chores and being obedient to gain their approval, which is probably why some develop "people-pleasing" personalities.
As for the gender discrimination, it's quite common in small places. From their perspective, a woman will eventually marry into another family, and only a son will stay to take care of them.
Some old mindsets take time to change.
However, listening to Qiao Lei, this level of "blood-sucking" indeed seemed excessive. Are their own daughter's basic human rights now non-existent?
"And the reason they've confined Jinghan?" Shen Yuan inquired.
"It started because she refused to take the civil service exam. Then when she was messaging you at home, her mother accidentally saw it and thought she had a boyfriend from outside their area, prompting her mom to demand an explanation."
Qiao Lei sighed, "Sis didn't want to tell and wouldn't explain the situation. I guess she's worried about affecting you, especially since you've never acknowledged being her boyfriend."
"Her parents said either explain it clearly or break up; otherwise, forget about returning to school."
"So that's what happened."
Shen Yuan realized her parents wouldn't want her to marry far away because of her brother, fearing she had found some "poor boy" from outside their area.
Long Jinghan had never sought him out, probably worried about her parents hassling him, but her concerns were somewhat needless. When had Shen Yuan ever been easily manipulated? The source of thɪs content is novelꜰire.net
Qiao Lei looked at him with worried eyes, "Senior, what do we do now? How can we rescue sis?"
Shen Yuan thought for a moment, "Actually, her counselor could call her family, making it clear in a stern tone that if she doesn't attend classes, she will fail, and failing courses wouldn't be good for the civil service exam. Her parents really want her to take that exam, so they'll surely let her go."