780 Against the Li's
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CHAPTER 780
Li Jing felt her body shake hearing those words. This was the first time she had been so insulted using her parents in the mix.
"It is just a shame Li Chun fell for your ridiculous brown puppy eyes and adopted you," Ding Jiaying continued. "Look at the shame and problems you brought him."
Shame and problems? Was she just called shameful and problematic when the real shameful and problematic child was her foster sister, Li Jing thought and scoffed to her hearing.
"If I, Li Jing, turned out to be bad, then whose fault is that seeing as the matriarch herself lacks proper home training."
She resolved deep within her. If it was a battle of tongues, she had no plans of losing especially to a woman who insulted her parents.
"Besides, I'd rather be an adopted child than be the unlucky soul pushed out of that gutter you call a womb. With all your pride as a parent, see how whorish your daughter turned out to be."
"What?"
"I did not stutter, Jiaying. It is your daughter who steals ladies' men like a loosed whore."
Ding Jiaying bit her lower lip in rage. She was all up for sending some sense into her adopted daughter when she struck the latter. However, Li Jing who had anticipated her actions leisurely caught her incoming slap with her left hand and sent a nice hot one back as a warning.
POW
All Li Chun heard was the hot slap that fell on his wife's face when the latter failed to do what she had planned and got served.
He had kept his head lowered when their verbal battle began only to lift his head and see the shock written all over his wife's face.
As much as he did not wish to complain, she was still his wife, and being disrespected before him meant Li Jing had no respect for him, Li Chun.
"How d-dare you!" Ding Jiaying roared, clenching her fist so hard she was ready for a fist punch.
"Silence!"
Both ladies stopped in their tracks at the thundering sound of Li Chun's voice.
Li Jing blinked. How on earth did she just allow herself to be riled up by this mistake of a human being?
"You two should be ashamed of yourselves. How can two grown adults like you be..."
"Now you think you can butt in?" Ding Jiaying snarled.
"Shut it," he reprimanded. "Li Jing what you did was wrong. Apologize to your mother now and I shall forgive this."
His words resonated deep in her mind. Those words of betrayal, that is.
Apologize. For almost being slapped and defending herself? Not a chance in hell.
Looking at her side, she pushed Ding Jiaying's hand away and faced her father completely.
"I should apologize?"
He evaded her eyes but his answer was firm. "Yes."
"Father I should..."
"Either do it or forget about learning anything from your past!" He challenged.
His words had caught Li Jing off guard and before she could react he was already spreading more.
"She is my wife and under no circumstances are you to insult her that way of slap her and insult me. If you have any respect left for me you will..."
"And what about me? All my life you have been a bystander, watching as 'your' wife and daughter maltreated me but you never did anything to stop it. And even now, you still take her side?!"
Ding Jiaying flinched from her yell. She was glad her husband stood up for her. Now she was sure Li Jing would no longer be as confident.
"Why am I not surprised? Hahaha... As usual. It was stupid of me to think you will ever pick my side. You are threatening me."
"This is not a matter of sides, Li Jing. This is about respect."
"Then as the older one did she respect you, my parents, or even myself? Who barges in on people and starts raining curses and expects to be kept quiet? Should I sit and take every slap she dishes at me like always? How could you be bias and tell me this is not about taking sides?"
"Li Jing you must..."
"No," she cut in sharply. "I won't apologize if she does not apologize to my parents."
"Stop being difficult and..."
He paused for a second there before coughing a lot as he gripped the head of the walking stick, staggering on his feet.
Choo-Cuuu!
Li Jing's eyes widened. The more he coughed the paler his face went. It was as though he was never going to stop.
"Father?"
"Aarrghh!" Using his right hand, he gripped at his chest, gritting in pain before them. Just watching the scene, her heart sped but before either she or her foster mother could react, he fell sideways on the ground.
"Father!"
"Li Chun!"
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~1 hour and 35 minutes later~
Standing outside the ward, Li Jing paced with her finger on her jaw as she thought about any possible sickness that could have affected the old man.
While she did that, Ding Jiaying tapped lightly with her feet against the ground and leaned back on the wall as she stared maliciously at Li Jing.
If looks could kill, Li Jing was sure she would have been dealt with by now. Still, she was not the least worried about her foster mother.
The last thing she wanted was to lose the last link tying her to her mother.
Just then, both ladies were greeted by the sound of hurried footsteps approaching them. Instinctively, Li Jing stopped and lifted her head to see who it was when her gaze landed on her only nemesis — Li Xiu.
"What's this bitch doing here?"
Relief washed over Ding Jiaying at the appearance of her daughter. She pushed off the wall and came to stand beside Li Jing.
"Xiu-er. You're finally here. Now no one would hurt or bully our family," Ding Jiaying's shaky voice called out in a somewhat pleased tone.
"Mother."
Unable to comprehend their low-level acting skills, she shook her head and looked away.
"As expected of a loser. She got tongue-tied."