Only when the smoke filled her throat did her mood slightly calm down. At the same time, she couldn’t help feeling heartache and loss. It seemed that she wouldn’t get the money from Boss Zeng, and just thinking about that substantial sum made Shi’s mother feel extremely painful.
This damned girl has always liked to go against me since she was young. When Shi Chu was around, her sister backed her up. After Shi Chu died, Shi’s mother thought she could easily control the younger daughter, but unexpectedly, the girl’s temper became stubbornly worse. Shi’s mother often got so angry that her head would spin.
Also, Shi Qing clearly had a very nice face, yet insisted on wearing extremely ugly glasses every day, covering half her face. Thinking about this, a surge of anger welled up in Shi’s mother’s heart.
Shi Qing walked out of the house and bumped into a neighbor. She forced a smile, nodded at the other person, and weakly greeted, "Hello, Auntie..."
The other person looked to be in her fifties or sixties, looking at Shi Qing with a kind expression, love brimming over her face, quickly greeting, "Shi girl is back, stay a few more days this time..."
After saying this, the old lady realized Shi Qing’s family situation, looked embarrassed, and didn’t continue, letting out a deep sigh.
People living in this area all knew that Shi Qing’s mother was very snobbish, treating her own daughter with nothing but beatings and scoldings. If Shi Qing stayed, who knows, she might be bullied by her own mother! The old lady pondered.
Next, Shi Qing exchanged a few words with the neighbor but was told that Shi’s mother’s private life had been quite indiscreet recently, generally suggesting that Shi’s mother often brought unknown men home.
Shi Qing recalled when she just returned home, and Shi’s mother, without realizing her daughter was knocking, had casually called someone "damn ghost." It was evident that those men visited often.
Regarding this, Shi Qing had no particular thoughts; it was, after all, someone else’s choice, and it wasn’t her place to comment.
In fact, Shi Qing had already harbored some quite ludicrous thoughts long ago.
All these years, Shi’s mother didn’t have a job, yet frequently bought new clothes, went shopping, played mahjong, went out for various expenses. Where did she get her money from? It’s not hard to guess; it should all rely on financial help from those men.
Shi Qing didn’t want to spend much time thinking about her, bringing her thoughts back from the trouble, and Shi Qing was walking step by step towards the sidewalk.
Countless vehicles were coming and going beside her, passing by swiftly, barely stirring her emotions.
Her mind was constantly filled with the truth Zeng Shun revealed.
"At first, when I went on a blind date with you, your mother asked someone to find me. She even assured me that you were willing to go on the date voluntarily. Not only that, but even the stuff was put inside the glass of water you drank, was her idea," and when he finished saying this, Zeng Shun took out his phone and played a recording where Shi’s mother proposed the idea of making her daughter unconscious.
Zeng Shun, after all, was a businessman, and he had long mastered the skill of holding leverage over others. Shi’s mother probably never expected that her words would be recorded by Zeng Shun.
Back then, Zeng Shun’s account continued, and Shi Qing listened with a clear gaze.
"Shi’s mother, after seeing you all dazed, urged me to take you away. I..." Zeng Shun lowered his head, guiltily said, "After going to the hotel, we ran into..."
Subsequent events were explained by Zeng Shun in meticulous detail.
From An Yin relentlessly following behind Zeng Shun, to An Yin endangering herself by entering the room with Zeng Shun, and lastly, Zeng Shun attempted to assault An Yin, only for someone An Yin knew to intervene at the crucial moment...
Walking along, Shi Qing only felt a piercing chill envelop her entire body.
From realizing she almost got violated to breaking ties with her mother, Shi Qing maintained a calm demeanor throughout. However, when she finally understood who instigated the events behind the scenes, she abandoned the last bit of hope she had for her kin.
From now on, she could only trust herself, and rely solely on herself.
She saw a long bench by the roadside meant for relaxation, walked over numbly, and sat down.
She lifted her hand in front of her eyes, watching the fine hair on the back of her hand standing up slightly; although the sun was brightly shining, she shivered from the cold.
At this time, her old phone buzzed with a "buzz, buzz, buzz."
Shi Qing picked it up, the screen was full of cracks, and she had to look carefully to discern the name displayed on the screen.
Shi Qing answered the call and put the phone to her ear.
"What’s going on between you and An Yin? Suddenly disappearing, not even answering the phone," Wen Mei’s charming voice flowed into Shi Qing’s ears.
"Sorry, we ran into some problems," Shi Qing replied.
Shi Qing valued this job, primarily because of the high salary.
"What kind of problem?"
Hearing Wen Mei, it seemed she wasn’t too concerned about them not showing up at work. Instead, she was more interested in what kind of trouble they encountered!
"Nothing much." Shi Qing didn’t want to talk more about yesterday’s events, especially since she wasn’t very close with Wen Mei.
Sometimes, Shi Qing had the illusion that Wen Mei was quite gossipy. Despite being merely colleagues who occasionally met at the bar, Wen Mei always liked to pry into her personal affairs, which puzzled Shi Qing!
"If you encounter any issues in life, feel free to tell me. Maybe I can help." Wen Mei changed her usually coquettish tone to one of seriousness. Official source ıs 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹✦𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✦𝓷𝓮𝓽
Shi Qing felt uncomfortable, with previous suspicions resurfacing in her mind!
She assumed Wen Mei just wanted to dig out some personal matters from her once again!
"Someone’s already helped me with it, but thanks for your kind offer." To stop the other party from prattling on, Shi Qing continued, "I’ll be heading to work shortly," thinking to herself that she should make it on time given she had some time before her shift.
Now, having expressed her intention to sever ties with her mother, she needed to juggle her studies while also making more money.
"Remember, if you encounter any difficulties, reach out to me," Wen Mei reiterated her stance once more.
Seeing Wen Mei repeatedly express her attitude, Shi Qing responded helplessly, "Okay."
Although their interaction wasn’t deep, Shi Qing didn’t see Wen Mei as a warm-hearted person. On the contrary, Shi Qing felt Wen Mei was a precise egoist.
Wen Mei sometimes behaved oddly, just like now...
Her words implied care, but Shi Qing was well aware; the attitude seemed like she was fulfilling some task. Shi Qing thought she must be overthinking, as such absurd ideas were unlikely!
Who would assign Wen Mei to show such concern for her? Shi Qing felt speechless with the thought that popped into her mind.