resentment

Things went smoothly, and within a week, Xu Jiaojiao returned to Nanshi. Shen Li took her home and told her parents that he would cover her tuition and living expenses from now on. He transferred Xu Jiaojiao's enrollment to Jinhai Middle School, a private boarding school. Xu Jiaojiao would live on campus and no longer need to live with her parents.

As for Xu Jiaojiao's parents, they were grateful to Shen Li for bringing their daughter back. Knowing that Shen Li would continue to support Xu Jiaojiao in the future and help them raise a daughter for free, they were even more happy.

However, since returning, Xu Jiaojiao has never contacted Jiang Zhizhi again.

Jiang Zhizhi had seen her most embarrassing posture, and Xu Jiaojiao didn't want Shen Li to know all of that.

Jiang Zhizhi didn't care about this. In her heart, this was the last thing she did for Xu Jiaojiao. Now that it was over, everything between her and Xu Jiaojiao was completely over.

She no longer felt resentful and had no regrets.

*

During another winter vacation, Jiang Zhizhi, Li Rongrong and Lu Xiye were preparing for the Digital Union exam together. In the medical community far away from them, the publication of a paper caused a huge stir both at home and abroad.

Shen Li won a world-class award and became a top figure in the medical field. He also resigned from his position as Zong Lao's attending physician and immersed himself in deeper research.

The news on TV reported that he had won the award. Li Rongrong sat cross-legged in front of the coffee table, eating KFC with Lu Xiye in a very unrefined manner.

"My dad said this guy is amazing. Maybe in a few years he'll develop a cure for cancer. By then, cancer won't be a terminal illness anymore."

"So what? It has nothing to do with us."

"Why is it okay? If you get cancer, won't you take medicine?"

"You're the one who got cancer!" Lu Xiye rolled his eyes at her. "Have you paid for the tutoring? Don't come here for free if you haven't paid!"

"Of course I paid it. Ten dollars a day."

"You're not ashamed to come here and freeload for ten dollars a day? It's not even enough for your meal!"

"So what? This is a sisterly friendship price, right, Zhizhi?" Li Rongrong said to Jiang Zhizhi with a playful smile.

"Yeah." Jiang Zhizhi was doing a test paper and responded perfunctorily.

Li Rongrong was immediately very proud, which made Lu Xiye beside her very angry.

"Oh, right." Jiang Zhizhi suddenly thought of something and looked up at them. "The teacher asked me to stay with him for a while next week, so I won't be tutoring you."

Li Rongrong and Lu Xiye both knew who the teacher Jiang Zhizhi was talking about.

"Also, I met Sister Lina a few days ago. I signed up for advanced training in Taekwondo with her. I think next semester might be busy."

Last time, she was injured because she was outnumbered at Jasmine's club, so she put her skills training on the agenda again.

After all, it is very easy for her to acquire textual knowledge now, but physical fitness and strength cannot be achieved overnight. She needs to be able to protect herself.

"Who is Sister Lina?" Li Rongrong asked blankly.

She had never heard Jiang Zhizhi mention this person before.

"Oh, it's a Taekwondo coach I know." Jiang Zhizhi glanced at Lu Xiye and explained to Li Rongrong.

*

After Xu Honghan went to Qianzhou, Zong Qinghai had no other students in Nanshi. He was older, and although there were many people around to take care of him and he often had visitors, he sometimes still looked lonely and desolate.

During the entire winter vacation, Jiang Zhizhi stayed by his side. Zong Qinghai often gave her lectures, sometimes on physics, sometimes on mathematics. Although Jiang Zhizhi remembered a lot of knowledge, she just swallowed it in a hurry. With Zong Qinghai, her mentor, helping her understand and digest, she gradually felt that the knowledge in her mind became more organized and clear.

It was not until New Year's Eve that Jiang Zhizhi said goodbye to Zong Qinghai and returned home.

Lu Xiye followed Chen Yuping in pasting Spring Festival couplets, and the two of them were busy. Pushing open the door and looking at the two people in the room, they felt that they looked more like mother and son.

"Oh, the busy man is back." Lu Xiye put his hands on his hips and sneered, with a hint of resentment in his tone.

"Zhizhi, I thought you should be back by now. You and Xiaoye come and help put up the Spring Festival couplets while I go make dumplings."

Chen Yuping threw the tape in her hand to her and hurried to the kitchen.

Jiang Zhizhi had no choice but to go over and put up Spring Festival couplets with Lu Xiye.

"Tape." Lu Xiye placed the word "Fu" in the correct position and extended his hand towards Jiang Zhizhi.

Jiang Zhizhi tore off a piece of tape, bit it with her teeth, and handed it to Lu Xiye.

Lu Xiye was stunned for a moment, looking at the tape that was still stained with Jiang Zhizhi's saliva. His ears turned red and he sneered, "You...you don't know how to use scissors?"

Only then did Jiang Zhizhi notice that there was a small pair of scissors on the cabinet next to her.

"Oh, sorry."

She stuck the tape in her hand aside, cut another piece with scissors and handed it to Lu Xiye.

Lu Xiye took the tape and stuck the word "Fu" on, but he couldn't help but look at the piece of tape that was stuck to the side.

It has Jiang Zhizhi's lip lines stuck on it...

His sight seemed to be burned, and he quickly returned to the word "Fu".

Jiang Zhizhi cut another piece of tape and stuck it on the bottom of the word "Fu".

Lu Xiye looked at Jiang Zhizhi who was conscientiously pasting Spring Festival couplets in front of him. In this posture, it was as if she was pressed against the door by him, and he could clearly see the whorl of hair on her head.

Suddenly, his face turned red from his ears to his cheeks.

After Jiang Zhizhi finished pasting the Spring Festival couplets, she stood up and felt a sense of oppression behind her. She subconsciously looked back and met Lu Xiye's gaze.

She blinked, "Eh? Lu Xiye you..."

She suddenly moved closer to him.

Lu Xiye felt a little guilty when being stared at, "What for?"

"You seem to have grown taller again?"

"Of course... I'm 1.78 meters tall now."

"Yeah, that's true. After all, you usually eat a lot."

She continued to tear off the tape, cut two pieces with scissors, and stuck them on the two ends of the word "Fu", fixing them firmly.

"By the way, didn't you say you were going to Taekwondo advanced training next semester?"

"Well, what's wrong?"

"Can I...can I go too?"

"If you want to go, go ahead. Just pay the money. But you didn't finish the training class, so you may not be able to keep up."

"I'm sure I can keep up. At worst, I can just practice a few more times at home..."

“Dongdong——”

As they were talking, there was a knock on the door.

Jiang Zhizhi did not close the door when she came in. When she turned around, she saw Lu Hengshan standing at the door. He was wearing a long black coat and a long warm brown scarf around his neck. He looked a little tired and looked much friendlier than usual.

When Lu Xiye saw Lu Hengshan, his face looked a little awkward, and he didn't even call him "Dad".

"Uncle Lu." Jiang Zhizhi noticed the subtle atmosphere and took the initiative to walk over and greet Lu Hengshan.

Lu Hengshan nodded and walked into the house. "I'm here to take Xiaoye home for the New Year." He looked at Lu Xiye and pretended to be proactive and reconciled. "Why didn't you answer my call? You're not even going home for the New Year?"

Lu Xiye always responded softly rather than harshly. Even though there was still a gap in his heart, once Lu Hengshan softened his attitude, he became a weakling. "I didn't say I wouldn't respond."

Chen Yuping heard the commotion in the living room and hurried out to greet him. "Xiaoye's father is here? Come and sit down. I just made dumplings. Come stay for lunch."

When she asked this, Lu Hengshan did not refuse, "Well, thank you for your help."

Lu Hengshan ate a big bowl of dumplings. He and Lu Xiye were father and son, and both had big appetites.

It was the first time that Jiang Zhizhi saw him in such a down-to-earth manner, eating dumplings with vinegar, just like any uncle you could see on the street.

During the meal, he mentioned Lu Xiye's achievements, and politely thanked Chen Yuping and Jiang Zhizhi, mother and daughter.

In the afternoon, Lu Hengshan asked Lu Xiye to go upstairs to pack up and go back. Although Lu Xiye was a little reluctant, he still went.

After seeing the two men off, Jiang Zhizhi heard Chen Yuping let out a long sigh.

Jiang Zhizhi said with amusement, "Mom, why are you so nervous? Uncle Lu doesn't eat people."

"Yes, he is very easy to get along with today, not as bad as Xiaoye usually says." Chen Yuping always heard Lu Xiye say bad things about Lu Hengshan, and subconsciously felt that this person was difficult to get along with. Just now when they were eating, she didn't dare to breathe, for fear that she had done something wrong.

In the evening, the mother and daughter were watching the gala in the living room. Chen Yuping's cell phone suddenly rang. She picked up the call, and Jiang Zhizhi turned down the volume of the TV.

"Hello?"

"Yuping, I'm your second uncle. Why didn't you come home for the New Year this year? Your mother misses you and Zhizhi!"

Hearing this voice, Jiang Zhizhi's face looked a little ugly.

The "Mom" the person on the phone was referring to was not Chen Yuping's mother, but Jiang Guozhong's mother, Jiang Zhizhi's grandmother.

Before Chen Yuping could say anything, someone on the other end said, "Your mother wants to talk to you!"

The next moment, an old lady's voice came from the other end of the line, "Yuping, this is your mother. Why haven't you come back yet? Guozhong hasn't come back, and you haven't come back either. I miss you so much!"

"Mom, I'm divorced."

"Divorced? You won't come home after the divorce? Zhizhi is also from the Jiang family. The Jiang family is her roots. It's okay if she doesn't come home on weekdays. Mom knows you're busy, but you should come back for the New Year."

"I really can't go back this year. Let's talk about it next year," said Cheng Yuping.

"Hey, how's Guozhong? You guys are still in touch, right? I heard Guozhong got married over there, and he hasn't brought his new wife back to meet her yet. Do you know what's going on? Is it that his new wife doesn't want him to come back? I heard Guozhong say before that we have grandchildren over there. Your dad and I have been wanting to go over and see them for a long time..."

"Mom, I haven't had any contact with Jiang Guozhong since our divorce. I don't know anything about him. You should ask someone else."

When Cheng Yuping heard the person on the other end mention Feng Mei, she felt as if she had swallowed a fly alive. She felt extremely disgusted and hung up the phone directly.

Seeing her like this, Jiang Zhizhi stood up and walked over to her, leaning into her arms and hugging her, "Mom, you're right. We should cut off all ties with them."

After being reborn, Jiang Zhizhi had already seen through the nature of the Jiang family.

In his previous life, after Jiang Guozhong's father passed away, his mother also came to Nanshi. Jiang Zhizhi still had hope at first and took good care of her grandmother. Once, she even fell and was paralyzed for several months, and it was Jiang Zhizhi who took care of her eating, drinking, defecating and urinating.

But later, Jiang Guozhong's mother told him in person that she wouldn't be a burden to him. She would stay with Jiang Zhizhi and let her take care of her in her old age, not adding to his burden. He was her biological son, so she had to consider his family. Jiang Zhizhi was just an outsider. She even had Jiang Guozhong act out a scene with her, letting him bully her while she spoke well of her. This way, Jiang Zhizhi would serve her wholeheartedly...

That series of plans made Jiang Zhizhi feel like she was falling into an icy cave.

If she hadn't heard it by chance, she would probably have remained in the dark her whole life.

She hates the Jiang family.

Hate everyone in the Jiang family...