Chapter 3 Do You Hate Me?

From the moment she stepped into the Zhou family home as a child, the brother and sister never gave her a kind look.

She is Xie Lingling's daughter, whom she brought into the family after her remarriage. Her status is awkward, and she has no biological father to support her.

In this family that values ​​social status, she was destined to be an outcast.

Especially Zhou Zhuoye, who had been targeting her ever since she first met him when she was six years old.

When they were little, Zhou Zhuoye always liked to tease her and secretly called her "bastard".

On one occasion, at a family dinner, he deliberately pushed her into the swimming pool, making her look foolish in front of everyone while wearing a dress.

She never dared to tell Xie Lingling.

She knew that her mother's life in the Zhou family was not easy to begin with.

Madam Zhou disliked her for her humble origins and not being from a prestigious family, and her words were always sarcastic and mocking.

Some things, if spoken out, will not only fail to obtain justice.

It will only make things more difficult for the mother.

Once, when she had just started junior high school, it suddenly started raining heavily on the day school ended.

She didn't bring an umbrella, so she could only hold her schoolbag and wait for the rain to stop on the steps.

Zhou Zhuoye's group of friends deliberately walked by, shoving her and shouting, "Get out of here, you wild girl!"

She lost her balance and fell down the steps.

The rainwater mixed with mud, and she was soaked to the bone, with scraped knees.

She huddled in the corner, rain pelting her face, indistinguishable between rain and tears.

Just as she was about to break down, a tall figure suddenly appeared.

It's Zhou Yuze from high school.

He gave those people a good beating, then carried her to the school clinic.

The rain was falling in a fine, dense drizzle. She lay on his warm back as he held an umbrella over her and walked along, asking softly, "Zhou Zhuoye, do I often bully you?"

Fearing exposure, Xie Lingling was caught in a dilemma, and swallowed her words.

She was afraid that if things were exposed, her mother would be caught in the middle and put in a difficult position.

Zhou Yuce seemed to have seen through her thoughts.

He didn't stop walking, but sighed softly: "If he bullies you again in the future, don't tolerate it, come to me. I'll stand up for you."

From that day on, she knew that in this cold and indifferent home, there was at least one person who was willing to hold an umbrella for her.

"I'm in Class 1 of Grade 11. You should know how to get there."

Five years. A full five years.

"Zhiwei, Zhiwei!"

Xie Lingling's voice suddenly rang in my ears.

Song Zhiwei then came to her senses: "Huh?"

"I'll go upstairs first and have Aunt Chen tidy up your room. You can come up later."

As Xie Lingling spoke, she lifted her bag up a little.

"good."

Song Zhiwei responded softly.

Xie Lingling stood up and stepped into the elevator next to her.

Song Zhiwei looked around and realized that only she and Zhou Yuze were left in the spacious living room.

The crystal chandelier cast a soft light, illuminating the luxurious décor throughout the room.

"Are you leaving again this time?"

Zhou Yuze finally broke his silence.

"It's not decided yet."

As Song Zhiwei gazed at the darkening sky outside the window, countless images flashed through her mind.

Snow on the streets of New York, a solitary lamp in a shared apartment, a silhouette at the airport boarding gate...

At the same time, the cherry blossoms by the sea, the breakfast stalls at the entrance of the old alley, and the boy who used to hold her hand and take her to school when she was a child also quietly emerged in her heart.

There are too many things in Binhai that she can't let go of.

However, there were also many reasons for her to choose to escape.

She once thought that leaving would be a relief, but now, standing here, she understands.

It turns out that the roots had already taken hold in this land.

Even if they have been hurt or ignored, the connection has never been severed.

Zhou Yuze was looking down and scrolling through his phone.

"Why don't you stay? It's unsettling to have a girl like you out there all alone."

Song Zhiwei bit her lip, feeling a lump in her throat, unable to utter a single word.

She didn't want him to see her vulnerability.

In the past five years, she hasn't even come back for the Chinese New Year.

Every Spring Festival, she would send a text message to Grandma Zhou with a few polite blessings.

Then, alone in a small house in a foreign land, listening to the sound of firecrackers outside the window, eating cold fast food.

It's not that she doesn't want to come back, but that she's afraid to come back.

I was afraid to face that cold face, afraid to hear those harsh comments, afraid that I would once again become an unwanted presence in this family.

The Zhou family has many rules and emphasizes the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children.

From the day her mother married into the family, she was destined to be an "outsider".

Even though she studies hard and never causes trouble, she can't change how others see her.

In the Zhou family, she always felt like an outsider.

Aside from when she was little, Zhou Yuze would talk to her and occasionally show her some concern.

Others either ignored her or pretended she didn't exist.

I remember once she had a fever of 39 degrees Celsius. She was lying in bed feeling dizzy and wanted to ask someone for help, but she only saw the maid hesitating and not daring to come in and report.

Xie Lingling was busy preparing tutoring materials for Zhou Fengyi's two children and didn't even glance at her.

Finally, Zhou Yuze stumbled upon her, and without saying a word, he carried her on his back and ran to the hospital.

It rained heavily that night, and his back was cold, but she felt more at ease than ever before.

In order to please Old Madam Zhou, Xie Lingling treated Zhou Fengyi's two children much better than she treated herself.

She remembered that Xie Lingling would personally take them to piano lessons on weekends, order expensive birthday cakes for them, and accompany them to various family gatherings.

And what about myself?

All she ever received was a perfunctory "Study hard" at the start of each school year, and even her allowance had to be secretly slipped to her by Zhou Yuze.

She had asked herself countless times: Why stay?

But whenever she wanted to leave completely, the image of that boy leading her through the courtyard would always appear in her mind.

Seeing that she remained silent, Zhou Yuze suddenly stood up.

"You must be tired after a long day on the plane. Go and get some rest."

He glanced at her, then turned and walked toward the stairs.

"Um."

Song Zhiwei nodded.

She deliberately waited a while until Zhou Yuze had completely left the living room before slowly walking upstairs.

She didn't want him to feel like he was still dependent on her as he was when they were children.

The room was exactly the same, nothing had changed.

The off-white curtains were still hanging, the small desk lamp on the desk was still in its original place, and there was even the novel she hadn't finished reading five years ago on the bedside table.

It turns out that someone had been waiting for her to come back.

She had casually picked up that comic book before leaving the country, but she was forced to stop reading it before she could finish it.

Now that it has returned, it still lies quietly in the same spot.

Xie Lingling was sitting on the sofa waiting for her.

She was wearing a beige knitted cardigan, with her hands folded on her knees.

The living room is dimly lit.

She didn't turn on the TV or listen to music; she just sat quietly.

There was a glass of tea that had gone cold on the coffee table, with a few tea leaves settled at the bottom.

"mom."

Song Zhiwei called out softly.

"How have you been doing these past few years away from home?"

I've been too busy during the day to have a proper chat.

Xie Lingling stood up, trying to keep her tone calm.

"It's great. I passed the bar exam, got a job at a good law firm abroad, and the income is good too."