Chapter Nine: Self-Directed and Self-Acted

Si Zuochen never referred to Jiang Ran as his mother, but always called her "that woman".

In his eyes, she was unworthy.

“No, not at all.” Si Youlin lowered his eyes, paused for a moment, and then said, “But I pushed her into the water today.”

"Oh?" Upon hearing this, Si Zuochen raised an eyebrow in surprise, a wicked smile playing on his lips: "You've gotten quite bold..."

"She can't swim, did she drown?"

Si Youlin shook his head: "Song Yuqing was there, so it didn't work."

Upon hearing this name, a shadow crossed Si Zuochen's brow, and his expression darkened slightly: "She's become a regular at the Si family's place now, acting as if she's no outsider at all."

"Keeping this kind of scum around is just asking for trouble; she should be kicked out as soon as possible!"

Upon hearing this, Si Youlin recalled the scene from earlier that day, tilted his head slightly, and said, "They've already been driven away."

"What?" Si Zuochen looked puzzled and asked, "By whom?"

Jiang Ran is now in charge of the Si family, and Song Yuqing has always been a sycophant by her side. Who would dare to drive her away?

"Jiang Ran." Si Youlin frowned slightly and spoke slowly.

What?

Si Zuochen paused for a moment, then asked, puzzled:

"It's her?"

How could she possibly have a conflict with Song Yuqing? Has the sun risen in the west?

Si Youlin nodded: "Not only did she not pursue the matter of me pushing her into the water today, but she also spoke up to stop Song Yuqing when she attacked me."

Upon hearing this, Si Zuochen glanced at him thoughtfully.

Then he scoffed, "What? You're already moved?"

"Of course not!" Si Youlin reflexively denied.

"That's good."

He lowered his head slightly, his wisps of hair obscuring his eyes, making it impossible to see his expression, but the words he spoke were incredibly cold.

"Don't expect that kind of person to have a change of heart; she has no heart."

"Maybe they had some conflict today and are just using you to kick her out. In a few days, they'll team up again to bully us."

"Birds of a feather flock together; those kinds of rotten people are all the same."

Si Zuochen's tone was full of disgust, and a hint of contempt flashed in his eyes.

While he was lecturing Si Youlin, he was also admonishing himself.

Maternal love simply doesn't exist in them.

“Yes, I know.” Si Youlin nodded, then said, “But she’s really acting strangely today.”

Si Youlin looked up at him, signaling him to continue.

"I almost got into a car accident today, and she suddenly rushed up and protected me."

"A car accident?" Upon hearing this, Si Zuochen quickly stood up, pulled Si Youlin over, and looked him up and down. "Were you injured? Why didn't you say so earlier?"

Perhaps because of the family atmosphere he grew up in, he was very cold-hearted from a young age, and Si Youlin was one of the few people he cared about.

He would rather get hurt himself than let him get hurt. "I'm fine, I'm fine." Knowing that Si Zuochen was worried about him, Si Youlin quickly explained.

"I'm perfectly fine; it was that woman who got hurt protecting me."

"Her?" Si Zuochen frowned and said coldly, "Serves her right!"

His impression of that woman was nothing but disgust.

What does getting injured matter? I'd rather be dead.

Compared to his coldness, Si Youlin hesitated when he recalled Jiang Ran's recklessness today.

"Brother, she was injured while saving me..."

Sensing the implication in Si Youlin's words, Si Zuochen glanced at him sideways, a hint of displeasure in his eyes.

"What? You think this is enough to bribe me? Look at your injuries, who gave you this?"

After saying that, he reached out and gently stroked the bruises on Si Youlin's neck, causing Si Youlin to shudder reflexively.

The long-term beatings he suffered made him uncomfortable with being touched by others.

Immediately afterwards, Si Zuochen asked softly, "Do you remember how you got this injury?"

Si Youlin pursed his lips and remained silent.

How could he possibly forget?

If my brother hadn't broken down the door in time that day, I might be wandering somewhere now, a lost soul.

Ironically, the whole thing started simply because she called her and Lu Ziyi "toads looking for frogs," implying they were ugly and just playing around.

It's hard to say which sentence touched their hearts; a simple sentence almost cost them their lives.

Thinking of this, Si Youlin's eyes instantly filled with coldness.

"And is it really just a coincidence? She just happened to shield you from a disaster. Maybe it was all a show she orchestrated herself?" Si Zuochen spoke up at the right moment.

"Don't forget, that woman is no pushover."

A look of emotion crossed Si Youlin's face as he recalled the photo shoot earlier that day and instantly understood.

“Heh…” Si Youlin sneered.

It turns out that besides being violent, she wasn't completely brainless; I almost fell for her trick.

"Have you figured it out?"

Hearing Si Zuochen's question, Si Youlin slowly nodded and then spoke.

"Today I also saw her behaving intimately with Lu Ziyi, so I took a picture. It seems that she realized that scolding and beating were not working, so she wanted to try to win her heart."

"Lu Ziyi?" Upon hearing this name, Si Zuochen slightly curved the corners of his lips, his disdain clearly visible in his eyes.

"They're all birds of a feather, only hanging around her for money, and that idiot actually thinks he's sincere towards her."

"It's utterly ridiculous. Sooner or later, she'll be swindled out of both her money and her heart by that man."

The thought that Jiang Ran had resorted to this method to shut him up sent a chill down Si Youlin's spine, and he felt even more disgusted with her.

He then continued, following Si Zuochen's words: "He deserved it."

——

The two spent the entire day in the internet cafe, and as night fell, Si Youlin showed no sign of leaving.

Seeing this, Si Zuochen couldn't help but remind him, "It's getting late, when are you going back?"

Si Youlin waved his hand, staring at the computer screen, and replied nonchalantly, "I'd feel nauseous if I saw that person when I got back, so I'm not going."

Si Zuochen frowned: "So you're planning to play games here all night?"

He wouldn't interfere much with Si Youlin in normal times, but he did act like an elder, especially when it came to academics.

Seeing that Si Youlin did not answer, Si Zuochen sighed and said again, "The exam is in two days. Your grades have been a bit unstable lately. It would be better to cram at the last minute."

"Results?" Si Youlin stopped what he was doing, turned to look at Si Zuochen, and spoke with a hint of sarcasm.

"What's the use of good grades? It's just for show. Who would really care?"

"My father is in a coma, and that woman doesn't care about us at all. What difference does it make whether we get first place or last place? It's just a waste of time."

Si Youlin casually expressed his feelings, but Si Zuochen felt inexplicably sad.