The living room was empty. Lin Yan pulled Li Xiaoyi to sit on the sofa and poured her a glass of water before she tentatively asked, "Did something happen at home? Can you tell me?"
Lin Yan didn't want to hear gossip, mainly because Li Xiaoyi's current situation was really bad.
Li Xiaoyi bit her lip, unable to hold back her red eyes. She pulled the corners of her mouth and smiled bitterly: "What can't be said?"
She and Lin Yan had discussed their family situations before, and there was nothing shameful about it.
"I used to feel that although my mother loved my brother more, she still had me in her heart. Just like she said, after all, I am her daughter, a piece of her flesh and blood. Although she didn't give me living expenses, she paid for my tuition and went to school. She raised me to this age and never hit me. When my daughter scolded me, it was for my own good..."
Lin Yan sighed, not knowing what to say. Girls are soft-hearted and prone to making excuses for their parents. Or maybe it's just self-deception. Who can honestly admit that they are not loved by their parents?
Moreover, the more people lack love, the more they desire love, so they subconsciously deceive themselves.
Lin Yan didn't say anything at this time, but just listened patiently to Li Xiaoyi's talk.
On the other side, Li Xiaoyi sniffed and held back the tears that were about to fall.
"The last time I went back, I thought about it carefully. I still couldn't accept that blind date, so I told my mom. She scolded me, saying that I was arrogant and picky because I went to college. She said that in my situation, I was average-looking and had nothing to show for myself. I was just thankful that someone liked me..."
Li Xiaoyi mumbled a few words afterwards. What her mother said was much more unpleasant than what she said now. She still had her self-respect and could not say those words.
Lin Yan's face was a little grim, but she couldn't help but hold Li Xiaoyi's hand and said seriously, "How can you be so bad? You look okay, you're a good student, and you received many scholarships in college. Why can't you be picky?"
Li Xiaoyi couldn't help herself after all, her eyes rolling. "At the time, I thought that guy might really come from a good family. I can't judge a person by appearance. My parents are doing this for my own good."
Lin Yan frowned, but did not interrupt Li Xiaoyi.
Li Xiaoyi burst into tears. "But I was wrong. While I was still struggling, my parents and their family had already decided on the marriage. My mom accepted a 200,000 yuan betrothal gift, saying she was giving me 66,000 yuan to take home and the rest for a wedding. It was actually a wedding for my brother. I disagreed, so my dad slapped me, saying he'd raised me for nothing for all those years. He'd spent more than 130,000 yuan raising me, and I had a falling out with my parents over a little money. He said they'd been so good to me and gave me 66,000 yuan as a dowry."
Li Xiaoyi burst into tears: "But why... I raised him in vain, what about my brother?"
Lin Yan was silent for a moment. Why? Perhaps too many people viewed raising a daughter as an investment, demanding a return, and ideally, a return on investment.
Li Xiaoyi didn't need comfort, but she felt uncomfortable because she had too many things stuck in her heart. Lin Yan patted her shoulder.
Li Xiaoyi adjusted her mood a bit and said, "Ayan, thank you. I really don't know where to go without you. I'm sorry to bother you during the New Year."
Lin Yan comforted her, "Don't think too much. It's not a big deal. My husband doesn't like other people living at home. He has a strong sense of privacy. But he has another house that's empty. After dinner, take a rest and I'll take you there."
Lin Yan's words made Li Xiaoyi feel a little helpless. She didn't expect that Lin Yan would specially arrange a house for her.
She originally just wanted to stay at Lin Yan's place for a few days and move out once she found a job.
"Ayan, I'll pay you back the rent once I find a job."
Lin Yan naturally noticed her discomfort and confusion. She probably understood and comforted her again.
"Just live in this house with peace of mind. It's already empty, and you won't be living here all the time, so why charge rent?"
"As for finding a job first, there's no rush. All companies are on holiday, so it will be easier to find a job after the New Year."
Then Lin Yan thought of something and asked, "Do you have any money on you?"
Lin Yan learned from the original owner's memory that Li Xiaoyi had been sending money home since she started her internship, and often when she didn't have enough money at the end of the month, she would buy instant noodles to eat for a week.
Li Xiaoyi tugged at her clothes and forced a smile: "I still have some left on me."
But there shouldn't be much left, so Lin Yan didn't want to ask any further, as it would hurt her self-esteem.
She could only think about arranging for someone to buy more food and daily necessities when sending Li Xiaoyi to the house later, otherwise she was really worried that Li Xiaoyi would not have enough money.
At this time, the aunt in the kitchen had cooked the dumplings and brought them up. Li Xiaoyi initially said she was not hungry, but when the dumplings were served, she ate a large bowl without leaving any soup.
Lin Yan chatted with Li Xiaoyi for a while, and it was already noon.
At noon, after lunch, Lin Yan first found Lu Jinghuai and asked, "Where is the house you arranged for me?"
After Lu Jinghuai told him the address, he asked, "Do you need me to accompany you there?"
Lin Yan shook her head decisively: "No need, they will probably feel uncomfortable if you go."
Lu Jinghuai was already very imposing, and since Li Xiaoyi was living under someone else's roof, when the two of them were together, Li Xiaoyi probably wouldn't dare to say a word.
After Lin Yan said so, Lu Jinghuai could not force anything and nodded helplessly: "I will ask the driver to take you there this afternoon, and you should come back early."
Lin Yan nodded.
In the afternoon, Li Xiaoyi took a short rest and Lin Yan took her to the arranged house.
The house is also located in the city center, about half an hour away from the Lu family. The interior space of the house is not big, with two bedrooms and a living room.
I don’t know if it was already prepared or if Lu Jinghuai sent someone to arrange it, but bedding, furniture, toiletries and everything else are all available.
Lin Yan took a quick look and found that nothing was missing, so she asked the driver to buy some food nearby and send it up.
When leaving, Li Xiaoyi's eyes were red again. Lin Yan patted her hands, but didn't say much in the end.
When I returned to the Lu family, it was just past three o'clock. Lu Jinghuai was working in the study. Although Lu's company had not yet fully started work, a lot of business was still going on, and Lu Jinghuai also needed to take some time to deal with it.
When Lin Yan pushed open the study door and came in, Lu Jinghuai also looked up, and when he saw that it was Lin Yan, his eyes softened.
"Is the matter settled?"
"Yeah." Lin Yan responded, walked over and sat in Lu Jinghuai's arms, burying her head in Lu Jinghuai's chest.
"Tell me, in this day and age, why is the preference for boys over girls still so serious?"
Lu Jinghuai rubbed her head and said, "We don't favor boys over girls in our family. I like my daughter too."
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