The conversation ended unhappily.
Compared to Shi Hai's exasperation, Shi Jing was much calmer. When she didn't care about someone, no matter what attitude the other person had, it couldn't hurt her.
After Shi Hai came Ms. Yan; this former couple often seemed to be in sync in this respect. However, compared to Shi Hai's visits, Ms. Yan was much more perfunctory. Presumably busy preparing for the New Year with her current husband's family, Ms. Yan only made a phone call to inquire.
Shi Jing was even less inclined to engage with this. Since Shi Jing moved out after Ms. Yan got married, their contact had decreased significantly. What frustrated Shi Jing even more was the living expenses. When she left, she had told Ms. Yan that she would give her living expenses as she saw fit. At first, she would at least give a few thousand yuan each month, then it became a few hundred or a thousand yuan intermittently, and now it was almost nonexistent.
Shi Jing wasn't short of money, but she was still quite annoyed by the other party's indifference.
It was precisely because of all this accumulation that Shi Jing did not want to have any contact with these parents beyond saving face, let alone be honest with them about her experiences and current situation.
Shi Jing gave a few perfunctory replies over the phone.
However, Ms. Yan clearly did not reach a consensus with Shi Jing on this point. On the surface, she was concerned about Shi Jing's current life, but in fact, she was more focused on Shi Jing's path to wealth.
Hearing Ms. Yan's seemingly concerned but actually inquiring questions, Shi Jing showed no mercy. She also realized that being too subtle with this former couple would only make them pretend they didn't understand.
"Mom, you haven't given me any living expenses for a long time, have you?"
Ms. Yan hesitated for a moment before stammering, "Didn't you say it was up to you...? Could your dad really treat you badly..."
Shi Jing scoffed, "Mom, are you really unaware or just pretending? After my father and I had a falling out earlier this year, he cut off my allowance."
"How could your dad do this? He's such a scoundrel..."
"You don't need to say that. To me, there's no difference between what you two did."
Ms. Yan quickly softened her voice: "Xiao Jing, please understand your mother. I'm already married, and life isn't easy for me these days..."
Shi Jing laughed when she heard this. If Ms. Yan had it tough, then she herself would have it tough.
She was lucky to have received help from the God of Wealth after transmigrating. What if she had been less lucky and hadn't received the God of Wealth system, or what if she had faced all of this as the original owner of the body? Should she, a student with no income and not yet an adult, be expected to understand and forgive?
Sometimes when I think about it, I really feel sorry for myself and the original owner of this body.
"Yes, you remarried, and you want to maintain your current marriage. I understand, so I sensibly withdrew from your home and stopped being a burden to you. Isn't that enough?"
"Xiaojing, that's not what Mom meant..."
Shi Jing sighed: "You should live your life well and take good care of yourself. As for Shi Hai, if he mentions me again, you don't need to worry about it. I will handle my own affairs, so you don't need to worry about me."
"Xiao Jing, you're still a child, don't let anyone fool you..."
Shi Jing interrupted her directly: "Mom, I'm almost an adult now. I live alone. I know what I should and shouldn't do."
"You've raised me for so many years, you all know what my personality is like. I've never changed, it's just that you haven't paid attention," Shi Jing said coldly.
"Now that everyone has their own new lives, it's better not to bother each other anymore. Mom, don't you agree?"
Just like before, there might be an occasional text message or phone call, but who cares how Shi Jing is actually doing?
Whether it was because Shi Jing was too direct today, or because Ms. Yan still felt a lingering sense of guilt for neglecting her daughter, the phone call between Ms. Yan and Shi Jing ultimately ended without resolution, and her contact with Shi Jing subsequently decreased.
Shi Jing didn't care about these parents at all, and it would be best if they could completely cut off contact with each other in the future. When they reached old age, she would at most fulfill her duty to care for the original owner in their old age, which would be more than enough. Nothing more was necessary.
Another year spent alone.
Before the New Year, Qi Shuang and Qi Yan both sent her festive food. The hotel room had a refrigerator, so the food could last for a few days. She also bought some snacks and dried goods for herself. She certainly wouldn't neglect herself.
Taking advantage of the free time, she contacted her friends one by one.
Rong Yu's plans are progressing very smoothly. He has already secured an internship agreement with the research institute, and the supervisor he'll be working with is his current mentor. He's currently busy with the project and even missed the Chinese New Year, not to mention his previous financial contract with his company.
Upon hearing this, Shi Jing immediately replied, "How can we delay this matter? We don't want anything to go wrong. How about this, after the New Year, I'll find someone to help us resolve this issue first."
Rong Yu chuckled: "I'll have time once this project is finished."
"The sooner the better, listen to me." Shi Jing still felt it was better to resolve this matter sooner rather than later. Although Rong Yu had already obtained the research institute's contract, what if his shady company caused some trouble?
Under her insistence, Rongyu eventually compromised.
Rongyu was busy with a project, and the call was only made in a spare moment before she hung up and went back to work.
Besides Rong Yu, Shi Jing also contacted Fang Ning. Fang Ning had previously participated in the national training team and achieved excellent results, even traveling abroad with the team to participate in competitions. Furthermore, he had been admitted to Beijing University ahead of schedule and would become a freshman at Beijing University next September.
When Shi Jing called, Fang Ning was at the welfare home, where the small classroom continued to operate, supervising and guiding the children's learning.
"Hey, Shi-Shi Jing."
"Fang Ning, how have you been lately? Did you receive the gift I sent?"
As the Lunar New Year approached, Shi Jing specially bought some gifts for the children at the welfare home. The boys received basketballs and sandboxes, while the girls received dolls and puzzles. In addition, he also bought a bicycle for Liangliang.
"Yes, we received it. The children really, really like it."
"That's good."
The two chatted for a while, and Shi Jing inquired about the situation at the orphanage. Knowing that everyone was doing well, he felt relieved.
During the Spring Festival, Shi Jing also took some time to watch a few episodes of the workplace drama that Zhang Ningyuan had mentioned. This drama lived up to the platform's high expectations; the plot was tight, the logic was relatively smooth, and it maintained high popularity on the platform.
However, perhaps because Shi Jing has focused all her attention on her studies in recent years, she doesn't have much motivation to watch dramas.
Nowadays, online dramas often air for four days and then take a three-day break, or five days and then take a two-day break. Shi Jing only watched the first few episodes before putting it down.
She felt guilty for spending too much time watching TV; reading books was much more practical.
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