0066 Past Events
"Jifan, do you have some kind of grudge against her?" When they returned to their room that night, Tantai Qing finally found an opportunity to ask her.
Jiang Jifan went to find clothes to prepare for a shower. Upon hearing this, he nodded and said without turning his head, "Yes, she always bullied me when we were little."
After saying that, he turned to look at him and added, "I'm the kind of person who holds grudges."
Although their mothers were sisters, their life trajectories were completely different, almost like night and day.
Jiang Jifan's mother, Yao Man, was the eldest sister in the family, but she was not favored because of her weak personality. Her younger sister, Yao Sheng, had the opposite personality. She was flamboyant and bold, with outstanding looks and excellent grades. She fell in love at first sight with the son of an official who was living in seclusion in the countryside at the time, who was also You Xiru's father. From then on, she embarked on a path that was completely different from her elder sister's.
Jiang Jifan still remembers the first time she met her unknown aunt. The aunt got out of a luxury car that she had never seen before, and her jeweled appearance, as well as the little girl standing next to her with a look of disgust and disdain.
The more glamorous they looked, the more it highlighted the poverty and destitution of Jiang Jifan's family.
You Xiru has an older brother. Back then, the one-child policy was strictly enforced, and her father was an official, so she was sent to study in the countryside when she was young, and only brought home during winter and summer vacations.
At that time, You Xiru was very famous at school because of her good family background and her pretty appearance. Everyone treated her like a star.
Don't be fooled by You Xiru's good disguise now. She was very arrogant when she was young and never looked down on her cousin who was born in the countryside. Other people who were close to her knew that she didn't like Jiang Jifan, so they always deliberately made things difficult for her at school.
It was only then that Jiang Jifan realized that "bullying" could be achieved simply by speaking.
As a high-ranking young lady, You Xiru often doesn't need to do anything herself, because she has a large group of followers behind her. It is their mission to help the wicked. As long as she says a word, countless people will flock to her to do evil.
For Jiang Jifan in elementary school, having ink smeared on his desk, scratched his clothes, cut his hair, or even being doused with water in the toilet were all very common occurrences.
However, the word "submit" never existed in Jiang Jifan's dictionary.
They cut off a bit of her hair, so she cut off all their hair in return. The ants became even more dissatisfied with her resistance. During one of their bullying sessions, one of the girls who was particularly close to You Xiru forcibly snatched the necklace Yao Man had given her from her neck and smashed it. In the end, Jiang Jifan pinned her to the ground and stabbed a hole in her face with a pen.
That incident caused a huge uproar; the other party's parents kept coming to their door demanding an explanation and refused to let it go.
Tantai Qing had already imagined in her mind the girl from back then, who was covered in thorns and bravely resisted like a little leopard.
He suddenly laughed out loud, pulled her onto his lap, and praised her, "Jifan, you did a great job."
Jiang Jifan hadn't expected him to agree with her, and was even prepared to be criticized, but seeing his unconditional approval warmed her heart. She hugged his neck and asked, "I'm so cruel, shouldn't you scold me?"
To him, those who bullied her were cruel.
"You know I would never speak ill of you." Tantai Qing looked up at her, her expression gentle, a faint smile on her lips. "You must have your own reasons for doing this, and they went so far as to go too far. You were just acting in self-defense. Compared to what they did to you, what is that?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Jifan suddenly burst into laughter, leaned down and affectionately rubbed his nose against his, teasingly asking, "If I commit a crime, and you were the judge, would you acquit me in court?"
"I don't think so?" Tantai Qing hesitated.
See, even he himself can't convince himself.
Jiang Jifan laughed at his lack of resolve and said confidently, "You definitely will."
Tantai Qingsui readily admitted, laughing and saying, "Yes, I think so too."
If he were truly a judge, he would certainly not be able to bear it.
"And then?" he asked again.
What happened next? Her mother was a rather gentle person, but her brother was not. When he found out about this, he immediately had all the girls who had bullied her beaten up and threatened that if those parents came to his house to cause trouble again, he would beat them every time he saw their children.
At that time, her brother was a notorious school bully with a bunch of fearless cronies behind him. They knew they were protected by the Juvenile Law, so they were fearless and extremely arrogant.
The women were terrified of him. The parents felt sorry for their children but were helpless against him, so they gave up the idea of going to their house to cause trouble.
Tantai Qing knew she had an older brother, but this was the first time she had heard her mention it.
"Your brother..."
“My brother is a scoundrel,” Jiang Jifan said bluntly.
Only thugs would use such a simple and brutal method.
“Actually, he wasn’t like this before.” She recalled her older brother, who had been a better student than her when they were young, and felt a palpable sense of regret.
Jiang Jifan chuckled and shook his head. "Later, I don't know how it turned out that way."
However, this has its advantages; at least now no one dares to bully them.
Tantai Qing seemed to have never heard her mention her father before, and with a mix of trepidation and curiosity, he asked, "And what about your father?"
Upon hearing the word "father," Jiang Jifan's face immediately darkened, and his tone became somewhat harsh. He turned his head away and stiffly said, "I don't have a father."
Tantai Qing knew she had said the wrong thing. Although she guessed that the truth might not be entirely consistent with what she said, she didn't dare to ask any more questions. She kissed her cheek and said softly, "Let's not talk about these unhappy things anymore. Go take a shower. Do you want me to come with you?"
Jiang Jifan naturally said no, but in the end, he reluctantly agreed to take a bath together.
Author's note: Happy Valentine's Day.
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