"Jiang Hua, do you know what shame is? You got expelled from your class, what else can you do?" Jiang's father's tone was harsh. She remembered that it was her father who caused the expulsion, yet now he acted as if Jiang Hua had done something wrong. Jiang Hua grew angrier the more she thought about it, but she couldn't vent her anger.
She could only smile and say, "There's a powerful figure secretly blocking my way. I doubt I'll avoid being fired." Her words carried a hint of sarcasm, which angered Jiang's father. He could tell from Jiang Hua's tone that she knew he was behind it all. So he couldn't lash out, fearing that Jiang Hua would reveal it in this setting and leave him no room to maneuver.
"That's just bad luck. Look at you, with the Gu family as your backer, you still got schemed against. What's wrong with your brain? Your mother and I aren't stupid, how come you're so stupid, and you're still trying to make excuses for me." Jiang's father spoke sternly, as if he really wasn't behind this. Jiang Hua looked at her father's expression, her fair hand clenching into a fist under the table.
She watched her father so easily mention her mother and wanted to ask him how he had the nerve to ask.
However, she still couldn't lash out. After all, this was her father, and in this place, she couldn't act like a spoiled princess. It was a matter of face, a matter of her own pride.
"What, you're not happy anymore? Am I wrong? You married into the Gu family, but they won't give us a single penny. And you've even been fired from your job. What good are you?" Jiang's father could see Jiang Hua's mood, but he inexplicably relaxed. What he said seemed to make sense, yet it was so infuriating.
Let alone Jiang Hua, the person involved, even a stranger passing by would be so angry upon hearing such words that they would want to punch him.
Jiang Hua couldn't hit him; he was her father, and no matter what, he had been kind to her.
Seeing Jiang Hua's discomfiture, he was about to speak again, his sharp tongue pressing her, but Jiang Hua stopped him. "Please, I'm the victim here, aren't I? You haven't forgotten, have you? Yet you act like I'm always wrong. I'm the victim, I'm the one who's been wronged the most." As she spoke, tears welled up in Jiang Hua's eyes. The gentle light from the lamplight made the tears reflect in her eyes, revealing the many grievances she held within them.
Her voice wasn't loud, but it swayed Jiang's father somewhat. Perhaps he had made a mistake too, but he was a father, so at this moment he didn't stand on fatherly love, but on fatherly dignity. So he spoke up, saying, "Yes, you feel wronged, but are you not strong? You have a valid reason to be fired? Why are you playing the victim here with me?"
Jiang Hua's eyes widened in disbelief. She hadn't expected her father to say such things to her. In that instant, she thought of her mother, the mother who could be both gentle and fierce. All the longing for her mother welled up in her eyes and tears streamed down her delicate skin, leaving two lines of marks.
"Dad, how can you do this to Mom? Mom has never targeted me like this before. It's one thing for Jiang Shiwan and her mother to target me, but... but even you are targeting me? I've suffered so much, and you only love your eldest daughter!" Jiang Hua couldn't stop her tears, her voice very soft, so soft that she wanted someone to hug her and comfort her. But when she mentioned her mother, Jiang's father, who had wanted to speak, couldn't say a word.
"Dad..." Her voice trembled, her lips quivered, as if her frozen heart, wanting to be at peace, could only tremble violently. "How can you do this to my mother? Tell me, how can you do this to her? She didn't do anything to wrong you, did she? Why did she have to die? Why couldn't I have experienced a few more years of maternal love? Dad... how can you do this to my deceased mother?" She repeated it three times, images of her mother replaying in her mind, those beautiful memories, along with so many other factors, forming transparent and beautiful flower buds, slowly falling onto the table, blooming into magnificent and colorful flowers.
Jiang's father was speechless. He knew he had wronged Jiang Hua's mother, and that he had spoken such words to her beloved daughter and done such a thing to her. He didn't know what to say, so he remained silent.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Jiang Hua smiled bitterly, the bitterness spreading from the corners of her mouth to her heart, piercing her wounded heart.
She stood up, wiped her tears with the back of her hand, and turned to leave without saying a word.
When he got home, Gu Yiming was watching TV. The curtains were drawn, just as he had left them. The light from the TV screen illuminated Gu Yiming's handsome face. He didn't seem to be really watching. Hearing the door open, he turned to the doorway, looked at Jiang Hua as she walked in, and said, "You're back."
Jiang Hua hummed in response, her voice slightly muffled.
Perhaps sensing that something was wrong with her, Gu Yiming put down the remote control, his handsome brows furrowed slightly, and he stood up, taking long strides. He put his long, strong arm around Jiang Hua's shoulder and said softly, "What's wrong?"
Jiang Hua looked up at him, a strange sense of grievance welling up inside her. Tears welled up visibly and eventually spilled out, leaving trails of tears.
"What's wrong?" Seeing that she didn't speak, Gu Yiming frowned again. His pleasant and magnetic voice gave her a strange sense of security, so she walked to the sofa and told him what had happened.
After listening, Gu Yiming's brows did not ease at all, just as Jiang Hua had expected. He tightened his arms around Jiang Hua, and the struggle and heartache in his voice were obvious.
"Your dad is really something, what he did was really outrageous. Didn't I give your family any financial assistance? Why are you bullying you like this?" What he said wasn't excessive, but Jiang Hua was actually a little angry when she heard Gu Yiming talk about her father. She stood up abruptly, her brows furrowed slightly.
"You're not allowed to talk about my dad. No matter what, he's still my dad, and he's also your dad." Gu Yiming didn't find it funny to see her so righteous. She had just been crying in grievance, but now she was protecting her father.
"But you just cried because of him, and he even made you quit your job and questioned you. I was so angry." He said softly, without letting Jiang Hua sit down. He thought this would calm her down, but she became even angrier.
"What do you know!" she suddenly exclaimed, her voice startling Gu Yiming. "This is my dad. He's bound to make mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes. Maybe he'll apologize to me later." With that, she turned and left, her retreating figure leaving Gu Yiming feeling somewhat helpless.
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