11: He experienced the hardships of traditional Chinese education that he never had as a child.
At that time, Shang Zhi's parents were focused on their work and had no time to care about her. They didn't even notice that her studies were failing. To be honest, they didn't really care about these things. They only had one precious daughter, and they just wanted her to be happy.
He would notice, he would pinpoint her location every time she skipped class, he would know where she went after school and then go to catch her, and he would force her to explain how she got her bottom-ranked report card.
"What does it matter? It's just that I did poorly on the test. So what if I don't like studying? There are people in this world who love studying and people who don't, right?"
"What can I do if I can't learn it?"
"Don't worry about it, I have my own rhythm."
He initially intended to talk to her properly, but she seemed unmoved and indifferent, so he knew he couldn't reason with her.
Then, in that instant, an idea popped into my head and I put it into action.
He pressed her down on the desk and slapped her repeatedly. At that moment, Shang Zhi couldn't understand how a human hand could be so hard, like a merciless iron hand.
It ended with her trembling cries, but she was finally able to calm down and listen to him speak.
Even though Shang Zhi was dissatisfied at the time, seeing her increasingly outstanding report card and the surprise of her teacher who had taught her for several years, she tacitly approved of his method.
She also has a bit of vanity, and longs to be noticed and enjoy the cheers of others through her own efforts.
Besides, even if she disagreed, he wouldn't listen. Since the two of them got together, his desire to control had gradually emerged. Shang Zhi felt that he wished he could keep her in his palm forever.
But four years later, Shang Zhi finally understood his intentions.
Indeed, there are many things in this world that are ultimately unreliable, and in the end, she still has to rely on her own strength to stand up.
The floodwaters outside hadn't receded for days. While comforting the guests with Xu Shuo, Pei Yanxiu also took the time to explain some hotel management matters to Shang Zhi. Pei Yanxiu's mind was exceptionally clear; even when Shang Zhi couldn't quite grasp something, he could instantly understand her meaning.
Once the floodwaters receded and he had almost finished dealing with things here, the two set off to return to Hong Kong.
Shang Zhi secretly rejoiced that he seemed to have completely forgotten about what happened last time, but on the plane he suddenly said in a deep voice in her ear: "Get ready, we're going home to pay off our debts."
Shang Zhi felt that he did it on purpose, or that he had some kind of perverse sense of humor, and that he had to do this when she was in a good mood. Today's first-class meal was her favorite Wagyu beef sukiyaki, but at this moment her mood had changed from carefree enjoyment of the food to nervously savoring it.
Although he ultimately ate every single bite, he was quite resentful.
Meanwhile, the culprit sat there leisurely, drinking tea and watching stocks, as if nothing had happened.
She couldn't just sit and wait to die; she had to do something. After thinking for a moment, she sent a message to Lu Xingqi.
A friend of mine asked me a question. She made a, well, somewhat serious mistake and is about to be punished. She asked if there was any way to help her escape punishment.
Xingxing: [What are you doing? Is President Pei going to lecture you? Well, consider it a loving lesson, what else can you do but endure it?]
Lu Xingqi guessed who Shang Zhi's friend was in 0.1 seconds and sent a few cheeky smiling emojis.
"It wasn't me, it really wasn't me, it was a friend of mine." Shang Zhi's face flushed red and then turned pale.
Oh, then tell "that friend," enjoy it, and live in the moment.
"I shouldn't have asked you," Shang Zhi sighed softly, speechless.
"What's wrong?" Pei Yanxiu heard the commotion on her side and turned over. Shang Zhi quickly put her phone down.
As everyone knows, chat logs with your best friend are like website browsing history—they're not meant to be seen by anyone else, not even a ghost story, and they're something you have to burn with your loved ones when you die.
"It's nothing, I'm reflecting on what happened last time." Shang Zhi looked at him pitifully, trying to gain his sympathy with a good attitude so that he would let her off the hook.
However, this trick didn't work on this clueless man.
"Then you should reflect on your actions and write a self-criticism when you get home."
What's the point of writing a self-criticism? This old woman has really gone mad. She's suffering the kind of hardship she didn't experience with traditional Chinese education when she was young, now she's suffering the same kind of hardship he did.
"oh."
When they got home, he took her hand and prepared to go back to the room. In a moment of desperation, Shang Zhi came up with a plan and shouted at him, "I'm on my period."
"Girls are very vulnerable during their periods, so you have to be gentle with me."
"You can't punish them or scold them, otherwise the consequences will be very serious!"
"Is that so?" Pei Yanxiu looked at her and sneered.
"When I was packing my luggage, I saw that not a single pack of your sanitary napkins had been opened. You took them back the same way you took them with you."
"You little liar, you need to be taught a lesson." Shang Zhi felt a wave of dizziness; how did this old man know everything?
"Next time you lie, remember to make your act more convincing." He took out a ruler from the cabinet. Shang Zhi was very familiar with it; she had had close contact with it many times four years ago. When the half-meter-long ruler gently pressed against her, a part of her memories were awakened.
"Don't use this, let's talk this out." After struggling for a while, she finally managed to break free from his embrace. He glanced at her sideways, and the atmosphere in the room instantly plummeted to freezing point.
“That day, I didn’t mean to hide it from you. Yu Qing said he was leaving, and I was just thinking of seeing him off. I didn’t have time to tell you.”
"Besides, you're in a meeting, and I don't want to disturb you."
"You just want to sneak out while I'm in a meeting so no one will know, right?" Shang Zhi blushed as her little scheme was exposed.
"No, it just so happens that he contacted me that day." Denying it was her usual tactic, a skill she had perfected over the years. He wouldn't let her off the hook anyway, so confessing would only lead to harsher punishment, while resisting would only bring more trouble. Denying it might offer a glimmer of hope.
"Have I told you countless times not to go out when the weather is bad? You never listen to me, do you?"
"I didn't expect it to rain so hard. If I had known, I definitely wouldn't have gone."
"Uncle Pei, do you know why you're unhappy? You're too smart, and smart people can't find happiness."
As soon as Shang Zhi finished speaking, she received a close strike from the ruler, just as expected.
Shang Zhi turned and ran, but the door was already locked. She turned around and threw herself onto the bed, burying herself in the soft quilt.
That old man went too far. A few slaps would have been enough, but he went for the real thing!
The room was a bit stuffy. He reached out and loosened his tie, then bent down, precisely grabbed her ankle, and pulled her out of bed.
"You can't do this!" Her soft cry as she was pulled out, along with the scent of her orange perfume, sent shivers down his spine.
"Can't I do anything?" He took a step forward and knelt on the bed, getting even closer to her.
"You should reason with me first; reasoning is more effective."
"speak?"
"Yes, speak!"
“I tell you, but you don’t listen; I listen, but you don’t understand; I understand, but you don’t do it; you do it, but you do it wrong; you do it wrong, but you don’t admit it; you admit it, but you don’t change it; you change it, but you don’t accept it.”
"Then what do you want?"
They were arguing peacefully when President Pei suddenly performed a rap for her using movie lines.
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