past
She didn't hate Jiang Chunmei, but this guy seemed to be brooding over it all the time, as if she would feel better only if she hated her.
It was caused by a school bullying incident that started in junior high school.
It was snowing heavily that day, so the students went home early. Zhou Qianling was late for duty, so the sky was already dark when he left the school gate.
She was walking through an alley with her schoolbag on her back and heard someone talking inside.
"I have given you all my living expenses for this month."
The girl had pigtails and was leaning against the wall, wringing her hands timidly.
Across from her were several sturdy boys wearing the same school uniform. The tallest one among them searched her bag, but after failing to find anything worthwhile, he threw it away, slapped the girl, and grabbed her collar, saying, "We let you go yesterday, and you still didn't bring any money today. Have we spoiled you too much, you bumpkin?"
Seeing them pulling the girl's hair and trying to hit her, Zhou Qianling stopped them without a second thought: "What are you doing? If you don't let go, I'll tell the teacher."
"Can't you see? He's collecting protection money. Get away from me."
The leader glanced at Zhou Qianling. He was dressed neatly and elegantly. People like him were loved by their parents and they generally didn't mess with him easily.
"It's illegal to collect protection money." Zhou Qianling went in and grabbed the girl's wrist, but the leader grabbed Jiang Chunmei's other hand. He threatened, "I'm warning you, you'd better get out of here right now, or I, xxx, will beat you up no matter who you are."
They looked ferocious, and Zhou Qianling was afraid, but she never thought of abandoning the girl and leaving.
If she leaves, the girls will be very scared.
So she pretended to be calm, took out her flip phone and said, "You should let her go immediately, or I will call my mom, no, I will call the police."
This sentence was like a fuse, instantly igniting the leader of the gang. He snatched Zhou Qianling's cell phone and smashed it against the wall, "It's so great to have a mother! You're the only one who has a mother, right!" After saying that, he grabbed Zhou Qianling's hair and slammed him against the wall.
Before Zhou Qianling felt any pain, the blood from his forehead flowed down his nose into his mouth, tasting like rust.
She had lived in a greenhouse since she was a child and had never experienced such a thing. She was so scared that her whole body went limp and she dared not move.
The thug didn't let her go. He kicked her to the ground, grabbed her hair, and turned her face towards Jiang Chunmei, snorting and laughing: "You're trying to be a hero, huh?"
He yelled at Jiang Chunmei, "Hey, country bumpkin, kick her once and I'll let you go and never ask you for protection money again."
Hearing this, Zhou Qianling widened his eyes and stared at Jiang Chunmei.
No, don't leave yourself alone.
Only a strip of sky remained in the alley, like a crack, and heavy snow drifted in, covering Zhou Qianling's eyelashes.
It was dark for a long time, and Jiang Chunmei called the security guard.
That was a scene that made Jiang Chunmei feel guilty for the rest of her life.
Zhou Qianling's body was covered with a layer of snow, and his exposed school uniform was covered with black stains of mud. His lips were black purple, and his eyes were open without blinking.
She even thought she was dead.
She sat by Zhou Qianling's bedside all night until the next morning when Zhou Fang and her husband hurried over from other provinces and sent her to bed.
She didn't know the extent of Zhou Qianling's injury, only that she had taken a month-long leave. During that month, she saw Zhou Fang come to the school several times to negotiate, and eventually, several bullies were expelled.
She also ended her two-year life of bullying.
When Zhou Qianling returned to school, everyone said she had changed. She still loved to laugh, but she had become much quieter.
It was also at that time that Jiang Chunmei cut off her long hair and began to force herself to become cheerful and brave.
She wants to protect Zhou Qianling.
However, she is still cowardly and useless.
She still failed to protect her, whether it was when others thought she liked her or in high school...
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
Jiang Chunmei's face flushed red, veins bulged on her forehead, her eyeballs were bloodshot, and her hands grabbed the tight belt around her neck out of her survival instinct. Her arteries swelled and beat, extending all the way to below her ears.
As her pupils began to dilate, the belt suddenly loosened, and Jiang Chunmei fell straight onto the bed, gasping for breath with her mouth open.
But her consciousness was still immersed in memories, and she curled up with her hands on her head.
"Qianling, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
At the end of the bed, Wang Xiaoli lit a lighter and sparks flew from the cigarette butt.
Instead of inhaling, she turned sideways and calmly shook the ash onto her shrunken body.
Jiang Chunmei's muscles trembled, but she did not dodge, but just curled herself up tighter.
Wang Xiaoli's eyes flashed with ruthlessness. She grabbed her shoulders and pulled her flat. Without saying anything, she leaned over and bit her lips, forcing her teeth...
——
Wu Meilai did not go home, but got off the bus at the beach.
The beach was cordoned off, so Wu Meilai walked a few dozen meters to the right before stopping and leaning against the railing to enjoy the sea breeze.
The sunset today is very beautiful, and it makes the sea surface look golden.
Ever since she came to Yanzhou, she would come to see the sea whenever she had some free time. The more she looked at the vast ocean, the more she felt that her own trivial matters were insignificant.
you do not say.
Wu Meilai let out a long sigh.
I came to Yanzhou just to try my best. Even if I fail to get what I want, at least I have tried, so I won’t regret it for the rest of my life.
The phone vibrated. Wu Mei took a look and answered the call without any expression.
"Little one, are you doing well over there?"
"fine."
She heard Wu Ergou whispering to Liu Guiyan about asking about her income, and she was already annoyed. Then she heard Liu Guiyan say, "The youngest son of the Li family asked about you again today. Please go through his friends."
Wu Meilai's heart, which had just calmed down, felt heavy with anxiety again. She left a message saying she was busy with business and hung up.
She looked at the remaining half of the sun. Yes, there was another reason for leaving Qianzhou.
There was a man named Li from the next village who fell in love with her for some reason and asked someone to come and propose marriage to her.
He was a good-looking, honest farmer who had graduated from high school, was well-mannered, and came from a wealthy family.
Liu Guiyan had a very good impression of him and was more eager to get married.
Sighing, Wu Mei opened [New Friends] and found that there was indeed a friend verification message. After Wu Mei politely declined the message, she blocked the account to avoid trouble.
Feeling relieved.
It’s good to be away from home. Things that I used to be worried about or had to face, I can just block them out. Out of sight, out of mind.
She put away her phone and returned. There were fewer people outside the cordon, and waves of water were lapping against the beach. Wu Meilai saw a red spot in the distance being slowly pushed to her feet by the waves. She bent down to pick it up, and it was a petal of Euphorbia milii.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
