Chapter 43 Seeking a Place to Die She didn't want to die, at least not in such a pathetic way…
Ye Yuying dared not tell anyone in the Cheng family about being suspended from school, especially Cheng Mingdu.
Jiang Xinxue had just returned from her vacation with Cheng Jianian. Cheng Jianian was very caring towards her, knowing that she had left her hometown for him. He thought that with the warm weather of spring and summer, he could invite some friends over to his home, so that she could make some friends and have someone to talk to.
Jiang Xinxue subconsciously declined, saying it was too much trouble, but she only declined twice before agreeing the third time. The Cheng family became lively in those few days.
That evening, Ye Yuying was about to go downstairs to get a drink when she smelled a cigarette odor mixed with the mature, powdery scent of women's perfume as she walked down the corridor.
These olfactory signals are both familiar and unfamiliar.
Ye Yuying instantly focused her mind and stepped forward, her steps becoming more restrained, and within three steps, she concealed all her energy and spirit.
A pair of slender, white hands were painted with dark green nail polish, and a cigarette emitting smoke was tucked between her fingers, appearing elegant and harmonious against the backdrop of the courtyard and her Suzhou-embroidered cheongsam.
Jiang Xinxue had only been in the Cheng family for less than half a year, but she had already been taken very well. She wore light makeup, and the trepidation and humility she had shown in her affectionate eyes had long since disappeared.
"Yuying, how's school lately? Uncle Li called me before and said your grades were at the bottom."
This statement seemed like a show of concern, but when it was said to Jiang Xinxue, it was as bland as plain water.
Ye Yuying said softly, "Things have improved recently, we're not last anymore... There was some unrest at school before..."
She hesitated to speak, because she had already noticed that her mother's eyes showed more interest in the wooden carvings in the courtyard than in her own affairs.
Jiang Xinxue took a puff, then lost interest. She looked at the embers on the cigarette with a strange expression, and stubbed it out with some disgust. "Strange, it's been so long since I've smoked, it doesn't taste like anything. It's such a shame to finally have a chance to smoke one!"
When Ye Yuying heard the last two words, even though the other person kept mentioning cigarettes, she still instinctively felt a shiver run down her spine, and a feeling of discomfort, like being stained with ink that couldn't be wiped away, washed away.
She shut her mouth, deciding never to let the person in front of her know anything about her again.
Two seconds later, Jiang Xinxue cut to the chase: "Your Uncle Cheng is hosting a party for me at his house recently. Everyone coming is his friend, all respectable people. With so many people coming and going, it's inevitable that they'll bump into you at the house and ask you all sorts of questions..."
Ye Yuying's eyes turned cold. "I never use the main entrance."
Jiang Xinxue knew that this matter required the other party's cooperation. Despite the coldness in her tone, a smile appeared on her face, and her chocolate-colored lipstick curved her lips.
"Mom didn't mean anything by it. I just don't want people to bother you. People in those situations are all smiles, and you can't handle them..." Jiang Xinxue continued, "Just go to class as usual. After school, invite your classmates to go shopping together, stroll around for a while, and then come back."
As he spoke, he stuffed an embroidered coin pouch into her hand, which was filled with heavy banknotes.
Ye Yuying knew that in any TV drama, the tough protagonist would refuse sternly, but she accepted it with a cold expression.
It's bad enough that I've lost my mother's love and family affection, but I also can't get the money I need.
She needs these.
Without telling Jiang Xinxue that she had been suspended from school, she gripped her purse and said in a low voice, "I understand."
*
To avoid suspicion, even though she was suspended from school, Ye Yuying pretended to be nonchalant and got up on time every day, took a simple salted bread from the kitchen, and ate it in small bites as she walked to the bus stop.
If my estimate is correct, I should be able to finish eating just as I arrive at the bus stop.
I would catch a short, direct bus to school, find a seat at the very back, and doze off for half an hour while clutching my backpack.
As long as she wears the school uniform, she can still enter the campus. After all, there's no set formula for school closures, and the security guard only recognizes school uniforms.
She wandered to the stadium; with classes suspended, even the school team's training was halted.
Early in the morning, the stadium was deserted. The cleaning lady was sitting on the cleaning cart, cleaning the entire stadium. The sweeping and mopping machine left wet traces wherever it went, like a snail.
Ye Yuying sat on the steps outside the side door, in a blind spot where no one would notice her.
"Teacher Yang, I heard about what happened last time. It's really a pity. It would be such a shame if such a talented girl missed the selection opportunity because of something like this." A strange male voice rang out. From a distance, it was clear that he was also a physical education teacher, specializing in ball games.
“I’ve been retired for thirteen years and I’ve never seen a talent like this. Most of the kids on the school team these days got in through connections, and their training isn’t good. I really like that kid; he’s simple-minded and not easily distracted.” Teacher Yang’s voice rang out, followed by a sigh.
“I’ve been retired for so many years, and I’ve won all the honors I could when I was young. There are already few students willing to study track and field, let alone a very talented female student. I have a lot I want to teach her, so let’s see what the truth of the school’s investigation is.”
After Ye Yuying and the other two said goodbye, she slowly got up from the steps and came into Teacher Yang's sight.
"Teacher Yang, did I... not personally ruin the game?"
She originally had no concept of these opportunities and spent her days in a daze.
It wasn't until Teacher Yang spoke up that she realized what she might have missed.
“There is indeed a good opportunity recently, which I haven’t told you about yet. The Municipal Sports Bureau and the Provincial Sports Bureau have jointly launched a ‘Youth Track and Field Elite Training Program’ to select ten students from middle schools throughout the city to enter the reserve team of the Provincial Sports School. Once selected, their student status will be directly transferred to the Provincial Sports School, which will save them a lot of detours and may even give them the opportunity to be included in the national training team.”
Ye Yuying listened in silence.
For a child like her, from an ordinary background with no family connections, this may be her only chance to change her destiny.
Ye Yuying felt a mix of emotions. It was the first time she had gone off-campus during class time, wandering aimlessly through the deserted streets like a lost soul.
She was constantly pondering a question.
Was it really a coincidence? Or was Ge Jie far more cunning than she had imagined? This time, instead of subjecting her to physical suffering, directly depriving her of the opportunity for advancement was far more devastating than beating her.
Ye Yuying knew she had to seize this opportunity.
Ignoring her promise to Jiang Xinxue, she rushed back to the Cheng family home and went straight to Cheng Mingdu's residence, gently pressing the doorbell.
After pressing the buttons a few times with no response, an aunt passing by said that Cheng Mingdu was having tea in Xiyuan.
She rushed over, crossed most of the house, and finally found him in the pavilion.
The situation was urgent, so she went straight to the pavilion.
Ignoring Cheng Mingdu's surprised gaze, she spoke with a tone of grievance and anxiety, still somewhat awkwardly, "Brother, I'm in trouble this time..."
"Shouldn't you be at school at this time?" Cheng Mingdu asked, his expression hardening as he looked at her.
"In one day, I was falsely accused of cheating and extorting protection money, and now I'm suspended from school and under investigation..."
She was about to explain the whole story when she was interrupted by a sharp voice.
"What?!"
Jiang Xinxue's voice rang out from afar, and before Ye Yuying could turn around, she felt a chill run down her spine.
Then, terrifying footsteps approached from afar, reaching her in just a few steps.
"Ye Yuying! How could you do something so shameful!"
Before he could finish speaking, a slap landed on his face without warning.
Ye Yuying had already sensed it; she could have hidden, but she dared not.
She couldn't win against Jiang Xinxue, so she figured it was better to get a beating to settle things peacefully than to be dragged by the ear in the middle of the night and told, "Do you want to drive your mother to her death before you're satisfied?" "Your father and you are both here to collect debts from me." "Would you be satisfied if I jumped out of the window right now?"
These words are truly devastating, more humiliating and painful than a slap.
Ye Yuying closed her eyes tightly, waiting for the pain to hit her face, but time seemed to stand still.
When she opened her eyes, all she saw was a figure standing close by, completely obscuring Jiang Xinxue's terrifying face.
"Are you mistaken? This is not the place to lecture people indiscriminately."
Cheng Mingdu's voice wasn't loud, but it was like a blade slicing across the skin, carrying a chilling coldness.
Jiang Xinxue was stunned, her hand still hanging in mid-air. Her expression changed instantly, but she still managed to keep her tone steady and said, "I'm disciplining my daughter."
"Being a mother doesn't give you the right to hit her anytime. If life doesn't go your way, blame yourself more, and don't take out your anger on her in the name of education!"
Despite his youth and inexperience in front of Jiang Xinxue, his gradually rising aura did not diminish his presence, forcing her to retreat step by step.
He held Ye Yuying tightly, his gaze still calm but filled with a sense of oppression: "If she really did something wrong, the law will judge her. You slapped her without even asking a question, Ms. Jiang. This is not a mother's reaction; it's worse than a stranger's."
Just because my dad approves of you doesn't mean everyone else thinks so.
Jiang Xinxue's expression changed drastically.
The air suddenly felt heavy, as if it were weighed down by lead.
He paused, his gaze darkening: "I don't want to see this happen again here."
Jiang Xinxue opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a complete rebuttal. Instead, she put on a smiling face and swayed away as if nothing had happened.
Ye Yuying didn't say another word that day; she was surrounded by coldness, as if she had fallen into the twelfth lunar month.
She returned to her room, wrapped herself tightly in the blanket, and huddled in the safe shadows, the room dark.
For two consecutive days, she did not leave the attic, nor did she go out to eat in the middle of the night.
It is said that cats will secretly hide away when they are sick or dying, and some old dogs will also try to leave their owners alone before they die, to find a quiet place to end their lives.
She's probably close to being in a "dead dog looking for a place to die" state right now...
In the large house, Jiang Xinxue was chatting and laughing with the other ladies, her laughter swaying and her figure graceful, while everyone else was busy with their own work, going to and from get off work on time.
Only Cheng Mingdu, who seemed the most aloof and unapproachable, came to visit her.
She was so hungry that she felt weak all over and originally planned to just die to save herself the trouble, but then the events of the past few days came to mind.
She didn't want to die, at least not in such a pathetic way.
Struggling to get out of bed, she tried to find some room-temperature yogurt in the corner to fill her stomach, but she was completely exhausted and couldn't even stand up.
She rolled off the bed and struggled to crawl to the yogurt storage area. She drank half a cup while lying on the floor, then let go and looked at the ceiling. She had come back to life.
There was a knock on the door, but she could barely hear it until the sound grew louder and louder. Under the burning heat of her body, her mind and hearing had stopped.
Who's here...?
Cheng Mingdu was probably the most cold and unapproachable person in everyone's eyes...
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Author's Note: 50 red envelopes! [Cat emoji]
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