His parents were constantly cleaning up his messes, making him seem like a problem student at school.
Moreover, Song Jincheng was two years older than Song Mai, and they were not originally in the same grade, nor would they have taken the college entrance examination in the same year.
However, Song Jincheng started school a year late, and in addition, he broke his leg in a fight and was hospitalized before the college entrance examination the previous year. He refused to take the college entrance examination and even made a fuss about repeating his senior year of high school.
Mr. and Mrs. Song had high expectations for their son, hoping that he would make something of himself and bring honor to the Song family.
So they tried to persuade him to take the college entrance exam many times, but Song Jincheng was determined not to go. In fact, he would make a big fuss whenever his parents brought it up.
They said that with a broken leg, what's the point of taking the exam? You wouldn't do well anyway.
The elderly couple felt sorry for their son and thought he was upset because he was injured, so they agreed to let him continue his studies for another year. They went to the school and begged the head of the grade, and only after much pleading did the school agree to let him continue for another year.
Moreover, the Song family spent 50,000 yuan to pull strings for this.
Song Jincheng, who had to repeat a year of high school, did not become more restrained; instead, he became even more unscrupulous.
Despite being a senior in high school, he spends his days either fighting or skipping class to go online.
Unlike Song Mai, who was at the top of his class, his grades were always at the bottom.
Whenever Song Mai did well on a test while he did terribly, the school teachers would inevitably compare the siblings.
Every time the teacher earnestly advised him to learn from his younger sister, he would agree on the surface, but in reality, he would lash out at Song Mai in private, even making sarcastic remarks about Song Mai being scheming.
Song Mai didn't want to talk to him and didn't take his words to heart.
She just couldn't understand why the whole family's love was given to him. He ate well, dressed well, and his parents always gave him money without hesitation whenever he asked. Moreover, every time he asked for money, his parents would give him more than he asked for.
Even so, he still refused to study properly.
The Song family was just an ordinary working-class family. Song's father was an accountant who worked in a large machinery manufacturing plant, while Song's mother was just a textile worker.
Although his family wasn't well-off, his parents never mistreated him and always gave him the best, yet he was still not satisfied.
Song Mai worked all summer without taking a single day off.
Moreover, the nearby electronics factories pay by piecework; the more you produce, the more you earn, and the less you produce, the less you earn.
To earn more money, Song Mai worked almost all day, and even worked overtime until midnight after dinner. Even the factory owner couldn't stand it and repeatedly advised her to take a break and not work so hard, since money can't be earned forever.
Song Mai just smiled, but still didn't take a break.
After a long summer vacation, she finally earned eight thousand yuan, which was enough to cover her tuition.
However, Song's mother and father asked her for the wages she earned from her hard work. Song Mai refused and told them that it was her tuition fee that she earned herself.
Song's mother flew into a rage. When she couldn't get the money, she kicked her out, telling her never to set foot in the house again.
Later, after enrolling in school, she learned that she could apply for student loans, which eased the burden of tuition fees somewhat. However, in addition to attending classes, she was still busy with part-time jobs, working several jobs at the same time to earn her living expenses.
During this period, she did not neglect her studies; she lived life to the fullest almost every day during her four years of university.
She rarely goes home; she's practically never been back.
Firstly, it would save on travel expenses; secondly, the wages for part-time jobs near the school are higher, and there are more opportunities for part-time work; and thirdly, she genuinely didn't want to go back.
Going back to that home would be worse than not going back at all. Since no one treats her as family, how can it be considered her home?
It was as if Song Mai had experienced all of this all over again; all the hardships and pain were replayed, causing her unbearable suffering.
She felt incredibly heavy and her mind was foggy. She had the feeling that she had endured for over twenty years and finally reached this day when she could rightfully leave this world.
"So be it. What's so good about this world? Nobody cares anyway. Continuing to live will only bring suffering. I was born an unwanted one anyway. Now that I'm asleep, there's no pain at all. Isn't it better to leave quietly?"
A voice in her heart was urging her on, and as that voice rose, Song Mai's consciousness grew weaker and weaker.
Chu Xing spoke with her for a while, but Song Mai still didn't respond.
"Mr. Chu, it's time for your visit."
The nurse's voice rang out, and the man slowly stood up.
I'll come see you again tomorrow.
Jiang Jibai was waiting for him at the door: "How did it go?"
The man shook his head.
Jiang Jibai sighed silently and reached out to pat him on the shoulder.
"I'll think of something else; she'll definitely wake up."
Chu Xing returned to his ward, and after several days of not eating or drinking, he had lost weight.
He took out the phone he had bought for Song Mai. It had been shut down after several days without being charged. He found the charger and plugged it in. As soon as the phone was turned on, a flood of missed calls popped up.
Some were from Song's mother, some from Song Mai's sister-in-law, but most were from Lin Ran.
He opened WeChat and saw that Lin Ran had made many WeChat calls to Tian, with over 99 messages.
Chu Xing casually tapped on a voice message, and Lin Ran's extremely anxious voice immediately came through the phone.
"Maizi, I can't get in touch with you. Your phone is off and you're not replying to messages. I saw on the news that there was a shooting in Zicheng. How are you? Call me back as soon as you see this. I'm really worried sick."
Chu Xing had just typed out a line to explain the situation to her and asked her to ask for leave for Song Mai when Lin Ran called.
He pressed the answer button, and Lin Ran's rapid-fire voice came out all at once.
"Oh my god, you finally answered the phone! You have no idea how worried I was! Where have you been? Did something happen to you, or did you have a fight with your husband? Why was your phone off for so many days? You have no idea how scared I was when I saw on the news that the person who was shot in the shooting incident also had the surname Song..."
Lin Ran only felt a little relieved after the call went through.
She and Song Mai were both good friends and colleagues, and she knew Song Mai's family situation and circumstances very well.
That's why she knew that if something happened to Song Mai, Song Mai's family wouldn't care about her, let alone look for her. That's why she was even more anxious, since apart from her and Song Mai's husband, there was no one else in the world who cared about Song Mai.
She wanted to call Chu Xing to ask about the situation, but she discovered that she didn't have his contact information at all.
The man listened to Lin Ran talk for a long time, seeing no sign of stopping, before finally interrupting her:
"I am Chu Xing."
Lin Ran's voice stopped abruptly, and her tone became somewhat somber.
"Why are you answering the phone? Where's Song Mai?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
