Zhou Sui never expected to run into Zhang Xiaoqing again the next day.
She was wearing tattered clothes and carrying a sickle; she was probably going to work in the fields.
Zhou Sui didn't see her face yesterday, but when they met today, she noticed a very obvious handprint on Zhang Xiaoqing's face. She only glanced at Zhang Xiaoqing before looking away.
"Zhou Sui." Zhang Xiaoqing stopped and looked at her timidly.
Zhou Sui remained silent with a cold expression, so Zhang Xiaoqing continued, "I... I heard from Granny Wang that Wang Laizi was also on that hillside."
Zhang Xiaoqing brought up the topic herself, and Zhou Sui looked at her with great interest, wanting to hear what she had to say.
"You, you that day~"
After hesitating for a moment, Zhang Xiaoqing asked, "You weren't bullied, were you?"
The news of Granny Wang's disturbance at the Zhou family's house spread quickly, with various versions of the story circulating. Zhang Xiaoqing couldn't tell which version was true, so she didn't know what Zhou Sui had actually experienced that day.
Zhou Sui's eyelashes fluttered slightly, and she asked in return, "What about you? Were you bullied?"
Zhang Xiaoqing's face changed instantly, and she looked at Zhou Sui with shock and fear. "You, what did you say? How could I be bullied?"
"I never met Wang Laizi!"
She seemed to be deliberately emphasizing something in that last sentence, or perhaps giving herself a confident answer.
But sometimes, the more you try to hide something, the easier it is to expose it.
Hearing her tone, Zhou Sui guessed that Zhang Xiaoqing had been bullied to some extent, but Zhou Sui couldn't feel any sympathy for her.
"Then how can you be sure that Wang Laizi is on the hillside?"
"And why are you asking me if I've been bullied?"
Zhou Sui took a step closer to her, "What kind of answer do you want to hear from me?"
"You're relieved that you weren't bullied, and you don't feel guilty about it anymore?"
"You got bullied, so what? Apologizing, feeling guilty, what good are those?"
With each sentence Zhou Sui spoke, Zhang Xiaoqing's expression grew increasingly grim, for every word Zhou Sui uttered was like a knife to the heart.
She bit her lower lip tightly, her eyes instantly reddening. After a while, Zhang Xiaoqing finally spoke in a stammering voice.
"Zhou Sui, I'm sorry, I... I was bewitched."
"I didn't mean to hurt you, I~"
Before she could finish explaining, Zhou Sui interrupted her, "Zhang Xiaoqing, saying sorry is useless. You know better than I do whether it was intentional or unintentional."
"You don't need to ask me about Wang Laizi anymore. I've already said that I've never met him."
Zhang Xiaoqing stared blankly at Zhou Sui, who remained composed. "How could that be? Clearly..."
He was clearly on the mountain.
"Nothing is impossible." Since she was convinced that she hadn't met Wang Laizi, that belief would never change.
Zhang Xiaoqing opened her mouth but still didn't say anything in rebuttal.
Zhou Sui still had work to do and was about to leave when Zhang Xiaoqing suddenly asked her a question, "Zhou Sui, do you think I'm a very bad person?"
"We have no grudges against each other, so why did you do such a thing?"
"Do you think I have malicious intentions?" Zhang Xiaoqing asked, staring intently at Zhou Sui.
The slap mark on her face was already obvious, and with her red eyes, she looked somewhat dazed.
“You don’t understand, Zhou Sui, you don’t understand, how could you possibly understand?” Zhang Xiaoqing said, then suddenly laughed, but it looked even worse than crying.
"Whether I understand or not, it can't cover up what you've done," Zhou Sui said coldly.
I apologize to you!
"I just misunderstood for a moment, I didn't really mean any harm," Zhang Xiaoqing weakly defended herself.
Zhou Sui looked at her sarcastically, "Just because you apologized, does that mean I have to forgive you?"
"That doesn't make sense."
“Zhang Xiaoqing, let me tell you, no matter what your reasons are, you have done something wrong.”
"You're still trying to make yourself feel better by forgiving me? Let me tell you, it's impossible."
Zhou Sui wasn't a kind person, and she couldn't treat Zhang Xiaoqing the way she treated her. But if Zhang Xiaoqing had any conscience at all, this hurdle would always be in her heart, constantly reminding her of it.
After saying that, Zhou Sui left without looking back. They didn't have much interaction to begin with, and Zhou Sui couldn't say she was disappointed in Zhang Xiaoqing, but this incident made her more wary of people.
Zhang Xiaoqing pressed her tongue firmly against her lower jaw, her throat bobbed, and she forcefully swallowed back the tears that were about to well up.
She looked at Zhou Sui's back, which seemed unfamiliar, confident, and high-spirited—something she had always envied.
Both being girls, compared to Zhou Sui, I felt like mud on the ground, while Zhou Sui was like a cloud in the sky.
Although they were both shy and introverted at school, the people in their class always remembered Zhou Sui and would invite her to join them for everything.
She was truly invisible; no one would remember her existence. It was only because Zhou Sui was beautiful that she was remembered, even though her grades were far superior to Zhou Sui's.
Zhou Sui was an adopted child of the Zhou family, but she lived a life no worse than that of biological children. She was loved by her father and mother, and had a harmonious relationship with her siblings.
Looking at herself, what does it matter if she's Zhang's biological daughter? She's not even as good as Zhou Sui, who was adopted. Her only purpose in being her adopted daughter is to serve the family, young and old, and for that useless younger brother.
All of this made her extremely jealous of Zhou Sui.
Zhang Xiaoqing rubbed her eyes and walked towards the field with a blank face. Anyway, nothing really happened to Zhou Sui, so she didn't need to keep worrying about that matter.
Zhou Sui took a few steps and noticed someone following her. When she turned around, she saw that it was Song Qi'an.
What are you doing here?
Song Qi'an stepped forward and walked alongside her, asking, "Can't we walk on the village roads?"
Zhou Sui then realized that she had been too sensitive. She thought that Song Qi'an had overheard her conversation with Zhang Xiaoqing, but perhaps he was just passing by.
"Yes, I can walk."
Song Qi'an glanced down at her. "I thought you would go up and slap that person a few times, or at the very least give him a good scolding."
Zhou Sui paused for a moment before realizing who he was talking about; it seemed he had overheard the conversation.
"You were eavesdropping?" And where were you eavesdropping from? How come she didn't notice?
The girl's expression changed quickly; her eyebrows rose, and she looked angry.
Song Qi'an looked ahead in a good mood, "You guys are quite loud, it's hard for me not to hear you." He was indeed just passing by.
Zhou Sui deflated immediately. She was so emotional at the time that she didn't lower her voice when she spoke.
"That kind of person is no longer worth my effort."
Zhang Xiaoqing is different from Wang Laizi; one can be ruthless, while the other is useless even if she is ruthless.
"If she doesn't take action or say anything, she'll feel even worse, won't she?"
The girl looked at him slyly, and Song Qi'an suddenly smiled.
"Zhou Sui, you're really a bit naughty."
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