Zhou Chufei was stunned by the slap. The gentle, kind, and understanding Aunt Dai had actually hit him? Since Zhou Chufei came to Beijing, Dai Qinxue had always treated him well, at least in front of outsiders, she always spoke to him with a smile.
Shu Hui often disciplined him, and she was not gentle at all. His sisters didn't like to talk to him and were always harsh to him. After his parents divorced, Jiang Meifeng wanted to bring him to Beijing. Zhou Chufei was overjoyed and felt that his good days were about to begin.
Beijing is great. He has a college student father who dotes on him and a gentle stepmother who loves him. If he comes to Beijing, he can be a young master and will no longer have to be controlled by Shu Hui or suffer the hardships of working in the fields like a country boy.
Zhou Chufei had been looking forward to this for a long time and finally arrived in Beijing. He thought he could immediately complete the enrollment procedures, but it has been more than half a year and Zhou Jian'an still hasn't been able to get his schooling settled.
Zhou Chufei stays at home alone every day. He can't speak Mandarin and is afraid of being laughed at, so he doesn't dare to go out.
Before Shu Hui's divorce, Aunt Dai promised to bring him to Beijing to live a better life. When Zhou Chufei arrived, Dai Qinxue ignored him, letting him lie at home all day without paying him any attention. Zhou Chufei noticed that Aunt Dai had changed; she was different from the Aunt Dai he remembered. Xu Yiyi had also changed; she was no longer as gentle and lovely as before, but instead was always sarcastic and unpleasant.
Zhou Chufei wasn't stupid, but he didn't know what to do. He could only stay at home every day reading comic books, but he never expected that Dai Qinxue would slap him.
He covered his aching left cheek in disbelief, staring at Dai Qinxue with trembling lips, unable to speak.
Dai Qinxue bent down, stared at him, and suddenly smiled lightly.
Zhou Chufei gets nervous whenever she smiles.
Dai Qinxue moved closer, a sinister smile playing on her lips.
“Zhou Chufei, slapping you is too lenient. If you don’t clean up the toilet properly next time, I have plenty of ways to deal with you. I’m not your mother, nor am I Jiang Meifeng. I have no obligation to tolerate your bad habits. You can stay in Beijing if you want, but if you can’t, go back to your hometown.”
Zhou Chufei held back his tears and dared not say a word.
When he first came to Beijing, Dai Qinxue treated him very well, at least in front of Zhou Jian'an, she often showed him concern and care.
Zhou Chufei thought he had made the right choice and wrote to his friends in Zhoujia Village to boast that his stepmother treated him very well, his stepsister was also very gentle, and the skyscrapers and ancient buildings in Beijing made him dizzy.
The good days didn't last three days. Jiang Meifeng ran out of money and had to ask Dai Qinxue for more. Dai Qinxue was unhappy and often found fault with him. At first, she would just yell at him, but later she even hit him.
Zhou Chufei is no longer a child. His cheek hurt terribly. Jiang Meifeng said that Dai Qinxue came from a good family, but no matter how good her family was, she was still his father's wife. His father still had the final say in this family. If Dai Qinxue dared to hit him, he would make sure she suffered the consequences.
Zhou Chufei angrily pointed at Dai Qinxue.
"You dare hit me? Just you wait! I'll tell my dad right now!"
The door opened, and Zhou Jian'an came home from get off work. He was carrying a black leather bag, and just as he took off his shoes and was about to go inside, Zhou Chufei ran out crying.
"Dad, Dai Qinxue slapped me in the face! She slapped me so hard my face turned red!"
Zhou Jian'an stood there stunned. The gentle and lovely Dai Qinxue would hit someone? Zhou Chufei's face was swollen from the slap. That slap was no light one. How could she hit so hard?
"Qin Xue, what happened? Chu Fei is only a few years old, how could you be so cruel to him?"
Dai Qinxue didn't refute him, but simply pulled his arm to sit down and smiled good-naturedly.
“Jian’an, I was wrong about what happened today, but you know what kind of person I am. I’ve always liked Chu Fei, and I would never lay a hand on him without a reason.”
Zhou Jian'an didn't react for a moment.
"What happened to Chu Fei?"
Dai Qinxue glanced at Zhou Chufei, who had complained, and curled her lips into a contemptuous smile, clearly intending to settle scores later.
"Here's the thing, lately I've been losing money from my bag frequently. At first it was just 50 cents or a dollar, but later it was 3 or 5 dollars. There are a lot of people in my family, so I didn't dare to suspect anyone. I observed for a while and found that Chu Fei often went into my room and rummaged through things. Just now, I found five dollars in his cabinet."
Zhou Chufei was stunned. Dai Qinxue actually slandered him. He did have a habit of stealing money, but that was back in Zhoujia Village. After being beaten by Shu Hui a few times, he never dared to do it again. Since coming to Beijing, he has never stolen a single penny.
Zhou Chufei cried and wailed, "I didn't steal your money!"
Dai Qinxue shook her head in disappointment, opened the bedside drawer to show Zhou Jian'an, "Chu Fei, you're such a disappointment. You still deny things when the evidence is irrefutable. Jian'an, you saw it too, stealing money is a small matter, lying is a big one. We can't let Chu Fei go unpunished."
Zhou Jian'an wavered.
Zhou Chufei had a habit of stealing money since he was a child, and was often beaten by Shu Hui for it.
Jiang Meifeng dotes on her grandson and always protects him. She would steal from him without hesitation, not wanting to hurt him. Because of this, Shu Hui and Jiang Meifeng often quarreled, but Zhou Jian'an always turned a blind eye.
Zhou Jian'an didn't think stealing money was a big deal.
Boys are always a bit mischievous.
But Dai Qinxue is right. Stealing money is a small matter, but lying is a big one. After all, it is a blended family. Xu Yiyi is good in every way. She is gentle, considerate and cute, and her grades are good. Zhou Chufei, on the other hand, is hopeless. Zhou Jian'an also feels embarrassed.
Zhou Jian'an remained silent, and Dai Qinxue's eyes immediately reddened.
“I know I’m a stepmother, but my intentions are for the child’s good. Chu Fei’s petty theft is not a good thing. Children need to be disciplined to grow up properly. I heard that his biological mother often beats him too. Does that mean only biological mothers can beat him, and I, as his stepmother, can’t even touch him? Everyone says being a stepmother is difficult, and I’ve seen it for myself today. I’m not fit to be a stepmother. I’m going back to the Dai family to find my father!”
When Dai Qinxue started crying, Zhou Jian'an panicked. How could he possibly let Dai Qinxue leave this room? He boasted about his father-in-law's family background at work, and when the leaders heard about it, they promoted him to a minor cadre position.
Zhou Jian'an was feeling quite pleased with himself, as he was about to pass Dai Xueyi's assessment period. How could he possibly let all his previous efforts go to waste now? If Dai Qinxue really ran home crying, would Dai Xueyi let him off the hook?
Zhou Jian'an's wealth and glory are about to vanish into thin air.
"Qin Xue, when did I ever say such a thing? Don't be angry. It's all my fault. I blamed you without even knowing the facts. You hit Chu Fei for his own good. He was the one who made you angry. From now on, you can hit him or scold him if you want. I will never interfere or blame you."
Given Dai Qinxue's status, let alone slapping her, even if you poke her with a needle, or scald her with hot water and tongs, as long as you don't kill her, Zhou Jian'an won't say anything.
No matter how important his son is, nothing is more important than his own future. Zhou Jian'an would never offend Dai Qinxue over such a trivial matter.
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