"Huh?" Zhao Xile was dumbfounded.
Her voice unconsciously rose as she stared at Zhao Yi in shock, wanting him to find a solution.
Jiang Bai was already controlling her snacks, only allowing her to drink one cup of milk tea and eat fried chicken once every five days. She just counted on her fingers and realized that she had been drinking six cups less!
She even made a special calendar, checking off each day to count down the days. Tomorrow it's time to drink it, now...
Thinking of this, tears welled up in her eyes involuntarily.
Seeing this, Zhao Yi realized something was wrong and quickly squatted down to hug his daughter and comfort her, saying, "It's okay, it's okay. Your mother is exaggerating. It's fine to drink it."
"No drinking, and no more fried chicken," Jiang Bai's cold voice rang out from behind the two of them. "Zhao Yi, if you dare to secretly take her to eat there, I'll kick you both out of the house."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Xile burst into tears.
Zhao Ping'an was guarding outside when he heard the crying and rushed in, thinking something had happened inside.
Jiang Bai saw him, took a deep breath, and asked, "You skipped school too?"
Zhao Ping'an scratched his face awkwardly.
Zhao Yi said, "It's not that he's skipping school. Xiao Le is sick, and he's worried about his sister, so I just picked him up."
"I'm not sick, I'm not sick," Zhao Xile sobbed, still trying to refute.
“Yes, Xiao Le said she wasn’t sick,” Jiang Bai stood up, arms crossed. “Then tell your mother, why did you pretend to be sick to come home?”
"It's Father, it's Father..." Realizing she had been exposed, she immediately pointed out the culprit.
Jiang Bai hadn't expected Zhao Yi to go along with Zhao Xile's nonsense, so he didn't believe it and said seriously, "You can't lie."
Zhao Ping'an hugged his sister and said, "It really is Dad. He told Xiao Le to pretend to be sick so that you could come home sooner."
"Go home early? You could have just let me know?" Jiang Bai was baffled.
Zhao Xile cried loudly, "Dad said that if you fall in love with someone else, you won't want us anymore."
Jiang Bai finally understood Zhao Yi's thought process and was instantly furious.
Zhao Yi looked embarrassed and unconsciously lowered his voice: "Jiang Bai, let me explain."
Jiang Bai rolled her eyes at him and pointed to the door with her right hand: "Get out of here first, we'll talk when you get back."
After saying that, she bent down, picked up Zhao Xile, and held her in her arms, comforting her.
Seeing that Jiang Bai wasn't paying attention to him, Zhao Yi stood there blankly for a while before taking long strides out.
Seeing this, Zhao Ping'an also wanted to follow them outside.
Zhao Xile's crying had subsided by now. Jiang Bai heard the commotion behind him and said, "Ping An, stay."
Zhao Ping'an stopped in his tracks.
Jiang Bai sighed, made Zhao Ping'an stand in front of him, and also pulled Zhao Xile out of his arms, calmly facing the two of them.
She first asked Zhao Xile, "Are you able to listen to me now?"
Zhao Xile rubbed her eyes and nodded, like a giant doll.
Jiang Bai said, "First of all, I want to say that I don't blame you, because I know that it's all because your father is unreliable and he forced you to do it."
Zhao Pingan couldn't help but defend Zhao Yi: "He didn't force us."
Jiang Bai shook his head: "He speaks to you children as an adult, which puts him on a superior position. You lack the ability to discern right from wrong, and since he is your father, you naturally assume that everything he says is correct."
"Actually, he threatened you, saying that if you don't do what he says, he will leave, he will like someone else, and he will abandon you, is that right?"
Zhao Ping'an looked dejected, but he acquiesced.
Jiang Bai felt both angry and amused: "Leaving aside whether his extremely stupid method would backfire if I really took a liking to someone else, his words were nothing short of threats and inducements."
Whether I like him or not is none of your business. If I don't like him, it's just that he hasn't done enough, not your fault.
"Besides, although I am only your stepmother, you have done very well and I like you very much. This is not a heavy responsibility, but something I am happy to do."
"As long as you continue to be your mother's good children, your mother will never abandon you, and it has nothing to do with your father."
"Then, Mother, am I a good child?" Zhao Xile asked timidly, rubbing her eyes.
Jiang Bai removed her hand from her eyes and wiped them with a clean towel to prevent her from getting dirty and rubbing something into them.
Upon hearing this, she replied, "I've always been very well-behaved before, but not today."
Jiang Bai feigned heartbreak: "How could you conspire with your father to lie to your mother? Isn't your mother the person you love most anymore?"
"Yes, yes, Mother, you've always been my favorite person." Zhao Xile quickly threw herself into Jiang Bai's arms.
She obediently admitted her mistake: "Mom, I shouldn't have done that just now."
Zhao Pingan also apologized to Jiang Bai.
Jiang Bai took Zhao Ping'an's hand and sighed helplessly, "I thought you were a big kid now and wouldn't misbehave like your father."
Zhao Ping'an didn't know what was going on. He hadn't seen his father and mother for so long. When he saw his father standing outside, he immediately ran out excitedly.
Later, even though he knew his father's idea was wrong, he still indulged them.
Even when he heard that his mother might meet someone else and leave them, he felt an urge to "do something to change everything".
Jiang Bai saw his furrowed brows and reached out to smooth them out: "Why is such a young child frowning? He should be happy every day."
She looked at Zhao Ping'an's body, which never seemed to gain weight, and sighed softly.
Zhao Ping'an possesses the forbearance and resilience characteristic of the eldest child. He feels responsible as the older brother and usually keeps many things to himself.
Taking this opportunity, Jiang Bai couldn't help but ask, "Are you upset that I sent you to school?"
He was never a secure child to begin with, and leaving home seemed to widen the gap between him and his family.
In contrast, Zhao Xile was too young and was brought back every day. Jiang Bai wondered if Zhao Ping'an felt that she and Zhao Yi favored Zhao Xile.
She hesitated before saying, "Actually, your father and I don't want to force you to achieve any academic results or build any career. We just hope that studying can broaden your horizons and improve your abilities."
“You are different from Xiao Le. First, you are older. In fact, it is already late for you to start school. We don’t take you home because we are afraid of delaying your studies. Second, you are a boy. You will definitely take on all the responsibilities of the Zhao family in the future. In a few decades, we and your sister will need your care.”
"It's not that we don't love you, we just want you to become stronger inside."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Ping'an's eyes welled up with tears.
He said, "Mom, I understand. I'm just a little homesick."
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