Chapter 3 *sobs*
The blanket felt very comfortable, and the pattern on it was exquisite and beautiful. No matter how much money he secretly saved, he probably couldn't afford it.
A door next to the house opened from the inside, and the cursing man, upon seeing the person standing right at his doorstep, paused for a moment before yelling, "So you're here, you brat! Are you trying to die here so we can gossip about you? Get in here right now and tell us what you've been up to!"
The man cursed "bad luck" again, turned around, closed the door, and went inside.
The light coming through the door disappeared, and the corridor returned to darkness.
The boy, hidden in the shadows, lowered his eyes and suddenly found the bright colors on the small blanket dazzling.
Xia Zhen wandered around the river until almost dawn before having Uncle Zhao drive the car back to the Xia family home.
Before entering the house, Xia Zhen first patted her face, then rubbed her eyes hard. After gathering her emotions, she finally walked into the living room with red eyes and a tearful expression.
The man sitting on the sofa looking at the documents was dressed in a suit and tie. He looked very elegant and was clearly over forty years old, but he looked about thirty.
Even without his status as the president of Xia's Enterprises, his mature and steady charm alone would be enough to attract many women.
Hearing Xia Zhen return, he didn't even look up, simply asking, "How was the banquet?"
"fine……"
Hearing the girl sniffle, Xia Yu, known as a workaholic, finally looked up. Seeing the girl's red, tear-filled eyes, he frowned, his expression authoritative yet stern. "What happened?"
Xia Zhen was probably deeply afraid of her always serious father, so she shrank back and said, "It's okay... Dad, I'm fine."
With a loud "thud," Xia Yu slammed the file onto the coffee table. "No matter the reason, as the eldest daughter of the Xia family, what kind of behavior is it to act all tearful and whiny?"
Xia Yu's voice wasn't loud, but his coldness was enough to easily frighten the younger generation into not daring to utter a single word.
Xia Zhen was the same. She quickly wiped her eyes and looked at her father cautiously. She was born with a beautiful face, and her expression of wanting to cry but not daring to make her look even more pitiful.
But Xia Yu just couldn't stand her easy-going attitude. He stood up, his eyebrows lowered, and asked coldly, "What happened at the banquet?"
Xia Zhen dared not hide the truth and stammered, "At the banquet... Song Heng... he did not invite me to be his dance partner."
By not inviting her as a dance partner, Song Heng's message to the outside world was already quite clear.
Over the years, Xia Zhen and Song Heng have been childhood sweethearts, and their families have always had a good relationship. Why didn't Song Heng choose Xia Zhen?
Xia Yu thought a lot, and when his gaze fell on his daughter, he said indifferently, "I have raised you for so many years, you should know that I will not allow my daughter to fail."
Xia Zhen lowered her head, clutching her skirt tightly with both hands. "Dad, I don't want to fail either... Song Heng chose Tang Susu instead of me, and I feel so bad about it..."
She secretly pinched her thigh again, and a tear genuinely fell, splashing water on the floor.
Xia Yu's expression froze for a moment before she finally spoke, "Don't cry."
Although he didn't want to admit it, he did try his best to soften his stiff voice a little.
Xia Zhen frantically wiped away her tears, but the more she wiped, the more tears flowed. She sobbed uncontrollably, "Ever since Tang Susu returned to the Xia family, Grandpa doesn't like me anymore. Everyone around me revolves around Tang Susu, even Song Heng... Dad, will there come a day when you also stop liking me and start liking Tang Susu instead?"
Xia Yu felt that his daughter was talking nonsense. He was not good at comforting people. In fact, he had never had any experience in comforting people. Even when Xia Zhen fell down and cried when she was little, he would just help her up and then remain silent in front of her crying face.
Xia Zhen finally stopped crying when she was exhausted.
But after all these years, he has at least made some progress, for example, he picked up a tissue box from the coffee table and threw it at Xia Zhen.
Xia Zhen was caught off guard and hit in the face by a box of tissues. She cursed her father a thousand times in her heart. He really was her father!
But on the surface, she still looked weak and frail, clutching the tissue box and occasionally pulling out a tissue or two to wipe her tears. She looked so pitiful.
"You are my only daughter."
Upon hearing this, Xia Zhen seemed to muster up a little courage and dared to look directly at him.
Xia Yu's face was tense. He had already reached his limit by saying that one comforting word. But after a while, he said businesslike, "Song Heng's choice of Tang Susu is indeed beyond my expectations. The Song family probably didn't prepare for it either. You don't need to take it to heart. Song Heng's fiancée can only be you."
She knew it; her father only wanted her to marry Song Heng!
Xia Zhen was very upset. "Dad, I want to transfer schools."
Her sudden thought made Xia Yu glance over, "Why?"
"I don't want to see Song Heng and Tang Susu. Seeing them makes me feel sad. I want to go to No. 1 High School."
Xia Zhen had previously attended elite schools and was surrounded by wealthy children. She didn't have much pressure to get into good schools and could happily study every day. No. 1 High School was the best public high school in the city and had always been a legend in the city for its top college entrance examination pass rate.
Xia Yu sat back on the sofa, calmly picked up the unfinished document, and coldly refused, "No."
"But I want to study there!"
“It’s too far from home, and it’s a public school…” Xia Yu frowned and said, “It’s not easy to do.”
What he meant by "difficult to implement" was that it was difficult to ensure Xia Zhen received special treatment at school. For example, if Xia Zhen didn't like physical education class, then they could just tell the school so she wouldn't have to show up for physical education class.
Xia Zhen still insisted, "Dad, I can study at school just like everyone else. I don't need any special treatment. Please let me go."
I disagree.
"So you want me to see Song Heng and the others so depressed they want to die every day?"
A tissue box was thrown back, hitting Xia Yu squarely in the face. The tissue box fell to the ground, and Xia Yu's icy face cracked inch by inch. "Xia... Zhen!"
"Dad, you're so mean!" Xia Zhen covered her face and ran upstairs whimpering, not giving Xia Yu a chance to settle the score.
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