1298 Change of Strategy
“Since you have understood, then you should think before you do anything in the future. You must not be so reckless again. In retrospect, do you think it is right to argue with your parents because of a man? If this man will be your husband and he will give you happiness, it is still worth it. If not, wouldn’t you be angry at yourself if anything happened to your parents as they were too angry?”
Now that she had calmed down, Qiao Nan began to criticize Fang Fang for being too willful.
Fang Fang smiled embarra.s.sedly. “I have been cornered. Otherwise, can you tell me what I should do if I run into such encounters in the future? How should I deal with it?”
Fang Fang liked her current boyfriend. He was considerate and gentle with her, treating her very well. He was unlike the good son-in-law that her parents would talk about often who used to bully her.
But talking about marriage, Fang Fang had no confidence in her current boyfriend.
“Foolish. If quarreling was useful, you wouldn’t come running to my in-laws’ house and complain to me, hoping that I would stand on your side. That day, you could talk it over nicely with your parents and tell them your thoughts. Why did you quarrel with them? The more you fight, the more your parents will feel that you are saying everything in a pique of anger and are irrational.”
“It’s useless to talk it over nicely. They won’t believe me.” Fang Fang felt wronged. She was enraged and that was why she blew her top.
Qiao Nan drank some water to soothe her throat. If she could not find any jobs in the future, she could start a counseling company or a company that would listen to other people’s grievances and chat with them. If not, she could be a matchmaker and accept red packets from the couples. “Now that you have blown your top, did anyone believe you? No matter what, n.o.body will believe you. Getting enraged will only affect yourself and hurt your parents’ feelings. You should have told them your thoughts and stated that you would stand firm in your decision before returning to your school. In that way, you wouldn’t feel as guilty toward your parents when you received their call today.”
“…” Fang Fang was speechless, but she had to agree that Qiao Nan was right.
When she returned to school that day, she kept thinking about what happened back at home.
She remembered that her mother was so angry that her eyes had turned red, while her father who was getting on in years trembled slightly. Fang Fang used to be filial to them, so she felt very guilty at how things turned out. She was torn between being filial to them and fighting for her own happiness. After returning to school, she went sleepless for several nights. Her boyfriend asked her out three times in a row, but she rejected him.
In the end, she hurt the feelings of her parents and her boyfriend. “What should I do in the future?”
“Why do you think about the future? Haven’t your parents compromised and given in? Since you feel guilty, you should stay home with your parents after the semester ended and spend more time with them, chatting with them. You can take them for a walk or stroll around the garden. When you are free, you can call them twice or three times a week to chat with them. You can talk about your school life, your feelings, and whatever you encounter in school. They will get to know you better through more frequent communication, and they will no longer quarrel with you over an ‘outsider’ in the future.”
Qiao Nan tried to coax and cajole Fang Fang. “There is a reason why your parents like Gao Yan so much, and you can’t match up to him in terms of this. Gao Yan is very good with words in front of your parents. It seems as if he is their son. However, you are their biological daughter. If Gao Yan can do it, you must be better than him. You must regain your parents’ affection. Without your parents’ support, Gao Yan can no longer interfere in your relations.h.i.+p with the man that you want to marry in the future.”
Fang Fang felt that Qiao Nan made a lot of sense. She almost gave in because of her parents’ att.i.tude.
If her parents sided with her and no longer placed high importance on Gao Yan, she did not need to be bothered about Gao Yan’s comments.
Most importantly, she must make sure that her parents sided with her!
Once she grasped this fundamental point, all the rest would follow. It was as if she was enlightened and invigorated. She was no longer as dejected as before. She seemed like a rooster who was in high spirits and felt energized. “Nan Nan, you are indeed my best friend. You have made a very helpful and effective suggestion. You can rest a.s.sured. I know what to do in the future. I won’t allow Gao Yan to take advantage of me again.”
From the phone call that her father made today, even though her parents were all praise for Gao Yan, saying that he was a role model for all children, she was still their biological daughter. Her parents would stand on her side instead of siding with Gao Yan.
She had the upper hand as she was their biological daughter. It would be miserable if she lost to Gao Yan again.
With Qiao Nan as her strategist and military counselor, Fang Fang, who was reserved and reticent, decided to interact more with her parents. She called them frequently on the phone and chatted with them.
Initially, her parents were not used to it and they could not understand Qiao Nan’s rationale. But they felt that it was a good idea to have more frequent chats with their daughter.
Mother Fang gradually understood Qiao Nan’s intention and the reasons behind these phone calls. “Oh, it’s so late. It may not be safe. It’s better if you don’t go out. If you want to go on a date, you should go in the daytime.”
“I see. It’s not that I forbid you from experiencing life. But you are still a student, and studies must be your top priority. After you graduate, even if you feel like staying at home and depending on us, I won’t allow you to do so.”
“You want to stay outside the school? You are still considering and you are asking me for my opinions? My opinion doesn’t matter. What’s important is how you think. Alright, I will share my thoughts with you. You can take it as a reference and decide for yourself. Fang Fang, you are an adult. As your mother, I trust your judgment. Aside from putting aside a sum of money for the rental, what I am most worried about is your safety. If you stay at school, you will have several dormitory mates who stay with you. I feel a.s.sured as you are not alone. Otherwise, I might be so worried for you that I cannot sleep a wink.”
As a student, even when she was in college, for people like Fang Fang, who was a top student, her school life was very boring. She did nothing apart from studying.
Although Fang Fang began to spend more time chatting with her parents, there were not many topics to chat with them.
Besides talking about her school, she would occasionally talk about her boyfriend. Her intention was to boil the frog slowly. However, she did not realize that she was the one who was being boiled in the pot.
Mother Fang had finally found the right method to communicate with her daughter. She would not make harsh comments or pick on the man. Through showing concern for her daughter, she gradually made her accept her suggestions and thoughts.
Dating in the middle of the night? What if the brat took advantage of Fang Fang?
Working part-time? She and her husband merely praised Gao Yan and Fang Fang was jealous of him. If she worked part-time and experienced life, she would be angered to death. In that case, the brat would have a chance to console and comfort her.
Moving out of school? Dream on!