Lu Zhenghang did not feel even an ounce of pity toward Zhu Hexuan at this moment, as he proceeded to lift his leg and shake Zhu Hexuan off. Zhu Hexuan, who had originally been hugging his leg, was promptly flung to the ground.
Lu Zhenghang grabbed onto Zhu Hexuan"s arm and lifted her up. At this moment, it looked as though Zhu Hexuan did not have even a shred of dignity left.
"Zhenghang, what are you doing! You can"t treat me this way. Zhenghang, in any case, we"ve been together for a long time and I"ve given you everything. Did you know——" Zhu Hexuan said as she wailed, her face covered in tears and mucus. Her mucus that flowed from her nose stuck onto her lips now as she begged incoherently.
Lu Zhenghang looked at her disheveled appearance and felt disgusted. There was no hint of the usual gentle look he wore when he was with Zhu Hexuan in the past. Even though at the time, it was undoubtedly only out of politeness, he still had an elegant demeanor and was graceful whilst also showing a great deal of tolerance toward her.
However, at the moment, one could no longer see any other emotions on his face apart from disgust.
He opened the front door and then threw Zhu Hexuan out. He did not have an ounce of pity on his face as he did this, so much so that his revulsion was tangible.
"I"ll get someone to pack up the stuff you left behind and s.h.i.+p them to you." Lu Zhenghang said in an annoyed tone.
"Lu Zhenghang! You can"t be this uncompa.s.sionate!" Zhu Hexuan fell onto the ground, but quickly tried to get up and dash back in.
Once her eyes fell on the door, Lu Zhenghang slammed it in her face, almost hitting Zhu Hexuan"s face in the process.
"Lu Zhenghang, you can"t be like this! Lu Zhenghang, you can"t treat me like this! When we"re together, you were gentle and caring. Now you won"t even look at me, you"re heartless! I"ve done so much for you, now you"re chasing me away as if you"re chasing away a beggar. Lu Zhenghang, open the door, you open the d.a.m.n door now!" Zhu Hexuan was still shouting outside as she slammed the door with her palm, making it swell up and itch from the pain.
The construction materials used in Ding City were reliable as well, so the door was thick and strong. She had slammed it with quite a lot of force, but in reality, it did not transmit that much sound into the house.
Lu Zhenghang did not pay even the slightest bit of attention toward the annoying ramble outside. He turned toward the aunty that was standing there in shock and said, "The next time she comes, don"t let her in."
The aunty cautiously agreed and Lu Zhenghang then returned to his bedroom.
Zhu Hexuan stood on the other side of the door, banging away for quite some time. When there was no reaction, she finally sat down on the floor with both her hands on the threshold.
How did it come to this, she had lost everything in a single night.
Not that long ago, she had been so arrogant as she had moved to Ding City. She even became neighbor with Lin Chu, but because Lin Chu and Yan Beicheng were both constantly not around, she had gone there a couple of times, only to find it unoccupied. She wanted to find a day when Lin Chu would be at home so that she could go over and have a chat with her to show off the life that she was enjoying now.
Lin Chu was not the only one that had married into a good family; she had also found herself an outstanding man that was handsome, with a good family background, and was Yan Beicheng"s equal. She was Lu Zhenghang"s girlfriend, and if Lin Chu had the means to become Madam Yan, then she would certainly have the means to become Madam Lu as well. She was more capable than Lin Chu and would certainly do better than her.
However, she had nothing now. The days of her living in Ding City all seemed like nothing but a dream - the grand scenery, the extravagance, all of it was merely a dream. Now that she had woken up from the said dream, all that was left for her was the harsh reality.
Zhu Hexuan sat on the ground and cried for a long time. All the makeup on her face had begun to run whilst her mascara and lipstick were smudged all over her face as if it were a paste. Zhu Hexuan sobbed as she took out a tissue from her bag to wipe off the smudged makeup, then took out another wet tissue and wiped it once more.
She did not immediately leave and instead pondered about what she was to do next. There was nowhere else for her to go now as Lu Zhenghang would not change his mind. She felt that if she had no one else to rely on, then she had to at least keep her job.
She knew that she was willing to lose her dignity in order to keep her job. She took out her mobile phone and found Lin Chu"s phone number, but when she dialed it, there was no response. She did not even hear the ringing sound.
She knew that it was because Lin Chu had blocked her number. After this, Zhu Hexuan clenched her teeth as she contemplated. As things have gone this far, she could only count on Lin Chu now as only she was able to help her out.
She was not thinking about the fact that she was the one that had tried to ruin Lin Chu before. Since she was facing difficulty, she needed to look for Lin Chu for help.
She took the elevator to Lin Chu"s floor and pressed the doorbell for quite a while, yet no one answered the door.
"Lin Chu, come out! I know you"re in there, come out!" Zhu Hexuan shouted as she knocked on the door.
After pounding at the door for some time, she did not get any response whatsoever.
She then thought of going to the ground floor and looking up from below. Upon reaching the ground floor and looking up, she saw that Yan Beicheng"s house was dark as the lights were not switched on.
Were they really not home?
Zhu Hexuan gave it a thought and went outside to call for a cab. After she got in, the driver asked her where she wanted to go.
Zhu Hexuan hesitated for a while before giving him the address of the orphanage.
It was not very late when she reached the orphanage. It was around eight o"clock, and the old princ.i.p.al was not yet asleep. The children were was.h.i.+ng up, and they were planning to go to bed when the clock struck half-past eight.
Teacher Yuan got up to open the door as the doorbell rang. However, she was startled upon seeing Zhu Hexuan.
They had not seen her ever since the last time Zhu Hexuan had come over and caused a ruckus. She was going around claiming that the old princ.i.p.al was biased, which in turn had almost caused the old princ.i.p.al to fall ill due to anger.
Now that Zhu Hexuan had come by again, Teacher Yuan"s first thought was that she was here to cause more trouble.
"Miss Zhu." Teacher Yuan greeted her in a distant manner and smiled. She a.s.sumed that one would not start a fight if the other party was smiling amicably.
Zhu Hexuan felt a tw.a.n.g of discomfort. Teacher Yuan used to call her "Hexuan" so intimately when she was younger, yet now she referred to her as "Miss Zhu". Nevertheless, this was not the time to worry about such a thing.
Zhu Hexuan waited until Teacher Yuan had opened the door before she gave her a forceful smile. "Is the old princ.i.p.al asleep?"
Teacher Yuan"s mouth twitched upon hearing her question. "Not yet, but she"s going to bed soon."
"Therefore, even if you have something you want to say, you don"t need to stick around and tell us. Please leave."
Zhu Hexuan acted dumb, as if she did not understand what this implied, and casually entered the premises. "It"s good that she"s not asleep."
The old princ.i.p.al was sitting in front of the sewing machine in the living room as she toiled away at a small s.h.i.+rt for Lin Chu"s baby. When a child was just born, wearing a hundred families" clothes* (TN: A hundred families" clothes is a Chinese custom, whereby a baby"s garment is made of old colorful cloth strips obtained from many people"s household.) would be the most comfortable thing that they could wear. Even if they were old clothes, they had been worn countless times, and thus had been washed many times. This made them the softest material in the world for a baby"s s.h.i.+rt.
Moreover, there was an older generations" theory that went - a hundred families" clothes acc.u.mulated from a hundred families" good fortune, lesser illness and lesser misfortune*. (TN: This is a Chinese idiom that basically means that a baby wearing a hundred families" clothes will carry all their good luck, which will hopefully offset any misfortune.)
The word about Lin Chu"s pregnancy had not yet spread, so these clothes belonged to Teacher Yuan and Teacher w.a.n.g"s grandson and granddaughter"s clothes. Baby clothes did not require much material anyway, so cutting up a few pieces from it was more than enough.
She was in the middle of doing this when Zhu Hexuan came in and called out arrogantly. "Old princ.i.p.al!"
The old princ.i.p.al turned off the sewing machine and turned around in surprise. She saw Zhu Hexuan crying as she walked toward her. Then, she immediately knelt on the ground and lunged at her leg.
The old princ.i.p.al was flabbergasted. "Child, what… What happened to you?"
Zhu Hexuan tearingly told her the new developments and, naturally, skipped the part where she tried to ruin Lin Chu. She merely mentioned that the messy things she had done in the past had all been exposed.
"Old princ.i.p.al, I"ve recognized my mistakes. Originally, I was too embarra.s.sed to look for you, but not because I didn"t want to admit my mistakes. I knew that I had done wrong and I didn"t have the guts to come to you. However, this time I really have nowhere else to go. I"m regretting what I"ve done, and I won"t dare do such things in the future. I was too young when I first stepped into the society. I"d found myself a job as a journalist and felt good about it, thinking that it was finally my chance to prove myself. Moreover, life in B City was not easy as I"m sure you know. I wanted to gain a foothold in B City as soon as possible. I ventured down the wrong path in the pursuit of money. I know now what I did was wrong, and I want to make amends for the things I did when I was young. The problem is that I think I"ve lost the chance to redeem myself."
The old princ.i.p.al listened to her as she quietly shook her head. She understood what Zhu Hexuan was going through.
All she had was this weary old body, so what could she possibly do to help Zhu Hexuan? The only one that could help her now was Lin Chu. Was Zhu Hexuan not coming here and saying all this because she was asking the princ.i.p.al to go and talk to Lin Chu so that Lin Chu would help her?
However, after everything Zhu Hexuan had done, what right did she have to ask for Lin Chu"s help now?
If she sacrificed her dignity to seek out Lin Chu for help, then Lin Chu obviously would not refuse. However, it made no sense for her to help this child if it made her uncomfortable.
The old princ.i.p.al patted Zhu Hexuan"s head gently. "Child, it"s good that you know you"ve done wrong. You still have the opportunity to correct yourself in the future, so why on earth would you not? If you"re willing to change, there"s always a way out."
"But the matter"s now been exposed. The whole industry knows, and no other newspaper agency will ever want to hire me." Zhu Hexuan grabbed onto the old princ.i.p.al"s leg tightly as she spoke.
The old princ.i.p.al"s expression was gentle and kind. "Even if you"re no longer a journalist, there are other things you can do. You have a degree and are highly qualified, so you"ll be able to find another job. No matter what field you choose to go into, as long as you"re dutiful and stay on the right track, then everything will work out. And when it comes to the wrongs that you have already committed, just don"t repeat them again in the future. If you ever encounter any temptations, stay strong and you"ll be okay. Come now, get up, don"t be sad anymore. In this long life, there"s nothing that you can"t get over. Don"t be afraid."
Zhu Hexuan was not there to listen to the old princ.i.p.al"s advice. She refused to get up and instead held on tightly to the old princ.i.p.al"s leg and started to wail even louder. "Old princ.i.p.al, can"t you just help me say a few words to Lin Chu so that she"ll help me. Other than being a journalist, I don"t know what else I could possibly do. I majored in journalism at university, if I went out and looked for another job, my qualifications would be useless and no one would hire me! I really want to continue to work as a journalist. Old princ.i.p.al, I know I"ve done wrong in the past and I promise I"ll change. I can"t contact Lin Chu now as I know that she"s angry with me and doesn"t want to deal with me anymore. She seems to have blocked my number as well. If not for this, I wouldn"t come over and bothered you so late in the night. Just help me make a quick phone call to her and tell her about what"s going on with me. After this, I"m willing to personally apologize to her."
She now had nowhere to go and was willing to say anything to make-up with Lin Chu.
The old princ.i.p.al did not expect Zhu Hexuan to actually be somebody that was willing to bow and submit. She originally thought that she might have been insincere in her repentance but was not so sure.
Yan Huaian had just dropped Mo Jinxi off at the orphanage when he was on the way home in the afternoon and Mo Jinxi had just finished was.h.i.+ng his face and brus.h.i.+ng his teeth. When he came out of the bathroom, he heard what Zhu Hexuan was talking about.
He was aware of the news that was circulating on the Internet that evening. Yan Ningbai had a phone and would scroll through Weibo when there was nothing to do; he would do this excitedly when there was breaking news or some newly discovered information.
Mo Jinxi gave it a thought and went to look for Teacher Yuan discreetly. Then, he tugged on Teacher Yuan"s s.h.i.+rt.
When Teacher Yuan looked down toward him, Mo Jinxi said, "Teacher Yuan, could you lend me your phone? I have something to show the old princ.i.p.al."
Teacher Yuan took her phone out of her pocket and gave it to Mo Jinxi. Mo Jinxi had been hanging out with Yan Ningbai for a long time which made him became quite skilled in using smartphones. He efficiently searched for the news regarding Lin Chu being framed in the past as well as the video of Lin Chu restoring her reputation. Then, he ran toward the old princ.i.p.al.
Zhu Hexuan was still crying for help when Mo Jinxi handed over the phone to the old princ.i.p.al and said, "Old princ.i.p.al, take a look at this."
The old princ.i.p.al thought that Mo Jinxi was going to show her something funny and interesting that was unrelated to the matter. She touched his face as she said, "Jinxi, go and play with the little ones. I"ll be right over to watch it in a bit."
"No, it"s a piece of news regarding Aunt Zhu framing Chu Chu. It was yesterday"s news." Mo Jinxi said in a soft and quiet tone.
Yesterday she was framing Lin Chu, but today she had come running over whilst crying and asking for Lin Chu"s help. How thick-skinned could she be?
As soon as the old princ.i.p.al heard this, her gaze became stern and strict. She took the phone and quickly read through the news of Lin Chu being framed. The old princ.i.p.al was nothing but familiar with Lin Chu"s situation. Thus, she knew the news was fake at first glance, even the latter parts about her regarding Dai Huimin and Xu Jiaojiao.
When she saw the journalist"s signature at the bottom, the old princ.i.p.al heaved a sigh of relief. She was relieved that it was not written by Zhu Hexuan. However, when she opened up the video, even if other people were unaware, she immediately recognized that the person with her back to the camera was Zhe Huxuan.
The things Xu Jiaojiao had said in the video was completely contradictory to what the news had reported. Afterward, Mo Jinxi showed the old princ.i.p.al the news exposing Hu Mingrui as an intern working under Zhu Hexuan.
The big picture was not hard to understand after piecing together all the facts and information.
The old princ.i.p.al lost all compa.s.sion she had toward Zhu Hexuan. Then, she turned toward Mo Jinxi and said, "I know now, don"t worry. I"ll not make things difficult for Lin Chu. Go and look for s.h.i.+ Tou and Tian Tian, then get your little brother and sister into bed."
Mo Jinxi looked at the old princ.i.p.al first, then looked at Zhu Hexuan. He was not comfortable leaving her alone.
However, it was rare for him to see the old princ.i.p.al being so stern. Because of this, Mo Jinxi had no choice but to obey her and walk away.
The old princ.i.p.al supported herself on the sewing machine tabletop as she stood up. Her legs s.h.i.+vered yet Zhu Hexuan still clung onto her tightly. The old princ.i.p.al then said in a deep voice, "Hexuan, please let go. My weary old body can"t take this torment."
Nevertheless, Zhu Hexuan refused to loosen her grip. She shook her head as she cried out. "Old princ.i.p.al, please help me!"
"I know you"re anxious, but are you so focused on yourself that do you no longer care about my well-being anymore? Is that why you"ve decided to cripple me?" The old princ.i.p.al said quietly.
Zhu Hexuan was stunned as she looked up and saw the old princ.i.p.al"s face that clearly expressed her discomfort. She was afraid that she would be blamed if something unfortunate were to happen.
Nowadays, many people on the street feared getting extorted by old people. An old lady"s bones were fragile, if she were to yell that it hurt, even a whole squad of lawyers would be unable to easily dismiss this claim.
Zhu Hexuan then loosened her grip on the old princ.i.p.al"s legs before standing up as she continued to sob.
The old princ.i.p.al took a step back as she continued to support herself on the sewing machine. She said, "I can"t help you with this. Yesterday you published news trying to ruin Lin Chu, yet today you"re here to ask for her help. You were saying that you want to apologize to her, but I don"t believe that. Today you"d apologize so that Lin Chu would help you out, yet you"ll remain in this field of work. What if you turn around and try to ruin Lin Chu again, are you trying to make Lin Chu feel uncomfortable? This is the cla.s.sic story about the farmer and the snake (TN: A tale in which a farmer found a snake on a cold winter day and showed compa.s.sion to it. The farmer placed the snake by his chest and the snake was quickly revived by his warmth and resumed its natural instinct by biting the farmer. After this, the farmer fell ill and died from the snake"s venom. It"s a story where even great kindness will not bind the ungrateful.), and the story about Mr. Dongguo (TN: A story in which there was a kind-hearted man named Mr. Dongguo. He tried to help a wolf that was begging him for help because hunters were chasing it. When the hunters had left, the wolf jumped at Mr. Dongguo, but the latter was saved by a farmer that was pa.s.sing by. It"s a story about how one should not show mercy to the enemy.) that I"ve told you two since young. Why would I let Lin Chu become a victim of deception because of her kindness and generosity?"
"I know I"m in the wrong now! I really do know that I"m the one at fault!" Zhu Hexuan said hurriedly.
"Do you really? Yesterday you were still unable to repent, yet you became aware that that you"re in the wrong today? If you"re able to realize your wrongdoings so quickly, then you would have repented earlier. Why"d you wait until today? I can"t help you with this, and I won"t make things difficult for Lin Chu. I can"t let her help you out and then be bullied by you again in the future. I cannot, in good conscience, allow this." The old princ.i.p.al said firmly as she shook her head.
Even if Lin Chu were to help her out of respect toward the old princ.i.p.al, doing so could possibly expose her to a situation where she could be framed again. How could the old princ.i.p.al do this to Lin Chu?
She was fully aware of Zhu Hexuan"s malevolent mindset, yet she was still asking for Lin Chu"s help. She was someone without even an ounce of conscience, who was unable to distinguish right from wrong. Helping her now would only cause trouble for more people.
The old princ.i.p.al knew that it was impossible to help Zhu Hexuan. Moreover, Lin Chu was pregnant. The child in her was barely over a month old, which made this the most unstable period during pregnancy.
Reasons behind miscarriages were not limited to the physical side like getting knocked over or b.u.mped into, there were mental and psychological factors as well. There were many people that had depression, and because their mental health was not in good condition, it had cost them their unborn baby.
If she were to let Zhu Hexuan apologize to Lin Chu, she would be allowing Zhu Hexuan to present herself in front of Lin Chu, which could be detrimental to her emotional state. If Lin Chu suffered an unexpected accident due to this, then could she live with herself.
"Lin Chu, Lin Chu, every word coming out of your* (TN: The author used the word "你" for "you" here instead of the word "您" for "you". "您" for "you" is more respectful, meaning Zhu Hexuan had changed her respectful way of speaking toward the old princ.i.p.al) mouth is all about Lin Chu!" Zhu Hexuan saw that the old princ.i.p.al was resolute in her decision. She felt undermined by her and did not even bother using the more respectful "you" toward the old princ.i.p.al anymore. She started speaking to her casually as her facial features became aggressive. "Did you not even consider the fact that the trouble I"m in now? If no one helps me, my life will be over!"
"There"s no hurdle that you"ll be unable to overcome in life. The mistakes you"ve done previously committed was your fault, now you"re just paying the price for it. There"s no wrong that you can get away with scot-free. Did you think that you wouldn"t need to fix your mistake and that you"d be able to act as if nothing had happened and just continue on with your life?" The old princ.i.p.al shook her head. "There"s no such thing. You were wrong, and now is the time to pay for what you"ve done. The bigger the mistake you made, the bigger the price. The things you"ve done have cost you your path as a journalist. Now you can"t continue - you"ve sowed the seeds, and now is the time to reap what you"ve sowed. How could you seek Lin Chu"s help? Hexuan, you"ve always said that I"m biased toward Lin Chu, but I"m impartial to both of you. If Lin Chu was the one who came begging to me today, if it would affect your well-being, then I would not help her either. Both of you are equal to me. Child, you"ve made mistakes, you need to work hard to amend it. Don"t you think so?"
"That"s why I"m asking you to ask Lin Chu for help! I need to continue as a journalist in order to have the opportunity to make up and put things right after my previous mistakes. I"ll try my best to be a good journalist, so why can"t I do that? Do you really have to stop me from working in this field? You knew that being a journalist was a dream of mine and that I studied hard to get into the field. Now you"re telling me that after working hard for more than twenty years, I"m going to end up with nothing. Were all my efforts in vain?"
The old princ.i.p.al heaved a heavy sigh. She was beginning to grow frustrated at the woman"s inability to follow advice and grasp reasoning.
The arm that was propping her up against the sewing machine began to tremble and her heart began to feel unwell.
Feeling uncomfortable under such pressure, she said, "Listen to me. If you can"t become a journalist anymore, you can still do other things. Heaven never bars one"s way. Not to mention that there are so many industries now and plenty of ways out. As long as you put your heart into it, you"ll be able to see the fruits of your labor. How could you have run out of solutions? This era"s not the same as the past. Lin Chu"s younger sister, Xu Jiaojiao, has done something wrong before as well. However, she was able to swiftly change. Did she not strive hard to get into a prestigious university and studied in it for more than a decade? Her family"s conditions were almost actually similar to how you lived in the orphanage, and her efforts were no less than yours. Now she had been able to let go of her good educational background and main field of study to focus on helping her family"s small restaurant. I heard Lin Chu say that she even wanted to expand her family"s restaurant business. She has even hired a kitchen apprentice and a waitress to ease her parent"s burden. Isn"t that great? If you change your path, it could still work out well. Don"t make it seem like just because you"re unable to continue with your former work, it"ll be a tragedy and that the sky"s going to fall on you. You still have lots of alternatives."
"All these words, but the conclusion is that you still refuse to help me! You said you treated us as equals, but those words are just moons.h.i.+ne and snake oil! When Lin Chu faces difficulties, you"ll immediately lend her a hand; when it"s my turn, you want me to solve them by myself. Why should I give up now? Lin Chu is able to help, so why doesn"t she? I grew up with her, so why can"t she support me this one time? She doesn"t even need to lift a finger to help me out. She just needs to say the word and someone else will do it for her. It"s such a simple thing, yet you"re unwilling to ask her for help? Your expression"s as if it would make things difficult for her, but what"s so difficult about it!?" Zhu Hexuan said as she pointed at the old princ.i.p.al accusingly.
As she looked at the old princ.i.p.al"s benevolent expression, Zhu Hexuan seethed. She felt like the old princ.i.p.al was being extremely hypocritical, and that her whole image was a sham.