(Word Count: 5290)
Walking out of Xinhui Community, Fanfan kicked the electric pole next to him fiercely. Lili grabbed his arm and couldn’t help but roll her eyes at him: “The electric pole has nothing against you, why did you kick it?”
Fanfan snorted, and the young man’s energetic face was full of anger. He angrily mocked: “What do you say about cooking our favorite dishes and asking us to come over for dinner? I think it’s just a Hongmen Banquet. Under the name of inviting us to dinner, she is borrowing money from us. I wonder why she is so enthusiastic today.”
During the years when Fanfan was in kindergarten, his sister basically took care of him. In his memory, there are almost no scenes of him getting along with his mother. Later, his parents divorced, and he could only see his mother several times a year. It was impossible for him to cultivate any deep mother-son relationship with Li Manmei. It can be said that his feelings for his mother are not as deep as those of the nanny at home.
Lili hung her head and said nothing. Her mother borrowed money from her to pay for her stepdaughter’s tuition. It must be said that this behavior hurt her. She and her brother are her mother’s children. Since they can remember, they have never felt warmth from their mother.
Now that her mother has given warmth to her stepdaughter, she is not lacking in love, nor is she envious or jealous, she is just a little bit unfair. She is a mother, and as a daughter, there is nothing to say. However, she feels it is ridiculous that her mother wants them to lend money to her stepdaughter as her siblings. Does her mother only love them when they lend money? Do she and her brother want this kind of love?
“Don’t think too much, it’s not easy for mom either.”
Lili said in a very calm tone. Even if her mother is not good, she, as a daughter, will not say anything about her. At most, she will come less often in the future. Feelings are developed through interaction. Even if they are as close as mother and daughter, if there is no feeling, there is no feeling.
How could Fanfan not think so much? He said unhappily: “You are so kind that you lend her the money. Sister, don’t blame me for being cruel. Mom is old and I will provide for her in her old age, but I will not care about the man she marries. It’s obvious that the man has no ability and can’t even pay the tuition for the children…”
Lili did not comment on Yan Chengkun’s character, but she didn’t like him either, although he seemed to be good to her mother. She said arrogantly: “Our father is the famous President Han. Who is that man? What does it have to do with us? It’s normal that you don’t provide for him in his old age. Mom was willing to marry that man, subsidize him with money, and even let them live in our original house. It’s her business. She wants to do it, and we don’t care. But she can’t impose her ideas on us. If we don’t want to, dad won’t agree. ”
Fanfan was satisfied and said, “Sister, we have agreed that we will only provide for mom’s retirement. We don’t care about the man mom marries. You can’t regret it.”
Lili looked at her brother’s silly look and was quite confused. He was a smart kid when he was young, but he became stupid when he grew up. She said, “Why should I regret it for someone who has nothing to do with us? You think too much.”
Fanfan touched her forehead: “I, I’m not afraid that you will be soft-hearted? You girls are easily soft-hearted.”
Lili said, “Being soft-hearted also depends on the person.”
…
Lili still told her father about her mother lending money to her stepdaughter to pay tuition. Han Ze raised his eyebrows and said nothing. Lili didn’t see anything from his emotionless face. She asked shyly, “Dad, I lent money to mom. Are you unhappy?”
Little girl, you still know how to trick him.
Han Ze laughed: “I’m not unhappy, that’s your pocket money. It’s up to you how you want to spend it, but you lent the money to your mother, and if it’s gone this month, it’s gone. I won’t give you any more, and you’re not allowed to borrow from your brother.”
Lili sighed.
Han Ze smiled and said, “You have to bear the consequences of your own decisions.”
Lili was discouraged.
Seeing his daughter’s dejected look, Han Ze had to remind her: “Lili, Daddy has the ability to give you a wealthy life, but your mother and I have divorced. Now your mother has formed a new family. The economic gap between the two families is quite large. How to balance the relationship between the two families is what you need to learn. Borrowing money will happen again. Have you ever thought about it? Your mother easily borrowed money from you this time. Will she want to borrow money from you again next time? At that time, will you lend it to her or not?”
Lili pursed her lips, she raised her head and looked at her father, angrily said: “Next time Mom asks me to borrow money, I will say that Dad doesn’t allow me to borrow it. I’m still in school and don’t have a job. The money is given by Dad. Dad doesn’t allow me to borrow money, so I can only not lend it to her. She will definitely understand.”
Han Ze couldn’t help laughing and nodded: “Okay, your dad will take the blame. But when you start working in the future, this excuse won’t work.”
Lili chuckled and said, “I will be a student who had just graduated at that time. How much salary could I have? I have to buy gifts for my grandparents, my dad, and my brother, and I had to spend money myself. There would be no money left. I would need my dad to support me then, so how could I lend money to others?”
Han Ze shook his head with a smile and encouraged: “Well, you have your dad to support you, so you can use this excuse.”
Lili raised her head proudly and said complacently: “With our dad here, no one can bully us siblings.”
Han Ze laughed.
…
Lili returned to school and found that her classmates looked at her in a very strange way. Those who were close to her looked at her with pity, while those who were not close to her looked at her with ridicule, and with a gloating and laughing attitude. She pulled her friend Deng Sijie’s arm, frowned, and asked: “What do they mean? What happened?”
Deng Sijie looked at her friend hesitantly, bit her lip, and said with guilt: “Lili, I didn’t know that your family was not well off. If I knew, I wouldn’t let you and I take turns to treat you to dinner.”
In her daily interactions with Lili, she didn’t see that she was worried about money. There were many brands of cosmetics on Lili’s desk and clothes in her wardrobe that she had never seen before. She always thought that Lili’s family was very rich. Unexpectedly, the things she used were given to her by the daughter of Lili’s father’s boss.
Lili blinked and looked at her strangely: “What do you mean?”
Deng Sijie looked around, leaned close to her friend’s ear, and whispered: “I don’t know who spread it. In short, your classmates know that your family is very poor. The clothes you wear and the cosmetics you use are all picked up from others. They also say that your father has to calculate the price when he goes to a restaurant…”
Lili: “…”
Lili frowned. She only told Xu Xibo about picking up other people’s clothes. Could it be that this word came from him? In this case, this boy is too tasteless. Fortunately, she didn’t agree to date him.
…
After school at noon, Lili and Deng Sijie went to the school cafeteria for dinner. Lili suffered from summer heat and usually ate more fruits. Meat was not to her taste and she almost didn’t eat it. She ordered a tofu, a tomato scrambled egg, and a portion of rice, and then planned to leave.
Deng Sijie frowned when she saw the dishes she ordered, and turned back to order a portion of sweet and sour pork ribs that Lili usually liked to eat.
The two found an empty seat and sat down. Deng Sijie picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs and put it on Lili’s plate, saying, “Today’s pork ribs are good, you try it.”
Lili was stunned, looking at her friend’s concerned eyes, and refused to swallow the food in her mouth. She smiled and said, “Okay, I’ll try it.”
Deng Sijie saw that she had finished a piece of pork ribs and asked, “Is it delicious?”
Lili nodded.
Deng Sijie picked up another piece for her and said, “If it tastes good, eat more. I bought a little too much and can’t finish it. It was a waste.”
What else did Lili not understand? Her friend must have believed the rumors in the school that her family was poor and she picked up clothes that others didn’t want. Seeing that she didn’t buy meat dishes, she thought she was saving money, so she found ways to give her meat dishes. Although this was a misunderstanding, Lili was still very moved by this friendship.
“Han Xingli, it’s not okay to eat only vegetarian food. Only a combination of meat and vegetables can provide what our body needs. I know your family is poor. You pick up clothes and cosmetics that others don’t want, so you don’t have money to eat. How about this, if you really have no money, we are all classmates in the same class, we can pool our money and donate some money to you, so that you won’t be hungry and malnourished for a long time.”
“Yes, Han Xingli, we are all classmates, you don’t have to be embarrassed.”
Lili looked back and saw Zhou Xiyue and Hu Shishan, who had always been at odds with her in the class. She squinted her eyes and shouted in surprise: “Really? Are you really willing to donate money to me? Ah, I’m so loved by my classmates, I am so touched… Don’t worry, I won’t be embarrassed, and I won’t reject your kindness.”
Zhou Xiyue was stunned. Why was the reaction different from what she expected? After being exposed as a poor lady, shouldn’t Han Xingli be ashamed and hide in a crack in the ground? How could she have the face to smile and accept help from others? Gritting her teeth, she said unwillingly: “Don’t be too touched, after all, we are classmates.”
Lili looked at her with a smile: “I’m waiting for your donation, it doesn’t have to be too much, just enough for me to pay for next semester’s tuition.”
Zhou Xiyue hated it so much in her heart, but she had to smile and said: “Let’s do our best, try our best.”
Try your best? She didn’t even have any money to spend, why should she donate money to Han Xingli for tuition? If she didn’t have money to pay tuition, it was good, she wouldn’t have to go to school and she wouldn’t have to be an eyesore to her.
Lili smiled and said, “Thank you very much, thank you very much!”
Lili smiled at Zhou Xiyue. She couldn’t understand why Zhou Xiyue didn’t like her. She and Zhou Xiyue had never had any conflicts, and they didn’t live in the same dormitory and didn’t have much interaction. She was too lazy to think about things that she couldn’t figure out. She was not money, so if they didn’t like her, then they didn’t like her. Anyway, there were many people who liked her, and there was no shortage of one or two.
Zhou Xiyue’s cheeks were pale and white. She pulled Hu Shishan and carried the dinner plate, and walked away quickly as if someone was chasing her.
The reason why she didn’t like Han Xingli was because she was prettier than her and wore big brands. Since she knew that Han Xingli wore clothes that others didn’t want, she laughed for a long time. She thought she was a real rich girl, but she didn’t expect it to be a fake lady. The fake lady wore the clothes of the real lady to cheat people!
What made her hate her was that Han Xingli, who was exposed as a fake rich girl, didn’t feel uneasy at all, and dared to ask them to donate to her. How could she be so thick-skinned?
Deng Sijie looked at the backs of the two people who ran faster than rabbits, and laughed out loud, pulling Lili’s arm: “Did you see it just now? Zhou Xiyue’s face was so stiff that she almost looked like a zombie.”
Lili smiled and said nothing.
Deng Sijie restrained her smile, looked at Lili, and said hesitantly: “Lili, if you really don’t have money to pay for tuition, I have saved a lot of pocket money, you can use it…”
Lili said with a smile: “Sijie, no need.”
After that, she whispered to Deng Sijie about bringing Xu Xibo to meet her father.
Deng Sijie opened her mouth wide after hearing this, and her eyes widened: “So, the rumors in the school were spread by Xu Xibo?”
Lili nodded, “Except for him, I haven’t told this to anyone else.”
Deng Sijie curled her lips and frowned and said, “I always thought Xu Xibo was pretty good. After all, he is handsome, has a decent family background, and is usually very elegant and well-educated. I didn’t expect that he is a villain who gossips about others behind their backs. This kind of boy is really annoying, and he pretends so well. I even encouraged you to agree to his pursuit. It’s your father who is amazing. He saw Xu Xibo’s true nature and pointed out his weaknesses.”
Lili didn’t want to talk about Xu Xibo. It was boring, so she said, “Come to my house to play on the weekend.”
Deng Sijie smiled and refused: “I want to go shopping for clothes on the weekend. Let’s go next time.”
Lili pulled her arm: “Going to my house to play won’t delay buying clothes. I’ll go with you then.”
Deng Sijie thought about it and agreed, “Okay.”
…
It was the first time his daughter brought a classmate home, and Han Ze took it very seriously. He personally cooked a sumptuous dinner. Deng Sijie blushed and whispered, “Lili, your father is so handsome, and so virtuous, and he can cook. My father comes home from work with his legs crossed, and he either watches TV or plays with his phone. He does nothing. I really envy you for having such a good father…”
Speaking of her father, Lili’s pretty face was full of pride. She raised her head and said, “My father, of course, is the best.”
Deng Sijie was amused: “…”
Is this a typical case of giving color to a dyeing factory?
…
The next day, the two girls slept until noon, got up, washed, and skipped breakfast. They drove to the mall in the city center. There were clothes in the mall that cost hundreds or thousands of yuan, and they could choose according to their own preferences.
Deng Sijie’s family was relatively well-off, and most of her ordinary clothes cost hundreds or thousands of yuan. When they arrived in the city center, they had breakfast first, and then slowly walked to the mall.
Deng Sijie bought clothes quickly. When she saw something she liked, she would try it on and pay and leave if she was satisfied. She had only visited a few brands, but she was already carrying several bags in her hands. Lili couldn’t bear to see it, so she reached out to help her carry them and said, “Have you bought anything? If you’re done, let’s go home?”
Lili was a stay-at-home type, and she didn’t like to go shopping unless it was necessary.
Deng Sijie shook her head, she had just finished shopping, and said, “I haven’t finished shopping yet. There are a few brands I like that I haven’t visited yet. You can buy whatever you like. I’ve been shopping for so long, but I haven’t seen you try on anything.”
Lili said, “I have clothes.”
Her and Fanfan’s clothes were bought by their father, and even their cosmetics were bought by their father. She had never bought clothes herself.
Since Lili didn’t want to buy, Deng Sijie didn’t say much. She just thought that she didn’t like the clothes here. She smiled and said, “Anyway, it’s the weekend, so just treat it as accompanying me. When I’ve bought enough, we’ll go back.”
Lili: “……Okay.”
The two of them talked and laughed, and they walked to the next brand. Just as they were about to step inside, they found it was very noisy. Lili paused, and she saw her mother and her mother’s stepdaughter.
Li Manmei was holding a skirt in her hand and bargaining with the salesperson in the mall. She said, “This skirt is dirty, and you can’t sell it anyway. Why don’t you give me a 10% discount?”
She said it righteously, as if the skirt really couldn’t be sold.
The salesperson put on a standard smile on his face and explained to her: “I’m very sorry, ma’am, we don’t have any discounts in our store recently. This skirt is dirty, you can get another one.”
Li Manmei was very embarrassed. This skirt cost more than one thousand yuan and there was no discount, but her stepdaughter liked it. She had no choice but to say anxiously: “Your skirt is dirty. A 10% discount is not okay, but a 20% or 30% discount will be fine. I really want to buy this skirt…”
The salesperson smiled and said: “I know you want to buy this skirt. I’m really sorry, we don’t have any discounts in our store. I’m just an employee. I can’t give customers discounts without the boss’s permission, otherwise I will have to make up the discounted money.”
Yan Yiqun stood beside Li Manmei awkwardly and found that passers-by looked at them very strangely. She pulled Li Manmei’s arm, her cheeks blushing: “Auntie, let’s go to another store to have a look.”
This skirt is beautiful and she likes it very much, but liking it doesn’t mean she has to buy it. It costs more than one thousand yuan, which is enough for their family’s food expenses for half a month.
Li Manmei patted her arm and said with a smile: “The day after tomorrow we are going back to our hometown to celebrate your grandfather’s birthday. Besides, you have been admitted to the university. How can you meet people without a decent dress? No matter what, you are also my stepdaughter, Li Manmei. I can’t let people look down on me and your father. This time when I go back to my hometown, I will make them treat your father differently.”
Yan Yiqun didn’t know what to say. She didn’t have so much comparison. She knew how big her hands were, how big her bowls were, and what the situation was at home. She thought that clothes were wearable. There was no need to buy clothes worth hundreds or thousands of yuan in large shopping malls. The money her father earned was not enough to support her buying clothes here, but she didn’t feel so justified to let her spend Aunt Li’s money.
Aunt Li meant that this time when she went back to her hometown, she wanted to let her relatives and friends in her hometown look at them with new eyes. She knew that Aunt Li was doing it for her and her father’s good, but she still felt awkward. Dad was just a taxi driver. Was it necessary to swell up his face and pretend to be rich? Moreover, in order to buy an expensive birthday gift for Grandpa, Aunt Li actually borrowed money from her daughter in the name of her lack of tuition. If her daughter knew about it, what would she think?
Yan Yiqun was about to persuade Li Manmei not to buy clothes here, when she saw Aunt Li’s daughter. She smiled bitterly. As the saying goes, if you mention the devil, he will appear.
She pulled Li Manmei’s collar and said, “Auntie, is that Sister Li?”
Li Manmei was startled, and followed her stepdaughter’s gaze. Her face changed slightly, and then she was happy again, and said loudly, “Lili, you are here to buy clothes too?”
Lili was in a complicated mood. Her biological mother had never accompanied her to buy clothes, but she was here to buy clothes with her stepdaughter. She had a smile on her face, and people could not tell her emotions. She said, “I am shopping for clothes with my friends.”
Li Manmei saw the bags in Lili’s hand and stepped forward: “Let me see what clothes you bought…”
Then she took the bag from Lili’s hand and planned to take out the things inside to take a look.
Lili frowned, snatched the bag from her hand, and said unhappily, “Mom, these are clothes bought by my classmate, not by me. There is nothing good to see.”
Li Manmei’s face was very unhappy. She felt that her daughter was too disrespectful to her. She said in an unhappy tone, “Can’t mom take a look at your classmate’s things?”
Just take a look, and don’t want hers, is there any need to be so nervous?
Lili just looked at her and said nothing.
Li Manmei was a little embarrassed and angry, so she said directly: “Your sister has no clothes to wear when she returns to her hometown. She likes this dress. I don’t have much money. You, as a sister, should buy it for her.”
Lili looked at her mother in disbelief, not understanding how she could say such a thing. She blurted out: “I only have one brother, when did I get a sister?”
After that, she took Deng Sijie’s arm and strode away.
Li Manmei pointed at Lili’s receding back with trembling fingers, looked at Yan Yiqun in disbelief, and asked: “Is this my daughter? Is this her attitude towards me?”
Yan Yiqun didn’t say anything. For the first time, he complained about Li Manmei. Her aunt borrowed money from Han Xingli in her name, and she was dissatisfied with her. Thinking that her aunt was buying a birthday gift for her grandfather, she didn’t say anything. Now her aunt asked Han Xingli to buy her clothes again. What would Han Xingli think of her and her father?
Yan Yiqun grabbed Li Manmei’s arm and walked out of the mall, saying firmly: “Auntie, let’s go to the Women’s Square on the pedestrian street. The clothes are cheaper there.”
Li Manmei was dragged forward unwillingly by her stepdaughter. After all, she was the ex-wife of the president of Hancheng Group. How could she have fallen to such a state? She even hesitated again and again to buy a better quality skirt for her stepdaughter, and couldn’t make up her mind over and over again?
The two walked to the entrance of the Women’s Square, and met a family of three. Li Manmei stared at the woman holding a child in a trance. She suddenly shouted, “Luo Xinting?”
Luo Xinting was holding a five-year-old child. She seemed to hear a familiar voice from a long time ago. She was startled and turned her head to look. She opened her eyes wide and screamed, “Li Manmei?”
Li Manmei was already angry, and now seeing Luo Xinting, she finally found someone to vent her anger. She glanced at the man standing next to Luo Xinting. In her eyes, he looked older than Qun Qun’s father, and he even had white hair. Then she looked at the child in her arms, who was about three or four years old, with dull eyes and drooling. Obviously, he was not a normal child. She was relieved. It was retribution.
Li Manmei walked up to Luo Xinting and sneered, “I didn’t expect you to recognize me. You’ve changed a lot after not seeing you for so many years. You were so capable back then that even I had to ask you for money. I thought you had become a big shot. How come you look older than me?” Luo Xinting glanced at the man next to her with a complicated expression. She didn’t want to listen to Li Manmei’s sarcastic words and said, “I’m sorry, we have something else to do. Let’s talk about it next time.”
After that, she strode away with the child in her arms without waiting for Li Manmei’s response. Luo Xinting walked for a while, looked back at Li Manmei, and continued to walk forward. When she met Li Manmei again, she felt very uneasy.
Back then, she never thought that Han Ze would stick to it for Liu Chengcheng. Even if Liu Chengcheng remarried, he had no intention of going out to mess around. She pestered him for two years, and seeing that she couldn’t get any response from him, she gradually gave up.
After giving up, she got 300,000 yuan in cash and a house from Han Ze. With these, she found a job. In this city, she could have lived a very comfortable life, but she was unwilling to keep such a house. She wanted to live the life of a rich wife.
With the introduction of a friend, she met her current husband, a man who was more than ten years older than her. At that time, he had not divorced his ex-wife. He was doing business and running a company. Although he was not as rich as Han Ze, nor as young and handsome as Han Ze, he was not young anymore. This man was willing to divorce his wife for her and marry her, which was better than anything else.
After the divorce, the man turned around and asked her for a marriage certificate. She cried with joy holding the marriage certificate. Not long after, she gave birth to a boy. The man’s ex-wife only gave him a girl. He was very happy to have a son. Two years later, she became pregnant again and gave birth to another boy. Before the man had time to be happy, he was told that the youngest son had a brain problem. This was like a bolt from the blue, and they were all stunned.
With the birth of this child, their family seemed to be possessed by the god of bad luck. Not long after, the man’s company collapsed and owed a lot of debts. With no other choice, she sold the house that Han Ze gave her and bought a small house in a remote place. The family of four lived in it and completely stayed away from the life of a rich wife.
And the man she married had changed since his company collapsed. No matter where she went, he would follow her, as if he was afraid that she would abandon him and run away. She laughed at herself bitterly. With two children here, where could she run? She couldn’t run away in this life, and she didn’t want to run away. She was no longer the ideal and ambitious Luo Xinting when she was young.
…
After more than half a year of hard review, Fanfan received an admission letter from a military academy in the provincial capital. At the same time, the Jiujiu Bar on Bayi Street in the provincial capital was closed down. A group of drug traffickers aged 18 or 19 were arrested. Fanfan watched the news and saw several familiar faces, including Huang Mao and the flat-headed youth. The sports school classmate who introduced him to Huang Mao and others was also on the list.
Seeing this, he looked at his father and said happily, “Dad, they were caught.”
Han Ze was not surprised at all, and said calmly, “The law is strict and there is no loophole.”
Fanfan stared at his father for a while and said, “Dad, did you do anything?”
Han Ze patted his shoulder and said, “Whether Dad did anything or not, it’s a good thing that they were arrested.”
Fanfan nodded tacitly.
Han Ze watched his son go upstairs. He made a phone call. When the call was connected, a hearty laugh came from the other end: “Brother Han, thank you again for providing me with the information. Otherwise, I would not be able to solve such a big case.”
Han Ze laughed out loud, leaned lazily on the sofa, and said, “Director Wu should be promoted again this time, right?”
Director Wu laughed and said, “Brother Han, you are my lucky star. The last time you were promoted was because you solved the largest gambling fraud case in the provincial capital. This time, the drug trafficking case was also solved thanks to your credit, Brother Han. How can I thank you?”
Han Ze said seriously, “I just provided a piece of information. The case was solved thanks to the efforts of Director Wu and his subordinates. How can you put the credit on me?”
Director Wu smiled, “You kid.”
…
Hancheng Group’s business projects involve many aspects, including hotels, catering, entertainment, IT, fitness, etc. After graduating from graduate school, Han Xingli joined her own company and started from the bottom. During her college and graduate school years, she would go to the company for internships every winter and summer vacation with Han Ze. After two years of work, she became the manager of the administrative department.
“Manager Han, it’s time for the interview.”
Han Xingli finished typing the last word of the document, raised her head, rubbed her sore neck, thought it was time to exercise, and said, “Here I am.”
Han Xingli went to the recruitment office with the document in her arms. When she arrived at the door of the office, she saw an acquaintance, Xu Xibo.
She pretended not to see him and walked into the office as if nothing had happened.
Xu Xibo’s eyes suddenly shrank, and he stopped the passing office staff and asked anxiously: “Who is the one who just went in?” The office staff looked at him impatiently: “Who are you talking about?”
Xu Xibo pushed his eye sockets and asked expectantly: “Han Xingli, is she also an employee of your company?”
The office staff looked at him with disdain. Manager Han is the daughter of their boss and the future successor of Hancheng Group. How dare this man want to take advantage of Manager Han? It’s wishful thinking for a toad to want to eat swan meat.
Thinking of this, she planned to teach him a lesson. She hugged her chest, looked at him arrogantly, and said: “What employee? Manager Han is the eldest lady of our company, the daughter of President Han. You haven’t even entered the company, so don’t ask about her.”
Xu Xibo’s face turned pale. How could it be possible that she is the daughter of the boss of Hancheng Group?
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152