"Don't tell me you are going out tonight again, daughter." Ruoxi's mother intercepted her daughter's movement.
"Mother, there's a huge boredom here, and it's making me feel irritated and sick. I have to go out."
"boredom? Sick? You aren't ready to change. How can you be sick and bored when you have your siblings here to make you happy? Ruoxi, you are going nowhere!"
"Mother, don't try to get on my nerves. I don't know the joy you derive from seeing me stay in this house all day.
Speaking of my brothers, the last time I checked, they were just too boring for my liking.
What if I told you that the last time they thought they were trying to make me happy, I fell asleep, and that's because they can't be fun to be around?
I'm going out, mom, see ya!"
She tried to make a move out of the house, but then her mother put her buttocks back on the couch.
"Having fun, you said, then you can have that as much as possible by tomorrow morning or afternoon. It is late already, and you know how dangerous it can be out there, especially to you as a lady, don't you get it?".
Mom, I am an adult now; I can take care of myself, and nothing bad is going to happen to me, I promise. Okay?" She assured her mom of her safety.
"If you think that I am going to let you walk out of this house at this time, then you must be joking. Act decent and responsible for once, Ruoxi?
You should be more responsible as a woman. When do you intend to make us proud as your parents?"
"You know what, mom? I can't believe we are still having this kind of yieldless conversation. Fine, I am going inside my room to change into my nightwear and sleep. I give up on this, and you win."
She stood up abruptly and went to her room, leaving her mother in the living room.
Mrs. Yang pondered over her daughter's nonchalant attitude towards people around her. Is she ever going to grow up? Or does she think she's still a kid?
"I think I have failed on my part as a mother. I already gave her the wrong upbringing, but come to think of it, I raised her the same way I raised others, and they don't behave like Ruoxi. Mrs. Yang soliloquized as she left her room too.
Ruoxi came out of her room and into the living room to see if her mother was still there.
Luckily for her, her mother wasn't there. She tried to sneak out of the house, but unfortunately, she didn't know her younger brother, who was an insomniac, was there operating his phone, and she didn't check properly to see if there was another person there since she was already used to sneaking out without being caught.
"Where do you think you are going to be by this time? Don't you make use of your wristwatch, or is your phone that bad that you can't make use of it to check the time?"
His voice startled her. It didn't occur to her that there was someone in the living room, so when she heard the voice, she was startled, even though she knew it was her younger brother's voice.
You should understand that kind of scenario where you are trying to do something everyone in the house is against, and then in the process of doing it, you get caught in the act and interrupted. That was exactly what happened to Ruoxi.
"Shush!!."
She placed one of her fingers on her lips as an indication that she was silencing her brother and not speaking any further. But her tactics didn't work on him.
"I ask again, where are you going by this time? Is it not too late to try to sneak out of the house? He asked again, but this time with a calmer tone.
"Where does it look like I'm going all dressed like this? Club, of course, or do you have any problem with that?"
"You do know that I've always had issues with the way you live your life. So your habit of sneaking out of the house at late hours is not exempt.
Now, if you don't want Dad to know about this, quietly walk back to your room. This is past 10 p.m. already, so do what is right."
"You are so unbelievable. It's past 10 p.m., yet you are still awake. Aren't you supposed to be sleeping by now? Why are you still awake? She asked, giving him a weird look.
"You know I don't sleep by this time, so stop acting as if it is new to you or something strange."
"Ooh, I see. This is what you get when you have a brother who suffers from insomnia. They end up spoiling your plans. Especially plans of this nature. She complained bitterly. She did not complain to her brother; she only said those words aloud so that her brother would get hurt and feel bad about himself.
"Yes! They end up stopping their only sister from doing things that are uncalled for, thereby protecting them from encountering evil. Aren't they wonderful people? He teased her.
"You know what? You are suffering from this ailment because of your wicked heart. While others are asleep, you always find it hard to sleep; you are always restless. Yet you don't want to change," she said mockingly as she left for her room.
"You are not suffering from insomnia, yet you are always not sleeping at night, always looking for a way to sneak out of the house like a thief on his criminal mission," he responded mockingly.
**********
Ruoxi was in her third year at one of the most expensive and famous universities in China.
She was not doing well in her studies because she didn't want to go to school, but her parents had forced her into it. To them, as the only daughter who would certainly get married someday, she needed to study at a renowned university to avoid having her future husband or inlaws look down on her and take her for granted.
Let that be for Ruoxi; she had always wanted to go into music and acting, but her parents had stopped her from going into acting and music.
Her career choice was the only request made by Ruoxi that her parents had not granted her.
Her father, Mr. Yang, had promised not to ever allow any of his children to venture into acting or music.
On several occasions, he had arguments with his daughter about her career choice, which made her understand his reasons for kicking against what she desired for the very first time.
"I see quality education as my obligation as a father. Giving you my full support to be a celebrity is what I can't do, my daughter."
"Are you for real, Dad? But I have a passion for music and acting. You have to be my backbone in this family. You've never turned down my request; please don't let this be the first time," she pleaded.
Of course, Mr. Yang had never turned down his daughter's heart's desire. He had always made sure she was given everything she wanted. But with this particular request, Mr.Yang was not pleased.
"No child of mine would be in the media spotlight. Not for this reason, if at all, it should be for something professional that is worth emulating and being proud of."
Fine, Dad, what if I go to the university to study music and theater art?"
No, my dear, you are going for a professional course. Have you forgotten whose daughter you are? Being a celebrity would endanger your life. I don't want to lose my only daughter."
"Dad, it is obvious your mind is made up on this, and I have nothing to do about it to make you have a change of mind, but this is not fair."
"I'm sorry, my daughter, but I want the best for you. You must not have everything your way. It is my responsibility as a father to make some decisions for you that would not cause you any harm."
Ruoxi wasn't that bright academically; she had failed to make her parents proud by having poor grades in school.
There were times when her dad went to her school to know how she was doing academically and otherwise.
He ends up getting bad reports about his daughter. Sometimes they tell him Ruoxi has not been in school for days and has not been participating in most of the school's activities.
That was a big embarrassment to his personality. and that made him stop visiting her school. He made sure his wife, Mrs. Yang, was doing the visiting.
Often, Ruoxi was asked why she had not been doing well in school, and she would always remind her parents that she was compelled by her parents to go to the university.
To her, education never liked her; if she had been given the chance to make her own decisions, she would have gone for music and acting instead of schooling.
She once told her mother that they were getting what they deserved for forcing her to go to school.