He Zhilan asked herself, if she could relive her life, and if, at this moment, He Teng wanted to divorce her, would she agree?
The answer was quite clear. Absolutely not.
After a divorce, where could she go? Where else could she find a family like the He Family who treated her so well? She couldn't be an ingrate, only to run away after being nurtured. She wanted to stay in this house and be a good daughter to her father.
Timing her approach, only after she was sure that He Dongxue had finished washing the dishes and returned to her room, did He Zhilan come out of her room to look for He Dongxue.
He Dongxue's academic performance was average, but she was always hard-working. After washing the dishes, she would do her summer homework in her own room. When she heard He Zhilan knocking on the door and calling her, she initially didn't want to respond, but she eventually opened the door.
"What do you want?" He Dongxue opened the door but blocked the entryway, not letting He Zhilan in.
"You're doing homework, right?" He Zhilan managed to force a smile.
He Dongxue was taken aback. This was the first time He Zhilan had smiled at her since they were children.
He Zhilan was very attractive, something everyone in the school knew. God only knows how many male students secretly admired He Zhilan. However, He Dongxue never saw what was so great about He Zhilan, who always had a poker face, as if everyone owed her money.
But now, He Zhilan was suddenly smiling at her. He Dongxue was taken aback by this smile. No doubt about it, He Zhilan was indeed beautiful.
Regaining composure, He Dongxue arched her brows. "What's it to you?"
"I was just checking in. If you're doing homework and there's something you don't understand, you can ask me. I can help you," He Zhilan quickly explained. "You are about to start your senior year, and the curriculum is quite challenging. If you have time, I can help you review."
"There's no need. Don't think I'm impressed because you got into Capital University. I don't need your pretentious help. Who knows, you might be harboring ill intentions and deliberately teach me wrong!" He Dongxue was on guard against He Zhilan as if she were an enemy, especially in a house where only one person could afford to go to school. She was even more worried that He Zhilan would pull something like that.
He Zhilan didn't take offense even though He Dongxue shut her down. If it were the old her, she would have been furious.
He Zhilan thought, given her past horrible behavior, it was only right that He Dongxue disliked her and needed to be cautious around her.
In the afternoon, He Teng went up to the mountains with He Zhongguo. He Dongxue spent the whole afternoon doing her homework at home. He Zhilan walked around the house, looking for things to do. In the end, she washed everyone's clothes, swept the house, and cleaned the room until she genuinely couldn't find anything else to do, only then did she return to her room to rest.
When He Teng and He Zhongguo came home in the evening, they saw everyone's clothes hanging in the yard. At first, they were startled. Right then, He Dongxue, stretching after a long period of study, came out of the house. He Teng said, "Dongxue, didn't we tell you to focus on your studies? It's okay if you wash dad's clothes, but why did you wash mine too? I can wash my own clothes. You need to study instead of wasting time like this."
"Just wash your own. I can handle mine," He Zhongguo added.
He Dongxue was taken by surprise. She looked at the yard full of clothes, rubbed her eyes, and then realized that if these clothes weren't washed by her brother or father or by herself, then they must have been washed by her high and mighty sister-in-law.
"Dad, Brother, I've been doing my homework in the room all afternoon. I just came out. I didn't wash any clothes." He Dongxue pointed at He Zhilan's room. "It was probably her who washed them."