That very night, Xu Qiaoqiao couldn't sleep.
Her mother's words from before bedtime kept running through her mind.
She didn't fall asleep until dawn.
She was awakened by the voice of Xu Nanjia.
"Little bastard, have you heard me? You are not to go to the front courtyard tomorrow night. Don't you dare disgrace our Xu Family!"
Xu Qiaoqiao opened her eyes to hear Tang Tiantian's soft retort, "I am not a bastard."
"Ha, you have no parents. What else can you be if not a bastard?"
Tang Tiantian lowered her head, "I do have parents, they just... they just..."
"Just abandoned you, right!"
Xu Nanjia's voice was sharp, her words cruel and remorseless, "Who knows, you might be the product of your mother's infidelity! People like you shouldn't even exist in this world."
Her words were becoming increasingly harsh.
Xu Qiaoqiao sprang up from bed, threw off the quilt and walked out, only to see Xu Nanjia standing in the yard, berating Tang Tiantian.
