"Ring, ring, ring..."
The phone rang for a while before Lu Hongjun picked it up, upon hearing Ding Jing's sobs, he immediately became anxious, "Wife, wife, what happened to you?"
Ding Jing, choking back tears, said, "Siyi, Siyi has been beaten, she's now in the hospital."
Lu Hongjun sprang to his feet, his voice stern as he asked, "Who did it? Tell me, and I'll make sure they won't get away with it."
"It was Jiaxin who did it."
Lu Hongjun was taken aback, after a moment he said, "Jiaxin did it? Could there be a mistake?"
Ding Jing paused, then cried even harder, "Siyi said it herself, how could it be wrong? Old Lu, Siyi has injuries all over her body. If you can't get justice for her, I'm going to the police."
Currently, people in the family residential compound were saying he was favoring his new wife and stepdaughter, driving his own daughter out, but as long as he arranged things well for Jiaxin, this criticism would disappear. However, if Ding Jing reported the incident to the Public Security Bureau and Jiaxin got arrested, they could never wash away the stain.
Lu Hongjun said, "Don't panic, I'm heading to the hospital right now."
Once at the hospital, he heard the doctor say that although Zhao Siyi had many injuries, none of them were critical, and she should recover after resting for about half a month.
Zhao Siyi, lying in bed, burst into tears upon seeing Lu Hongjun, "Dad, I went to see Lu Jiaxin today, hoping to explain what happened the other day. But she went crazy like a lunatic, chasing me with a stick. Dad, my whole body hurts; dad, am I going to die?"
Although his daughter's temper had become violent over the past two years, and she often quarreled with him, she had never resorted to violence. Remembering what Lu Jiaxin had said, Lu Hongjun did not comfort her, but instead questioned her, "What's going on between you and Fan Yinuo?"
Zhao Siyi faltered, then lowered her head and said, "The first time I saw Brother Yino, I fell for him, but I knew he was Jiaxin's fiancé and didn't dare entertain any inappropriate thoughts. However, to my surprise, Brother Yino also liked me and even confessed his feelings, I... I couldn't reject him. We planned to come clean after the college entrance exam, but she found out."
She had initially not planned to admit it, but Ding Jing told her that Liao Xiangmei had already confessed to the affair in front of everyone, so she had to change her strategy.
Lu Hongjun said expressionlessly, "You did it on purpose for her to discover this, so she wouldn't get into college, right?"
Ding Jing protested, "Old Lu, what do you mean by that? Nobody else knows what kind of person Siyi is, but don't you? She has always treated Jiaxin like a real sister, but it's Jiaxin who's biased against her and keeps rejecting her."
In the past, whenever disputes arose between Lu Jiaxin and his wife and daughter, Lu Hongjun would scold Lu Jiaxin and then trivialize the matter. But now, as his daughter's temperament had greatly changed and was out of his control, if he handled it as before, not only his daughter might drift away from him, but his nephews might also become dissatisfied with him.
Looking at the pitiful Zhao Siyi, Lu Hongjun spoke with a cold expression, "What her temperament is, I really don't know."
Zhao Siyi stiffened.
Ding Jing was also taken aback, Old Lu's attitude towards his daughter had never been like this before, "Old Lu, what are you implying with those words?"
Lu Hongjun shot back, "She said she wanted to explain things to Jiaxin; she's already involved with Fan Yinuo, what's there to explain?"
After saying that, he softened his expression and said to Zhao Siyi, "Your so-called explanation is a provocation to Jiaxin. Siyi, you've always been a considerate and sensible good child. Jiaxin has been through a lot recently and has become a bit obsessed, I hope you can forgive her, and let's not pursue this matter any further."
Zhao Siyi nearly vomited blood.
Ding Jing knew that he was softened by tearful pleas, so she said with tears in her voice, "Old Lu, what happened with Fan Yinuo was truly Siyi's fault, but matters of the heart can't be controlled. Fan Yinuo doesn't like Jiaxin. Forcing them into marriage won't bring them happiness either."
Lu Hongjun agreed, "Fan Yinuo is the one who has his meal but eyes the pot. Such a man is not a good match. Siyi, after you leave the hospital, you should break it off with him."
Zhao Siyi was deeply infatuated with Fan Yinuo and couldn't bear to break it off, "Dad, Brother Yinuo and I truly love each other. I won't break up with him."
Lu Hongjun frowned and said, "Fan Yinuo is just the second son with mediocre abilities and questionable character; he doesn't have much of a future. You're about to go to university, where there are plenty of boys far superior to him in both family background and prospects. Why hang yourself on this crooked tree?"
Zhao Siyi shook her head vehemently like a rattle-drum," No, I love Brother Yinuo, and he loves me. Nobody can tear us apart."
Brother Yinuo not only came from a good family and was good-looking, but he was also very gentle, and more importantly, he had never looked down on her because of her background. In this lifetime, he was the only one she would marry.
Seeing her so determined, Lu Hongjun didn't try to persuade her any further, "I won't interfere with your relationship with Fan Yinuo, but you can't report this incident to the police."
Zhao Siyi turned to look at Ding Jing, and seeing she was silent, could only acquiesce with a sob.
Having achieved his goal, Lu Hongjun left.
Zhao Siyi wiped away her tears and said with a resentful expression, "Mom, you always say he cares about me. But when Lu Jiaxin battered me like this, he didn't even offer a word of comfort. Clearly, he doesn't take me seriously."
Ding Jing was also furious and whispered angrily, "I told you Lu Jiaxin has changed a lot and not to provoke her, yet you still went looking for trouble. What's so good about Fan Yinuo that has made you so mindless?"
She hadn't lied to the Lu family members. She discovered Zhao Siyi's affair with Fan Yinuo during the summer vacation and hadn't known about it beforehand. Had she known, she would definitely have tried to prevent it. Just as Lu Hongjun had said, there were plenty of men who were superior to Fan Yinuo in both family background and prospects. There was no need to endure the Fan Family's contempt.
Zhao Siyi shouted angrily, "Mom, I want to report her to the police. Lu Jiaxin beat me like this; I want her to go to jail."
Ding Jing cursed in frustration, "Zhao Siyi, is your head filled with tofu dregs? With the Xie Family and Lu Jiaguang protecting Lu Jiaxin, reporting her to the police won't likely put her in jail. Instead, making a big deal of this will just ruin your reputation."
Before she came in, she really didn't know. Old Lu's former woman was so cunning that she had won over both Lu Jiaguang and Lu Jiajie, and they treated that wretched girl like their own sister.
It was precisely because the Xie Family and the Lu brothers were protecting her, that she had thought to appease the girl when she first entered the family. Unfortunately, no matter how she tried to show goodwill, it was useless, so she changed her approach. It was a pity that the heavens were so favorable to that wretched girl, who even after falling into the hands of human traffickers managed to return home.
Zhao Siyi cried out in pain, "Was I beaten for nothing then?"
Ding Jing said, "Right now you can't get the better of her, but when the opportunity arises in the future, I'll make her pay back with interest."
As she spoke, she knew in her heart that now Lu Jiaxin had become more fierce since moving out, and she would be even harder to deal with in the future.
Zhao Siyi didn't want to wait for the future; she wanted Lu Jiaxin to pay the price now.
Ding Jing said with some exasperation, "We do nothing for now and show weakness to your father. That way, you can still get some compensation. If you report her, not only will you get nothing, but you'll also make your father despise you. Later on, he won't care about your work or marriage prospects."
Zhao Siyi fell silent. With her dad gone and the family without support, life was as bitter as chewing on Yellow Lotus; she didn't want to live like that anymore.