Zhou Zixuan stopped He Tiantian on the playground.
It was just after school, and in addition to the students, there were some parents who had come to pick up their children.
Zhou Zixuan had a loud voice, and she deliberately shouted loudly, which immediately attracted many onlookers.
Under the scrutiny of all eyes, being publicly called a "liar" would have embarrassed any other girl in her teens. Even if she didn't run away, she would have bowed her head, not knowing how to respond.
But He Tiantian was no ordinary elementary school student.
Her family had a long tradition of eloquence, and when she spoke, she could out-talk most adults, let alone a girl her age.
"Liar? Who are you calling a liar?" He Tiantian glanced blandly at Zhou Zixuan and asked slowly and calmly.
"The liar is you!" Zhou Zixuan blurted out without realising the trap in the question.
"Oh, so it's the liar calling me then!"
Zhou Zixuan took a while to catch on, and she became even more enraged: "You're the liar! You're mean, you bully people!"
He Tiantian, a bit impatiently, touched her ear and said, "You rushed over here accusing me of being a liar, and I haven't even said you are bullying anyone. Now you're turning it around like Zhu Bajie playing the victim?"
"You're calling me a pig? You, you... it was you who tricked my grandpa and caused my mom to be scolded by him, and you dare call me Zhu Bajie?"
Zhou Zixuan, just a girl in her teens, overwhelmed by He Tiantian's retort and the comparison to Zhu Bajie, sobbed in frustration.
Her pitiful look was truly heartbreaking.
He Tiantian inwardly rolled her eyes, huh, listening to Zhou Zixuan's accusation, she roughly guessed what happened.
It seems Zhou Zixuan's grandpa was a client of her parents, and Zhou Zixuan's mom couldn't stand seeing her own father duped into buying loads of health products, often cursing He Hongtu and his wife as swindlers at home.
Zhou Zixuan heard it so many times she took it to heart.
Now, upon seeing He Tiantian, the alleged "young swindler," she couldn't hold back and came looking for trouble.
"Who is your grandpa?" He Tiantian was somewhat familiar with her parents' clients.
After all, over the years, she had often visited those grandparents with her parents.
Some treated her almost like their own granddaughter.
"My grandpa is, is—" Zhou Zixuan suddenly stuttered. She couldn't remember her grandpa's name at the moment.
Well, at her age, to her, grandpa was just grandpa, why would she care about his actual name?
However, Zhou Zixuan was clever and said after a moment, "My mom is Chen Yanzhi. She works at the county hospital and just transferred back last month from the neighboring county!"
Oh~~
So she is the granddaughter of Grandpa Chen.
"...He Tiantian, your dad and mom are swindlers, always coaxing my grandpa to buy health products. My mom is a nurse, and she says those things are scams and don't cure anything!"
"Also, you're a little swindler yourself. You, you are wearing clothes that my grandpa had relatives bring from the city." Sob, she really liked that skirt too, but her grandpa ended up giving it to a stranger!
Initially, Zhou Zixuan didn't intend to start fighting with He Tiantian as soon as she transferred schools, but witnessing He Tiantian wearing that dress, she recognized it immediately.
She had a similar one.
She wanted both, but unfortunately, her grandpa disagreed, insisting on picking one to give away.
At the time, Zhou Zixuan's mom thought it was meant for a relative or someone useful.
To her amazement, it turned out to be a gift for the child of those who sold health products!
Zhou Zixuan considered herself an Eldest Miss with status, whereas He Tiantian and her kind were nothing but swindlers detested by her parents.
So, both of them ended up wearing the same dress—how could Zhou Zixuan not be aggrieved?
"Oh, so you're Grandpa Chen's granddaughter."
He Tiantian's eyes whirled around, and suddenly changing her tone, she bombarded Zhou Zixuan with questions: "Do you know what your grandpa likes to eat?"
"Do you know what your grandpa is allergic to?"
"Did you know he was hospitalized last month due to gastroenteritis?"
"Do you know what he usually likes to do? Do you know that ever since he started taking the health supplements my dad sells, he has looked several years younger?"
Zhou Zixuan was at a loss for words, completely unable to respond.
Firstly, there were some questions for which she genuinely didn't know the answers.
Secondly, He Tiantian spoke so quickly that Zhou Zixuan hadn't even processed the information before it all came spilling out.
In arguments, maintaining a strong momentum is crucial.
Clearly, He Tiantian's presence had completely overwhelmed Zhou Zixuan.
Unsatisfied, He Tiantian suddenly switched topics. "By the way, I heard Grandpa Chen saying that your mom likes doing beauty treatments. A set of products costs thousands, claiming to whiten skin, remove blemishes, and reduce wrinkles!"
"You just said that your mom is a nurse and knows everything. So why don't you ask her if those beauty salon products truly make her beautiful and youthful?"
"Your mom says that the health supplements Grandpa Chen buys can't cure diseases, but in fact, they've made Grandpa Chen look several years younger!"
"Grandpa Chen says your mom's beauty treatments are a waste of money, yet she doesn't listen to him. Could it be that she's also stubborn and has been deceived?"
Zhou Zixuan was utterly confused.
She was dizzy from He Tiantian's arguments—how was her calling the He family scammers related to her mom going to beauty salons for treatments?
But Zhou Zixuan felt that maybe her mom was also somewhat in the wrong.
At least in her grandfather's view, her mom going to beauty salons was just throwing money away.
Just like her mom thought that her father-in-law had been scammed by those selling health products.
"It's not about who's deceiving whom; the key is whether the person themselves thinks the money was well spent!"
"Your mom feels that she's gained satisfaction from beauty treatments and that the money was well spent; your grandfather thinks that going to our club has given him health and happiness, so that can't be considered a scam!"
How horrible it was to talk about scams and deceivers!
Their family genuinely provided emotional support, offering clients the companionship they most desired and needed.
With He Tiantian's words, not only was Zhou Zixuan left speechless, but even the adults watching the argument were swayed to consider that maybe the child had a point.
They were all adults capable of spending their money on what gave them pleasure; who were others to judge?
Amidst the crowd, however, He Hongtu and Tian Zhenzhen felt both proud and worried upon seeing He Tiantian like this.
"…Husband, I—I just feel uneasy!"
Tian Zhenzhen, with a trembling voice, clung to He Hongtu's hand.
It felt as if their daughter had been led astray by them.
He Hongtu licked his lips; that obstinate streak in their daughter, he knew it all too well—it was like seeing a smaller version of himself.
Although He Hongtu believed he didn't steal or cheat, and certainly wasn't a scammer,
if he were to face the harsh truth, he—he wasn't entirely pure and innocent either.
Like his daughter, facing clients' accusations and curses, he might not be able to be as composed as her.
Their Tiantian seemed to wholeheartedly endorse their profession.
Those values... they were quite concerning!
"Wife, maybe we should be more cautious from now on, or perhaps even change our job!"
They were already deep in the mire and yet they hoped their only child could follow the righteous path, rather than being like them, frequently branded as "scammers"!
"Ding-dong! The villain's fate has been rewritten; the plot of this story has been completely unlocked!"
Just as He Tiantian was leaving Zhou Zixuan defeated and speechless, and before He Tiantian could even take pride in her victory, a robotic voice suddenly echoed in her mind.
He Tiantian: ...
F*ck, what does this mean?
Am I not reborn, and is this world not really existing—are we merely characters in a book?!