These words were calm, but they pierced deeply into everyone's hearts.
Bai Xiumei frowned and tapped her cane repeatedly before speaking, "Mingjiao, what do you have to say for yourself?"
"I… I…" Cheng Mingjiao opened her mouth but found herself unable to respond under Gu Xuejiao's piercing gaze.
"Mingjiao certainly didn't mean it!" Liu Yazhen quickly interjected, attempting to defend her daughter.
"Mingjiao, do you realize your mistake?" Bai Xiumei's voice was firm as she continued to stare at Cheng Mingjiao.
Cheng Mingjiao hurriedly nodded, her face flushed with embarrassment.
Bai Xiumei let out a small sigh, her expression softening into something that appeared kind. "It's good to acknowledge your mistakes. Now, you need to apologize to your aunt."
Cheng Mingjiao froze for a moment, then stiffly turned toward Li Sitong. "Big Aunt, I… I…"
"Mingjiao, you should apologize," Bai Xiumei urged, her tone leaving no room for refusal.
"I'm sorry!" Cheng Mingjiao finally spat out the words, her voice low and filled with reluctance.
Xuejiao remained seated, her face calm, with a faint, mocking smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
"Enough!" A woman's voice suddenly erupted.
Everyone turned, shocked. It was Li Sitong who had shouted.
The virtuous and kind woman, who had always been subdued since marrying into the Cheng family, had exploded with unexpected force.
Li Sitong took a deep breath, attempting to calm herself. Until now, her instinct had always been to smooth things over quickly and avoid further conflict. But at that moment, she caught sight of her daughter's mocking smile—a smile filled with bitterness and resignation.
It struck her like a knife.
Li Sitong turned to Cheng Mingjiao. "Mingjiao, you are only two months younger than Xuejiao, but you're already 16. You can criticize me, insult me if you like, but you cannot insult my daughter. She has done nothing wrong, and she does not deserve to be treated this way."
Cheng Shuo gently placed a hand on her shoulder, offering silent support. "You're right," he said softly.
Li Sitong's eyes filled with tears as she glanced at Cheng Shuo. Xuejiao, however, sat unmoving, her expression blank.
"She hit me! She hit me!" Cheng Mingjiao shouted, her voice shrill. "She hit me, and yet I have to apologize first? Why is everyone protecting her? Why?! I'm the one with the Cheng surname!"
"Because you disrespected her mother," Cheng Shuo replied, his tone steady as he looked directly at Cheng Mingjiao.
Cheng Mingjiao was momentarily stunned. She glanced around, her gaze landing on Bai Xiumei, but the old woman remained silent, her expression unreadable.
Then her eyes moved to the old man, whose brows were furrowed in disapproval. His disappointment was palpable.
It felt as though Cheng Mingjiao's mind exploded. Why were her own family members taking Gu Xuejiao's side? Why were they asking her to apologize?
"You're all protecting her!" she screamed, before storming out of the room.
"Mingjiao!" Liu Yazhen called after her anxiously. She turned back to glare at Li Sitong. "Are you satisfied now?"
With that, she hurried after her daughter, leaving the room in tense silence.
Li Sitong was visibly shaken.
Bai Xiumei sighed, stepping forward to take Li Sitong's hand. Her tone was soft, almost soothing. "Mingjiao was out of line today. I don't know what got into her. But you are her aunt, Sitong. Please bear with her. I know you are a good and understanding child."
Since marrying into the Cheng family, Li Sitong had always been cautious. As a second wife with a child from a previous marriage, she had felt the weight of the family's disapproval. Although Bai Xiumei rarely said anything outright, Li Sitong had always sensed her dissatisfaction.
But today, for the first time, the old lady had spoken warmly to her. Li Sitong was moved.
"Mom…" she whispered, her voice filled with emotion.
Bai Xiumei nodded, smiling kindly. "Good child. And Xuejiao is a good child too…"
Li Sitong turned toward Xuejiao with guilt etched across her face. "Jiaojiao, I'm sorry about everything…"
Xuejiao didn't respond. She simply lowered her head, staring at the floor.
That night, Bai Xiumei spent a long time comforting Li Sitong. Their rare moment of closeness seemed to lift some of Li Sitong's sadness, and her mood improved slightly.
Xuejiao, however, remained silent. She returned to her room early and, for the first time, didn't open her books. Instead, she lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling.
Everyone had spoken up for her today. Even her "mother" had stood up for her. But for some reason, Xuejiao felt no joy.
After a while, she picked up her phone and sent a message to Lin Zhihua:
"I never realized so clearly before… I truly am an outsider."
Lin Zhihua's reply came almost instantly:
"What happened?"
Xuejiao hesitated for a moment before typing out the details of the evening. For some reason, it felt natural to share these thoughts with Lin Zhihua. Was this what having a friend felt like?
Lin Zhihua's response came quickly:
"Your stepfather is just. Cheng Kai is trying to educate his daughter. And your grandfather… he's doing the same, but only because Cheng Mingjiao's actions were unacceptable. The old lady, however, is different. She's on your cousin's side. She handled tonight's situation carefully. If Cheng Mingjiao had cooperated, the matter would've ended quietly."
Xuejiao frowned, rereading his message. She didn't entirely understand. "The old lady was in control?"
Lin Zhihua explained further, "Your mother's outburst was impulsive and emotional. It wasn't strong enough to leave a lasting impact. But your stepfather respects her feelings. The old lady's strategy was to pacify your mother so that she, in turn, could calm everyone else. This way, the family's harmony remains intact, and Cheng Mingjiao's mask is restored."
Before Xuejiao could reply, another message arrived:
"Your mother will come to you tonight."
At 10 PM, there was a knock at Xuejiao's door.
She remained seated, reading quietly, as the door opened.
"Jiaojiao…" It was Li Sitong's voice.
She approached with a cup of warm milk, forcing a smile. "You were wronged today. Drink this and rest early. You have school tomorrow."
"I have to write a review," Xuejiao replied flatly.
Li Sitong's smile faltered, but she quickly recovered. "I'm sorry. I'll never do this again…"
"Really?" Xuejiao looked up at her, her gaze piercing.
"Really! I promise!" Li Sitong said earnestly.
"But I don't believe you," Xuejiao replied softly. "Just as you don't believe me."
Li Sitong was stunned. "No… it's not like that…" she stammered.
Xuejiao looked at her with tired eyes. "Mom, you still have Uncle Cheng and the Cheng family. But I… I only have you. Cheng Mingjiao calls me an 'extra burden.' I can tolerate it because, in a way, I am. But you… you shouldn't slander me. Even if her last name is Cheng, she has no right to insult me. And you certainly shouldn't either."
"No! Jiaojiao! You're not an extra burden. You're my treasure! You even have a father now. Uncle Cheng will protect you. You and Cheng Mingjiao are the same!" Li Sitong's voice trembled.
"We're not the same. At the very least… her mother will protect her," Xuejiao said bitterly. Her lips twitched in a wry smile. "Mom, I don't know what I did wrong. Do you know how much it hurt when you hit me today? It felt like I'd been betrayed by the whole world. It felt like there was no one left who cared about me."
"Jiaojiao…" Li Sitong's tears started to flow uncontrollably.
She knew she had hurt her daughter today, but she hadn't realized just how deeply. She hadn't understood how much Xuejiao needed her trust and protection.
"Please leave," Xuejiao said softly but firmly. She placed a hand over her chest, as though trying to steady the pain there. "I need some time to think."
"I…" Li Sitong hesitated, looking at her daughter's pale face.
"Leave," Xuejiao repeated, turning her back.
Li Sitong turned to the door, her steps faltering. When she stepped out, she saw Cheng Mingze standing in the hallway, leaning against the wall.
"Mingze… You haven't gone to bed yet?" she asked awkwardly.
"Auntie," Cheng Mingze said coldly, "You went too far today."
His voice was calm, but his words were a dagger to Li Sitong's heart. Without waiting for her response, he walked into his room and shut the door firmly.
Li Sitong returned to her room, her composure finally crumbling as she burst into tears.
"Sitong! What's wrong? What happened?" Cheng Shuo quickly got out of bed, alarmed by her state.
"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry… I'm not a good mother!" she cried, clutching Cheng Shuo tightly.
"What's wrong? Tell me what happened!" Cheng Shuo asked anxiously, trying to calm her down.
"I hit her… I hurt Jiaojiao… She's my only daughter, and I hurt her so badly. She doesn't even trust me anymore!" Li Sitong's voice was choked with sobs.
Cheng Shuo gently patted her back. "Don't cry, Sitong. I know you're a good mother. Jiaojiao will understand. We'll apologize to her together tomorrow."
"But why? Why does Mingjiao have to provoke her like this? Why did it come to this?" Li Sitong sobbed helplessly.
"Mingjiao crossed the line this time," Cheng Shuo said firmly. "We can't let this slide. Tomorrow, I'll make sure she comes over to apologize."
He took out his phone and dialed a number. When Cheng Kai answered, Cheng Shuo's voice was serious. "Ah Kai, Mingjiao needs to come over tomorrow morning to apologize to Jiaojiao. What she did today was unacceptable."
Xuejiao lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She had poured her heart out, but the pain still lingered. After a while, she picked up her phone and sent a message to Lin Zhihua:
"You were right. My mother came to me tonight, but it wasn't the comfort I needed."
Lin Zhihua's reply came quickly:
"She came to save face, not to repair your relationship. Tomorrow, your cousin will be brought over to apologize, but it will be framed as if she is being forced to do so. They will try to make peace, but it won't feel genuine. Don't let it affect you too much. Focus on what truly matters to you."
Xuejiao stared at the message, her mind spinning. How could he know all this so clearly?
At 6 a.m. the next morning, Li Sitong called out from downstairs. "Jiaojiao, come down quickly. Mingjiao is here!"
Xuejiao got up slowly, her movements deliberate. She grabbed her schoolbag and walked to the stairs. Peeking downstairs, she saw not only Cheng Mingjiao but also Bai Xiumei.
Her heart sank. She reached into her bag, pulled out her phone, and opened WeChat.
Sure enough, Lin Zhihua had sent another message:
"If your grandmother comes along, it means she's there to smooth things over and save face for the Cheng family. Be cautious."
Xuejiao read his message carefully before putting her phone away and descending the stairs.
"Jiaojiao, you're awake!" Bai Xiumei greeted her warmly. "Mingjiao insisted on coming early this morning to apologize."
Cheng Mingjiao stood stiffly, her face flushed with anger and reluctance. When Xuejiao's eyes met hers, she could see the simmering resentment behind her cousin's forced smile.
"Cousin, you're awake," Cheng Mingjiao said in a strained voice. "I'm here to apologize…"
Xuejiao looked at her for a moment, then smiled faintly and walked slowly toward her.