Ding Yahe took two more steps forward. "You don't know what happened back then. Zhao Wenchun was like a madman. He even broke my hand. Look, look, these bruises haven't faded yet." She rolled up her sleeves, and the pinch marks on her slightly loose forearms were indeed shocking.
Zhao Xiyin's gaze lingered on it.
Ding Yahe thought she was moved, so she changed her tone and played the emotional card, "I know Lao Zhao didn't do it on purpose. In that situation, everyone was anxious, and it's understandable, right? Xiao Rui, Xiao Rui was worried about me, which is why she accidentally pushed your dad."
Zhao Xiyin suddenly stood up, her movements gentle and devoid of any anger. She interrupted, "Actually, Ni Rui made a very good point."
"Huh?" Ding Yahe was stunned.
“She said that all these years I’ve been close to you, and that I even consider you my mother, just to destroy her family.” Zhao Xiyin’s tone was calm, as if she were recounting what she had eaten that day. “That’s the kind of person I am. I can appear in your house anytime, in front of your current husband and daughter. I accept every piece of clothing and bag you give me just to make your husband and daughter unhappy. You’ve had your fair share of arguments about me over the years, haven’t you?”
Ding Yahe was trembling all over, and her earlobes turned red.
Zhao Xiyin looked at her with eyes as cold as water, "I really hate you so much."
"I hate that you treated my dad badly, I hate that you were so smug, I hate the sense of superiority you showed every time you belittled my dad, I hate that you made me unconditionally accommodate your other daughter, and I hate that you always used the word 'sister' as an excuse whenever something happened. Also, I especially hate Ni Rui; she is the most disgusting girl I have ever met."
After Zhao Xiyin finished speaking calmly, a smile appeared on her lips, innocent and pure, yet suddenly tinged with malice. She looked at Ding Yahe and asked, "Don't you think I'm pretty disgusting too?"
Ding Yahe's lips were trembling. "You, you."
Zhao Xiyin stepped forward, her smile becoming even more unrestrained. "Don't you feel a sense of accomplishment raising two such disgusting daughters at the same time?"
Ding Yahe nearly fainted, clutching her chest and struggling to breathe. Her shoulders were uneven as she staggered, reaching out for support. Zhao Xiyin was utterly wicked, revealing her dark side in its entirety.
This seed of resentment quietly grew in the fertile soil of gloom and hatred, bearing a deformed and ugly fruit. She endured for more than ten years, finally picking the fruit and smashing it with all her might against her mother's face, splashing her with its sour stench, experiencing the exhilarating pleasure of finally avenging her great grudge.
Zhao Xiyin said, "From now on, we'll go our separate ways. Just pretend you don't have a daughter like me."
After taking a few steps, Ding Yahe called out loudly from behind, "Zhao Xiyin!"
Zhao Xiyin said, "There's no need to plead for her. You should still help Ni Rui contact a lawyer. I'm not done with her yet."
"Niu Niu." Ding Yahe suddenly called her by her childhood name. Her voice, which had been sharp, was now hoarse, with a hint of sobbing, truly desolate and humble.
Zhao Xiyin stopped in her tracks instinctively, her back trembling slightly.
"Please let Xiaorui go, or she'll be finished. She's only twenty. My sister is immature; I spoiled her. If you're angry, take it out on me. You can hit me or yell at me if you want. If you're really upset, go to court tomorrow and settle things, sever our mother-daughter relationship. That way, I won't have to see her again and feel annoyed." Ding Yahe actually cried. "Please, spare Xiaorui's life."
Zhao Xiyin hardened her heart and said, word by word, "The road is one you have to walk yourself."
As she gripped the doorknob and pulled it halfway open, Ding Yahe cried out a sentence behind her. These words were like a knife, the blade striking her spine and making her sway and stagger.
"Xiao Rui is pregnant."
Chapter 37 An Arrow Piercing the Clouds (2)
It was almost midnight when I got home. Zhao Wenchun had just been discharged from the hospital and had taken three days off from school to recuperate. As people get older, an illness can make them look ten years older. When he stood up from the sofa, he had to hold onto the armrest and walk shakily.
He asked Zhao Xiyin, "Why are you back so late?"
Zhao Xiyin was like a lost soul, and it took her a while to respond, "I went to the wrong house, and went around to the back building. I couldn't open it with my key, so I thought you changed the lock."
Zhao Wenchun frowned. "He's being naughty again."
Mischievous? Not really.
Zhao Xiyin really went to the wrong house.
She tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep, constantly thinking about what Ding Yahe had said.
Ni Rui was pregnant, but of course she kept it a secret from everyone, including her father, Ni Xingzhuo. Ni Xingzhuo was a man who valued his reputation highly, and he absolutely hated airing his dirty laundry in public. Ding Yahe dared not say a word; otherwise, Ni Rui would have been half-dead.
Who is the child's father?
Ni Rui herself was unsure.
Ding Yahe was so angry that she actually vomited blood. She finally understood that Ni Rui's previous complaints about stomach pain, pale complexion, and difficulty taking leave from the troupe were actually symptoms of early pregnancy.
Despite her shame, Ding Yahe simply asked directly, "Who...who...have you slept with?"
A certain producer, a certain investor. Ni Rui cried, saying that every time she drank too much, she would wake up feeling confused. Those men were smooth talkers, promising to pave the way for her and give her good resources.
Ding Yahe was really about to faint, and slapped her across the face, yelling, "You bastard!"
Zhao Xiyin knew that after this accident, Ni Rui definitely couldn't stay in the troupe anymore. She was used to being flamboyant, and there were always people talking about her. Leaving would be a simple matter, but leaving gracefully with less criticism would be really difficult.
Ni Rui hadn't been to the troupe for three days, which greatly displeased the teachers, and rumors began to circulate.
Zhao Xiyin was so troubled by her thoughts that she pulled a pillow over her face. She thought to herself, "I brought this on myself, what's there to pity?"
After taking a shower, Ding Yahe posted a new message fifteen minutes ago: "I took her for a check-up. The doctor said that she's almost three months along and can't have a medical abortion; she'll need a dilation and curettage (D&C)."
Zhao Xiyin held her phone for a long time without moving. Her previous self-persuasion was easily shattered, and Ding Yahe's WeChat message easily stirred her compassion.
Zhao Xiyin dialed the number.
Ding Yahe sobbed uncontrollably, completely devoid of her usual sharp and domineering demeanor. It wasn't that she hadn't cried before; she always cried loudly, whether she was right or wrong, which was quite affected. But this time, Ding Yahe cried very softly, mostly just choking back sobs.
“What should we do with Xiaorui? She’s so, so young,” Ding Yahe sobbed. “If people find out, her life will be ruined.”
Zhao Xiyin interrupted coldly, "Young? You're twenty. Do you know what I was doing when I was twenty?"
Dance, dance, dance.
She danced her way into China's best dance university, performed on the national stage, won championships, went to France, and became the brightest star in the eyes of her professional teachers.
Unfortunately, the star fell, and she endured a long, dark night.