“You actually dared to hit me!!”
Shen Cishu glared at Su Li, furious beyond control.
Her eyes scanned the surroundings as she searched for something, completely ignoring the burning pain on her cheek.
She bent down and grabbed the paint off the floor, then threw it directly at Su Li.
“So you really are that bitch Bai Huizi’s lackey sent to spy on me!”
“If not, how could you dare hit me?”
“Why did you hit me?”
“I paid you to provide me a service, why would you hit me?”
“Bitch!”
“You bitch!”
As she spoke, Shen Cishu grabbed everything nearby and hurled it at Su Li.
Seeing Su Li dodge swiftly only fueled her rage even more.
“I knew it all along! You’re that damn Bai Huizi’s way to disgust me.”
“How could Mom possibly hit me?”
“She wouldn’t hit me!”
“I’m going to kill you, bitch.”
“You—”
Su Li’s expression remained unreadable despite Shen Cishu’s fury.
The more indifferent Su Li looked, the angrier Shen Cishu became.
No matter how many things she threw, she only succeeded in making a mess of the room.
She couldn’t land a single hit on Su Li.
“Stop right there!”
“Stop!”
Su Li paid no attention to Shen Cishu’s shouting, instead contemplating whether to calm her down.
She was too stubborn.
“That’s enough!”
Su Li stopped moving and ceased dodging, letting the thrown objects hit her.
She merely raised an arm to shield herself lightly.
Though pain radiated from her body, she didn’t mind.
Her slender figure stood quietly amid the chaos, her skirt falling like frozen moonlight.
Books scattered and vibrant paint splattered wildly around her, forming a frenzied backdrop that only made her seem more serene.
A paint can narrowly grazed her ear and exploded against the wall in a dazzling splash of crimson, yet not even her eyelashes twitched.
When the sharp smell of turpentine mixed with hysterical curses rushed toward her, Su Li’s back remained perfectly straight.
“How long are you going to keep this up?”
Su Li’s tone lost its usual softness as she stared directly at Shen Cishu, who was still gripping paint.
Hearing Su Li’s words, Shen Cishu stopped moving and began trembling uncontrollably.
“Why? Why do you all side with Elder Sister?”
“No matter what Elder Sister has done, the person you believe in and choose is always her.”
“Why does she get everything from birth?”
“While I can only pick up what’s left behind, no matter how hard I try, I can’t catch up to her shadow.”
“Why? Why am I just born a little later?”
Her voice hoarse, Shen Cishu’s tears streamed down her cheeks.
The paint in her hand slipped as her fingers opened, dropping to the floor.
Her tear-filled gaze locked onto Su Li’s before she turned and, barefoot and stained with paint, jumped onto the sofa.
Curled up, she buried her face in her knees.
She didn’t care about dirtying the expensive sofa.
“You’re not my mother at all.”
“You’re Bai Huizi’s dog. She sent you to get close to me.”
Shen Cishu’s voice was low, but Su Li heard it clearly.
“You came just to mock me, to laugh at my miserable life.”
Her life was as messy as the scattered paint on the floor.
She didn’t want much—just the same as her Elder Sister.
But she was destined never to have what her sister had.
“Even when I pay someone to serve me, I end up getting slapped hard.”
Covering her burning cheek, Shen Cishu felt even more wronged inside.
Su Li stood quietly, saying nothing.
Shen Cishu’s emotions had just begun to stabilize.
If Su Li spoke now, it might only escalate her distress.
Looking around the ruined room, Su Li estimated it would take a lot to clean and repair everything.
As for whether the cost would be more or less than the paint expenses, she had no idea.
“When Bai Huizi made a deal with you, did you ever dare to slap her?”
After some time, the crying faded, replaced by a softer voice.
Su Li looked toward the sound and saw Shen Cishu no longer hiding her face in her knees.
She stared fixedly at Su Li.
“Bai Huizi never slapped me.”
“If she tried, and didn’t pay, I would slap her right back.”
Su Li spoke calmly, as if stating something perfectly ordinary.
Shen Cishu opened her mouth to say more but found herself at a loss for words.
She looked stunned and confused.
Then she lowered her head again.
Silence returned, and Su Li pretended to tidy up but was actually slacking off.
“I’m sorry, Mom.”
After a long while, Shen Cishu spoke softly.
“I shouldn’t have said such terrible things to you.”
“It was my fault. I’m the one to blame.”
“I hope you can forgive me and give me another chance.”
Su Li felt a tug at her skirt.
Though stained with paint, she didn’t mind.
From the moment she entered Shen Cishu’s room, she had known this garment’s fate.
“It’s my fault, Mom.”
Shen Cishu clung tightly to Su Li’s arm, her body trembling faintly.
“Mom, I prepared a gift for you.”
As Shen Cishu spoke, Su Li’s phone vibrated.
A notification showed money had arrived.
Shen Cishu had just transferred twenty thousand yuan to her.
Su Li looked at Shen Cishu, unable to tell whether she was truly rational or caught up in childish acting.
But it didn’t matter.
The money had arrived, and the deal continued.
“This is money I earned by myself.”
“Mom won’t have to work so hard anymore.”
“If the family needs money, tell me. I can help ease the burden.”
“Mom can hold her head high from now on, no more like before.”
Her cheeks and clothes smeared with paint, Shen Cishu beamed proudly like a child receiving a star from her teacher, showing off to her mother.
At the same time, she looked at Su Li expectantly, as if waiting for her mother’s praise.
“Our little Cishu has grown up.”