At that moment, Ye Xingmian was completely stunned. She didn’t know what happened, only Xu Ming’s words echoing in her mind.
“Get out…”
“Didn’t you hear me? Get out yourself, don’t make me and your uncle throw you out.”
Those words reached her ears, Ye Xingmian’s whole body trembled. She barely managed to stand up by leaning on the wall. Lin Ziyan, held down by Lin Cheng, let out a reluctant whimper.
Ye Xingmian turned to look. Lin Ziyan was actually crying. She shook her head at Ye Xingmian.
“Don’t… don’t go…”
That gaze was so powerless, so reluctant, making Ye Xingmian’s heart tremble.
But soon, a heavy pain on her shoulder snapped her back to reality.
She let out a groan, holding her shoulder.
Looking up, Xu Ming was just retracting her fist.
In her memory, this was one of the rare times her foster mother personally hit her.
“Get out!”
Xu Ming pointed outside.
“Oh, okay…”
Ye Xingmian nodded stiffly, slowly moving her feet.
Her legs were weak, she didn’t know why, but she could still walk.
Behind her, Lin Ziyan’s crying sounded again, but Ye Xingmian naturally didn’t look back.
“See, Ziyan? Mom and Dad didn’t lie. We said we wouldn’t hit her, and we didn’t. Don’t be mad at us.”
It seemed like she was comforting Lin Ziyan? But the voice was a bit strange, sounding delirious.
Holding her painful shoulder, her neck also hurt, and other places where Qin Haiyue had hit her.
Ye Xingmian thought that using the word “black and blue” to describe herself must be the most fitting.
Pity and sympathy are emotions one can only feel for a third party. For herself, Ye Xingmian didn’t really feel it.
‘I can’t pity myself.’
‘Maybe I’m numb?’
In just one morning, so much had happened, and now she was being thrown out. Her brain probably hadn’t processed it yet.
Ye Xingmian thought so.
When she reached the door, she couldn’t help but stop.
The cold air outside rushed in, making her shiver all over.
The room had been heated, so she hadn’t felt it. But now that she was about to go out, the drawback of this revealing one-piece dress immediately surfaced.
It was really cold, cold enough to freeze someone.
The sun seemed to be blocked by clouds. It was gloomy outside, and the temperature felt at least below zero.
Wearing such clothes to go out into that freezing space was a huge test of courage.
Fortunately, Ye Xingmian didn’t need courage. She was forced out by others. Since there was only one path to take, she didn’t need such a thing as courage, right?
‘Rarely, my cowardly self has done something brave.’
After standing there for a long time, she turned to look.
Lin Ziyan was no longer being held down, but her foster parents were surrounding her. She seemed to want to come over, at least from the look in her eyes.
But she didn’t say anything, just remained silent.
Ye Xingmian hesitated for a moment.
Since she was being kicked out, could she pack some luggage?
So she said:
“I want to go back to my bedroom to pack some things. Can I leave after that?”
Her cellphone was still in the attic, along with some change of clothes, a coat, and such.
If she went out like this, she would freeze to death by tonight.
But her foster parents clearly didn’t want to give her that chance. Xu Ming snorted.
“There are no things of yours here, and that’s not your bedroom. Get the hell out!”
Ye Xingmian’s body stiffened, then she silently turned around, saying nothing.
Her back looked very thin, just like when she first came to this home with her mother as a child.
At that time, she had nothing on her.
Now that she was leaving, she still had nothing on her.
As she left, she habitually closed the door.
As her footsteps gradually faded away, Xu Ming, still sitting on the bed, frowned.
“Go out and watch her. Don’t let her take anything from the house. Hurry up!”
With that said, Lin Cheng also followed out.
Only the mother and daughter remained in Lin Ziyan’s bedroom.
Ye Xingmian had been driven away. Lin Ziyan sat dazed on the bed, her eyes vacant.
Xu Ming frowned and tried to comfort her:
“Ziyan, what are you thinking in that head of yours? What’s so good about her? What attracts you so much that you’d abandon your parents? Honestly, Mom just can’t stand that kind of person.”
Lin Ziyan didn’t speak, like a statue.
“Fine, don’t worry about her. Those times she didn’t come home at night before, didn’t nothing happen? Mom guesses she went to one of your classmates’ houses.”
“Since they’re such good friends, it’s no big deal to let her stay there for a couple more days. Take these two days to think things through. When it’s about time, Mom will go pick her up.”
“Ziyan? Say something. Don’t blame Mom and Dad for being harsh. We’re doing this for your own good. How could that kind of person be worth your lifelong commitment?”
“Get out…”
Xu Ming didn’t hear clearly at first.
“Sweetheart, what did you say? Mom didn’t catch that.”
“Get out.”
Lin Ziyan finally spoke, but her voice was too low.
“What?”
“GET OUT!!!”
Lin Ziyan suddenly shouted, startling Xu Ming.
Even a clay figure has a temper. Being yelled at by her daughter like that, Xu Ming was truly angry.
She stared at Lin Ziyan for a while, then suddenly laughed coldly.
“Fine, fine! Very well! Alright, I’ll leave now. You stay here and think hard about what’s right and what’s wrong!”
Xu Ming went out.
The door slammed shut with a bang! — obviously with considerable force.
This was also… the first time since Lin Ziyan could remember that her mother had treated her like this.
But Lin Ziyan’s mind wasn’t on that.
She collapsed weakly onto the bed, hugging the blanket, tears flowing uncontrollably from the corners of her eyes.
“Sister” was gone, driven away.
Her only chance was lost.
Maybe she would never have such a chance again.
Would “Sister” come back?
Being driven out like that, would something happen to her health?
She didn’t know…
She knew nothing.
Lin Ziyan only felt a tearing pain in her chest, a pain that seemed to mock her helplessness constantly.
In the end, after doing so much, mustering the courage to risk everything, even if it meant ruining her image in “Sister”‘s eyes — that action had failed…
Nothing was left.
She had become a complete failure.
Lin Ziyan took out something from the bed’s headboard. She cried silently, holding it in her arms.
—This toy bear that had been through so much.
It was originally given to her by her parents. That was Ye Xingmian’s little bear.
Later, she gave it to Ye Xingmian, but soon snatched it back. Then it was torn by her own hands, and then sewn back together.
Now, it belongs completely to her.
Ye Xingmian once used it to console her longing for her mother.
And for Lin Ziyan now? She didn’t know. She just hugged the furry little bear tightly.
She buried her head in the bear’s embrace, trying to sniff out the faint scent of Ye Xingmian that had faded with time.