“My oh my, I didn’t expect that Liu Yinuo to be so good to you. She protects you here and there, yet this is how you treat the gift she gave you?”
Lin Ziyan spoke in a mocking, sarcastic tone, making no effort to hide the ridicule in her eyes.
Ye Xingmian didn’t want to speak. She knew that no matter what she chose, Lin Ziyan wouldn’t let her off; only the target of the mockery would change.
Furthermore, Lin Ziyan was clearly the one who wanted to throw it away and forced her to choose, yet the way it came out of her mouth made it seem as if it were Ye Xingmian’s fault again.
She quickly realized this was one of Lin Ziyan’s mind games. Pursing her lips, she simply decided to ignore her.
“Hey, tell me, what would Liu Yinuo think if I told her about this? Her kindness can’t even compare to a little toy bear from a mother who hasn’t visited you in nearly ten years? Not to mention, that bear wasn’t even something she wanted to send.”
She used the girl’s own set of excuses for the time being, even though she didn’t actually believe the money for the bear had come from the mother.
However, her words didn’t seem to have an effect. The girl remained silent with her head bowed until Lin Ziyan grew impatient waiting for a response. Finally, she spoke, “Hurry up and eat. The food is getting cold. I’ll go tidy up the kitchen. You can eat first, and I’ll eat when you’re done.”
After saying that, she made a move to leave. She didn’t look at the scarf on the floor; she knew it no longer belonged to her.
“Hey, stop right there!”
The girl’s footsteps halted.
She turned around silently and expressionlessly, her slightly dull pink eyes looking at the impatient Lin Ziyan sitting in the chair.
“What is it?”
Lin Ziyan’s face darkened as she stood up and walked over to the girl.
“Tell me something.”
“How can you have no reaction at all? Is trampling on Liu Yinuo’s feelings really not a problem for you? Don’t you feel any self-reproach or guilt?”
Lowering her head to meet the girl’s dazed eyes, she placed both hands on the girl’s shoulders.
“As far as I know, she’s done a lot of good things for you, hasn’t she? When you had a fever, she took you home to recover. When you suddenly vanished, she even took time off to search the whole school for you. She gave you clothes, gave you money, and cared about you so much. Is this how you treat her kindness?”
She gave a grim smile.
“How can you be so cold-blooded?”
Hearing those words, the girl finally showed the expression Lin Ziyan wanted. Her whole body trembled violently, and she twisted her shoulders, trying to get her to let go. However, she couldn’t do it.
“No… it’s not… I… ugh… I…”
The strength left her body, and she slumped onto the cold floor, tears sliding down her cheeks as she wept silently.
Lin Ziyan, however, became happy. Her smile deepened. The girl had broken down, which meant she had successfully shattered her defenses.
She didn’t let Ye Xingmian go. Squatting down next to the limp girl, she gently lifted the girl’s chin with her palm, playfully staring into those tear-filled pink eyes.
“It’s not? Then what is it?”
“Ugh… I…”
“Oh, you wouldn’t even admit she gave you those clothes, claiming Qin Haiyue sent them instead. Do you hate her that much? You even give credit for her work to the person who bullies you every day?”
“I didn’t…”
Although what Lin Ziyan said didn’t match the facts, the girl didn’t care much. More importantly, she thought about her recent actions — distancing herself from Liu Yinuo, hiding from her, and avoiding her kindness. No matter how she approached or how well she treated her.
‘Is this really right?’
‘I… did I do something wrong?’
Yes, when she realized she liked Liu Yinuo, the sense of unworthiness had made her miserable. But the Class Monitor must have been miserable too when she realized she was being avoided. Her dark circles yesterday, her loss of control — was it all because of her? Because of her own issues, she had stayed up all night and couldn’t sleep. Because she was walking with Qin Haiyue, the Class Monitor had lost control and grabbed her so angrily.
All the details she hadn’t wanted to recall or hadn’t cared about came rushing back. Every look from Liu Yinuo, every attempt to get closer, and every gentle gesture felt like a heavy blow to the girl’s fragile heart, smashing it to pieces.
‘So, was the decision to stay away from Liu Yinuo… really right?’
She had hurt herself, and she had hurt her. It was as if she were suffering the consequences of her own actions.
For the first time, she realized she might be wrong — terribly wrong.
‘But even so, what should I do? Change my attitude? Would it be right to approach the Class Monitor again?’
She didn’t know.
Her eyes were a bit hollow. Seeing the girl like this, Lin Ziyan knew she was starting to space out and decided to pull her back to reality.
Without using too much force, she slapped the girl.
*Slap!*
With a crisp sound, her thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a sharp pain, and the girl indeed came to her senses. Without much thought, she quickly realized what had happened. She looked up blankly at Lin Ziyan.
She didn’t cry out in pain or scold her. Her gaze was a bit dull, and her voice was tiny.
“What is it…?”
Lin Ziyan smiled once more.
“Hey, I’m saying, why don’t you stop harassing her from now on? Anyway, a person like you doesn’t need her kindness. Why even go there? Just to waste her money and feelings?”
The girl closed her eyes and didn’t answer.
Her cheek felt hot, likely because of the slap. The force hadn’t been great, so the swelling would probably go down in a while. The girl remained silent, using her hands to push off the floor and stand up.
After the intense emotions passed, only endless confusion remained. Without looking at Lin Ziyan, she turned around to walk toward the kitchen.
“I still have things to do,” she said, intending to move past the topic.
“Hmph.” With a cold laugh, Lin Ziyan didn’t stop her this time. Although she didn’t know what was going on in the girl’s mind, just looking at her expression made her feel like she had achieved her goal, so she simply stopped caring.
After returning to the table to eat, she went to the sofa to scroll through her phone. Ye Xingmian, meanwhile, seemed to have no appetite. She ate a little, though it tasted like wax, then put the leftovers away, washed the dishes, and cleaned the messy dining table.
“Come here, little sister. Let big sister hold you for a while.”
Glimpsing that she had finished her work out of the corner of her eye, Lin Ziyan smiled and waved the girl over.
Looking up expressionlessly, the girl felt she couldn’t get a moment’s rest. She sighed in her heart. Carrying her complicated thoughts, she walked over.
Ye Xingmian was very light, or at least that was what Lin Ziyan thought. Holding her in her arms felt like holding a soft little kitten. She could feel her warm, comfortable body temperature and her slightly rapid heartbeat.
As expected, this method was the best. She didn’t need to use violence; she could cut off the girl’s connection with others using only words.
Gently sniffing the pleasant scent of the girl’s hair, Lin Ziyan felt she was brilliant.
She really hoped this moment could last a little longer.
Well, since their parents wouldn’t be back until tonight, it would be fine even if she held her all day, right?