Chapter 95: Chapter 95: Xin Zaozao’s Story (1)
Translator: 549690339
Jin City Central Hospital.
Song Zhizhi brought Xin Zaozao to the hospital.
After examining and dressing her wound, the doctors suggested she should stay in the hospital for a day for observation since she had sustained an injury to the back of her head, in case there was any damage inside the skull.
Song Zhizhi stayed with Xin Zaozao.
Xin Zaozao’s face was paler than ever, almost devoid of color.
Song Zhizhi said, “Eat something.”
She had the household servants bring some porridge. She figured this woman hadn’t had a drop to drink, let alone anything to eat, ever since receiving news of her father’s death.
Upon hearing the voice, Xin Zaozao’s eyes twitched slightly. She felt as if she were detached from the world. Her dry lips moved as she spoke, “We are strangers.”
The implication was: we have no ties, there’s no need for you to be so kind to me.
Song Zhizhi responded with a measured smile.
Perhaps precisely because she herself had been hurt before, she could understand anyone’s instinct to guard against everything.
She understood.
Just as when she found out how Yi Wenhan’s family had treated her, after her rebirth, she found everyone suspicious.
She said, “I have gone through what you are going through now.”
But Xin Zaozao showed little reaction.
“I understand what it’S like to lose a loved one.”
“But you haven’t,” said Xin Zaozao, focusing her gaze on Song Zhizhi.
“I have, in the past. You may think I’m lying,” laughed Song Zhizhi before deciding not to explain further. “Doesn’t matter, I understand how you feel right now and I won’t pressure you. I just want to tell you that if you refuse to accept this, you cannot let yourself go. In this world, no one can help you except yourself.”
Xin Zaozao looked at her,
“I won’t disturb your rest now.” Song Zhizhi got up to leave.
Xin Zaozao suddenly grabbed her.
Song Zhizhi looked at her pale, thin wrist.
She said, “I don’t know who to trust.”
Song Zhizhi nodded.
She understood.
Xin Zaozao let go of her.
Song Zhizhi didn’t leave right then. She knew that at this moment, Xin Zaozao was longing for company.
When one has been alone for too long, no matter how much they endure, they still crave some companionship.
“I actually didn’t have much of a relationship with my father,” Xin Zaozao said casually. “There was even a period when I despised him. I couldn’t understand why he would marry my mother, whom he didn’t love, or why they had me since their marriage was merely a business arrangement. There shouldn’t have been so many entanglements.”
Song Zhizhi listened quietly.
All Xin Zaozao wanted at the moment was a confidant.
“I was actually happy when my father remarried. I was fed up with the alternating phases of quarrels and silences between my parents. I thought my father marrying a woman he loved would bring peace to our family. I never expected that the archetypal wicked stepmother would appear in my household.”
Song Zhizhi pursed her lips.
“She didn’t like me. She would hit me behind my father’s back and when he was away on business trips, she would starve me or feed me expired food. She threw away all the things I liked and even had the servant frighten me with rats, ” continued Xin Zaozao.
Song Zhizhi looked at her.
At how Xin Zaozao was handling the situation with calm and composure.
“My dad loved her, loved her very much. So much so that even when she abused me, he turned a blind eye. There was a time when I hid in the closet, afraid to come out, for fear that she would beat me or scare me if she came across me. For a long time, I was terrified of her; I would wake from sleep frightened by her image in my dreams. Then came her son, Mu Cidian, who brought comfort into my life.”
At this point, Xin Zaozao seemed somewhat affected, but she quickly regained her composure.
“He would buy me delicious cakes, take me to amusement parks and meticulously help me with my studies. He even told me bedtime stories and helped me fall asleep,” said Xin Zaozao. “No one had ever been so nice to me before, not even my birth mother, because I wasn’t born out of love. I thought Mu Cidian loved me, until… the stormy night when I turned 18. After telling me a bedtime story, he didn’t leave. I didn’t regret losing my virginity to him right after I came of age. I didn’t cherish my body very much. After all, no one had ever taught me to love myself, or loved me.”
“But I couldn’t have imagined that after everything happened, Mu Cidian changed. He stopped playing with me, stopped buying me delicious food, and stopped helping me sleep. I didn’t understand why he had become so indifferent all of a sudden until one night… I mustered the courage to confront him. I went to his room and from behind the half-open door, I overheard him and his mother. She told him, ‘Xin Zaozao is just for fun, don’t let her interfere with our business.”‘
Xin Zaozao paused, seemingly repressing something. She regained control of her emotions and continued in the same matter-of-fact tone, “Next, Mu Cidian answered, ‘Do you think I like her? I don’t want to waste any time on her. Isn’t it you who asked me to do this? It’s nothing more than revenge! If it weren’t for Xin He’s relentless crippling of our family business back then, causing it to face bankruptcy and forcing my father to commit suicide, we wouldn’t be in this situation! I clearly remember everything!”‘
“So…” Xin Zaozao told Song Zhizhi, “their purpose of coming into our house was clear. His mother openly and secretly mistreated me while he pretended to treat me well just so he could betray me in the end. Everything was out of revenge, and they chose to take it out on me. Back then, they didn’t have the ability to deal with my father so I became the scapegoat. I wanted to tell them that my father never loved me. Their treatment of me wouldn’t affect him.”
“Obviously, they didn’t care. They just wanted to vent. ”
“Didn’t you tell your father about their intentions?” asked Song Zhizhi, unable to hold back..
