Chapter 34: The Crack
The homeroom teacher hadn’t expected her to say that; it was completely beyond her expectations. Clearly, this woman seemed easy to talk to. But how could she have such an indifferent attitude towards her own child?
While the homeroom teacher was stunned, Ye Zhiyun’s mind raced, considering countless possibilities. Her brain was constantly working, ceaselessly planning her next move. Of course, on the surface, she appeared perfectly calm, betraying nothing of her inner thoughts.
Once her plan began, it couldn’t be stopped. She had endured for too long for this moment.
Seeing the fright drain the color from Yu Linna’s face, Ye Zhiyun felt a surge of satisfaction. This was the effect she wanted. Yu Linna would definitely be put on the defensive, caught by the teacher, and then the real show would begin.
“This child isn’t the type who learns well through lectures. If you want to teach her properly, I suggest you don’t waste your energy. Letting her be a bit freer, living as she pleases, would be better.”
As she spoke these words, Yu Linna’s face grew increasingly pale. She shifted, fiercely pinching the soft flesh on Ye Zhiyun’s side and glaring at her, a seemingly silent protest.
Indeed, no matter how you looked at it, speaking ill of someone to their face was wrong. Especially in front of their homeroom teacher, and even more so when her current identity was supposed to be her parent.
“So, you tacitly approve of your child working part-time after school and neglecting her studies?”
Li Lexuan stopped drinking her tea, her expression turning unpleasant. She hadn’t expected Yu Linna’s parent to actually say such things.
Like mother, like daughter? Or are they both just cut from the same cloth?
“Yes, that doesn’t matter. My family is very liberal; she can do anything. As long as she doesn’t regret it.”
“I don’t think this is a matter of freedom anymore. Are you sure you’ve disciplined her properly?”
Alright, the anger is ignited. Ye Zhiyun’s goal is achieved. Now, it’s irreversible. No matter what, Yu Linna is finished this time. I believe the homeroom teacher won’t look kindly on her anymore. In that case, Yu Linna definitely won’t have a good outcome.
Suddenly, Yu Linna tugged at her clothes. Ye Zhiyun lowered her head. The blonde girl’s face was pale, but she still struggled to control the tremor in her voice as she whispered close to her ear.
“If you don’t want to help me, then just say less.”
She probably figured it out.
Whatever. Ye Zhiyun never intended for her to like her anyway. She had made it clear: she didn’t like her, hadn’t liked her from the start. She hated her.
Ever since Yu Linna appeared, she’d had nothing but bad luck. Every date with her childhood sweetheart was ruined, always messed up by her. She absolutely would not let her go.
She had decided long ago: get revenge, make her suffer, teach her a lesson. She wasn’t afraid of being hated. Because she hadn’t liked her from the start.
“Teacher.”
Yu Linna took a deep breath and slowly moved away from Ye Zhiyun’s side. As she moved away, her somewhat slender back looked a little lonely. Ye Zhiyun felt a tremor in her heart. Her side profile held a look of determination.
“I usually live alone, and I’m not very obedient, please don’t take offense. My relationship with my mom is just like this. Actually, she’s a good person, just not in a good mood today. You know, I…”
She tried her best to explain in a gentle tone, forcing a smile onto her face, though a slight tremor couldn’t be avoided in her voice.
Acting like this now is useless, Ye Zhiyun thought, staring coolly at her. The situation is already broken. It’s impossible for her to turn this around. Unless she wants to burn her bridges, but I doubt she has the courage.
“I know I didn’t perform well. Teacher, please rest assured, I will do well on the next exam, I promise. Really.”
Why doesn’t she just give up…?
What’s the point?
She knows she’s been deceived, yet she’s still trying so hard to patch up this lie. What is she thinking? Ye Zhiyun didn’t understand. How could this child, Yu Linna, be so naive? How could she think she could smooth everything over?
Honestly.
She should have known from the start, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. A weasel paying respects to a chicken – how could it have good intentions? How could she be so naive?
Ye Zhiyun’s resolve began to waver. For some reason, a faint unease stirred deep inside, something akin to guilt. I clearly decided to destroy her, so why do I feel like I’ve done something wrong now?
Inexplicably, Ye Zhiyun recalled Fang Jianing’s words from two days ago: Yu Linna is just a child, don’t bully her. Indeed, she had come here with a purpose from the start, but… deceiving a naive child… she really couldn’t feel happy about it.
“Alright, I was joking. Teacher, you actually took it seriously.”
Ye Zhiyun lightly patted Yu Linna, who was still explaining, and sighed deeply.
Forget it. Better quit while I’m ahead, don’t take it too far. After all, this girl… isn’t suited for this kind of teasing.
“How could a parent blindly belittle their own child? I just rarely look after her usually; it doesn’t mean I don’t care about her at all. After all, I still have this responsibility.”
She pressed down on Yu Linna’s head, subconsciously ruffling her hair. Hmm, feels surprisingly nice. Yu Linna looked stunned. Just two minutes ago, the atmosphere was confrontational; how did it change so quickly?
“Then your child always working part-time…”
“Our family situation isn’t good; we’re short on money. She does this to help support the family. Look, doesn’t she usually apply for the school’s financial aid? You should be aware of this.”
Good thing I investigated Yu Linna’s school situation, Ye Zhiyun thought, sighing in relief. This small piece of information unexpectedly became the key to winning this round.
“Besides, whatever she does, that’s her choice. Look, aren’t her grades still very stable? You say she dropped to third place, but let me ask, when has she ever fallen out of the top three? Don’t negate someone’s entire effort because of one setback. Human potential is limitless.”
Saying these things doesn’t fit my role at all. Ye Zhiyun didn’t know what was wrong with her. Maybe I’m not normal anymore. Why would she say these things for Yu Linna? She clearly came here for revenge, not to help her. Isn’t this completely backward?
The rest of the conversation depended entirely on Ye Zhiyun’s performance. For someone like Ye Zhiyun, who frequently navigated social situations, this wasn’t difficult at all. In just a short while, she immediately seized control of the conversation. Although Li Lexuan wanted to say something, she couldn’t win the argument no matter what. It was obvious – who was Ye Zhiyun? She moved in upper circles; these conversational skills were effortless for her.
In the end, Li Lexuan was completely defeated. She clearly wanted Yu Linna to give up her part-time jobs, but failed. Because Ye Zhiyun fully obstructed her, she couldn’t achieve her goal. At this moment, Li Lexuan had no choice but to believe that Ye Zhiyun’s age was genuine (though it was actually fabricated).
“Alright, let’s end the home visit here for today. Thank you.”
Li Lexuan put away her notebook and stood up, slightly weary. She patted the dust off her clothes, preparing to leave. This home visit had truly yielded nothing; none of her goals were met. And she hadn’t expected this black-haired woman to be so eloquent, practically able to talk the dead back to life, leaving her unable to refute.
“You’re welcome to come again, Teacher.”
Ye Zhiyun squinted, smiling as she stood up to open the door and see her off. This home visit hadn’t ended unpleasantly, nor had it been particularly happy; it just passed uneventfully. In the end, Yu Linna still had to continue her working life, but she promised to get back on track for the next exam.
Li Lexuan couldn’t be bothered to say anything more, just nodded noncommittally, and let it go.
“But speaking of which, you two don’t look alike at all. Are you really biological mother and daughter? Ah, I don’t mean anything else, just a little curious.”
Before leaving, Li Lexuan glanced suspiciously at the two of them.
Ye Zhiyun almost slammed the door. Isn’t that obvious? How could we possibly be biological? If we were, I’d jump off a building!
Of course, she didn’t dare say it out loud.
“The child takes after her dad’s looks. Don’t mind it.”
She cheerfully steered the conversation away.
Yu Linna looked like she was mixed-race anyway. Although completely different from Ye Zhiyun, the ‘father’ excuse could be used to deflect. Anyway, the reason was plausible.
Of course, Li Lexuan didn’t suspect anything either. After exchanging a few polite words, she slowly left. Only after closing the door did Ye Zhiyun finally breathe a sigh of relief. She loosened her hair tie, letting her long hair fall down. She really felt a bit tired. Telling such a big lie to an adult for the first time… the feeling was truly strange.
“You should thank me. Without me, you wouldn’t have gotten through this. Have you thought about how to thank me yet?”
She still spoke to the girl in her usual mocking tone, but unlike before, the girl didn’t respond.
“Yu Linna?”
Sensing something was wrong, Ye Zhiyun tried calling her name. She looked up and met Yu Linna’s slightly disappointed gaze.
“Hey, are you angry? I was joking… although it was indeed a bit much…”
Ye Zhiyun felt a bit flustered, trying hard to explain something, completely different from her usual demeanor.
“I know. I already knew… I know you hate me. I just didn’t expect you hated me this much.”
She sighed heavily and sat down on the edge of the bed, her eyes growing sad.
“Since you hate me, you could just not associate with me. Why force yourself?”
“…Listen to me, I… I really did wrong…”
“You can tease me however you want, but since you were playing my parent, couldn’t you have played the part a little better? Even if it was fake, couldn’t you have given me just a little hope?! Why did you have to trample on my expectations like that? It’s too much!”
She erupted, without warning, just like that.
Her hysterical tone filled Ye Zhiyun with an indescribable fear. She looked truly terrifying.
On the surface, Yu Linna didn’t care about anything, but in reality, she cared more than anyone, especially about the things she didn’t have. She cared more than anyone. Even if it was fake, she wanted it to feel real.
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