Zhang Huichun quickly got through on the phone. As soon as it connected, she spoke first. “Is that Zhirou’s mother?”
“It’s me, my dear in-law. Why are you calling?” Ning Jianfang’s voice brimmed with barely concealed delight the moment she heard Zhang Huichun.
“If I didn’t call you, your Shen Zhirou would turn the world upside down. She’s insisting on breaking up with our Lu Yao. It’s been a whole month now. Our Lu Yao likes her and wants to stay together. She’s gone to see your daughter several times, but she’s been turned away every time. I just want to know what exactly your Shen Zhirou is thinking?”
Zhang Huichun grew more agitated as she spoke, her voice rising sharply.
Ning Jianfang knew her daughter had been at odds with Lu Yao lately, but Shen Zhirou hadn’t been picking up her calls, so she hadn’t realized Lu Yao didn’t want to break up. Hearing this from Zhang Huichun filled her with joy. Didn’t this mean Shen Zhirou had Lu Yao right where she wanted her? That would secure jobs for her son Ning Lei and even Kang Yunheng down the line.
With that in mind, Ning Jianfang hurriedly replied with a smile, “My dear in-law, Zhirou’s been stubborn since she was little, but don’t worry. I’ll talk to her right away. Lu Yao is such a great girl—where else could she find someone like that? Please calm down.”
“Hmph, good that you know. Have your daughter move back in soon. When they get married, we won’t hold back a single cent on the bride price you want.” Only now did Zhang Huichun finally relax a little. They’d had no luck persuading Shen Zhirou, but surely her own mother could get through to her.
“Don’t worry, we’ll be family from now on. I’ll call Zhirou right away and get back to you.” After hanging up, Ning Jianfang couldn’t wipe the grin off her face.
She immediately called Shen Zhirou five or six times in a row. It wasn’t until the sixth call that Shen Zhirou finally picked up. Her mother was no doubt going to urge her not to break up, saying no one else measured up to Lu Yao’s conditions. Shen Zhirou was mentally prepared for it.
“Mom, what is it?”
“You finally picked up. Lu Yao’s mother just called me. She says Lu Yao can’t let you go. I think you two don’t have any major issues, so why not stay together? Zhirou, listen to your mom. Lu Yao has a good job, and that 2,000-square-foot luxury apartment—those two things alone put her ahead of most people. Don’t push it too far. Plus, renting a place on your own is such a waste of money. Just move back in with Lu Yao…”
Ning Jianfang rambled on without pause.
Shen Zhirou cut her off. “No need for that. I’ve already taken out a loan and bought a place in Jiangbei City.”
Ning Jianfang was stunned into silence for a moment. Then her voice suddenly spiked. “What? You bought a place in Jiangbei? How could you not tell me about something this big? Do you even see me as your mother anymore? Do you know how much a house there costs? How can you just throw money away like that?”
“How is it throwing money away? I’m spending my own hard-earned money on a home for myself. That’s perfectly reasonable, and I don’t see any problem with it.” Perhaps worn down by too many disappointments, Shen Zhirou spoke with utter calm.
“You’re a girl—what do you need a house for? Wouldn’t it be better to just live with Lu Yao in that 2,000-square-foot apartment? Zhirou, you have to know gratitude. Your brother’s just starting university, and he doesn’t even have a place lined up for when he marries. As his big sister, it’s only right for you to help him out. You should save that money for his down payment. How can you just let it go down the drain? Do you even care about me as your mother? About this family?”
Ning Jianfang’s voice grew louder and louder, turning into a near shriek by the end.
“Heh, Mom, do you even care about me as your daughter? Maybe to you, I’m just an ATM? I spend my own money with a clear conscience. I’m not like you—I won’t become a Brother-Supporting Devil.”
“You dare call me a Brother-Supporting Devil? Fine, Shen Zhirou, just you wait. You’ve grown wings now, haven’t you? Ungrateful and talking back. I’ll let everyone judge this! All I asked was for you to chip in a down payment for your brother, and you’re making excuses. I’ve raised an ungrateful wretch.”
Ning Jianfang’s curses poured out nonstop. She was home alone, so her voice only grew louder, as if she were venting every ounce of her pent-up resentment.
“Do whatever you want. My sister and I were raised by Grandma. The money you and Dad gave barely covered our tuition and basic living expenses. To be fair, have you ever taken care of us for even a day?” Disappointment weighed on Shen Zhirou as she hung up, leaving her utterly drained.
Shen Zhirou felt that her persistence over the past few years had been utterly laughable. Her father had severed ties with her and stopped all contact, while her mother kept in touch only to groom her as a long-term ATM. She lingered outside for a while until the redness around her eyes faded, then returned to the office.
Meanwhile, Ning Jianfang was livid. All she knew was that Shen Zhirou had bought a house, making it far harder for her son—or Ning Lei—to squeeze money out of her anymore. In a rage, she snatched up her bag, hailed a taxi, and rushed to Shen Zhirou’s company for a confrontation.
She refused to believe Shen Zhirou wouldn’t be too ashamed to face her!
The moment Ning Jianfang stormed through the doors of AFN Group, she barreled straight to the front desk. “Get me Shen Zhirou from your company—that unfilial daughter who won’t even acknowledge her own mother! How can you keep an employee like that?”
The receptionists recognized a troublemaker when they saw one. One hurried to engage Ning Jianfang and calm her down, while the other slipped aside to call Shen Zhirou.
“Shen Zhirou, your mom’s here causing a huge scene in the company. It’s looking really bad. Maybe come down and talk to her yourself?” the receptionist said urgently.
“Got it. I’m coming down now.” Shen Zhirou’s face drained of color. She had seen her mother’s true face before, but she never imagined it could sink this low—barging into her workplace to throw a tantrum.
Zhao Tongtong noticed Shen Zhirou’s pallor and shot to her feet. “What happened?”
“It’s nothing. My mom’s here. I’ll go handle it.” Shen Zhirou forced the words out, swallowing her inner turmoil.
“I’ll come with you. I don’t trust you going alone.” Zhao Tongtong fell in right behind her.
By the time they reached the first-floor lobby, Ning Jianfang was still bellowing at the top of her lungs, ignoring the security guards trying to intervene. “Get your managers out here! What kind of company employs an ungrateful wretch like that? Where’s Shen Zhirou? Scared now, are you? Weren’t you so high and mighty a minute ago?”
Shen Zhirou stared at her mother and felt only bitter amusement twisting in her chest, nearly suffocating her. She never dreamed her mother would stoop to this—making a public spectacle at her job, all to destroy her life.
“I’m here.” Shen Zhirou had braced herself to break down saying it, but the words emerged steady and calm. It was as if years of pent-up burdens had finally lifted in that instant.
“You’ve got the nerve to show your face? Where’s that attitude now, you ungrateful brat?” Ning Jianfang shrieked until her voice cracked. Only the two security guards holding her back kept her from lunging at Shen Zhirou.
“I don’t see how I’m ungrateful. Grandma raised me—you and him never lifted a finger for a single day. Just because I spent my own money on my own house instead of turning into a Brother-Supporting Devil like you, you snapped? What’s wrong with using my earnings on myself? Why should I shell out for my brother’s down payment? I owe him nothing.” Shen Zhirou spoke softly but laid out the facts with crystal clarity.
In a massive corporation like this, plenty of rank-and-file workers like Shen Zhirou scraped by on modest salaries. Hearing Ning Jianfang’s tantrum stemmed from this, the growing crowd shot her looks of contempt. In this modern era—with same-sex marriage long legalized—views as backward and sexist as hers were downright archaic.
“You’re selfish! So what if you spend a little on your brother? Someday he’ll look after you. But no, you wolf in sheep’s clothing blew it all on your own house. You want me dead—you want me dead!” As the onlookers began murmuring and pointing, Ning Jianfang pivoted to crocodile tears, sobbing for sympathy.
“Spending my own money on myself makes me selfish? Enlighten me.” Shen Zhirou let out a scoffing laugh, pulled out her phone, and dialed the police. The mess had spiraled too far, and she knew her mother’s type: relentless until she won. Better to let the cops sort it out.
“Shen Zhirou, you dare call the cops? You’re the unfilial one—even the police will side against you!” Ning Jianfang blustered on, determined to publicly shame her but never meaning to drag things to the station.
“Suit yourself. Truth will out.” Shen Zhirou’s voice stayed even, devoid of emotion. Zhao Tongtong watched her with concern.
“Zhirou, you okay? I’ve seen tons of messed-up families like this—just clingy parasites. Don’t let it get under your skin.”
“I’m fine. Really.” Shen Zhirou replied flatly, eyeing the raging woman like a total stranger rather than her mother.
About ten minutes later, officers from the Police Station finally arrived on the scene. They took both Shen Zhirou and Ning Jianfang back to the station. After questioning them about the details, the police subjected Ning Jianfang to more than an hour of stern criticism and education. They warned her that this time it would end with just a talking-to, but any repeat offense would be treated as deliberately disturbing the public order.
Ning Jianfang was the picture of compliance in front of the police. But the moment they stepped out of the station, she shot Shen Zhirou a venomous glare. “I never imagined you’d stoop this low, you ungrateful wretch—calling the cops on your own mother? You’re unbelievable, Shen Zhirou. Now I see you for what you really are.”
Shen Zhirou met Ning Jianfang’s gaze without a trace of disappointment left in her eyes. She merely sighed and replied, “I’ve seen through you too. These past few years were nothing but a joke. That won’t happen again.”
With a shake of her head, Shen Zhirou chose not to hail a cab home. Instead, she wandered aimlessly along the bustling street, moving like a hollow shell of a person, devoid of life or purpose.
A little past eight that evening, she finally flagged down a taxi and headed to Crown Bar. She wasn’t the type to frequent places like this, but tonight her heart ached with an unbearable emptiness—as if something precious had slipped away, leaving a chilling void inside her. All she wanted was a few strong drinks to chase away that hollow sensation gnawing at her chest.
