“Do you really think that once the exam is over, you can discard me like a used bridge and kick me away?”
There’s no such good thing in this world.
Song Qiaoan raised her eyes and met his gaze directly. The cold light in her eyes was like an ice pick, stabbing so sharply that Song Jianren’s heart jolted.
He actually got intimidated by that damn girl’s glance?
A wave of humiliation and anger surged up, and he snapped, though clearly lacking confidence: “Are you threatening me?”
What frightened him even more was that this girl really did have the power to threaten him.
She was the only one who knew their cheating plan inside and out. She was the most important witness. She held almost all of their leverage in her hands. If anyone could bring them down completely right now, it was definitely Song Qiaoan.
Song Jianren’s breathing tightened, his confidence visibly shaken.
Song Qiaoan let out a soft laugh, though there was no warmth in her eyes. “We’re family. Why would I threaten you?”
She lifted her gaze and slowly swept her cold stare across the faces of Song Jianren, Zhang Meilan, and Song Jiabao one by one, making their spines turn cold.
“I’m just reminding you don’t get carried away. Do too many evil things, and you should be careful of retribution.”
“Oh, right. From now on, you’d better be polite to me. Don’t provoke me. Otherwise…”
She paused, her eyes turning even colder as she slowly finished, “Even if I die, I’ll drag all of you down to hell with me.”
After saying that, she turned and left without looking back, not caring about their reactions.
“That damn girl how dare she act so arrogant?! Does she think she can shit on our heads now?” Song Jiabao slammed his fist hard on the table with a dull bang.
He turned to Zhang Meilan, eyes full of resentment. “Mom, why did you stop me just now? Are we supposed to be afraid of her?!”
Seeing her son so furious, Zhang Meilan cursed Song Qiaoan inwardly a thousand times, but still comforted him on the surface. “My silly son, why are you in such a hurry? Once the birthday banquet is over and Wang Shichang deals with her, you can do whatever you want to her. Mom will make sure you get your revenge then!”
“Hmph! I’m going to break both her legs and make her kneel and beg me like a dog!”
Song Jiabao’s eyes flashed with an almost deranged satisfaction, as if he could already see it happening.
“Don’t worry. Your brother-in-law knows plenty of ways to torture people. That damn girl is getting more and more ungrateful.”
Song Jianren had been silent all this time, his brows tightly furrowed as he repeatedly mulled over Song Qiaoan’s words.
He had thought she was the easiest to control but unexpectedly, she had become the most troublesome thorn.
Even a rabbit bites when cornered. If she really was pushed to the edge and went all out against them, it would be a problem.
“During this period, all of you behave yourselves. Don’t provoke her,” Song Jianren said gravely. “Just to be safe, we’ll deal with everything after the exam results come out.”
He glanced at the tightly closed door of Song Qiaoan’s room and instructed Zhang Meilan, “Keep watching her until then. Don’t let her go out.”
Soon, the day of the celebration banquet arrived.
Under the relentless promotion by Song Jianren and Zhang Meilan, within just a few days, the news that “Song Jiabao scored around 700 and is guaranteed admission to Peking University” had spread throughout Shanghai.
Relatives from every branch of the family from trembling elderly grandmothers to children with runny noses all knew that the Song family had struck gold and produced a prodigy.
The banquet was held at the People’s Grand Hotel. A bright red banner hung at the entrance: “Warmly Congratulations to Comrade Song Jiabao for His Outstanding Success in the National College Entrance Examination.”
Song Jiabao wore a suit, his hair slicked back with thick hair gel, styled neatly without a single strand out of place.
He even found a pair of round glasses from somewhere and perched them on his nose, trying hard to look like a scholarly intellectual. Unfortunately, his restless and shallow demeanor made the disguise look completely out of place.
Instead of a learned man, he looked more like a street fortune-teller a clear scammer at first glance.
Song Jianren and Zhang Meilan were also dressed to the nines he in a suit, she in a brand-new silk cheongsam as they welcomed guests in the hall.
The couple beamed with pride, smiles never leaving their faces since yesterday.
“Meilan, do you still recognize me, niece?”
A timid voice came from the side. Zhang Meilan turned and saw a middle-aged woman.
She wore a dull gray headscarf, her skin rough and dark marks left by years of sun and farm work.
Though not much older in actual age, standing beside Zhang Meilan, she looked like she belonged to an entirely different generation.
Zhang Meilan glanced at her and instinctively took a step back, not bothering to hide the disgust in her eyes. “And you are…?”
“I’m your second aunt!” the woman said awkwardly, rubbing her hands on her clothes. “You haven’t come home in years, so it’s normal you don’t remember me.”
“Your second uncle received the letter saying Jiabao got into university and was overjoyed. His legs aren’t good, so he sent me here instead.”
“Congratulations! Jiabao really brought honor to our Zhang family! I never thought someone from our village could become such a phoenix. I’m really envious of you all.”
“I heard Jiabao got into Peking University. That child is truly promising. I’ve never even been to Beijing myself.”
The woman, Zhang Aijiu, grew more and more excited as she spoke, her face full of genuine admiration.
Beijing that was a place she had only heard about on the radio. Her lifelong dream was to go there once and see Tiananmen Square.
But she had never even left the province.
There was endless farm work at home and never enough food. How could she afford to go to Beijing? This trip to Shanghai had already cost the family all their savings for the year.
But her husband said this was a huge celebration for their nephew no matter what, they had to come, even if they had to sell everything.
Shanghai was so big, the buildings so tall, and this hotel looked like a palace from a picture book. Just being here and taking one train ride was already more than enough for her.
Zhang Meilan had no desire to deal with her at all. She smelled of poverty, and just standing nearby felt like a disgrace.
She regretted it now she had been too excited that day and boasted to everyone, sending out so many telegrams that even these lowly relatives had come.
Today’s guests were all important people. If they saw she had rural relatives like this, how embarrassing would that be?
She should have told the guards in advance to keep these people out.
The woman also smelled unpleasant, and Zhang Meilan had even sprayed expensive perfume today she couldn’t let herself be contaminated.
Frowning, she stepped back, didn’t bother listening, gave a dismissive “mm,” rolled her eyes, and turned to leave.
Seeing this, Zhang Aijiu instinctively reached out to grab her wrist.
“Don’t touch me!”
Zhang Meilan suddenly shook her off as if she had touched something filthy, then pulled out tissues from her bag and began wiping her hand right in front of her.