Li Rui knew very well that although his mother had always ignored her two children, she was a strong-willed person who would never tolerate others bullying her kids. He only realized this at the age of eleven in his past life, but in this one, he understood it much earlier.
Back then, when he ran away from home, his mother had been furious at first and scolded him harshly. He had always been ignored by his parents and didn’t know how to explain or complain, but luckily, his father accidentally let something slip. When his mother heard that his cousin had stolen his essay and got it published under her name, she had exploded without hesitation, even though she didn’t yet know about all the other injustices he had suffered.
And now? With someone like Zhu Yun Xuan provoking her anger, wouldn’t she be even more furious?
Li Rui sighed quietly but said nothing. He knew from experience that in his past life, because he hadn’t spoken up, his mother didn’t think the situation was that serious. Yet even then, she had fought fiercely with his father and taken him away. So what would happen this time?
Having been through so much, the resentment and hatred he once held toward his parents had already faded. But now, if he wanted to live freely and be with Zhu Yun Xuan in the future, he’d inevitably have to provoke his mother’s anger to achieve his goal…
“Auntie, are you really Li Rui’s mom? Do you not want him anymore?” Zhu Yun Xuan spoke up again, sincerely looking at Zheng Xiao Qing. “I want a younger brother. I’ll share my snacks with him and won’t steal his toys or clothes… Can you give him to me as a little brother? I won’t hit him either.”
Apparently, when Li Rui was little, his cousin had clawed at him quite a bit with her “[1]Nine Yin White Bone Claw (九阴白骨爪) is a famous fictional martial arts technique from classic Chinese wuxia novels, especially those by Jin Yong. It’s portrayed as a sinister, vicious kung … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1700338_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1700338_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });Nine Yin White Bone Claw,” hadn’t she?
“Rui Rui, is what he said true? Did someone steal your things? Did they lock you up at home too?” Zheng Xiao Qing gritted her teeth in anger, panting as she questioned Li Rui.
When she married Li Rui’s father, she was already thirty. She was at the peak of her career and had already had one child. At the time, she didn’t even want another, but Li Rui’s grandparents were persistent, barely a word came out of their mouths that wasn’t about wanting grandchildren.
Eventually, she became pregnant. By the time she gave birth to Li Rui, she was thirty-three, and due to overwork during pregnancy and a difficult labor, she had to undergo a C-section.
Her first son had been cared for by a nanny since birth, so she didn’t need to lift a finger. Coincidentally, her first husband had been cheating on her during that time, so she was too busy battling him to pay much attention to the child. As a result, when it came to Li Rui, she didn’t even know how to raise him, and immediately hired a nanny again.
At first, she had intended to send Li Rui to her own parents just like his older brother had been, with a nanny helping out, her father was already retired, and her elder son had turned out well being raised there.
But her father didn’t like Li Yue, and Li Yue hated going to her parents’ home. Since she truly cared about Li Yue, she gave up that idea. Just then, her in-laws stepped in.
Although she looked down on them somewhat, Li Yue reassured her: he’d been raised by his own parents all the way through university without a problem, so how could there be any issue with their child? So, naturally, her in-laws took Li Rui in.
Considering their age, she had, of course, hired a nanny. But they dismissed the nanny on their own, claiming it was a waste of money and that the two of them could take care of Li Rui just fine. At the time, she thought it would be fine, after all, they lived in her house, her husband’s two elder brothers had easy, undemanding jobs, and their wives had the time to care for their own children. She assumed they would take good care of Li Rui.
What about now? Over the years, the money she sent every month should have been enough to support the whole family, right? Yet, they couldn’t even take care of one child?
Li Rui could tell that his mother was absolutely furious now. He met her gaze but quickly averted his eyes, remaining silent.
In situations like this, it’s better to say nothing than to try to explain. Moreover… in his past life, he had seen a psychologist and read relevant books.
“Rui Rui said it himself, there’s nothing in the house that’s his. He only eats the food his younger sister doesn’t want!” Zhu Yun Xuan spoke up immediately.
Li Rui’s life was something Zhu Yun Xuan could imagine. In rural areas, it was common to favor sons over daughters. If the first child was a daughter, and the second was a son, the older sister would often be ignored by the family. If the second child was also a daughter, then it was the younger sister who might be neglected. After hopes were dashed, many people unconsciously vented their dissatisfaction on their children.
In this day and age, very few people paid attention to children’s psychological issues.
“Li Yue! How did your parents raise you?!” Zheng Xiao Qing hadn’t slept all night, worrying about her son. Previously, her anger had been directed at Li Rui, but now, it was all aimed at Li Yue!
She had always wondered why her son was so generous, now she understood!
The milk powder she had brought back from overseas, they said Li Rui wouldn’t drink it, so they gave it to Li Jia Huan. The toys she bought, they said Li Rui was tired of playing with them, so they gave them to Li Jia Jie! What do you mean he doesn’t want it or is tired of it? Do they think she’s a fool? They actually ganged up to bully a child?
“This child is clearly lying! How could something like this happen? Rui Rui gets so much allowance every month, his clothes are all branded, and he has meat in every meal. What other child lives such a good life? I think he’s just spoiled! He steals money and runs away, then makes up lies!” Li Yue’s face was full of anger. When he was young, he barely dared to eat more than a bowl of rice, what was life like back then? And yet, this child wasn’t grateful! His two older brothers didn’t have such a good life. What was wrong with him giving way to his younger sister?
“Ran away? Rui Rui said he doesn’t want to go back. That’s not his home, it’s someone else’s home. By the way, what’s an allowance? Rui Rui said his money was always stolen by his older brother, so this time, he didn’t want to go back and brought extra money. Are you here to steal his money?” Zhu Yun Xuan interjected, and sure enough, he saw the anger returning to Zheng Xiao Qing’s face, which had just softened a little.
He really was too bad…
“Li Yue!” Zheng Xiao Qing was a very imposing woman, and her temper was naturally bad. Now, hearing that her son had been bullied, the frustration she’d long felt toward her in-laws exploded. Her face darkened, causing Li Yue to take a step back, frightened and no longer daring to argue. He just turned his head and glared at Li Rui.
Yesterday when he returned, wasn’t it this child causing a fuss? He was complaining even though he had chicken to eat. When he was a child, he had to wait until Chinese New Year to have chicken! Li Yue truly believed that this child had been pampered too much and still complained about it!
“Auntie, aren’t you going to hug Li Rui? When I’m sick, my mom always hugs me. Li Rui says no one has ever hugged him.” Zhu Yun Xuan spoke again. The couple had been arguing, but they seemed to have completely forgotten about the real issue, wasn’t the most important thing now to take Li Rui to a big hospital?
Although Jiang Yue Xiu trusted this health clinic, he still felt uneasy.
“Rui Rui…” Zheng Xiao Qing was stunned, then turned to look at her son, who had been silent all this time. As soon as their eyes met, he quickly averted his gaze, causing her heart to sink.
Had she been neglecting this child too much?
With all her attention focused on Li Rui, Zheng Xiao Qing was about to take him to a hospital in Hangzhou. Zhu Yun Xuan glanced at Li Rui, smiled at him, and then left.
At this point, he had already helped them. Li Rui was, after all, a proper “second-generation rich” person, and any interaction between them would likely come much later.
Li Rui had, of course, noticed Zhu Yun Xuan’s actions. In fact, both Zheng Xiao Qing and Li Yue had seen it, but since they had both been thoroughly embarrassed by Zhu Yun Xuan earlier, they didn’t have a good impression of him. So, they naturally didn’t greet him now.
Li Rui was soon sent to the provincial hospital, although there were no highways, the roads were much better than before!
They did tests, took X-rays, and several doctors came to examine him. The treatment he received was a world apart from the treatment he had at the health clinic. Finally, an older doctor spoke up: “The bones in your hand are properly aligned now, but the bandaging is too simple. Children are very active, and if they move too much, the bones might shift. We’ll re-bandage it carefully, and his temperature has already gone down.”
“Thank you, doctor!” Zheng Xiao Qing smiled.
“However…” The doctor’s face became serious.
“What’s the matter, doctor? Is there something else wrong?” Zheng Xiao Qing immediately asked. She had always thought that her son had a good life, so she never paid too much attention. But now, she was anxiously worried.
“I think this child has some mental issues. Normally, when a child suffers such an injury, they can’t help but scream and cry, but this child hasn’t made a sound… Also, it’s been more than a day since his finger was broken.” The fingers are connected to the heart! Even adults can’t help but mutter a few words of pain, yet this child shows no reaction at all, which is obviously abnormal.
Zheng Xiao Qing stiffened. Indeed, when they found Li Rui, he hadn’t spoken a word. She had been trying to comfort him all the way, but he didn’t even look at her once…
“Doctor, what’s wrong with him?”
“Perhaps it’s autism, or maybe it’s something like Asperger’s!” The doctor had just read a report on the subject, and it seemed he had found a real-life example!
Zheng Xiao Qing exploded!
Li Rui was still lying in the hospital, but she had taken Li Yue back home, planning to confront her in-laws. However, when she opened her front door…
There was no need for a confrontation anymore!
It was afternoon, and Li Jia Huan was napping on Li Rui’s bed. Li Jia Jie was having a great time playing with Li Rui’s toys, even tearing apart several toys that Zheng Xiao Qing had bought for hundreds of dollars! And both of them were wearing the clothes that she had bought for Li Rui a month ago!
In fact, Li Rui had very few memories of the mistreatment from his grandparents, since by then, he was older and his grandparents didn’t neglect his food and drink. Not being acknowledged didn’t matter much to him, and he was already used to sharing his toys with his brother and sister.
But when he was younger…?
Zheng Xiao Qing hadn’t paid much attention to material things in the past. If she found something that should belong to her son in someone else’s hands, she’d dismiss it with a few words like “Li Rui has gotten bored with it.” But this time, when she looked more carefully, she realized that Li Rui’s room was woefully empty, while Li Jia Huan and Li Jia Jie’s things were everywhere! Moreover, even the chocolates Li Yue had brought back for Li Rui were missing from his room!
When she asked around, people said they would take Li Jia Huan and Li Jia Jie out, but rarely took Li Rui anywhere. Some even gossiped that Li Rui was “picked up,” leaving Zheng Xiao Qing speechless with anger!
A huge battle erupted in the Zheng family, far more intense than the one that happened in Li Rui’s previous life.
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