Tears slid down, dripping through her fingers onto the floor.
“Wanning is already grown up. Can’t you talk things out properly? How could you still hit her!”
Mother Zhou snorted coldly, “What, are you feeling sorry for her again? It’s your fault for not raising your precious daughter properly.”
Father Zhou clutched the blanket, looking at Zhou Wanning with heartache.
Zhou Wanning covered her face and looked at Mother Zhou. As the second child in the family, she understood why she wasn’t favored. But Mother Zhou’s dislike was so intense that she sometimes wondered if she was adopted.
“She already said she didn’t do it. You’re really going too far.” Father Zhou angrily pounded the bed.
Mother Zhou’s eyes reddened, “What? You don’t like it when I discipline her? Do you want her to be someone’s mistress? You might not care about face, but I do!”
“You—we know what kind of child Wanning is. How can you, as her mother, say such things?”
Mother Zhou curled her lip, “I’m telling you, if the matchmaker ever comes saying you wronged Luo Shuhang first, I’ll deal with you then.”
Father Zhou truly hated that his injured leg kept him bedridden.
Zhou Wanning no longer wanted to explain anything.
If Mother Zhou knew about her involvement with Lu Jinzhou and how it hurt Zhou Leyu, she could imagine how furious Mother Zhou would be.
Then it definitely wouldn’t just be a slap.
Mother Zhou stormed out of the hospital in a huff. Just looking at this father and daughter pair made her angry.
Only after she left did the caregiver come in.
Zhou Wanning wiped her tears and forced a smile for Father Zhou, “Dad, I didn’t do it.”
“Dad knows. Dad believes you.” Father Zhou truly felt for her; he was also the one who treated her best in this family.
Father Zhou advised, “Don’t be angry with your mother. She actually means well—she’s afraid you’ll go down the wrong path. She’s all sharp words but a soft heart.”
“Yeah, I know.” It would be a lie to say she held no resentment.
But after all, this was her own mother. No matter how resentful she felt, she could only quietly swallow it.
For the rest of the day, no one else from the Zhou family came. Only Zhou Wanning stayed with Father Zhou.
At dinnertime, Zhou Leyu brought takeout to the hospital.
After Father Zhou finished eating, Zhou Wanning went to throw away the trash. When she returned, she heard Zhou Leyu say, “Dad, I’m leaving now. Jinzhou is here to pick me up.”
Father Zhou asked, “Is he taking you home?”
Zhou Leyu seemed a bit shy, “I’m not going home tonight.”
Remembering Mother Zhou’s words, Father Zhou said, “Le Yu, even though you two are boyfriend and girlfriend, you still need to be careful about boundaries.”
“Got it.” Turning and seeing Zhou Wanning, she added, “Sis, Jinzhou is waiting for me outside. I’m heading out.”
Zhou Wanning nodded.
Father Zhou called out to Zhou Leyu again, “Le Yu, maybe you could talk to Jinzhou about moving me to a regular hospital room. How much must this cost per day?”
“Dad, just rest easy here.”
Father Zhou still felt uneasy, “He already paid for our trip before. Now we’re making him spend money again—that’s not really appropriate, is it?”
Zhou Leyu smiled, “It’s fine. He should be doing this. I’m off.”
With that, Zhou Leyu composed her expression and turned to leave the room.
What Zhou Wanning thought about was how Lu Jinzhou had made no contact all day, and now he was picking up Zhou Leyu. Perhaps he had come to his senses.
He was no longer entangled with her.
Zhou Wanning felt considerably lighter.
From now on, she would avoid running into them. Maybe she should also consider moving out. That way, she wouldn’t have to worry about encountering Lu Jinzhou at home.
Father Zhou only stayed in the hospital for a week before being discharged to recuperate at home.
Zhou Wanning welcomed the start of the new semester.
Lu Jinzhou never visited the Zhou family again. The only news about him came when Zhou Leyu returned home, and Mother Zhou would inquire to hear some updates.
Zhou Leyu often stayed away from home, so Mother Zhou naturally assumed she was living with Lu Jinzhou.
Her attitude toward Zhou Wanning was completely different. She advised Zhou Leyu to try to get pregnant, believing that would secure her hold over Lu Jinzhou, the domineering CEO.
If she gave birth to a son, Mother Zhou felt Zhou Leyu’s future would be secure.
Zhou Wanning couldn’t stand such blatant favoritism.
She rented an apartment near the school.
Despite both Father and Mother Zhou’s objections, she resolutely moved out.
The one-bedroom apartment was small but cozy, and the landlady was very kind, even waiving the security deposit.
A new physical education teacher arrived at the school, and Zhou Wanning ran into him during lunch.
“Zhou Wanning? It really is you. I thought I was seeing things.”
“Gao Yanchu? What are you doing here?”
Gao Yanchu scratched his head. “I’m the new PE teacher.”
Gao Yanchu was her high school classmate. He later enrolled in a physical education college, and she never expected to run into him here.
They had lunch together and exchanged WeChat contacts.
Gao Yanchu had changed quite a bit. He used to be tall and thin, but now he was much more muscular, and his skin was slightly darker than before.
Before leaving work, Gao Yanchu messaged her on WeChat, inviting her to dinner. Remembering she was close to Liang Yunzhen, he asked her to invite Liang Yunzhen as well.
Zhou Wanning readily agreed.
Gao Yanchu also invited a close friend of his, Jiang Chuan.
The four of them went out for barbecue.
They started by chatting about trivial matters from their university days, then reminisced about fun memories from high school, and finally talked about their current lives.
Gao Yanchu asked, “Liang Yunzhen, are you married?”
After asking, he glanced at Jiang Chuan. Well, Jiang Chuan’s out of luck.
“Yes, I am.”
Liang Yunzhen had only informed close friends, like Zhou Wanning, about her wedding.
She wasn’t particularly happy about marrying young, so she didn’t want too many people to know.
“What about you two? Are you in a relationship?”
Gao Yanchu replied, “No.”
He had been in a relationship during college, but they broke up before graduation because neither was willing to compromise on moving to the other’s city.
Jiang Chuan drank too much that night. His timidity had cost him the girl he liked, so Gao Yanchu took him home.
Liang Yunzhen had driven there and called a designated driver.
Zhou Wanning also booked a ride-hailing service and returned to her apartment.
Since they were old classmates, Zhou Wanning felt comfortable drinking a little, though she didn’t overdo it.
After getting out of the car, she stopped by the supermarket near her apartment complex to buy a bottle of chilled cola.
Back at her place, she tossed her backpack aside and slumped onto the sofa.
It felt really good to have her life back to normal.
The joy on her face was unmistakable.
Meanwhile, a man watching the surveillance footage held the nightgown she had worn to his nose and inhaled deeply—it still carried her scent.
Suppressing his ragged breaths, he thought, Ningning, it seems you’re living happily without my interference.
He still longed to see her soft, vulnerable, tearful side.
Zhou Wanning noticed the calming incense Zhou Leyu had given her and lit it before taking a shower.
This time, it had a jasmine fragrance.
But the person she hadn’t dreamed of in a long time suddenly appeared in her dreams.
She dreamed of Lu Jinzhou pressing down on her, restraining her hands, his lips against hers, kissing gently.
She struggled, and he intensified his force.
Lu Jinzhou’s hands slid over her curves, but nothing else happened in the end.
When Zhou Wanning woke up in the morning, it seemed as if Lu Jinzhou’s last words still lingered in her ears.
“Ningning, I miss you so much.”