She didn’t drop out because she couldn’t handle the studies.
Rather, she was being bullied and mocked at school.
Besides, she only knew basic literacy—never attended elementary or junior high—how could she keep up with high school curriculum?
The pocket money wasn’t squandered recklessly either. It was Shen Jinan and some ill-intentioned people who deliberately coaxed her into buying things, claiming they’d only talk to her if she did.
But Shen Qi didn’t explain.
If Shen Congjun were someone willing to listen, Grandma He wouldn’t have needed to pressure him with future prospects earlier.
“Dad, what kind of person do you think I am?” Shen Qi abandoned her previous stubbornness and timidity, biting her lip with a deeply hurt expression. “I just wanted to switch bedrooms.”
“My room faces away from the sun—it doesn’t get any sunlight in winter and gets terribly cold.”
Shen Congjun’s expression softened slightly, though his tone remained reproachful: “Such a trivial matter! Couldn’t you have discussed it properly with the family instead of causing a scene by threatening to jump?! Utterly unreasonable!”
“Dad is right to scold me. I’ll never do it again.”
Yeah, right.
Shen Qi secretly added those two words in her heart.
Whenever the Shen Family infringed on her interests, she could create an even bigger spectacle.
“Wait for your mother to come back and discuss it with her.”
Shen Congjun had no patience for these trivial household matters and always pushed them onto Xu Ailian.
Shen Qi nodded obediently.
By now the coal stove had caught fire. Shen Qi filled the kettle with water and placed it over the burner.
“Where’s Mom?” Shen Qi asked.
“Went out to buy breakfast.”
“Is the gas stove broken again?”
“Again?”
“Yes, I told Mom before that the gas stove is faulty and needs to be used very carefully. If anything boils over into the pot, it won’t light at all afterward.”
Shen Congjun’s brow furrowed slightly, but he said nothing.
This damned gas stove had gotten her beaten in her previous life.
She had clearly told Xu Ailian long ago that the stove’s ignition was problematic—it needed either replacement or repair.
Whether Xu Ailian had a momentary lapse or simply forgot, she never addressed the issue.
Later, when guests visited, Xu Ailian’s soup boiled over and the gas stove became completely unusable, leaving over a dozen guests waiting to be fed.
With no alternative, Shen Congjun and Xu Ailian had to take everyone out to eat.
Afterward, Xu Ailian claimed Shen Qi had broken the gas stove.
“Why didn’t you tell me if you broke something? Would I have hit you or scolded you?”
“Now look what happened—made our family lose so much face! Are you happy now?!”
The face-conscious Shen Congjun didn’t hesitate before slapping Shen Qi across the face, calling her a useless waste who only knew how to eat, less useful than a rag in the house.
“Dad, I already ate breakfast at Grandma He’s place. I’ll go back to my room to tidy up first,” Shen Qi said.
“Go ahead.”
Shen Qi entered her room and closed the door.
Upstairs by the railing, the two people stared at each other, seeing disbelief in each other’s eyes.
“That’s it?” Shen Jinan felt his tyrannical father seemed like a stranger.
Shen Baozhu pressed her lips together resentfully.
Dad cared most about face and had the worst temper. If any other child in the family had made a scene like Shen Qi did, they’d at least get slapped, if not have their legs broken.
Who would have thought Dad would just offer a few bland remarks and let it go?
And she had been so looking forward to seeing Shen Qi get beaten!
This Shen Qi was just malicious!
Yesterday she exposed in front of everyone that Shen Baozhu wasn’t a real Shen family child—how would people in the Compound view her from now on?
Still using the excuse that Mom and Dad don’t treat everyone equally? Clearly, she was jealous because Yi Ge only invited her out yesterday and didn’t call her, which is why she made such a scene.
She only knows how to use these underhanded tactics—Yi Ge would never like someone like her!
Thinking of Fang Yi, Shen Baozhu felt a pang of heartache.
That glass soda bottle Shen Qi threw yesterday was truly merciless—it left a gash on Yi Ge’s forehead that would probably leave a permanent scar.
Xu Ailian rushed to buy breakfast, afraid of delaying Shen Congjun’s work schedule. In her haste on the way back, she slipped and fell.
Fortunately, winter clothes were thick, so the fall didn’t hurt, but the steamed buns she bought got crushed, and the soy milk spilled all over the ground.
Fuming with anger, Xu Ailian returned home with a dark expression.
Shen Baozhu and Shen Jinan came downstairs, chattering simultaneously about Shen Qi’s return.
“What is she coming back for?!” Xu Ailian finally found an outlet for her rage.
It was all Shen Qi’s fault!
Since Shen Qi neither worked nor attended school, she had taken over all the household chores. Xu Ailian hadn’t stepped into the kitchen for a long time.
This morning, without Shen Qi around, she had to cook again, only to find the previously reliable gas stove had suddenly broken down.
The broken stove wouldn’t have been a problem if Shen Qi had told her—she could have called for repairs earlier and avoided going out for breakfast and suffering that humiliating fall.
“Mom, why are these buns flattened? And there’s no soy milk either? Are we supposed to eat them dry?” Shen Jinan took out the buns with a look of disgust.
“Then go hungry if you don’t want them.” Xu Ailian took off her heavy coat. “Where’s Shen Qi?”
She was going to give her a thorough scolding!
Shen Congjun emerged from the study, casually grabbed a few crushed buns, and headed out while saying, “Why did you keep putting off calling someone to repair the broken gas stove? You should pay more attention to household matters instead of focusing all day on your useless hobbies!”
Xu Ailian opened her mouth but couldn’t utter a word.
What?!
How did this suddenly become her fault for neglecting family affairs?!
Reaching the door, Shen Congjun turned back and added, “Oh, and give Shen Qi a different bedroom. If you’re going to show favoritism, at least pretend a little—don’t make it so obvious. Everyone in the Compound has eyes!”
Xu Ailian nearly choked on her anger, almost fainting on the spot.
Fine, fine! So all the favoritism was her doing alone?!
In the end, she’s the one who has to shoulder all the blame, while you, Shen Congjun, remain pristine and untainted?!
“Mom, don’t be angry.” Shen Baozhu waited until Shen Congjun had left before supporting Xu Ailan to comfort her. “Dad is in a difficult position too. Shen Qi was brought back by Grandma He, and you know how much influence Grandma He has in the Compound.”
Xu Ailian gritted her teeth. “Instead of minding her own family’s business, she comes to others’ homes acting like an empress dowager? That old…”
She swallowed the harsh words. As a teacher, she prided herself on being civilized and polite—how could she call someone an old crone?
Shen Jinan munched on a bun and said, “Shen Qi said she doesn’t want to stay in her current room anymore, Mom. Are there any spare rooms left in the house?”
“Maybe… I should give up my room.” Shen Baozhu spoke with feigned grievance. “After all, I was the one who should have left. I only stayed because I couldn’t bear to part with Mom and Dad, and because my older brother and younger brother didn’t want me to go. If I leave, Shen Qi can have my bedroom.”
“What nonsense are you talking! What do you mean you should leave? I don’t care who shares blood ties with me. All I know is I’ve called you sister for seventeen years, Sister Baozhu. You’re the only one I recognize as my sister!” Shen Jinan deliberately raised his voice, afraid that Shen Qi in the room wouldn’t hear him.
These weren’t the first time Shen Jinan had said such words, but every time she heard them, Shen Baozhu felt deeply moved.
“Then it’s even more reason for me to give up the room,” Shen Baozhu said with firm determination. “I can’t let the family become unsettled because of me. For our family to live as warmly and happily as before, I don’t mind suffering a little hardship!”