“Shen Qi, have you gone mad?!”
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Shen Jinan began shouting and yelling. The seventeen-year-old boy moved swiftly, pushing himself up with his arms to stand.
Shen Qi had no intention of letting him get up. She kicked him, grabbed his hair, and slapped him repeatedly across the face.
Although Shen Jinan was about the same height as Shen Qi, he wasn’t as strong as her, having done farm work since childhood. Having lost the advantage from the start, he could only howl in pain under her assault.
That damned woman’s hands were like iron clamps, gripping his hair so tightly that even the slightest movement made him feel like his scalp was being torn off.
The pain was excruciating.
The commotion between the two attracted Xu Ailian, who was busy working in the kitchen.
Xu Ailian let out a sharp scream: “Shen Qi, what are you doing? Stop it right now! Don’t hit your brother!”
Shen Qi cast a cold glance at her but didn’t stop her actions. Only after she had thoroughly vented her anger did she release him, giving him another kick for good measure to prevent him from retaliating.
Xu Ailian hurried over to Shen Jinan’s side, helping her son up with a pained expression.
Shen Jinan felt his face and scalp throbbing with intense pain. Rage surged to the top of his head like a balloon about to burst.
“Shen Qi, I’ll kill you!”
Xu Ailian quickly held her son back, preventing him from doing anything reckless.
Boys of this age were most prone to impulsiveness. She feared her son might actually resort to violence.
“Shen Qi, apologize to your brother immediately! Honestly, as an older sister, how could you hit your brother like this?”
“Apologize? Haven’t I already done that?” Shen Qi curled her lips in disdain. “A few days ago, he insisted that I pushed Shen Baozhu and slapped me across the face. Didn’t I end up apologizing then?”
“Shen Qi?!” Xu Ailian frowned. “What nonsense are you talking? If you keep this up, Mother won’t like you anymore.”
Shen Qi felt an indescribable fury rushing to her head.
That exact phrase!
Every time she failed to meet Xu Ailian’s expectations in the slightest, she would hear those words!
“Shen Qi, don’t compete with Baozhu. If you keep this up, Mother won’t like you anymore.”
“Shen Qi, he’s your brother. Shouldn’t you let him have his way? Enough now, stop talking. If you continue, Mother won’t like you anymore.”
“Shen Qi, can’t you just behave and not cause trouble? It’s hard for me to like you when you’re like this.”
…
This phrase had become a curse, her greatest fear.
She refused to believe that Xu Ailian was unaware of her insecurities. Yet she deliberately used this method to discipline her, to mold her into the compliant, understanding one who always ended up shortchanged.
“Who do you think you are? Do I need your affection?”
Shen Qi gritted her teeth, practically squeezing the words out from between them.
“I care about you, so you have the right to criticize me. If I didn’t care about you, you’d be nothing more than a fart!”
After saying these words, heat rushed to her eyes, and her nose stung intensely.
Shen Qi clenched her jaw, refusing to let the tears fall.
After two lifetimes, she had finally learned to be brave, instead of behaving like a young animal craving maternal love, pitifully begging Xu Ailian for scraps of affection.
Xu Ailian stood frozen in place as if struck by a heavy blow.
What?
What did she just hear?
Did Shen Qi actually call her a fart?!
“Shen Qi!” Xu Ailian’s voice cracked. “Have you lost your mind?!”
“What’s all this noise about?”
Shen Congjun appeared at the doorway. He had just returned from work when he saw his wife arguing with their two children at home.
Fortunately, they lived in a standalone Western-style house. If they were still in their old apartment building, all the neighbors would have come out to watch the commotion.
Xu Ailian pointed at Shen Qi, “It’s your precious daughter! She’s gone mad—she came home and hit Xiao Nan, then cursed at me!”
Shen Congjun’s sharp gaze swept across the room, noticing the clear slap mark on his son’s face.
His eyes settled on Shen Qi, “Who gave you permission to lay hands on anyone?!”
A wordless pressure filled the air. Shen Qi stiffened her neck, telling herself not to be afraid, not to back down!
“This is what you owe me!”
Shen Congjun’s face darkened as he strode forward.
Those familiar with him knew this was the precursor to his rage.
Shen Jinan shot Shen Qi a gleeful look and stepped aside, waiting for the show to begin.
Shen Qi pressed her lips together, seized the moment—and bolted!
Shen Congjun was no weakling like Shen Jinan. She stood no chance against him head-on, so running was her only option.
If she didn’t run, he’d beat her half to death.
Like a slippery loach, Shen Qi darted past Shen Congjun’s astonished and furious gaze, slipping out the front door.
“Shen Qi! Stop right there!” Shen Congjun roared, chasing her to the doorway.
Shen Qi ignored him completely, sprinting straight toward the apartment buildings in the Compound.
Shen Congjun, conscious of his dignity, refused to give chase. He glared at his son, “Go bring your sister back!”
Shen Jinan responded eagerly, “Mission accomplished, guaranteed!”
Once he caught Shen Qi, he’d slap her hard twice for revenge, then drag her back for their father to discipline her.
He knew firsthand how brutally heavy their father’s hands were.
He could hardly wait to see Shen Qi wailing in misery.
The Compound covered a considerable area, housing not only Western-style houses but also ordinary apartment buildings.
The buildings weren’t tall, only seven stories, since elevators were rare in this era—unlike in later years when elevator buildings became commonplace.
It was currently rush hour, with streams of people returning from work crowding the paths.
Nearly everyone in the Compound knew Shen Qi.
Not only because of her lost-and-found background, but also because she’d been chasing after Fang Yi all day since being recognized.
She lacked any sense of maidenly reserve.
Whenever people chatted about such topics over tea, they’d always bring her up, saying the girl had been raised improperly in the countryside—her demeanor and education were nowhere near Shen Baozhu’s level.
Only Old Master Fang, addled with age, insisted on sticking his precious grandson Fang Yi, that fresh flower, into a pile of cow dung like Shen Qi.
“Shen Qi, what are you running for?!”
Many people were bumped by Shen Qi, frowning in displeasure.
Without looking back, Shen Qi chose the central building and climbed to the top floor.
She stood at the edge, gazing indifferently into the distance.
Soon, someone spotted her, and a crowd gathered below, pointing and murmuring.
“What’s she doing? Jumping off the building?”
“Must be. What happened? So young, why would she think of jumping?”
“Who knows? Usually it’s either over love or money. My guess is love.”
“Had another fight with Fang Yi?”
“Must be a huge fight to drive her to jump.”
“Someone should fetch Fang Yi quickly.”
“Right, get Fang Yi here to talk her down. Don’t let her do anything rash.”
“Shen Qi, stop this nonsense! Come down! Whatever it is, you can talk to Auntie about it. That spot’s dangerous—step back, won’t you?!”
…
Shen Qi watched as the crowd below grew larger. Shen Jinan had also struggled with immense effort to squeeze his way up to the rooftop, accompanied by several uncles and aunts responsible for the Compound’s security.
“She’s just acting crazy, afraid of being disciplined by my dad, pretending to jump to scare everyone!” Shen Jinan told the security team.
“Have all the Shen Family members come here,” Shen Qi calmly demanded.
She had painstakingly set the stage for this drama, and naturally, she intended to put on a grand performance.
Without the Shen Family’s involvement, the show couldn’t go on.