Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It wasn’t the first time Ji Ye had called me annoying.

He’d said it more times than I could count.

But he wasn’t wrong.

Someone like me really was terribly annoying.

Ji Ye and I had once been childhood sweethearts.

But then my mother died, and my stepmother gave birth to my little sister.

Somehow, our family’s finances took a sudden turn for the worse.

When my sister fell ill, we couldn’t even afford to take her to the doctor.

My stepmother begged me through her tears to borrow money from Ji Ye.

“The Ji Family is so rich, and Ji Ye is their only child. You two grew up together. He’ll lend you the money, won’t he?”

I stood there, confused and overwhelmed.

Dad stubbed out his cigarette, stepped in front of me, and roared at my stepmother, “Why are you putting Ah Fu through this? She’s still a child!”

My stepmother wiped away her tears and raised her voice. “Ah Fu is your daughter, but isn’t Zhenzhen your daughter too? Besides, if you hadn’t gambled away all our money, would I have to beg Ah Fu for help?!”

Dad’s face turned scarlet, and he actually slapped her.

“Then go die!”

My stepmother broke down sobbing. Holding Zhenzhen in her arms, she tried to jump off the building.

I clung to her leg and promised through my tears, “Mom, I’ll borrow the money. Please don’t die, okay?”

She was my stepmother, but she had never treated me badly.

Like my mother, she had simply married the wrong man.

And now she was forced to live a life of poverty and humiliation.

But I didn’t want her to end up like my mother, jumping from the balcony.

I had already lost my mom.

I didn’t want Zhenzhen to lose hers too.

That afternoon, I went to find Ji Ye.

But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t bring myself to say the words “lend me money.”

The little boy eventually grew impatient. He pinched my cheeks and shook them back and forth.

“What are you trying to say? Are we still going to play or not?”

My face turned bright red as I stammered, “C-Could you lend me some money? I’ll pay you back when I grow up.”

Little Ji Ye arched a brow. “That’s it?”

Without even asking what I needed it for, he pulled several thick bundles of New Year’s gift money from his nightstand and generously stuffed them into my arms.

“Can we play now?”

It was such an ordinary game-playing house.

He wanted to be the dad, while I played the mom, and we would walk hand in hand toward the wedding altar.

We had played it a hundred times, but Ji Ye never seemed to tire of it.

I still remember it even now.

That day, when I came home clutching the money, my stepmother held Zhenzhen in her arms and actually tried to kneel before me.

“Ah Fu, once Zhenzhen gets better, I’ll find a job and pay you back.”

At that moment, Dad acted like a considerate husband. He pulled her to her feet and chided her, “We’re family. There’s no need to talk about paying anyone back. Ah Fu having a friend like Ji Ye is a blessing for our whole family.”

My stepmother shoved him away. She simply held me and sobbed.

I heard her apologize over and over again.

I’m sorry, Ah Fu. I’m sorry.