Chapter 27

I had been to the neighbors’ house a few times before, but this time, things felt different.

He Jing pointed to the south-facing bedroom, smiling as he imagined aloud, “When you move in and live with us, you’ll sleep in that room. The light is good there, very bright.”

Meanwhile, I sipped my soup slowly, pondering how I could get them to stay away from me.

“How’s the soup? Your mom got up early and made it herself just for you.”

Snapping out of my thoughts, I asked, “What did you say?”

He Jing, thinking I was stunned by emotion, repeated, “Your mom made this herself. She simmered it for over two hours.”

Mrs. He nudged him, “That’s enough.”

Maybe it was just in my head, but it felt like what I had just swallowed wasn’t soup, but poison.

My stomach churned as if someone was stirring it with something. I couldn’t hold it in and vomited everything into the trash can.

He Jing and Mrs. He’s faces immediately turned grim.

Mrs. He brought me some water and a towel, trying to hand them to me, but I knocked them away.

“Aren’t you tired of playing house with your make-believe family games? If you’re so full of sympathy, why don’t you go bother He Yu? Can’t you just leave me alone?” I was thoroughly irritated.

Mrs. He crouched there, stunned, her face pale.

“That’s not what I meant.”

I stood up, my words sharp and biting, sneering, “Who knows what you mean? You’re always like this-when you want to swap out a child, you can toss them away without even blinking.”

“Enough,” He Jing snapped angrily.

I ignored him, venting on my own, “You keep a child if you want, throw them away if you don’t. You’re the most selfish person in the world.”

With a loud smack, He Jing’s palm landed hard on my face.

“How can you talk to your mother like that?”

Time seemed to freeze. Maybe it was because I was sick, but my reactions were slow-I didn’t even manage to dodge.

Mrs. He’s eyes were wide with shock. She was the first to react, hitting He Jing: “What are you doing? How could you hit her?”

Instinctively, I touched my face and felt a bit of blood.

It seemed the skin at the corner of my mouth had split.

But could a split lip bleed this much?

It felt like I was getting a nosebleed too.

It was a while before I finally registered the burning pain in my face.

“I didn’t use that much force,” He Jing muttered, subconsciously reaching out to steady me, but then suddenly pulled his hand back.

Mrs. He grabbed some tissues, trying to wipe the blood away for me.

I stepped back, avoiding her.

So annoying.

So exhausting.

Why do I have to go through all this?

Why do they keep haunting me like ghosts that won’t go away?

“Are you finally done with your performance?” I looked at them coldly. “Remember this slap. Don’t ever show up in front of me again. You make me sick.”

Their faces instantly turned deathly pale.

Mrs. He whispered, “No, it’s not like that.”