Chapter 6
It was Xia Zhiruo who slapped her.
Yu He turned to look at Xia Zhiruo in disbelief, and immediately raised her hand to slap her back.
“You wretched girl, I’ve raised you for eighteen years, and this is how you repay me!?”
Xia Zhiruo looked utterly bewildered. “I-I don’t know, my hand just moved on its own…”
Yu He snapped, “If it wasn’t you, what was it then? Are you saying you were possessed in broad daylight?”
Xia Zhiruo looked miserable. “It really wasn’t me…”
She had no idea why, but just now, when her mother was scolding Fang Rong, her hand seemed to move uncontrollably and slapped her mother.
She had been glaring at Xia Sheng the whole time, and the one she wanted to hit was Xia Sheng. Who would have thought her hand would move on its own, and instead of hitting Xia Sheng, she ended up slapping her own mother!
She wasn’t crazy-why would she slap her own mother for no reason?
But Yu He ignored her excuses, glared at her, and then looked away.
Frustrated, Xia Zhiruo kicked the coffee table hard.
Xia Sheng’s gaze swept over the two of them, a mocking smile tugging at her lips, but she said nothing.
Fang Rong was startled by the commotion between mother and daughter and looked up.
The moment she saw Xia Sheng, Fang Rong’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“You are… Sheng’er?”
Fang Rong had only heard that Xia Yanzhi would bring Xia Sheng back, but didn’t know which day she would arrive.
Even though she hadn’t seen this child in over a decade, she recognized her at a glance.
This child looked exactly like Fang Rong did when she was young.
Xia Sheng nodded in response to Fang Rong.
A joyful smile appeared on Fang Rong’s face. She quickened her steps, limping as she walked over, wanting to hug Xia Sheng.
Xia Sheng also stood up, worried Fang Rong might fall if she walked too fast, and hurried over to support her.
However, when Fang Rong reached her, the hand she had extended suddenly withdrew.
Awkwardly, she wiped her hand on her clothes, lowered her head, and said, “I just finished cleaning the bathroom, I might smell a bit, you…”
Before Fang Rong could finish, Xia Sheng hugged her tightly.
After years of hard labor, Fang Rong’s back was already a bit hunched, and she was now shorter than Xia Sheng.
Suddenly embraced by her daughter, Fang Rong trembled all over, her eyes instantly welling up with tears. She wanted to hug her daughter back, but didn’t dare, so she stood stiffly in Xia Sheng’s arms.
Ever since Xia Sheng went missing as a child, Fang Rong had been searching for her everywhere for years. Nearly all of her meager monthly salary was spent on the search.
But her strength was limited, and with Xia Yanzhi unwilling to help, she could never find her daughter on her own.
She had thought she would never be reunited with her daughter in this lifetime, yet now, her daughter was holding her in her arms.
Thinking of this, Fang Rong could no longer hold back the tears she had been fighting.
After comforting Fang Rong and waiting for her to calm down, Xia Sheng looked at Xia Yanzhi.
“I’m taking my mother with me today. As for the engagement with the Zhou Family, I will not take Xia Zhiruo’s place.
“I advise you to let Xia Zhiruo marry into the Zhou Family. The Shi Chen she likes now doesn’t truly want to marry her-he just wants to use her as a shield.
“The Shi Family only wants Xia Zhiruo’s life and the Xia Family’s fortune. If you don’t want your family ruined, you’d better stay away from the Shi Family.”
Xia Yanzhi was already angry, and hearing Xia Sheng talk about such superstitious things made his expression even darker.
“Are you cursing me and Zhiruo? The Shi Family is a prestigious clan-how could they possibly do such evil things?”
“I think you just can’t stand to see your sister doing well-you’re deliberately making alarmist remarks here!
“Take your crippled mother and get out of here right now…”
Before he could finish, Xia Zhiruo stood up, raised her hand, and slapped him across the face.
Xia Yanzhi was stunned. Yu He also stood up, shouting angrily, “Xia Zhiruo! Are you out of your mind today!?”
Xia Zhiruo was bewildered.
What was wrong with her hand today?
Why couldn’t she control it!?
“Dad, I didn’t mean it. I don’t know what’s gotten into me today…”
As she spoke, something suddenly occurred to her. She pointed at Xia Sheng and said, “Dad, Mom, I know! It must be Xia Sheng! She must have used some kind of witchcraft on me, that’s why I lost control!
“She made me hit you-quick, catch this witch!”
“Enough!” Xia Yanzhi interrupted impatiently. “It’s bad enough that Xia Sheng believes in those charlatans, but how can you, as a dignified daughter of the Xia Family, act so superstitious?
“Butler, take Miss upstairs to rest. She’s to stay in her room and calm down for the rest of the day!”
Xia Zhiruo bit her lip hard, feeling utterly aggrieved but powerless. She shot Xia Sheng a vicious glare, then turned and went upstairs.
Xia Sheng ignored the family, taking Fang Rong’s hand and leaving.
After they left the Xia Family, Fang Rong was still holding her daughter’s hand, her heart filled with warmth.
Suddenly, something came to her mind. She quickly stopped Xia Sheng.
“Sheng’er, why did you argue with your father just now? He brought you back this time to help you find a good marriage. If you just left with me like this, what if he gets angry…”
“Mom,” Xia Sheng took Fang Rong’s hand, “I don’t want to go back to the Xia Family, and I don’t want to have any more ties with them.
“Are you willing to live with just me from now on?”
She hadn’t asked Fang Rong’s opinion back at the villa because she’d already calculated what her choice would be.
Sure enough, a few seconds later, Fang Rong agreed, “Alright, let’s go. From now on, Mom will take care of you.”
Ever since her daughter went missing, Fang Rong had muddled through life for more than ten years. Combined with Yu He’s constant psychological pressure, there were times she’d even considered ending it all.
The only thing keeping her going was the hope of finding her daughter.
Now her daughter had finally returned-no matter where it was, she was willing to go with her.
Besides, leaving the Xia Family wasn’t a bad thing.
Even if they were poor and struggling, it was better than watching her daughter call another woman “Mom.”
After she finished, Fang Rong lowered her head. “But Mom doesn’t have any skills or make much money. If you live outside with me, life might be pretty hard.
“The Xia Family can give you the best education, can help you find a good marriage, but I might not even have enough for your college tuition…”
While she was at the Xia Family, Xia Yanzhi and his family barely spoke to her, but she’d learned from the other servants that Xia Sheng had been admitted to college.
Fang Rong was born in the countryside. In those days, girls weren’t allowed much schooling-especially in rural areas.
She only made it to fourth grade before her family ran out of money for her tuition.
She had to drop out and care for her younger siblings, wasting her youth until she was seventeen, when she followed relatives into the city to work.
Because she never got to finish school, she had always envied those who could study.
When she heard her daughter had gotten into college-one of the country’s top universities-she couldn’t have been prouder.
Now her daughter wanted nothing to do with Xia Yanzhi and only wanted to be with her, but she didn’t have any money…