No wonder, so she had only just entered this industry and now, having tasted its dangers, it had brought her immense trauma.
I feel like I’ve had it hard enough, but I never imagined Xiaohong had it a hundred times worse than me!
At least I have a complete family. If it weren't for the demoness, my family of three would have been living a happy and fulfilling life. We were suddenly struck down, which led us to our current predicament.
I held her tightly. This quiet, seemingly delicate young girl, how could she have encountered so many life tragedies? How could she have met such a heartless mother? For her own flesh and blood, why was she abandoned, left to wander?
We sat there quietly for a long time. Fellow sufferers of fate, meeting each other, why ask if we knew each other before? Two unfortunate children, bound together to fight against destiny.
I suddenly remembered what CEO Chen told me last night. In a few days, the old Burmese would demand her time again. She could dodge the fifteenth day of the first month, but not the fifteenth day of the month. This time, she couldn’t repeat her old tricks, or she might not even keep her life.
I said, "If you could leave this industry right now, what would you do?"
She gave a bitter smile and looked at me, saying, "What plans could I possibly have? Perhaps I'm just not used to this job yet. Maybe after a while, like Xiaoli and the others, I'll become adept at handling everything."
She continued, "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I need to earn money, a lot of money. I want to buy a house and have a home of my own. I never want to live under someone else's roof or rely on others’ goodwill. I want to buy many beautiful clothes so I can wear whatever I want, and never be looked down upon."
She said all this in one breath, as if it had been stored in her heart for a long time and suddenly burst out.
I stroked her face, wiping away her tears. I knew how much she was suffering. Her grievances and humiliation poured out, and she buried her head in my shoulder, sobbing.
I felt helpless. I wanted to hear her say that she would never go back there, never do this again. Then I would risk being beaten by Mr. Chen again and bear this burden. But instead, she blamed everything on herself, saying she hadn't adapted, rather than being abandoned or even escaping.
I remembered Xiaoli's words: "We're nothing. Don't think too much of ourselves. Walking on the street, we're worse than dogs."
When her crying subsided, I gently put her down, then stood up and said, "I'll go buy some food. You get up later, and we'll eat."
It was already past noon. I went into a shop and ordered two bowls of rice noodles to go. I also got some pastries from a bakery. Girls like sweets, and I hope they’ll suit her taste.
She had told me earlier that she was a year older than me, but she didn't want me to call her "sister" and preferred me to use her name.
I went up with the food. She had already gotten up, tidied the room, and was sitting quietly on the edge of the bed waiting for me.
I showed her the food. As expected, her eyes lit up when she saw the sweets. She quickly took the items from my hands and told me to wash my hands. She moved the bedside table between the two beds and set out the food containers with a practiced air, as if she were the mistress of the house.
Just then, there was a knock on the door. I opened it, and a waiter told me a young man was looking for me and waiting downstairs.
I told Xiaohong to eat first, and I would go down to see.
It was Wen Siqiang. He was standing at the door. Seeing me approach, he pulled me aside and said, "Sister Zhou wants you to bring that thing. Tonight, she'll have you contact Mr. Liu from over there. Try a small amount first to test the waters. Sister Lan is very strict, so we can't make too much of a fuss."
I said, "I won't touch that thing. That's my bottom line!"
Qiangzi said, "Sister Zhou expected you to refuse. She said you have no choice. If you don't want your father to go to prison, you'll obey, otherwise, she'll provide new evidence to the court."
I lowered my head in pain. On one side was my bottom line, and on the other, my weakness. Neither could be touched. I fell into despair.
I asked, "Do you have any leads on the matter I gave you?"
He said, "The person who instructed her seems to be from your school as well. I don't know who it is. She always avoids me when she calls. From her tone, I feel like this person is within the school."
This was close to my own guess. It must be someone who wanted to gain power. I couldn't understand why, even with my father in such a state, they wouldn't let go and were determined to destroy him completely.
There must be something more to this. Either my father has leverage over him or her, or they want to ensure my father's case is ironclad, so he can never rise again.
It must be that.
I dismissed Wen Siqiang and went to a public phone to send Lan Ya a group of numbers, indicating a request to meet.
We wouldn't meet unless it was absolutely necessary. The situation was urgent, and I needed to hear her advice.
A moment later, she replied with another group of numbers. I knew then that she had arranged to meet me at Sister Zhang's place.
I went up and ate a quick bite, telling Xiaohong to stay put and wait for me, that I was going out on an errand.
I’ll have to find Xiaopang later and have him help me get the list of the school’s leadership to analyze who this mastermind is.
When I went up, Sister Zhang was overjoyed. She hugged and kissed me repeatedly, as if she hadn't seen me in a hundred years.
We had been apart for less than a day.
After she had kissed me enough, I asked, "Hasn't Lan Ya arrived yet?"
Sister Zhang said unhappily, "I thought you came here to see me, but you're meeting Lan Ya. Hmph!"
I quickly hugged her and kissed her, "I'm seeing her for work. Don't confuse the two."
Sister Zhang touched her face, then stretched it out again, asking me to kiss her again.
I had no choice but to kiss her again before she let me go.
To be honest, having a sister like her dote on me felt quite nice.
Sister Zhang went to make tea, and I went to look at the raw stones in the cabinet again.
Just then, Lan Ya rushed in and asked me, "What's so urgent?"
I said, "Zhou Yingying wants me to bring that thing to the Grand World. First, she wants the girl she brought to find a buyer, and then develop her influence in the Grand World."
Lan Ya said angrily, "That bitch! What did you say?"
I said, "I won't touch that thing, but,"
I didn't finish because Lan Ya didn't know that Teacher Li, who was accused by the demoness, was my father. I didn't know how to start.
Lan Ya said, "But what?"
I had to say, "The teacher she framed is my father!"
Lan Ya was stunned for a moment, then said, "I understand. She's blackmailing you with your father?"
I said, "Yes, she said she has new evidence and will definitely send my father to prison."
Lan Ya clenched her fists, making cracking sounds, and said through gritted teeth, "I think she's lived long enough!"
She sat on the sofa, picked up the phone on the nearby table, dialed a number, and when it was connected, said, "I'm in Sister Lan's jewelry store office. I need you to come over for something."