Living Only For Myself: Make Those Who Hate Me Regret It-Chapter 27: What Kind of Ill-fated Connection Is This?

Chapter 27: Chapter 27: What Kind of Ill-fated Connection Is This?

Oh, she didn’t even have to grow up. Back in high school, the girl started dating early and dropped out. She found some guy with bleached hair from a barbershop who was several years older than her. He sweet-talked her into skipping the college entrance exams, which made my eldest maternal uncle and his wife weep at home.

At that time, Xu Su was already by Zhou Mochen’s side, attending university in Beijing. When she got the call from her uncle, she took time off to come back and talk some sense into Chen Ni, but the girl was so lovesick, there was no getting through to her.

She had her first child at twenty and was a mother of three by twenty-five. By then, that guy with bleached hair was in his late thirties and a total failure. He was also an abusive cheater—he did it all—which finally knocked the lovesickness out of Chen Ni.

Dragged down by her three children, Chen Ni’s situation became unbearable for Xu Su to watch. She supported Chen Ni in divorcing him and taking the kids, then gave her money to start a small business. Only then did Chen Ni finally begin to live a decent life.

Thinking of everything from her past life, Xu Su’s expression hardened. She looked at Chen Ni with an almost severe gaze and said, "As long as you study hard, you will always be my favorite cousin. But if you go looking for trouble and let some Little Huang Mao sweet-talk you into throwing your life away, then I’ll just favor my other two cousins instead."

Xu Su could never understand the mindset of a lovesick fool. That whole alternative scene—the tight pants, the spiky hair, the Little Huang Mao type—was a total eyesore to her.

Getting lectured out of the blue, Chen Ni was both embarrassed and angry. She glared at Xu Su. "What Little Huang Mao? I don’t know any Little Huang Mao! Sis, you spend a little time in the city and suddenly you’re talking all differently, making false accusations."

Chen Dong was also taken aback. He and Chen Ni went to the high school in town and were in the same class. "There’s no Little Huang Mao in our class," he said. "Our school doesn’t allow students to dye their hair."

"..." ’Of course, Little Huang Mao hasn’t shown up yet,’ Xu Su thought. ’Saying all this right now really is unfair to Chen Ni.’

’But if he really does show up, it’ll be too late.’

After a moment’s thought, Xu Su fabricated a story. She looked at Chen Ni and said, "I heard something from a classmate of mine. Her younger cousin got sweet-talked by a Little Huang Mao. She dropped out of school and ran off to have his baby at a very young age. Since I have a younger cousin too, it hit a little too close to home, and I couldn’t help but think of you."

After speaking, Xu Su’s expression darkened again. "Nini, you listen to me. In a family like ours, we can’t rely on our parents for everything. We have to depend on ourselves. If you want to make something of yourself, studying hard is the only way. Anyone who gets in the way of your education is an enemy on your path to success. You are to ignore them completely. Understand?"

Chen Ni felt a little indignant. Just because Xu Su heard a story about some stranger, she was singling her out like this. But she had grown up with her older cousin, and they were incredibly close. Plus, they rarely got to see each other, so she couldn’t bear to get into a fight.

After a tense moment, Chen Ni reluctantly nodded. "I would never fall for a Little Huang Mao. I’m going to study hard, get into a good university, and make a lot of money to buy a big house. I’ll bring my parents to live in the city so we never have to farm again." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Xu Su stood up and walked into Chen Ni’s room with practiced familiarity. She found her schoolbag, took out a pen and paper, and said, "Write it down as a guarantee. Write down everything you just said, word for word. Then sign and date it. I’ll take it with me as evidence."

This move left Chen Ni, Chen Dong, and Chen Jun utterly dumbfounded.

Chen Dong said, "Susu, aren’t you being a little dramatic? Why does she need to write a guarantee?"

Chen Jun glanced from Xu Su to Chen Ni, a flicker of suspicion in his eyes. "Don’t tell me you actually know some Little Huang Mao, and Susu found out?"

"I do not!" Chen Ni shot her cousin an angry glare and said resentfully, "What Little Huang Mao? I’m with Dongdong at school every day. Where would I even meet a Little Huang Mao!"

Xu Su patted Chen Ni on the back comfortingly. "I’m doing this for your own good. Just be a dear and write it. In the future, if some Little Huang Mao really does show up and mess with your studies, I’ll show up with this guarantee. And if you dare defy me, I’ll break his legs."

’It’s not like she hadn’t done it before, anyway.’

In the end, at Xu Su’s insistence, Chen Ni wrote out the guarantee.

Watching Xu Su carefully fold the paper and tuck it into her pocket, Chen Ni grumbled, "Your classmate’s cousin gets sweet-talked by a Little Huang Mao, and you immediately project it onto me. You’re being so unreasonable."

Xu Su’s heart softened, and she coaxed, "I’m only doing this because I’m worried about you. See? I’m not worrying about our aunt’s two daughters, am I? That’s because you’re the cousin I care about the most."

With just a few words, she had Chen Ni beaming again.

They had dinner at her eldest uncle’s house. There was braised tofu, scrambled eggs with chili peppers, and stir-fried eggplant with pork, accompanied by a large bowl of soup made from Grandma Xu’s pickled vegetables. Everything was delicious and went perfectly with rice, and Xu Su ate two big bowls.

After dinner, they moved a bamboo cot into the courtyard to enjoy the cool evening air. Xu Su and Chen Ni, close as sisters, sat leaning against each other on the cot while Grandma Xu waved a cattail fan to shoo away the mosquitoes.

’If only I could,’ Xu Su thought, ’I’d freeze this moment in time—Grandma forever healthy, and me never having to grow up.’

Happy days always fly by, and in the blink of an eye, it was October third.

It started raining early in the morning. As the saying goes, each autumn rain brings a fresh chill, and it was now cool enough to feel the cold even in a short-sleeved shirt.

After lunch, Xu Su boarded the bus to Kang County. She had arrived empty-handed with only her backpack, but now she was leaving with a large bag full of farm-fresh vegetables and eggs.

A little over forty minutes later, the bus arrived at the Kang County Bus Station. The rain was now pouring.

It was a torrential downpour. The ground at the old bus station was riddled with potholes, and the dark mud mixed with the rain, making everything incredibly slippery.

Xu Su juggled an umbrella in one hand and the bag of produce in the other, her backpack slung over her shoulders. She was trying to protect the eggs from breaking, and the path was far too slippery to risk running.

Fortunately, there was a row of general stores selling fruit and snacks right next to the bus station. The station itself was ancient, and these shops looked just as old. Xu Su found a spot to shelter from the rain under some eaves and glanced up at a wall clock inside one of the stores.

Two-twenty.

The bus from Kang County to Chang City only ran twice a day: one at ten in the morning and another at three in the afternoon.

’It’s only two-twenty, so the bus hasn’t even pulled in yet,’ she thought. ’I can’t even get on to wait out the rain.’

Xu Su collapsed her umbrella, carefully set her bag on the ground, and was brushing the rainwater from her arms when a familiar car pulled up in front of her.

The back door opened, and Zhou Mochen stepped out directly into the rain, not bothering with an umbrella.

"..."

’What kind of twisted fate is this?’

Xu Su couldn’t understand why on earth she was seeing Zhou Mochen in a place like Kang County.

’The distinguished heir to the Zhou family, a man who could call the shots even among the most elite circles of Beijing’s second-generation princelings. It was surprising enough that he would come to invest in an obscure city like Chang City, so why on earth would he personally set foot in a poor, backward place like Kang County?’

In the few steps it took to cross to her, Zhou Mochen’s hair was already soaked. He stopped in front of Xu Su, his brow furrowing slightly as he noticed her rain-splattered clothes. "Waiting for the bus to Chang City? Don’t. Get in. You can ride back with us."

The moment he drew near, Xu Su reflexively took a step back. She shook her head. "Thank you for the offer, but I’d rather not trouble you. The bus is fine."