Rebirth Must Be Happy

Chapter 138 [137] The Cruelest Strike
Chen Xingruo instantly secured a triple kill, and the large living room fell silent.

Li Yunxue looked at Kong Lingyu, then at Chen Xingzhu. This time, she had truly stopped sobbing, only occasionally letting out a sniffle.

"Xingruo".

After a long while, Chen Xingzhu came to her senses, quickly grabbed Chen Xingruo's arm, apologized to Li Gaoyuan, and said to Chen Xingruo, "Let's go."

Why do you want to leave?

Chen Xingruo looked at her sister with a puzzled expression, blinking gently: "Isn't this your home? Even if it's mine..."

She turned her head and glanced at Kong Lingyu: "My mother and sister live here. It's not too much of a problem for me to stay here for one night, is it?"

"What kind of talk is that?"

Li Gaoyuan was a businessman, and he was naturally unhappy after being scolded by Chen Xingruo. However, he still had some basic composure and quickly said, "There are still rooms in the house. Your mother can tidy them up. You can stay with your sister."

"Thank you uncle."

Chen Xingruo's expression changed faster than flipping through a book. Just a moment ago she was pointing at someone and scolding them for not having a biological daughter, but now she was obediently thanking them, "But you don't need to trouble my mom. I can sleep with my sister and video chat with my dad while I'm at it."

"Okay, okay."

Li Gaoyuan's smile became somewhat forced. "How has your father been doing these past few years?"

"It's fine, but I still hate my mom and won't let me see her."

Chen Xingruo smiled and replied, "I don't know how the couple could have gotten into this mess. Uncle, if you ever divorce my mother, please don't hold it against her. Even a day as husband and wife is a hundred days of kindness."

"No, no."

Li Gaoyuan was both annoyed and bitter, and sighed, "It's our fault for not handling our elders' affairs well and involving you, but your mother also has her reasons. Don't treat her like this."

"Like mother, like daughter."

Chen Xingruo still had a smile on her face, "My sister is not like her, I am like her. Nothing in the world is more important than myself. Why should I think about others?"

"Xingruo".

Chen Xingzhu tugged at her arm, "Don't say anymore."

"I haven't even talked about you yet!"

Chen Xingruo turned to look at her sister, her tone a little fierce, but tears suddenly welled up in her clear, bright eyes. After a pause, a sob finally escaped her lips, "Sister, what happened to you?"

She took a breath and continued, "When I was little, you were always the one taking care of me and protecting me. I've thought about you all these years, but I've never been too worried because I thought you were so capable of taking care of yourself and protecting yourself..."

She pointed at Li Yunxue, tears finally rolling down her cheeks, and asked in a sobbing voice, "You actually let this brat who hasn't been weaned bully you? She makes a fuss, but you don't? She bullies you, but you don't fight back?"

"cough!"

Xu Jinhuan originally thought he was there to be a ballast, but he didn't expect to get any help at all. All he did from beginning to end was close a door.

Only then did he seize the opportunity, standing at the door and coughing, "I can answer that question."

Regardless of whether he was an outsider or not, he stood by the door and said, "I saw a news story online about a woman who was having an affair. Her son came home and caught them in the act. Her lover suggested killing her son, and the woman agreed."

The opening was very captivating. All five of them—Li, Chen, Kong, and others—who were not exactly family, turned to look, waiting for him to continue.

Li Yunxue looked at him, then suddenly lowered her head and quietly touched her still burning cheek. She then tidied her hair and clothes, got up and sat on the sofa instead of sitting on the floor.

"The lover wanted to strangle the child, but the son was too strong and the lover couldn't hold him down, so he called the woman for help. When the woman came, the son saw his mother coming and stopped struggling, and was strangled to death."

Xu Jinhuan finished speaking with a smile, then shrugged and said, "I'm done answering."

He seemed to have only told a story without offering any answers, but even the most naive and clueless Li Yunxue vaguely understood what he meant.

Chen Xingruo paused for two seconds, looking at the tears welling up in her sister's eyes, and then at Kong Lingyu sitting blankly on the sofa, as if Xu Jinhuan's final blow had extinguished her spirit. She originally wanted to say a few more sarcastic words, but the words just wouldn't come out.

Chen Xingzhu wiped away her tears, then suddenly turned to Xu Jinhuan and asked, "Do you still have any vacant houses near your home?"

Xu Jinhuan was surprised by this unexpected surprise and quickly nodded, "Yes."

We have to have it even if we don't!

"Ah."

Chen Xingzhu responded softly, then said to Li Gaoyuan, "Uncle, I'll move out in a couple of days. My classmate lives there, so you don't need to worry about me. My normal living expenses are enough for me; you don't need to give me any extra money." "This..."

Li Gaoyuan didn't expect her to say that, and turned to look at Kong Lingyu.

Without waiting for a reply, Chen Xingzhu said to Xu Jinhuan, "I'm fine now. It's late, you should go home quickly and don't let your parents worry."

"Okay, call me anytime if you need anything."

Xu Jinhuan nodded. "Uncle, Auntie, I'll be going now."

He gave a perfunctory greeting and left Chen Xingzhu's house without lingering.

Coincidentally, just as I stepped out of the building, Song Zhiyu sent me a message: "My aunt asked why you haven't come back yet?"

Xu Jinhuan typed back: "I'm at a classmate's house. I'm leaving now."

He didn't say he had already left, but rather "I'm leaving now," in order to show that he valued her opinion.

Anyway, whether it's your mom urging you or someone else urging you, just take it seriously!

"Ah."

At home, Song Zhiyu gave a brief reply in a very proud manner, like a "normal younger sister," then put down her phone and said to Song Xiaohui and Xu Haiguang, who were focused on watching TV, "My brother said he's at a classmate's house, we're heading back now."

"I haven't seen a soul all day."

Song Xiaohui was also a little dissatisfied and couldn't help but criticize, then asked, "What did you say?"

“I told him to ask why he hadn’t come back yet, and he said he would be back soon.”

Song Zhiyu pursed her lips, and the smile she had been hiding finally crept out. "He's still afraid of you... right?"

"Yep."

Song Xiaohui nodded with a smile, but when she saw Song Zhiyu happily going to find the cat, her smile disappeared and replaced by a slightly worried expression.

Something's not right here!
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Mom, she hit me!"

On the other side, seeing Xu Jinhuan close the door and leave, Chen Xingzhu and Chen Xingruo also turned and went back to their room. Li Yunxue covered her face and began to complain again, "She..."

She had only spoken halfway when Chen Xingruo glared at her: "You've forgotten what I just said, haven't you?"

Li Yunxue thought for a moment before realizing what she meant. She subconsciously glanced at Kong Lingyu, then looked to Li Gaoyuan for help, saying, "Dad..."

Li Gaoyuan sighed and said, "Xiaoxue, alright, go back to your room first. Your father and mother have something to say, okay?"

Li Yunxue glanced at her biological father, then at her stepmother who was no longer as doting on her as usual, and then secretly looked at Chen Xingruo.

Chen Xingruo asked calmly, "You're not listening to your dad anymore, are you?"

With no one to back her up and looking at her with a hint of fear in her eyes, Li Yunxue finally didn't dare to say anything more and went back to her room.

Chen Xingruo followed her sister back to her room, closed the door, glanced around the room, nodded and said, "The room is alright. That guy didn't lie to me; you really didn't suffer any injustice in this regard."

Chen Xingzhu sat down on the edge of the bed and asked, "What did he say to you?"

"I just told you two your love story."

Chen Xingruo blinked and asked curiously, "Sis, you don't actually like him, do you?"

She counted on her fingers, helping to calculate: "This guy is alright looking, kind of handsome; he's alright too, not stupid, and he even knew to stand up for you in the end. The story he told was much harsher than what I said, and there wasn't a single swear word... However..."

After praising him, she quickly changed the subject, "But to be honest, he's not handsome enough to make people swoon, and as for him, he doesn't seem that great... We're both so pretty, we shouldn't let him easily fool us."

Chen Xingzhu was a little embarrassed and changed the subject, asking, "How did you meet him?"

"I was going to Jiangning for fun, and I was on my way to Mochou Lake when he called me from the subway station..."

Chen Xingruo briefly recounted what happened. When she talked about Xu Jinhuan deliberately holding her wrist, she didn't hide anything and said with a grin, "That guy is so silly. He really treats me like an older sister. He even deliberately held my hand when there were many people on the subway... I feel like he's good at deceiving girls. Sister, you have to be careful and don't let him easily fool you."

(End of this chapter)