He was referring to several years ago, when Chen Libin had beaten him so badly he was bedridden, and Miao Jing had brought him that cup of water and bowl of steamed egg custard in the middle of the night. Today... they were even.
The two of them stayed at home for a full week. Wei Mingzhen’s phone remained turned off—no, not just turned off, but completely unreachable. The number had been deactivated, and no calls came to Miao Jing either. Chen Yi made calls in front of Miao Jing to all sorts of troublemaker friends, searching the entire city for Wei Mingzhen and that man.
That man used to be in business but later made quick money through shady means. This time, he had truly run away. The man’s family assets had been completely liquidated, and when they tried to contact his parents or relatives, no one could be reached.
The two of them had long planned to take Chen Libin’s money and run.
Miao Jing listened to the news, her face already numb and rigid. Not a single tear fell, not a single sob escaped.
She didn’t think about anything else, only wanting to return to school for classes. She was in her third year of junior high, and her studies were intense. She didn’t want to stay at home, watching Chen Yi’s fierce, sinister gaze sweep over her again and again.
Chen Yi sneered, "Return to school? What are you dreaming about?"
Miao Jing hugged her knees, her quiet eyes silently fixed on him, and softly uttered a few words: "Teacher Li is my math teacher. He mentioned you before..."
Teacher Li, who had been Chen Yi’s homeroom teacher for all three years of junior high and had cleaned up many of his messes, was still teaching the third year. That year, he also served as the math teacher for Miao Jing’s class. Miao Jing had heard him mention Chen Yi from the podium, saying he once taught an exceptionally intelligent student who could learn in one day what others took a week to grasp. Unfortunately, due to family circumstances, that student never ended up on the right path.
Chen Yi’s pupils suddenly contracted, and he stood frozen for a long time. Finally, his shoulders stiff, he stood before her with a cold expression and told her to get out.
He had people keep an eye on her at school. He didn’t believe Wei Mingzhen would just abandon Miao Jing like that. Every weekend, he dragged Miao Jing out and interrogated her about Wei Mingzhen’s whereabouts. For an entire month, Miao Jing stayed at school without leaving, not seeking out anyone, with no one approaching her, and no news whatsoever.
Two months later, Chen Yi’s patience ran out.
Money was, of course, a good thing. Squandering Chen Libin’s money was satisfying, but as long as Chen Libin wasn’t dead, he hadn’t held out much hope for it anyway. If it was gone, it was gone. For the rest of his life, he and Chen Libin would have nothing to do with each other.
"You really ended up with a great mother, huh? Just tossing you aside like that? Not even bothering to ask about you?" Chen Yi looked at the increasingly thin and desolate Miao Jing, a cruel smile on his face. "A burden, passed around and discarded at will. Well, of course, nothing’s more important than money. How exhilarating it must be to run off with some random man for fun... You better remember this clearly: it was Wei Mingzhen who abandoned you. It has nothing to do with me, Chen Yi."
Miao Jing pressed her lips tightly together, turning her head away from him. Her eyes were wide open, deep and haunting.
"Get out. From now on, go wherever you want, do whatever you want." Chen Yi shrugged, delivering the final verdict. "You and I don’t know each other."
He was done with it. That mother and daughter had nothing to do with him anymore.
With Chen Yi no longer keeping tabs on Miao Jing, the people watching her at school disappeared. Miao Jing secretly tried calling Wei Mingzhen, but the number was indeed deactivated. She had no way to reach her, no idea where Wei Mingzhen was or how she was doing now.Fortunately, when school started, Wei Mingzhen had left Miao Jing an extra three thousand yuan. At the time, she had likely left the money as a precaution, in case Miao Jing needed it someday.
Relying on this money, Miao Jing managed to cover various school fees, her meals, and daily living expenses. By December, she had stretched it as far as possible, and very little remained.
Wei Mingzhen finally contacted her once, through Miao Jing’s homeroom teacher, leaving a landline number for Miao Jing to call back.
When Miao Jing got through and heard Wei Mingzhen’s voice, tears streamed down her cheeks.
“Mom… why haven’t you reached out to me?”
“I’ve had some things to deal with here, too busy to manage everything,” Wei Mingzhen’s voice was faint. “Besides, you have money and can take care of yourself. Chen Yi wouldn’t do anything to you either, so I’m not too worried…”
Wei Mingzhen believed Miao Jing and Chen Yi’s relationship couldn’t be too bad. They had shared a room since childhood and never had any major conflicts. She also remembered how Miao Jing had once asked Chen Yi for living expenses on his behalf. Though Chen Yi remained silent in front of Miao Jing, his attitude wasn’t hostile. Moreover, Miao Jing was so gentle and timid—she knew nothing and had done nothing wrong.
It never crossed her mind how a fourteen- or fifteen-year-old girl could navigate and escape such a situation. Perhaps the thought had occurred, but such worries were subconsciously ignored and diluted, much like Miao Jing’s life over the years—lightly brushed over, left to drift with the current.
Miao Jing swallowed hard, biting her lip as she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.
Wei Mingzhen asked Miao Jing how things were with Chen Yi. Over the past few months, she had been living in fear, worried that Chen Yi might seek revenge or report her to the police. That’s why she had hidden so deeply, not daring to reveal any trace of herself. Miao Jing told her everything she knew: she had been at school the whole time and hadn’t seen Chen Yi since, nor heard even a word about him. Wei Mingzhen breathed a sigh of relief.
“Do you still have any money left?”
“About eight hundred yuan…”
Wei Mingzhen named a small coastal city, saying she was there with a man, running a small business in a town. She told Miao Jing to buy a train ticket and take a specific train to join her.
“But what about my studies? Can I still go to school? Mom… I have the high school entrance exam in six months.” Miao Jing’s voice was faint. “Is there a place for me to study?”
This stumped Wei Mingzhen. The place she was in was an industrial town, filled with small workshops and factories. Most residents were migrant workers, and there didn’t seem to be a junior high school in town. She hadn’t looked into how to transfer to a local school.
“There’s no school here. Why don’t you come first, and we’ll figure it out?” Wei Mingzhen frowned, then reconsidered. “Or you could go back to our hometown to study? Isn’t there a junior high in town? You could stay with your aunt. I remember your uncle has a relative who’s a teacher, so schooling shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll talk to your aunt…”
It had been years since the mother and daughter had returned to their hometown town after moving to Tengcheng. Wei Mingzhen occasionally called back to keep in touch with relatives.
OpenNovel