Living Only For Myself: Make Those Who Hate Me Regret It-Chapter 37 - 36: Why Can’t He Just Let Me Go
After opening Xi Zirong’s chemistry test paper, she discovered a folded note tucked inside.
Xu Su hesitated for a moment before deciding to open it. There were just two words written on it.
I’m sorry.
Xu Su knew this was Xi Zirong’s apology for how his actions had affected her over the past few days.
After all, rumors that Xi Zirong, the top student of the honors class, was dating Xu Su had already been spreading for the past few days.
Aside from the seniors, who were too stressed preparing for their college entrance exams to care, Xu Su noticed that even many second-year students would secretly size her up as she walked around.
She had no intention of replying. She crumpled the note into a ball, stuffed it in her pocket, and planned to throw it away after school.
「Time passed steadily, and soon it was the day of the midterm exams.」
It was different from the monthly tests. For those, students sat at their own desks in their own classrooms, proctored by their own teachers. But for the midterms, the entire grade was split up and sent to different classrooms, and the proctors were randomly assigned as well.
This helped students get used to the pressure of a real exam and also effectively prevented cheating.
Xu Su, for instance, was in the Class 12 exam room. The students all around her were unfamiliar faces from other classes. Even if she had wanted to cheat, she wouldn’t have been able to find anyone she knew.
「After two days of high-intensity exams, the weekend arrived.」
After handing in her test, Xu Su left the exam room and went straight to the bike shed to ride home.
HUFF... HUFF...
After twenty-some minutes of pedaling, she arrived home just in time for lunch.
Chen Shulan and Xu Weiping were chatting cheerfully, their unrestrained laughter audible even from outside the door. It sounded like the family had received some good news.
Seeing Xu Su enter, Chen Shulan rose from the dining table to greet her. She glanced at her daughter’s face, flushed from the cold wind, and, for once, showed some concern. "Is it cold out? Quick, go wash your hands. It’s time to eat."
Xu Su was utterly baffled. She came home for lunch every weekend, yet this was the first time she’d ever received such a welcome—Chen Shulan personally greeting her at the door with a tone of concern.
Countless thoughts flashed through her mind, but Xu Su’s expression remained neutral. She obediently went to the kitchen to wash her hands. Just as she was about to serve herself some rice, Chen Shulan’s voice called out, "I’ve already served you a bowl."
’This was, she could swear, the first time in this life Chen Shulan had ever served her rice.’
Xu Su had a sneaking suspicion. In her past life, the change in Chen Shulan and Xu Weiping’s attitude toward her had also come after Zhou Mochen appeared.
Sure enough, after she sat down and picked up her bowl, before she could even take a single bite, she saw the couple beaming at her. Their satisfied gazes made it seem as if they were looking at a cash cow.
Being stared at like that, Xu Su found it difficult to swallow. She forced a stiff smile and looked at her parents. "Dad, Mom, is something on your minds?"
Chen Shulan snapped back to reality, shaking her head with a smile. "It’s nothing, nothing. I was just admiring how my little girl has grown up. You’ve really blossomed into a young woman."
’Ready to be sold off by the pound,’ Xu Su added with a silent, cold laugh.
"Susu, we’ve had some good news recently," Xu Weiping chimed in. The man who was usually a dust-covered manual laborer was now beaming with pride. "Our family is actually getting an apartment! It’s one of the new subsidized units from the factory—a three-bedroom, one-living-room place."
Normally, based on their seniority and positions, the couple wouldn’t have been eligible for one of the new subsidized apartments. While they had held onto a sliver of hope, it was, to be more precise, a complete fantasy.
Now that the dream was actually coming true, how could they not be ecstatic? This was a three-bedroom apartment in Chang City!
Xu Weiping recalled the factory director’s words. He looked at his daughter, his heart filled with joy. "Susu, when we move, you’ll have your own room. I promise, I’ll give you the brightest one so you can be comfortable."
To hear him talk, anyone who didn’t know better would think he was a doting father.
Xu Yang, who was busy shoveling rice into his mouth, was not happy to hear this. He had no idea why his dad was suddenly being so nice to his sister. He slammed down his chopsticks, pouted, and started to wail, "I want the best room! Don’t give it to her!"
Chen Shulan quickly moved to placate him. "Yangyang, be a good boy. Our new place is very big, and every room is nice. You and your sister will both get beautiful, big rooms."
Xu Weiping shot a worried glance at Xu Su. "Your brother’s still little, he just spouts nonsense. Don’t mind him."
Xu Su didn’t reply. Ignoring the couple as they coddled their precious son, her heart sank to rock bottom.
’So my suspicion was confirmed. Is it really because of Zhou Mochen?’
’So, in my past life, when Xu Weiping and Chen Shulan got that three-bedroom apartment... was that also because Zhou Mochen arranged it?’
’Could it be that he had noticed me even before I ever met him?’
In that instant, a million thoughts raced through Xu Su’s mind.
It had been almost two months since she ran into Zhou Mochen in Kang County during the National Day holiday. She had thought the man would slowly fade from her life, but she never expected his reach to extend all the way to the Xu Family.
She wondered what role he had played to make her parents change so drastically.
’Why can’t he just leave me alone!’
’Didn’t he seem angry last time?’
’Why is he back!’
Her mind in turmoil, Xu Su finished her lunch, not tasting a single bite.
She habitually collected her bowl and chopsticks to wash them, but Chen Shulan eagerly stopped her. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢
"Go focus on your own things; you don’t need to wash the dishes. Yangyang’s midterms are next week—yours must be coming up soon too, right? Go on, go study."
"Oh, right. I cleared out your brother’s room for you. A girl needs her own space. Your father and I weren’t thinking straight before, making you sleep on the sofa for all those months. You’ve really had it tough."
It was a complete one-eighty from their previous attitude. If Xu Su hadn’t been reborn, she might have actually believed her parents were finally starting to care about her.
"My school’s midterms are already over," Xu Su said, pursing her lips. She was suddenly sick of Zhou Mochen’s ghost-like persistence and sick of this couple pretending to be so good to her.
She asked bluntly, "Can you tell me what exactly happened to make you change your attitude toward me?"
It had been just like this in her last life. Just when she thought she had finally earned her parents’ affection through her own hard work, she discovered they were only willing to pretend to love their daughter because of the benefits they received from outside sources.
Xu Su had already seen right through them.
She understood the truth perfectly: ’They’re only willing to toss a little affection my way because I can bring them benefits.’
Her question made Chen Shulan’s smile freeze on her face for a few seconds. Then, she adopted a chiding tone. "What a way to talk to your parents. Aren’t you happy we’re treating you well? Go on, go check out the room. I put on new sheets and a new duvet cover. The comforter is extra thick; I guarantee it’ll keep you warm at night."
Xu Weiping, who was sipping water on the sofa, also chided her in a gentle tone. "Your mom and I weren’t considerate before, making you sleep on the sofa for so long. Don’t hold a real grudge against us now. We’ve come to our senses, haven’t we?"
