"You know him!?"
Yu Songsong's mother, hearing her daughter's address, flew into a rage. She scrambled to her feet, looking as if she had found a perfect target for her anger. Pointing at her daughter's face, she angrily accused, "I paid for your college education so you could get to know this kind of person?! How can you face me!"
Being lectured like this by her own mother in front of Jiang Linyuan, Yu Songsong felt her skin burning as if on fire, unbearably hot.
She lowered her head, not wanting anyone to see her expression. "Let's talk somewhere else."
"What? Feeling ashamed now, are you!" Yu Songsong's mother seemed to enjoy seeing Yu Songsong in this state. She pointed at Jiang Linyuan with a haughty air. "You tell me, what's your relationship with him!"
Jiang Linyuan felt his sleeve being tugged. He turned his head to see Yu Songsong's originally delicate face now etched with pleading. This was the first time he had seen such an expression on this extremely strong-willed girl's face.
"Senior, could you please leave first? I... I'm begging you," she said.
Jiang Linyuan gently pried her hand off his sleeve under her sorrowful gaze and said softly, "Do you think I would leave?"
Ah! Why?!
Why do this?! Is it funny to see me humiliated?! I was hiding it so well! Why did you have to expose it?!
If you just didn't expose it! I could forget, I could numb myself!
Why did you do this?!
I hate you! I hate you! Jiang Linyuan!!!
Yu Songsong was filled with rage, wanting to lash out at Jiang Linyuan, but she sadly realized... Ah, how similar this is to my mother...
Looking at Yu Songsong's extremely complicated expression, Jiang Linyuan sighed and turned to Yu Songsong's mother. "I'm her boyfriend."
Both Yu Songsong and her mother were stunned by these words.
Yu Songsong's mother didn't question Jiang Linyuan but instead directed her criticism at Yu Songsong, scolding, "You went to college just to fall in love?! What did I tell you?! If you date, find someone rich! Men like this will only deceive you!"
"Have all those years of studying been for nothing?! I shouldn't have let you go to college in the first place!"
"Come back with me, get ready to marry someone!"
"I... I don't want to! Why can't I go to college?! Why can't I have my own life!"
Under the immense pressure, Yu Songsong finally erupted.
She spoke loudly, ignoring the stares of others, angrily pouring out all her grievances. "When I was little, you made me cooperate with you so you could pursue your own happiness. I listened to you, acted extremely well-behaved, didn't cry or make a fuss, and portrayed you as a virtuous wife and loving mother in front of that man."
"You succeeded. That man divorced for you and got together with you. But from then on, you never looked at me again, putting all your attention on my so-called little brother!"
Upon hearing this, Yu Songsong's mother trembled. Gone was her previous anger, replaced by a sudden, mournful cry. "Daughter, I know you resent me, think I'm not a qualified mother, but I..."
"But what could I do?"
She wailed sharply, "When I first gave birth to you, your father said he would give me happiness. I hoped for that too..."
"But—but he died."
"A single woman with a baby, how was I supposed to survive?"
Yu Songsong's mother cried, "I could only remarry. I just wanted to pursue my own happiness, is that wrong?"
"You know, your new father only loves your brother because he's his real son. So I had to care for him a little more."
"But, Songsong, only you are my flesh and blood, my real daughter! I do love you!"
"Do you want your mother to kneel and apologize to you? My daughter, Songsong!"
Listening to these words she had heard countless times before, Yu Songsong's heart was filled with agony.
She had tried to fight back before. But every time, her mother would put on this sorrowful act, trot out this same rhetoric, even kneel before her, frantically slapping herself, apologizing to her, to torment her, to humiliate her.
So, what can I do? I can only be silent, I have to be silent!
Yu Songsong couldn't speak anymore, her expression grief-stricken.
Seeing her expression, Yu Songsong's mother felt a surge of joy in her heart. As long as I'm your mother, you'll never be able to defy me, to escape me!
She grabbed Yu Songsong's hand, pleading, "Songsong, listen to Mom. Mom won't harm you. Mom isn't an outsider, how could I harm you?"
Yu Songsong was in pain, in sorrow.
When she learned her mother was coming to Jinling, she quit her part-time job, prepared to abandon her college life.
It would be more accurate to say that since she entered college, she had anticipated this day. It was just... too soon.
Mothers know their daughters, but don't daughters know their mothers just as well?
An extremely rare look of embarrassment appeared on Yu Songsong's face as she looked at Jiang Linyuan. "I'm really sorry you had to see such an embarrassing scene, Senior."
"I'm really... sorry."
The more she spoke, the harder it became to hold back. She tilted her head back slightly.
Scalding tears streamed down her cheeks.
Jiang Linyuan sighed. "Junior, you're enabling evil."
"I know, but..."
"But what can I do?" Yu Songsong said through her tears.
"What can you do?"
Jiang Linyuan sneered. "I'll only demonstrate once. But remember, this isn't me standing up for you, Junior. I'm just pissed off and want to vent."
"Next time, you do it yourself."
Damn, the frustration from a video buffering isn't even this intense. What a god-tier mother, only capable of bullying her own daughter.
After speaking, under Yu Songsong's bewildered gaze, Jiang Linyuan walked towards Yu Songsong's mother. "You fucking idiot, you want to kowtow, right? Come on, kowtow to your daddy first!"
Seeing Jiang Linyuan's intimidating aura, Yu Songsong's mother looked at Yu Songsong, wanting her to speak up. But the next second, Jiang Linyuan blocked her line of sight. "What, scared to look at your daddy, huh?! You can't handle your own shit, so you take your resentment out on your daughter, pulling this emotional blackmail bullshit. If you feel your life sucks, pick a bad day and jump off a building, turn it into a good day. That's about the only contribution you can make."
Then, he clicked his tongue. "Be careful when you die. Find a mother just like you when you reincarnate, see if you'll still fucking whine then!"
Yu Songsong's mother was no match for Jiang Linyuan's verbal onslaught. Her face flushed red. "You foul-mouthed, good-for-nothing trash!"
"I'm already cursing you, and you expect me to praise you?! If your brain's not working, go find a brick and smash your head against it. Maybe you'll smash yourself to death!?"
Jiang Linyuan spoke bluntly, saying exactly what was on his mind.
Furious, Yu Songsong's mother cried out, "Songsong, how can you just watch your mother be humiliated like this?"
Yu Songsong was stunned. Then she saw Jiang Linyuan turn his head to look at her, his eyes serious. "If you fucking dare speak up for her now, just consider me an idiot."
Yu Songsong took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and said, "I won't."
Not bad, not a complete idiot.
Jiang Linyuan turned back to look at Yu Songsong's mother. "I'm taking your daughter. When you die, send me a message. Find me on your seventh-day memorial, let me curse you out again!"
After speaking, without looking back, he grabbed Yu Songsong's hand and strode away.
"Senior..."
Yu Songsong held Jiang Linyuan's hand and spoke softly.
The station was bustling with people, already noisy. Combined with Yu Songsong's mother wailing something incessantly behind them, the multiple sounds overlapped, completely drowning out Yu Songsong's soft voice.
"What is it?"
Jiang Linyuan felt Yu Songsong had said something and asked.
Yu Songsong was dazed for a few breaths, then took a deep breath. She suddenly hugged Jiang Linyuan and shouted in his ear, "Senior! Why did you say you were my boyfriend?!"
Jiang Linyuan said, "Last time, at Hot Pot, Zhou Yulan said you were my girlfriend. You didn't deny it either, did you?"
Yu Songsong was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Right! So this time I didn't deny it either!"
"Right my ass! You just wanted to hide behind me, use me as your proxy fighter! Next time, you deal with your mom yourself!"
Jiang Linyuan hit the nail on the head.
Yu Songsong didn't mind. Without saying another word, she wrapped her arms around Jiang Linyuan's neck and laughed freely.
Her laughter drifted with the wind, seeming to mock Yu Songsong's mother, who was still crying and wailing behind them.
And just like that, Yu Songsong's past life was destroyed.