Chen Ru accused Wen Ying and Xie Qian of being in a puppy love relationship. While Wen Ying found it absurd, she also felt a strange sense of comfort: her mother’s overbearing and unreasonable nature was one thing, but it surely stemmed from love. Otherwise, how could she have such a thick filter to suspect Wen Ying and Xie Qian were dating?
Xie Qian’s admirers could drown Wen Ying in spit if each one spat at her!
Wen Ying earnestly told Ms. Chen Ru, “You can scold me, and I’ll take it because I’m your daughter. You gave birth to me, raised me, and our blood ties can’t be severed. But if you unreasonably drag Xie Qian into this, I won’t agree, and neither will Teacher Lin’s family. Can we stick to the facts and not stir up trouble?”
Chen Ru had spoken in the heat of the moment and calmed down after her outburst.
That boy named Xie Qian was excessively good-looking. Even if he were to date early, he probably wouldn’t choose Wen Ying.
Of course, expecting Chen Ru to admit her mistake in front of so many people was utterly impossible.
Even if Wen Ying and Xie Qian weren’t dating, it was still possible Wen Ying had a crush on him.
Before Chen Ru could voice this, Wen Dongrong jumped in, “Xiao Ying, how can you talk to your mother like that? We, as your parents, forgave you for what happened at noon. You need to know when to stop.”
Forgave?
Wen Ying couldn’t help but want to laugh.
To an outsider, it’d sound like she’d committed some heinous act.
Wen Ying nodded seriously, “Dad, I’ll listen to you. May I ask, after you and Mom forgave my ‘mistake’ at noon, does that mean I can voice my own opinions from now on?”
“Wen Ying, say less,” Chen Li interjected, sensing the family of three was about to argue again and quickly pulling Wen Ying back.
Wen Dongrong raised a hand, “Let her speak. I want to hear what different opinions she has.”
In front of Chen Li and Deng Shangwei, Wen Dongrong didn’t want to come off as authoritarian.
Wen Ying didn’t care if her dad was putting on a show. She intended to use his pride to her advantage and clarify things in front of everyone.
“It’s not much. For big life decisions, I’ll definitely consider your advice. But I’m sixteen now—can’t I decide small things like what clothes to wear or what hairstyle to have?”
Consider advice, not blindly obey.
Wen Ying had subtly set a trap.
Wen Dongrong noticed it and frowned.
Kids wanting to call the shots and going against their parents—was this the rebellious phase kicking in?
Chen Ru didn’t catch the trap, focusing only on the latter half of Wen Ying’s words.
Decide for herself?
Saying it’s not about dating, not about competing with appearances—
For a teenage girl, if parents didn’t keep a tight watch, one wrong step could ruin her life!
Wen Ying had barely started, but Chen Ru’s mind had already spun a full tale of her turning into a delinquent. After pouring over a decade of effort into Wen Ying, this girl rarely brought her pride and now only added frustration. Chen Ru was furious.
“You eat our food, use our money. I’m your mom—I have every right to control you! Want to decide for yourself? Fine, once you can earn your own money, wear whatever you want—I won’t care!”
“Sis, calm down.”
“Xiao Ying, you’ve gone too far with that.”
Chen Li and Deng Shangwei grew anxious. Today, all three in Wen Ying’s family seemed like lit firecrackers, ready to explode at a spark.
If the couple didn’t step in, this family of three would surely exchange harsh words and hurt each other deeply!
Wen Ying’s eyes lit up. “So as long as I can earn enough to support myself, I can decide for myself?”
She knew this was a hollow promise.
In her past life, even after buying a house in Modu, her parents never stopped trying to control her.
But Wen Ying wasn’t aiming to work in Modu now. She just wanted some freedom and ease during her three high school years—something she could work towards!
With the conversation reaching this point, Chen Ru couldn’t retract her words publicly. She sneered, “Sure, you want to support yourself? Then pay for your summer tutoring fees first, plus your high school tuition and living expenses. If you can cover all that yourself, you’ve got the right to decide!”
Chen Ru glanced at Chen Li and Deng Shangwei, “I’m making her pay herself. You two aren’t allowed to help. If you secretly give her money, we’re done as relatives.”
Chen Li was shocked.
Deng Shangwei frowned.
Even when Deng Shangwei didn’t get into college and started working early, he was older than Wen Ying is now. Plus, he was a guy—tougher and less prone to being taken advantage of. Wen Ying was a girl.
With her middle school exam scores, Wen Ying could enter the provincial key high school’s adjusted admission line. Without “construction fees,” public high school tuition wasn’t too costly. If she was willing to grit her teeth, a two-month summer job washing dishes could cover it.
But the summer tutoring fees, without parental help, were an astronomical sum for Wen Ying.
The tutors hired by the provincial key school charged by the hour—100 yuan per hour.
Wen Ying had three subjects a day, two hours each, totaling 600 yuan daily!
Tutoring for 15 days a month meant 9,000 yuan in fees. Two full months would be 18,000 yuan. Even with Xie Qian splitting half, Wen Ying still had to pay 9,000 yuan.
Add high school tuition and living expenses, and it’d exceed 10,000 yuan!
Deng Shangwei, a company owner, knew Rongcheng’s current salary levels well.
Forget a high schooler like Wen Ying—even a top university graduate’s starting salary wouldn’t reach that.
Deng Shangwei quickly calculated and concluded Wen Ying couldn’t afford it. With Chen Ru barring help, it was clear she wanted Wen Ying to hit a dead end in two months and come crawling back.
Deng Shangwei knew he shouldn’t meddle in Chen Ru’s parenting, but seeing her use an adult’s cunning to trap Wen Ying, he felt sympathy. Two months from now, when Wen Ying returned to admit defeat, would she lose her current spark and revert to being withdrawn and dull?
Chen Li and Deng Shangwei were filled with concern, but Wen Dongrong thought Chen Ru’s proposal was great.
“Xiao Ying, what do you think?”
While Deng Shangwei calculated, Wen Ying did too.
If she were truly 16, she’d be panicking now, legs shaking, ready to surrender to Ms. Chen Ru.
A 16-year-old Wen Ying had no money-making skills. Earning over 10,000 yuan in two months? Selling kidneys or herself wouldn’t cut it—and at her age, she’d get scammed either way!
But 31-year-old Wen Ying wasn’t afraid.
Though she mocked herself as the worst-off reborn person, with Chen Ru throwing out such a challenge, how could she back down?
Chen Ru’s proposal played right into her hands.
As a lawyer by habit, Wen Ying disliked verbal promises—she preferred written agreements. Though a “contract” with her parents held no legal weight, given their pride, reneging in front of Aunt Chen Li and Uncle Deng Shangwei would be humiliating.
Wen Ying demanded a written agreement, and Chen Ru gritted her teeth, agreeing.
Chen Ru stipulated that Wen Ying couldn’t skip summer tutoring in math, physics, and chemistry, and couldn’t accept any aid from Chen Li or Deng Shangwei. Breaking either rule meant Chen Ru won.
“Tutoring fees, first semester high school tuition and living expenses—anything else?”
Wen Ying pressed, and Chen Ru snapped, “If you can handle those three, I’ll fry fish with my bare hands for you!”
Wen Ying listed each term clearly, then added one more: if she met Chen Ru’s conditions, she could choose her college major after the gaokao. This last clause went beyond “small decisions,” but Chen Ru, certain Wen Ying couldn’t earn the money, signed without hesitation.
