Chapter 19: The Aftermath of a Fight
Chapter 19: The Aftermath of a Fight
"Ring, ring, ring..."
After a while, Lu Hongjun picked up the phone. Hearing Ding Jing's sobs, he immediately panicked and asked, "Honey, what's wrong?"
Choking back tears, Ding Jing replied, "Si Yi... Si Yi was beaten up. She's in the hospital now."
Lu Hongjun jumped to his feet, his voice sharp with concern. "Who did this? Tell me, and I'll make sure they pay for it!"
"It was Jia Xin," Ding Jing managed to say between sobs.
Lu Hongjun hesitated, then asked, "Are you sure it was Jia Xin? Could there be some mistake?"
Ding Jing's expression turned grim, and she started crying even harder. "How could there be a mistake? Si Yi told me herself. Lu Hongjun, Si Yi's body is covered in injuries. If you can't get her justice, I'm going to the police."
There had already been rumors in the compound that he favored his new wife and stepdaughter, driving out his own daughter. But as long as he took care of Jia Xin, these rumors would disappear. However, if Ding Jing reported Jia Xin to the police, he would never be able to clear his name.
"Don't worry, I'm on my way to the hospital now," Lu Hongjun said.
At the hospital, the doctor informed him that although Zhao Si Yi had many injuries, none of them were life-threatening, and she should recover after resting for about half a month.
Lying in bed, Zhao Si Yi started crying when she saw Lu Hongjun. "Dad, I went to find Jia Xin today to explain about what happened the other day. I never expected her to go crazy and chase me with a stick. Dad, my whole body hurts. Dad, am I going to die?"
Although his daughter's temper had become more irritable over the past two years, and they often argued, she had never resorted to violence. Thinking about what Jia Xin had said, Lu Hongjun didn't comfort her; instead, he questioned her. "What's going on between you and Fan Yinuo?"
Zhao Si Yi's expression froze, and she lowered her head. "The first time I saw Yinuo, I liked him. But I knew he was Jia Xin's fiance, so I dared not entertain such thoughts. I never expected that Yinuo also liked me and even confessed his feelings. I... I couldn't refuse him. We were planning to confess to Jia Xin after the college entrance exam, but she found out."
She had originally intended to deny it, but since Liao Xiangmei had already acknowledged the situation in front of everyone, she had no choice but to change her strategy.
Lu Hongjun's expression remained impassive as he said, "You deliberately let her discover this so that she wouldn't be able to focus on her college entrance exam, right?"
Ding Jing couldn't hold back anymore. "Lu Hongjun, what do you mean by that? What kind of person is Si Yi? Others may not know, but how can you not understand your own daughter's character? She has always treated Jia Xin like a real sister, but Jia Xin has always been biased against her and pushed her away."
In the past, whenever there was a conflict between Jia Xin and them, Lu Hongjun would scold Jia Xin and then downplay the incident. But now, with his daughter's personality drastically changed and beyond his control, if he continued to handle things as he had before, not only would his daughter become more distant from him, but his nephews would also be dissatisfied with him.
Looking at the pitiful Zhao Si Yi, Lu Hongjun's expression remained cold. "I really don't know what kind of person she is."
Zhao Si Yi's body stiffened.
Ding Jing was also taken aback. Lu Hongjun had never spoken to his daughter like this before. "Lu Hongjun, what do you mean by that?"
Lu Hongjun retorted, "She said she wanted to explain to Jia Xin about what happened the other day, but she's already dating Fan Yinuo. What's there to explain?"
After saying this, his expression softened as he turned to Zhao Si Yi and said, "Your so-called explanation would be a provocation to Jia Xin. Si Yi, you've always been a considerate and sensible child. Jia Xin has been through a lot recently and is a bit fixated on certain things. I hope you can forgive her, and let's not pursue this matter any further."
Zhao Si Yi almost vomited blood.
Knowing that he was the type to yield to tears but not to force, Ding Jing said tearfully, "Lu Hongjun, it's true that Si Yi was wrong about the matter with Fan Yinuo, but emotions are uncontrollable.
Fan Yinuo didn't like Jia Xin, and forcing them into a marriage wouldn't bring happiness to either of them."
Lu Hongjun agreed: "Fan Yinuo is having his cake and eating it too. A man like that isn't a suitable match. Si Yi, after you're discharged from the hospital, break up with him."
Zhao Si Yi was head over heels for Fan Yinuo and couldn't bear to let him go. "Dad, I truly love Yinuo. I won't break up with him."
Lu Hongjun frowned and said, "Fan Yinuo is the second son of his family, with mediocre abilities and an unprincipled character. He has no promising future. You're about to enter university, and there will be plenty of men there who are more outstanding, with better family backgrounds, and more promising futures than him. Why tie yourself to this particular tree?"
Zhao Si Yi shook her head vigorously like a rattle drum. "No, I love Yinuo. He loves me too. No one can tear us apart."
Not only was Yinuo from a good family and handsome, but he was also very gentle and had never looked down on her because of her identity. In this lifetime, she would marry no one but Yinuo.
Seeing how adamant she was, Lu Hongjun didn't press the issue further. "I won't interfere with your relationship with Fan Yinuo, but you must not report this incident to the police."
Zhao Si Yi looked at Ding Jing, and seeing that she remained silent, she could only reluctantly agree through her tears.
Having achieved his purpose, Lu Hongjun left.
Zhao Si Yi wiped her tears and said angrily, "Mom, you always say he cares about me. After getting beaten up like this by Lu Jiaxin, he didn't even offer a word of comfort. It's clear that he doesn't care about me at all."
Ding Jing was also furious and muttered, "I already told you that Lu Jiaxin's temperament has changed drastically, and you shouldn't provoke her. Yet, you still went to her. What's so great about Fan Yinuo that has you so infatuated?"
She hadn't lied to the Lu family. Ding Jing had discovered Zhao Si Yi's relationship with Fan Yinuo during the summer vacation, and she hadn't known about it beforehand. If she had known, she would have definitely stopped it. Just as Lu Hongjun said, there were plenty of men out there who were more outstanding and came from better families than Fan Yinuo. There was no need to endure the disdain of the Fan family.
Zhao Si Yi shouted angrily, "Mom, I want to report this to the police. Lu Jiaxin beat me up like this, and I want her to go to jail!"
Ding Jing was so angry that she started scolding, "Zhao Si Yi, are your brains made of tofu residue? Lu Jiaxin has the protection of the Xie and Lu families. Even if you report her to the police, she won't go to jail. Instead, if this matter blows up, your reputation will be ruined."
Before she had entered the Lu family, she hadn't known that the former Mrs. Lu was so cunning and had managed to win over Lu Jiaguang and Lu Jiajie, the two brothers. They protected that stinky girl as if she were their own sister.
It was also because of the protection of the Xie family and the Lu brothers that she had wanted to appease the girl when she first entered the household. Unfortunately, no matter how friendly she tried to be, it was of no use, so she had changed her strategy. But it seemed that heaven was too fond of that stinky girl, allowing her to escape even after falling into the hands of human traffickers.
Zhao Si Yi sobbed uncontrollably, "So am I just supposed to take this beating lying down?"
Ding Jing said, "You can't do anything to her now, but I promise that when the opportunity arises, I will make her pay back what she owes you with interest."
Although she said this, Ding Jing was well aware that Lu Jiaxin had now moved out, and her personality had become more aggressive. She would be even more difficult to deal with in the future.
Zhao Si Yi didn't want to wait for some uncertain future; she wanted Lu Jiaxin to pay the price now.
Ding Jing said with some exasperation, "If we do nothing now and show your father that we are weak, you will at least receive some compensation. But if you report this to the police, not only will you gain nothing, but your father will also grow disgusted with you. In the future, he won't care about your work or your marriage."
Zhao Si Yi fell silent. After her father's passing, their family had lost its backbone, and life had become bitter like a mouthful of yellow lotus root. She didn't want to go back to living that kind of life.
(End of Chapter)
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