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Join the ServerMother Shi offered a rare, gentle smile and lightly patted the back of Shi Kezhen’s hand.
“That girl with Yanzhou tonight—she is from your school, isn’t she?”
Shi Kezhen nodded and gave a soft “mm.”
Seeing her like this, Mother Shi’s tone suddenly softened, asking with feigned concern.
“He found a girlfriend at school; why didn’t you tell me?”
‘I didn’t say anything because you already know even without me telling you.’
Shi Yanzhou was dating so high-profile; how could Father and Mother Shi only find out today?
Asking her now was simply because Shi Yanzhou had appeared publicly with Li Yunshu tonight, and they could no longer pretend not to know.
However, even though they were all well aware of the situation, certain things could not be said out loud.
She lowered her head, her voice small and laced with a hint of grievance.
“Yanzhou wouldn’t let me tell you.”
Mother Shi let out a soft sigh and advised her in the tone of someone who had seen it all.
“You know Yanzhou has refused to acknowledge your status since he was a child, so don’t blame him.”
“He’s in his rebellious phase right now; just let him be.”
“If you control him too tightly, he will only oppose you more.”
Shi Kezhen nodded.
“I understand, Mother.”
“Good. I know you have been sensible since you were a child; you won’t make me worry.”
Mother Shi patted her hand again, this time with a bit more force.
“Go take a shower. Don’t overthink things, and go to bed early.”
Shi Kezhen nodded obediently and stood up.
“Mother, then I will go upstairs first.”
“Mm,” Mother Shi replied with a nod.
Shi Kezhen turned around and had only taken a single step when Mother Shi’s voice came from behind.
“Wait, what happened to your dress?”
Mother Shi stood up and walked around to face her, her gaze fixing on her collar.
“Where is the pearl button on your dress? What is this?”
Mother Shi reached out and poked the area with the staples; the force wasn’t light, and the metal edges scraped against the skin, causing a slight sting.
Then, she naturally discovered the torn lace.
“And here—what’s going on? When did your dress get torn?”
Shi Kezhen did not dodge; she kept her head lowered and spoke the excuse she had prepared long ago.
“I felt a bit stifled at the banquet, so I went to the small garden next to the hall for a while.”
“I didn’t realize the lace on this dress snagged so easily; it got caught on a thorn from a plant.”
“I couldn’t unhook it, so I pulled hard, and the button was torn off.”
“It was too dark there, so I didn’t look for the button.”
“Later, I borrowed a stapler from a waiter to secure the collar first.”
After hearing this, Mother Shi looked down at the two flaws on the dress, her face full of disdain.
Her voice rose several notches.
“Look at you. The banquet hall was perfectly fine; why did you go to the garden alone?”
“A perfectly good dress ruined like this; what sort of look is that!”
Shi Kezhen pursed her lips, the corners of her eyes reddening slightly with grievance.
“I just… didn’t want to see Yanzhou with that girl… so I hid outside.”
Mother Shi had intended to criticize her further, but those words made her swallow her rebuke.
She remained silent for two seconds before waving her hand dismissively.
“Fine, fine. Just pay more attention to your behavior in the future.”
“Don’t be disgraceful like you were tonight! Go upstairs.”
“I will be more careful in the future. Goodnight, Mother,” Shi Kezhen murmured, turning to head upstairs.
Mother Shi sat back down on the sofa, looking displeased as she pressed her fingers against her temples.
***
Shi Kezhen had originally not planned to log onto her secondary account tonight.
But the high-profile display of affection between Shi Yanzhou and Li Yunshu at the banquet, the Shi family’s bottomless indulgence of Yanzhou, and the strict shackles they placed on her had made her feel suffocated.
The moment she entered her room and turned the lock, the calm she had maintained all evening finally shattered.
She leaned against the door, a surge of hostility rising in her eyes.
Her hands clenched into tight fists, her teeth gritted, and her lips pressed together as she took deep, forceful breaths.
‘Why? Why? Why?’
‘Why can he hold another woman’s hand in public while I have to act like a thief even online?’
‘Why can he do whatever he wants while I can’t even wear a pajama I like without being secretive?’
‘High-profile display of affection, is it?’
‘I can do that too!’
She irritably tore off her banquet dress, letting it fall carelessly to the floor, and stepped over it with disgust.
Clad only in her undergarments, she sat on the edge of the bed.
She took out her phone and switched to the Privacy Space.
She opened her secondary account; there were no new messages in the WeChat chat box.
She didn’t ask if he was there, if he was busy, if he had time, or if it was convenient.
After connecting her Bluetooth earphones, she dialed a video call directly.
It rang several times before the other party answered.
The other end was somewhat dark; Cheng was wearing a black shirt with the top two buttons undone, his collar slightly open.
In the background, there were flashing lights and moving silhouettes.
His surroundings were noisy; several people were talking, and someone was singing into a microphone.
– [Wifey? Didn’t you say you were busy tonight?]
Cheng’s voice came through the noise, carrying a hint of surprise.
– [Are you busy?] Shi Kezhen asked with certainty.
The adventure continues! If you loved this chapter, I Want To Bite You is a must-read. Click here to start!
Read : I Want To Bite You
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