Chapter Fifty-Nine: Apology (Part Two)

With a face as dark as iron, I glared fiercely at the slightly burnt braised pork in my bowl, then shot an even deadlier look at Chu Qitong, who still wore her sweet, flawless smile beside me. At this moment, I truly wanted to swallow her whole! My poor, beloved braised pork…

“Hehe, Tongtong, don’t be shy. If the braised pork is burnt, just leave it for that rascal Xiao Qiang. Here, here, this steamed carp with Sichuan pepper is my specialty—come, have a taste,” my mother said warmly, completely ignoring my look of dissatisfaction as she placed the entire plate of fish in front of Chu Qitong, as if, in less than half an hour since this little she-devil entered our house, she had already become her own daughter.

Sighing helplessly, I could only pick out a piece of braised pork that didn’t look too badly burnt and stuffed it into my mouth, chewing with all my might.

“Auntie, this is delicious! Your cooking is truly remarkable. Please, have some yourself,” Chu Qitong replied with a smile, offering my mother some food. Watching this, I couldn’t help but get goosebumps and frowned, blurting out, “Hey, have you forgotten what you came here for today?”

Hearing my words, Siya, who was eating beside me, smiled and shook her head, “Forget it, brother. Actually, I forgave Miss Chu a long time ago. Her cousin has already apologized several times, making me feel embarrassed. Since Miss Chu is here for dinner today, it shows her sincerity, doesn’t it?”

“What are you saying? If she didn’t come to apologize, why bring her here? It’s not as if we’re close friends or anything,” I shot Siya a glance, inwardly cursing my soft-hearted sister. The other party hadn’t even apologized yet and she was already letting it go—what was that all about?

At this moment, my mother grew puzzled. “Siya, you know Tongtong? Apologize? What happened?” she asked curiously.

Chu Qitong glanced around at everyone at the table, gently put down her chopsticks, and the smile on her face vanished almost instantly. I couldn’t help but sneer inwardly—look at her, the little witch is about to show her true colors! I secretly hoped my mother would see right through her.

“Auntie… I’m sorry. I did something wrong. I want to apologize to Sister Siya. It really wasn’t intentional; I was just upset at the time. I truly…” Chu Qitong looked heartbroken, her voice trembling as if she might burst into tears at any moment. I almost spat out my food. What an act! This little witch was the best at playing the innocent.

“What’s wrong? What happened? Tongtong, don’t cry. Whatever happened, Auntie is here for you. Tell us, what’s the matter?” With my mother’s supportive stance, Chu Qitong recounted what happened at the beginning of the semester, carefully twisting black into white and white into black. For the first time, I realized how skillful she was with words… She didn’t say a single thing against Siya and kept apologizing, making Siya wave her hands repeatedly, insisting it was no big deal.

When she got to the part about meeting me again, my heart skipped a beat. Oh no, this girl is about to set me up again!

Sure enough, Chu Qitong continued, “Later, I ran into your son, Xiao Qiang, but he kept insisting I apologize to Sister Siya. I wanted to apologize but couldn’t bring myself to say it, and his attitude upset me even more, so we made a bet. In the end, I lost, and that’s why he dragged me here to apologize…”

“Bang!” I slapped the table, unable to hold back any longer, and shouted at Chu Qitong, “Hey, don’t slander me! What do you mean I forced you to apologize? What do you mean I made a bet with you? Wasn’t it you who wanted me to stay away from Su—” Realizing I almost let slip Su Xin’s name, I coughed awkwardly to cover it up, throwing a sharp glare at Chu Qitong, who pretended to be frightened.

“You brat, have you lost your mind? How dare you yell at your classmate like that! Is this how you behave at school? No wonder, no wonder you’ve had only one friend, Zhang Li, from primary school to high school! Tongtong comes here with sincerity to apologize, and this is how you treat your guest? Hmph, I think you’re just asking for a beating!”

Listening to my mother roar at me like a tigress, I instantly wilted and hung my head. Great, my mother had been completely brainwashed by this girl…

Siya spoke up nervously, “Miss Chu, please don’t say that. If anyone’s at fault, it’s me and my brother. For a lady like you to come here is already a great honor. But I must clarify, your cousin and I have nothing going on, please don’t misunderstand.”

“Siya, I know. I later realized it was my sister-in-law’s own mistake that made my cousin ignore her. I also know you’re a good person. I won’t throw childish tantrums or act out anymore… I’m sorry…” Chu Qitong’s sincere demeanor won over both my mother and Siya.

In the blink of an eye, the household had split into two camps, and I, left utterly alone, had to endure the constant criticism and disapproval of four women, making me truly understand the suffering of the older generation during the Cultural Revolution. Heaven help me, how could I have been so foolish as to provoke a witch like Chu Qitong? She never played by the rules, her every move unpredictable, and in the end, it seemed she was always the winner, never me…

That stifling meal finally ended. The young lady stayed to play for a while, the four women’s endless chatter giving me a headache. Things only got worse when my mother discovered Chu Qitong was the granddaughter of the chairman of Xichu Group—her widened eyes told me clearly that if I spent the night at home, I’d be tormented beyond peace.

Seizing an excuse about going out with classmates the next day, I grabbed Chu Qitong, who showed no intention of leaving, dragged her out the door, down the stairs, and stuffed her into her red Santana 2000, shooting her a fierce glare. “Behave yourself before I really lose my temper!”

Chu Qitong just pouted and obediently started the car. Only then did I get into the passenger seat and slam the door shut. And so, the first day of what was supposed to be a beautiful National Day holiday had turned into utter chaos. This was nothing like the vacation I’d imagined.

PS: A storm is coming—get your flowers ready! Hehe, Violet is about to go wild; you won’t be able to keep up! Those who want to join the readers group, add Group 1: 11278932.