Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

  “Do you believe that I’ll get you expelled from your high school if you so much as touch a strand of my hair? If you want to benefit from my mom, you’d better act honestly and humbly in front of me. I can’t believe you’re trying to show off in front of me. Have you forgotten that this is my mom’s house and not your grandma’s?”

  That’s right. It was ‘her mother’ and ‘his grandma’. In Jiajia’s heart, Mother Wei was Wei Wei’s grandma, not hers.

  “Why are you speaking to your brother like that?” Wei De came out upon hearing how Jiajia was speaking to Wei Wei. Even he wanted to slap his daughter. Jiajia was indeed Zhai Hua’s daughter. The way she spoke was exactly the same as Zhai Hua!

  But Zhai Hua supported her daughter. It did not matter that no one else in the world loved Jiajia. Zhai Hua’s love was for Jiajia alone. “Wei Wei, how can you upset your sister as a brother? If you can’t get along with Jiajia, then you’re not welcome here. You can behave however you like in the Wei family’s house. That’s your business. But not here in my house!”

  “Zhai Hua, you’re too much! How can you say that to a child?” Wei De’s face darkened. No wonder Jiajia dared to say such things to Xiao Wei. Zhai Hua had taught her to do so.

  Zhai Hua stood by her daughter’s side, allowing her daughter to hold her hand. Without any fear, she stared right back at Wei De. “What’s wrong with what I said? I think I spoke the truth. If you aren’t used to what I said to Wei De, you can take everything that I just said. I’ve left some things unsaid not because I’m unwilling to admit that I was young and foolish but for the sake of everyone. Wei De, if you’re really upset and feel that you can’t stay here, you should just return to the Wei family’s house with Wei Wei. It’s true that you’re more like a family with Wei Wei. Neither Jiajia nor I am part of your family.”

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  Her words caused Jiajia to cling to Zhai Hua even more closely.

  “You’re already at this age. Jiajia already knows about everything. Even if you’re not frustrated about arguing about Wei Wei all day, I am. Since we can’t seem to get along, let’s not live together anymore. It’s true that it’s difficult to get divorced in the military, but you know my family’s situation too. No matter how difficult it is, we’ll get it done. Don’t worry. Our divorce won’t have an impact on your position as a company commander. You won’t have to take any responsibilities. The Zhai family will take care of the divorce.”

  “.……” Wei De, who had originally intended on kicking up a huge fuss suddenly mellowed at the mention of a divorce. It was true that his position as a company commander would not be affected, but a divorce would mean that he would never be promoted to a deputy battalion commander, battalion commander, or a regiment commander.

  In the short run, his divorce from Zhai Hua might not have any impact on his position as a company commander, but it was hard to say what would happen in the long run.

  So there was no way Wei De would be willing to divorce Zhai Hua. It was not Zhai Hua that he would miss but the career that he would be able to get because of Zhai Hua. “Hua Hua, we’ve been married for such a long time, and Jiajia is also grown up. How could you talk about divorce in front of our kids? Aren’t you afraid that you’ll scare Jiajia? I’m sure you know how Xiao Wei was bullied while growing up for having no father. Do you want Jiajia to be bullied like that too? Jiajia is my only daughter. If I don’t love Jiajia, who could I possibly love? I can’t bear for her to go through so much suffering!”

  Wei Wei, who had been used as a comparison, felt as though someone had stabbed him multiple times, and he was now bleeding uncontrollably. Wei Wei’s face turned red as he burst out of the door. Wei Jiajia was right. This was her home, not his. His home was with his grandma. In the future, he would never visit his uncle’s house anymore to avoid hearing such things about himself.

  “Xiao Wei!” Wei De could not let Wei Wei return home alone. Mother Wei’s house was quite a distance away. Even though Wei Wei could take public transport alone, Wei De had always fetched Wei Wei from Mother Wei’s house and sent him home afterward.

  Besides, Wei De’s feelings toward Wei Wei were not purely those of an uncle toward a nephew. It was just that it was better to leave that unsaid. “Look what you’ve done! Why did you have to hurt his heart? He won’t go since you said so! I’m worried about Xiao Wei going home alone. I’ll send him back.”

  Grabbing his car keys, Wei De rushed out of the house.

  Zhai Hua was not the least bit surprised that Wei De was only concerned about whether Wei Wei had been hurt at this moment. He had never thought about Jiajia’s feelings. Hugging her daughter’s frail body, Zhai Hua felt utterly guilty. “Jiajia, it’s Mom’s fault.”

  She should never have ignored her family’s advice at that time and naively married Wei De, certain that Wei De would give her happiness. It was fine that Wei De had not been able to give her happiness, but why did he have to treat Jiajia in this manner? Was someone else’s son really more important than his own daughter?

  Jiajia sniffled. She was already used to this. “Mom, do you think grandpa and your family will like me?” Her paternal grandma and her family did not like her, but she still had her maternal grandparents. “Will they think that I’m a good kid now that we’re going to visit them?”

  “Yes, I’m sure they will.” Zhai Hua kissed her daughter’s face. “You know, if not for…… Your grandparents love you very much and have always wanted to see you. They want to have you by their sides. It’s just that you’re still studying and your studies are important. We couldn’t do it in the past, but now that your grandparents are in Ping Cheng, Mom will bring you over to celebrate the new year with them.”

  Zhai Hua had no doubt that her parents would genuinely love Jiajia. She knew that the Zhai family would definitely provide Jiajia with the love and affection she craved.

  “Mom, I want to meet grandpa and grandma as soon as possible. I’m already on vacation. Can we meet them tomorrow?”

  “All right, we’ll go over tomorrow. I’ll send you over. I’ve already helped you pack your clothes into the luggage in your room. Jiajia, would you be willing if your grandparents want to bring you to the capital to study?” She did not believe a single word of Wei De now.

  For her daughter’s future, she should not keep her daughter by her side. It might be better for her parents to bring her daughter to the capital. She was willing to do whatever was best for her daughter.

  “Mom, will you go too?” Jiajia was hesitant. It was her first time, after all, so it was only natural that she felt uneasy.

  Zhai Hua hugged her daughter tightly within her embrace. “Don’t worry about it. It’s still too early to be thinking about it. There’s no hurry to make a decision. Go to bed early tonight so that you’ll have enough energy to meet your grandparents tomorrow. Oh, your uncle is injured, so remember not to bother him too much.” Zhai Hua had not forgotten about Zhai Sheng’s injury.

  Before her marriage, Zhai Hua had been closest to Zhai Sheng.