Yu Xiaxing hid in the grass and watched Jiang Tinglan get through to her father, crying as she complained that someone had bullied her outside.
The man was surprisingly patient. He refused to leave without getting paid.
Less than twenty minutes later, her parents, Jiang Mingyuan and Chen Yuru, arrived.
Chen Yuru was still wearing her business suit, clearly having come straight from the office.
Jiang Mingyuan followed behind her, looking anxious and helpless.
The moment Chen Yuru arrived, she began scolding Jiang Tinglan. “You want to drop out of school, rebel, and take back control of your life, but what do you actually do? Skip evening study hall to wander around with people, then cause this kind of trouble?”
Jiang Tinglan pouted, aggrieved but afraid to say anything.
Seeing that her parents had arrived, the middle-aged man immediately rushed over. “You’re her parents, right? Your daughter suddenly ran out in front of me and damaged my phone! You have to compensate me!”
Jiang Tinglan said softly, “That’s not what happened. You hit me from behind…”
Chen Yuru turned around and gave the middle-aged man an earful too. “This road is for pedestrians. The bike lane is over there! Even if you did come up from behind, it would still be your fault if my daughter had actually hit you! Are you blind?”
The man resorted to the same threat. “Which company do you work for? I’ll go to your office tomorrow and find your boss!”
Chen Yuru laughed. “What a coincidence. I am the boss!”
Then the two of them started arguing loudly again.
Jiang Tinglan shrank off to one side, leaving her mother to handle the fight.
Without realizing it, Jiang Mingyuan walked over to his daughter and comforted her. “Your mother’s just rather domineering. I really don’t understand why a woman earning well over a hundred thousand a month would make such a scene in the street over something so trivial. Everyone’s watching her like she’s a performing monkey.”
Then he lowered his head and looked at the spilled milk tea on the ground. “You didn’t get to drink your milk tea, did you? It’s all right. I’ll buy you another one later. Don’t take it to heart.”
Jiang Tinglan’s mind buzzed…
Telling her to let it go, then offering to buy her another milk tea.
Why did that sound so much like what that female classmate had said earlier?
And that other thing the girl had said: “Do I look like your dad?”
At the time, Jiang Tinglan had thought it sounded like an insult. She had assumed the girl meant, “Am I your dad? Why should I fight for you?”
Only now did she belatedly understand that the girl hadn’t been insulting her.
She had been asking, in the most matter-of-fact way, whether betraying an ally in the middle of a fight was something her father would do.
Jiang Tinglan had never noticed the problem before.
That was because all the conflicts in her family had previously been internal.
The conflict had always been between her and her mother. In those situations, her father would comfort her behind her mother’s back and complain about how domineering Chen Yuru was. To Jiang Tinglan, that meant he was taking her side.
But this time, the conflict was outside the family. Her mother was arguing with a stranger over there. So what was her father doing here?
When that female classmate had betrayed her earlier, Jiang Tinglan had been filled with disgust.
But how was what her father was doing now any different from what that girl had done?
“Do I look like your dad?”
He really did.
Jiang Mingyuan saw that his daughter still wasn’t saying anything. Thinking she must have been frightened, he continued comforting her. “Don’t worry. Dad’s here.”
Jiang Tinglan was stunned for a long time before murmuring, “Where is Dad?”
Jiang Mingyuan froze, then touched her forehead. She didn’t have a fever…
“Dad’s right here in front of you.”
Jiang Tinglan asked in confusion, “What are you doing in front of me?”
Jiang Mingyuan frowned. “Comforting you. What’s wrong with you?”
He was comforting her, but he wasn’t doing anything useful?
Once again, another thing that female classmate had said rang in Jiang Tinglan’s mind.
“Your dad’s such a green tea.”
At the time, she hadn’t understood.
She also remembered what her homeroom teacher had gently told her.
“You think your mother is domineering, but it’s precisely that strength that allows her to secure resources for you. She came from a small county and made her way to Pu City through sheer hard work. She got you a Pu City household registration. When you grow up, you’ll understand how valuable that is.”
“She introduced investments to the school because she wanted the school to take you seriously and give you status there.”
“You’re one of the most important students at the school. Whenever something happens to you, even the principal has to put aside his work to keep you from leaving… All of that is because of what your mother has done for you.”
At the time, Jiang Tinglan hadn’t understood those words either.
Then she remembered the principal’s stern reprimand.
“You’re too impulsive. All you ever do is focus on your mother’s flaws while ignoring everything she’s done to support you! Can’t you stop looking at people so one-sidedly? You’ll regret it when you grow up!”
Back then, she hadn’t merely failed to understand. She had even rebelled against the idea, convinced that the whole world was working against her.
But now, she had been bullied.
Her mother was standing alone, chin raised, confronting a fierce, heavyset middle-aged man without giving an inch.
And there was Jiang Mingyuan beside her, gently promising to buy her milk tea—a few dozen yuan in exchange for her admiration and love.
If her mother hadn’t been there today, and only her father had come…
Would he have already paid the man and ended the matter?
Would her grievance simply have been brushed aside? Would she have been left forever unable to vent the anger she felt at being bullied?
The argument continued.
Before long, Chen Yuru’s forceful presence had completely overwhelmed the middle-aged man. When it came to arguing, logic, and basic knowledge of the law, how could a street thug throwing a tantrum possibly compete with this business powerhouse?
After several exchanges, the man had run out of things to say. The bystanders, who had been whispering and pointing, were also gradually seeing who was in the right.
Unable to save face, the man muttered curses about how unlucky he was and how unfortunate it had been to run into them…
After finishing his complaints, he bent down to pick up his electric bike, whose handlebars had been knocked crooked, clearly planning to accept his losses and leave.
“Stop!” Chen Yuru grabbed the bike. “Apologize to my daughter!”
The middle-aged man whipped around and shouted, “I’m not even asking you to compensate me anymore! What more do you want?”
Chen Yuru shouted even louder, “My daughter’s a minor! You’re a grown man, fat and intimidating, and you frightened her! You owe her an apology and compensation! Otherwise, we’re going to the police station right now!”
The man reluctantly turned toward Jiang Tinglan and mumbled, “Sorry.” Then, resigned, he said, “Scan the code!”
Jiang Tinglan immediately pulled out her payment QR code.
The man quickly scanned it and transferred three hundred yuan. He continued grumbling about his bad luck as he picked up his electric bike and sped away.
Jiang Tinglan stared at the three hundred yuan. It wasn’t much money, but she had finally gotten her revenge!
Once there was no more entertainment to watch, the crowd of onlookers gradually dispersed.
After everyone had left, Jiang Tinglan secretly glanced at her mother.
She was usually a well-behaved girl and had rarely had the chance to get into a heated confrontation with someone in public. This was the first time in her life.
Only after the confrontation did she realize that having a strong-willed mother could actually bring her this kind of protection.
She now regretted following that female classmate out of school and skipping evening study hall.
Even more, she regretted shouting that she wanted to drop out just to win a petty standoff with her mother…
