She lowered her eyes and spoke in a tone full of remorse, "Mom, Dad, I know I was wrong. Please forgive me."
Her demeanor gave the couple quite a start.
They had been worried she might resent them and say unpleasant things, but they never expected Lin Sisi to suddenly show such softness.
Seeing her daughter's gaunt appearance, Zhang Cuimei's tears streamed down. "Sisi, what are you doing! Get up quickly. Mom stopped being angry with you long ago."
"Don't worry, once your father's situation stabilizes, we will definitely find a way to bring you back home. We absolutely won't let you suffer."
They thought these words would excite Lin Sisi.
Instead, Lin Sisi shook her head, as if she had matured in an instant. "Mom, Dad, it's not necessary. I was the one who was willful before, insisting on making things difficult for you. But now I've come to my senses. Please don't trouble yourselves for me anymore."
Both husband and wife stared at her in astonishment, their expressions full of disbelief.
This was the same Lin Sisi who had previously made a desperate fuss, even insulting them, unwilling to go to prison. Now she was saying it wasn't necessary?
Lin Sisi pursed her lips, her eyes welling with tears, her voice choked with emotion. "Over these past few months, I've come to deeply understand my mistakes. What I'm facing now is what I deserve."
"Mom, Dad, I'm not asking you to get me out. Besides, if I were to leave now, it would affect your reputation. Just let me stay here."
"There's only one thing I ask of you."
She looked at the couple pleadingly.
They were taken aback for a moment, looking at her with confusion. "What is it? Sisi, tell us. If Mom and Dad can help you, we certainly will."
Lin Sisi lowered her head, speaking with guilt. "I heard from Dongdong that Si Nian is coming to the city to be a teacher."
Their expressions changed. Zhang Cuimei, afraid she might overthink, hurriedly explained, "Don't worry, Sisi. Even though Nian Nian is back, you are our biological daughter. No one can replace you."
She thought to herself, had her daughter suddenly become so sensible precisely because she heard from Liu Dongdong about Si Nian coming to the city to teach, and because they were treating Si Nian like a daughter, potentially replacing her position?
Thinking this, Zhang Cuimei felt even more guilty towards her.
She had also considered that if Si Nian really came to the city and became a teacher, she would definitely visit her.
After all, having a teacher in the family offered many benefits.
Her husband was also leaning more and more towards Si Nian lately.
Their daughter was probably afraid of being abandoned again.
Now she didn't even dare ask them to get her out.
Zhang Cuimei quickly reassured her.
Lin Sisi had considered this possibility, but hearing Zhang Cuimei's words, she immediately understood that these two indeed had such thoughts.
A cold glint flashed in her eyes.
She gritted her teeth so hard her molars ached.
Forcing a smile, she said, "It was my fault before. I shouldn't have resented Si Nian for taking my place and done such things out of jealousy."
"You spent eighteen years with her, Mom and Dad. Your bond with her is surely deeper than with me. It's fine with me."
She hung her head, putting on an expression of extreme dejection mixed with forced strength. "But there were actually hidden circumstances regarding that incident where I helped Qianqian with the speech."
"Hidden circumstances?" The couple hadn't expected there to be another reason for that matter and looked at her in surprise.
"Yes. Mom, Dad, you both know that Nian Nian and Qianqian never got along well in the past."
"Last time when Qianqian had her accident, I was the one who stepped up to give the speech for her."
"But Nian Nian somehow got wind of this news and suddenly rushed all the way from the village, insisting on sharing the stage with me..."
She paused, glanced at the couple, and added, "If she hadn't suddenly shown up to steal the spotlight, that teaching position should have been mine."
Whoosh—
Si's Father and Si's Mother were utterly stunned upon hearing this!
"What!"
"So it was she who stole your opportunity!"
They never imagined there was such a backstory behind the incident.
Their faces turned ashen.
Yes, when their daughter went there, she had mentioned this matter to them.
The Fu family had also agreed.
They had all gone together to support Fu Qianqian.
Later, when Fu Qianqian had her accident, their daughter stepped in to help.
Who would have thought Si Nian would also run over there?
If she hadn't gone, perhaps their daughter would be a teacher by now!
Zhang Cuimei's face turned ugly. "This is too much, simply too much!"
She had wondered how Si Nian, married off to the countryside, could inexplicably become a teacher.
So it turned out she secretly snatched her daughter's chance behind their backs?
Zhang Cuimei deeply believed her daughter.
But Si's Father was not so easily fooled.
Frowning, he said, "Maybe it was just a coincidence. Nian Nian sold her job to Qianqian, so it's understandable Qianqian asked her for help."
Lin Sisi shook her head. "No, Dad, you've all been deceived."
"Qianqian valued that speaking opportunity so much. How could she possibly give it to Si Nian?"
"And at that time, Qianqian suddenly had stomach trouble, and Si Nian just happened to be there. I suspect..."
She lowered her head again. "Of course, I'm not saying Si Nian was behind it all. It's just that everything seems too coincidental. Moreover, she had worked at the radio station for quite some time and was on good terms with everyone there. In contrast, Qianqian suddenly bought her job, taking that position, and many people gossiped about her privately. If that's the case..."
The couple were no fools. Hearing this, they immediately grasped the implication.
Si Nian must have pretended to sell her job to Fu Qianqian to gain her sympathy.
Then, she colluded with her colleagues to frame Fu Qianqian, showed up at the right moment, and seized the opportunity!
That's why she could return to the city in just half a year.
And in such a capacity.
If this were true, Si Nian's scheming was truly terrifying!
They had thought she had long given up on returning to the city.
The couple was both furious and indignant.
"We must tell Qianqian about this. We can't let her be deceived."
"Mom, don't rush. Qianqian trusts her completely now and definitely won't believe you. She might even think we're trying to sabotage their relationship. What worries me most right now is the Lin family..."
"The Lin family?"
Zhang Cuimei frowned.
"Why are you worried about them?" Her tone turned sharp. "They don't care one bit about you, their adopted daughter."
After raising a child for over ten years, even a dog would evoke some affection.
But the Lin family showed no regard for past ties, unwilling to forgive their daughter.
Otherwise, their daughter wouldn't be in prison.
Speaking of which, that money was originally lost by the Lin family.
If they had forgiven Sisi, none of this would have happened.
Lin Sisi shook her head. "It's okay. I don't blame them."
"It's fine if they hate me. I just think it's a pity. If I had gotten that opportunity, I could have enjoyed the school's priority enrollment quota. I would definitely have sent my two younger brothers there."
"But now, Si Nian has taken the chance. She has no bond with the two brothers. She'll surely send those two adopted sons of hers instead. I feel sorry for my two younger brothers."
Si's Father and Si's Mother hadn't expected that, even in her current situation, she was still thinking of the Lin family.
Her heart was filled with complex emotions for a moment.
She also thought Si Nian was truly foolish. Those two children were adopted sons—someone else's children.
With such a great opportunity, she could have used it to help her own family. How could she possibly use it to curry favor with adopted sons instead?
These children are all ungrateful. When they grow up and realize she's just a stepmother, who knows how they might seek revenge.
It's pitiful how stupid she is.
"Sisi, what do you want to do then?"
"Mom, Dad, I just beg you to help me contact the Lin family and tell them I wish to see them..."
