Rebirth Counterattack with Space

The next day, under the strict supervision of Sister Jin, Chen Qiuyu had no choice but to leave the Pei Family, looking back every three steps despite her extreme reluctance.

There were several times when she wanted to run upstairs to plead with Ding Luoluo, and even cruelly thought that she would not hesitate to kneel down and kowtow to her if necessary. Sadly, Sister Jin kept such a watchful eye that Qiuyu never got the chance to go upstairs.

That night, Liu Mei also came over, not just that evening, but the second day and the third day too. Yet, in the end, she never managed to step through the inner courtyard gate. Zhang Min had specifically instructed the security at the gate to block Liu Mei if she tried to enter, without even needing to notify anyone.

Zhang Min’s instructions quickly became known to everyone in the neighborhood, causing Liu Mei to lose face completely within the community.

Especially since the incident where she had accused Ding Luoluo had spread in whispers among everyone—every sort of story was told. Aside from a very few who couldn’t grasp the situation and felt sorry for Liu Mei in private, the vast majority—who were all clever—immediately saw her as the wicked stepmother, implanting that image deep in their hearts.

"Junshan, it was just a secret hug I gave the child without her consent. Does Luoluo have to react this severely?" she lamented. "Not only did they let go of Xiaochen based on Pei Family’s decision, but they wouldn’t even leave me any dignity— they wouldn’t even let me through the gate."

Liu Mei covered her face, sobbing. As she cried, she began to show a deep-seated anxiety.

"She has never accepted the sincerity of my love, and to make matters worse, she twists my intentions. She won’t even listen to my explanation. She’s still young and doesn’t understand the importance of her birth family. Now, by letting the Pei Family humiliate her own family, she is trampling the Ding Family’s reputation into the ground. If they grow tired of her and bully her, how can we, her birth family, stand up to help her seek justice?"

In these past few days, hearing the rumors and seeing the strange looks from everyone in the neighborhood, Liu Mei felt like she’d tried to steal a chicken but ended up losing rice. Beyond the discomfort, she harbored a deeper fear—if everyone knew the Pei Family disdained her, then in the future...

Liu Mei shuddered to think what would happen if everyone knew the Pei Family looked down on her. Her daughter, Ding Tiantian, could forget about relying on the Pei Family’s influence; they might even step on them to curry favor with the Pei Family.

Now, she could only hope that Ding Junshan, Ding Luoluo’s biological father, still had some sway with the Pei Family. It seemed that having him step in was the most appropriate way to salvage the situation, considering Zhang Min would have to show some consideration for him.

"You know, the way Luoluo dares to treat you, I say it’s because you spoiled her. ’Spare the rod and spoil the child.’ She was wild and hard to discipline even as a child—if you had been stricter back then, things might not have come to this..."

Facing his wife, who was concerned solely for her eldest daughter, Junshan felt a mix of anger and pity—anger at his daughter’s rebellion, mistaking kindness for contempt, and pity for his wife’s maternal affection being given to the wrong person.

"When she first came from the countryside, I, as her stepmother, was not only afraid that I wasn’t treating her well enough for fear of being judged, but I also dared not discipline her strictly."

Liu Mei cried even louder, covering her face.

"That child must have been filled with too many negative thoughts by her mother, which is why she harbors such resentment towards us. Alas, it’s my fault—if I hadn’t taken her in and instead found a family in the countryside to foster her, kept far away out of sight, it would’ve been better than having her see us as enemies under our own roof."

While Junshan felt regret, he picked up the phone and called the Pei Family.

"If you had really done that, so many people would have talked behind your back about you being heartless to your previous wife’s child. How could I let you do that?"

Liu Mei feigned a sigh, but deep down, she was already filled with regret. Why hadn’t she stopped Ding Junshan from bringing Ding Luoluo home for the sake of so-called face?

A country girl who was supposed to merely highlight Tiantian’s advantages had unintentionally soared up to become a phoenix, now able to look down on her cherished apple of the eye. Thinking of her own daughter Ding Tiantian’s private complaints about her, she was so vexed that she wished she could turn back time.

On the other end, Ding Junshan’s face changed drastically when he put down the phone. His gaze towards Liu Mei turned rather unfriendly, and he directly questioned her, "Did you deliberately accuse Luoluo of being late and leaving early in front of Jin Lirong the other day?"

Being late and leaving early are things that occasionally happen to everyone for various reasons, but while many may commit them, none wish to be publicly called out for it.

"How could I do such a thing? I was merely expressing concern for her, casually mentioning it as an elder. I would do the same to Tiantian. How could Luoluo misunderstand me like that?"

Liu Mei was prepared and instantly widened her eyes, tears streaming down, as she looked at Ding Junshan with misty eyes, "Junshan, after all these years, don’t you know me? I really do care for Luoluo, but every time she misinterprets my intention."

"Sigh—"

Ding Junshan, rubbing his head with a headache, couldn’t help but feel irritable, "If Luoluo is so ungrateful, then don’t keep forcing yourself to be close to her. A melon forced off its vine isn’t sweet; there’s simply no mother-daughter fate between you."

"Who am I doing this for? Isn’t it to help ease the relationship between you and your daughter? Yes, I’m the stepmother, she looks down on me, and all these years I’ve humbled myself to get close to her, but if she doesn’t appreciate it, I don’t blame her. After all, she is your daughter, isn’t she?"

Liu Mei cried even harder, knowing that the sudden change in Ding Junshan’s attitude was due to what Zhang Min had said on the phone and also because she was no longer young and couldn’t, as before, stir Ding Junshan’s full protective instincts with just the posture she had adopted, leaving only pity for her in his heart.

The clearer she saw this point, the colder her heart grew, almost to the point of spitting blood from disgust.

"..."

Ding Junshan remained silent for a long time, finally sighing. He couldn’t understand why his eldest daughter was so distant from him, even harboring resentment.

If his daughter had married into an ordinary family, he would have had ways to discipline her and make her submit, teaching her respect, all to protect his wife’s heartfelt love for her daughter. But she happened to marry into the Pei Family...

The Pei Family, from top to bottom, were all unreasonable in protecting their own. Because of that unfilial daughter, they had always harbored prejudice against the Ding Family and even against him personally, never treating them with the respect due to real relatives. And yet, he was utterly powerless against them, not only powerless but also somewhat fearful—

"Stop fretting over it. You know what Zhang Min is like, extremely willful. From her youth, she has been a domineering person whom even the old Master Pei had to yield to. Now that she’s older, her temper is even bigger and less reasonable. We are even less able to provoke her."

In the end, Ding Junshan heaved a sigh.

Liu Mei gritted her teeth, realizing that even Ding Junshan had no solution this time. Despite the great unwillingness in her heart, she had no choice but to swallow it down.