The Adopted Cannon Fodder Made a Comeback

Gu’er looked at the screaming Lin Sui’er, startled by the outburst. ’Am I really that scary?’

Outside, Chen Fengjiao was knocking on the door. "Gu’er, Sui’er, are you two okay?"

She was clearly worried.

Gu’er went and opened the door. Chen Fengjiao came in and glanced around.

"If you don’t trust me, if you think I’m going to beat her or abuse her, then I’ll just leave."

Gu’er had made things very clear when she came in, but they hadn’t even started talking yet. Lin Sui’er let out one scream, and Chen Fengjiao was already worried sick. ’If I actually did hit Lin Sui’er, wouldn’t Mom try to kill me? I shouldn’t even bother with this.’

"No, no, I didn’t mean anything by it. I’ll—I’ll go outside right now."

Chen Fengjiao was a bit embarrassed. She had indeed been drawn over by Sui’er’s scream, thinking Sui’er was being beaten. But one look and she could see Sui’er was perfectly fine.

"Mom, don’t go! Make her leave! What is this? Doesn’t she know I was sleeping?!"

Lin Sui’er yelled, her face full of impatience.

"Um, well, your sister has something to say to you. You should listen to her."

Chen Fengjiao instructed Sui’er, then turned back to Gu’er. "Gu’er, Sui’er... she’s still young. You... you should be the bigger person."

Gu’er looked at her coldly. ’With a temperament like my own mother’s, how could she ever hope to raise a daughter properly?’

"Okay, okay, I’m leaving, I’m leaving."

Chen Fengjiao knew Gu’er was displeased with her. She stepped out, and Gu’er locked the door again.

"What do you want? I have nothing to say to you. Just go. The sight of you pisses me off. Stop coming to our house when you have no reason to."

Lin Sui’er glared at Gu’er, a look of disgust flashing across her face.

"You think I want to see you? If Mom hadn’t begged me to come, I couldn’t care less what happens to you. It has nothing to do with me anyway."

Gu’er replied just as coldly.

"What happens to me? Isn’t everything that’s happened to me your fault? If it weren’t for you, would I have ended up like this? It’s all you, all of it! It’s you, Lin Gu’er! You’re the one who ruined me!"

Lin Sui’er was like an enraged tigress, lashing out at Gu’er.

"Hah, that’s hilarious. I forced you? What did I force you to do? Did I force you not to study? Did I force you to slack off at school? Did I force you to hang out with those punks? Did I force you to stay out all night? Lin Sui’er, if you don’t respect yourself, don’t blame it on others. No one forced you to do anything. You brought all of this on yourself."

Gu’er knew she couldn’t use a soft approach. If she tried to talk to Lin Sui’er nicely and persuade her, Lin Sui’er wouldn’t hear a single word. Her thinking had already become too extreme.

"You’re the one who wants to be with punks! Lin Gu’er, let me tell you, I’m not doing this because I want to. It’s because of you! You married Sun Jiaming, but you’re still with Brother Li Zhi all the time. I like Brother Li Zhi, but because of you, he doesn’t want me. Fine. If he doesn’t want me, someone else will. Yes, I’m with Da Lei Zi now! He’s a thug, a punk! Don’t you all look down on thugs and punks? Well, I’m going to be with someone just like that on purpose, because I want to make you all regret it! Dad looks down on me, thinks I’m not as good as you in any way. You come back, and Mom’s heart is all set on you too. She’s not as good to me as she used to be. And Lin Zheng talks about you all day long. They all like you, and Li Zhi doesn’t want me either. Why does everyone like you? Don’t you all look down on me? Fine! Then I’ll make myself bad! I want you all to feel like you owe me!"

Lin Sui’er shouted, her eyes wild with a crazed look.

Gu’er looked at this version of Lin Sui’er, her heart filled with frustration, but also a flicker of pity. ’How can this girl have so little self-respect?’

"Don’t look at me like that, Lin Gu’er! I don’t need you looking at me like that! I don’t need your pity! Who the hell do you think you are? It’s all because of you! You’re the one who ruined me! If it wasn’t for you, Mom and Dad would still treat me just as well, and Li Zhi would have noticed me! It’s all you, all of you! I’m going to tear you apart!"

Perhaps the look in Gu’er’s eyes provoked Lin Sui’er. She lunged forward and clawed at Gu’er’s face.

Gu’er grabbed her hands, but Lin Sui’er started kicking at her, screaming curses all the while. She fought with a frenzy, as if Gu’er were her mortal enemy.

At first, Gu’er tried to endure it. But seeing how utterly crazed Lin Sui’er was, with one filthy curse after another spilling from her mouth, she couldn’t take it anymore. She slapped Lin Sui’er across the face, then gave her a shove that sent her tumbling onto the bed.

"Have you made enough of a scene?!"

Gu’er scolded Sui’er.

Lin Sui’er clutched her face and started to cry.

"Gu’er! Gu’er, don’t hit Sui’er! Open the door, quick!"

Just then, Chen Fengjiao’s frantic pounding came from the other side of the door. She must have heard the commotion and was getting anxious.

"Stop knocking! Didn’t I tell you to ignore any noises you hear?"

Gu’er didn’t know what on earth her mother was trying to do. ’If you asked me to handle this, then trust me.’

"Mom! Mom, she’s trying to kill me! Help me! If you don’t come in, I’m not going to make it!"

Suddenly, Lin Sui’er began to shriek. Her voice was so blood-curdling it sounded as if Gu’er was doing something truly inhuman to her.

Chen Fengjiao had hesitated after Gu’er’s rebuke, torn between leaving and worrying. But now, hearing Sui’er’s cry, she flew into a panic. "Open the door! Open the door right now! I don’t need you to handle it anymore! I’ll talk to her, I’ll handle her! If anyone’s going to hit her, it’ll be me, her mother! You can’t hit her!"

Hearing Chen Fengjiao’s words, Lin Sui’er clutched the cheek Gu’er had slapped and smiled at her. Her eyes gleamed with triumph. She wanted to show Gu’er that even after doing all this, Mom would still take her side, not Lin Gu’er’s.

"Jia Ming, grab Mom! Don’t let her come over here."

Gu’er’s expression was icy as she yelled to the people outside.

The noise outside immediately subsided. Chen Fengjiao, who had been pounding madly on the door, was pulled away by Sun Jiaming and Li Zhi. Gu’er trusted that Jia Ming and Li Zhi wouldn’t let her get near the door again.

"Who are you going to count on now?"

Gu’er looked down at Lin Sui’er.

Lin Sui’er bit her lip. She knew her mother couldn’t save her now.

"Don’t get cocky. After you leave, I’ll tell Mom you hit me. I’ll tell her I’m only acting this way because of you, that you forced me into it! She’ll definitely hate you. Even if Dad thinks highly of you, Mom won’t want anything to do with you. Lin Gu’er, when it comes to Mom, you’ll never measure up to me."

Lin Sui’er looked at Gu’er, feeling that in this one aspect, she was superior.

Gu’er frowned slightly. ’Sui’er’s personality is so twisted, so extreme... did I really do this to her?’

’No! Not entirely. My appearance was just a catalyst that brought out the selfishness in Sui’er’s character. In the end, the problem lies with her own personality.’

Gu’er felt like turning around and walking away, but then she thought of Lin Shan in the countryside, of Chen Fengjiao’s pleading face, of Lin Zheng, and of the way Lin Sui’er looked at Li Zhi.

She was still a girl in the prime of her youth. If this knot in her heart wasn’t untied, she might really continue down this wrong path for the rest of her life.