Su Suyin gasped in horror, especially when she looked at the bright red in her daughter's white cheek and blood dripping from the corner of her mouth. Even more so when she saw her husband strode over to Li Caiyi with a grave face. The sight of Li Caiyi's figure, who sat on the floor with a heartbroken expression, overlapped with herself, and she trembled in fright while choking back a sob.
"Say that again if you dare, you useless kid," Li Jirong hissed nacingly as he made his way to Li Caiyi. He grabbed a bunchful of her hair and pulled it; it forced Li Caiyi to raise her head. She grimaced in pain.
"I have been too lenient on you, it seems. Do you think you can do whatever you wish just because it doesn't work out the way you want? How can my family have a pathetic child like you?"
Li Caiyi gritted her teeth with her eyes tightly shut.
"Do you think your brother and I could attain everything we currently have without putting in hard work? Even Xiaohua can do it, so there is no reason you can't! You are just not putting in enough effort. Not only are you talentless, but you are also cowardly and lazy; just what is good about you?! What sin did I commit in my past life to have an unfilial child like you? You cause a headache every day!"
Li Caiyi clenched her hands. She found everything her father just said very laughable.
Effort? Diligence?
If Li Jirong were the type who cared about those things, she would not be so miserable in her past life.
Li Caiyi had given it all. She studied hard without stopping, and she even helped him cover his affair because she believed that sothing would change if she endured it a little more. Her father would eventually see her sincerity if she obeyed him. She just had to try harder.
However, no matter what she did, her father never once looked her way. Even when she drowned in self-bla and guilt, which later resulted in her depression, she kept on holding on to a tiny hope.
Her father was the first to suggest Li Caiyi marry ng Renshu instead of Li Chunhua, all because he could leverage the Li family na to the next level by making a marital connection with the ng family. Even though he knew Li Chunhua was the one ng Renshu liked.
It was safe to say Li Jirong was the first to push her into a life devoid of warmth.
At first, she wondered why her father would suggest that and refused on the spot. Logically, it would be more appropriate to let Li Chunhua go instead of her because she was the one ng Renshu liked. Had it not for Li Chunhua who ca and begged her to marry ng Renshu, she might not know the reason behind it.
When Li Caiyi saw her sister break down, it was the first ti she realized she did not have any choice from the beginning and how selfish a parent could be.
Even after her rebirth, Li Jirong kept repeating the exact words to her: she was useless, and she was nothing without her family. It was the sa as when he pushed her to marry quickly because that was the only worth she had.
"Open your ears and listen well. If you fully intend to disobey , then don't bla for being heartless. I don't need a child like you! I was willing to wait for the ti when you finally can show your worth, but it seems my kindness was wasted on you. Forget it, then! Either you promise to get married after graduating or get out of my house right now!"
Ha. Sure enough, this man's selfishness and shalessness know no bounds. Either way, he would still decide on Li Caiyi's life as he wished. For him, except for Li Junjie, his daughters were just a re commodity who he could manipulate to serve his best interest.
Li Caiyi could not bear to hear his self-righteous words anymore.
"Don't worry because I will eventually leave the house." She said weakly, but it sounded so loud within the pin-drop silence.
Li Jirong and Su Suyin were dumbstruck when they heard what Li Caiyi had just said. As if soone had pushed the pause button, they remained motionless with their mouth hanging open.
Li Caiyi's scalp hurt so much, but she gritted her teeth and said, "Father, we know very well that you will still dislike no matter what I do. By joining in that competition, it ans that I have given up on trying to win you over. I don't need your recognition anymore."
Li Jirong looked at his daughter with astonishnt. This was clearly his daughter, who had the least value among his children, but why did she look so different? He almost could not recognize her.
Su Suyin, who also witnessed that, recalled the last ti Li Caiyi voiced her dissatisfaction with her father and was afraid that Li Caiyi would say sothing that enraged her father further, so she hurriedly advised her.
"Xiaoyi, please stop this stubbornness at once! Aren't you doing just fine all this ti? Why do you have to do this? Apologize to your father right this instant!" Su Suyin could not understand why Li Caiyi would go against her father. She should have known Li Jirong's temperant best. If Li Caiyi kept angering him, Li Jirong would only punish her harder. "
Then she shifted her gaze to Li Jirong with a terrified expression. "Husband, could you put down Xiaoyi first? Let's talk about this peacefully. I'm sure Xiaoyi didn't an what she said."
Li Jirong finally broke out of his stupor, and his face reddened in a fury. "You… unfilial child!"
With one big swing, he tossed Li Caiyi to the sofa. Su Suyin, who saw that hurriedly caught her, and they toppled to the sofa together. It did not hurt, but Su Suyin feared what would happen after this, so she hurriedly whispered to Li Caiyi in an urgent tone.
"Xiaoyi, apologize to your father right now. If this goes on, he will beat you to death!"
Li Caiyi scoffed. "He will still beat , whether or not I apologize. Mother, do you forget what kind of person he is?"
Su Suyin wanted to retort, but she knew her daughter was telling the truth. When Li Jirong was angry, there was truly no stopping him.
Li Caiyi caressed her mother's palm with his thumb, "Don't be afraid, Mother. I knew this would happen when I signed up for the competition. This is my decision, and I'm not afraid."
Su Suyin lost count of how many tis Li Caiyi had surprised her. The previously timid and gloomy girl was gone. The current Li Caiyi now was surrounded by dignified air that rendered her speechless. However, the thing that surprised her the most was herself.
When Su Suyin looked at her daughter's unyielding gaze, she strangely felt more secure inside, and she subconsciously wanted to believe and rely on her daughter. Her ambiance did not feel like a teenager and more like a dependable adult.
Oblivious to her mother's thoughts, Li Caiyi stood up from the sofa. She looked at Li Jirong and mustered every sincerity in her to say, "Father, I had always respected you and adored you. I wanted to prove that I was also your child you can be proud of; that was why I tried hard. However, when I was focused on you, I realized I was losing sight of myself. It made think whether or not I was doing the right thing."
Li Jirong sneered. "That is a common excuse of failures who wanted to run away from their responsibility. What is so hard about it? You just have to sit and study well. You do not have to worry about food or money for your education. I spent so much effort in raising you; don't you think I at least have the right to direct you on the right path?"
"But Father, you didn't raise ." Li Caiyi said coldly. "The one who raised was Mother, and she alone. Father, you only speak to when you want to remind how much disappointnt I am to the family."
Hearing that, Li Jirong was so angry his hand was shaking. He never expected Li Caiyi would be so daring in front of him. "Y-you…!"
Li Caiyi continued, "I guess you did support financially. If you want to nitpick about small things, then you can make a bill of how much money you have spent for all these years. I promise I will pay it back to you when I get a job later."
"Xiaoyi!" Su Suyin exclaid in fear.
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