Chapter 13 – They Owe Her a Life

“I’m telling you, right now is a crucial time for your sister and Factory Director Zhao. Don’t you go making trouble,” Song Leyi said unhappily. “Even if she marries well, it doesn’t mean she’ll help our family.”

“What do you know? Director Zhao already agreed… Anyway, if the two of them get together, it’ll be good for us. You’re about to go to university—why bother holding grudges against her?”

When Song Leyi thought about how she’d be a university student soon, and that once she graduated she’d be assigned a job, her anger quickly faded.

“I got it.”

She walked into her room and saw Song Kexia packing up her belongings.

“Why are you putting all your things away?” she asked, puzzled.

“Obviously, so thieves won’t get the idea to steal my clothes to wear,” Song Kexia replied.

Leyi’s temper flared instantly, as if smoke rose from her head. She jabbed a finger at her. “Who are you calling a thief?”

“Whoever it sounds like,” Kexia said coolly.

“You… you vixen! The moment you see a man you start acting slutty. Going to the hospital with a man—don’t tell me you’ve already been fooling around. If your fiancé finds out you’ve been messing around, you think he’ll still want you?”

Kexia’s gaze turned icy. “Say that again.”

Since returning home, Leyi had been coddled by her parents and doted on by her brother, becoming utterly spoiled. She lifted her chin arrogantly. “I’ll say it as many times as I want. Why else would you go to the gynecology department? You think I don’t know? Must be some kind of dirty disease.”

Kexia’s eyes narrowed. She reached for a belt nearby and snapped it hard—pa!

“Ahhh~~!” Leyi screamed. She couldn’t believe Kexia dared to hit her. It hurt so much she shook all over, both from pain and rage, and charged forward to fight back.

Kexia greeted her with three more sharp strikes.

Belts back then were genuine leather, with solid iron buckles—the kind that made your skin sting and throb instantly. A red welt appeared on Leyi’s arm where it landed.

Dodging and yelping, Leyi cried out for help. “Dad! Mom! Song Kexia’s gone crazy—she’s hitting me! Have you lost your mind? Stop it!”

Stop? Heh. Kexia had been wanting to do this for a long time.

Before Li Yunmei could arrive, she got in a few more lashes, making Leyi howl like a stuck pig.

Li Yunmei rushed in to see Kexia whipping Leyi mercilessly. “What are you doing? Stop this right now!” she shouted angrily.

“I’m teaching her a lesson, so she doesn’t run her mouth,” Kexia replied without pausing her arm. Leyi yelped as two more strikes landed.

Realizing words wouldn’t stop her, Li Yunmei tried to grab the belt—only for Kexia to ‘accidentally’ land a heavy lash across her instead. Yunmei gasped in pain, nearly bursting with fury.

“You’ve lost your mind! You dare hit me too?”

“I didn’t mean to hit you—you rushed in. How was I supposed to stop in time? Leyi’s spreading rumors that I have that kind of disease. If that gets out, my relationship with Factory Director Zhao will be ruined, and she’ll disgrace the whole family. I’m doing this for everyone’s sake. Or do you want her to destroy us all?”

Yunmei’s brows furrowed. She’d just told Leyi not to provoke Kexia, yet here the girl was, spouting something so nasty. If Zhao Yinqiu heard that rumor, it’d be a disaster.

She turned on Leyi with anger. “What did I just tell you? How could you be so thoughtless? You think you can say things like that?”

Leyi stared at her in disbelief. “Mom, she hit me, and you’re scolding me? Am I even your real daughter?”

Yunmei did love Leyi, but compared to Song Zhengli’s future, she dared not be careless. “Why would you say something like that? If you hadn’t said something so awful, would your sister have hit you?”

Unable to stand the scolding, Leyi burst into tears and ran off. “You all bully me! I know none of you like me! I’ll leave—happy now?”

The commotion drew the rest of the family to the living room. Seeing her heading for the door, Song Zhengyu stopped her. “It’s already dark. Where do you think you’re going?”

“I’ll sleep on the streets! Under a bridge! Since I’m not welcome here, don’t bother with me!”

“What are you talking about? Of course we care about you.” Zhengyu pulled her back to the sofa, and with Zhengli’s help, they soothed her until she calmed down.

Meanwhile, Yunmei—though angry—was still worried about her daughter. Only after hearing that Leyi had been persuaded to stay did she relax, then turned to scold Kexia.

“And you—why can’t you just talk things out? Why use the belt?”

“I tried talking. She wouldn’t listen. The belt works better to shut her up.”

“…” Yunmei nearly choked with anger. This girl was a menace.

“I remember you used to be so obedient and sensible. How did you become like this? I’m so disappointed in you.”

Kexia found her tone almost laughable. Before, she might’ve been fooled into thinking Yunmei cared for her. But now? She saw right through the act.

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll take a shower and go to bed.”

She tossed the belt aside, grabbed her clothes, and left.

From the sofa, Leyi saw Kexia walk past and felt her aches flare up again. Zhengyu glared at Kexia. “What’s wrong with you? How can you hit Leyi?”

“She needed a lesson. Why shouldn’t I?”

Zhengyu was too angry to respond.

Zhengli looked at her with disappointment. “Xiaxia, how could you become like this? You used to be different. Leyi is younger—you should protect and cherish her. Instead, you’re targeting her. You’ve let us down.”

Song Jianshe, sitting nearby, frowned in disapproval as well.

Kexia couldn’t help but laugh inside. They really were one family—united in aiming their fire at her, the outsider.

“If I’ve disappointed you so much, I can’t stay here. I’ll move out.”

At that, Jianshe—who had been silent—finally spoke. “What nonsense are you talking? Where would you go at this hour?”

Kexia’s lips curled in a cold smile. Of course they wouldn’t want her gone—if she left, how could they keep exploiting her value?

“I don’t want to leave, but since everyone here dislikes me and thinks I’m an eyesore, why stay?”

“Who says you’re an eyesore? Your brothers just said a few words to you—why make a fuss?”

“Oh, so when they scold me it’s not a fuss, but if I say one thing it’s ‘making trouble’? You’re really biased.”

Jianshe’s voice hardened. “Enough. No one in this family owes you anything, so don’t expect everyone to indulge you.”

Kexia’s eyes turned icy. “Oh, I know.”

No one owed her?

They owed her a life.