Chapter 6 (1/2)

“Is Mingxi not planning to come home?” Madam Zhao asked the Zhao family’s driver.

The relationship between Mingxi and her mother was very complicated. Although she knew that this child was her biological daughter, she had never seen her for the past 15 years, hence she felt unfamiliar around her. Physical interactions like hugs were awkward as well.

Furthermore, she had to be wary of Zhao Yuan’s feelings too— Yuanyuan has had a weak physique ever since she was young. She never fought to take anything from other people. If she realized that everyone around her paid more attention to Mingxi, would she be depressed due to the feeling of abandonment?

Therefore, for the past two years Madam Zhao always kept Mingxi at arms length.

Nonetheless, Mingxi was her biological daughter. No matter how rebellious she was, there was no way she could truly ignore her.

The driver locked the garage door, shook his head and said, “When I went to pick them up, only Miss Zhao Yuan and Young Master Yuning got on. I didn’t see Miss Mingxi at the school gate.”

“She thinks she’s all grown up now. It’s already been two days and she still hasn’t come back.” Madam Zhao looked angry.

The driver asked, “Maybe I should go look for her after school tomorrow and bring her home?”

“It’s fine. There’s no need.” Madam Zhao was rather frustrated. “I just said a few words and she decided to run away from home. Who indulged her to have such bad behaviour? If she doesn’t come home then so be it, don’t voluntarily bring her home! Also, she didn’t bring a lot of clothes and shoes. I think she didn’t even plan on staying in school for long!”

As this concerned another person’s family, the driver didn’t feel like it was in his position to say anything.

Madam Zhao turned and entered the house. Zhao Yuan wasn’t home yet as she had cultural activities today. As for Zhao Yuning, no one knew what he was angry about. Instead of having dinner, he immediately entered his room to play games the moment he reached home.

While Madam Zhao was eating a simple dinner alone, she realized that Mingxi’s specialty dish, sweet and sour pork ribs, wasn’t here. After dinner when she was watching TV on the couch, Mingxi was also not there to massage her shoulders. She felt annoyed and it was only then that she felt that the house was exceptionally cold and cheerless.

It was impossible for her to put down her pride to ask how Mingxi was doing in school. Thus, she couldn’t help but to go upstairs and knock on Zhao Yuning’s door.

“Did you see your elder sister in school today? Did you ask when she will stop all this nonsense and come home?”

“I didn’t see her. I’m in Year One, why would I be in the Year Three area for no reason?” Zhao Yuning was still thinking about how Mingxi ignored him at the canteen this afternoon. He pulled a long face. “Mom, stop asking me. Weren’t you the one who scolded her to the point that she decided to run away from home?”

Madam Zhao was stunned. She couldn’t rebut this, hence she could only leave.

When the noise outside the door dissipated, Zhao Yuning turned off his game and opened WeChat.

He couldn’t wrap his head around it. Did Zhao Mingxi have to get so angry this time— Aside from the matter of not giving him a lunchbox, she also treated him like a stranger in school by ignoring him. What did this mean? Also, she wanted to leave home for real and completely sever her ties with them?

What kind of huge matter was this? Wasn’t it just that Zhao Yuan triggered her allergy and their family scolded her a little? Previously when she got burnt, she didn’t even say anything.

Furthermore, he was planning on apologizing to her in the afternoon. It was she who ignored him first.

Then if he sent her a message on WeChat, wouldn’t that be embarrassing? For him to continuously lower his head for her?

But what if she still doesn’t come home and stop giving him lunch?

During dinner today, Zhao Yuning couldn’t swallow his food properly. All this was too out of the ordinary for him.

Zhao Yuning thought back on how he faced Zhao Mingxi’s empty room when he got home. He furrowed his brows and scratched his head. After typing and deleting several times, he finally closed his eyes, gathered up his courage and pressed send.

“Zhao Mingxi, what did your actions in the afternoon mean?”

He sat on the bed and crossed his legs. He suppressed the unhappiness he was feeling as he had to lower his head again. He planned on seeing how Mingxi was going to reply.

In the end.

Unexpectedly, he saw a red exclamation mark.

Zhao Yuning was speechless.

[You are not their friend. Please send a friend request first. After they accept, you may begin chatting.]

“…”

Zhao Yuning was stunned. He immediately called Zhao Mingxi.

But the sound of voicemail quickly came: “The number you have dialed is currently unavailable.”

He got blocked on both WeChat and on her phone????

Zhao Yuning almost fell out of bed. His jaw dropped out of shock as he stood there dumbfoundedly.

Zhao Yuning couldn’t think for a good few seconds.

This was the first time that such a thing has happened since Zhao Mingxi returned to the Zhao family.

It wasn’t as if she didn’t leave home or say that she was going to stay in school before this, but they were all unsuccessful as she would always return home after two days with reddened eyes— Actually, Zhao Yuning knew that after that old grandmother who adopted and took care of Mingxi at their small Northern town passed away, Mingxi had nowhere else to go.

But this time, she wasn’t showing any signs of wanting to come home. She even blocked him on all platforms.

Zhao Yuning quickly thought of a question. Was he the only one she blocked, or was the whole family blocked as well?

Zhao Yuning didn’t know why, but when he thought of the unconcerned expression Mingxi had when she left home, he had a feeling which couldn’t be explained in any other way but bad.

Just while he was pacing in his room, wondering if he should talk about this with his eldest brother Zhao Zhanhuai, there were noises downstairs indicating that his eldest brother had returned.

It seemed as if someone else was here as well as his mother was greeting them.

A short while later, there was a knock on his door. “Young Master, Young Master Liyao is here. He said there’s a matter to discuss. Madam has asked you to go downstairs.”

Shen Liyao was the blueprint for ‘the kid next door’. Throughout his life, he had obtained countless gold medals as well as prizes from creating new robots and winning chess competitions.

Zhao Yuning felt that he was too indifferent and arrogant, hence he didn’t like him that much. However, his parents were very welcoming toward him. Previously, they tried to bring him and Zhao Yuan together, but after Mingxi’s return, this engagement naturally turned to become one between Mingxi and Shen Liyao.

But it was rare for him to voluntarily come over to their place. Even if he came, he was always cold, as if someone owed him eight million yuan. So what was the matter today?

If he didn’t go downstairs today, he would definitely be nagged by his mom tonight.

Zhao Yuning furrowed his brows. He could only put aside the matter of being blocked by Zhao Mingxi and walked downstairs.

*

He Yang lived in the same area as the Zhao family. Thus, what happened that night at the Zhao family quickly travelled to Mingxi’s ears.

He Yang sent her a message: “I heard that Shen Liyao went to your house tonight.”

Mingxi was stunned. She had the same thought as Zhao Yuning. Shen Liyao voluntarily went to the Zhao family home— Did the sun rise from the west today?

He Yang’s message popped up again: “Someone saw him go to the Evergreen Class after class today to look for E Xiaoxia. Do you think that he got some information from E Xiaoxia and went to your house to prove how the matter of Zhao Yuan’s allergy had nothing to do with you? You can rid yourself of this matter now!”

“I don’t know,” Mingxi replied. “Anyway, I don’t really care about how the Zhao family members think of me anymore.”

In her past life, it was precisely due to the fight with her family in order to prove her innocence that she lost all common sense.

But in this life, her thoughts were clear. As long as she confirmed that the allergy incident was related to E Xiaoxia, Mingxi actually had many ways to prove this to the Zhao family as well. Be it getting the hospital’s CCTV footage or tricking E Xiaoxia to confess.

However, the problem was that Mingxi couldn’t be bothered with how they thought of her anymore. Thus, she didn’t want to waste her time on this.

To her, the care and trust of the Zhao family was like a cake.

She wanted it so desperately in her past life, but in this life it had already expired so she no longer wants it.

Nonetheless, what was Shen Liyao doing at the Zhao family home? It couldn’t be that it was as He Yang guessed whereby he was trying to help her, right?

Mingxi was washing her hair when someone gave her a missed call. Later, while she was drying her hair, she saw a missed call and message from her eldest brother Zhao Zhanhuai.

She didn’t contact Zhao Zhanhuai often, hence she forgot to add him to her blocked list.

“Liyao just came over. What happened to Yuanyuan previously seemed to have been accidentally triggered by her friend. Everyone misunderstood you, I apologize for that.”

“But Mingxi, this habit of yours of leaving home whenever you feel slightly wronged isn’t good. We’ll talk when you get home. Mom has been really frustrated for the past two days. When are you coming home? I’ll come and pick you up.”

When Mingxi saw this belated apology, she remained unmoving. She was just a little surprised.

He Yang’s guess was correct.

However, Mingxi soon felt that all this was normal.

Although Shen Liyao didn’t like her and treated her coldly, they have known each other for two years and could be considered as friends. Furthermore, Shen Liyao wasn’t just cold to her, he treated everyone the same, and someone as proud as him couldn’t just let such a matter go.

It could be that he decided to help her after finding out that she was now staying in school.