Living Only For Myself: Make Those Who Hate Me Regret It

Chapter 241: What I Fear Most Is You Giving Me the Cold Shoulder for No Reason; If Something’s Wrong, Can You Just Tell Me?

"It’s not just today. You haven’t been paying attention to what’s going on in class—Gu Yunjia has been out for a week!" Qian Jia said. "She has a lot of friends, and since she’s been gone for so long, someone went and asked her cousin what was wrong. That’s when we learned that something happened to her family."

Huang Feng picked up where she left off. "I heard about that too. Gu Yunjia’s dad was keeping a mistress and even had a son with her who’s not much younger than Gu Yunjia. He’d kept it a secret all this time, but her mom found out a while ago. They had a huge fight, and her dad moved right into his other family’s home. When he was picking up his son from school, he was hit by a large truck and had to have a leg amputated. The son, who was in junior high, died on the spot."

Xu Su was shocked. "When did this happen?"

"Over a month ago. Gu Yunjia was a completely different person around that time. She wasn’t even chasing after God Xi during breaks. I thought she’d finally given up on him, but it turns out it was because of the crisis at home." Qian Jia’s voice was low, laced with concern for her former friend.

"Her dad used to be a junior manager at Xianhe Real Estate, one of the developers here in the city. I heard he made good money and was the family’s main breadwinner. Her mom’s health is poor, so she’s never worked. After the accident, she couldn’t handle the double blow and fell ill. Gu Yunjia also has a younger sister in the ninth grade at the No. 2 Middle School next door."

Her father’s amputation, her mother’s illness... the family’s only stable source of income was gone.

A family that had once been considered well-off was suddenly teetering on the brink of collapse.

Huang Feng seemed to be reflecting on it. "My grandma twisted her leg last year, and that cost almost ten thousand. I can’t even imagine how much an amputation costs. Gu Yunjia’s cousin said the truck driver who caused the accident is dirt poor and only had the cheapest mandatory insurance, so he can’t pay much in compensation. They’re covering all the medical bills themselves right now."

Once you’re in the hospital, money just flows like water. Even a family with some savings can’t sustain that kind of spending, let alone for something as major as an amputation...

Xu Su clutched her flatbread, thinking of the girl she used to eat with, gossip with, laugh and fool around with. Suddenly, it was hard to swallow.

"She insisted on coming to class every day right after it happened. Why is she taking time off now?" Despite their falling out, they had been good friends once, and Qian Jia’s voice was filled with worry.

Huang Feng said, "Who knows? She’s the eldest child. With her parents incapacitated and her sister still young, it’s only normal that she’d be too overwhelmed to handle everything, especially after such a huge disaster."

In the end, more than half of the egg flatbread was left uneaten. It wasn’t just worry over her former friend’s family tragedy that made Xu Su lose her appetite. It was also because she was starting to wonder...

... ’Was Zhou Mochen’s hand in this?’

’Why, after hiding his affair so well for so long, did Gu Yunjia’s father suddenly get discovered by her mother just a while ago?’

’According to the storyline, the trigger for everything was the fight between her parents. Only after Gu Yunjia’s father moved out did he get into that car accident...’

Xu Su’s heart leaped. She remembered the malice Gu Yunjia had shown in front of Zhou Mochen that afternoon, and the hand holding her pen began to tremble.

’If... what if Zhou Mochen really did this?’

’What if he really did it just because Gu Yunjia was malicious toward me...?’

Xu Su was on pins and needles all morning, forcing herself not to call and ask him during the break between classes.

The moment the bell rang for the end of the last class of the morning, she shot up from her seat and was the first one out of the classroom.

When Xu Su got in the car, Zhou Mochen was a little surprised. "You’re out early today."

He started the car, holding out his palm to Xu Su as he steered with his other hand.

Lately, it seemed as if Zhou Mochen couldn’t drive unless he was holding her hand.

Xu Su: "..."

’I’ve been holding this question in all morning, but now that I’m face to face with him, I can’t bring myself to ask. I’m actually... scared.’

’If he really did it...’

"What’s wrong?" After waiting for a moment without her reaching out, Zhou Mochen took the initiative, grabbing Xu Su’s hand and giving it a squeeze. "What are you thinking about? You look like you’ve got the weight of the world on your shoulders."

Xu Su stared silently at their clasped hands, saying nothing.

’Gu Yunjia and I used to be friends. Even though she turned on me later because of Xi Zirong, I never thought of her as an enemy...’

’If he really did it, what should I do?’

’Get angry? Start a fight?’

No!

’I’d only feel like I’d wronged Gu Yunjia...’

’I’d only think that I’m truly a jinx...’

When Xu Su still hadn’t said anything, Zhou Mochen glanced over at her, the smile at the corners of his lips slowly fading.

In the silence, the car pulled into the underground garage and he cut the engine. Xu Su pulled her hand away, opened the door herself, and walked toward the elevator.

"In a bad mood? Who pissed you off?" Zhou Mochen caught up in a few strides, stepping into the elevator and looking down at her.

’Who pissed you off...’

Xu Su looked up and glared at him, a fierce look that stunned Zhou Mochen for a second. Then, he couldn’t resist pulling her into his arms, leaning down to kiss her. Xu Su turned her head to dodge, and his lips landed on her eyelid instead.

Zhou Mochen paused, then suddenly sighed. "The one thing I can’t stand is you giving me the cold shoulder for no reason. Can’t you just tell me what’s wrong?"

Xu Su opened her mouth, then closed it again.

Just then, the elevator doors opened. She swallowed the words she was about to say, pushed him away, and walked out. After changing her shoes and washing her hands, she finally sat down on the sofa to speak formally.

"Have you... done anything... to my classmate’s family recently?"

"What do you mean, classmate?" Zhou Mochen’s eyes narrowed slightly. He sized her up, then suddenly asked with a smile, "Did something happen to Xi Zirong’s family? Are you pinning it on me?"

"It’s not Xi Zirong." His smile made her skin crawl. Xu Su looked up. "Something happened to Gu Yunjia’s family."

"It had better be." He grabbed her chin, leaned in, and pecked the corner of her lips, his eyes unreadable. "Xu Su, if you’re giving me the cold shoulder because of him... I can’t bring myself to hurt you, but I’m more than capable of just getting rid of him."

Xu Su: "...It has nothing to do with Xi Zirong."

’I take back what I was thinking earlier—all that stuff about peaceful days and it being like a dream... ’

’This is clearly the same old Zhou Mochen, the one with a hair-trigger temper!’

"So, tell me. Who is Gu Yunjia?" After planting a hard kiss on her lips, Zhou Mochen let go, saying with some annoyance, "What happened to her family that made you think I was the one behind it?"

’He doesn’t even know who Gu Yunjia is!’

’Young Master Zhou had always been the type to own up to his actions. Xu Su’s heart relaxed for a moment, but then she had another thought: he wouldn’t need to know someone’s name to deal with them...’

She paused, but still decided to get a clear answer. "She’s the girl who talked to you on the athletic field that day, the one who told you all that stuff. Her family has had a run of very bad luck recently..."

After a moment’s hesitation, Xu Su told him everything she knew in a single rush.

Zhou Mochen listened quietly the entire time, finally letting out a scoff. "Don’t just pin every bad thing that happens on me. I know that Gu Yunjia girl made some petty moves against you, but I don’t have the time to deal with every minor character like that. Besides, doesn’t she like Xi Zirong?"

That last sentence was the real point. He was still thinking about how to make Xu Su’s ex-boyfriend disappear from their lives for good.

It would be best if the guy knew what was good for him and got together with someone else, and stopped coveting what was his.