Chapter 172: I’m angry!

“How does he go around telling everyone everything!”

“We agreed! I wasn’t going to bring this up with the relatives for now. I didn’t even go for New Year’s visits!”

“It must be my dad! Mom didn’t go back for New Year’s either! Dad stays in the countryside all day long!”

“Ahhh~ I can’t even show my face in my hometown anymore!”

Bai Yao relentlessly bombarded Qiu Ye with complaints, pouting and pressing her lips into a wavy line out of grievance.

She was already suffering from dysmenorrhea today, irritable and emotionally volatile beyond control.

It had been like this since she was a kid—whatever good or bad happened in the family, the relatives would know all about it the next day!

Fine if it was good news, but why spread bad news everywhere! They always said they were afraid of losing face, but they never seemed to care then!

‘I got into a fight with my family in middle school, and the next day a relative called to tell me to be filial!’

Bai Yao dug up old grievances, growing more upset as she typed, not even bothering to read Qiu Ye’s replies.

She furiously tapped away, bombarding his chat box.

“Most of the household expenses come from my mom working as a waitress! I heard from her that he only pays tuition and rent all year, and together it’s less than 20,000. I don’t know where all his money goes. The family still depends on my mom!”

She was fuming, pacing back and forth in her room.

Anger with no outlet only made the pain in her lower abdomen worse.

Finally, she let out a long sigh, flopped onto the bed, and stared lifelessly at the ceiling.

‘I wonder what Bai Xinyi thinks of me now.’

Even though Bai Xinyi had been comforting her before they parted in the afternoon, Bai Yao clearly felt the girl’s gaze toward her had changed.

Maybe it was just her imagination, but she had always cared a lot about others’ opinions.

“Hisss~”

Bai Yao curled up, clutching her stomach in pain.

Her phone vibrated.

She craned her neck to check the notification from her mother.

“I didn’t tell anyone. Ask your father?”

So Mom really hadn’t said anything.

“Why keep it a secret? It’s not a big deal anyway. People were bound to find out sooner or later. You can’t hide it forever!”

Bai Yao tossed her phone aside angrily.

The more she thought about it, the more wronged she felt, even shedding a few tears.

She was alone in the house.

It was dead quiet.

She could hear the neighbors chatting downstairs, the thumping of kids running around upstairs, and the distant howling of stray cats.

She lay there in silence, as if her soul had left her body.

Her mind replayed scenes of relatives pointing fingers at her, and neighbors gossiping about her troubles, staring at her with strange eyes, whispering among themselves, treating her like a joke and juicy gossip.

‘I’m probably going to suffer social death.’

‘Social death is terrifying…’

‘Maybe I should pack my bags and run away tomorrow! Go back to the rented room and find Qiu Ye!’

Anyway, it’s only a few days until school starts.

‘I’m never coming back~’

Bai Yao turned over, opened her phone, and checked tomorrow’s train tickets, ready to haul herself out of here overnight.

Gradually, her emotions began to settle.

She realized belatedly that she had been like a completely different person, hysterical like a madwoman.

But that wasn’t her personality.

Bai Yao forced herself to calm down, returning to her usual cold expression, then opened her phone’s front camera to check her appearance.

“Ha…”

Her hair was a mess, bangs plastered messily across her forehead and cheeks.

Her eyes and nose were blotchy red, radiating grievance.

Although her expression was indifferent, the slight droop of her eyes and tightly pressed lips made her look like a little girl holding back tears—pitiful.

‘Totally different from the crazy woman I imagined~ Actually kind of pitiful.’

She bared her teeth at the phone, trying to make a fierce, angry face, but no matter how hard she tried, her features only looked cute.

“It hurts so much…”

Bai Yao tossed her phone aside and lay back down.

But she had mostly cooled down.

She even took care to smooth down her bangs, not wanting her family to see her in such a disheveled state when they came back.

Not long after, she heard the front door open, followed by a “bang” of it closing.

That had to be her mother.

Her father usually came home quietly.

“Bai Yao! Get ready for dinner!”

Her mother immediately began preparing dinner as soon as she arrived: “I bought ribs today, plus pork tongue and lychee meat.”

Bai Yao composed herself and fixed her appearance, then walked out of her room to the kitchen doorway, watching her mother busying inside.

“Is there anything else you want to eat?”

Her mother didn’t look back, busy with her tasks.

“Your father has a big mouth. He tells his siblings everything that happens at home.”

“Those sisters of his aren’t good people either. They gossip a lot, always stirring up trouble. I heard before that he wanted to have a son—probably his sister’s idea.”

Her mother finally turned to look at Bai Yao: “Still angry?”

“…A little.”

Bai Yao mainly felt annoyed.

She leaned gloomily against the kitchen sliding door.

“It’s nothing. Let them talk. The mouth is on someone else’s body. Anyway, we don’t often go back to the countryside.”

Normally her mother was afraid of losing face, but now she had a different tune.

“Xinyi knows…”

“Bai Xinyi? You went out with her today?”

Her mother teased: “I thought you two stopped hanging out since middle school? Our families used to talk about having you two get married to strengthen the bond.”

“You need to keep in touch with friends like that to maintain the relationship. How was it?”

“…It was okay.”

Bai Yao muttered awkwardly.

“I bought a ticket for tomorrow. I’m going back to school.”

She was afraid her mother would refuse, so she looked cautious, lowering her head and picking at her nails.

“Why go back to school so early? Do you have a place to stay?”

“Yeah.”

Her mother raised an eyebrow, finished prepping the ingredients, heated the oil, and slid in the fresh ribs, frying them until golden brown.

She asked uneasily: “You’re not planning to live with Xiao Ye, are you?”

“No, not really. There are plenty of empty rooms in the dorm. Why wouldn’t I have a place to stay?”

“You just miss your boyfriend.”

Bai Yao wanted to say: ‘I’m suffering social death and can’t stay in this small town, okay? How does that mean I miss my boyfriend?’

Though she did miss him a little.

“I’m not going to bother with you. You’re a grown-up now.”

Her mother put the fried ribs back in the pan, coated them in sweet and sour sauce, stirred evenly, and added some water to simmer.

“Don’t be naive and believe everything people say. Xiao Ye is from the north. He might go back someday.”

‘Even if I don’t believe it, what can I do? I just have to gamble.’

Honestly, Bai Yao had no confidence in this relationship.

First love, campus romance—very few last to the end.

Even if she didn’t get cheated on, fights in daily life were normal.

Maybe they’d just get tired of each other after a while.

“Before you leave, ask your dad for more living expenses. I work so hard every day, only making three or four thousand a month, and I have to give you half.”

“If he says he has no money, do you believe him? Then where does his money go? Doesn’t he have a steady job?”

Bringing up money made Bai Yao even more uncomfortable.

Asking her father for money always felt like begging.