Chapter 153: Chapter 153: You Really Dare to Go Head-On

The onlookers began to quietly back away.

Only their three voices echoed back and forth in the space.

Shanshan was thoroughly fed up.

Her gaze swept over them both before finally settling on Kang Yueyue’s face.

"Me, uncultured? That’s rich, coming from you. And what does that make you? An outsider sticking her nose into someone else’s family. You have the nerve to lecture me about propriety?"

With that said, she didn’t spare the other woman another glance and resumed walking toward the checkout counter.

Shanshan had raised her voice for that last sentence, and the entire store fell silent in an instant.

The color drained from Cao Daqiang’s face. He instinctively took half a step to the side, putting some distance between himself and the woman.

Kang Yueyue broke out in an anxious cold sweat, glancing around frantically, terrified someone had overheard. She quickly crouched down and pulled the child into her arms. With her eyes red-rimmed, she looked up at Cao Daqiang, her voice trembling.

"Will you just shut your mouth!"

The outburst was meant for Shanshan, but it was also a flare of anger toward Cao Daqiang.

Cao Daqiang’s expression shifted instantly. He forced a smile and turned to Shanshan.

He even raised a hand to pat her shoulder, but she sidestepped him, avoiding the touch.

"Shanshan, don’t take it to heart. She can be a bit blunt, but don’t you start throwing a fit, too. Besides, what you said was way too harsh. It’s not appropriate."

He spoke in a soft, placating tone, feigning the role of a peacemaker.

"You’re a bad guy! Don’t you insult my mom!"

The little boy, who had been shrinking in his mother’s embrace, suddenly struggled free, his face flushed beet-red.

He lunged forward and swung his leg, aiming a vicious kick at Shanshan’s calf.

Just as the kick was about to land, the muscles in her leg silently tensed.

She didn’t dodge. Instead, she covertly employed a little trick, bracing her leg.

When the boy’s foot struck, the instant his toes made contact, he felt an unyielding resistance.

A jolt shot through his leg muscles. It felt like an electric shock, and the limb quickly went numb.

Pain shot up from his ankle to the top of his thigh. He stood frozen, unable to move, as tears streamed down his face. Then he let out a piercing, ear-splitting wail.

"Well now, Auntie Mistress, your son is quite the tough guy, isn’t he? Hitting people on sight. Who gave him the nerve?"

This time, Shanshan made sure to shout it.

Her shout set the place abuzz. Every head in the store snapped in their direction.

Kang Yueyue’s face went pale with fright. She scrambled to bend over and scoop up her wailing child.

Keeping her head down, not daring to meet anyone’s eyes, she spun around and bolted for the exit.

Cao Daqiang couldn’t stay seated either.

Just moments ago he had been sitting calmly, keeping up appearances, but now his back was ramrod straight.

He tried to look composed, but his fingers were digging into the chair’s armrests.

The smile plastered on his face had twisted into a grimace. Clearly flustered, he shot to his feet, ready to flee the scene.

A smirk played on Shanshan’s lips as she watched him.

"Trying to sneak off? Should I shout a little louder for you? Help everyone get acquainted?"

"You! You worthless piece of trash! I clearly didn’t raise you right!"

Cao Daqiang spat out the vicious words and turned to hurry away.

Hearing this, Shanshan let out a laugh of pure indignation. The fingertips of the hand holding her books twitched almost imperceptibly.

Just as Cao Daqiang reached the doorway, his legs gave out as a sudden, sharp cramp seized his calf.

He lost his balance and pitched forward, landing flat on his face with a loud SMACK.

The onlookers erupted in laughter.

The corners of Shanshan’s mouth lifted slightly. ’That’s better,’ she thought with a sense of satisfaction.

She watched the pathetic man struggle on the floor, pushing himself up with his hands and staggering to his feet as he wiped blood from his face.

The anger she had been holding in finally dissipated.

Now that they were gone, she was about to go back to browsing when a flicker of movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention. It was Cao Jiajia, hiding behind a bookshelf.

Half of her body was concealed in the aisle between the literature and children’s sections.

Shanshan raised an eyebrow.

"You’ve been spying this whole time?"

"Yeah."

Cao Jiajia stepped out, her hands shoved into the pockets of her school uniform jacket, an awkward expression on her face.

"I didn’t think you actually had the guts to confront them like that."

Despite her words, her face still wore its usual disdainful expression.

"You didn’t go tattle to your mom? What, are you keeping it a secret because you still want him as your father?"

"Who says I didn’t?"

Cao Jiajia’s expression immediately grew defensive, and her words came out in a rush.

"I told my mom a long time ago, but she didn’t believe me. She said I was just acting out."

"Just a guess."

Shanshan shrugged nonchalantly and casually picked up a novel, glancing at the summary on the back cover.

"You... You’d better not say anything either!"

She suddenly grew frantic and took a step closer.

"Then first, you tell me. Why are you keeping it a secret?"

"I... My mom doesn’t even want to know. Besides, why should I let that woman steal my dad? He’s part of our family, she has no right to take him away."

"Ohhh," Shanshan drew out the sound. "So you’re afraid of losing his money, is that it? You’d rather let your mom be kept in the dark like an idiot, just so you can keep getting your allowance."

The words struck a nerve. Cao Jiajia’s expression darkened.

She gritted her teeth, her chest heaving. Her eyes turned vicious as she abruptly raised a hand to strike.

She had been trying to bully Shanshan their whole lives, but she had never once succeeded.

This time was no different.

Before her hand could even connect, Shanshan had already delivered a backhanded slap of her own.

The crisp smack echoed, jarringly loud in the quiet bookstore.

Several nearby customers browsing books looked up, glancing in their direction.

Cao Jiajia froze, stunned, as a fiery sting spread across her cheek.

She stared at Shanshan, eyes wide, her lips trembling, but no words came out.

"Why can’t you ever learn? How many times have I told you not to get physical with me? If you really piss me off, I’ll tell my mom what you did, and then you’ll really be in for it."

Shanshan’s tone was calm, but her gaze was sharp.

She stared at Cao Jiajia, taking half a step forward and lowering her voice.

"Are you incapable of understanding plain English, or do you want me to call security?"

Clutching her cheek, Cao Jiajia flinched and stumbled back several steps until her back hit a bookshelf.

Her shoulders pressed against the cool wood of the shelf, a chill running down her spine.

The impact caused the row of books behind her to tremble, and a workbook slid off the shelf.

She didn’t dare bend down to pick it up, her eyes fixed unwaveringly on Shanshan.

The air around them seemed to solidify. She could even hear her own heart pounding.

Meanwhile, Shanshan had finished selecting her books and took them to the counter to pay.

She handed her three selections to the cashier, who quickly scanned them.

She pulled her wallet from her bag, handed over a ten-yuan bill, and took her change and receipt before turning to leave.

As she passed Cao Jiajia, she didn’t even give her a second glance.

’Sigh. I must have been cursed today.’

’Everywhere I go, I run into someone who disgusts me.’

As she walked out, she glanced down at the books in her hand.

’I still have a set of physics practice exams to get through tomorrow. No time to waste.’

That whole scene had wasted nearly ten minutes, and it had ruined her mood.

She took a deep breath, clutched her books a little tighter, and quickened her pace toward the bus stop.

The dappled shadows of the plane trees lined the street, and the sunlight was a bit too bright on her face.

When she got home, she collapsed into the rocking chair under the big tree in the yard, opened one of her new books, and began to read.

She shifted the cushion until her head could rest more comfortably against it.

She then opened *A Comprehensive Guide to College Entrance Exam Vocabulary* and started working her way through it, page by page.