Living Only For Myself: Make Those Who Hate Me Regret It-Chapter 92 - 91: Where Did You Get the Money?

He looked down at the girl’s face, flushed red with anger. Compared to when he first saw her last year, Xu Su had grown a lot taller.

Her features had also matured. The last traces of childishness had vanished, replaced entirely by a young woman’s vibrant beauty.

As he watched her, Zhou Mochen’s heart softened. He reached out, turned her face toward him, and said slowly, "Xu Su, if you’re angry, then I won’t do this. But you have to promise me you’ll stay away from those other boys, not just this Xi Zirong. Okay?"

"..." His words were laced with a clear and discernible compromise.

Xu Su lowered her gaze, avoiding his. She said, "Zhou Mochen, have some confidence. Don’t be so paranoid."

Pulling his hand away, Xu Su said, "I’m going home."

Zhou Mochen let his hand drop. In a low voice, he said, "I’ll take you to the Kang County bus station this afternoon. If you don’t want to ride in my car to your grandma’s, then I won’t give you a ride. But I can at least follow the bus you’re on, right?"

From Zhou Mochen’s perspective, this was a major concession.

But to Xu Su, it just meant that even if she fled to the countryside for summer break, this guy wouldn’t leave her alone.

Xu Su’s tone grew impatient. "You know where my grandma lives. What are you planning to do? Come find me? Zhou Mochen, can’t you just let me have a few days of peace?"

Zhou Mochen said righteously, "Xu Su, I need to know where you are."

Faced with this side of Zhou Mochen... what could she do? Xu Su felt a surge of helpless frustration.

Waving her hand dismissively, Xu Su said with complete resignation, "Fine, do whatever you want. I only have one condition: don’t show up in front of my relatives at my grandma’s house."

Xu Su went home, carrying her luggage. Zhou Mochen didn’t go upstairs. After taking a call, he watched her walk away before starting his car and leaving.

「She got home at exactly noon.」

The whole family was there. Seeing Xu Su suddenly return with a bag of clothes, Chen Shulan reacted quickly. "Is it summer break already? Just yesterday, your dad and I were saying it should be about time for your vacation."

Xu Su nodded. "Yeah, half a month for summer break."

Xu Weiping was in the middle of his meal. Seeing her with the large bag, he directed Chen Shulan, "Quick, take Susu’s things."

Even before he said anything, Chen Shulan had already put down her bowl and taken the luggage bag from Xu Su’s hands. She said with a wide smile, "Half a month off, then. Get some good rest. It seems to me that high school is more tiring for you than our jobs at the factory."

Xu Su didn’t answer. She went to the kitchen, washed her hands, and came out with a bowl of rice.

Chen Shulan had a habit of making extra rice at lunch; otherwise, there might not have been any left for Xu Su.

Xu Su held her bowl and ate methodically. Chen Shulan folded her clothes, put them in the wardrobe, and sat back down.

She examined her daughter closely, quite pleased. "I haven’t seen you in so many days, and it looks like you’ve gotten taller again. Your dad and I aren’t very tall. I never expected you to be this tall at seventeen."

Xu Su had her height measured at school. She was now five-foot-five. She would grow to five-foot-six before the college entrance exams, and that would be her final height.

Chen Shulan was right. She herself was not even five-foot-three, while Xu Weiping was under five-foot-seven.

The couple, feeling their own heights were inadequate, had always been worried that Xu Yang wouldn’t grow tall. They constantly fussed over him, making sure he got all sorts of nutrients.

For a family like theirs in this day and age, Xu Yang even had calcium supplements to take every day.

However, Xu Su remembered that in her past life, Xu Yang’s height still didn’t surpass five-foot-nine.

Xu Su didn’t respond to Chen Shulan. Halfway through her meal, she announced, "I’m going back to the countryside this afternoon. I’ll be spending my summer break at my grandma’s."

It was a statement, not a question.

Xu Weiping’s hand, which was reaching for food, paused. He looked over, frowning, and said, "Why is it that the moment you get a couple of days off, you think about going back to the countryside? It was like this during the New Year, and it’s the same now. What, is there money to be picked up off the ground there?"

"Xu Su, you’re a grown girl now, you should think about the family. A round trip to the countryside costs almost a hundred yuan. For a hundred yuan, your father—I—have to haul goods at the factory for two days! You’re so thoughtless!"

At the side, Xu Yang took a bite of meat that Chen Shulan had put in his bowl and let out a sneer.

After a year of elementary school, Xu Yang understood some things. He had probably been told by Xu Weiping and the others not to provoke Xu Su, so he didn’t make the same taunts he had during the New Year. He just laughed.

’Everything he wanted to say was in that laugh.’

Being called thoughtless by Xu Weiping, Xu Su still didn’t say a word. The atmosphere at the dinner table grew tense.

Chen Shulan stepped in to smooth things over; she was always the one playing the good cop at home.

She patted Xu Su’s arm and said with a smile, "I know you’re close with your grandma, but you’re in Chang City now. You were always in school before and didn’t have time to have fun. Now that you have a break, why not look around here? You stayed in Chen Family Village for over a decade. Haven’t you had enough of it yet?" 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"I haven’t." Xu Su finished the last bite of her rice, set down her bowl, and stated firmly, "I’m going back to the countryside later. Dad, Mom, you don’t need to give me money for the fare. I’ve saved some myself. It’s enough."

Chen Shulan was taken aback. "Where did you get money?"

Unsure of what she was thinking, her expression turned hesitant, as if she were debating whether to say something.

Xu Su cut off her train of thought. "I saved it from the living expenses you gave me. Also, I placed second in the entire grade this time, so the school gave me a scholarship. I’ll pay for my second-year tuition myself, and I’ll cover my own living expenses from now on."

Xu Weiping asked, "A scholarship? How much?"

Xu Su was silent for two seconds before answering truthfully, "Three thousand."

The couple both sucked in a sharp breath, utterly shocked.

"That much? Your school gives out that much for a scholarship?"

Xu Su stood up and nodded. "Yes. So for next semester’s tuition and living expenses, the family doesn’t need to give me anything."

After she spoke, she didn’t wait for their reply, nor did she have any intention of clearing her dishes. She went back to her room, packed a few sets of summer clothes, and put her textbooks and test papers for studying into her schoolbag.

Half an hour later, when she came out of her room to use the bathroom, Xu Weiping and Chen Shulan had clearly processed the news, their expressions back to normal.

Seeing her come out, Chen Shulan spoke with heartfelt sincerity, "If you want to go back to your grandma’s for summer break, then go. You were raised in the countryside all these years, so you’re not close to us. But Susu, we are your biological parents, after all. Don’t be so distant with us."

"I noticed it when you first arrived last year. There’s always been a barrier between you and us. You’re a young woman now, so your father and I can’t lecture you too much, but you need to change your attitude toward your parents."

’I know what she means.’

It was simply because she had only informed them of her plan to spend the summer in the countryside, rather than asking for their permission.

’It displeased them.’

Ordinarily, Xu Weiping would have already given her a harsh scolding, but for some reason they were wary of, they didn’t quite dare to "offend" their own daughter.

’So now they’re playing the sympathy card.’

Xu Su gathered her thoughts, smiled, and said casually, "I know. I’ll be more mindful."

Beside them, Xu Weiping let out an indignant huff, but Xu Su had no intention of apologizing.

’Let it be. It’s better this way, with them knowing how distant we are.’