"Mom, why did Xiao Meng hide in her room? Is she mad at me?" "How could she be? You didn’t say anything too much. Xiao Meng wouldn’t be mad." Tian Xiaomeng’s whole heart felt unbearable, and her stepsister Xu Xueqing’s delicate and affected voice echoed at the door. She just thought Xu Xueqing’s voice was very fake, but unfortunately, only she felt this way in the family. Through a door, Tian Xiaomeng listened to her own mother softly comforting Xu Xueqing. Not only that, but the door of her room soon began to be knocked on for her stepsister’s peace of mind. Tian Xiaomeng didn’t want to open the door at all, but the knocking outside became heavier, and Zhang Lan’s voice carried a hint of displeasure. "Xiao Meng, why are you hiding in your room? Come out quickly." After wiping away the remaining tears on her face, Tian Xiaomeng reluctantly opened the door. Her mother was holding her stepsister in her arms, showing a very concerned look on her face. Seeing Tian Xiaomeng appear, Zhang Lan immediately changed her expression, tightened her skin, and complained: "Why did you suddenly leave your sister and hide in the room, making her worry for a long time, thinking what she said upset you." "Quickly apologize to your sister." Tian Xiaomeng was already feeling aggrieved, and being reprimanded indiscriminately by her biological mother made her feel even worse inside. She wanted to loudly tell her mother that it was clearly Xu Xueqing who was subtly mocking her. As her angry gaze met Zhang Lan’s pleading look, she instantly backed down. With things happening under the same roof, could Zhang Lan really not know what was happening? It’s just... if favoritism was needed, she would only choose Xu Xueqing. Xu Xueqing is the legitimate daughter of the Xu Family; they seem like outsiders who can only live here cautiously. Tian Xiaomeng had experienced too much disappointment already. She smiled miserably at Zhang Lan. Zhang Lan subtly avoided her daughter’s gaze, intensified her tone, and hurried: "Come on, apologize to your sister." Official source ıs 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵※𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮※𝓷𝓮𝓽 Xu Xueqing smiled, watching the mother and daughter performing in front of her like a monkey show, adding more fuel to the fire. "Auntie, forget it, forget it. Sister doesn’t like me; don’t force her." "I... I just wanted to get closer to my sister; who would have thought..." Xu Xueqing pursed her lips, looking aggrieved, occasionally glancing at Tian Xiaomeng with meaningful eyes. "What, this is outrageous, she dares to dislike you. Eating from the Xu Family’s, drinking from the Xu Family’s, really thought she climbed high and started to strut, this worthless thing...." An old voice piercingly stabbed everyone’s eardrums. Xu Family’s elderly lady had unknowingly walked out, her tone was critical, and her gaze was like knives, aiming straight at Zhang Lan and the mother-daughter pair. The moment she heard the elderly lady’s voice, Zhang Lan’s body instinctively trembled, and without waiting for the other person to speak, she raised her hand and gave her daughter a hard slap. The elderly lady raised an eyebrow and stopped saying more offensive words, just murmuring inside: this woman is heartless. Having such thoughts, there was no pity for Tian Xiaomeng. She didn’t think much of the wife of ordinary background, nor did she think highly of Tian Xiaomeng, this burden. In any case, the matter between the mother and daughter was not her responsibility; she just needed to ensure her beloved granddaughter wasn’t taken advantage of. Zhang Lan’s slap was not unusual for Xu Xueqing, but she didn’t feel particularly happy either, just sending Tian Xiaomeng a sideways provocative glance. Being suddenly slapped, Tian Xiaomeng couldn’t react for a while. She seemed dazed, like a fool. In her ears, there was only the buzzing sound left, mixed with her mother’s low voice explaining and trying to please the elderly lady and her stepsister. "Mom, don’t be angry. It’s my fault for not teaching Xiao Meng well. I’ll make sure to educate her properly." "At such an age, still not taught well, it’s reprehensible you can say such things." Xu Xueqing felt very pleased, especially with the mention by the elderly lady about Tian Xiaomeng climbing high. That’s the Young Master Su from the Su Family, not sure how he could be so blind to fancy a woman like Tian Xiaomeng. Always cowering, not even making half a sound when beaten. She just disliked them, just wanted to make things difficult for them. However, she noticed early on that her stepmother was indeed quite amusing. No need to lift a finger, just a little play with words, and she would clean up her own daughter. Tian Xiaomeng held her aching cheek, and with sadness, she pushed Zhang Lan out of her way and rushed out. "Look at your daughter, absolutely no manners..." "Mom, I’m sorry..." Zhang Lan’s low, pitiful voice slowly faded away in her ears. No need to look, Tian Xiaomeng knew how her mom looked—compromising, without dignity. But thinking of her mother keeping a smiling face, enduring ridicule, made her feel such a heartache. Yet the pain on her cheek reminded her of her mother’s cruelty. Tian Xiaomeng hardened her heart, throwing away all sentiments towards her mother. Once she exited the Xu Family’s door, for a moment, Tian Xiaomeng felt lost: where could she go? If it was before, she would have immediately called her boyfriend. But after the last call, she felt an invisible barrier forming between them, hesitatingly holding onto her phone, unable to dial the familiar number for a long time. In the end, she still dialed that number. A low-profile black Benz appeared in front of Tian Xiaomeng. The window rolled down, revealing a handsome face in front of her. Upon seeing her boyfriend, all the repressed grievances erupted just like a volcano, unstoppable. Tian Xiaomeng sniffed her red nose and obediently sat in the passenger seat. She turned her head, pursing her lips, with red eyes, staring fixedly at Su Li. That poor look was truly heart-rending. Su Li looked at Tian Xiaomeng mildly, without saying a word, single-handedly took out a tissue and handed it over. Tian Xiaomeng went from initial grievance and joy to slowly becoming anxious and uneasy. Carefully, she kept glancing at Su Li, only to quickly withdraw, deflated. Like sulking inwardly, she lowered her head, silently sobbing. Due to Su Li’s indifference, the air in the car became increasingly awkward. Su Li suddenly coughed lightly, as a reminder, seeing Tian Xiaomeng hastily scrub her eyes with the tissue, he then slowly said: "You should move out from the Xu Family."