Shadow In Your Mind [ARC 1- 5]

Chapter 30 - Don't you have a spine?

XG 30 - Don't you have a spine?

"I won't stop protecting you. I just want to know why so that I can fix it-"

"Fix it?" She cut him off with a scornful look. "Do you always change yourself whenever people dislike you? Don't you have a spine?"

Instead of getting angry, Chen Yibo smiled as if he had reached his goal. "You finally stop acting."

The mockery on her face immediately disappeared. She gazed at him coldly as if watching an incurable idiot. "So what if you are rather good at reading people? Why do you still stubbornly cling to those people that dislike you? Do you aim to be a Holy son or something?"

Chen Yibo's brow knitted, pondering over her words. After a long while, he hesitantly asked, "Are you angry because of my father?"

Her eyes flickered, which answered his question.

Chen Yibo smiled as if relieved. "I know he preferred my elder brother more than me. Even I would pick my elder brother instead. My elder brother is talented, just like my father and he could help him with his work. I must not lack behind them, so I study hard to improve myself so that I could be of help-"

"Stop that idiotic smile," Wong Xue Guo cut in coldly. "Also stop with that idiotic nonsense. Be of help? They want none of that. That's why your father abandoned you here instead of bringing you along with them. How many times did you see your father anyway? Less than a month's time per year? Is it worth it to work yourself tirelessly to get that heartless father of yours' attention?"

"What kind of attention do you want from him anyway? Love? Respect? He only gave it all to your protégé brother." Wong Xue Guo leaned forward, cradling her cheek with a palm, and smiled like a seductive devil that tempts a poor mortal to walk down the dark path. "Why bother with all these when you could live for yourself? Acting like a good boy all the time is so tiring, isn't it? Why not just have fun, relax, and enjoy your life?"

"It's not tiring for me," Chen Yibo replied, feeling warmed from Wong Xue Guo's worry for him. "Studying and learning new things makes me feel fulfilled. I'm also doing it for myself, to make myself a better person that could contribute to society. I believe there will be one day my father will praise me for doing a good job."

Truthfully, his words made her even more irked, but they also had her swim up from the sea of red haze that nearly swallowed her rationality. She had thought she had made peace with it, at least most of it, but today she realized the injured little girl hiding deep in her could easily overpower her when she let her guard down.

"That would take days, weeks, or years. Or maybe that won't happen even after you die," Wong Xue Guo taunted and the only sign that she was affected by his words was the slight trembling of her hands.

Naturally, as someone that had visited her house occasionally and had seen the Wong family interaction, Chen Yibo knew her parents were the same as his father, with a great distance between the parent and child. "I notice your mother is treating you very well. I'm happy for you."

...How Gary Stu of you.

When Chen Yibo did not speak, he was like a cool handsome boy that charmed everyone. Just like a perfect male lead in the romance novels she read. But once he started speaking, he was like a sunshine boy that only saw the good of the world.

You and I could never coexist with each other!

Chen Yibo was easily satisfied by sprinkles of love, but Wong Xue Guo had learned her lesson long ago and hardened her heart to love herself more. She could still love her parents, but she must never let them hurt her again. Her mother's sudden change of attitude towards her did warm her heart, but she was wary that it would suddenly stop and her mother would go back to normal.