nycdaug Chapter 687: Just Pretend I Don’t Exist
Chapter 687: Just Pretend I Don’t Exist
"I'm kicking someone when they're down? I'm talking behind their backs?" Xue Sumei was so angry that she was shaking all over. She slapped her thigh fiercely. The pain in her tailbone made her grimace, but her anger made her ignore the pain. "If Weiwei had spoken out about this earlier, would Taozi have been deceived so badly? Could I have been kept in the dark by you all? Now that something's happened, do you still want to save face? What were you doing before?! I'm telling you, Lan Caiping, this isn't over! You must give our Taozi an explanation!"
"An explanation? What explanation do you want?! Huh?" Lan Caiping also took a step forward with her hands on her hips, almost face to face with Xue Sumei: "Are you going to make Weiwei kneel down and kowtow to Taozi to admit her mistake? Xue Sumei, I'm telling you, don't go too far! Our Weiwei was just lying in the hospital! She was the one who suffered the most! It would be fine if you didn't sympathize with her, but you are rubbing salt into her wounds! How can you be so cruel!"
"I'm cruel? How can I be as cruel as you two? One of you stole my sister's man, and the other covered for her and even showed off!"
"You're talking nonsense! I'll tear your mouth apart!"
……
Seeing that the two were arguing more and more fiercely and their emotions were completely out of control, the quarrel was about to escalate into a physical conflict, and they started pushing each other. Yang Tao and Lan Weiwei hurried forward to try to pull their mothers apart. Lin Bufan and Lan's father also helped, and the scene was in chaos.
"Mom! Stop making noise! This is the entrance of the police station!" Yang Tao hugged Xue Sumei's waist tightly and dragged her back, shouting anxiously.
"Mom! Please, stop talking! Let's go home!" Lan Weiwei also cried and grabbed Lan Caiping's arm.
At that moment, the police officer who had just been handling the dispute heard the noise and hurried out. His face was serious and he shouted sternly, "What are you doing?! You just finished mediating and you're arguing again at the door? Do you want to go in and continue talking?! Everyone, go home! If you have any conflicts, go home and resolve them yourselves. If you continue to make noise and disrupt public order in public places, you will be dealt with according to the Public Security Administration Punishment Law!"
The police officer's rebuke was like a shower of cold water, instantly extinguishing the anger of Xue Sumei and Lan Caiping. They glared at each other, snorted loudly, and turned their heads away.
……
Lin Bufan and Yang Tao finally persuaded the furious Xue Sumei to return home. As soon as they entered the house, Xue Sumei shook off their hands and sat down heavily on the sofa, her chest still heaving violently, her face turned away, not looking at anyone.
Logically speaking, Lin Bufan has nothing to do here anymore, so he can leave. However, the kind-hearted Lin Bufan has no intention of leaving now. He feels that there is more to come. Ah... there may still be places where his help is needed!
So Lin Bufan found a corner to stay in, trying to reduce his presence as much as possible to avoid affecting the performance of several people because of his presence as an outsider!
Lin Bufan had just hidden himself when Su Qing came out of the bedroom. Seeing the dull and tense atmosphere in the living room, especially Xue Sumei's lingering anger, she couldn't help but ask worriedly, "Auntie, Taozi, what's wrong with you? What happened?"
Xue Sumei stiffened her neck, snorted loudly through her nose, and didn't say a word.
Seeing this, Su Qing had no choice but to look at Yang Tao with a puzzled look, and signaled her with her eyes to explain.
Yang Tao opened her mouth, her face full of embarrassment and helplessness. This matter involved too many things, and she didn't know where to start. She was even more afraid that speaking out would upset her mother again.
Seeing Yang Tao also remained silent, Su Qing became a little anxious: "What's going on? Why don't you say something? Are you trying to drive me crazy?"
Seeing that she couldn't hide it anymore, Yang Tao sighed softly and whispered, "Sister Qing, it's... about Weiwei..."
She had just begun to speak when Xue Sumei suddenly interrupted her. As if she had finally found an outlet for her feelings, Xue Sumei suddenly turned her head, staring intently at Yang Tao with red eyes, her voice trembling with excitement:
"Taozi! Explain it clearly in front of Mom! Lan Weiwei's boyfriend, that bastard named Zhuang Yan... Did you already know... that he was Li Wei?! The Li Wei who ran away with all your money?!"
Yang Tao looked at her mother's bloodshot eyes, which were filled with anger and sadness. Her heart trembled, and she knew she could no longer hide it. She nodded with difficulty, her voice so low that it was almost inaudible: "...Yes, I know."
Yang Tao's admission was like a heavy hammer, hitting Xue Sumei's heart hard.
She seemed to have been drained of all her strength. Her body swayed and she leaned against the back of the sofa. The blood drained from her face and she murmured, "Okay... okay... you... you all... know everything... but you're hiding it from me alone... you're hiding it from me alone, right?!" Her voice suddenly rose, filled with incredible grief and grievance, and tears welled up in an instant.
"Mom! No! Don't do this!" Yang Tao rushed to Xue Sumei's side upon seeing this, grabbed her arm, and explained anxiously, "I didn't mean to hide this from you! I was... I was afraid you'd be angry if you knew, worried, or get upset! You have high blood pressure and can't stand being stimulated... That's why I didn't dare tell you... I really didn't mean it!"
Su Qing also hurried over to comfort her, gently patting Xue Sumei's back: "Auntie, calm down. Taozi is definitely doing this for your own good. Don't misunderstand her..."
"Mom! I was wrong... I'm sorry, I really know I was wrong... Please don't be angry, don't get yourself sick..." Yang Tao looked at her mother's instantly pale face and tears flowing out, her heart ached, her voice choked, and she held Xue Sumei's cold hand tightly.
Xue Sumei shook her head violently, tears streaming down her face. She grabbed her daughter's hand with her backhand, her voice filled with tears and indescribable heartache: "Taozi... Mom is not mad at you... Mom is... Mom is worried about you! My silly girl!"
She reached out her other hand and tremblingly stroked Yang Tao's cheek, her eyes filled with love and pity. "You, child... have been like this since you were young. You always shoulder everything on your own, always thinking about others, worrying about this and that... But what about you? You never tell us how much you've been wronged and how much you've suffered! Li Wei took away all your money and left you in debt! How did you get through those years... those years? I don't even dare to think about it!"
Xue Sumei became more and more excited as she spoke, her chest heaving violently, her voice filled with a huge sorrow that she realized belatedly: "You were alone... silently paying off debts, doing odd jobs, and trying to please people... When it was so difficult, you never said a word to mom once! You would rather suffer the hardships yourself than let mom worry about you... You child... why are you so stupid! All the hardships and tiredness were borne by you alone... Mom's heart... Mom's heart hurts like a needle!" As she spoke, she pounded her chest hard and sobbed.
"Mom... please don't be like this... it's all over, it's really all over..." Yang Tao's tears burst out. She threw herself into Xue Sumei's arms, hugging her mother's trembling body tightly. Her voice was buried in her mother's shoulder, muffled, but full of dependence and relief: "I know I was wrong. I will never hide anything from you again. I will tell you everything... Don't cry, Mom..."
The mother and daughter hugged each other tightly. Years of suppressed grievances, heartache, guilt, and deep love intertwined and burst out at this moment, turning into uncontrollable sobs. Xue Sumei patted her daughter's back over and over again, as if to soothe the pain she had endured alone all these years, repeating to herself: "My silly Taozi...my silly daughter..."
Su Qing stood by, watching the mother and daughter weeping, their eyes already welling. She quietly turned her back and wiped the tears from her eyes with her fingertips, feeling a mixture of sadness and emotion. She gently stepped forward, took a few tissues, and silently handed them to Xue Sumei and Yang Tao, saying gently, "Auntie, Taozi, stop crying... It's all right, it's all right... From now on, as a family, we'll face any difficulties together. Taozi will never suffer alone again..."
Xue Sumei cried heartfeltly, and when she heard Su Qing's gentle words of comfort, her heart was overwhelmed with mixed emotions. She stretched out her trembling hands and hugged Su Qing, who was standing beside her with tears in her eyes, tightly, and choked with sobs: "Qing'er... my good Qing'er... you are all my good children... we are a family... we will never be separated again... we will bear any difficulties together..."
For a moment, the three of them huddled together, their sobs rising and falling, their long-suppressed emotions pouring out like a flood. Xue Sumei patted her daughters' backs, Yang Tao buried her head in her mother's shoulder, and Su Qing leaned gently against Xue Sumei. The three of them wept heartbreakingly, as if letting all the grievances, heartaches, and hardships of the past years flow out in their tears.
Just when the tragic atmosphere reached its peak, an extremely abrupt, crisp and loud sound suddenly came from the corner -
"Crack!"
That was the sound of teeth biting through the peel and cutting into the plump flesh. In the intervals between sobs, it seemed particularly clear and even a little deafening.
The crying stopped suddenly.
Xue Sumei, Yang Tao, and Su Qing paused in unison, and then, with tears in their eyes, filled with sadness, shock, and a hint of confusion, they all turned to the source of the sound - the corner of the living room, where Lin Bufan, who was almost blending into the shadows, was holding a Red Fuji apple with a big bite taken out, with his cheeks slightly puffed.
Lin Bufan obviously didn't expect the apple to be so crisp and make such a loud noise. He kept chewing halfway, staring blankly back at the three pairs of eyes that instantly focused on him. Even the thick-skinned Lin Bufan felt a little embarrassed by the scene.
His throat moved with difficulty, and he swallowed the crisp, juicy apple flesh whole with a clear "gulp." Then, he forced a smile that was as innocent and non-intrusive as possible, raised the hand holding the apple and shook it, his tone cautious and tentative:
"Uh... well... you guys keep going... keep going... just pretend I don't exist... seriously..."
……
The three of them were so lost in grief, crying themselves into oblivion. Coupled with Lin Bufan's deliberate concealment, they almost completely ignored the presence of a living person like Lin Bufan in the living room. The crisp "click" suddenly brought them back to reality. Six tearful eyes focused in unison in the corner. When they saw the innocent-looking man holding the apple, varying degrees of embarrassment and shame appeared on their faces.
Xue Sumei was the first to react. Her face flushed, and she quickly released her arms from her two daughters, frantically wiping the tears from her face with her sleeves. It was then that she remembered that her family's "scandal" and the loss of control had been seen clearly by her future son-in-law. This... this was outrageous!
Yang Tao was stunned for a moment, then a mixture of embarrassment and anger surged up - this guy, actually just watched them cry and ate an apple?! How could this be right?!
Su Qing was also a little embarrassed. She quietly turned sideways, adjusted her messy hair and collar, and tried to restore some of her usual gentle image. In her heart, she was secretly annoyed that she had cried too hard just now and her image must have been completely ruined.
Lin Bufan's interruption instantly deflated the overwhelming atmosphere of sadness like a popped balloon. The three of them glanced at each other's reddened eyes and shambolic appearances, finding it both amusing and awkward. Their earlier bursts of tears were gone.
Xue Sumei cleared her throat, trying to make her voice sound normal. With a heavy nasal tone, she said to Lin Bufan, "Well... well... Xiaolin, you see... I'm sorry to have embarrassed you... Auntie... I couldn't control myself for a moment..." As she spoke, she felt that explanation was redundant, so she simply changed the subject: "It's almost noon, you... you don't have to leave, stay and have lunch together? Auntie... Auntie will go cook now!"
Seeing this, Lin Bufan quickly swallowed the remaining apple in his mouth, waved his hand, and said in an extremely "considerate" tone: "Auntie, you are so polite! There is no rush to eat, there is really no rush! I see that you, Taozi, and Sister Qing seem to have a lot to say. Why don’t you continue chatting? If you have any unresolved emotions, just vent them, don’t hold them in! Just leave the meal to me, I will do it, and I promise not to disturb you from pouring out your hearts, crying... No, it’s about exchanging feelings!"
After hearing these words, Xue Sumei and Su Qing were stunned, as if they had heard something incredible, and they both stood there in a daze.
This...this...is this human language?
What’s up? Aren’t you tired of watching the fun?
Yang Tao was so angry at Lin Bufan's "considerate" remarks that she almost fainted. She stood up suddenly, rushed to Lin Bufan, stretched out her hand and pinched his arm hard, lowering her voice and said in shame: "What nonsense are you talking about?!"
After saying that, without waiting for Lin Bufan's reaction, Yang Tao grabbed his arm and pulled him towards her room: "Come in with me!"
Lin Bufan was half pushed and half dragged into the bedroom by Yang Tao. With a "bang", Yang Tao closed the door, blocking the possible sight of Xue Sumei and Su Qing in the living room.
As soon as she entered the room, Yang Tao shook off Lin Bufan's hand and crossed her arms over her chest. Her beautiful almond-shaped eyes were now wide open, with obvious anger dancing in them. She stared at Lin Bufan and asked with gritted teeth, "Mr. Lin, is it fun to watch?"
Lin Bufan rubbed his pinched arm, but his face showed no regret. Instead, he touched his chin, revealing the expression of a professional judge, and his tone was a bit objective and analytical: "I can only say it's average. Although the emotional outburst is strong and the tears come easily, the basic skills are solid. But the sense of layering is a little lacking. The tension of the angry accusations in the first half is not fully met, and the heartbroken tears in the second half are a bit too abrupt. The transition is a bit abrupt. If it could be more..."