The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 685 - 684: Mother-Daughter Rift

Chapter 685: Chapter 684: Mother-Daughter Rift

After celebrating the joy of her pregnancy with Zhou Shuhuan, Qiao Ya immediately called Gao Hualiang to inquire about the progress of their plan.

She didn’t want to be heavily pregnant at her wedding and needed to resolve the obstacle that was Shen Baolan as soon as possible.

Perhaps it was due to her excitement or her guard being down towards Gao Hualiang, Qiao Ya let slip about her pregnancy.

"Miss Qiao, congratulations. Rest assured, I’ll have good news for you before the end of the month," Gao Hualiang promised.

With the response she wanted, Qiao Ya hung up, feeling utterly satisfied.

Over in Fengcheng, Gao Hualiang closed his shop in high spirits and took a taxi back to his rented place in the tube-shaped apartment building.

"Xiaoyuer, we’re going to strike it rich!" he exclaimed.

As Gao Hualiang spun her around, Huang Chunyu raised her hand to hit him, "Hey, stop messing around. What’s going on? Tell me about it."

"Qiao Ya is pregnant."

Huang Chunyu rolled her eyes, "Why are you happy about her pregnancy? It’s not yours."

Gao Hualiang wasn’t offended and replied, "That’s where you’re wrong. That Mr. Zhou hasn’t even divorced yet. This child is solid proof of his illegal cohabitation with Qiao Ya."

Realization dawned on Huang Chunyu, and her face lit up with joy.

After a stormy session, the two lay in bed, blissfully planning their future.

Once they got the money, they wouldn’t return to their hometown. Instead, they would find a big city where no one knew them, purchase a commercial house, start a small business, and have two more kids.

Their children would be city folk, not needing to tread the hard path they had walked. No more growing up in poverty in the countryside, unable to afford an education, and being left with no choice but to swindle for a living.

...

"Jingshu, here’s a pager from your aunt as a gift. I wish you a happy 18th birthday and congratulate you on the excellent result you achieved in the competition," her aunt said.

"Thank you, Auntie," Jingshu replied.

Ren Jingshu had not even set the gift down when her uncle’s wife handed hers over.

"Jingshu, this is a little something from your third aunt, a Furong jade bracelet. You’re a big girl now; you should have some jewelry of your own. The color suits you."

"Thank you, third aunte."

Today was Ren Jingshu’s coming-of-age ceremony, also doubling as a celebration party, to congratulate her for winning the runner-up prize at the National Youth Dance Competition.

The competition was held biennially; this was its sixth edition and the first time a contestant from Fengcheng had made the top three—a feat worth boasting about.

For this occasion, the Ren family organized a grand ceremony for Ren Jingshu.

As Ren Yingying watched Jingshu surrounded by gifts and praise, her heart filled with rage and envy.

The real daughter of the family, she was, yet it was Jingshu, the imposter, who stole all the limelight!

After dinner, she quietly slipped out of the house.

"Who are you looking for?"

Seeing Ren Yingying at the door, Sun Liwen asked puzzled.

"You don’t need to know who I am. I came to tell you that Ren Jingshu won the runner-up prize at the national competition and even got admitted to the Capital Dance Academy in advance. But all those honors and achievements should have been yours. Ren Jingshu is nothing but a thief!"

Ren Yingying ran off after speaking, but those words stirred waves in Sun Liwen’s heart.

She should have been the one to compete at the National Youth Dance Competition as the city champion, but somehow, the spot had gone to Ren Jingshu...

...

"Happy birthday, Jingshu," Zhao Yun said.

"Thank you," Jingshu replied as she took the gift bag. Zhao Yun then explained, "The crystal ball is from me, and the framed painting is from Guoguo. It’s a portrait of you. You should take a good look when you have time; it’s very much like you."

"Alright, tell Guoguo thank you for me. I’ll treat her to cake when I have time in a few days.""

Zhao Yun chuckled, "She has cavities, can’t eat sweets. Just treat me, the two of us can eat.""

"I can treat her to something else."

"Then, okay."

We can’t have a private date anymore.

Seeing Zhao Yun’s dejected expression, Ren Jingshu secretly found it funny and then asked him how his English studies were coming along.

Since returning from the Capital, Ren’s mother had been keeping a very close eye on Ren Jingshu.

Aside from the regular trips to and from school, Ren Jingshu couldn’t even step out the door normally, so she hadn’t seen Zhao Yun for a week now.

Today, they managed to sneak a quick meeting at the back gate of the neighborhood while Ren’s mother was busy entertaining guests.

"Ren Jingshu, what are you doing here?"

As they were talking, Ren Yingying appeared out of nowhere, her eyes darting back and forth between her and Zhao Yun.

"Who is he?"

Ren Jingshu ignored Ren Yingying, gave Zhao Yun a look to leave, then turned and went home herself.

Unsatisfied, Ren Yingying chased after her, "Are you secretly in a relationship? No wonder Mom has been so strict lately."

"None of your damn business!"

Ren Yingying, with a cold snort, went straight home and told their mother everything.

As soon as the guests left, Ren’s mother turned on Ren Jingshu in a fury, "I told you not to have anything to do with him again, did you take my words for empty wind?"

Ren Yingying, who was watching the drama unfold, fanned the flames, "A good student like her having an early romance, if the school found out, she’d be punished at the very least."

Ren Jingshu looked at Ren Yingying, "And what about someone like you who writes love letters to boys every day, what would the school do if they knew about that?"

Ren Yingying’s face changed, "You’re talking nonsense, when have I ever..."

"Sa Mingjie."

When Ren Yingying heard that name, she instantly lost her fire.

She had indeed written love letters to Sa Mingjie, more than one, and among her classmates, this wasn’t a big deal.

Sa Mingjie was the heartthrob of the school, and countless girls had written him love letters.

But this was something that parents and teachers couldn’t know about.

Ren Jingshu took this opportunity to speak up in front of her mother, partly as retaliation for Ren Yingying’s snitching and also as a warning to Jingshu.

If Ren Yingying dared to tattle at school, she would return the favor.

Finding out that her stepdaughter was also disobedient, Ren’s mother was naturally angry, but she was too busy to discipline her at the moment.

"I’ve looked into it, he’s just a poor student at the bottom of his class; if it weren’t for his sports ability, he probably couldn’t even get into university. What good can you see in someone like that? He will only drag you down and lead you astray!"

Confronted with her mother’s disdain for Zhao Yun, Ren Jingshu retorted with a sneer, "Would you still oppose us if he were an NBA player?"

Ren’s mother scoffed unkindly, "You really have some wild dreams. Do you think the NBA is like a roadside restaurant that you can just walk into whenever? Throughout the nearly fifty years since the NBA was established, there’s never been a single player from Z country. What makes him think he can? Wishful thinking?"

"Just because there hasn’t been one before doesn’t mean there won’t be in the future. You have no right to mock someone else’s dreams. Besides, he has been accepted by a basketball academy in M Country. Once he’s there, he’s just a step away from the NBA draft."

Ren’s mother hadn’t expected Zhao Yun to have such an opportunity, but even if he were outstanding, she still wouldn’t approve of him.

Her daughter had always been obedient, but ever since she started messing with Zhao Yun, she had not only stopped listening to her, but also began to defy her at every turn.

Just for that reason, even if Zhao Yun genuinely became an NBA player in the future, she would never consent to their relationship.

"So you refuse to listen to reason, is that it? Fine, I’ll lay it down here. Either you agree to cut ties with him, or you get out of this house. I’ll act as if I never had a daughter like you and won’t care about your life or death in the future, nor should you fantasize about me supporting you to go to university in the Capital!"