Transmigration: On the Gossip Front
Chapter 912 - 913 Toxic Fatherly Love 45

Chapter 912: Chapter 913 Toxic Fatherly Love 45

Zhang Yu had no idea that Wu Hao already knew her home address, and even less that he had come looking for her.

She was having a great time playing at the seaside in Southeast Asia, trying out all sorts of water activities. As for Li Cuifen and Aunt Huang, the two of them were just lying on the beach.

Li Cuifen watched the crowds moving back and forth on the beach, picked up the coconut on the small coffee table, and took a sip. "I used to always worry that traveling without a group would be inconvenient in so many ways."

"But now I’ve realized it’s not that hard." Li Cuifen had heard plenty of coworkers talk about how traveling with tour guides involved rushing through schedules and wasn’t always enjoyable.

Aunt Huang looked around a bit uneasily. She had worked as a nanny and cleaner for many families, encountering both kind and difficult employers.

However, families that took their nanny along on trips—she had never seen such a thing before. She had been married for so many years, and her husband had never thought to take her on a trip.

She resolved to take good care of the elderly lady, hoping she could live longer and better.

She knew Zhang Yu treated her well because she had taken such good care of the elderly lady.

"Xiao Huang, you should go swim too; I’m fine here." Li Cuifen knew the nanny could swim. Since they were already here, she thought it was only right for her to go into the water and have some fun.

"I’ll wait until Little Yu and the others come back." Even if she were to go into the sea to play, she would wait until Zhang Yu and the others returned. She didn’t want to leave the elderly lady alone; if something happened, it would be a big issue.

Li Cuifen saw how insistent she was and didn’t say anything further, lying back down to continue watching the ocean.

"I wonder if the next stop will be fun." They had already spent several days here, and Zhang Yu had mentioned switching to another location for fun. Li Cuifen had no idea what the next place would be like.

Aunt Huang, though inexperienced in traveling, had confidence in Zhang Yu’s plans. "It’ll definitely be fun."

"Every place we’ve gone so far has been fun."

The elderly lady agreed. "That’s true. It really has been fun." She hadn’t tried many activities herself, but seeing the kids enjoy themselves made her happy.

Zhang Yu and the other three continued their journey with joy, taking plenty of photos, while Zhang Yu wrote many travel diaries.

She was considering whether to put together a series about her trip to Southeast Asia, thinking it could expand her collection of travel writings.

As winter approached, she began contemplating destinations for her next outing. College winter break would be longer than high school, so Zhang Yu was thinking about whether to wander around Japan or head straight to Australia for some summer weather again.

The problem was, for the New Year’s holiday, Aunt Huang might not have time to accompany her, and the elderly lady would likely want to stay home for memorial rituals for the late grandfather, making her unwilling to travel.

If things couldn’t work out, then the trip would be to Japan. As for Australia, she could always go after graduating from college.

Once she entered college, Zhang Yu planned to get a driver’s license—taking weekend classes to aim for obtaining the license before winter break. That way, she could take the elderly lady on various outings.

Wang Lei noticed Zhang Yu seemed preoccupied and casually asked her about it. Zhang Yu’s response left Wang Lei reeling. "Ahhh, I’m so jealous of you!"

"Whether it’s Japan or Australia, I love both—love them deeply."

"But unfortunately, I have no way to tag along." Even without asking her parents, she knew their answer would be an absolute no.

"Not even with red envelopes." Seeing Wang Lei’s disappointed expression, Zhang Yu could only offer half-hearted comfort.

"Red envelopes? I don’t even have those anymore. Forget it, I’d rather aim for freedom than rely on that money." Wang Lei thought about the faces of her relatives.

"Still, when the time comes, I’ll go handle getting a passport. Who knows, maybe my parents will change their minds—it’s always possible."

"After you get back, remember to come have a drink. Don’t bring any gifts," Wang Lei reminded her repeatedly. "Otherwise, I’ll be very unhappy."

"Don’t worry. I definitely won’t bring gifts."

"And no red envelopes either, no matter under whose name." Wang Lei quickly patched up the loophole in her earlier demand. "Our relationship doesn’t need this kind of formality."

"That day, I’ll probably be hosting my relatives, and I might not have time to greet you properly."

"If anyone acts out of line, don’t hold back." Wang Lei knew how shameless her relatives could be.

"Don’t worry. I’ll just eat, eat well, and leave. I don’t have any familiarity with them." As for being blunt with them, Zhang Yu decided against it; after all, they were Wang Lei’s relatives.

"You..." Wang Lei was aggravated by Zhang Yu’s attitude but hesitated to speak ill of her family—it was, after all, family shame.

"Relax. Look, my own dad schemed against me relentlessly for the sake of my younger brother, and I didn’t cut him any slack."

"Your relatives? I’d be even less inclined to give them face."

"I’m not someone to compromise or humiliate myself," Zhang Yu assured. "That day, my grandma won’t be going either."

If they really encountered anyone with bad intentions, Li Cuifen’s mild-tempered nature might lead her to try for peace and compromise, which Zhang Yu didn’t want the elderly lady to endure.

Wang Lei thought it over and suggested, "Maybe you all shouldn’t come. I’ll host you separately another time."

This way, there wouldn’t be any awkward episodes—it was better to keep things within her immediate circle.

Zhang Yu noticed Wang Lei’s nervous expression and sensed something was wrong. "What’s going on? Are your relatives planning to stir up trouble?"

"It’s not that. It’s because I did pretty well on my college entrance exams. Some relatives suggested, ’Since your exams are over and you’re idle at home, why not tutor their kids?’"

Zhang Yu immediately understood that this arrangement wouldn’t involve any payment—pure charity.

"Free tutoring is one thing, but now they’re saying the lessons should be held at my place. Their kids should live at my house while I provide food, lodging, and some pocket money—even clothes."

Her fury escalating, Wang Lei added, "Can you believe this setup?"

Zhang Yu was amazed. "Wow, they’ve got some nerve. What do they think your family is—a charity organization?"

"They say since I’m the only daughter in my family, they’d stand up for me and ensure my future husband’s family doesn’t bully me."

"Ha, who knows if my future in-laws will bully me or not! What I do know is they’ll definitely drain me dry—starting with my blood, then the meat, and finally squeezing most of the marrow for oil."

"Their little schemes are so blatant, even aliens can pick up on them." Wang Lei was livid.

"I really want to argue with them and tell them to get lost, but my parents won’t let me." Wang Lei shared her grievance.

"They’re doing it for your sake—wanting to avoid letting relatives tarnish your reputation." Zhang Yu could understand the reasoning behind Father Wang and Mother Wang’s decision.

"You..." Wang Lei wanted to ask Zhang Yu if she didn’t care about her reputation.

Zhang Yu explained her view, knowing Wang Lei wouldn’t fully understand. "I don’t have parents; my grandma’s health is weak."

"My dad is my biggest opponent, always scheming against me. If I don’t stand up and resist him, he’ll just think I’m some useless leech relying on my grandma."

"Thinking he can easily take me down."

"I’ve confronted him at his workplace; yet, it’s the same—he keeps scheming."

"It’s all just a game of strategy. You have to show them you’re not easily bullied, that you’ve got strength."

"Once you’re as capable as your parents, your relatives will start sucking up to you instead."

"When you reach a certain level of success, you’ll find that everyone around you becomes amiable, singing your praises." A well-known figure once said this, and it rang true to Zhang Yu.