Qiao Nian knew that he was stubborn, so she didnât waste her breath on him. She said concisely, âI can find out even if you donât tell me. Itâll just take some time. Also, if you donât tell me, Iâll tell Aunt Chen about you getting beaten up inside. She doesnât know, right?â
Chen Yuan suddenly looked up at her with his swollen eyes. He gritted his teeth and took a deep breath. âDonât, donât say it.â
Qiao Nian looked at him calmly with raised eyebrows. âIf you donât want me to tell your mother, then tell me who did it.â
Chen Yuan looked into her eyes for a few seconds and then said dejectedly, âSister Nian, canât you just ignore this matter? Iâm already in this state. I donât want to implicate you.â
âEven if you implicate me, itâs my business.â
She had owed Aunt Chen too much in the past. If she hadnât protected her at the Qiao Residence, Aunt Chen wouldnât have been chased out by Shen Qiongzhi and lost her job. Uncle Chen and Chen Yuan had also taken good care of her back then. No matter what, she had never thought that they had implicated her.
Humans lived to protect the things and people they wanted to protect. Likewise, she also had people she wanted to protect.
Unable to change her mind, Chen Yuan said in a sorry tone, âPreviously, my mom and Uncle Qiao came to visit me. After they left, a group of young men came again. They gave me a bank card and said that there was 100,000 yuan in it, asking me to acknowledge this matter. I didnât agree, so they hit me. Later on⦠they even took out my momâs photo and told me that if I didnât cooperate, they would look for my mom. I⦠signed it.â
He felt terrible after saying that. He had studied before and knew the crime of being caught by the police with contraband in his possession. He wouldnât go to jail, but he would definitely have to go to juvenile detention for a period of time. He would also leave relevant records on his files. No university would want a student with such records. It was impossible for him to go to university in the future.
Chen Yuan lowered his head, not wanting Qiao Nian to see the uncomfortable expression on his face. He said in a low voice, âSo, Sister Nian, donât worry about me. It doesnât matter, and it wonât change anything. Iâm⦠fine. Itâs just that Iâm not going to university. Like you said, as long as one is capable, academic qualifications are not the only way out. At most, Iâll go and learn some skills. I can still support my parents in the future.â
Qiao Nian pursed her lips and restrained the emotions in her eyes. âI told you before, too. University is not the only way out, but itâs a stepping stone for society. If you can attend university, you have to try your best.â
âI know.â It was as if he had used all his strength to say these words. He bent his back and almost buried his head in the chair, not daring to look into Qiao Nianâs eyes. âIâm sorry, Sister Nian. Iâve disappointed youâ¦â
In the end, he couldnât withstand the other partyâs threat. He wasnât afraid of being beaten, but he was really afraid that those people would touch his family.
The fact that those people could beat someone up at the police station showed how strong their background was. His parents were just ordinary people, and he was locked in here. Compared to his parentsâ safety, there wasnât much to consider. He had already made his choice.
He wasnât afraid of being beaten, but he didnât dare to risk his parents!
Chen Yuan clenched his fists tightly. He felt incredibly bitter and indignant. Society was like this. The weak were prey to the strong. Previously, he had taken a shortcut to survive in society to grow up faster. But now, he understood that there were some gaps that ordinary people couldnât cross even if they risked their lives. For example, social classâ¦
Some people could just raise their fingers and make them cry.
Qiao Nian looked at his miserable expression and pursed her lips. Her restrained gaze seemed to hide a fierce beast that was about to pounce.
âHa.â
She sneered and said calmly, âAlright, I understand.â