Paranoid Girlfriend [Transmigrated into a Book] - Chapter 9
The female lead continued to squat down and pull weeds.
The outcome of this confrontation was clearly a win for the female lead.
Dai Shiyuan frowned suspiciously; the female lead didn’t seem as easily bullied as described in the book.
At the very least, she would retort, rather than merely enduring in silence.
In the book, the female lead was initially very weak and was constantly subjected to difficulties by the male lead’s mother.
The male lead’s mother highly valued family background and social status, determined for her son to marry someone of equal standing.
The female lead’s family background wasn’t good, so she was disliked by the male lead’s mother and often maliciously targeted.
As for why the female lead was able to marry the male lead, she remembered that the marriage was strongly pushed by the male lead’s father.
The male lead’s father, in contrast, was very fond of the female lead.
Dai Shiyuan thoughtfully considered the original plot. An hour quickly passed, and the female lead finished pulling the weeds.
“Xiao Yuan, get some rest early, don’t overtire yourself,” Shan Yaxin said, reaching out to wipe the sweat from her face and smiling gently at the window.
Dai Shiyuan was startled by the sudden sound and quickly nodded.
Only after the female lead walked away with a basket full of green grass did her tense body relax.
Dai Shiyuan took a deep breath, touched her rapidly beating heart, and quickly closed the window.
This female lead always scared her; she absolutely had to stay away.
••••
After a good night’s sleep, Dai Shiyuan woke up feeling refreshed.
Facing the mirror, she showed a radiant smile, her eyes full of anticipation for the future.
Just as she finished her morning routine, a rapid knocking sounded from outside her door.
The rhythm suggested that the person was not the female lead.
Through her repeated experiences these past few days, she had learned to identify the person outside her door by the sound and frequency of their knock.
Her judgments had always been correct.
This time, it wasn’t the female lead.
Dai Shiyuan walked over and opened the door, her expression unchanged. When she saw a maid, she asked in confusion, “What happened?”
“Miss, Madam wants you downstairs,” the maid said nervously, a hint of fear on her face.
Dai Shiyuan’s heart skipped a beat, and her body tensed slightly.
The male lead’s parents had actually returned…
Would she expose herself if she went downstairs?
In that instant, Dai Shiyuan’s mind raced. The more she thought, the more worried she became, and she hesitated, not moving.
Seeing Dai Shiyuan’s eyes lowered and her stillness, the maid continued, “Madam is very angry. She called early this morning. It’s best if you go downstairs quickly.”
“Called?” Dai Shiyuan keenly picked up on this information. After a quick thought, she looked up and asked, “They haven’t returned?”
“The master and madam haven’t returned yet. If they had, Ping Xue would definitely be in even more trouble,” the maid said, shivering as if still shaken.
Dai Shiyuan frowned, guessing that something must have happened.
However, knowing that the male lead’s parents weren’t back, she felt much more relieved and followed the maid out.
As she went downstairs, she saw the housekeeper and servants gathered in the living room, with the female lead among them.
Everyone stood solemnly and respectfully.
Only one person knelt on the ground facing the coffee table, her head bowed, her body trembling incessantly.
Even without seeing her face, Dai Shiyuan knew it was Ping Xue.
Next to Ping Xue lay a scattered purple cheongsam.
Dai Shiyuan looked somewhat puzzled. Seeing everyone’s serious expressions, she didn’t feel it was appropriate to ask too many questions.
Upon seeing Dai Shiyuan descend, the housekeeper immediately held up his phone and said, “Miss, please tell Madam what happened in the ironing room yesterday.”
On the phone’s video call was the face of a wealthy lady. Though a bit plump, one could tell she had been a beauty in her youth.
Dai Shiyuan felt a little nervous. She blinked, lowered her eyelashes, and began to narrate in a low voice.
When Dai Mother heard that Dai Shiyuan had voluntarily given the dress away, her face immediately turned ashen with anger. She scolded furiously, “Don’t you know how valuable that dress is? I specifically commissioned the best cheongsam tailor to make it; there are only two in the entire world!”
“I…” Dai Shiyuan’s heart tightened. She lowered her head to conceal the surprise in her eyes.
The male lead’s mother was a bit too fierce. Although the original novel mentioned her bad temper, facing it directly was truly unbearable.
“All my friends have seen me wear this cheongsam, and now you’ve given yours to a maid! Are you trying to make everyone laugh at me for wearing the same clothes as a maid?” Dai Mother grew angrier as she spoke, her voice escalating to a peak, audible throughout the entire hall.
Her face occupied half the phone screen, looking somewhat frightening.
Dai Shiyuan glanced up quickly, then lowered her head again, adopting an apologetic posture.
This Dai Mother was indeed strict. To scold her ‘daughter’ so angrily over a piece of clothing was something she found somewhat incomprehensible.
“Alright, don’t be so loud. What if you scare Xiao Yuan?” A deep male voice came through the phone. Soon, the image on the screen changed to a mature and handsome face.
Hearing the voice, Dai Shiyuan knew it was Dai Father and couldn’t help but glance up.
The male lead’s father was very handsome, with a dignified appearance and kind eyes, exuding the mature charm of his age, appearing very reliable.
She estimated that the male lead’s appearance wouldn’t be far off either.
“Xiao Yuan, don’t be sad. Your mom just has a quick temper. She’s not really blaming you, so don’t take it to heart,” Dai Father comforted gently, his tone softened as if coaxing a child, completely unlike a mature and steady man.
Dai Shiyuan quickly shook her head, pursed her lips, and offered a well-behaved smile.
Seeing this, Dai Father’s expression became even more gentle and benevolent. He said to Dai Mother beside him, “Ping Xue is the one at fault here. If you want to blame someone, blame Ping Xue. Don’t take it out on Xiao Yuan.”
“When did I?” Dai Mother retorted unhappily, though her demeanor and attitude were not as forceful as before.
Hearing their conversation, Dai Shiyuan roughly understood who held the most authority in this family.
It was undoubtedly Dai Father; even the arrogant and domineering Dai Mother seemed somewhat like a gentle woman in front of him.
“Housekeeper, point the phone at Ping Xue. I have something to say to her,” Dai Mother commanded, suppressing her anger.
The housekeeper immediately complied.
Seeing that there was nothing for her to do, Dai Shiyuan obediently stood to the side.
She hadn’t paid attention to her position, and only realized that the person next to her was the female lead when she had stood still.
Dai Shiyuan was instantly startled and stood ramrod straight, not looking sideways.
Shan Yaxin glanced at Dai Shiyuan indifferently before fixing her gaze on Ping Xue.
Ping Xue knelt on the ground, trembling like a sieve, not daring to look up at Dai Mother on the video call.
“Ping Xue, your audacity is growing. How dare you secretly wear the young lady’s clothes?” Dai Mother coldly reprimanded, her expression filled with contempt and arrogance, her tone much fiercer than before.
Ping Xue was so terrified that she burst into tears, kowtowing and begging for mercy, “Madam, I was just momentarily out of my mind. Please spare me this time…”
“You low-class girl still dare to beg for mercy! Housekeeper, hit her mouth hard and shut her up!” Dai Mother said through gritted teeth, fiercely.
The housekeeper immediately obeyed.
“No… no…” Ping Xue struggled desperately, swaying from side to side, tears streaming down her face, her neatly combed hair completely disheveled from her shaking.
Her previously neat and tidy appearance now resembled that of a madwoman.
The housekeeper ignored Ping Xue’s pleas and had people grab her arms, then began to forcefully slap her mouth.
The man’s strength was considerable, and the housekeeper showed no mercy.
Ping Xue’s mouth soon began to bleed, her pleas for mercy became unintelligible, only muffled ‘woo woo’ sounds could be heard.
In the vast living room, the woman’s desperate cries and miserable wails echoed intermittently.
Dai Shiyuan could almost visualize the scene of bl00d, but thankfully, she had lowered her head in advance.
This villa had its own set of rules, which, from her perspective, didn’t align with her values, but were very common in this old-fashioned, melodramatic novel.
These past few days, she had grown accustomed to it.
Shan Yaxin, standing nearby, secretly curved her lips, a smug smile flashing in her eyes.
The servants present silently watched the punishment; no one stepped forward to stop it.
It wasn’t until the housekeeper had beaten Ping Xue until her face was covered in bl00d and her expression was dazed that Dai Mother finally seemed satisfied.
“Throw this dress and this woman out,” Dai Mother said coldly, her face full of disgust.
The housekeeper immediately complied.
When she was dragged out, Ping Xue no longer struggled, her eyes hollow, and bl00d occasionally trickled from the corners of her mouth.
Dai Shiyuan looked up and saw Ping Xue’s pathetic figure being dragged away, her head drooping and her limbs lifeless.
Compared to her arrogant demeanor yesterday, this appearance was lifeless, as if she were near death.
Dai Shiyuan was slightly startled.
If the law hadn’t prohibited it, Dai Mother would probably have beaten Ping Xue to death.
The male lead’s mother was truly terrifying, even a bit twisted, tormenting someone to the brink of collapse over a mere dress.
The female lead must have suffered no less from her constant bullying.
Dai Shiyuan quietly glanced at the female lead beside her, but saw no unusual expression.
She had thought the female lead would show a pleased expression, especially since Ping Xue had bullied her multiple times.
After Ping Xue was punished, tranquility returned to the villa.
Dai Shiyuan returned to her room, quietly contemplating the sequence of events.
Ping Xue’s sudden punishment by Dai Mother today was certainly not an accident.
Everyone in the villa knew about the cheongsam, and anyone could have reported it to Dai Mother.
Ping Xue had a history of bullying many people, and many servants harbored resentment towards her.
However, she had a gut feeling that the female lead was behind this, even though she had no concrete evidence.
Now, she truly felt some doubt. The female lead’s persona was described as being gentle and kind to the point of weakness, someone who wouldn’t resist any injustice.
But this incident with Ping Xue left a strange feeling in her heart.
Dai Shiyuan rubbed her forehead, stopping her conjectures.
Regardless, she intended to stay away from the female lead. Whatever the female lead became, it had no bearing on her.
Her only goal was to preserve her life; she didn’t need to dwell on other matters.
Once the admission letter arrived, she would immediately leave this place, find a place to live near the school, and completely distance herself from this family.