Rebirth to Save Myself

Chapter 133 Summer (3)

Xia Tian found Su Xia on the first floor of the mall. Su Xia was talking to Lu Jingnian with her back to her. As she approached, she heard Su Xia say, "I'm going with Xia Tian tonight. You should go home now."

"Why can't I go shopping with you guys? I can help you carry your bags and pay for things. I'll just stay here, okay?"

"Ahem, Su Su, I'm here." Xia Tian said awkwardly, standing behind her.

"You're here! Let's go." Su Xia happily took her arm, then said to Lu Jingnian, "See you tonight!"

"See you tonight." Lu Jingnian waved weakly and then left.

Ever since he started dating this girlfriend, it's been difficult to get her to go on dates. She always has something to do or something else. He wanted to go to the class reunion with her today, but she made plans with Xia Tian and directly rejected his suggestion.

On the other side, Xia Tian looked at Su Xia with a teasing expression and said, "I heard it all just now, he was so clingy to you!"

"Why bring him up? Your business is the most important thing right now." Su Xia looked at Xia Tian with a serious expression.

"Me? What do I need?" Xia Tian looked at Su Xia with a puzzled expression.

"You, is something wrong with you? Why didn't you tell me?"

"No, I didn't."

"Don't try to fool me, I've booked a private cinema, we're going there now."

After saying that, Su Xia pulled Xia Tian to a private cinema in the mall and they went into a private room. The room was decorated in a cute pink, girly style, with four reclining massage chairs against the wall near the door, and a white screen opposite the chairs. As soon as they sat down, a waiter brought in fruit, drinks, and desserts, and thoughtfully turned on the projector for them, asking what movie they would like to watch.

"Let's go with The Legend of 1900."

"Ok."

The waiter found the video, clicked play, turned off the main lights, and left. Only then did Xia Tian dare to take off her mask, sunglasses, and hat to catch her breath; she was absolutely suffocating.

"Don't worry, I've been to this place before. It's very private, so you don't have to worry about paparazzi taking pictures."

"Okay, okay." Xia Tian finally relaxed, having escaped the paparazzi and her mother, and could finally lie down on the chair to rest for a while.

"Go ahead and speak, I'm all ears." Su Xia sat down next to Xia Tian and asked calmly.

"Say, say what?" Xia Tian's mind went blank as soon as she relaxed, and she stammered.

"Why are you being targeted like this? Why isn't the company coming forward to clarify? Are you just letting this rumor spread like wildfire? Also, are you currently unemployed? I noticed your studio's Weibo account hasn't been updated in a long time. Are you planning to keep all this from me?" Su Xia's questions made Xia Tian lower her head further and further. She really didn't know how to talk to her or where to begin.

"Su Su, why do you think mothers don't love their own children?" Xia Tian didn't answer Su Xia's question, but instead asked her a sudden question.

"Because some people are not fit to be mothers. They give birth to children without understanding what the word 'mother' means," Su Xia said calmly, referring to her own mother.

"So, as their daughters, what are they supposed to do when faced with a mother who doesn't love them?"

"Xiaxia, you can say it if you want. Once we're out this door, we'll pretend nothing happened, okay?"

"Su Su, I... I really don't know what to do anymore. Sometimes I even think about just jumping off and dying." In this atmosphere, amidst Su Xia's gentle tone, Xia Tian finally couldn't help but cry out.

"Yes, I know. Xiaxia, you've worked so hard, bearing it all alone for so long. Now that you can talk about it, I can help you share the burden."

"Ah."

So Xia Tian told her story of her birth, her mother, her maternal grandparents, and her hardships. The story didn't end until the end credits rolled, by which time the lemonade and fruit platter brought by the waiter had been completely consumed.

Xia Tian let out a long sigh of relief, then smiled at Su Xia with tears in her eyes and said, "Thank you, it feels much better to have talked it out."

Su Xia cautiously asked, "Since you started junior high school until now, have your maternal grandparents never taken your mother to see a doctor?"

“When her condition improved, they said she could get better on her own and we should see a doctor. When her condition worsened, they said we should wait until it was more stable before going to see a doctor. Once in high school, they forced my mother to see a doctor, and she ended up running to the rooftop when they weren't looking, intending to jump.” Xia Tian smiled bitterly, feeling helpless. She wanted to jump too. But for her grandparents, her mother was more important than herself, so they always put her mother first.

"So your father has never contacted you again? Logically, your grandparents must have used threats and bribes to get him to leave. All these years, and he hasn't come knocking even once?" Su Xia was puzzled. According to the information she got from Xia Tian, ​​her father was a good-for-nothing hoodlum who must have squandered all the money he got from the Xia family in no time. How could he have managed to stay in front of the Xia family until Xia Tian was already in her twenties, without still asking for more money?

Xia Tian thought about it carefully for a moment, then shook her head and said, "No, I don't remember my mother ever mentioning it."

"Let's ignore him for now and deal with your mother's matter first." Su Xia waved her hand, indicating that she didn't care much. Since no one had appeared for more than 20 years, it meant that the Xia family had done a good job in handling the aftermath.

"I... I don't know how to solve this," Xia Tian asked hesitantly. Over the years, she had tried her best, but in the end, she still gave in to her mother.

Su Xia thought for a moment, then said, "First of all, you are now a public figure, and your every move will be under scrutiny from all sides. The reason why your mother's problems weren't exposed before was because the company thought you had value, so they suppressed it for you. But this is only temporary. If it's exposed again and the company doesn't help you, you will be criticized by netizens. What we need to do is ensure that when that situation arises, all netizens are on your side and think you are right."

Upon hearing this, Xia Tian immediately voiced her concerns: "But my grandparents would be the first to disagree with sending my mother for treatment. Besides, netizens would think it's wrong of me to abandon my mother."

Su Xia nodded. Indeed, there were many obstacles to getting Xia Qiuyi to undergo treatment, but they couldn't let those obstacles stop them from moving forward. If that were the case, then the outcome couldn't be changed.

So she carefully explained to Xia Tian, ​​"The premise is that you need to let your maternal grandparents know that your value is higher than your mother's. Only then will they be willing to rely on you and make a choice. If netizens know that your mother has mental health issues and treats you this way, then I think anyone who isn't stupid will stand on your side. What you need to do is collect as much evidence as possible to support our authenticity, and secondly, let your maternal grandparents see your value."

Xia Tian shook her head again. She had thought about and tried all of these things, but her grandparents wouldn't listen. So she said to Su Xia, "I've tried. Grandpa is a bureau chief now. He doesn't need me to support him in his old age. He cares more about his reputation. Grandma had a miscarriage before my mother, so she values ​​my mother a lot. Part of the reason my mother is so arrogant is because of the confidence she has from my grandma."

Su Xia understood the reason after thinking about it, so she asked, "Your maternal grandmother is worried about her hard-won daughter. What about your maternal grandfather? Is it because he felt he would lose face if he sent your mother to the hospital for mental treatment, so he acquiesced to your maternal grandmother's actions?"

"Correct."

Su Xia smiled, then gave Xia Tian a hint: "But have you considered that although they didn't take your mother to the hospital, the house they chose for you is far away from them? And there's no one in your neighborhood who knows your grandparents or your mother, right?"

"Correct."

Su Xia's smile widened, and she countered with a question to Xia Tian: "Have you ever thought about why this is?"

Startled by this sudden question, Xia Tian began to think about it seriously. After a short while, she cautiously replied, "Is it because I'm afraid my mother's madness will be seen by someone she knows, thus embarrassing my grandfather?"

"That's right, you're really amazing." Su Xia looked at Xia Tian with satisfaction and sincerely praised her.

Xia Tian looked like she suddenly understood and murmured, "No wonder I rarely went to my maternal grandparents' place when I was little. Most of the time, it was my maternal grandparents who came to see us. It turns out they were afraid that my mother would go crazy and they wouldn't be able to control her, which would make them a laughing stock."

Su Xia nodded, then continued, "So, although your maternal grandparents love your mother, they value their own pride even more. They've had a smooth life, and in the end, they've been ruined by your mother, which is why they ignored your pleas for help. You need to make them help you, and make them abandon your mother and choose you."

"how should I do?"

“We’ll arrange to discuss it together later. Now we need to head to the class reunion.” Su Xia pointed to her watch, then took Xia Tian’s hand and led her out.

When they arrived at the underground parking garage, Xia Tian was still wondering what they were doing there. Then Su Xia looked around and waved to a certain spot. Soon, a car stopped in front of them.

"Get in," Lu Jingnian said, rolling down the car window.

"I originally wanted to take a taxi with you, but Anian said that since you're a celebrity now, it's not appropriate for you to be too casual, so he came to pick us up for the party." Su Xia looked at Xia Tian apologetically. She had no choice; Lu Jingnian insisted on going with her.

"It's nothing, it's kind of him to go to so much trouble." Xia Tian waved his hand, then opened the back door and got in.

"Let's go then, some people have already arrived." Lu Jingnian slowly started the car and drove towards their destination.

On the way, Xia Tian looked at Lu Jingnian, who was driving attentively, and then jokingly asked Su Xia, "Speaking of which, I met you because of him. I liked him back then, you don't mind?"

"What do I care about? I wasn't interested in him back then." Su Xia waved her hand. At that time, she was focused on getting good grades, and then there was the messy situation in the Su family. She didn't have time to think about romance; her studies were the priority!

"But, it seems like Lu Jingnian was already interested in you back then, right, Lu Jingnian?"

"Shut up, I won't argue with my girlfriend because of you." Lu Jingnian had been listening from the beginning. When he realized that Xia Tian was trying to sow discord and even insulted him, he immediately distanced himself and seriously confirmed with Su Xia.

"Hahaha, he's getting anxious. I knew it! Back in high school, you were the only one who didn't realize it; everyone else could tell he was interested in you." Xia Tian laughed so hard at Lu Jingnian's reaction that she almost hurt herself from laughing.

"Oh, really?" Su Xia asked Lu Jingnian with a blank look on her face.

"real."

"real."

Xia Tian and Lu Jingnian answered in unison, causing Su Xia to blush. She hadn't really thought of it at the time; she just thought they were both good students and often discussed problems together, nothing more. No wonder Chen Yuan's expression was so strange when she found out she was going to be doing problems with Lu Jingnian.

"I've liked you since high school, but I didn't realize you felt the same way. I was also afraid that you'd be snatched away by someone else when I went abroad, so I made that four-year promise with you. Thankfully, you were able to realize your feelings and come to me before graduation. I'm really happy." At a red light, Lu Jingnian looked directly at Su Xia in the rearview mirror and said earnestly.

"I, I, I hadn't thought about these things before," Su Xia stammered.

"Alright, alright, stop showing off your love in front of me! I'm still here, I shouldn't have brought this up." Xia Tian immediately interrupted the two of them. If they continued talking, she would probably have to go and see what was going on.

"Speaking of which, I've always wondered why you liked me in the first place?" Lu Jingnian glanced at Xia Tian in the rearview mirror, looking puzzled. He thought about it for a moment; they had absolutely no connection. One was in humanities, the other in sciences, their classrooms were at opposite ends of the corridor, and they weren't even on the same staircase. So when someone told him that Xia Tian liked him, he was completely dumbfounded!

"It was those same people who said that I was the school beauty and you were the school hunk, and that we were destined to be together. I thought it was ridiculous at the time, so I just went along with them and said I liked you. In high school, I was just a little hoodlum, so just think of it as being bitten by a dog." Xia Tian waved her hand, thinking back to that time she really wanted to go back in time and strangle herself, hoping that no one would bring up this embarrassing thing at the class reunion later.