Chapter 30 Family Background Can’t Truly Empathize…

Chapter 30: Family of Origin: The Impossibility of True Empathy...

"Boring," Yu Kui said, glancing at him. "Do you want to buy anything else? I'm going home."

"Just this," Xie Xingzhi went to the front to pay, as if his sole purpose in entering the store was to pick out a charm for her.

Yu Kui raised her hand and touched the soft, smiling sunflower face, her mood seemingly brightening as well.

After the New Year's holiday, the school held exams before the holiday break.

Before the senior year's winter break, the school specifically convened a parent-teacher conference to impress upon parents the importance of the upcoming semester, urging them to prioritize next year's college entrance exam and offer their children ample encouragement.

Yu Kui's mother, dressed in a white down jacket, breezed cheerfully through the school gate and immediately spotted her daughter waiting for her. She happily went over and took her hand, saying, "Let's go, I'm here for your parent-teacher conference."

She had aged gracefully and had few worries in life, looking much younger than her peers. Walking arm in arm with Yu Kui, they could have easily been mistaken for sisters.

Yu Kui's mother sat in her daughter’s seat and quietly asked Yu Kui about her school day; their interaction was completely relaxed and devoid of any pressure.

Sun Shuya watched them enviously, thinking how wonderful Yu Kui’s mother was—always gentle, no matter what Yu Kui said.

After most parents had arrived, Yu Kui noticed that the chair next to Tao Jiang was empty.

Her parents hadn’t shown up.

Halfway through the parent-teacher conference, the classroom door suddenly opened from the outside, and a woman with thick makeup, wearing a fuchsia coat, walked in. In a somewhat coquettish voice, she said, "Sorry, teacher, there was some traffic on the way."

The meeting was abruptly interrupted, but the homeroom teacher wasn’t angry. Instead, she kindly asked, "Which student’s parent are you?"

"I’m Tao Jiang’s mother," the woman said, running a hand through her wavy hair and casting a casual glance toward her daughter by the window. With a flirtatious smile, she added, "Teacher, please let me in first. I had a hard time getting here."

With all eyes on her, the homeroom teacher didn’t say much, only replying, "Tao Jiang’s mother, please take a seat."

"Okay, okay." Tao’s mother walked over to her daughter, draping an arm affectionately over Tao Jiang’s shoulder as if they were the picture of a close mother-daughter relationship.

Tao Jiang lowered her eyes and whispered, "Didn’t I tell you not to come?"

"Your homeroom teacher called me," Tao’s mother adjusted her coat and took out a compact mirror to check her hair. Satisfied it wasn’t messy, she said, "Besides, you’re such a good student. Isn’t it good that I came to your parent-teacher conference? Your dad would be happy if he knew."

Tao Jiang kept her eyes down and didn’t speak, but her fingers slowly clenched.

"Oh, and I brought your little brother along," Tao’s mother said with a smile. "He’s always saying he wants to see you. After school, make sure to spend some time with him."

"Got it." A flash of impatience crossed Tao Jiang’s eyes; she clearly resented her mother’s presence.

The homeroom teacher gave her routine speech, praising several students by name, including Yu Kui. The parents looked at Yu Kui's mother with envy, asking, "How do you teach your child? She’s so smart."

Yu Kui's mother smiled modestly, though she was secretly thrilled. "It’s all her own hard work. Her father and I just support her from behind."

Hearing this, the other parents grew even more envious.

Afterward, parents continued raising their hands to ask the homeroom teacher about their own children’s performance at school.

"Teacher, is our Sun Shuya staying focused in class?"

"How can our Fang Ning improve her grades?"

"Teacher, teacher…"

Listening to the parents’ concerned questions, the homeroom teacher answered them one by one: "Sun Shuya has been doing fairly well lately, but she needs to take exams more seriously, do more practice questions, and build up her knowledge. Fang Ning’s issue is being stronger in some subjects than others—she needs to strengthen her Chinese and history scores. Other than that, there aren’t any major problems…"

The homeroom teacher didn’t speak negatively about any student, only encouraging the parents to support and be understanding, hoping they would achieve good results in the coming year.

"Teacher, our Tao Jiang’s grades are pretty good, right?" A voice tinged with pride came from near the window. "If other students need help, they can always ask her."

The homeroom teacher paused. Tao Jiang was an average student who still needed help from others in class—how could she be considered "pretty good"?

"Tao Jiang’s mother," the homeroom teacher glanced at the girl who had her head bowed, "Tao Jiang’s Chinese scores are fairly good, but she still needs to improve in other areas."

"That can’t be," Tao’s mother frowned. "I saw her last exam results—every subject was excellent. Her father even praised her specially."

The homeroom teacher’s expression shifted slightly, and her gaze toward Tao Jiang grew somewhat complicated. But in front of all the students and parents, she didn’t expose the truth, only saying, "As long as Tao Jiang keeps working hard, her grades will surely get better and better."

"See, I knew it," Tao’s mother, not picking up on the hint, smiled happily at her daughter. "There’s no way Tao Jiang’s grades could be poor."

Tao Jiang didn’t speak, but her mouth was set in a pale, tight line. The doubtful looks from her classmates made her wish the floor would swallow her up.

The homeroom teacher quickly moved on from Tao’s mother’s question and continued communicating with other parents, though inwardly she was thinking she needed to have a serious talk with Tao Jiang.

After the parent-teacher conference ended, Tao’s mother took out a mirror to touch up her lipstick. "Hurry up and pack your bag. Your brother is getting impatient."

"You go ahead," Tao Jiang remained seated, not moving. "I’ll come after I’ve packed up."

"Then be quick." Tao’s mother stood up and walked out of the classroom with a model-like stride.

"Tao Jiang, why did your mom say your grades are so good?" The girl sitting in front of her, Huang Li, turned around and whispered, "I remember you ranked about 30th in the class last time. Did I remember wrong?"

Tao Jiang glared at the girl, her eyes icy and almost murderous. The girl was startled and quickly turned back around. "Psycho!"

"Serves her right!" Sun Shuya sneered at the scene. "Even lying to her own mother—she deserves to be exposed."

Yu Kui listened to the discussions about Tao Jiang around her, feeling conflicted. She hadn’t expected Tao Jiang to lie to her family about her grades, and she didn’t understand what good it could possibly do Tao Jiang.

Even if she could fool her parents, what about the teachers and classmates? And what about the college entrance exam later?

Yu Kui didn’t understand Tao Jiang’s actions, but she didn’t join in the mocking like the others.

Yu Kui packed her bag and went outside to find her mother. The two planned to go eat hot pot near the school gate.

"You’ve really made Mom proud," Yu Kui's mother held her daughter’s arm, her face beaming. "You’re really Mom’s little treasure."

Yu Kui blushed slightly, feeling happy inside. "Mom, I’ll keep working hard."

"Good, good." Yu Kui's mother was indulging her completely. "Mom believes in you."

Tao Jiang walked to the school gate, where her mother was comforting a child together with the nanny, her voice unusually gentle.

Tao Jiang expressionlessly pulled open the car door. Looking at the three-year-old child in her mother’s arms, the coldness in her eyes was barely contained.

"Here you are?" Tao’s mother glanced up at her, not noticing the hatred in her daughter’s eyes. "Come quickly and see your brother. He’s been so clingy lately, always saying he wants to play with you."

"Sis…" The three-year-old child saw Tao Jiang and smiled happily, reaching out for her to hold him.

Tao Jiang put down her backpack and said coldly, "I’m very tired today. I don't want to play with him."

"You silly girl," Tao’s mother said irritably, tugging at her hair. "If it weren’t for your brother, do you think your dad would treat us so well? You’d better not make your dad angry."

Tao Jiang’s expression turned sarcastic. "He’s not here—who are you performing for?"

"You brat!" Mom Tao's face flushed crimson with rage as she slapped her daughter across the face. "You dare disobey your own mom now, do you?!"

Tao Jiang clutched her stinging cheek, her gaze icy. "Trying to please him is your business, not mine!"

With that, she grabbed her backpack and stormed out of the car, leaving her mom and younger brother behind.

"You!" Frustrated and fuming helplessly, Mom Tao shouted after her, "Everything you have—your food, your education—is provided by your father! If you’re so capable, try supporting yourself!"

Tao Jiang pretended not to hear, turning instead toward the hotpot restaurant across the street.

After finishing their meal, Yu Kui and her mom were heading out when Yu Kui spotted Tao Jiang sitting alone in a corner. The slap mark hadn't faded yet, making her look pitiful.

Yu Kui paused for a moment but ultimately said nothing and walked away with her mom.

Her feelings toward Tao Jiang were very complicated.

Tao Jiang had once mentioned that her personality was influenced by her family situation. At the time, Yu Kui had wanted to ask what exactly had happened, but she held back.

Seeing Tao Jiang again today, Yu Kui believed what she had said before, yet she couldn't accept the harm Tao Jiang had caused her.

She understood Tao Jiang’s struggles but could not condone her actions.

Perhaps true understanding might be impossible.

Even though Tao Jiang appeared fragile and pitiful now, Yu Kui couldn’t find it in herself to offer comfort.

During the vacation, Yu Kui often went to the library. Occasionally, she met with Sun Shuya, but most of the time, she studied with Xie Xingzhi.

One day at the library, she ran into Tao Jiang, who had arrived late and took a seat alone by the window. The spot was well-lit but not the best for studying.

Tao Jiang appeared agitated as she worked on her test papers, soon tossing her pen aside and pulling out her phone to play.

"What are you looking at?" Xie Xingzhi waved a hand in front of Yu Kui’s eyes.

Yu Kui blinked. "Nothing."

She returned to her papers as if her momentary distraction had never happened.

But Xie Xingzhi followed her gaze and noticed Tao Jiang, his eyes turning thoughtful.

At lunchtime, as Tao Jiang packed up to leave, she paused beside Yu Kui and said in a low, sharp voice, "I know you’re laughing at me inside, but I'm not really losing to you."

Yu Kui didn’t understand why she would say such a thing. She had never competed with Tao Jiang, and there was nothing between them that involved winning or losing.

"Don’t look at me like that," Tao Jiang looked down at her sharply, with rare hostility. "Just because I’m not good at studying doesn’t mean I’m failing in other areas."

Yu Kui: "…"

She thought Tao Jiang was being paranoid. "I’m not laughing at you. There’s no need to overthink it."

"Is that so?" Tao Jiang retorted, "But your very existence feels like a bone in my throat."

Whether as Qin You’s childhood friend or as a high-achieving student in class, Yu Kui always made her feel inferior.