The Stepmother's Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era-Chapter 839 - 838: Help Her Vent Her Anger

In the DK Bar.

The lights flickered, and the sensual dancers on stage provoked incessant screaming from the crowd. However, Zhao Yun seemed utterly disinterested, his face as somber as if he were not here to have fun but to attend a funeral.

Pei Ziheng didn’t like the bar scene either. Taking advantage of Dai Yu and Wen Bingdong’s absence, as they had gone to a neighboring table to play drinking games with some girls, he quietly slipped away with Zhao Yun.

Once out of the bar, the two strolled down the road to get some fresh air.

"Jingshu must be mad at me."

"It’s obvious."

"What do I do now? Do you think she will ignore me forever?"

"Hard to say."

Although Zhao Yun had grown accustomed to Pei Ziheng’s brevity over the years, at this moment, he couldn’t help feeling even more anxious because of those words.

"Don’t just talk; help me think of something."

"I’m not your dad; I don’t have to come up with solutions for every mess you’re in."

"Dad!"

"Get lost."

Lin Fei drove up to fetch them, first dropping Zhao Yun off at the hotel, and then Pei Ziheng at his home.

After a bath, Zhao Yun lay on the wide, soft bed, debating whether to page Ren Jingshu when suddenly there came a knock at the door.

Could it be Ren Jingshu looking for him?

Without even bothering to put on slippers, he hastened to open the door, only to have his hopeful expression collapse when he saw who was outside.

"What are you doing here?"

"Director Zhao, I’ve come to apologize to you."

The person outside was Dong Jiao.

Unlike her arrogance during the day, Dong Jiao now wore a white blouse and a plaid miniskirt, showing off her slender, pale legs. Her hair cascaded behind her head; her unpainted face showed the pure and delicate features of a young girl.

"I know I brought this on myself, but I really can’t afford to lose this job. My dad’s a gambler, and my mom is not well. I have two younger siblings still in school. The money I make from the dance troupe not only supports my own studies but I also send it back home. Otherwise, my dad won’t let me continue my education."

As she spoke, tears streamed down her face like rain on pear blossoms.

Any other man might have been moved to pity.

But Zhao Yun was no ordinary man. "What’s that got to do with me?"

As he moved to close the door, Dong Jiao quickly grabbed his arm. "Please, I’m begging you. I had no other choice but to come to you. I’m willing to do anything to stay in the dance troupe."

Her cheeks flushed with a hint of coyness.

"What do you mean by that?"

Truly a blockhead.

Dong Jiao scorned him internally but proposed smoothly, "It’s not convenient to talk about these matters here. May I come into your room to discuss?"

Zhao Yun sized her up and down, "Wait a second, let me get dressed."

Watching the closed door, Dong Jiao’s face broke into a triumphant smile.

She thought as much—no man could resist the temptation to cheat.

She hadn’t wanted to take this road, but that evening, when she left for her bar job, she happened to see Ren Jingshu returning to the alley alone.

Although she didn’t know why Ren Jingshu wasn’t with Zhao Yun, the clever Dong Jiao recognized this rare opportunity.

If she could pry Zhao Yun away, she would not only be taking revenge on Ren Jingshu, but she’d also be snagging a wealthy suitor.

After waiting around five minutes, with Zhao Yun yet to open the door, Dong Jiao, hardly able to contain herself, raised her hand, preparing to knock. However, footsteps echoed down the hallway, and a voice questioned, "What are you doing?"

She turned her head and saw two uniformed police officers.

"I’m looking for a friend; he lives here."

She had thought that after her explanation, the police officers would leave, but instead, they asked her to show her ID card.

Dong Jiao hadn’t brought her ID card, so she could only take out her student ID.

While the officers compared the photo on her student ID with her face, they also scrutinized her clothing with a suspicious gaze, "It’s so late, why aren’t you resting at school but coming to a hotel to do what?"

"I’m here to look for a friend."

After saying that, she raised her hand to knock on the door, hoping Zhao Yun would come out and vouch for her.

However, after a long wait, Zhao Yun didn’t open the door.

"Alright, spare us the act; someone reported you for selling sex. Come with us to the station."

"I really am here to look for a friend; he’s inside!"

The police officer’s words startled Dong Jiao, and she quickly began pounding on the door, desperate to get Zhao Yun to come out and clear her name.

This time, Zhao Yun did open the door.

But when the police officers asked him about his relationship with Dong Jiao, he directly denied knowing her.

Dong Jiao was both angry and anxious, yet Zhao Yun insisted that he didn’t know her. With her wandering the hotel corridors dressed as she was, she ultimately was taken away by the police officers.

The next day.

As soon as Ren Jingshu arrived at the dance troupe, she learned from the mouths of Xu Yuting and others that Dong Jiao had been taken away by the police for investigation under the suspicion of being a sex worker at the Great Wall Hotel.

Xu Yuting knew about it because Dong Jiao had called her to go to the police station to help vouch for her.

Although Dong Jiao was eventually cleared of the suspicion of being a sex worker, the dance troupe and her school had both heard about it; it was quite the blow to her reputation.

After discussing the gossip, everyone changed into their practice clothes and prepared to head to the rehearsal room.

Ren Jingshu called Xu Yuting and the others, "The rehearsal room upstairs, you may use it when I’m not around."

Sure enough, Xu Yuting and the others were delighted to hear this and became even more ingratiating and sycophantic towards her.

Once in the rehearsal room, after turning on the air conditioning, Ren Jingshu didn’t immediately start stretching and warming up but sat on a stool, lost in thought.

She had let Xu Yuting and the others use the rehearsal room, not out of kindness, but to curry favor.

In the past, she had always kept to herself, disdaining such means and tactics.

But now that she knew the stability she had was due to someone quietly sheltering her from the storm, she realized she needed to change.

After all, one can’t live forever in the ivory tower of "dependence on others."

...

"Jingshu, I’m here!"

During a break in the rehearsal, seeing Zhao Yun sitting on a rest stool didn’t surprise Ren Jingshu.

She picked up a towel from the barre and, while wiping sweat, sat down beside Zhao Yun.

"Last night, did Dong Jiao come to the hotel looking for you?"

Zhao Yun hurried to disassociate himself, "I have nothing to do with her; I didn’t even let her in."

Ren Jingshu turned to look at him, "How did she end up at the police station?"

Zhao Yun leaned in and whispered, "She bullies you in the dance troupe and then tries to seduce me; what a joke! Conveniently, there was a sign in the room with ’No yellow, drugs, gambling,’ so I followed the number on it to report a ’suspected sex service,’ and the police came quickly."

Ren Jingshu found it somewhat amusing.

Her fair complexion, delicate and beautiful features, and slightly flushed cheeks from dancing, made her smile blossom like flowers on a branch, causing Zhao Yun’s heart to skip a beat.

By the time he regained his composure, his lips were less than three centimeters from Ren Jingshu’s cheek; he could smell the fragrance emanating from her.

Yet under the cool gaze of Ren Jingshu’s peach blossom eyes, Zhao Yun ultimately did not dare to act presumptuously and sheepishly withdrew his head.