Liu Jia’s voice suddenly grew louder.

Rather than answering her mother, it was more like pouring out all her pent-up dissatisfaction.

And that dissatisfaction…

wasn’t the result of a single day or night.

It was the cumulative effect of years and years, the long-term impact of time.

But Liu Qinxin probably would never understand the root of it in her lifetime; she’d only be left scratching her head, wondering what exactly she had done wrong.

Her eyes brimmed with tears—both heartbroken and deeply distressed. Thinking of Fu Qiancheng, her delicate, willow-shaped eyebrows furrowed together. She couldn’t bring herself to strike her own flesh-and-blood daughter, so she could only reply in disappointment: “So, you’ve gone to all this trouble just because I stopped you from pursuing that worthless Fu Qiancheng?”

Liu Jia remained silent.

Of course, that was part of the reason.

But it wasn’t the whole story.

The real reason lay in the repeated disappointments she’d accumulated in her heart—how everything she longed for kept getting snatched away by others, while her so-called “mother” never once stood by her side to help; in the fact that, despite having done absolutely nothing, she’d spent over twenty years bearing the stigma of being an illegitimate child yet still hadn’t been granted any legitimate status; in how her dream of a glamorous career ultimately turned into being a lowly clerk who was constantly bullied and had to watch everyone else’s face and endure their scorn; and in how every man she worked so hard to win over never even gave her a second glance. She wasn’t some obsessive person who’d say, “I’ll only marry someone better than you, or if you won’t take me, I’ll jump off a building.” But even before she’d done anything, her mother kept stifling those very aspirations in their cradle…

Liu Qinxin already raised her hand to press against her temple, wanting desperately to pry open her daughter’s skull and see what was really inside.

But in the end, she held back.

She could only let out a long sigh, looking at her daughter with a mixture of helplessness: “Jiajia, why can’t you still get over that Fu Qiancheng?

What did I tell you?

You two aren’t meant for each other! He’s not a good match for you! Your father and I will find you a man who’s worthy of you and truly loves you.”

But Liu Jia wouldn’t listen. She flung the dress her mother had thrown at her onto the floor and stomped on it several times, shouting, “Your words don’t matter!

I just like Brother Qiancheng, I just want to be with him! I’m determined to compete with that damn Ming Yue! I refuse to let them be together!”

“Jiajia!” Liu Qinxin roared.

But Liu Jia paid no heed. She shoved her mother aside, grabbed her backpack, and bolted out the door, wiping her tears as she warned Liu Qinxin:

“Mom, I’m warning you! You’d better stop interfering in my relationship with Brother Qiancheng, or don’t blame me if I disown you as my mother!”

After Liu Jia stormed out, Ming Yue got into her car as well.

The car drove very slowly.

She had instructed the driver to do so.

Not for any other reason—just because when she stepped outside, she happened to catch sight of Miss Liu Jia, walking ahead with her head down and tears streaming down her face.

Miss Liu, however, didn’t notice her.

So Ming Yue quietly followed behind, neither too fast nor too slow, until Liu Jia walked straight into a bookstore outside a residential complex.

It was called the Wanxi Bookstore.

Ming Yue took a closer look and immediately noticed the vibrant, emerald-green willow leaves on the store’s sign.

It was quite special—she felt like she’d seen it somewhere before.

Peering a bit further, she saw a young woman with long hair and a beautiful figure walking toward Liu Jia, who was crying uncontrollably.

End of Chapter 59: The Bookstore