"Fine, you're always the good one, aren't you?" Sun Xuehui slammed her chopsticks on the table with a loud smack. "An Youcai, tell me, did I not give you children or raise them well? What's wrong with Jiajia and Chengcheng? I haven't even held you accountable for bringing back that child from some poor village without telling me! And now you expect me to treat her like my own daughter? Listen, I, Sun Xuehui, don't lack daughters."
Then, as if a thought suddenly struck her, she lowered her voice a bit: "Or… have you done something shameful behind my back? Is An Ran actually your daughter from over there?"
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
An Youcai suddenly shouted coldly, then realizing his reaction was too big, softened his tone, "Xuehui, how many times do I have to tell you, An Ran is just a poor child I decided to adopt. Don't let your imagination run wild. If you don't want her to keep studying, she won't. Stop being paranoid. Don't you know what kind of person I am?"
"Hmph, at least you know your place."
Sun Xuehui snorted coldly, "An Youcai, don't you forget how you got where you are. The last thing a person should do is forget their roots."
"Got it, got it. Now eat, the food's getting cold."
An Youcai impatiently urged, picking up his bowl and chopsticks. He didn't mention An Ran again and began eating on his own.
After dinner, An Youcai went into the study. An Sijia and Sun Xuehui cleaned up the table, put on their coats, and went downstairs for a walk.
An Sijia was in an exceptionally good mood.
"Mom, are you really not letting An Ran go to school?"
An Sijia still found it hard to believe, "What if she begs Dad? I think Dad still wants her to continue studying. It's Nan'an University, after all."
When her mother said she had a plan, An Sijia had been skeptical. She hadn't expected it to eliminate her worries at the source.
Ye Sheng was studying at Nan'an University. If An Ran didn't go, she wouldn't be able to get close to Ye Sheng.
And she was about to go to Nan'an soon. Even if Ye Sheng didn't like her as much as An Ran, so what? Feelings can grow, especially since something already happened between them.
Just thinking about An Ran and her father's reactions made her feel a bit...
"He wouldn't dare. If he dares to go against this, I'm not letting him off." Sun Xuehui said firmly.
"But Mom, Dad did say there's enough money for both of us to go to school. If Dad secretly gives her the money, it's not impossible." An Sijia was still uneasy.
Sun Xuehui could see through her thoughts. She patted the back of An Sijia's hand linked through hers, "Don't worry, your dad doesn't have the guts. Besides, your dad's company is facing some issues right now. If you both go to college, your brother's tuition next year will be in question. Your dad won't be that clueless."
An Sijia finally breathed a sigh of relief after hearing Sun Xuehui's words. She leaned her head on Sun Xuehui's shoulder, saying sweetly, "Thank you, Mom."
"Silly child, you are my daughter. If I don't think for you, who else would I think for? Your dad might be confused, but I'm not. Just focus on studying at Nan'an University. Don't worry about anything at home. Your top priority is..."
Sun Xuehui lowered her voice, whispering something in An Sijia's ear that made An Sijia tease her back, "Mom, you really are something."