4

And so, under Jared's protection, I peacefully spent my entire senior year at his place.

I knew nothing about his background.

Perhaps not wanting to reopen the scars in his heart, I never actively brought it up.

On the day of the college entrance exam, Mother suddenly stopped me outside the exam venue, looking eager.

My first reaction was to hide behind Jared.

Mother's expression immediately changed.

"It's just a bottle of nutrient water.

Drink it, and you'll do better on the exam.

Do you still look down on me as your mother?"

I glanced at my watch.

I was about to be late.

I took the bottle, and Mother watched me leave with a strange smile on her lips.

"Remember, no matter what, you must get good results and leave this place of right and wrong, completely liberate yourself."

Jared's voice came from behind me.

I nodded firmly.

Before entering the exam venue, I threw away the bottle and strode into the venue.

They really took others for fools.

After the exam, I deliberately spread rumors that I had failed.

Jared's inquiring gaze fell on me. "Why did you do that? Is it because of that bottle of 'nutrient water'?"

I nodded with a bitter smile.

I laughed self-deprecatingly. "There are parents like this in the world.

They only care about Ethan.

My feelings are never considered."

"Besides, how could I, their daughter, be better than Ethan? Even doing well in school is wrong."

Memories came flooding back like tides.

That winter, during the final exams, I studied desperately and finally ranked first in the entire school.

I excitedly placed the award certificate and test papers in front of my parents, thinking they would be happy.

But Ethan wasn't pleased.

Right in front of me, he tore up the test papers and the award certificate.

Mother scolded me harshly, and Father grabbed a belt and beat me.

I was beaten black and blue until Ethan told them to stop.

Afterward, they threw me into a dark, cramped storage room and locked me in for two days and nights.

If it weren't for the teacher coming to the door, who knows how long I would have been locked up.

From then on, I never dared to get good grades again.

In the evening, I went to the mall to buy shampoo for Jared.

Unfortunately, I ran into Mother and Ethan.

I clenched my fists, just wanting to escape quickly.

Mother smugly stopped me."Jasmine Jiang, how many points did you get on the college entrance exam? I heard your results weren't very good."

Ethan didn't wait for me to answer and interjected, "What else could it be? Living with a wild man, how can you expect to do well on the exam? Shameless!"

"Who's a wild man."

A familiar voice came from behind.

Jared had appeared behind me at some point, his tone ice-cold.

Ethan was so scared that he shrank behind Mother.

Mother was also a bit flustered but still didn't spare her words.

"You! You lured my daughter away and disrupted her studies.

You're no better than pigs and dogs!"

Jared smiled contemptuously, rolled up his sleeves, and revealed his muscular arms.

"If I'm no better than pigs and dogs, then what does that make you? That bottle of water, do you want me to expose it?"

Mother's face instantly turned deathly pale, and she stammered, unable to speak.

Finally, she glared at me resentfully, grabbed Ethan, and fled in a panic.

"Jared, why did you come back early."

I asked softly.

He smiled nonchalantly. "If I hadn't come back early, who knows how much you would have been bullied."

I lowered my head dejectedly, held his hand, and said softly, "I'm about to go to college.

There's no point in arguing with them over these things..."

He suddenly put on a stern face and pretended to be fierce. "Taking advantage of the situation and still acting coy! Once you're in college, you want to forget about me, your benefactor? Don't forget, you haven't even paid off the rent yet!"

We walked back home, laughing and talking.

Everything was wonderful until...