HBWMA -Chapter 296 You Must Resist to the End

Zhou Qishan’s room was in the annex building of the manor. After Madam Zhou led the two of them out of the main building, she finally let out a long breath, patting her chest. “You two really are bold. You nearly scared me to death just now.”

Su Miao felt a little guilty. “Aunt Zhou, please don’t laugh at us. We were just too anxious and spoke without thinking. Please don’t tell my mom—otherwise she’ll say I have no manners again.”

Madam Zhou covered her mouth and smiled. “Don’t worry, Auntie knows.”

Jiang Huashan raised her eyes to study Madam Zhou. Although she was over forty, she looked very young—gentle and graceful like a spring breeze. The more one looked at her, the more charm she had.

Zhou Yanheng also carried this kind of gentleness, but his was only superficial—far less than one-tenth of Madam Zhou’s.

Perhaps good bamboo produces bad shoots.

Madam Zhou noticed Jiang Huashan’s gaze and smiled at her. “You’re called Jiang Huashan, right? Which ‘shan’ is it? How old are you this year?”

So friendly?

Jiang Huashan couldn’t help being a little surprised. Aside from Shen Jiao, most wealthy madams, after witnessing her sharp tongue, would more or less dislike her. They just didn’t dare show it because of the Shen family’s influence. But this Madam Zhou was different—she actually seemed interested in her?

After thinking for a moment, Jiang Huashan answered honestly, “The ‘shan’ in long shirt. I’m sixteen this year.”

Madam Zhou nodded thoughtfully. “Huashan… it carries the uprightness of a Qingyi role, the gentleness of a Huadan, and the heroism of a Daomadan. Truly, the name suits the person.”

Jiang Huashan paused slightly. “Aunt Zhou also knows about Huashan roles?”

Madam Zhou raised her brows, pretending to be proud. “Seems you didn’t do your homework. Our Zhou family loves opera. Every first and fifteenth of the month, we set up a stage troupe. I’m naturally very familiar with Peking Opera female roles.”

Jiang Huashan smiled. “Aunt Zhou is impressive.”

Madam Zhou frowned slightly, but her eyes were smiling. “Don’t keep calling me ‘Aunt Zhou, Aunt Zhou’—you’ll make me sound old. Just call me Aunt Zhou.”

Jiang Huashan nodded. “Aunt Zhou.”

As they spoke, the group arrived at the annex building.

The annex had three floors and five rooms in total. Zhou Qishan’s room was on the top floor.

Madam Zhou led them into the elevator, and just as they reached the third floor, they ran straight into Xu Wenpei.

Su Miao immediately recognized the woman as Zhou Qishan’s mother. Although she didn’t like her, she still politely greeted her out of courtesy. “Aunt Xu.”

Xu Wenpei had just come out of the room, holding a bag of documents. When she suddenly saw a group of people in front of her, the muscles on her face twitched stiffly. “Sister-in-law, this is…?”

She only found Su Miao vaguely familiar, but couldn’t immediately recall which family she was from.

Madam Zhou silently shook her head in her heart. Not even recognizing her daughter’s closest friend—just how inattentive could she be?

Still, they were family. Even though she didn’t approve of Xu Wenpei’s attitude toward Zhou Qishan, she had to maintain appearances in front of outsiders.

Madam Zhou smiled and teased, “You really are flustered. You don’t even recognize the Su family girl anymore?”

Only then did Xu Wenpei remember who the girl was. She quickly covered it with a smile. “Oh, so it’s Miao Miao. They say girls change a lot as they grow up—I really didn’t recognize you for a moment.”

Su Miao gave a perfunctory smile. Spare me that. Her baby-face had barely changed since sixth grade.

Madam Zhou patted Su Miao’s shoulder and pointed toward the corridor door. “Go on, you two talk. I’ve asked the kitchen to prepare some snacks. I’ll have them sent over later.”

Xu Wenpei glanced between Su Miao and Jiang Huashan, but in the end said nothing and followed Madam Zhou downstairs.

“Let’s go.”

Su Miao eagerly pulled Jiang Huashan, ready to knock on the door. But Jiang Huashan pushed her hand away.

“I won’t go in. You two talk.”

Zhou Qishan was sensitive and insecure. She treated Su Miao as her closest friend; Su Miao’s presence alone would be comforting to her. But if another person was added, it might not be the same.

Su Miao froze for a moment, then immediately understood Jiang Huashan’s intention.

She didn’t persuade her further, only hesitated slightly and looked around. “Then what about you?”

Jiang Huashan shrugged indifferently and waved at her. “I’ll just wander around. If it really doesn’t work out, I can go to the side hall and play mahjong with them.”

“Pfft~” Su Miao knew Jiang Huashan was just talking nonsense, but she still couldn’t help laughing.

The two parted ways.

Jiang Huashan went downstairs. Just as she was looking for something to pass the time, she overheard Xu Wenpei speaking to Madam Zhou.

“Sister-in-law, tell me, what sin did I commit to end up with such an unfilial daughter? I don’t even dare tell her father about this. With his temper, if he found out, things would really get out of hand.”

Xu Wenpei was clearly very upset with Zhou Qishan. She hadn’t even left yet and was already venting.

Madam Zhou looked helpless. “Keep your voice down. What will people think if they hear you? You can’t blame all of this on Qishan. You need to talk to her properly.”

Xu Wenpei’s eyes reddened as she lowered her head and complained through tears. “What else am I supposed to talk about? All these years, she’s held onto that one drunken remark her father made and refused to come home. Now that she’s grown up, she’s even harder to control. She’s even daring to do things like this behind our backs—what will she become in the future?! Why doesn’t this child understand how to be considerate of her parents?”

Hearing Xu Wenpei crying, Madam Zhou felt a headache coming on. “Alright, stop saying this in the future. If you can’t decide, go ask the old master. Whether this gets done or not is just a matter of his word.”

Xu Wenpei thought about it and agreed. She wiped her tears and angrily threw the file folder in her hand into a nearby trash can.

“This is outrageous! How can they treat you like this!”

After hearing about Zhou Qishan’s recent experiences, Su Miao was furious. She immediately wanted to rush out and demand an explanation for her friend.

But the moment her hand touched the doorknob, her mind suddenly froze. A bucket of cold water seemed to pour over her head, leaving her heart completely chilled.

No, she couldn’t.

She was still a fake heiress. If her identity was exposed later, the Zhou family would definitely crush her.

Su Miao lowered her head in disappointment and turned back. She didn’t dare look at Zhou Qishan.

“Sorry, A-Shan… I can’t stand up for you.”

She felt a little disgusted with herself. At a time like this, she was still only thinking about herself.

Zhou Qishan froze for a moment, then smiled. “No need to apologize. Just coming here is already standing up for me.”

Before this, she never expected Su Miao would show up. So the moment Su Miao knocked on the door and stood before her, she already felt very happy.

At least at that moment, she wasn’t alone.

Su Miao looked at the various dresses in the wardrobe, feeling deeply uneasy.

“Have I disappointed you recently? So when you were wronged, your biggest request wasn’t for me to understand you or help you, but just that I showed up?”

That answer completely surprised Zhou Qishan. Seeing Su Miao blame herself, she quickly comforted her with a smile. “It’s not your fault. I’m just too sensitive. I thought you were like them, thinking I was abnormal…”

“What do you mean normal or abnormal?” Su Miao clenched her fists. “I’ve only known you as a friend all these years. Do you think I’m just playing around with you?”

Zhou Qishan’s eyes turned slightly red. “I know, but I was afraid…”

“You’re not allowed to be afraid!” Su Miao cut her off directly. “Zhou Qishan, you can’t be afraid! You must fight to the very end.”

Zhou Qishan’s eyelids trembled slightly as she stared at Su Miao without blinking.

Su Miao gritted her teeth. “You don’t have to go to school. If you’re worried about lessons, I’ll bring you materials every day. And you don’t need to come to my birthday either.”

Anyway… it might not be my birthday anymore.

Zhou Qishan looked at her. “You want me to resist, so you’re on my side? You don’t think I’m ridiculous?”

Su Miao replied, “Of course I don’t! I think you’re amazing! In this world, there are beautiful girls like Jiang Huashan, but there are also cool girls like you. The fact that they don’t allow you to exist—that’s what’s truly ridiculous.”