Chapter 16: It Is My Fault

Looking at the message sent by Liang Jinlan, Jiang Zhe only gave it a cursory glance before remembering that she had forgotten to delete her.

Clicking the delete button, her account returned to tranquility.

"Oh, it's so heavy!" Xia Enci huffed as she walked in, lugging a large bag.

"Quick, give it to me, I'll do it," Xiao Meng said, putting down her book to help.

"No, no, no, I can do it myself."

Xia Enci placed the items on the desk.

"What is it?" Xiao Meng asked.

Xia Enci unzipped the bag and pulled out a large pile of various canned goods.

"Homemade food from my grandfather and my mom. My grandfather came over specifically today to give them to Jiang Fanyue, but she was something else—she refused to take them at all. While they were arguing over it, she even broke a bottle. What a waste. My grandfather told me to hand them over to her, but hand them over my foot! Does she even deserve them? My mom's cooking is amazing; her homemade canned goods taste no worse than the ones you buy outside."

Xia Enci had an incredibly sweet, loli-like voice; her complaining sounded as melodious as singing. Hearing it, Xiao Meng broke into a smile.

"Sister Xiao Zhe, Xiao Meng, let's keep them for ourselves." Xia Enci took out a jar and handed it to Jiang Zhe.

Jiang Zhe glanced at it; the pile was mostly snow fungus canned goods.

Calculated together, this pile was quite valuable and had required a lot of effort.

Her own bag had also been stuffed with a large amount by Jiang Yaowang, even more than what was here.

"I have some."

Xia Enci: "Eh? So I'm the only one in the whole family who doesn't have any? Well, now I do!"

With a smile as bright as a flower, she twisted open two jars with her bare hands and gave one to Xiao Meng.

Xiao Meng took it and scooped up a bite.

"How is it? Delicious, right?" Xia Enci asked.

Xiao Meng said softly, "There's no strange taste, nor any particularly special flavor. It's very light, but it feels very comfortable to eat."

"Of course! Look who made it!" Xia Enci felt a sense of shared pride.

Another roommate walked in. She was originally in the same dormitory as Xia Enci, but with the addition of Xiao Meng and Jiang Zhe today, she greeted them politely: "Hello, Jiang Zhe, Xiao Meng."

"Hello," Xiao Meng nodded.

"Bai Yilian, here. My mom made them herself." Xia Enci opened a jar with her hands and handed it to Bai Yilian.

Snow fungus was naturally an unremarkable black color. Once canned, without any other additives, the color and luster were quite ordinary and it had no particular aroma. This was also why many people who had eaten it couldn't distinguish between real and fake snow fungus.

Looking at the food, Bai Yilian smiled and said, "I ate a very full dinner, so I can't eat anything else. Thank you, though."

Xia Enci didn't mind. "Then I'll enjoy both portions myself."

Xia Enci and Bai Yilian soon left for evening self-study.

Luo Qiaoyin had specifically left some time for Jiang Zhe and Xiao Meng to organize their beds.

As the two were tidying up, Luo Qiaoyin knocked and entered.

Xiao Meng's expression became somewhat constrained.

"Don't be nervous, I just came to take a look. Is everything settled?"

"Everything is settled, Teacher Luo," Xiao Meng said in a low voice.

Luo Qiaoyin smiled warmly. "Once you join our class, do not give up. Who is to say that flowers cannot bloom in a swamp?"

"Mm." Xiao Meng lightly squeezed her palm.

"Alright, if you encounter any problems, find me anytime. Treat me as a friend." Luo Qiaoyin lingered for a few minutes before leaving.

Without Xia Enci there, Xiao Meng's mood was much lower.

Jiang Zhe poured a glass of water, locked the dormitory door, and looked at Xiao Meng. "Auntie Kang said you and the Jiang family have severed your adoption relationship?"

She asked directly, and Xiao Meng's fingers, which were already squeezing her palm, tightened slightly.

"Can't I even tell you?" Jiang Zhe took a sip of water.

Xiao Meng gritted her teeth, her eyes slowly turning red. "It's not that... I was just afraid of affecting you... You've already helped me so much over these years. I... I don't even know what happened back then. My adoptive father, he, he..."

A clear struggle and intense emotional fluctuation appeared in her eyes.

Jiang Zhe handed her a tissue, wanting to know what had actually happened.

"I... I... I'm sorry, it was my fault back then. I didn't know... I shouldn't have approached him. It's my fault, it's my fault."

Jiang Zhe noticed that her emotions had clearly spiraled into chaos.

She was truly blaming everything on herself.

Jiang Zhe grabbed both of her hands.

Jiang Zhe didn't speak, but her actions and gaze were extremely firm. Xiao Meng felt a sense of stable, reassuring strength.

After a long while, Xiao Meng calmed down from her violent trembling.

She was still muttering under her breath, "It's my fault, my fault."

Jiang Zhe had already checked. In the records left at the police station, the adoptive mother's accusation that Xiao Meng had seduced her adoptive father was indeed accompanied by a written apology signed by Xiao Meng herself, through which she had obtained the adoptive mother's forgiveness.

But based on Jiang Zhe's understanding of Xiao Meng's personality, she was not that kind of person.

The repeated fluctuations in Xiao Meng's grades and emotions had turned an originally lively and cheerful girl into someone completely lacking in self-confidence, her emotions perpetually in a state of suppression.

"Xiao Zhe, it's okay. It's in the past, it will get better soon," Xiao Meng comforted Jiang Zhe instead.

"If there is a suitable psychologist, would you be willing to see one?"

Xiao Meng's expression paused, and she swallowed hard.

Jiang Zhe's gaze was locked directly onto Xiao Meng, leaving her no way to retreat.

Compared to Jiang Zhe's usual demeanor, this gaze was exceptionally gentle, yet it pierced straight into the heart.

"Think about it first." Jiang Zhe did not push her too hard.

"I'm willing to go." Xiao Meng seemed to have made a certain decision, finally saying decisively, "I'm willing to go."

The countless days and nights she had spent alone over the past two years had been too agonizing.

Jiang Zhe was offering her a lifeline; she wasn't blind to that.

With Jiang Zhe there, even if it was a tiny glimmer of hope, she wanted to grasp it.

"Alright, I'll contact someone for you." Jiang Zhe picked up her phone.

Xiao Meng bit her lip slightly. She and Jiang Zhe had met in an orphanage; they were later adopted by two different families but had always stayed in touch, except for these past two years when she had deliberately reduced her contact with Jiang Zhe.

Jiang Zhe was not a talkative person, but no matter what happened, she could always handle things well.

Xiao Meng believed in her.

Before going to sleep that night, Xiao Meng said very sheepishly, "Xiao Zhe, Enci, and Bai Yilian... I... I might have nightmares while sleeping. If I accidentally wake everyone up, I wanted to say sorry in advance."

Bai Yilian frowned slightly but said nothing more.

Xia Enci comforted her: "It's no big deal. But don't put too much pressure on yourself; just relax and you'll sleep well."

"Mm." Xiao Meng pulled her quilt tight, burying herself and her head inside.

Early the next morning, Bai Yilian appeared with dark circles under her eyes. She originally wanted to complain a few words, but after looking at Jiang Zhe and Xia Enci, she said nothing more, took her books, and left.

Xiao Meng felt very guilty; she had woken up startled twice last night.

But actually, it was much better than before. Previously, she would wake up startled more than twice every night, and she hadn't been sleeping well herself.

(End of Chapter)