222: Chapter 222 Picking Up a Female College Student

"If I were to become damaged goods, ruined by others and even infected with diseases, then I suppose I wouldn't be able to carry my mother's wonderful dreams anymore, right?"

"And by then, I should be able to live my own life, right?"

When Zou Luyao asked these two questions, she appeared so desperate and tragic, yet the yearning in her eyes was so resolute.

"Do you hate your mother?"

"Hate? A little, perhaps. But she is also the only family I have left."

"My maternal grandparents severed ties with my mother when I was very young because she became someone else's mistress and had a child out of wedlock."

"Later, when they had their funerals, my mother did take me to attend."

"It was just to get a share of the inheritance, though there wasn't much to begin with, and she didn't manage to get anything anyway, since she was just the youngest daughter and had been kicked out of the family."

"So, my mother is the only family I have in this world. If I were to hate even her, wouldn't I be completely alone and miserable?"

Regarding Zou Luyao's plight, Zhao Xiaoshuai didn't quite know how to comfort her, as the one hurting her was her only family.

"Have you ever thought about becoming independent?"

"Independent? I... I don't know how to do anything. How would I survive on my own?"

Only then did Zhao Xiaoshuai realize that Mother Zou's various restrictions on her had not only left her with almost no ability to interact with others, but also resulted in a lack of sufficient understanding of the world and herself.

She didn't even know how to make money.

Zou Luyao didn't have a phone that belonged entirely to her; she had to hand it over to her mother every day when she got home. It wasn't just her phone; this applied to all her documents as well, which was why she had absolutely nothing on her.

Which websites she browsed, and whether she looked at things unrelated to her studies, were all subject to inspection.

Lacking social skills, possessing no specialized skills, and having never left home, Zou Luyao was actually full of fear toward the outside world.

This time, she had run away on an impulse, and it had taken immense determination to actually go through with it; otherwise, she wouldn't have concluded that she wouldn't have the courage to do it again next time.

"Did this self-destructive mindset only appear recently?"

"It only started to sprout after I entered university."

"Back when I was in school, everyone was pretty much the same, and I could endure it at that time; after all, I had gotten used to it over so many years."

"But after entering university, I saw a much wider world."

"It was the first time I realized that people could live so freely and happily."

"They could choose not to attend class if they didn't want to, sleep in as long as they liked, or skip class to go out and have fun..."

Happiness and suffering are both relative experiences.

Only by witnessing true happiness can one gain a deeper understanding of one's own misfortune.

From her classmates, Zou Luyao saw a different way of living, and thus she could no longer bear it.

"Do you need to call your mother to let her know you're safe?"

After hesitating for a long time, Zou Luyao nodded, took Zhao Xiaoshuai's phone, and dialed a string of numbers.

After being hung up on several times in a row, it finally connected.

"I don't want any loans, I'm not buying a car, not buying health supplements, not buying..."

"Mom, it's me."

It turned out that the previous calls had been disconnected because Mother Zou had mistaken this unfamiliar number for a telemarketing spam call. After hearing her daughter's voice, there was a moment of silence on the other end, followed by a rapid-fire barrage of scolding.

"Zou Luyao, you've really grown some backbone, haven't you? Now you dare to stay out all night!?"

...

The phone call was filled with various reprimands and interrogations, without the slightest concern for her daughter; she didn't even ask why she had stayed out all night.

After finishing with her mother and hanging up, Zou Luyao gave an awkward, bitter smile and returned the phone to Zhao Xiaoshuai.

When taking the phone, their fingers inevitably touched; hers were ice-cold.

Even though they had been warmed up in the morning, it must be her heart that was cold.

"Do you want to escape this kind of life?"

"Of course I do, I think about it in my dreams! But what can I do?"

"I can provide you with a job. It includes room and board, and your pay will be based on your performance. The working hours are mainly in the morning and evening, so it won't interfere with your regular studies. What do you think?"

"I..." Zou Luyao's face lit up, and just as she was about to agree, she immediately asked with caution: "You won't make me do anything strange, will you?"

"The initial plan is just to do some housework and the like. To be honest, my place is quite large."

"But I don't know how to do housework either. At home, my mother handles all the chores; she doesn't even let me help."

"No problem, I can find someone to teach you."

"Really! But, my mother said there's no such thing as a free lunch. Anyone who is nice to me for no reason must have ulterior motives."

She seemed naive about the ways of the world, but her alertness was unexpectedly strong.

However, emmmmm, in a certain sense, her mother's teaching was quite correct.

What she was worried about was, in fact, the truth.

"If there were no such thing as kindness for no reason, then you would have already been ruined by those scumbags all night long, and you would be waking up on the street right now instead of lying in a VIP hospital room."

"I was the one who called the police for you, I paid your medical bills, I stayed here and took care of you all night, and now I'm offering you a job opportunity that could let you break free from your shackles, and this is how you suspect me!"

"My heart hurts so much!"

Since childhood, Zou Luyao had been taught by her mother that many men would swarm around her like flies. She had been conditioned not to trust any man who was nice to her; what she just did was merely a mechanical conditioned reflex.

"No, no, no, I didn't mean that. I'm sorry, I let you misunderstand. You've helped me so much, you must be a good person!"

'No, I'm actually not a good person,' Zhao Xiaoshuai thought to himself, mocking his own statement, before starting to devise a plan for her.

"You go home first, make up any excuse, like the school needs to register something, and get all your documents out."

"Since your mother knows your class, she might go to the school to cause trouble. When the time comes, I'll go with you to find your counselor and try to get you transferred to a different class or even a different department, so you can make a preliminary break from your mother."

"But, if I just leave like this, my mom will be very sad, right?"

A large part of the reason why Zou Luyao had endured for so many years was that she loved her mother very much.

Regardless of everything, it was her mother who had raised her alone, through thick and thin.

"Believe me, as long as you strive to live the life she once dreamed of living, she won't be sad."

"I... can I do that? And, wouldn't that just be the same as before?"

"No, it won't. This is an achievement you will naturally reach, happily, while living a free and unfettered life."

"Huh? Can it be that simple? I already tried my hardest to achieve what I have today, and my only special talent is that I have a slightly better memory."

Zhao Xiaoshuai smiled.

What is the main thing people rely on to successfully cross class barriers?

It is a benefactor.