Chapter 180: The Tolerant Virtuous Wife in a Harem Novel…3

When Xie Hui heard her words, he shot her an annoyed glare.

“Weren’t you trying to lose weight? You’re just a young girl—do you really think looking like a walking stick is attractive?”

“Auntie’s already gone to bed. When you’re done eating, clean up after yourself.”

Xie Shu, who had been feeling a bit down, immediately perked up at his last sentence. She hurried after him, and as they stepped into the elevator to go downstairs, she tried to defend herself.

“But Dad, Zhou Yang said girls look better when they’re thinner.”

At that, a flicker of coldness appeared in Xie Hui’s eyes.

“Xie Shu, I’ve always wanted to have a calm, honest conversation with you. But ask yourself this—do you really think it’s appropriate to stand in front of your father and say you’re hurting your own body just to please someone else?”

His rare serious tone made Xie Shu panic a little. She had only been trying to justify her actions without thinking it through, but now she had clearly upset her father again.

“I… I…”

The original client had always avoided talking about relationships and never taught the girl a healthy view of love. On top of that, Xie Shu had been so carefully sheltered that her understanding of romance came entirely from melodramatic TV dramas. She believed that love could conquer all, no matter what anyone else said. To her, every hardship was just a necessary trial on the path to true love.

Xie Hui sighed and said nothing more. He turned and went back to his room.

After a shower, he stepped out onto the balcony in his pajamas, a cigarette held between his long fingers. He rarely needed a smoke to calm his nerves, but tonight, he took a drag and lowered his gaze, lost in thought.

Xie Hui felt that Xie Shu’s actions had completely betrayed the hopes and efforts the client had invested in her. She was growing up in the best of times, yet insisted on trapping herself in a narrow, outdated mindset.

Most of the children he’d encountered before were sweet and obedient—that had just been his luck. In reality, disobedient kids were far more common. Everyone says things they don’t mean sometimes, especially to the people closest to them.

“Host, do you want to abandon this mission?”

The system had detected a spike in Xie Hui’s emotional fluctuations and took the initiative to ask. Abandoning a mission would only cost him some points and forfeit the reward. For someone of Xie Hui’s level, the penalty was negligible.

The night breeze helped clear his mind. When the cigarette burned down, he stubbed it out in the ashtray and finally replied:

“No.”

There’s no such thing as a perfect child. When they go astray, that’s exactly when a father needs to step in and guide them.

Raising a child isn’t just about providing for them—it’s about teaching them too. In real life, no parent gives up on their child just because they’ve been upset a few times.

This time, Xie Hui didn’t go out of his way to make the journey comfortable for his daughter like the client would have. Instead, he changed into simple clothes and took the train with Xie Shu.

After getting off the train, they transferred to a long-distance bus, heading to the place Zhou Yang had mentioned.

Xie Shu, who already got carsick easily, looked pale as a sheet after all the jostling. She seemed like she might faint at any moment.

The client, watching from the system space, already felt heartache at the sight. But Xie Hui simply closed his eyes and pretended not to see.

When they finally arrived, Xie Shu’s legs gave out the moment she stepped off the bus. She collapsed by the roadside and vomited up a few mouthfuls of bile.

Xie Hui glanced at his watch and reminded her calmly:

“If you don’t hurry, you might not make it back in time.”

“I got it, Dad.”

Xie Shu forced herself to stand and followed Xie Hui into the village. But the moment she saw the rundown surroundings, she froze in shock.

Was it really possible that in this day and age, a place like this still existed?

It happened to be the weekend, and as they walked through the village, Xie Shu saw several young children working in the fields.

“They’re so little… Shouldn’t they be in tutoring classes on the weekend? Why are they working? Isn’t this child labor?”

“When you were with Zhou Yang, did you ever ask him about his family?”

Xie Hui’s question made Xie Shu’s face flush with embarrassment. She stammered:

“Dad, I… Zhou Yang and I aren’t that serious yet…”

As they walked along the village path, Xie Hui spoke calmly:

“Well, since he didn’t tell you, I will. Most of the kids in this village are left-behind children. Their parents work in the cities and send money home. They might save five or six thousand yuan a year—that’s about the cost of one of your dresses.”

“Tutoring classes? When they can barely afford to eat, how are they supposed to pay for tutoring?”

Xie Shu fell silent at her father’s words.

“When we get there, don’t mention that you know Zhou Yang. Just take a good look at the kind of environment he comes from.”

“But Dad, if Zhou Yang’s had such a hard life, how could you still be so harsh on him?”

Xie Hui had only meant to explain why the children were working in the fields. He hadn’t expected Xie Shu to twist it into something else entirely.

But after hearing this kind of thing enough times, he was used to it. He said nothing more, his face expressionless.

When they arrived, Xie Hui saw Zhou Yang’s mother. She was a rural woman with a timid air, her back hunched as she walked. When she saw strangers at her door, she instinctively asked:

“Who are you looking for?”

Before Xie Shu could even open her mouth, Xie Hui stepped forward with a polite smile.

“Hello, my daughter is studying photography. She thought your village had a unique atmosphere and wanted to take some pictures. We didn’t see any hotels nearby—would it be possible to stay at your place for a night? Just the two of us. We can pay you a thousand yuan.”

Mother Zhou didn’t agree right away. She looked at them with suspicion, clearly worried they might be scammers.

“I really mean no harm. We’ll probably only stay for about a week. I’ll give you ten thousand yuan in total, and we’ll eat with you too. How about it?”

After saying a few more reassuring words and handing over the cash, Xie Hui finally saw her lower her guard and nod.

That evening, perhaps feeling guilty for accepting so much money, Mother Zhou even killed one of their old hens and made chicken soup. She picked out all the best pieces and served them to her guests.

“Mom, did little brother call you?”

While they were eating, a woman holding a child walked in from outside.

The moment she called out “Mom,” Xie Shu’s head snapped up.

The woman only noticed the guests after stepping inside.

“They’re here to take photos of the village. They’re staying with us and paid for it. With that money, Yinyin should be able to hang on a bit longer. Tomorrow, I’ll go to the hospital and pay the medical bills.”

“Yangyang’s in college—where would he get that kind of money?”

Hearing this, Xie Shu nodded in agreement. He was still a student; how could he possibly have time to earn money for his family?

But the woman holding the child was clearly at her wit’s end. Upon hearing her mother’s words, she broke down and started shouting through tears, completely forgetting there were outsiders present.

“What did he say back then? That once he got into college, he’d be able to earn money and help his brother-in-law! If he hadn’t taken that money to pay for Yangyang’s tuition, would my husband’s shop have shut down? Would he have worked himself to death trying to earn money for our child’s treatment, dying so young?!”

“I used to think I should be understanding, since he’s working so hard out there. But now, who’s going to be understanding toward me? My Yinyin is only four years old. The doctor said if we don’t do the surgery soon, then…”

She broke off, then crouched down with the child in her arms and began to cry.

Xie Shu, who was sitting at the table eating, saw the scene and gripped her chopsticks awkwardly.

Xie Hui, on the other hand, recalled the storyline he had seen before. Zhou Yang’s sister had been something of a villain, constantly making things difficult for him and his harem of love interests. She was the kind of character that made people grit their teeth in frustration.

He hadn’t expected there to be this kind of backstory behind it all.

Mother Zhou opened her mouth, wanting to explain something, but in the end, not a single word came out.

Xie Hui finished his dinner slowly and methodically. Mother Zhou forced a smile as she led them to their rooms. He was staying in Zhou Yang’s old room, while Xie Shu was placed in the room that belonged to the woman they had just seen—Zhou Yang’s sister. That night, Zhou Yang’s sister planned to share a room with Mother Zhou and make do.

Lying in bed, Xie Shu couldn’t sleep. Partly because she wasn’t used to the unfamiliar surroundings, but more so because the scene from earlier had left too strong an impression on her. Her mind was in turmoil.

At first, she had simply thought it was wrong for Zhou Yang’s family to keep asking him for money. But now, thinking back on what that woman had said, it didn’t seem so unreasonable. Even if Zhou Yang was still a college student, wasn’t it normal to help out a little?

He could’ve taken on a part-time job at a milk tea shop in his spare time. Even a little income would’ve helped.

Xie Shu reached up and pressed her hands to her head, trying to stop her thoughts from spiraling, but her mind kept drifting back in that direction.

The next morning, Mother Zhou prepared breakfast. The dark circles under her eyes made it clear she hadn’t slept well.

Since Xie Hui had made up a lie, he was going to see it through. After breakfast, he took Xie Shu up the mountain and snapped a few photos.

“Dad, I feel so confused all of a sudden…”

Xie Shu sat down on the ground without caring whether it was clean or not. She stared at the mist rolling through the mountains, her eyes full of bewilderment.

“What is it? Tell me.”

“I always thought Zhou Yang came from an ordinary family. I never imagined it was like this. I never looked down on him for not having money. It’s just… with a situation like this, he could’ve applied for student loans. Why… why did it have to come to this?”

Her words came out haltingly. She couldn’t understand how things had escalated so badly over just one semester’s tuition. The current policies were so supportive—student loans, scholarships, grants. They were more than enough to get someone through college.

“So, do you still think Zhou Yang is pitiful? That he’s being dragged down by his family?”

When Xie Hui asked this, Xie Shu didn’t respond with the same certainty she’d had before.

“That line you said the other night—it would’ve made more sense coming from Zhou Yang’s sister.”

Xie Hui sighed casually. After all, in the original plot, even her own mother had given up on her.

Sitting there, Xie Shu’s ears burned when she heard that. It felt like someone had slapped her hard across the face.