Familiar scenes replayed once again.

But this time, as my dad started to reach for his belt, my mom stood quietly, not coming up to grab my arm.

My dad pointed at my nose and scolded, "How dare you speak to your elders like that? We are your parents, your parents!"

"That's our money, we can give it to whoever we want, even if we give it to beggars on the street, you have no say!"

His voice was particularly loud, his face full of anger.

It seemed that only by raising his voice continuously and emphasizing my mistakes repeatedly could he prove they were not wrong.

They felt guilty.

As my dad's belt was about to fall on my arm, I easily dodged it.

My dad couldn't contain his anger, he turned to my mom and shouted, "Are you stupid! Hold her down!"

My mom seemed to wake up from a dream, she stared blankly at my dad, then tremblingly held onto my arm.

But the moment her hand touched my skin, it recoiled as if shocked.

For the first time in her life, she withdrew from this war in our family.

My dad spat, defiantly raising the belt.

I played with him like a monkey, and soon he dropped the belt, slumping in the chair, panting heavily.

He couldn't even look me in the eye, just spewing filthy words that were unbearable to hear.

The room was a mess, with broken cups, a fallen teapot, and scattered cushions.

As I was leaving the room, I ran into Zhang Jiacheng.

She stood at the door, staring at me somewhat dazed, forgetting to chew the bubblegum in her mouth.

I straightened out my wrinkled clothes, gave her a cold glance, and was about to leave.

Unexpectedly, she suddenly grabbed my wrist, her perfume scent hitting me, rushing into my nostrils.

I instinctively furrowed my brow.

Essentially, her involvement had nothing to do with my parents' affairs, yet it was intertwined with her at every turn.

She indirectly harmed me, so I had no fondness for her.

For years, I tried to avoid talking to her or meeting her, restraining my impulses, which was already my biggest concession to her.

Zhang Jiacheng spoke softly, asking, "Have you applied for university?"

I clenched my fist, gritting my teeth, "What's it to you?"

She let go of my hand, patted my shoulder, and said, "Alright, go study, apply for university, go to the school you want."

I pushed her hand away, "Nonsensical."

For a long time, I didn't understand the meaning behind Zhang Jiacheng's words.

I once suspected if she was trying to instigate between me and my parents, but it no longer mattered.

After a big fight with my parents that day, I left home alone and went to He Xiaoman's house.

I had not a penny on me, just a cellphone.

I sent a message to my mom declaring that I was running away and not to bother about me anymore, then proceeded to block both my parents.

Later, He Xiaoman and I embarked on the path of working.

She took orders online for drawing, her fingers wrapped in several layers of white bandages.

I took a part-time job in a nearby factory for the summer.

As long as I worked 350 hours a month, I would earn 8000 yuan, saving up to 16,000 yuan in two months.

The factory provided meals, so I didn't have to worry about food expenses.

I could apply for a student loan for university tuition, and the saved 15,000 yuan would suffice as living expenses for a year.

During winter and summer breaks, I would return to the factory, and no matter what, I could make it through until graduation.