Chapter 28- The National Goddess Raised by the Best Actor(7)

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Chapter 28

“Have you been crying?” Ji Yang’s voice sounded like a question, but the certainty in his tone left no doubt.

“No,” Xu Ruier’s heart panicked, her breathing hitched as she immediately denied it.

“You’re lying.” Ji Yang exposed her without hesitation. “Your voice is thick with emotion, and you sound hoarse. Have you been hiding somewhere and crying alone?”

He had long predicted this outcome. The Xu family was cunning. Since childhood, they had suppressed Xu Ruier, and Xu Wan had intentionally orchestrated her downfall bit by bit, shaping her into the submissive person she had become.

This way, they could control her completely, turning her into a sacrificial pawn for the Xu family’s ambitions and a stepping stone for Xu Wan’s rise.

Xu Ruier had been holding back, but hearing his words, her tears suddenly gushed out. Her sobbing, though stifled, was full of helplessness and sounded heartbreakingly pitiful.

Knock, knock, knock.

The sound of someone knocking interrupted her.

Xu Ruier stood up, hastily wiping her tears. Before she could end the call, Xu Ping appeared at the door. Seeing her daughter in tears, Xu Ping’s face darkened with irritation. Closing the door behind her, she said sharply, “It was wrong of me to hit you, but what were you just saying out there? Disobeying your family? Are you trying to force us to send you off to some decrepit old man in an arranged marriage? Do you want to embarrass me to the point where I can’t show my face in the Xu family anymore?”

“You want to act in movies? Act! Your sister is already in the entertainment industry. Are you trying to compete with her?”

Xu Ruier had no status in the Xu family. Since her childhood, Xu Ping had ignored her in favor of Xu Wan, fearing any attention to Xu Ruier would upset her stepdaughter. Xu Ping had believed that a “good stepmother” should prioritize the elder daughter’s feelings, even if it meant neglecting her own child.

Xu Wan reciprocated with deference, and the Xu family praised Xu Ping’s approach.

Years of this dynamic had warped Xu Ping’s mindset. While Xu Ruier was indeed her biological daughter, she was less valuable compared to Xu Wan, who brought honor and recognition to the family.

Xu Ruier, shaped by this environment, had grown up to embody the exact image the Xu family—and especially Xu Wan—had wanted her to become.

“Mom, I just love acting. I want to try,” Xu Ruier said, gripping her phone tightly as she stood.

“No!” Xu Ping rejected her outright, her tone icy. “Go to the company with your father and learn something practical. Stop wasting your time on nonsense. Don’t you see how angry you’ve made your grandmother? Are you trying to infuriate me to death too?”

Hearing this, Xu Ruier felt her heart sink into icy despair. Her voice trembled. “Mom, do I not even have the right to choose? Must I always follow the family’s plans? I’ve never asked you for anything before, but this time, I want to. I want to act.”

“Choose what? With our family’s status and lifestyle, what more do you want? Aren’t you satisfied?” Xu Ping’s brows knitted tightly. “Don’t dream of things that aren’t meant for you, and don’t think about competing with your sister. What could you possibly compare to her? You need to know your place.”

If Xu Ruier caused trouble, the Xu family would blame her, and Xu Ping’s hard-earned place in the family hierarchy would be at risk. She had fought too long to win Xu Wan’s approval and live as the proud wife of a wealthy family. She wasn’t going to lose it all now.

“What you want for me isn’t what I want for myself,” Xu Ruier said through tears, shaking her head. “I deserve the right to choose how I live.”

“If you were a boy, would this happen? If you were better than your sister, would this happen? What do you mean by ‘what I want’? I’m doing this for your own good! What do you understand about the world?” Xu Ping’s face darkened. “Stop crying. Tomorrow, go apologize to your grandmother, start working at the company, and focus on marrying well. That’s how you’ll turn things around—and that’s how I’ll be able to hold my head high.”

In Xu Ping’s eyes, marriage was Xu Ruier’s only hope, and she needed to make the most of it. Working at the company might even allow her to meet a wealthy suitor.

“That’s enough. I’ll go get you some ice to bring down the swelling. Otherwise, how will you face people tomorrow?” Xu Ping left the room.

Xu Ruier’s hands turned white from clutching her phone, her body cold all over.

“Ruier,” Ji Yang’s voice emerged from the phone, startling her. Her pupils constricted as she realized the call hadn’t ended.

All the humiliation and rage she had just endured surged within her, magnified in that instant. Knowing he had heard everything made her feel utterly exposed. Tears welled up again, and she couldn’t bring herself to say a word.

Xu Ping soon returned with ice, but Xu Ruier refused to open the door. After calling out twice, Xu Ping left in frustration when Xu Dong called for her.

The room fell into silence.

“Are you still listening?” Ji Yang’s voice broke the quiet. It was soft, soothing. “Don’t cry anymore.”

But the moment he spoke, Xu Ruier’s sobs intensified, her cries coming in gasping waves. She couldn’t control it, yet she refused to hang up.

She desperately needed the courage his presence gave her—she felt utterly helpless.

“I’m outside the Xu family house,” Ji Yang said after a pause. His words were calm and deliberate. “Pack your things. I’ll take you home. To our home.”

Time seemed to freeze. Xu Ruier thought she might have misheard him. She stood frozen, staring blankly into space.

Our home?

She stumbled toward the window, pulled the curtain aside, and saw the car parked outside. There he was, standing by the car, phone in hand, looking back at her.

What was this feeling?

Salvation.

It was as if an electric current had jolted her entire body. Her mind went blank, her heart swelled until it felt like it might burst. Her grievances, long suppressed, suddenly became overwhelming.

She had found her anchor.

Ji Yang’s voice continued, steady and firm. “You’re your own person. No one else gets to control your life. You should be doing what you love, not resigning yourself to what others force upon you. Your compromises won’t earn you anyone’s forgiveness or understanding.

“If you keep going down this path, do you know what will happen?”

“You’ll lose yourself completely. Your sacrifices will become nothing but expectations, and the Xu family will pave a road for you—a road that serves their ambitions, not your happiness.”

“Ruier, it’s time to choose your own path. You’re an adult. Breaking free from the chains of your family isn’t just rebellion; it’s rebirth.”

Xu Ruier understood the reasoning—Ji Yang knew that—but no one had ever extended a hand to help her.

For someone who had been under control for so many years, finding the courage to break free was not easy. Ji Yang knew he was her greatest source of strength.

She stared at him from the window. Though the distance was considerable, he could still see the struggle in her eyes. She spoke softly, almost in disbelief, “Our home?”

It wasn’t a trick.

If she was abandoned now, left to face Xu Wan and the Xu family alone, she would lose terribly. Her attempt at defiance would provoke an overwhelming backlash, forcing her into submission with even greater humiliation.

“Yes,” Ji Yang said slowly, every word deliberate. “I’ll take you to a new home, a new life—for the girl I care about. A home for the two of us.”

Her whole life had been about survival and making herself tolerable to those around her. Ji Yang intended to shatter that pattern and show her a new possibility.

Xu Ruier’s personality was soft but resilient, and she loved deeply—especially him.

As expected, the figure in the upstairs window disappeared moments later. Not even thirty seconds passed before she stood before him, wearing slippers, her eyes red and swollen.

“I choose you,” she said, her voice trembling with emotion but filled with determination.

“You’re not bringing anything?” Ji Yang asked, noting her empty hands. “We might not come back.”

She nodded firmly.

Ji Yang pulled her into his arms, gently rubbing her head and placing a soft kiss on her forehead. “Then I’ll take you away. Once you’ve entered my home, you’ll be part of my family.”

Her heart raced, her face flushed pink as she buried herself in his chest, clinging to the warmth and security he offered.

It all felt so unreal.

Back at Ji Yang’s home, he carried her out of the car. She had initially resisted but eventually gave in. His slow, deliberate tone carried a hint of amusement.

“You’re so passive, just like a doormat. By the way, Xu Wan mentioned you the other day,” Ji Yang said as he set her down on the couch. “She probably knows you’re staying here. She’s been subtly probing for information and even asked me for some resources. I felt awkward saying no, so I gave her something. Meanwhile, you’re so unassuming. If this continues, you’ll keep losing out.”

“Did you give her resources because you felt awkward refusing?” Xu Ruier asked, looking directly at him.

“Why else?” Ji Yang replied, sitting on the couch and pulling her onto his lap. He gently tapped her nose with a finger. “People fight for what they want. Only by fighting for something can you truly understand its value, you know?”

Xu Ruier flushed, burying her face against his neck to hide her embarrassment.

Ji Yang’s tone softened as he continued, “I’ve never been sure how to define our relationship. You give so much silently, always trying to do your best, lowering yourself to please others. But, Ruier, that’s not the way. You have your own dignity, and you shouldn’t degrade yourself to win favor from anyone. That only makes people take you for granted.”

“You need to have your own temperament and individuality.”

“Is it because you don’t know how to interact with me?” Xu Ruier asked in a tiny voice, laced with both surprise and hope. Her fingers twisted nervously in his shirt.

Could it be that he didn’t dislike her after all?

“Do you think I’m looking for a bedmate or a casual fling?” Ji Yang sighed, exasperated. “I want to help you grow, Ruier. I want you to pursue what you love, and I’ll do everything I can to support you—but you can’t keep retreating.”

“I won’t,” Xu Ruier said with newfound conviction. Overwhelmed by joy and determination, she shyly hugged him. To her surprise, he held her even tighter.

It felt like being enveloped in honey.

Ji Yang was so good to her.

No one had ever saved her before.

“Let’s rest well tonight,” Ji Yang said. “Tomorrow, we’ll rehearse together, and I’ll go over the script with you.”

He gently pulled her to her feet, his expression serious as he looked into her eyes. “Remember, everything worth having must be fought for and protected. Do you understand? If you don’t fight, someone else will take it from you.”

Xu Ruier immediately thought of Xu Wan. Her defenses went up, and even a trace of anger flickered in her eyes.

Ji Yang pinched her cheek playfully. “Be fiercer.”

She instantly wilted, her courage evaporating.

“Haha,” Ji Yang chuckled as he lifted her in his arms and carried her upstairs. “Get a good night’s sleep. Everything will look better tomorrow.”