NOVGO.NET Chapter 349: More Wronged Than Dou E
Chapter 349: Chapter 349: More Wronged Than Dou E
"No, no, no, it’s not your fault. You don’t have to apologize." Seeing Cassandra lower her head, her eyes seemingly red and welling up, Howard grew so anxious he nearly leaped out of his hospital bed.
"It’s not like it’s some big secret, anyway. You were always saying how when you lived with the Lynch Family, that cousin of yours was always bullying and abusing you."
"No, Howard, you’ve misunderstood. I never said my cousin bullied and abused me. She was very good to me. Even if she was a bit strict sometimes, it was always for my own good."
"Even at a time like this, you’re still defending her? Cassandra, you’re just too kind-hearted."
The two people outside the door were speechless. For some reason, they suddenly felt a bit sick to their stomachs!
Melody Lynch raised an eyebrow, a cold sneer playing on her lips.
’Interesting. I’d just love to hear exactly how I’ve "bullied" and "abused" this dear cousin of mine all these years.’
"You’ve been frail since you were a child, and with your parents gone... It would be one thing if their family simply didn’t take good care of you, but they even burdened you with such a heavy academic workload! They used studying as an excuse to keep you locked up at home, to hold you firmly in their grasp and prevent you from having any contact with the outside world."
"And for something as important as your college entrance exams, they even did everything they could to stop you from going, afraid you’d get into a top university on your own merit and escape their control. Their motives were utterly venomous."
The more Howard spoke, the angrier he became, his face a mask of fury as he championed Cassandra’s cause.
"They clearly had maids and a chef, but they still forced you to cook for them. If the food wasn’t to their liking, they’d beat and curse you. That injury on your hand took a full month to heal, and it even left a scar—how could that be a lie? If that isn’t deliberate abuse, what is?"
"The most outrageous one is that Melody Lynch! She knew you were frail, but she still made you carry her things when you went out shopping. You’re her cousin, not the family servant! How could she treat you like that? She was just bullying you because you’re all alone and too gentle to fight back, wasn’t she?"
Having heard Howard’s entire tirade, Melody Lynch stood outside the door looking completely dumbfounded. It was as if he were speaking another language; she didn’t understand a single word of his accusations.
’First, let’s talk about that "heavy academic workload." Cassandra has a congenital heart defect. My parents were so worried something might happen to their brother’s only child that they had someone watching over her in shifts, twenty-four hours a day, while she was growing up.’
’They were afraid she’d be bullied at school because she was so small, so they pulled strings to arrange it so she didn’t have to attend kindergarten or even elementary school. Instead, they hired top tutors to teach her one-on-one at home.’
’By the time she started middle school, she was older, and after years of meticulous care, her health had improved to the point where she could finally attend school. So, my parents went and spoke to the school administration and her teachers, asking them to look out for her, not to pressure her academically, and to always prioritize her physical well-being.’
’Frankly, my parents put more effort into caring for Cassandra, their niece, than they ever did for their own children—my brother and me.’
’And what’s the result? The way Cassandra tells it, they ignored her health, crushed her spirit with high-pressure studies, and deliberately locked her up at home to keep her from contacting the outside world or making friends...’
’As for stopping her from taking the college entrance exam, that’s an even bigger injustice!’
’I remember it perfectly. The only reason my parents tried to stop her from taking the exam was that Cassandra had come down with a cold and a fever the night before.’
’And the reason she got sick? Because she insisted on joining the family for a very important gala on a cruise ship the night before the exam.’
’She was out in the sea breeze for too long while socializing on the ship, and by the next morning, she had a slight cough and a low-grade fever.’
’If it had been me or my brother, Zane, it would have been one thing. But this was Cassandra. My parents were terrified she’d collapse during the test and, if help didn’t arrive in time, the worst could happen. They pleaded with her to just skip the last subject.’
’They told her she could just take it again next year, or the family could simply donate an academic building or a library to her preferred university to get her admitted without the exam.’
’But in the end, Cassandra took some medicine and insisted on going to take that last test anyway. Our entire family waited outside the testing center the whole time. Every minute she was in there was a minute we spent on pins and needles.’
’The second she walked out of the testing center, we drove her straight to the hospital to be admitted for observation.’
’And the result? After our family went through all that trouble to safeguard her health, we get accused of trying to stop her from taking the exam out of fear she’d get into a good university. We’re painted as having venomous motives.’
Just thinking about it made Melody’s heart ache for her parents.
’The cooking incident was the same. It was Cassandra who insisted on personally making longevity noodles for my mother on her birthday. Mom was so touched. Even though the noodles weren’t very good and the fried egg was half-burnt, she was a good sport and ate the whole bowl clean.’
’Afterward, when she found out Cassandra had accidentally nicked her hand while chopping vegetables, she immediately called the family doctor over. His diagnosis? "If I’d arrived a minute later, the wound would’ve already closed up on its own."’
’And for all that, our family gets branded with the label of forcing her to cook and treating her like a servant.’
’And finally, this business about me making her carry my bag—that’s the most ridiculous claim of all.’
’Whenever my brother and I took Cassandra out shopping, we never let her carry a single thing.’
’Oh, wait. There was one time.’
A memory sparked in Melody’s mind, a distant event gradually coming into focus.
’It was three years ago, on the eve of the Lunar New Year. On a whim, my parents decided the whole family should go out to shop for the holiday, mainly just to experience the festive atmosphere.’
’The five of us went on a shopping spree at the mall. By the time we came out, everyone was loaded down with bags, big and small—everyone except Cassandra. My little handbag was feeling a bit cumbersome, so I asked Cassandra to hold it for a minute. The purse was no bigger than a dinner plate and all it had inside was a phone and a few cards.’
’Listening to the way Howard was talking about it now, you’d think carrying that tiny purse for me back then had nearly killed her.’
Melody, outside the door, was rendered speechless with anger. Meanwhile, the person inside, taking everything out of context and turning black into white, was still running her mouth.
"Howard, please don’t say any more. I did all those things willingly. Besides... besides, I believe that my uncle, my aunt, and my cousins... they don’t have absolutely no feelings for me. It’s just..."
"If they had any feelings for you, why would they throw you out on the street the second they found out you weren’t a biological member of the Lynch Family? They completely ignored that you’re sick and could just die out there at any moment."
Hearing this, Arabella, who was also outside the door, almost burst out laughing.
’Pfft. No wonder you’re just the third male lead. With emotional intelligence this low... "thrown out on the street," "you’re sick," "could just die out there"... You really know how to say the most awful things, don’t you? Cassandra Lynch is so lucky to have a simp like you!’