Shen Yutong hesitated for a moment, but still spoke, "If my brother-in-law were truly a generous person who didn’t mind giving, and if my sister were really happy, I wouldn’t mind spending his money first, but..."
Zhou Wang looked at Shen Yutong’s hesitant expression and vaguely guessed something, raising an eyebrow, "Is he still trying to hit on you?"
"The day I finished my art exams, my brother-in-law came to pick me up, saying he wanted to celebrate. I excitedly went to the dining place with him, only to find out it was just the two of us..."
Shen Yutong pressed her lips, "I realized something was wrong and ran away. Later, I told my mom about it. But do you know what my mom said?"
Faced with Zhou Wang’s silence, Shen Yutong laughed to herself, "She said, what’s wrong with having a meal and a drink with your brother-in-law? You still need him for your college tuition!"
"I never expected that my mom would not only fail to stand up for me but also scolded me, saying I was being unreasonable..."
Zhou Wang now understood why, according to Yu Duo, her sister Tongtong was the most diligent person in their dormitory. Despite appearing to come from a well-off family, Shen Yutong spent almost all her free time working part-time jobs, never asking her family for a penny.
He also realized that Shen Yutong’s previous efforts to attach herself to people like Young Master Zhang were driven by a hidden desire to change her fate.
She wanted to break free from that invisible web.
"Since talking to Mom didn’t help, I thought about whether I should tell my sister. At least... she should know what kind of person her husband is, right?"
"But when I quietly went to find my sister, I found her hiding in her room crying again. I asked her what was wrong, and she wouldn’t tell me, but I had already seen the scars on her arms."
"At that moment, I was really terrified. I never expected that my usually kind and generous brother-in-law could be such a person..."
"Domestic violence?"
Zhou Wang frowned.
Was this Liu Chao born like this?
To even lay hands on a pitiful woman like Shen Yurou.
"I am very confused, Zhou Wang."
Shen Yutong downed the wine in her glass in one gulp, staring blankly at Zhou Wang, "You tell me, why would my mom, whose own marriage was a tragedy, still push my sister into the fire pit with her own hands?"
"And why, even though she herself experienced the suffering of ’favoring sons over daughters,’ does she still only show favoritism to my brother..."
"From a psychological perspective, this is called the ’negative transformation’ effect, also known as the ’victim as perpetrator’ psychology. Some people, after experiencing tragedy, instead want to inflict the same tragedy on others to seek a psychological balance..."
Zhou Wang did not directly comment on Shen Yutong’s mother; he only stated it this way.
"That day on the Second Ring Road, you told me I lived too twistedly."
For the first time, Shen Yutong showed a little girl’s grievance in front of Zhou Wang.
"But I am really conflicted. I want to resist, to break free, but I’m not afraid of anything else. I’m just afraid that if I do make a big deal out of it, in the end, it will still be my sister who bears the pain..."
Tears slid down Shen Yutong’s cheeks, "My sister is the only warmth I can feel in this family. Sometimes, I really want to help her, but I don’t know what the right thing to do is."
"I just want to make a lot of money, become a bit successful, so that I can loudly tell my mom, stop relying on my brother-in-law for everything; I can also support you..."
Zhou Wang said nothing more, just pulled Shen Yutong into his embrace and gently patted her.
"Woo, woo, woo!"
Shen Yutong tightly hugged Zhou Wang, burying her head on his shoulder, sobbing.
Zhou Wang comforted Shen Yutong while his thoughts wandered uncontrollably.
Damn, her figure was incredible; even though this wasn’t the first time touching her, just holding her like this made Zhou Wang feel overwhelmed...
Damn it, I’m just as bad, thinking about these messy things at a time like this.
"Stop crying, how about... I give you some consolation?"
Zhou Wang forcibly collected his thoughts, remembered something, and smiled.
"Hmm? Consolation where?"
A confused Shen Yutong lifted her head, looking at Zhou Wang with teary eyes like a rain-stricken pear blossom.
"Of course, to console your tough life, where else..."
Zhou Wang cleared his throat, half-jokingly, then seriously asked, "Do you remember I asked you? You need to figure out what you really want. Have you figured it out now?"
"I..."
"It’s okay, there’s no rush to answer. Take your time to think, but I can offer my help in advance."
Zhou Wang smiled, "You have two options."
"What two?"
Realizing something, Shen Yutong’s heart started to race.
"One is to sign with Wuyou Media, and the company will invest some resources to promote you, going down a dance talent route."
Zhou Wang spoke softly, "And the other is to continue your previous pursuit. Didn’t you want to be an actress? Of course, I don’t have a way to get you into dramas immediately, but I can pull some strings to get you signed with another entertainment company. For now, the available opportunity is to play a supporting actress role in a web drama. It’s not an important role, but it’s enough as a start..."
"Can I ask what web drama it is?"
Unable to resist, Shen Yutong asked.
"The second season of ’Heavenly Journey.’"
"Ah!"
Shen Yutong was obviously familiar with the fame of this drama and was taken aback.
"So, which one do you want to choose?"
"I..."
Being overwhelmed by enormous joy, Shen Yutong almost blurted it out, but perhaps because of past experiences that made her grow a little, she restrained her excitement at the last moment, lowered her head, and held Zhou Wang’s arm in her hands.