Chapter 43: Sisi's Outburst

The atmosphere in the room completely shifted, and everyone looked at Liu Jing with a certain awkwardness.

While the logic made sense, how could one say such a thing in front of her maternal family?

Liu Jing was indifferent. For him at present, it made no difference whom he stayed with.

If traveling the world did not require having a legal guardian, he would have chosen to follow himself.

"You really..." Sister Li rubbed the bridge of her nose, feeling a dull ache in her head. That statement was utter nonsense.

The matter of the divorce was now settled, and choosing to announce it today was meant to let the child have a pleasant birthday.

However, another matter might not be so easily resolved.

Having spent so many years with Liu Jing, she understood him quite well.

Thus, Sister Li glanced at the younger aunt, who kept her eyes fixed downwards; she understood Liu Jing even better.

With a dark expression, Sister Li cleared her throat heavily. "Wenqiong, didn't you have something to discuss with Mu Tou?"

"Did I?"

"You do!"

Unable to play deaf and dumb, the younger aunt gave a couple of dry coughs. "Mu Tou, what do you think of the United States? Isn't its development much better than back home?"

"Indeed, we must admit that they have their own strengths and are temporarily ahead of our China." Liu Jing nodded. He had been to the United States before, traveling alongside his younger aunt.

Back in Xiangjiang, he had thought that the world's prosperity could go no further than that.

Upon reaching America, he discovered that it could be even more prosperous, filled with so much advanced technology.

China was genuinely lagging behind America and the rest of the world; it was a fact he had to acknowledge, reluctant as he might be.

"Then would you like to go to America?" the younger aunt asked.

"I would. There are so many high-tech products," Liu Jing replied without a moment's hesitation.

A look of joy crossed the younger aunt's face. Before she could continue, however, Liu Jing added, "Though visiting America for a trip is fine, emigrating there is out of the question. China has several millennia of civilization and countless inventions. We are the only country whose thoughts bridge ancient and modern times, whose spoken and written language has survived to this day, and whose cultural heritage runs unbroken from start to finish. It's true we lag behind America now, and that's a fact we must accept. But throughout history, how many times has our country nearly fallen, only to rise again in the end? I believe our nation will experience a renaissance sooner or later, and before long, we will once again stand at the pinnacle of the world. We have already endured for five thousand years, and we will forge the next five thousand."

Liu Jing's expression was very solemn, having already guessed what the younger aunt intended to say.

In this era, many people believed the moon shone brighter abroad, and Sister Li was a prime representative of that mindset.

Following her divorce, no one would ever stand in the way of her realizing her dreams again.

Liu Jing had no intention of altering their perspectives.

Changing someone's worldview was far too difficult; empty preachings were no match for naked reality, and a hundred words of advice paled beside a single harsh blow.

With burning passion, Liu Jing delivered a resonant and powerful conclusion: "Therefore, I, Liu Jing, will never emigrate."

Sister Li sneered. "Such a drama queen. Who told you I was going to emigrate?"

Liu Jing's momentum deflated instantly as he scratched his head. Why did things turn out differently than he had imagined?

The younger aunt burst into hearty laughter. "Mu Tou, Sister Li plans to take you both to America next year for your schooling. The educational standards there far surpass those at home, which will greatly benefit your studies. If you still want to act in the future, you can continue doing so—Hollywood is over there. In a decade or eight years, once your studies are finished, you'll still come back. After all, our roots are here; fallen leaves return to their roots, let alone people."

Sister Li chimed in to persuade him as well, "When you return to China then, your starting point will be higher than others, and your opportunities will be much greater too."

"My starting point is already higher than many people's; there's no need for me to go there just to get a gilded resume." Liu Jing flatly refused. While he had no intention of emigrating, he also had no desire to study over there.

"No! You must come with us."

"I'm not going."

"I am your guardian."

"Even so, I'm not going."

"Can you bear to watch Xi Xi and me get bullied in a foreign land?"

"That's your choice."

"You..."

"I'll go to America to visit you often."

"No, this is not up to you."

"Your word doesn't finalise this; I can ask Uncle An."

Seeing the argument escalating, the grandmother sighed. "If he doesn't want to go, then don't force him. Mu Tou's situation is different from Xi Xi's; a genius is a genius no matter where he is."

Xi Xi's small face sank. What was that supposed to mean? Was she being looked down upon?

So Mu Tou was a genius, and she, An Feng, was a fool.

From start to finish, had anyone ever asked for her opinion? She didn't want to go to America either.

"Grandmother is wise," Liu Jing said, offering a small bit of flattery.

Xi Xi felt immensely envious. She didn't want to go to America to study either. After all, in her childhood memories, the money Mu Tou earned in just a few years could practically buy the whole of America. Put that way, America couldn't be all that great.

Combined with the fact that Liu Jing frequently disparaged America while praising China, the young girl had long since been brainwashed.

Consequently, she wanted to emulate Mu Tou and negotiate properly with her mother.

"Mom, I also..."

"Shut up."

"Why should I shut up? When you got married, did you ask me? When you decided to get divorced, did you ask me? When you decided to take me to America for school, did you ask me? I'm a human being too, not an idiot—why should I shut up?" Xi Xi completely erupted, resembling a cat with its fur on end.

Even Mu Tou didn't have to shut up, so why should she? She was the biological child, after all.

Xi Xi still kept this last thought to herself, worried that it might overcomplicate things for Liu Jing.

"When they got married, they didn't need to ask you," Liu Jing muttered in a very quiet voice. With the young miss having an outburst, even he felt a bit intimidated.

Sister Li was stunned, never expecting her daughter to react with such intensity.

From her perspective, managing Liu Jing was the hardest part, and she hadn't given a single thought to how her daughter might feel.

"Xi Xi, Mom is only doing this for your own good. In America..."

"If it's for my own good, then you can go to America by yourself. If I stay with grandmother, I can study well too—definitely better than Mu Tou. Whatever Mu Tou can learn, I can learn too. If he can stay in Jiangcheng, I can stay in Jiangcheng." Xi Xi tilted her chin up stubbornly.

"No! The child of your Uncle Wang is studying at Harvard in America. Once he graduates..."

"We'll talk after he graduates," Xi Xi interrupted bluntly.

"Once he graduates, he'll surely be an elite member of society, earning big money and living a much better life." Sister Li took a deep breath, trying to explain patiently.

"Money, money, it's always about money every single day. Have you got money drilled into your eyes? Earn, earn—can he make as much money as Mu Tou?" Xi Xi placed her hands on her hips, pressing aggressively.

"He... Mu Tou is a special case." Sister Li was momentarily at a loss for words. *You really know how to pick a comparison; how many little monsters like this exist in the world? If he weren't exceptional, why on earth would I have adopted him?*

"I'm exceptional too. There is only one me in this world," Xi Xi replied earnestly. Behind Sister Li's back, Liu Jing quietly gave her a thumbs-up.

"Mu Tou can stand on his own two feet and earn enough to support himself at such a young age. What can you do?" Sister Li asked.

"I can run away from home." Xi Xi glared at Liu Jing, made a tearing motion with both hands, and then stormed out angrily.

Bang...

The bedroom door slammed shut with a deafening crash, making Liu Jing's liver quiver. The little brat was actually serious.

"Sis, how could you be like this? I told you beforehand that this wouldn't work. You and your former husband are more stubborn than each other—can't you both compromise a little for Xi Xi's sake?" the younger aunt scolded, annoyed.

Sister Li sighed. "You're not married, so you don't understand. Marriage requires cultivation. If you compromise today, you'll have to keep retreating step by step in the future."

"I don't understand as much as you, go ahead and ruin things then." Without waiting for a response, the younger aunt quickly chased after her. "Xi Xi..."