Chapter 1: apologize
“Zhang Weiwei, apologise to your sister.”
Those were the first words Weiwei heard when her father walked into her hospital room.
She stared at him, wondering if he was joking.
Three days.
She had spent three days in the hospital, and her father couldn't even ask if she was feeling better before demanding an apology.
She shifted against the pillow, wincing slightly as pain shot through her body.
“Dad, did you come here to check on me or to discuss Li Wei again?”
His face darkened. “What did you just say?”
“You heard me.”
“Watch your mouth, Zhang Weiwei!”
Weiwei fell silent, but not because she was afraid of him. She was simply tired. Tired of the shouting, tired of the comparisons, tired of being treated like the villain in every situation.
Her mother sat beside Li Wei, rubbing her back gently.
“Look at you,” her mother said with a disappointed sigh. “You haven't even recovered, and you're already starting trouble. Can't you just apologise and let everyone have some peace?”
Weiwei looked at her mother, then at Li Wei.
Her younger sister had her head lowered, looking as though she might burst into tears at any moment.
Of course.
Poor Li Wei.
Everyone's precious little Li Wei.
“Apologise for what?” Weiwei asked.
Li Wei's lips trembled. “Jiejie, please. I don't want us to fight anymore.”
“Then stop making me the bad person every time something doesn't go your way.”
“Weiwei!” her father barked.
“What?” She turned to him. “You want me to apologise, but nobody has even told me what I'm apologising for. Should I just say sorry because Li Wei is crying? Is that what you want?”
“Don't you dare speak about your sister like that!”
Weiwei laughed bitterly.
“Then how should I speak about her, Dad? Like a princess? Because that's exactly how all of you treat her.”
Her mother stood up.
“Have you forgotten that your sister is sick? Do you have any idea how much stress she goes through? You know she can't handle these things, yet you keep provoking her.”
“And what about me?”
The question came out before Weiwei could stop herself.
Nobody answered.
She looked from one face to another.
“What about me, Mom? I'm your daughter too, aren't I?”
“Don't start with this again,” her father said.
Weiwei's mouth fell open.
“This again?”
“Yes! Every time something happens, you start complaining about how we treat you. You're twenty years old, Weiwei. When will you grow up?”
She stared at him in disbelief.
She could hardly believe he had said that to her.
“Fine,” she muttered. “I'm sorry I was born first.”
Her mother gasped.
“Zhang Weiwei!”
“What? Isn't that the problem? If I were the younger one, maybe somebody would finally care about what I want.”
Li Wei began crying.
Chen Hao, who had been standing quietly near the door, immediately moved to her side.
“Weiwei, that's enough. You're going too far.”
Weiwei turned toward him.
She hadn't even noticed him standing there. Apparently, he had been present long enough to hear everything, yet he hadn't said a word until Li Wei started crying.
She looked at the way he was comforting her sister and felt something unpleasant twist in her chest.
“Of course you'd say that.”
He frowned. “What does that mean?”
“Nothing, Chen Hao. Don't worry. I wasn't expecting you to take my side anyway.”
“I'm not taking sides. I'm telling you that you're being unreasonable.”
“Then why don't you ask what happened before you decide who's unreasonable?”
He hesitated.
Just for a second.
Then he sighed. “Whatever happened, you know how fragile Li Wei is. You should have been more careful.”
Weiwei looked away.
That was it.
That was all she needed to hear.
Even Chen Hao, who had known her since childhood, couldn't be bothered to ask what had happened to her.
She remembered the argument that had landed her here. She remembered Li Wei demanding her bedroom because her dog needed more space. She remembered her mother telling her to move her things into the servants' quarters, as if the room had never belonged to her in the first place.
And she remembered what happened when she refused.
But somehow, everyone had forgotten that part.
Or perhaps they simply didn't care.
“Get out,” she said.
Her father stared at her. “What?”
“I said, get out.”
“Have you lost your mind?”
“Maybe I have. So please, just leave me alone.”
Her father marched toward the bed.
“You ungrateful girl! After everything we've done for you, this is how you repay us?”
Weiwei gripped the blanket.
“Everything you've done for me?”
Her voice shook, and she hated that it did.
“You gave my room to Li Wei's dog. You watched her take everything from me, and every time I complained, you called me selfish. Now I'm lying in a hospital bed, and you still can't ask if I'm okay!”
Her eyes burned.
“Tell me, Dad. What exactly do I have to do before you treat me like your daughter?”
For a moment, the room was silent.
Her mother looked uncomfortable. Chen Hao lowered his eyes.
But her father?
He only scoffed.
“If you think living in this house is so terrible, then leave. And don't expect us to keep paying for your expenses.”
Weiwei stared at him.
She had heard threats before. She had heard him say plenty of things when he was angry.
But this time, he wasn't bluffing.
“You'd really cut me off?”
“Try me.”
She looked at her mother, waiting for her to intervene.
Her mother simply said, “Your father is angry. You should apologise before this gets worse.”
Something inside Weiwei went quiet.
Not broken. Not healed.
Just quiet.
She slowly nodded.
“Okay.”
Her father looked satisfied. “Good. Now apologise to your sister.”
Weiwei turned to Li Wei.
Her sister was watching her through tear-filled eyes, waiting.
Weiwei gave her a small, humourless smile.
“I'm sorry, Li Wei.”
Li Wei blinked, seemingly surprised that she had finally agreed.
Weiwei continued.
“I'm sorry I ever expected you to treat me like your sister. I'm sorry I thought that, just once, you'd care about what happened to me instead of worrying about what you could get out of it.”
“Zhang Weiwei, that's enough!” her father shouted.
“No, Dad. You wanted an apology. I gave you one.”
She pulled the blanket up and turned her back on them.
“Now leave.”
Her father cursed under his breath. Her mother called her name, but Weiwei didn't turn around.
The door slammed.
She lay there for a long time, staring at the wall.
Then she reached for her phone.
There were several missed calls and messages, most of them from people asking about Li Wei. Not one asked how she was doing.
She opened her father's contact and stared at it for a few seconds.
Then she put the phone down.
She had no idea where she would go. She had almost no money, her body was still weak, and her family had just made it clear that she was on her own.
But she couldn't stay.
Not after this.
Weiwei slowly sat up, ignoring the discomfort, and reached for her clothes.
If her family wanted her out of their lives so badly, she would make their wish come true.
This time, she wouldn't wait for them to throw her away.
She would leave on her own.
very good story but if you don't mind you can also check out my stories
Your story has a captivating quality that makes its characters and events feel worth exploring.