Chapter 296 If I Were You

“Let’s go!” Madelyn declared. Ignoring the displeased expression on Hayden’s face, she promptly led Josiah and the others away without a second thought.

Once they had covered a certain distance, Madelyn let out a sigh of relief. She glanced over at Josiah and noticed his complexion looked extremely terrible.

The usually boisterous and rowdy boy had fallen completely silent. His eyes were a deep abyss of darkness, their profound depth making it impossible to decipher his thoughts.

Meanwhile, Tristan stood to one side, watching. He let out a helpless sigh, unsure of what to say.

This was the first time Jillian had seen Josiah in such a reticent state. She had to admit, it was somewhat intimidating. Clinging tightly to Madelyn’s hand, she didn’t even dare to breathe.

Madelyn, on the other hand, appeared outwardly calm, yet her mind was incessantly replaying the circumstances surrounding Josiah.

In reality, Josiah’s father held the highest rank in the family, while Hayden’s father was second in line.

Before Josiah was born, he had two older brothers. His eldest brother was a natural-born soldier who had achieved the rank of colonel at a young age. He was greatly esteemed by his family and adored by his soldiers.

However, a few years ago, an unexpected car accident cost him the use of his legs. Despite the Blume family’s relentless efforts to treat him, the results were less than satisfactory. Gradually, he felt as though he had become half a cripple, and his spirit started to fade away.

As for Josiah’s other older brother, there was even less to say. From a young age, he had always been in poor health. After growing up, he failed his physical examination and was unable to join the military. Therefore, he had to find a new path and became a lawyer.

Precisely because his elder brothers were not faring well, Josiah’s father had placed all his hopes and expectations on his youngest son, wishing for him to single-handedly uphold the family’s honor.

Unexpectedly, it was precisely because of this that Josiah lost the childhood he was supposed to have. From the moment Josiah could remember, his life had been filled with nothing but relentless pressure from his family, and days that were thoroughly scheduled.

Later on, it was unclear what transpired, but Josiah slowly became more and more rebellious, stubbornly refusing to comply with his family’s wishes.

They pleaded with him to stay put, but he insisted on going out to play. It was as though he was resisting their all-encompassing control with such behavior.

For this very reason, Josiah was seen by his family as a good-for-nothing, idle and undutiful son who lacked any real skills. Everyone in his family deemed him a disgrace, showering him with various forms of mockery whenever they met him.

Josiah may seem indifferent on the surface, but in reality, these matters always remained as unhealable wounds in his heart.

Of course, he wouldn’t easily share these matters with anyone.

The reason why Madelyn knew so much was that, in their past lives, they were both unfortunate souls who shared a similar fate. This common hardship led them to become the best of friends.

Gradually, Josiah revealed everything to her, and they came to deeply understand each other, sharing a mutual sympathy.

At this thought, Madelyn let out a deep sigh.

Things can’t go on like this. In this lifetime, I can’t bear to watch as Josiah falls from grace and loses everything that should’ve rightfully been his.

Thus, when Madelyn came back to her senses, she immediately gave Josiah a kick.

Josiah staggered forward, nearly tumbling over. He turned around, unable to control his anger. “Madelyn, what are you doing!”

Tristan and Jillian were both taken aback by Madelyn’s bold actions. They quickly stepped forward to hold her back, saying, “Let’s talk this through calmly. Please don’t be impulsive.”

Madelyn, however, ignored the pair and directly confronted Josiah. “Josiah, can you step up your game? That guy was just a minor officer, you know. Was there really a need for you to wear such a dejected expression? It’s such a downer just looking at you!”

“What do you know!” Josiah shouted, his voice full of anger and frustration. “You hardly know anything about my family affairs. How dare you judge me so arbitrarily?”

Madelyn scoffed disdainfully, “I may not know much about your family affairs, but that man just now, he was clearly just a petty person drunk on power! What kind of future can someone of his caliber have? If you were to join the military, you’d definitely achieve more than him. Is it really worth it to get upset over someone like him?”

The air seemed to pause for a moment, thick with tension.

Upon hearing these words, Josiah was completely taken aback. After a long pause, he finally murmured in a low voice, “You overestimate me. What kind of future could I possibly have?” His tone was filled with an undeniable sense of disappointment.

Upon seeing his dispirited demeanor, Madelyn had the urge to slap him, and she did exactly that. She went straight up to Josiah and gave him a good thrashing.

As she hit him, she scolded him with a tone of deep disappointment, “Josiah, could you please take a look at yourself? With your pathetic attitude, it’s no wonder even trash like Hayden can humiliate you. In my opinion, you’re just asking for it! You deserve to be beaten!”

She continued, “Let me tell you, if I were in your shoes, I would rise to power and make everyone who ever looked down on me regret it, one by one! Did you see how Hayden was acting just now? I swear, I wanted to kick him to death right then and there. But now that I think about it, I should probably kick you first!”

As she spoke, Madelyn showed no courtesy, delivering relentless beatings. Josiah was already quite agitated, and getting beaten up at this moment only escalated his frustration.

Unable to contain his fury, he exploded, “Madelyn, for heaven’s sake, you’re a woman! Can’t you be a little less violent?”

“So what if I’m violent? Besides, the ones I hit are just like you, those who clearly have the ability, yet insist on belittling themselves,” Madelyn argued loudly. She simply couldn’t stand his perpetually dispirited demeanor.

“Who told you I was belittling myself?” Suddenly, Josiah forcefully retorted, “Hayden is not worth my despair. One day, I’ll show him who the real failure is!”

Only then did Madelyn cease her actions.

A smile crept onto her lips, feeling somewhat relieved. “That’s more like it,” she said. “The Josiah I know has always been spirited, not some worthless individual who can’t do anything."

“And don’t forget, Josiah, your eldest brother who loves you dearly, your second brother, and your parents, grandparents, and others, they’ve always seen you as the hope of the family. Of course, I’m included too. I’ve always held a deep belief that you are undoubtedly talented. It’s just that your heart isn’t quite in the right place yet. As long as you can commit to your work, I’m certain you’ll excel!” Madelyn encouraged.

Upon hearing these words, Tristan and Jillian both nodded in agreement, chiming in with encouragement, “That’s right, don’t forget you still have us. We’ll always be your strongest support.”

Seeing the situation, Madelyn couldn’t help but chuckle. “Mr. Josiah, with so many people caring for you, you should really appreciate it. If I were you, I’d be over the moon with happiness.”