Chapter 214 Old Master Qin

"Like it?" Jiang Ruan retorted. "If those are what you like, please take them back. I am not worthy of them."

After saying that, he stood up, not intending to stay any longer.

The truth has been revealed.

There's no need to stay any longer.

"Wait a minute," Huo Zhizhou called out to her.

Jiang Ruan stopped in her tracks, turned around, and spoke before he could: "If you want to use Su Zhu and Ye Yanzhi..."

Huo Zhizhou: "Aren't you going to ask about my injuries?"

The two spoke at the same time.

The atmosphere instantly fell silent.

A barely perceptible hint of hurt flashed across Huo Zhizhou's eyes, but it vanished in an instant.

"The doctor said there's no danger to his life, and he can be discharged after two or three weeks of rest. So far, no complications have been found." He didn't take her hurtful words to heart, and simply told her about his situation, "You don't need to worry."

"I'm not worried," Jiang Ruan said quickly, but her hands unconsciously tightened.

Huo Zhizhou's gaze remained fixed on her.

How come I never noticed before that she was so two-faced?

“If you’re not worried, then you’re not worried.” He didn’t call her out on it. “Be careful on your way home, and send me a message when you get home.”

Jiang Ruan didn't answer, and walked away.

Just as she reached the door, Huo Zhizhou called out to her, "Ruan Ruan."

Jiang Ruan placed her hand on the doorknob.

Huo Zhizhou looked at her distant back and said, "I won't do anything to Su Zhu and Ye Yanzhi, but I also won't divorce you."

Jiang Ruan opened the door and went out.

There was no stopping.

"You guys..." Gu Shixi had just started to speak when Jiang Ruan walked past him and quickly disappeared from their sight.

"It seems the BOSS and Miss Jiang didn't have a pleasant conversation." Assistant Jiang felt somewhat exhausted.

Gu Shixi: "Isn't it obvious?"

Jiang Ruan turned off the recording after entering the elevator. She knew Huo Zhizhou was smart, but she didn't expect him to see through her before she even finished speaking. She hadn't even mentioned divorce; how could he have thought of that?

In fact.

Huo Zhizhou guessed it the moment Jiang Ruan arrived.

He knew very well that she hadn't come to visit him; if she had been worried about him, she would have come to the hospital with Jiang Yu on the day of the accident.

The fact that they're only coming now suggests they're probably trying to use their current ruthlessness to bring up the divorce issue at the same time.

After all, Jiang An had always wanted her to divorce him.

Haicheng is where Jiang An gathers all his resources and connections.

...

Before Jiang Ruan could even hail a ride home after leaving the hospital, she was stopped on her way.

Two bodyguards in suits stood in front of her with serious expressions: "Please come with us. Our patriarch requests your presence."

Jiang Ruan: "?"

What old patriarch? Does she know him?

She ignored them and walked past them, knowing they couldn't very well kidnap her in broad daylight.

This is the entrance to the hospital.

The flow of people is enormous.

"Please don't make things difficult for us." The bodyguard stopped her again. "The old master just wants to see you and say a few words to you."

“I don’t know him, and I don’t want to talk about it.” Jiang Ruan refused quickly, glancing at the Qin character badge on his suit without any reaction. “If you don’t move aside, I’ll call the police.”

The two bodyguards instinctively glanced into the black sedan not far away.

The car door was opened.

An elderly man dressed in a Tang suit got off the car. He had gray hair, a wrinkled face, and was leaning on a dragon-headed cane, but he looked very energetic.

"Master!" the bodyguards greeted in unison.

The old patriarch, leaning on his cane, walked up to Jiang Ruan, his deep, lake-like eyes looking at her: "So much like her..."

Jiang Ruan: "?"

Are these people from Li Zhishen's side?

A look of affection flashed in the old patriarch's eyes: "You must be Jiang Ruan."

Instead of answering, Jiang Ruan asked, "And you are?"

"I am your maternal grandfather." Old Master Qin said, looking at her as if he were looking through her at someone else. "Would it be convenient for you to come back to the Qin family with me? Let's have a good talk."

“I don’t have a maternal grandfather, and my mother’s surname is Jiang, not Qin,” Jiang Ruan refused.

“Your maternal grandmother’s surname is Jiang.” Grandpa Qin took out a photo from his pocket and handed it to her. “This is a photo taken in the past. Take a look and see if the one in the photo is your mother when she was young.”

Jiang Ruan took it.

That's definitely her mother.

“If you don’t want to come back to the Qin family home with me, we can go across the street to find a quiet shop to talk.” Old Master Qin exuded authority, but he subconsciously toned it down a bit when speaking to her. “Or, we can go to your home.”

Jiang Ruan frowned; she had a very bad impression of him.

Threatening her on their first meeting suggests she's used similar tactics against her mother before.

"Have you thought it through?" Old Master Qin asked her.

Jiang Ruan returned the photo to him, her expression clearly distant and indifferent: "The coffee shop across the street, ten minutes away."

If this person goes to the house, it will only cause trouble for the mother.

My mother has never mentioned her former home in the past twenty years, which suggests that she suffered a lot of harm in that home.

Grandpa Qin readily agreed: "Okay."

The group went to a coffee shop.

Unsurprisingly.

The entire store was cleared out. Besides Jiang Ruan, only Old Master Qin and his butler were inside, and there were several bodyguards standing neatly at the door.

"What do you want to see me about? Just say it," Jiang Ruan said.

"Your personality is very much like your mother's." Old Master Qin's face softened, but his tone became more serious than before. "No wonder she raised you."

Jiang Ruan didn't respond.

Her mother never told her about her grudges with them.

She didn't know how to face it.

"How has your mother been all these years?" After a long silence, Old Master Qin finally got to the point.

Jiang Ruan thought he was hypocritical, and regardless of whether her words would offend him, she said directly, "If you don't care, why ask such a question?"

If they really cared, why didn't they show up during all these years when their mother was in a coma?

The Qin family is large and powerful, so it wasn't difficult for them to learn the news.

Ultimately, it boils down to not caring.

Old Master Qin: "Does she still hate me?"

“I don’t know. My mother has never mentioned any of you. I suppose in her heart, you are just insignificant passersby in her life,” Jiang Ruan said truthfully.

A flicker of emotion crossed Old Master Qin's eyes, and his expression turned somewhat grave.

After a while.

He changed the subject: "I heard you and Huo Zhizhou are talking about divorce."

"This is my private matter and has nothing to do with you." Jiang Ruan increasingly felt that his questions were incredibly fake.

She even knew about her relationship with Huo Zhizhou, so how could she not know that her mother had been in a coma for several years?

If someone knows the answer but still asks this question, it's either just a polite remark or a pretense of deep affection.

"Why are you so prickly, child?" Old Master Qin was very indulgent towards her. "Grandpa just wanted to see if you needed any help. The Qin family is large and powerful, and we can provide whatever you need."

"Where's Mom?" Jiang Ruan increasingly longed to go back in time and hug her mother.

Old Master Qin didn't react for a moment: "What?"

Looking into his bright eyes, Jiang Ruan asked directly, "When she encountered that problem, did you say that to her?"