Chapter 5: Picking another new mother for Xie Junheng

"Jiang Shiyuan, what are you doing?!" Xie Jinghuai held Lin Zhixin's slender waist with his long arm, his phoenix eyes glaring angrily at Jiang Shiyuan's pale face from the pain.

Jiang Shiyuan coldly stared at the couple, her right hand gripping her injured forearm, a drop of sweat sliding down her delicate cheek.

“I didn’t touch her, she came up and pulled me.” Her voice was cold.

"You push her away when she pulls you?"

Xie Jinghuai was barely containing his anger, suppressing his emotions, "Zhixin is your own sister, you are family, why are you always targeting her?"

"My younger sister?"

Jiang Shiyuan smiled gently, her beautiful eyes hiding a sharp edge. "We don't have the same mother, nor the same surname. How could she be my biological sister?"

Please don't get involved, okay?

Originally, she also had the surname Lin.

But ever since she was eighteen, when her father insisted on selling her mother's old house in Beijing to fund the group's operations, the two had a big fight over it. Her father even slapped her in front of Lin Zhixin and her mother. After that, she decided to stop using the surname Lin and take her mother's surname instead.

Xie Jinghuai frowned deeply, staring intently at his wife.

He didn't know what had gotten into her today; she was like an Italian cannon, blasting whoever she wanted.

"Brother Jinghuai, it was my fault for losing my balance. Sister probably didn't mean it..."

Lin Zhixin leaned against the man's strong chest, her eyes moist and aggrieved. "I came to find my sister just to apologize to her in person. After all, Tongtong's illness was caused by me, and I really feel bad... It's understandable that I'm angry, sister."

"Jiang Shiyuan, apologize to Zhixin," Xie Jinghuai commanded in a cold voice, his dark eyes filled with imposing authority.

It's always like this.

During their five-year marriage, the word she said to this man most often was "I'm sorry".

"I'm sorry, it was my fault."

"I'm sorry, I didn't think it through. I'll go apologize to Mom."

I'm so sorry, so sorry, so sorry...

But did she miss out?

Never!

Jiang Shiyuan stared coldly at the man, her eyes reddening with laughter. "Apologize? Fine, then she'll kneel down and listen."

Lin Zhixin trembled in the man's arms.

"Jiang Shiyuan, don't go too far!"

"This is nothing, Mr. Xie can't even handle it?"

Jiang Shiyuan smiled radiantly, like a cold and aloof trumpet creeper blooming in the cold, "Don't rush, there's more to come."

After saying that, she turned and walked away without looking back.

Xie Jinghuai gazed at that slender yet stubborn figure, savoring the smile he had never seen before, his phoenix eyes deepening.

Seeing that the man's gaze was still fixed on the direction Jiang Shiyuan had left, Lin Zhixin pursed her lips and urged him understandingly:

"Brother Jinghuai, you should go after my sister... I'm fine."

Xie Jinghuai lowered his long eyelashes, put his arm around her waist, and helped her up:

"Don't worry about her, I'll take you home."

...

In the afternoon, Tongtong's condition stabilized, and she was escorted back to Guanlan Garden by her driver and bodyguards.

Even though he had an important meeting in the afternoon, Xie Jinghuai still personally took Lin Zhixin, who was feeling unwell, home before rushing to the group meeting.

He was always extremely punctual, which caused him to be late, and more than a dozen senior executives sat and waited for him for an hour.

Xie Jinghuai returned home around dinner time.

As soon as he entered the room, he casually tossed the suit jacket draped over his forearm forward.

Unexpectedly, his suit was not caught by a pair of soft, white hands, but instead fell to the ground.

Xie Jinghuai glanced at the suit on the ground, a thick fog of gloom clouding his brow.

For the past five years, whenever he came home, Jiang Shiyuan would always rush over wearing an apron, giving him a submissive yet slightly ingratiating smile, and considerately helping him with his suit and changing his slippers. She served him more attentively than a servant.

Because the servants are hired.

Jiang Shiyuan was the one he married; she was his wife, and her heart and soul were completely devoted to him, which is why she was so impeccable.

Xie Jinghuai felt a surge of frustration welling up inside him. "Butler Ning!"

"Young Master, you're back!"

Butler Ning immediately ran out, "Dinner is ready, and the young master is waiting for you in the dining room."

The man glanced around the deserted living room. "Where's Jiang Shiyuan? Is she back?"

"Madam hasn't returned yet... Dinner was prepared by the kitchen; I don't know if it suits your taste."

Xie Jinghuai's thin lips formed a line, his fingertips digging into the Windsor knot, and he strode towards the restaurant.

The long dining table was occupied only by the father and son, who ate in silence.

The food was delicious, but it was all show and no substance; it lacked the warmth and flavor of real food, and the two of them found it tasteless.

"Dad, I'm done eating." Tongtong pouted and put down her chopsticks.

Xie Jinghuai glanced at his son, "Eating so little? Are you a cat?"

"No, Daddy, the food isn't as good as Mommy's cooking, I can't eat it..."

Tongtong pouted and asked dejectedly, "Daddy, I want to drink Mommy's stewed chicken soup, and Mommy's sweet and sour pork, pineapple ribs, and garlic chicken wings..."

"Alright, those are just common home-cooked dishes, what's so special about them?"

Xie Jinghuai swallowed hard. "You are the future heir of the Xie family. How can you expect me to understand your thoughts and preferences with just a few simple dishes?"

Tongtong managed to eat a few more mouthfuls of rice, then dared not make a sound.

Xie Jinghuai picked up a napkin and elegantly wiped his lips. "Tongtong, call your mother and ask her where she is and when she's coming back."

"I don't."

Tongtong sulked indignantly, "Mommy was so mean today, she scared Aunt Xinxin to tears! She hasn't even apologized to Aunt Xinxin yet, I'm not going to contact her first."

It's like I'm betraying my aunt...

At such a young age, he was able to utter such a sharp word as "backstab".

Xie Jinghuai's face darkened instantly, and he was about to question them when Butler Ning exclaimed "Ah!"

"Young Master, I remember now, today is Madam's birthday!"

The father and son were suddenly stunned, staring at each other in disbelief.

"Is it because you forgot your wife's birthday that she's angry with you and refuses to come home?"

Xie Jinghuai narrowed his phoenix eyes slightly, suddenly realizing what was going on.

...

Two hours later, Jiang Shiyuan dragged a huge suitcase into the villa.

Upon entering the bedroom, without saying a word, she opened the wardrobe and began stuffing clothes into a suitcase.

"What are you doing?" Xie Jinghuai stepped into the bedroom, his handsome face as cold as a snowy mountain.

With her back to the man, Jiang Shiyuan busied herself quickly, saying, "Pack your luggage, let's move out."

"Move out to live? What about Tongtong then?"

Xie Jinghuai curled his lips in a mocking smile, as if he had heard a joke, "You love your son dearly, Tongtong is the apple of your eye, you used to miss him terribly if you didn't see him for a day. Now, you actually want to move out?"

Are you willing to do that?

Jiang Shiyuan paused, straightened her slender waist, and fell into thought.

Just when Xie Jinghuai thought this woman, who had no skills and no means of support, would compromise, Jiang Shiyuan suddenly said with unwavering resolve:

"Willing to give up something."

The man's expression froze.

"If he leaves me, he still has his Aunt Xinxin. Besides, he doesn't need me anymore."

Xie Jinghuai strode forward and stood beside Jiang Shiyuan, like a towering iceberg:

"Jiang Shiyuan, listen to your own words! Do you even have the demeanor of a mother? This is your own son, and you just say you don't want him anymore?"

"Since I'm so worthless in your eyes, and unfit to be a mother, then let's go our separate ways and each go our own way. You can find Xie Junheng a new mother, someone he likes..."

Before Jiang Shiyuan could finish speaking, Xie Jinghuai grabbed her slender wrist tightly.

"open……"

Her wrist ached, and she frowned, trying to break free, but the difference in strength between men and women was too great, and she couldn't overcome him.

Already weak, the pulling caused her to break out in a cold sweat.

Xie Jinghuai was always rough and unkind towards her.

Especially in matters of the marriage, she was often left with many bruises in the early days of their marriage. In the sweltering summer, she had to wear high-necked long sleeves to cover the marks, which often caused the servants to ridicule her behind her back.

Jiang Shiyuan sometimes wondered if Xie Jinghuai felt the same way about Lin Zhixin.

I doubt it.

Lin Xinzhi loves wearing off-shoulder tops and short skirts. Whenever she sees her, her skin is always fair and smooth, like a peeled lychee, delicate and flawless.

It's clear how gentle he was towards her.

As expected of someone who has loved her deeply for so many years, how could he bear to see her hurt in the slightest...

Just then, Jiang Shiyuan felt a weight on his palm.

Xie Jinghuai placed an exquisite black velvet box into her hand, his cold, handsome features revealing an innate arrogance.

"It's your birthday today, right? Happy birthday."