Chapter 62

Guan Ying checked the time. It was just past ten in the morning in Seattle. Based on this, it was probably around ten at night in the Middle East, but it was already past two in the morning in China. Manager Xu's call at this time made it seem more likely that he was in Saudi Arabia. Does that mean Zheng Juyong never returned to Saudi Arabia, as he'd claimed on the phone? When we parted in Guangzhou, he'd clearly booked a return flight, saying he'd fly back to Saudi Arabia the day after sending Qiao Qi and her daughter back to Yunnan! It's been over twenty days now!

Questions flooded her mind as Guan Ying called back, but Manager Xu didn't answer. He'd already assumed she and Zheng Juyong were birds of a feather. She didn't know why Southern Steel was involved, but since a lawyer was involved, she was afraid something was seriously wrong with their Middle Eastern business.

Thinking it was already late at night back home, she hesitated for a moment before finally calling Zheng Juyong. She called twice. The first call went through, but no one answered for a long time; the second call was quickly disconnected. Mindful of the time difference, she resisted the urge to call the Zheng family again and disturb their uncle and aunt. Strangely, since moving to Seattle, her mother had mentioned her conversations with Aunt Zheng several times, but she hadn't heard anything unusual back home.

Guan Ying held her cell phone in her hand, frowned, and kept pacing under the tree, causing the neighbor's dog to bark non-stop from a distance.

"Hmph, I'm busy upstairs, and you've found a good place to hide out? Wow... the neighbors have a few dogs. Why are they calling them that?"

Around ten o'clock in late summer in Seattle, the sun was already blazing. Jiawei, palms flattened, clasped over her brows to shield herself from the sun, walked toward the shade beneath the tree where Guan Ying stood. As she approached, she heard the barking of dogs fighting outside. Surprised, she passed by Guan Ying and began to peer into the bushes again.

Zheng Juyong's matter would take several more hours to be clarified. For now, Guan Ying had to take care of Jiawei first. Today's time was originally reserved for Jiawei.

"I just went in there, and it looks like it hasn't been cleaned in a while. Be careful not to trip over anything!" Guan Ying followed in, worried. "Jiawei, let's go back. What's so interesting in these woods? They're just a few neighbor's dogs. Let them bark over the wall! You've heard dog fights in Dubai dormitories before."

Jiawei walked in front, pushing aside the branches that were leaning and digging into her clothes. "Then we have to come in and take a look at the situation. It will be troublesome to hire workers to prune or maintain it in the future. If we young people don't come in, are we waiting for the uncles and aunts to come in? I'll just walk slowly, don't worry~"

How could Guan Ying feel at ease? She wished she had spoken up sooner. She lowered her head and kept reminding the giant vines under her feet, "Slow down! Don't walk so fast! Be careful of those vines ahead, or you might trip over your feet! It's really annoying! There's no rush to manage the flowers and plants here... What's going on? Are you in a hurry to get back to Vancouver?!"

Going back to Vancouver, of course, means returning to Xiao Weiyan.

Jiawei finally stopped and turned around, only to see Guan Ying following her with her head bent over, kicking left and right, using her hands and feet to clear a two-step-wide path for her, obviously to make it easier for her to turn around and walk back.

"Guan Guan, in this world, you are the only one who treats me well without conditions, but I did something that hurt you... I saw the room that my uncle and aunt reserved for me, and the location is better than yours. I really want to cry. Why should a person like me do this? How can I have the face to do that? I didn't do anything, why are you so nice to me?" Jiawei had just been taking care of everything for the old couple upstairs, and she was in a hurry to go into the woods to check. It turned out that she wanted to make amends. Maybe she wanted to cry since she entered her room, and she had been holding it in until now. Now that Guan Ying was the only one in front of her in the woods, she just cried without caring.

"Hey, why are you crying for no reason? It's so annoying! Your room faces the street, and the view is nice, but the road is noisy. I need to study, so of course it's quieter facing the woods. The room wasn't arranged just for you, so why are you being so pretentious?"

Guan Ying pouted, took the opportunity to go around behind Jiawei, and continued to make her way inside. Her tone seemed to be coaxing Jiawei, but with a hint of sarcasm: "Didn't we already talk about this at the Dubai airport? It's only a matter of time before I break up with that guy... Oh, I've already accepted your apology. If you're willing to take over, then go ahead. After all, a man who breaks up with me is like entering another world in my eyes. Don't you understand me yet?"

At the Dubai airport that day, although Jiawei did not mention the child, she honestly confessed to Guan Ying her feelings for Xiao Weiyan. The matter was a foregone conclusion. In order to let her leave more comfortably, Guan Ying accepted her apology at the time and believed that she had made a big deal out of it.

"Woo!" Jiawei cried even harder and simply leaned her butt on a broken stump next to her, which was originally covered with a layer of moss and fallen leaves.

It happened so fast. Guan Ying turned around, grabbed Jiawei's shoulders with both hands, and pulled her up like a rabbit's ears. "Is this a place you can sit? Do you know how many insects and ants are on that stool? I'm really impressed by you!"

The more Jiawei cried, the more aggressive Guan Ying became; the more aggressive Guan Ying became, the more Jiawei cried.

"You, lied! Ugh..." Jiawei casually patted the branches and leaves stuck to her pants and asked in a low, incoherent voice, "Guanguan, you already knew about the child, right?"

I was hoping to start the conversation soon, but I didn't expect that at this moment, Guan Ying turned around quickly, turned her back to Jiawei, and continued to walk towards the place where the dog was barking.

"When? Wuwu... If Juyongguan hadn't suddenly found me in the Sail Hotel and scolded me to wake me up, I almost left secretly without your knowledge. I am such a bad person... You should have scolded me and broken up with me... Wuwu, why did you forgive me?... Wuwu!" Jiawei stood under the tree and slapped herself a few times.

Having inappropriate thoughts about her best friend's boyfriend was wrong in itself, but it was not as bad as taking actual action. She admitted that she was committing even more crime.

Guan Ying had her back to her, kicking the branches forward. If she turned back to stop her, it would be better to let her vent her anger on her own, and perhaps she would get over it. But she couldn't help but keep glancing at Jia Wei's feet behind her, just to make sure she didn't run around and get tripped in the woods.

"Answer me!" Jiawei suddenly stomped her feet and walked around to the area in front of her that had not been cleaned.

Guan Ying hurriedly straightened her waist, stretched out her hand and pulled her behind her, saying, "Don't walk around!"

"See, you just know it! Something was wrong when you saw me at the airport. I thought you didn't want to hug me anymore, but actually you were afraid to hug my belly, right?" Jiawei was behind her, sobbing and biting her biting teeth.

Guan Ying had to look up at her, but she burst out laughing.

Jiawei was stunned for a moment, with two tear marks on her face. She looked at Guan Ying in confusion, feeling both guilty and ashamed, and regretful and at a loss as to what to do.

"Since you're in a relationship with him, and he's not a celibate monk, isn't it normal for you two to have a baby? Do I really have to know the details of how you two made a baby?" Guan Ying tilted her head, shamelessly teasing Jiawei. Seeing that she still looked sad, she laughed and said, "Ha, you're so funny. You had a child with a man, so why do you look like you're coming to me to take responsibility?"

Guan Ying took this matter for granted and deliberately avoided recalling the time and details of the incident.

"You clearly..." Jiawei had been with Xiao Weiyan in Vancouver for more than two months, and gradually learned the whole story. However, she did not think it was her due, and insisted on "confessing her guilt."

"Stop barking, you're disturbing my nephew!" Guan Ying turned around, picked up a stick and threw it over the courtyard wall. The dog's barking suddenly stopped, but started barking again after a moment.

This time, Guan Ying heard clearly. She turned to Jiawei and asked curiously, "Listen, are they two Huskies? I'll grab some dog food and go to the neighbor's house to teach Big Bear and Little Bear a lesson. They live in the same den, so why are they fighting?"

Jiawei burst into laughter and said, "You are the dog!"

Guan Ying was stunned for a moment, then laughed: "Hey, I'm talking about the two dogs next door, why are you joining in the fun!" Seeing Jiawei laughing and crying, the matter was clear at this point, and there was no need to say anything more. She blatantly teased Jiawei's belly, "Okay, it's not fun here. Tell your mother to be obedient and go out with your aunt!"

Guan Ying turned around and wanted to lead Jiawei back.

Jiawei followed her, took a few slow steps, and whispered, "Guanguan, actually, I... I have already given the child..."

A thin branch under her feet was just stepped on and broken by Guan Ying.

The more Jiawei spoke, the lower her voice became. "Actually, I knew from the beginning that I couldn't keep this child... At the time, I didn't mean to hide it from you. It happened so suddenly that even Director Ma couldn't be 100% sure. I had originally planned to return to China after Brother Yan helped you with the police procedures... If I could handle it quietly on my own, nothing would happen... There wouldn't be any need..."

Guan Ying's heart tightened, and her heartbeat seemed to skip a beat, so that when she turned around, her face was even paler than Jiawei's: "You solve it by yourself? How can you solve such a big problem by yourself! Jiawei, you are too willful, and you underestimate me, Guan Ying! How many years have we been together? Ask yourself, how do I treat you compared to Xiao Weiyan or any of my previous boyfriends?!" Guan Ying finally scolded her.

Jiawei didn't dare to speak again, tears streaming down her face. Guan Ying cared about her, and she cared about Guan Ying just as much; but the mistake had already been made, so how could she feel at ease just because Guan Ying cared about her?

Silence is the answer.

Guan Ying was so angry that she felt dizzy. She supported herself with her hands on her hips, took a deep breath, and asked Jia Wei in a deep voice: "When did this happen? Why don't you say something..."

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, hitting Guan Ying's pale face and making her eyes sparkle as if they were filled with tears. Guan Ying had never cried in front of Jiawei before, but this time, she must have been truly disappointed, angry, and annoyed! Jiawei mustered her courage: "Guan Guan, don't be angry with me... You know, when I was a kid, I injured my back while dancing, and Director Ma said the same thing. Later, I saw several other doctors in Vancouver, but they all disapproved... So it's not because of you..."

Guan Ying was still impatient: "I just want to ask you, when did this happen?"

Jiawei said timidly, "Didn't you say you wouldn't ask for details?"

Guan Ying was so angry with her that she leaned her butt against the broken stake.

"It's dirty... there's an ant nest behind it..." Jiawei took a step forward, met Guan Ying's sharp eyes, then retreated and rubbed the corners of her eyes that were blurred by tears.

"Jiawei, are you my enemy?" Guan Ying stood on tiptoe anxiously. "Zheng Juyong is already enough of an enemy for me. Please stop irritating me, okay? I'm asking you, when did you have the abortion? How could Xiao Weiyan agree to you being together? Something must have happened between you two in Vancouver, right? Did he bully you? Don't try to hide it from me!"

Who is Guan Ying? Just tell her something and she'll figure it out, draw inferences from it, and immediately spot something amiss.

Speaking of Xiao Weiyan, Jiawei wiped her tears and tried to struggle: "You just mentioned Juyongguan. Did he cause you trouble again?"

Guan Ying gave her a sidelong glance!

Jiawei scratched her chin again. She had cried so much that her tear marks were dry and tight, a little itchy, and she dragged her feet without replying.

Guan Ying was sitting with her back propped up, and now she spread her legs to block the road. She did not say anything to force him, nor did she look at him directly. She and Jia Wei sat and stood, a few steps apart, facing each other quietly.

Jiawei is so soft and gentle, how can anyone resist her?

"Guanguan, do you really have to ask? I don't want you to have any unpleasantness with him because of me..." Jiawei took a tentative step forward.

Guan Ying kicked the ground with one foot, scaring her back again.

"Okay, I'll tell you. But after you've heard this, don't bother him. You still have Professor Wilson between you, so for the sake of your studies, you need to stay calm. Besides, I've already punished him, and he's not having an easy time right now." Jiawei saw that Guan Ying's expression was already very uneasy, so she continued hesitantly, "Actually, your Ju Yongguan, although he's sloppy in his work, is still very reliable emotionally."

Guan Ying frowned, wondering if Jiawei was avoiding the question again. What did this have to do with Zheng Juyong?

Jiawei: "You were taken to the police station, and your phone was kept by Brother Yan. One night, he suddenly decided to notify Ju Yongguan. It was already so late, and I don't know how Ju Yongguan borrowed a car from the dormitory. He couldn't wait all night and quickly rushed to Brother Yan's office to seek justice for you. Although he treats you like that normally, when he heard that something happened to you, he got furious and seemed to have taught Brother Yan a lesson."

Oh? There's this? He went to teach Xiao Weiyan a lesson for her? Guan Ying couldn't imagine that scene.

Jiawei continued, "Ju Yongguan later told me that Brother Yan used Daniel's case as an excuse that night, urging him to bring you back to China as soon as possible. Oh, once you heard that, you knew how unusual that was. That's when I guessed that Brother Yan had probably already met with Director Ma... He suddenly asked me to give him time, and later asked me to accompany him to Vancouver... It was all because he wanted this child..."

Guan Ying was surprised and said, "Since you knew your physical condition wouldn't allow it, why did you still agree to it? You love him that much!"

Jiawei gave a bitter laugh. "I sympathize with him... He's so smart, but he always seems to be a little bit unlucky, and never gets what he wants. Weren't you always treating him with a distance back then?"

Guan Ying: "What do you mean? Do you think I'm with Xiao Weiyan just to use him?"

Jiawei paused. "I've been by your side, and I've seen that every relationship you've had has a purpose... Don't you admit that? Customs, taxation, associations, finance, lawyers... Even your first love in college, Senior Brother Liu from the Department of Statistics, is now working at the National Development and Reform Commission. Don't you say you haven't kept in touch with him? How come you didn't treat him like he was in another world? Because you needed him to get the latest policy information from the highest level, right?"

Guan Ying's cheeks flushed. "Senior Brother Liu is different. How should I know if he'll actually be able to get into the National Development and Reform Commission?"

Jiawei: "You know! Senior Brother Liu is the golden seed of the Department of Statistics. Our school's Department of Statistics sends talents to the Statistics Bureau every year, and some are also diverted to the Finance Bureau and the National Development and Reform Commission, but that's not easy. I think if it weren't for you, Senior Brother Liu's first choice would be the Statistics Bureau, where the relationship between seniors and juniors is more harmonious. He fought hard for you, and I don't know how much effort he put in to get into the National Development and Reform Commission!"

Not sure if there really was an anthill, Guan Ying scratched her arm and argued, "I sincerely wanted to make friends with them and learn something useful from them. Is that wrong? Who knew they would pursue me? I didn't even want to date them at first! Besides, Senior Brother Liu is already married, and his child is in kindergarten. I don't have that much influence... Don't speculate!"

Jiawei shook her head. "In every relationship, if someone wants to take you further, you break up with them. What kind of relationship is that? If a man likes you, of course he wants to be with you, but you can, just don't agree to them from the beginning! Just like Zheng Juyong, you have plenty of ways to reject him..."

Other men can break up and never see each other again, but Zheng Juyong has Uncle Zheng and Aunt Zheng behind him, so how can it be the same?

Guan Ying felt an itch on her back, so she stood up and patted her clothes. "I'm asking you about you and Xiao Weiyan, why are you talking to me about these old almanacs? I know I have a lot of problems, but let's talk about you first. Stop changing the subject!"

Jiawei smiled bitterly. "I often wonder why you're so nice to me? I can't help you with anything... When I found out you were going home to take over the foreign trade company after graduation, and that I'd often benefit from your influence and receive gifts from Guan's father from Dubai, I took Arabic as an elective. Luckily, I can finally help you a little... You see, you have this ability to make people willingly do what you want... Even I'm like that, let alone those men."

Guan Ying frowned: "Ah? Are you stupid? With my bad temper, if you are willing to be my good friend, of course I have to be nice to you, you don't have to do anything!"

Jiawei shook her head again and muttered, "You don't have a bad temper at all... You're just a paper tiger. As for Juyongguan, you scolded him while covering for him..."

Guan Ying was feeling annoyed. "Don't mention him all the time. Just now, you mentioned that Xiao Weiyan wanted a child. Since you followed him to Vancouver, didn't that mean you changed your mind and wanted to risk your body to give birth to him? How did it become like this again... What's going on?"

Jiawei sighed. "Maybe it was karma. When we arrived in Vancouver, his attitude toward me suddenly changed again. I thought he was busy adjusting to his new work environment. Since he couldn't spare any time, I took over many of the chores: finding a house, buying furniture, hiring workers, renovating, cooking, housework... Finally, one day, my back hurt so much, and there were some things I just couldn't do. I tried to talk to him about handing over some of the chores. He had just taken on a new job and was eager to make achievements. The pressure was immense, and he finally exploded. He said, isn't this exactly what I wanted? Since I could shamelessly ignore you to win him, and of course I could lie about being pregnant to set him up, then isn't it my duty to help him with these trivial matters now? There's no such thing as a free lunch. He blamed me for being ungrateful, and that women were taking advantage of him! He vented all the frustrations he'd had with his love life and work..."

Upon hearing this, Guan Ying angrily said, "Doesn't he know whether he did it or not? It's his own choice, why should he blame you? Xiao Weiyan is just obsessed with face. You can't give in to him, or he'll become even more demanding of you in the future!"

Jiawei smiled. "That's when I finally understood. He wasn't sure if I was really pregnant, but he couldn't force me to go for prenatal checkups. After all, things weren't going well between him and me, and there were many things we kept secret. He observed me running around trying to get the house, and gradually became convinced I was faking a pregnancy to trick him. So, that's fine. I didn't want this child anyway... Of course, I didn't argue with him. I went to see the doctors myself, and they all agreed that my back couldn't handle the pressure of childbirth. They suggested I get the problem fixed first, and then decide if I could plan a pregnancy later based on my physical condition... It was less than a month at the time, and the fetus wasn't even formed yet... There was nothing for me to hesitate about."

Guan Ying sighed. "...Of course, your health comes first. Did you rest well afterwards? Did he take good care of you?"

Jiawei held her head high and said, "I moved out of that house! He is free, and I am free too!"

Is this still the same soft, indecisive Jiawei? Calculating the time, Guan Ying hesitated and said, "Xiao Weiyan helped me contact Professor Wilson. Was it during that time? I thought he was making it up to me, so I didn't ask any more questions... Or was I just careless?"

Jiawei smiled with relief: "Oh, that expression when he found out, ha, so pitiful..." She didn't know what scene she was thinking of, but her expression suddenly took a turn for the worse, and she immediately retracted the short-lived smile on her face.

"Guan Guan, you have no idea how happy I was when I heard you were willing to accept his help and come to Seattle to study... Finally, I can see you again! I don't want to go back to Vancouver, and I don't want to see him again... But... is that okay?"

At this moment, Jiawei was as fragile as a self-loathing grass, and a gust of cold wind could destroy her.

Guan Ying lowered her head and kicked away the scattered branches at her feet. She couldn't bear to look up at her: "Silly girl... Don't you already have a room upstairs? Why are you asking such nonsense? This house was bought by Lao Guan and his family, not by me... Go ask your father or mother..."

Jiawei pursed her lips: "Uncle and auntie won't let me leave... I just want to ask, ask you..."

Guan Ying kicked the last stick away, turned around and walked out: "Why are you asking me? I'm...living off my parents! Let's do it together!"

Jiawei hurried out, as if finally freed from prison. "You want to study, but I'm looking for a job. Oh, and Judy just said that Mike is going back to Boston in a few days, and she doesn't have an assistant... She said that if I could help her, her business would definitely boom!"

Guan Ying walked in front with her hands behind her back, stepping on the soft grass. She raised her head and looked at the house. She felt that her parents had a good vision and this was indeed a good place.

Guan Ying: "Hey, you're so awesome now, so you can earn money to support me in the future, right?"

Jiawei had already caught up: "Sure, even if I don't make money, I can still support you. I saved all the salary you paid me in Dubai!"

Guan Ying: "You use my money to support me. You really are my good friend..."

Jiawei pouted: "I can't compare with you in business."

Guan Ying laughed at her: "Haha, it's not just business, you're not as good as me when it comes to love! Tsk, what kind of bullshit logic is that? You've been by my side for so many years, how come you haven't learned anything good? If we don't take advantage of men, isn't that paying for it? Isn't that a losing business? And you still criticize me righteously and harshly, you're really hopeless!"

Jiawei stamped her feet: "Mind it!"

Guan Ying pouted: "Why, you want to hit me? You are free now, I won't let you go..."

Jiawei stretched out her hand, but it stopped mid-air, as if she had a cramp: "Ouch, my waist!"

Guan Ying hurried to help: "What's wrong? What happened? I'm really convinced. Are you my enemy?"