Ren Yamei was used to people praising her back and forth, but she didn't expect to encounter someone like Ren Jin who would praise her but then expose her. She could only smile awkwardly but politely and say, "Auntie was just trying to spur you on. Your dad and I have praised you more than once in private conversations."
Ren Jin smiled but remained silent.
Just then, Ren Yayong and his family appeared at the door of the private room. Ren Yamei quickly greeted them, "Yayong, Zhao Juan, you're here. Come in and sit down."
Ren Yayong and Zhao Juan were followed by their children, Ren Yaowei and Ren Jiaojiao. All four of them were dressed up smartly, but their hands were empty, and they didn't even bring a piece of fruit. It seemed that they were just there to eat.
Because of his good relationship with Ren Jin, Qian Mingjun had always disliked Ren Yayong's family, so he deliberately pointed out, "Second Uncle, you didn't come empty-handed to celebrate my mother's birthday today, did you?"
Ren Yayong was taken aback. He knew it was Ren Yajuan's birthday today, but he hadn't thought about giving her a gift. Qian Mingjun's sudden question left him speechless.
Seeing that Ren Yayong hadn't prepared a gift, Ren Yamei quickly stepped in to smooth things over, "Oh dear, didn't Ren Jin buy your mother a big gold bracelet? What Ren Jin bought is the same as what your second uncle bought." Ren Yamei took Ren Yajuan's hand and showed it to Ren Yayong, "Look, your son bought Yajuan a big gold bracelet as a birthday present. Ren Jin is so capable now, you'll be enjoying your good fortune."
Ren Yamei gave Ren Yayong a way out, and Ren Yayong was initially quite happy. However, when he saw the glittering gold bracelet on Ren Yajuan's wrist, Ren Yayong became displeased again. Ren Jin had never given him an expensive birthday gift, and his son had never received a single penny from him in all his years.
He grew angrier and snorted, "How could I possibly enjoy his good fortune? He no longer sees me as his father."
Ren Jin was already unhappy when he heard what Ren Yamei said. She couldn't possibly not know how bad his relationship with Ren Yayong was. She was just pretending to be confused and trying to get closer to the so-called father-son relationship without distinguishing right from wrong. Now that Ren Yayong was saying these sarcastic things, Ren Jin didn't even bother to give her a polite smile. If it weren't for his aunt's birthday, he would have turned around and left, and was about to sit down on a chair with Gu Yueji.
"Ya Yong, control your temper. You're the one who said you wanted a chance to have a good talk with Xiao Jin." Ren Ya Mei scolded Ren Ya Yong, then called out to Ren Jin, "Xiao Jin, come sit here. Your dad and aunt have something to say to you today. Let's sit closer and have a good talk."
Ren Jin held his breath, knowing that today's meal was not simple, but he did not expect it to be aimed at him.
Seeing Ren Jin's cold face and slowed breathing, Gu Yueji knew he was suppressing his anger. Ren Jin was not an easily angered person; on the contrary, he always hid his emotions in front of outsiders.
But Ren Jin didn't want to talk about Ren Yayong at all. Because Ren Jin had many unspeakable grievances about Ren Yayong, and these grievances had been accumulating in his heart for many years, forming a volatile bomb that would be easily triggered and cause him to lose control.
Gu Yueji climbed onto his chest and gently stroked it. She stood on tiptoe and whispered in his ear, "Anyway, this meal is so boring, let's just treat it as listening to jokes. What they say doesn't matter, we won't get angry."
The last sentence, "Don't be angry," stunned Ren Jin, who looked down at the person in his arms.
Her long, flowing hair was tucked behind her ears, revealing her fair profile. Her soft hands gently caressed his chest, and her whispered words were so tender and considerate, yet so careful, as if she were treating a child.
The tightness in her chest was suddenly relieved, as if she had filled her chest with hot water.
He wrapped his arms around her waist, turned his head, and took a deep breath of her fragrance. It wasn't perfume, because he could smell it on his bed, at the door, and in every corner of his house. It was her unique scent that made him feel at ease.
After calming down, Ren Jin led Gu Yueji to sit on the sofa next to the coffee table. He picked up an orange from the table and peeled it casually, without looking up at Ren Yayong and Ren Yamei, as if he didn't care about them.
Although Ren Yamei was not satisfied with Ren Jin's attitude, she still had to say what needed to be said, "Xiao Jin, today's dinner party organized by your aunt is not only to celebrate your aunt's birthday, but also to give you and your father an opportunity to sit down and talk. Your father has a bad temper and is very proud, so there are some things he is embarrassed to say to you, but he has told me privately that he knows he felt guilty towards you when you were young. But no matter how wrong he was, he is still your biological father, and you can't live your whole lives without ever seeing each other again, right?"
Ren Jin chuckled softly and countered, "Then what do you think I should do, Aunt?"
Ren Yamei poured two cups of tea, then gave Ren Yayong a look.
Ren Yayong hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly placed one of the cups in front of Ren Jin. Ren Yamei spoke up at the opportune moment, "If you two drink this cup of tea today, consider it your father's apology to you. Let bygones be bygones, and you can move on from the past, okay?"
Gu Yueji stared at the cup of tea in disbelief.
All the grievances Ren Jin had suffered over the years, she actually thought she could wipe them all away with such a half-hearted cup of tea and such a casual remark, without even an apology. It seems that in the eyes of elders, no matter how much their children have suffered, it's not a real grievance; a simple "father" can erase all wrongdoing.
There is no hatred without a cause, nor is there love without a cause. If children are to be filial to their parents, then parents should first love their children. Ren Yayong couldn't even provide Ren Jin with the most basic upbringing, so what right does he have to expect Ren Jin to be a filial son?
Gu Yueji was so angry that she wanted to smash the teacup, but Ren Jin suddenly handed her a peeled orange, "Try it and see if it's sweet?"
Seeing that Gu Yueji didn't take the orange, Ren Jin, under everyone's gaze, broke off half of the orange and fed it to Gu Yueji, then asked, "Is it sweet?"
Gu Yueji nodded blankly, "Sweet."
Ren Jin laughed, stuffed the remaining half into his mouth, and then looked at Ren Yamei, who was chewing on an orange, and asked, "Auntie, how much did your new Audi cost?"
Ren Yamei didn't realize why Ren Jin suddenly asked this question, and subconsciously answered, "One million two hundred and eighty thousand."
Ren Jin nodded. "Not cheap, but a good car."
Then he looked up at her and asked, "If one day your car gets smashed, all the windows are broken, and the body is scratched a lot, and I advise you to have a cup of tea with the person who vandalized it, and then you can call it even and move on, would you agree?"
Ren Yamei was stunned.
Ren Jin's eyes were smiling, yet he was staring at her so intently, as if he would have someone smash her car tomorrow if she dared to agree.
Ren Yamei was stunned and dared not answer.
Ren Jin pressed on, asking again, "So, Auntie, do you still think we can move on?"
Most people in this world are like this: they talk without understanding the pain, and they don't know the pain until they're hurt. There's no point in arguing with them. You have to make them feel the pain too, even if it's just imagined pain, and then they'll understand and shut up.
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