Chapter 176
He couldn't hide his surprise as he finished speaking.
How come the words of reprimand that were on the tip of my tongue turned into... well, self-congratulatory concern?
Not only was he stunned, but Song Yue's smug expression also froze on her face.
What did he just say, sir? She must have misheard!
He Tingyao tightened her grip on Ling Wu's hand and quietly looked up, wanting to see Ling Wu's expression.
Because of the height difference, she could only see Ling Wu's beautifully shaped jawline and long, curled eyelashes.
Bathed in the glow of the night lights, her mother looked like a princess from a fairy tale, beautiful and lovely.
A feeling of liking and admiration was growing wildly in her heart.
He Tinglan, however, remained silent, her lips curled into a straight line. The emptiness and discomfort in her stomach had been completely gone due to excessive hunger.
His hand was being held by Ling Wu's cool hand, and he lowered his eyes upon sensing this.
His eyes held a complex mix of emotions: rejection, lingering affection, and an inexplicable fondness.
Ling Wu and He Cheng's eyes met, but the affection was no longer forced upon her as before.
Yes, it's about forcing yourself to love.
She forced Duan Lingwu to confess her love for He Cheng.
When Duan Lingwu learned that she might never be able to escape the He family, and with the daily brainwashing from her parents, she forced herself to place herself in a position of "loving He Cheng".
Only in this way will she not feel isolated and helpless when she feels like "she is just a pawn in her parents' hands" and "no one loves her".
She loved He Cheng, so she was willing to be trapped in the He family for life.
She is from Aihe City, so she became a stepmother at a young age because of her teenage love, rather than being forced into it by blood ties.
She loves He Cheng, which is why she was able to give up her grandfather's dying wish for her to take over the company and willingly take care of the two children.
Only in this way could Duan Lingwu taste a bit of sweetness in this world.
But she knew clearly in her heart that what is false will always be false.
Therefore, in her second life, she was able to leave without hesitation after Bei Banban returned and she saw He Tingyao clearly.
In the end, however, the prediction that Duan Lingwu had made when she first married He Cheng came true—
She spent her entire life trying to escape the He and Duan families, but to no avail.
He Cheng felt uneasy for some reason, noticing the cool evening breeze, and glanced at Ling Wu's pale red dress.
He took off his suit jacket, picked it up with his large hands, and walked towards Ling Wu.
However, the smell of cigars mixed with alcohol as he moved around made Ling Wu frown, and then she took He Tinglan and He Tingyao a few steps back.
He Tingyao understood Ling Wu's meaning and quietly tightened her grip on Ling Wu's hand.
My mother is so good, so she still cares about her.
Since that's the case...
"Daddy drinks alcohol, Daddy smells bad." The little girl's sweet voice was full of coquetry, which did not displease He Cheng.
But He Cheng's hand remained frozen in mid-air, looking quite embarrassed and awkward.
Upon seeing this, Song Yue quickly gave He Cheng an apologetic smile.
Then she shook her head at He Tingyao, her tone gentle: "Miss, Auntie has told you before, Dad is just too busy with work, we should understand him."
She continued, feigning confusion, "Who taught Miss to say that?" As soon as she finished speaking, she quickly covered her mouth and looked at Ling Wu, "Madam, I'm sorry, I wasn't talking about you. I was just worried... worried that Miss and Master would become estranged."
Ling Wu let go of the two children's hands and watched Song Yue's performance with her arms crossed.
It's still quite novel.
However, this rhetoric must be combined with a charming and innocent demeanor, otherwise it will be like trying to draw a tiger but ending up with a dog instead.
If nothing unexpected happens, Song Yue's behavior should be something she learned from Bei Banban.
He Cheng frowned. "Did Madam say you were talking about her?"
Then he moved further away from Song Yue. "And why didn't you remind me that I smelled of smoke and alcohol? Don't you have the ability to think independently when Jiang Du isn't around?"
In the past, Jiang Du would always wait for him outside the door with a clean suit jacket and aromatherapy to remove the smell of smoke, so that he could visit Ting Yaotinglan at any time.
Song Yue blushed and finally had no choice but to lower her head and apologize.
When she lowered her head, her slender neck had a resemblance to the pure white figure in He Cheng's memory.
But now, a figure as red as a rose was right in front of him, and his own two children were very close to her, making him unable to think of anyone else.
He tossed the suit to Jiang Du, who was bowing his head at the moment, and only dared to step forward after he had smelled the incense.
Seeing that Ling Wu remained silent and only stared calmly, he felt a sudden unease in his heart.
He hadn't been home for a week, and he didn't know what had happened to make her so cold towards him.
Did her parents say something harsh?
Is it related to what he said when he slammed the door and left that day?
But if that's really the case, shouldn't he be happy?
But when he met those eyes that no longer held any trace of love, he felt a heavy, oppressive feeling in his chest.
The bright moonlight at this moment separated Ling Wu inside the villa from He Cheng outside the villa into two different worlds.
He Cheng was only wearing a white shirt, which fluttered slightly in the night breeze, making his face appear even paler.
It was obvious that he was somewhat cold.
Ling Wu did not leave for this reason, but instead let him stay outside the door to "cool off" for a while.
He Cheng hesitated for a moment, his voice trembling slightly from the cold, "Why did you decide to wait for me outside today?"
“If I hadn’t waited outside, how would I have known that the servants of the He family were talking about their mistress behind her back?” Ling Wu brushed the strands of hair that had fallen over her shoulder back.
The red lips continued, "Reckless extravagance? Acting like a madman? Ignoring Yaoyao and Lanlan?"
Song Yue's body was trembling. After listening, she looked around at the servants with red eyes and said, "I'm not lying. They can all testify! Madam spends money like water every day and gives the servants rewards casually! If you don't believe me, sir, you can ask them."
As she spoke, she pointed to a group of servants.
But the servants' hearts had already been won over by Ling Wu, and with her saying this, what if the madam stopped rewarding them in the future?
So the group of people all shook their heads in unison.
He Cheng's annoyance with Song Yue remained unabated, and given the cold weather, he only wanted to cut things off quickly.
He glanced at the servants, noticing the identical expressions of disgust on their faces, and then said coldly:
“I earn money to spend on them, and I hire you to serve the Madam and the others. So what’s wrong with her squandering my money and treating you, her servant, like a tyrant?”
Upon hearing this, Song Yue froze. She stared at He Cheng in disbelief, her face turning deathly pale, and her body trembling.
Her hand trembled as she pointed at He Tinglan and his sister, "But she was towards the young master and young lady..."
He Cheng didn't even want to look at her this time. He knew Ting Lan's personality perfectly well; people she didn't like shouldn't even think about touching her.
The fact that Ling Wu could hold his hand and have him wait with her outside the villa shows how much Ting Lan likes her.
Not to mention Tingyao, who is still trying to coax Lingwu.
"Mommy, don't be angry. Mommy loves Yaoyao the most, Yaoyao knows that~"
He Cheng no longer showed Song Yue any kindness out of consideration for Bei Banban, and only spoke to Jiang Du: "Settle her debts now, and from now on, the He family will never invite her or any of her relatives and friends again."
Upon hearing this, Song Yue's face turned ashen.
But Lingwu stopped Jiang Du just as he was about to nod.
"There's no need to fire him. After all, he's an elder of the He family, and he's taken very good care of Yaoyao and Lanlan. Besides..."
Ling Wu looked at He Cheng with a smile, "Besides, when Miss Bei comes back in the future, she will be happier to have familiar people around her, won't she?"
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