Chapter 51 He Likes Me
51
What else could it be?
Of course, it's because he was rejected after confessing his feelings to Jiang Siyu.
But this wasn't something to be proud of, so Gu Mian naturally wouldn't tell Jiang Yiruan, lest he damage Ji Yanheng's image in Jiang Yiruan's mind.
Besides, given Jiang Yiruan's personality, who knows how much she would cry if she knew about this? He really didn't want to stand by and comfort her.
"Can't you tell me?" Seeing his hesitation, Jiang Yiruan lowered her voice in disappointment and said pitifully:
"It's okay, I won't ask."
"It's nothing serious, just work-related." Gu Mian ignored Jiang Yiruan's disappointment, casually making up an excuse to brush it off, and then naturally changed the subject:
"It will be quite cold in the snow-capped mountains, so you should prepare some warm clothes."
"Okay, I understand." Jiang Yiruan nodded, but in her heart she felt that the reason why Ji Yanheng was in a bad mood was not so simple.
Their gathering ended not long after Ji Yanheng left.
When Jiang Yiruan returned home, she was about to greet Li Shuwan when she saw Jiang Dingbang coming down from the second floor.
She quickly greeted Jiang Dingbang: "Dad."
"Mm." Jiang Dingbang nodded, went downstairs and sat down next to Li Shuwan.
"Where did you go?"
"I went to join Gu Mian and the others for a gathering, just to make up the numbers."
"Yan Heng is here too?"
Jiang Yiruan's eyes showed a moment of panic, but she quickly regained her composure:
"Yes, Gu Mian and the others discussed with him about going to the snow mountain tomorrow."
Jiang Dingbang stared intently at Jiang Yiruan, "Are you going too?"
“I,” she pursed her lips nervously before replying, “Gu Mian invited me.”
"Then tell him later that you're not going."
"Why?" Jiang Yiruan asked instinctively, then timidly tried to salvage the situation after meeting Jiang Dingbang's stern gaze.
“But I’ve already agreed. If I don’t go, wouldn’t that be going back on my word? Gu Mian and the others will be unhappy.”
"Are you afraid of upsetting Gu Mian, or Ji Yanheng?" Jiang Dingbang's voice turned stern, and Jiang Yiruan trembled with fear.
Seeing this, Li Shuwan gently took Jiang Dingbang's hand and said softly:
“The child is grown up and has the right to make friends. Besides, it’s not a bad thing for her to play with Gu Mian and the others.”
"I don't care who her friends are or who she hangs out with, but not Ji Yanheng." Jiang Dingbang's eyes were icy cold.
"You know perfectly well that Ji Yanheng is the person your sister likes, yet you still get so close to him, you have absolutely no sense of propriety."
“I didn’t…” Jiang Yiruan was rarely scolded by Jiang Dingbang like this, but every time it was because of Jiang Siyu.
Her clenched fist was so tight that her nails dug deep into the flesh of her palm, the pain constantly reminding her of Jiang Dingbang's favoritism.
"If you don't have it, then let me ask you, why did Ji Yanheng, who promised to pick up your sister on the day she returned to China, take you home instead?"
“It was raining so hard that day, and Brother Yanheng was just concerned about me.”
"Concerned about you?" Jiang Dingbang sneered. "But I heard it was you who called Ji Yanheng."
Seeing Jiang Yiruan's flustered and pale face, Li Shuwan felt extremely aggrieved.
They are both Jiang Dingbang's daughters, but Jiang Dingbang always favors Jiang Siyu, wishing he could give her all the good things.
Even men are like that!
Now that the Jiang family is on a downward spiral, he chose Ji Yanheng, the future heir of the Ji family, as Jiang Siyu's husband, but never considered Yi Ruan's future.
In this situation, how can the mother and daughter have a good life if they don't fight and struggle?
However, no matter how unwilling or resentful she felt, Li Shuwan would not show it at all at this moment.
She coughed lightly, turned her body slightly, and gazed at Jiang Dingbang with tender affection:
"Ruanruan used to be isolated and bullied at school because she didn't have a father."
After returning to the Jiang family, Yan Heng rarely took such good care of her. Ruan Ruan treated him like a brother, like her future...brother-in-law. As time went on, she developed a dependence on him, so isn't it normal to ask for his help when she encounters problems?
Hearing Li Shuwan bring up Jiang Yiruan's past experience of being bullied at school, and seeing her red eyes and the look of great injustice she had suffered, his dissatisfaction subsided somewhat.
After a long silence, he sighed softly, "You know very well that you have the best relationship with that kid Ji Yanheng."
In the past, Jiang Yiruan would not have argued with Jiang Dingbang after hearing his tone soften.
But this time, she didn't want to put up with it anymore.
"Dad," Jiang Yiruan stubbornly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, "What if Yanheng doesn't like my sister?"
"Does this mean I have to give up the happiness that's so close to my heart?"
"Ruanruan, how could you say such a thing? You've disappointed your mother so much!"
Before Jiang Dingbang could even get angry, Li Shuwan stood up first and slapped Jiang Yiruan across the face.
The sound of a "smack" echoed in the Jiang family's living room.
Li Shuwan's hand, which had been slapping Jiang Yiruan, was still trembling. She commanded:
"Apologize to your father and tell him that you were just talking nonsense."
Jiang Dingbang dotes on his daughter Jiang Siyu, and feels extremely guilty about the fact that she went abroad and was out of contact for four years.
By revealing her feelings for Ji Yanheng, Jiang Yiruan is undoubtedly putting Jiang Dingbang in a bad light.
If he gets angry because of this, how will the mother and daughter continue to live in the Jiang family?
"No!" This was the first time Jiang Yiruan had disobeyed Li Shuwan's orders. She covered her face, tears streaming down her face like broken beads.
Actually, Li Shuwan's slap didn't hurt, but Jiang Yiruan still felt wronged.
They're both children of the Jiang family, but Jiang Siyu never has to fight for what she wants, while she does.
She was like a rat in the gutter, and even picking up things that Jiang Siyu didn't want had to be done secretly.
After all these years, Jiang Yiruan has really had enough of this kind of life.
She lowered her hands from her face and stood in front of Jiang Dingbang, past Li Shuwan.
"Yanheng doesn't like my sister, he likes me!"
"What nonsense are you talking about!" Jiang Dingbang was so angry that he stood up and raised his hand to slap Jiang Yiruan, but he couldn't bring himself to do it when he saw the red marks on her face.
"I'm not lying." Jiang Yiruan suppressed her fear of Jiang Dingbang and emphasized each word clearly:
"Otherwise, why would he come to pick me up from the company as soon as I called, but leave my sister at the airport!"
"Dad, my sister and I are both your daughters. Whoever Ji Yanheng marries, the Jiang family will benefit. So why can my sister marry but I can't?"
"You, you..." Jiang Dingbang clutched his chest, so angry he almost couldn't catch his breath.
He had always thought his obedient and sensible daughter was secretly eyeing the man her own sister liked!
This is absolutely absurd, utterly shameless!
"Dingbang!" Li Shuwan exclaimed and quickly came over to help Jiang Dingbang sit down, then glared disapprovingly at Jiang Yiruan:
How could you talk to your father like that?
“I’m telling the truth.”
Jiang Yiruan took a deep breath. "If there's nothing else, I'm going to rest."
After saying that, she went upstairs without even glancing at Jiang Dingbang, who looked pained.
Watching her walk away, Jiang Dingbang felt the pain in his heart intensify.
"Damn it, damn it!" Jiang Dingbang cursed through gritted teeth. Li Shuwan quickly tried to comfort him, but Jiang Dingbang pushed her away.
"You've raised a good daughter!"
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