Episode 55 Hitting the Wall
Cheng Xinran has not been busy at work recently, so after get off work she would accompany Lin Ying to the nearby supermarket to buy groceries. After returning, the two would pick vegetables together and gossip about random things from time to time.
After hearing that Lin Ying took her boss's son and Jiang Shu's daughter to Disneyland last weekend, her gossip spirit was simply overflowing with words -
"I suppose Mr. Darcy must have noticed your close relationship and deliberately let his son be a third wheel."
Lin Ying smiled indifferently and said calmly:
"He's my boss after all, and he even covered our VIP fees. I'll just treat it as a company trip."
"You treat him like your boss, but he might have already thought of you as his stepmother."
Cheng Xinran couldn't help but marvel at it. "A family of three with their love rival's son, this combination is truly a once-in-a-century phenomenon."
"…What do you mean by a family of three? Did I admit it?"
"Stop saying one thing and thinking another."
Cheng Xinran smiled and hit the nail on the head. "Let's not talk about the past. In the past few months, you passed on the intern brother, and you kept your distance from Darcy. As for the child's uncle, although the relationship is a bit complicated, I can see clearly from the outside. Ever since he came back to you, every time you mention him, you say you're looking forward, but you look back every three steps, and when you look back, you only look at him. Every time you go out with him, the smile on your face is fake!"
The man's tongue was as deft as his knife skills. In two swishes, a smooth and round potato was peeled. After passing it under water, Lin Ying took it. It was so smooth and slippery that it was visible at a glance, just like she herself appeared in his eyes.
"It's because our relationship is so special. Compared to others, I do trust him more. But between us, it wasn't possible in the past, and it's still impossible now. He's always trying to please me. Even if I don't reject him, the most we can do is be ambiguous, nothing more."
Lin Ying explained in a self-deprecating manner, but Cheng Xinran disagreed and teased—
"So... didn't you promise him to pursue you?"
She paused cutting vegetables, looking slightly disdainful:
"Just because you're qualified to pursue me doesn't mean you can catch up with me."
Cheng Xinran looked penetrating. "You seem to be shutting yourself off from love. You're either giving in for the sake of the child or you're afraid of getting hurt again... But ultimately, you're just too pessimistic about relationships and too concerned about the outcome. You're afraid that something might go wrong and derail your life again, right?"
Lin Ying put a bunch of green onions in front of her eyes——
"Lawyers are really good at reading people's minds. I wonder if that little puppy you were flirting with last time is still alive and well?"
Upon hearing this, Cheng Xinran rolled her eyes instantly, "I kicked him out a long time ago, he's a Phoenix Man, I haven't told you yet..."
The topic finally shifted from her feelings to the "Weird Men Awards". Lin Ying thought to herself, she had escaped a disaster.
But what she said just now was not wrong. It was true that she didn't want to get married, but it was not true that she didn't want to have a relationship.
As early as the time they went to Jiang Shu's house to eat crabs, the two had already broken the ice. He returned the coat and asked that question -
"Am I qualified to pursue you?"
If he had asked her this when she had just returned from Hong Kong, she would have flatly denied it, saying, "We should all move on." But after this period of re-understanding, she couldn't even say firmly, "I still need time to think about it."
Reason told her that she should turn around and leave like she did six years ago.
But leaving emotional matters entirely to decision-making by reason seems to be a plunder of feelings.
She was young and could come back to life with just a little bit of joy, but after coming back to life, she became more greedy because of that little bit of joy.
She gradually realized that maturity does not mean abandoning emotions and only talking about gains and losses, but facing one's own feelings - even if these feelings are somewhat inappropriate or even dirty.
Just like when she had an affair with Jiang Shu, although it was dirty, in her lifeless life at that time, dirtiness was her only respite.
She had never been seen before, and he became that coincidence, that sweet treat.
Since her wishes were never respected in the past, she must respect her own wishes now.
She does not reject Jiang Shu now, nor does she reject him continuing to be attentive to her.
Dongdong——
When he heard the knock on the public door, Lin Ying stopped cutting meat.
"I'm free, I'll go open it."
Cheng Xinran wiped the oil stains off her hands and walked out of the kitchen immediately.
When the door opened, a middle-aged woman stood at the door with long hair piled high and a noble temperament.
"Hello, does Lin Ying live here?"
Her voice was steady and her aura was strong. Cheng Xinran couldn't help but said softly:
"Who are you?"
"My last name is Jiang, and I'm her legal mother."
The water in the kitchen suddenly stopped flowing, and the corridor became silent in an instant. Lin Ying had appeared behind Cheng Xinran without her knowing. A hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, and then she seemed to be quickly swallowed by the darkness.
"Long time no see, Aunt Jiang, what do you want to talk to me about?"
Ever since he had an unpleasant argument with his son because of the pressure on him to get married, Jiang Yueling hasn't had much time to meet with his son. He rarely goes to the company, and when he does, he is the last one to arrive at the meeting and the first to leave after it ends.
A few days ago, she couldn't stand it anymore and deliberately blocked his way, saying that she wanted to have a good chat with him. She simply asked Jiang Shu to give her a ride. As a result, the two of them chatted all the way, but they didn't get along. Neither of them was persuaded by the other. When she asked about his girlfriend, he even said "I have no comment"...
Halfway through the journey, they were about to quarrel again. Fortunately, seeing that the car was running out of gas, Jiang Shu stopped by a gas station, turned off the engine, and took the opportunity to get out of the car to get some fresh air.
During this time, Jiang Yueling discovered the photos stuffed in his passenger seat drawer...
In the retro filter, the girl had a pair of clear deer eyes and a bright smile - that was an expression she rarely showed when she was in the Jiang family.
Jiang Yueling's heart immediately began to beat wildly. After all these years, it was only at this moment that she finally had a sudden realization. It also made her realize a lot of things. Whenever Lin Jidong scolded Lin Ying, he would always secretly come to her rescue, whether it was when they were children or when she was found to be pregnant...
Even in these years when he was in Hong Kong, every time he chatted with his family, he would always find a chance to ask Lin Ying a question or two...
Although she never took it seriously, her answer was never followed up.
He doesn't want to get married and always emphasizes whether he has feelings for someone or not... So this is what he meant. It turns out that he hasn't met the one he likes yet, but that he has met the one a long time ago.
As a mother, she was so slow to realize things.
When did they start?
High school? College? Or after Lin Ying got married?
It probably wasn't college. At that time, Lin Ying and Yan Yiming were already openly in a relationship, and Jiang Shu had just started working in those two years, so he was constantly on business trips. He even flew to Japan specifically to negotiate a project on Lin Ying's wedding day... Although the project didn't work out, after he returned, Jiang Yueling even specifically instructed him to find time to visit the couple in person and give them a wedding gift...
"Yan Song has been helping the company a lot over the past two years. His son and your sister are getting married. It's okay for you, as their brother, not to attend the wedding, but you should at least show some respect after returning from your business trip to avoid being impolite and making your father and Aying feel bad."
"What's there to feel sorry about? Everyone knows that you don't acknowledge this daughter in your heart at all, and she never calls you 'Mom'. Why should I be so self-indulgent and put on a show?" At that time, she thought that Jiang Shu was just like her younger self, who didn't believe in blood ties and only believed in tangible benefits.
There's nothing wrong with this.
But after so many years, she finally realized that Jiang Shu was different from her. At least he was more persistent in feelings than her, to the point of not turning back until he hit a wall.
That's ridiculous.
She couldn't let her son continue to make mistakes, even though Lin Ying had completely cut ties with the family after giving birth, and Lin Jidong had also begun to secretly operate after she left, constantly merging shares and acquiring companies in his name, and even constantly transferring and isolating property...
She was convinced that there must be some hidden reason behind Lin Ying's departure, and this hidden reason would definitely be detrimental to both mother and son.
Her son was so blinded by love that he would give others an opportunity to harass her. But since he refused to listen to her, she had no choice but to step in and pry Lin Ying open her mouth.
So she asked someone to investigate the address of Lin Ying and her daughter, and found that it was so similar to the address after her son moved. She was immediately convinced that the two had a close relationship.
He acted first and asked for permission later, and then knocked on the door.
Lin Ying was naturally surprised to see Jiang Yueling, but she had a hunch that he was up to no good, so she immediately explained it to Cheng Xinran and sent Ruxing to her place.
Ruxing was still watching anime at the time. Seeing a stranger coming to her house and her mother looking serious, she was a little reserved and asked weakly:
"Mom...who is this auntie?"
They are truly mother and son. When the child first met Jiang Shu, he also called him a generation younger.
But Lin Ying did not answer this question. She just squatted down, patted her daughter's head, and said softly:
"Ruxing, can you go to Aunt Xinran's room and read picture books first? Mommy will come and call you when dinner is ready."
After seeing that her daughter was taken away safely, Lin Ying closed the door tightly, pointed to the sofa, asked the other party to sit down, and poured a cup of warm water and handed it over.
Jiang Yueling glanced at the living room. The space was not big, but the decoration was very warm.
"Why don't you live in the villa your family gave you and come to live in this cramped old house?"
"The villa is in Songjiang, and it takes three or four hours to drive back and forth every day."
There was some sarcasm in her tone, but Jiang Yueling ignored it. "I thought your father would buy you a new set."
Lin Ying knew that her father and stepmother had long been at odds with each other, and she was too lazy to play table tennis with her, so she urged her bluntly:
"Can you please speak frankly? We haven't eaten yet."
Jiang Yueling was not vague either. She directly took out the Polaroid camera from her bag and slapped it on the coffee table.
Lin Ying looked carefully. She had never seen this photo before. Why was there a solo photo of her?
Seeing Lingna Belle beside him, with half of her face exposed, my heart skipped a beat, and then it pounded hard in my chest...
"I saw this in Jiang Shu's car. It's my fault for being so careless as a mother. I didn't realize for over a decade that you two actually had such thoughts..."
But Lin Ying wouldn't be frightened by a photo. "Just a photo, and you concluded that Jiang Shu and I had something going on?"
"You and I may not know each other well, but Jiang Shu is my son, and as his mother, I know him best. He seems to be a playboy and amorous, but he is actually stubborn and won't turn back until he hits a wall. Over the years, he has dated countless people, but he never brought any girlfriends home. He finally had a serious relationship in Hong Kong, but it ended inexplicably. Two weeks ago, he suddenly told me that he was in a serious relationship. I was wondering who he had met that made him so serious... After seeing this, I understood. No wonder he didn't bring anyone home all these years. It turns out that he was always at home."
The final tone of her voice was so sarcastic that Lin Ying shuddered.
"He took my photo. I had no idea. I can't control his feelings towards me. Stop being so sarcastic. I'm not a little girl anymore. I won't fall for it. I can only tell you that he and I are innocent now. We are not in a relationship at all."
"clean?"
Jiang Yueling sneered, pulled out another photo, and slammed his palm down on the coffee table, causing ripples to appear on the water in the cup...
This photo was the one she took of Jiang Shu and Ruxing. The curve of their smiles and the position of their dimples were exactly the same.
"You say you and he are innocent, but how do you explain this child's matter? You can fool others, even Jiang Shu himself, but I won't fall for it!
I'm still confused. Not long after you finished your confinement, you broke up with the Yan family, saying you wanted to sever ties with them and raise the child alone. You even came to our house late at night to make a scene and asked Lin Jidong to help you settle the matter. You actually persuaded him. No wonder, was your bargaining chip the child's biological father, Jiang Shu? "
At this moment, she really regretted leaving this photo to Jiang Shu.
With a rumble, like a muffled thunder, Lin Ying's thoughts suddenly returned to that stormy night five years ago...
That was the last time she set foot in the Jiang family mansion.
It was also the first time she seized power for herself.
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