Episode.64 Liked
Not long after sending Lin Ying to the hospital that day, Jiang Shu received a call from his mother...
At that time, his mind was full of Lin Ying's illness and his resistance to Wang Duo himself. He completely ignored his current image - the bloody kiss mark at the corner of his lips, the shocking teeth marks on his wrist, and the marks of her sucking and biting on his Adam's apple.
Although it was not serious, it did look a bit embarrassing when viewed closely. He had never been so embarrassed before.
The content of the phone call really put Jiang Shu into the biggest embarrassment in his life.
The company recently had problems with cash flow for a project. He had taken on this project six years ago, and then he went to Hong Kong to develop his business. The project was handed over to Lin Jidong, and the contract initially drafted for the project still had his backing.
Originally, the project responsibility should have been transferred over, but Lin Jidong obviously had a trick up his sleeve. During the time when Jiang Shu came back, he took a step back in the company and pretended to be reluctant to hand over the project that he was going to leave that year back to him.
It was also Jiang Shu's fault for being careless at that time. He was so immersed in the vast number of cases after taking over as general manager that he completely forgot to ask the legal department to clearly divide the benefits and responsibilities of each old project.
The project was just completed last month, and he thought there would be no more problems, but Lin Jidong and Yan Song still managed to outmaneuver him...
Last month, a construction contractor suffered heatstroke due to the scorching heat and collapsed on the construction site. He was later hospitalized, where he developed complications such as heart failure. His family has been making a fuss. Yesterday, he met directly with the media. The allegations initially escalated into allegations of Jianglin Group profiting from the project's exploitation, escalating into allegations of embezzlement. This led to repeated delays, leaving the project unfinished after six years and ultimately turning it into a shoddy project.
In the end, public opinion inexplicably pointed directly at Jiang Yueling and her son.
There are endless comments from major media outlets, and many people are fanning the flames.
"Family members, you all know that Jiang Lin is about to change, right? Who doesn't know that this is just the fuse that will cause the couple to break up?"
"I've read the history of this bastard company's rise. They boast all sorts of things, like a powerful alliance and revolutionary friendship. To me, it's just two people marrying up to combine resources for their own benefit. Now that the pool has grown, they're afraid the other party will take their share, so they're openly dividing the spoils."
"Well, if you ask me, women shouldn't ask for too much. Jiang Yueling, who's married for the second time and has a child, how big of a heart did her husband have back then? He raised her son, and he didn't even have control of the company. He's been patiently retreating behind the scenes for so many years, and now he still has to clean up his stepson's mess. Seriously, I'd be the first to disagree if he wasn't given the 'nice guy card'!"
"Is that the guy upstairs? His vibe is about to overflow the screen. It's true that men are more empathetic to other men. Let me be clear, I'm a woman. Although I don't think Jiang Yueling is a good person, Lin Laodeng isn't necessarily innocent either!"
"The above person is so typical of 'I'm a daughter, so am I',' what's with all the neutrality? If you want to criticize, criticize. If you want to praise, praise. Don't be so twisted! Jiang Yueling is very ahead of her time, okay? People started to abandon their fathers and keep their sons over 30 years ago, and some people are still fussing over whether raising a son for someone else is cheap or not. Please, it's good enough that she doesn't think Lao Deng is a burden!"
"No? You women are crazy, don't orgasm just because you see a female CEO, okay? What kind of gender worship is this?"
"Isn't her son the primary person responsible for this? He loves men so much, why doesn't he just scold him? Instead, he praises his parents and criticizes them! Don't tell me you can't bear it because he's so handsome?"
"I don't even want to say anything about him. His life has been so easy. He has everything he wants. All the resources in the family are given to him. He thought he could make a career out of this return, but he ended up pooping a huge pile."
"I don't think he's suitable to return to the mainland. If not, should he return to Hong Kong? Let the rich lady support him. Hhhhh. At the critical moment, you still have to rely on women!"
"A friend of mine used to work at Jiang Lin. She told me that Jiang Shu was surrounded by a lot of different women back then. He even bought a villa specifically for that with Py. There were rumors back then that he probably went to Hong Kong to hide after someone died... It's a pity my friend left early, otherwise he'd be a hub for gossip now!"
"What? Someone's dead. Can you elaborate? Is this a criminal case?"
"I don't understand this. He must have gotten some girl pregnant, right? It's terrifying to think about it. Even though he's unmarried and childless right now, he probably has several families behind the scenes."
"Help! No one really cares about the private lives of capitalists. If you have the time, you might as well forward this and speak up for the workers lying in the hospital!"
…
The noise almost drowned out the screen.
Lin Ying locked the screen and put the phone back into her bag.
In the vast sea of comment sections and various hashtags, rumors are mixed with falsehoods, and the truth is diluted. No one really cares about the truth, and passers-by watch the fun, while colleagues laugh at the joke.
And now, Jiang Shu has really become a joke - one crisis after another, and he probably experienced the feeling of being disgraced for the first time.
He took off his mask and barely spoke.
"My mom told me everything that day, including how she had previously questioned you without telling me, and how you promised her that you would take the child and leave Shanghai. So...the agreement you signed with Lin Jidong and your decision to marry Wang Duo were all meant to sever ties with us and protect yourself, right?"
His words were powerful, but his voice was trembling at the end.
"Yes. I hid the truth about Ruxing from you back then, and indirectly sold out your interests. So now I've given Lin Jidong a handle to frame you, and I'm one of the instigators of this.
But don't worry, I won't follow him in fanning the flames this time, nor will I exploit Ruxing's identity to create trouble. Everything I do is for a more stable future for us mother and daughter. I've already accepted Pierre's agency offer. Before I leave Shanghai, I'll take care of everything that needs to be done. Once this storm blows over...we'll be even."
She spoke frankly and openly, her eyes fixed on the window, her heartbeat calmer than expected.
But Jiang Shu secretly clenched his hands on the steering wheel. His emotions were like stones, piling up in his chest, almost making it difficult for him to breathe.
"At this point, do you still think we can be even? Why can you trust Wang Duo but not me?"
Lin Ying thought that Jiang Shu, who had been tricked after knowing the truth, would at least "take action" to hold her accountable. But after holding his breath for a while, he was still troubled by this matter?
His doubts accumulated in his chest, like magma that could no longer be suppressed, burning to his heart, burning cracks in his heart, and bursting out along with the hot lime - like an active volcano.
"Lin Ying, I know you're very disappointed in me, so I deserve your rejection and the truth you've concealed from me...
But I can't understand why you can talk to anyone you don't like, and negotiate terms and deals with them despite all the pressure, but you are unwilling to trust me? Even once?
Are the feelings of someone like me so cheap in your eyes?"
His words connected to the last confrontation between the two of them, but last time it was a confrontation, this time it was a rhetorical question - and also a question to himself.
Over the past six years, Jiang Shu has been constantly ruminating on the emotions that he used to despise. Once upon a time, he believed that feelings were just a means to get someone or something, and if you don't look at the results, then the process of talking about feelings is a waste of time.
But if you calculate it this way, how much time has he wasted on Lin Ying so far?
How much love did this waste actually help him save? Clearly, all he wanted was for Lin Ying to see his persistence and be moved by him, even just once? Even for a moment?
The cooling process of the magma was silent. Lin Ying's voice was like a burst of thunder, filling the cracks from the inside out.
"Jiang Shu, you said you liked me and wanted to take me to Hong Kong... Do you know how I felt at that time?
You were just pitying me, giving me charity. You said you liked me, but what did you do? We'd lived together for so many years, and you'd never once expressed your feelings. You took advantage of my disappointment in marriage, seducing me into bed with that attitude. When the truth came out, you proposed marriage, acting so noble like a savior, yet you trampled on my wishes and self-esteem. You said you loved me, but you treated me like nothing more than that.
You are used to measuring everything by interests, and you think that feelings are the same and are easily accessible. After all, you have never lost anything. You didn't confess in the past because you didn't dare, but you dared at that time only because you believed that I was fragile. You thought I had no reason to refuse, and you overestimated my dependence on you.
But what I want is not just love, and neither are you.
Jiang Shu, actually we don't owe each other anything. What happened back then was consensual. Ruxing was an accident, but I don't regret giving birth to her. Without her, I might not have been able to fight for my life. Without you, I wouldn't be able to see this day.
I admit that hiding this from you was somewhat inconsiderate, but I'm not a master strategist, much less a saint. I'm simply trying my best to live a good life. Neither your feelings for me nor my trust in you are necessary for me to survive."
Lin Ying felt that she had never talked so much to him before. After saying all this, the stone pressing on her heart seemed to suddenly disappear.
Breathing is normal and heartbeat is normal.
The inexplicable dark cloud that had been hanging over my heart these days also dissipated.
She wasn't sure if Jiang Shu could accept such a lengthy and abstract confession, but when he asked again, his tone was one of relief.
"So... did you ever like me? Even for a short while?"
She laughed calmly and stole a glance at his face, which was eager for confirmation.
"I have liked it, and it was more than just for a while."
After saying that, Lin Ying immediately opened the car door and added to him before leaving.
"Thank you for taking me to the hospital. It's a special period recently, so please take care of your own affairs first."
After getting out of the car, she was still a little dazed, as if people would feel a little short of oxygen if they stayed in a noisy environment for too long.
But she didn't want to think about it. Maybe there were too many complicated thoughts in the car, which made her lack of oxygen.
This was the first time she verbally admitted her feelings, but she knew that this feeling was not her obsession, but Jiang Shu's obsession.
Emotional people will let go of their feelings in the end, but rational people will stick to their feelings until the end.
What she wants is to be understood, while what he wants is just confirmation.
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