Episode 73 THE Right Track
Outside the ward, the sun is shining brightly.
When Xu Yiwei woke up, she realized that the anesthetic on her ribs had worn off and was a little painful. She leaned on the pillow with the needle still in her hand and heard the door being gently pushed open.
She spoke subconsciously—
"Sister Lin Ying..."
However, the person who walked in was Jiang Shu.
"...Mr. Jiang? Where's Sister Lin Ying?"
"The police need to take a statement. I just left this morning, so I'm afraid I'll be back soon."
He walked to the bedside and rang the nurse's bell for her.
The nurse took her temperature and recorded her various vital signs. She said that the wound suture went smoothly and that she should be fine if she rested well and paid attention to her diet. However, this was a minor injury, so patience was the most important thing in the treatment.
Seeing the nurse leave, Xu Yiwei said in a hoarse voice,
"Now you can only go out but not come in."
However, Jiang Shu said:
"Lin Ying and I will cover your medical expenses. You've suffered so much to save the child this time. As a parent, we can't just stand by and watch. This time, I'm serious. Xiao Xu, thank you for saving the child."
Hearing this, Xu Yiwei's lips curled up slightly - her current physical condition was not enough to support her to express too many emotions.
"I just don't want this matter to implicate Cen Shuo and me. Unfortunately... I still couldn't persuade him."
"Why did you suddenly get back together with him?"
This question seemed to be directed at Xu Yiwei. She was silent for a moment, then pretended to be joking and asked back, "Are you jealous?"
Jiang Shu rolled his eyes at her in time, and she smiled tiredly and admitted honestly: "Because I am very materialistic."
"That day when I was singing at Eric's bar, you exposed my secrets and my tricks. I felt like I had no hope left with you, but I have to pay my debts. He came to me in the rain and said he would pay my debts, so I agreed to do it."
The reason why I agreed to reconcile with him was, after all, just because of that sentence: "I will pay your debt."
She originally thought that this would be a long process, but in just three days, Cen Shuo had cleared most of the debts from the debt company.
He said that this was a gift from his parents, and that it was her betrothal money. As for the rest, they would save it together in the future. Although he pretended to be relaxed, Xu Yiwei knew that his father had recently passed away, and he vaguely felt that this matter was not so simple.
After submitting his resignation, the two went out for a trip. They had originally planned to take a bus back to Shanghai last night, but after lunch, Cen Shuo suddenly said that the company was urgently recruiting and wanted him to rush back in the afternoon to do design work. He had no choice but to leave her behind and left without stopping in a shared car with someone else.
Xu Yiwei immediately felt something was amiss. If the company was really hiring urgently, why did they have to leave her behind? They could have gone back together. Besides, he was a newcomer. What was so urgent that a newbie like him had to rush back to work on it? He had a computer and could work overtime anytime, anywhere...
Then, when she saw the online public opinion against Jianglin Group, and recalled Cen Shuo's recent expression of wanting to speak but not being able to, and sighing, she immediately suspected that she might have had some involvement in this matter...
Then he followed him all the way to the completed building, and saw that the two children were being used by him.
"At the time, I was more worried about him being exposed than worrying about the child, so at first, I didn't do anything. I just chatted with him privately, pretending to urge him to go home quickly, and used all kinds of rhetoric to persuade him to give up his 'job', but he refused to listen...
Later, I even looked up how many years a kidnapper would receive. Until I sensed the police were quietly approaching, I knew he was being used and had been foolish. Persuasion was useless, but I thought...if I could quietly release the child, wouldn't that save him from taking the blame? This was a complete blunder...
But he was really confused. He actually said... he did all this for me, to pay off my debts. He also said that once this was over, not only would my debts be cleared, but he could also take me to Hong Kong to make a living.
At this point, she laughed for no reason, and even squeezed out a few tears...
"If I'd heard this three years ago, I'd have been so happy! I'd have gone up to him and spun him around... But I'm not the same person I was three years ago, or even the same person I was three months ago. Hearing this now, I just think he's so childish and stupid... Why didn't the me of three years ago meet the him of today? Why can't he just stick to his ways now, like he did three years ago?
Mr. Jiang, tell me, why do people change? Why do people always become what they once liked or hated?
Her tears streaming down like rain obviously made Jiang Shu feel mixed emotions.
Yes, why do people change?
Why does it become "better" or "worse"?
What will be the most appropriate change?
Perhaps Jiang Shu was lucky enough that both he and Lin Ying had changed, which was why they were together now. However, the changes in some people were destined to push them further and further apart.
He was stunned for a long time and even forgot to hand over the tissue. It was Lin Ying who suddenly came back and took out two tissues.
"Xiao Xu, you are still very young."
She gently wiped away Xu Yiwei's tears.
"There are still many changes in your future that you will need to adapt to. These are not necessarily bad things, as long as you stop trying to change others."
We all mistakenly think that we are insignificant, so insignificant that we can be easily changed by one person or one word. But sometimes, people mistakenly think that they are great, so great that they can change a person by doing something or saying something.
But in reality, the only thing a person can change is himself.
But who says that people can’t become “great” by changing themselves?
A week later, the kidnapping case, the Song Group, and the Jianglin Group's illegitimate scandal subsided.
Lin Ying has completely dealt with the affairs of the previous company and has also discussed with Jiang Shu about Ruxing's future stay or departure.
She finally managed to find some free time that day, so she picked up her new car and went to a Bistro near Julu Road to keep an appointment... She was very thankful that the typhoons in Shanghai this year came and went quickly. It was only the end of September, and the temperature had already cooled down a lot - but when the sun was strong, she would still sweat profusely.
When we arrived at the Bistro, it was already packed. Even in broad daylight, there were a bunch of young people of all skin colors standing nearby, drinking beer and having a great time.
She said to the waiter:
"My friend said he's already arrived. His last name is Song."
Sure enough, Song Qi waved at her a second earlier than the waiter, and he couldn't stop smiling.
After the two of them politely ordered two sets of signature dishes, Song Qi also asked for an extra bottle of white wine.
"I'm treating you today as a thank you for risking your daughter's life and giving me a good knife. It's also a farewell treat for you. Are you on a flight this weekend?"
Lin Ying smiled and nodded, then waved her hand again: "What do you mean by putting your daughter in danger? As a mother, even if I am a master strategist, I can never joke about my daughter's safety.
Speaking of what happened last time... it was just my own fault that I was careless and failed to defend myself against Wang Duo. So, I still owe you a favor."
"Then we're even."
Song Qi shrugged, her smile dimples adorable. "But in the end, I benefited more. After all, my dad, to shut up my big mouth, not only approved a huge sum of money for my own investment projects, but he even changed his will. My mom has been laughing in her dreams these past few days. Wang Duo was too smart this time and was severely punished. His reputation and status will never be restored. I heard he seems to be planning to leave Shanghai."
When mentioning Wang Duo, Lin Ying felt sad, but she didn't want to ask too much.
"My dad is a grandson of a different generation. He ignored Wang Duo this time, but let Jiaze return to his roots. It seems that this time... he will have to raise this eldest grandson himself."
Lin Ying sipped the sweet and sour cool white wine and couldn't help but agree, "Jia Ze is a smart child. He should be raised by the right person."
After hearing this, Song Qi's radar became more sensitive. "I think you and Jiang Shu's daughter are more sharp."
She laughed and said, "To be frank, I didn't believe you would give birth to his child under those circumstances back then, so at first, I thought you were quite cheap. Later, when I heard about you and Wang Duo, I looked down on you even more. But ever since the last propaganda war, when you were so quick to remind me that Jiaze was also in the painting and Wang Duo was a little flustered, I started to see you differently... No wonder Jiang Shu has been obsessed with you for so many years."
Lin Ying almost forgot about this. In fact, her relationship with Song Qi is quite subtle - Jiang Shu's ex and current boyfriend.
She couldn't help but ask, "So, you looked down on me before, without any personal reasons?"
"Mea ...
"When you were with Jiang Shu, didn't you feel jealous?"
Hearing this, Song Qi raised his eyebrows and couldn't help laughing -
"You're talking about this. I almost forgot about it if you didn't mention it. But... is this really important?"
Lin Ying looked at Song Qi's smiling face, which was full of fighting spirit for the future, and realized that she had been too mean-spirited in that moment.
She raised the handle of the cup, collided with it, and responded with a Cantonese sentence:
"It doesn't matter."
The day before departure, Lin Ying and Jiang Shu packed her luggage together and prepared to move into the current house.
Jiang Shu was able to spare some time today because he had taken over the position of chairman of the group after the public opinion storm.
The reason why he took over despite such enormous public pressure was not because he was eager to prove himself, but because Lin Jidong's condition was worsening. The doctor said that he probably didn't have many years left.
"So Aunt Jiang voluntarily stepped down just to be able to spend more time with my dad in his final years?"
Lin Ying asked calmly, as if the word "my dad" was just a stranger's name.
"She didn't say it out loud, but that's probably what she meant."
At this moment, the two of them were tidying up her bookshelf and ornaments in the bedroom. These things were the most complicated, so Jiang Shu was particularly careful in storing them.
"Although my mother didn't say it, I can probably guess that Dad must have told her some heartfelt words that night, making her think about what she had done over the years and feel a little regretful."
Hearing this, Lin Ying sneered even more. "My dad's mouth is so strong that no one can win an argument. Maybe Aunt Jiang is old and her temper has softened. She felt sorry for him during his illness and resigned in a fit of rage."
Hearing her indifferent attitude, Jiang Shu couldn't help but stop what he was doing, hugged her from behind, and then slapped her face from behind - Ruxing was watching cartoons in the living room at the moment, and her eyes didn't even glance over here.
"Look at you, you're so ungrateful. He's your father after all. It would be fine if you didn't go to see him before you left, but now you're talking behind his back..."
"Didn't I go see him the day before yesterday? He was the one who ignored me...For so many years, I truly treated him as a father, but he never really treated me as a daughter. In this family, the person he cared about most was Aunt Jiang. I was right that day."
At some point in the past, Lin Ying had thought about reconciling with her father. After all, he was her only relative, and how could she not yearn for true fatherly love?
Unfortunately, desire is one thing, but the desire for reconciliation cannot be just wishful thinking. At least, in Lin Jidong's eyes, he never took Lin Ying seriously.
She didn't understand in the past, but now she understood a little - he had never longed for a daughter like her, let alone thought she would exist. But the fact was, when she really came to him, he was even more at a loss than she was.
But that was already his life lesson. She didn't need to be blamed for his helplessness, nor did she need to pretend to be enthusiastic for an unfounded family affection.
He should have loved this daughter, but he never did, until now. So Lin Ying didn't have to pretend that she and he had a deep father-daughter relationship. He had his own persistence, and she had her own life.
Thinking of this, Lin Ying couldn't help but turn around and hug Jiang Shu. It was at this moment that she suddenly felt the reality that she was about to leave. They had finally officially started dating, but she had to go on a long journey, and this journey would last for several months...
"Don't worry, Ah Ying. You just go and get used to it. Once I finish my current tasks, I'll bring Ruxing to see you during the Christmas and New Year holidays."
Ruxing was reluctant to part with her mother at first, but when Lin Ying explained to her that if she wanted to go with her mother, she would have to learn a foreign language with her mother because no one there would understand them, and that they would have to move very far away, and she might never see her good friends in kindergarten or her painting teacher again...
After hearing this, Ruxing's face gradually drooped.
When she heard that she could see her uncle often, she felt relieved and changed her mind from time to time. In this way, after several days of mental preparation, she finally decided to stay in the country with her uncle for the time being.
"I have to adapt when I go there, and I have to adapt when Ruxing leaves too. Let's see how things go first. If it doesn't work out, I can just take her over."
"Don't worry, I will hire a reliable confinement nanny. At worst... my mother can help me take care of the baby in her free time. She met Ruxing last time. Although she was aggressive in front of you, she also asked about Ruxing a few days ago.
It was obvious that she liked the child very much. She even said that she was quite talkative at such a young age and called her "Auntie".
When it came to the matter of address, Lin Ying also discussed it with him and decided to call him "uncle" for the time being.
Firstly, they weren't married yet, Jiang Shu had just taken over, and the public opinion storm hadn't settled yet, so calling him "Dad" wouldn't be good for him at this point. Secondly, Ruxing was still young, having called him uncle for so long, and suddenly changing his name might not be good for the child's psychological development.
It's better to just make the best of it and let things take their course. As long as we're both here together, life will be the same anyway.
As for the two of them, they were no longer the kind of people who paid much attention to rituals. It was better to let everything take its course.
The day before leaving, she and Ruxing moved to Jiang Shu's house.
This time, Jiang Shu's house was already half a children's playground. The five-year-old girl was full of energy and would get completely absorbed in playing. She wasn't very well behaved during meals either, wanting to go back to playing with building blocks after only a few mouthfuls of porridge. He deliberately didn't let Lin Ying intervene, instead carrying the bowl behind her and blowing on it mouthful by mouthful until he had finished feeding the baby...
After dinner, he had just put the plates into the dishwasher when Ruxing started clamoring for him to help adjust the cartoon. While watching, she explained the plot to Jiang Shu. She almost never stopped eating or talking.
Only after he coaxed the child to sleep at night did he quietly go to the study next door. Lin Ying teased him, "It must be hard to take care of children, right?"
He shook his head in disbelief, "I think it's because Ruxing is too lively. I remember you weren't like this when you were over five years old."
"Then you should reflect on this. Since she doesn't take after me in this respect, then who does she take after?"
Seeing her serious and successful expression, Jiang Shu couldn't help but get intimate with her, and there was no reason for them not to make love on this last night.
It’s a pity that this passionate lovemaking can’t take place in bed, because there is only one bed in his house, which is already occupied by a little person named Ruxing and can’t accommodate the strength of both of them.
While kissing her, Jiang Shu couldn't help but tease her secretly - "Didn't you say it can only be done in bed?"
She didn't show weakness either, biting his earlobe in return and clinging to his waist with all her strength. He was afraid that she would fall over, so he reached out and grabbed her waist to prevent her from knocking over his desktop computer...
"Wherever you are, that's the bed."
Although Lin Ying could not express her joy loudly that night, she did experience the sweet aftertaste of "forbidden".
When the two of them had gone astray, she wanted indulgence, but now that their relationship was finally back on track, she began to enjoy this restraint and forbearance.
Life is sometimes a wonderful experience.
The next morning, the people who came to the airport to see her off, besides Jiang Shu and her daughter, were Cheng Xinran.
She held Lin Ying for a long time, unable to let go, almost taking all her breath away...
"If you don't let go, I'll die in your arms."
"You're leaving at the wrong time! It would have been better to wait two weeks, until we've been to Tokyo together. Lawyer Jin rarely goes on team events, and he allows family and friends to come. You and Mr. Jiang can both go!"
Jin Ze said that the firm plans to hold a team-building event during the National Day holiday, and the location will be in the vicinity of Tokyo, Japan.
Originally, it was quite torturous to arrange the team building on a public holiday, but fortunately it was voluntary. However, when Cheng Xinran heard that it was going to Japan and that Jin Ze and his wife would pay for all the group expenses, she immediately felt that if she didn't go, she would miss out on 100 million yuan.
Upon hearing this news, Lin Ying and Jiang Shu looked at each other in bewilderment. Ever since they opened their hearts to each other, they really wanted to visit Mount Fuji again together. However, due to Lin Ying's work and Jiang Shu's recent official assumption of the position of general manager of the group, they were too busy to travel abroad rashly, which was really inappropriate.
When handing over the luggage, Jiang Shu gently squeezed her palm and whispered softly:
"When do you have a day off? We can go anytime you want."
Lin Ying nodded and said that she would wait until she got there to see the time and then discuss it.
Before passing through security check, Ruxing was reluctant to leave and even cried several times. Lin Ying held her in his arms and kissed her on the cheek non-stop... His advice to "listen to your uncle obediently" became irrelevant background noise.
The little girl in front of her had been with her for six years, the first year in her belly, and the next five years in her sight. How could she not feel reluctant to part with her companion who had shared everything with her? Thinking of this, her old mother also shed tears.
But when Ruxing saw her mother crying, she suddenly became strong and even wiped Lin Ying's tears with her hands.
"Don't cry, Mommy, don't cry... Ruxing will come to see you with uncle. Mommy has to work hard and take nice pictures of Ruxing!"
Parting is sad, but fortunately, they still have plans to meet again in the future.
Although there are many things that are hard to let go of and there will be many challenges in the future, Lin Ying will no longer judge right or wrong before anything happens.
Her life is only on this track.
So no matter where you go, the scenery will belong to her.
Before the plane took off, she took out the Bluetooth headphones in her ears, the music stopped abruptly, and she sent a message to Pierre that she was about to take off.
The other party replied very quickly, and was as enthusiastic as ever.
"Congrats! Ready to get back to your right track?"
Seeing this, she was stunned for a moment, and after thinking for a while, she replied to him:
"I'm always on the right track."
The air swirls and the clouds rise.
She is soaring up and leaping into her own orbit.
[End of Text]
2025.10.5
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