But I hope I'm always there.
"How could I have slept with Jiang Chengjing? Her child is already so big!"
"Do you think the lesson I taught you a few days ago wasn't enough? Then I'll keep the project on hold..."
After parking the car, Jin Yanzhi, who was flustered and trying to explain, became increasingly confused as he rushed in. He had considered that there could be thousands of reasons for arguments between two people, but he had never imagined it would be because of that woman. He couldn't help but sigh heavily.
"Even if you two slept with her, you could still have a child that big!"
"It's okay, it's all in the past. Just tell me the truth, I'm not angry."
The newlywed wife crossed her arms and glared at herself fiercely. Her lips were pouting, and for the first time, her white-socked feet, free from any pretense of elegance, were propped up high on the passenger seat, seemingly to add to her owner's nonchalant air.
And yet, she still said she wasn't angry...
"It's all over now, what do you want me to say!"
"Wait...you don't actually think Hengheng is my child, do you?"
Seeing Mr. Jin frantically scratching his head, unable to defend himself, Lin Zhen'er only felt that the other party's behavior was suspicious; something just didn't seem right. The way he called her "Hengheng" so affectionately only made her angrier.
"Okay! Then tell me, what's with the tattoo on her hand? That sun, we have a larger version of it on our wall!"
The woman, who was waiting for her husband's explanation, was surprised to find that after she finished speaking, he fell silent. He offered no explanation, made no reaction, simply turned around, restarted the car, and drove home without a word.
The question about tattoos was like a bucket of ice water poured over his head, suddenly calming the young entrepreneur down.
Only after they entered the house did the other person gently pat his wife's shoulder as usual, and point to the dining table. The person turned their head and looked in the direction he was pointing. There was a freshly steamed yellow croaker and two plates of refreshing side dishes steaming hot.
"Eat something first; you probably didn't eat enough tonight."
The person who pulled out the chair suddenly exuded an undeniable sense of pressure. He still had a smile on his lips, but a deeper emotion was hidden behind his gaze.
The fish was fresh and sweet, the rice fragrant, and the eggplant, wrapped in salted egg yolk and steamed, was placed in the bowl—a truly authentic Xijiang home-style dish. Everything in front of her was unbelievably perfect. If it weren't for the argument in the car just now, screenwriter Lin felt that her life after marrying into a wealthy family would be even more wonderful than anything in TV dramas.
She lowered her head and finished the food in her bowl, only to find that the people around her hadn't touched any of the food on the table except for serving her more food.
After patiently waiting for his wife to finish eating, Jin Yanzhi took a deep breath and led her to sit on the sofa. He opened his work computer, revealing without hesitation the tattoo on the background that was identical to the one on Jiang Chengying's hand, and said softly:
"This pattern is not evidence that I still have feelings for her."
It represents my best friend from my childhood, Jiang Chengxu, her younger brother. The reason you haven't met him is because he disappeared ten years ago during a mountain climbing activity at our school. He wasn't found by the police until four whole days later, by which time he was already dead.
Her husband's voice held a barely suppressed sadness and an effortless calm. Lin Zhen'er bit her lip; this was an answer she had never expected. Of course, it was no use thinking about it now. She cleared her throat awkwardly, and after a long while, she still didn't know what to say.
The provocation from Jiang Chengjing and that actress that night was still vivid in her mind, and the anger at being secretly filmed and falsely accused hadn't truly subsided. But when the truth about the sun reached her ears, she still wanted to apologize for her earlier relentless accusations.
"They are siblings, both born to Uncle Jiang's mistress. In our circle, they are called the children of the second wife. The Jiang family is fiercely competitive, and there are seven or eight children of similar status. The children of the first wife are all successful and domineering."
That year when we went hiking, they pointed out a shortcut for us. Teenagers like us were full of competitive spirit and unwilling to admit defeat. In order to beat those annoying kids, we deviated from the group and took that shortcut. Not long after, Jiang Chengjing sprained his ankle.
Because I was taller and stronger, I carried his sister down the mountain while he stayed behind to conserve his energy. But by the time I returned, it was completely dark… I couldn't reach him on the phone, and the next time I saw him, he was at the funeral home… This drawing was something Chengxu did in his textbooks when he was in school; he drew in every single one…”
The man didn't continue speaking. His hand clicked into the computer's photo album, as if he wanted to open up old memories and show his newlywed wife the old friend who was forever frozen in his youth, but he hesitated to press the last button.
The person with lowered eyes didn't speak, but simply raised her hand and gently stroked her lover's back. She understood the pain of losing a close friend. After a long while, the person beside her finally unlocked that long-sealed memory and opened the encrypted file.
On the screen appeared a face that looked about 80% like Jiang Chengjing's, with delicate features. The two boys in the photo looked to be no more than ten years old, wearing vests and standing by the basketball court, grinning with their white teeth as if they had agreed beforehand.
"You used to like playing basketball?"
These were the most appropriate words Lin Zhen'er could say after much deliberation. She had never seen her husband play golf. Apart from seeing him go out for golf and horseback riding for social occasions, he spent all his free time in the gym.
“My father taught me to fight when I was a child, and later I fought with Chengxu.”
Later, they were all gone, and I never played again.
If there were anyone in the world who was even dumber and less articulate than herself on the scene, they wouldn't have behaved any worse than her. Screenwriter Lin clenched her fists tightly again. Damn it, her usually wildly imaginative mind was completely blank today.
Her eyes darted around the room, trying to break the terrible silence, before finally focusing on the packages that Qiao Jie had unpacked and piled up by the door. Inside were the birthday gifts she had prepared for her husband; his birthday was in a few days.
Although the atmosphere, the setting, and the timing were all wrong, the person who caused the trouble couldn't care less about anything else. She jumped up and headed for the door, rummaged around for a while, and finally found the small jewelry box. Holding it in her hands, she walked over to the man on the sofa with a cheeky grin.
"This is a birthday present I prepared for you. It arrived early today, so please open it ahead of time."
There's a saying, "The sooner you have it, the sooner you'll enjoy it!"
When the small wooden box was opened, something glittering gold stood out against the deep red velvet lining.
After frowning and staring at the object for a long time without confirming its authenticity, Mr. Jin finally reached out and picked it up. After examining it closely, he looked at his newlywed wife with a wry smile and began to recall if there had ever been a more speechless moment in his life:
"This is... a pure gold ear pick?"
Seemingly realizing he'd flattered the wrong person, the embarrassed man chuckled a few times, then grabbed the other person's free hand and gave them a loud high five.
"From my observation, you often hide in a corner and pick your ears when no one is around."
Of course, our CEO Jin can't use those ordinary ear picks; it has to be pure gold! Don't let its small size fool you; it holds its value very well.”
These jokes did nothing to lighten the mood. Mr. Jin stared at his wife, who had discovered his quirks, for a long time, his face full of black lines, until she couldn't stand the deafening silence any longer, got up and ran upstairs. Only then did he come to his senses.
His feelings were extremely complicated. His peculiar habit of picking his ears had been discovered, which made him feel somewhat embarrassed and ashamed. On the other hand, he felt that it was quite gratifying that the newlywed woman was paying such attention to him.
"Zhen'er, you said you wanted to order the birthday cake in a few days."
That cake, it can't be shaped like an ear pick, can it...?
The sound of rushing water from the bathroom filled his ears, and the man standing at the door cautiously inquired of the person showering inside. Every year, his birthday was a rare business gathering of bigwigs from Pingyang, and he couldn't guarantee he wouldn't receive such a "surprise" on such an occasion. How could he manage his emotions?
Lin Zhen'er rubbed her head, which was covered in bubbles, and couldn't open her eyes. After a while, she answered vaguely:
"No...no, don't worry."
Four days later, the Kim family's biggest birthday party of the year was held as scheduled. As Mrs. Kim walked into the venue arm in arm with her husband, her earlobes were pulled painfully by two huge jade cabochons, but she still dutifully raised her hand and greeted everyone present.
She arranged today's event. Although the venue setup and various suppliers were all old Jin family members and their cooperation was extremely high, she still stayed up for two nights in a group chat to communicate the plan and details several times in order to ensure that nothing went wrong.
So far, everything seems to be going well. However, as the banquet was drawing to a close, the mother, who had to come but felt out of place, suggested leaving early and insisted on not having a driver pick her up. A tug-of-war ensued at the door.
"I'm glad to see you're doing well. I have a car to take when I get back, and I'll be home in no time. I don't need to bother with a driver. You can take these things back with you; I don't like them."
The hands, roughened from decades of holding chalk, were struggling to push away the two gift boxes she was offered, trying to turn and leave. The stubborn old lady was wearing her most presentable dress today, along with a wool shawl she usually wouldn't wear; it was clear she was trying her best to make a presentable appearance.
The mother and daughter have been living a strained life together for so many years, and neither of them knows how to treat the other well so that they can both feel more comfortable.
"Auntie, you should keep it. It's not that valuable."
This fish maw looks white to me, doesn't it? Last time I went back to China, I brought back several boxes of small-bearded fish maw; why didn't you give your mother some?
Jiang Chengjing's voice appeared at just the right moment, causing several wealthy women who had witnessed the mother and daughter pushing and shoving to immediately cover their mouths and whisper among themselves. Lin Zhen'er, wearing twelve-inch high heels, felt as if she were walking on knife's edge, standing awkwardly in place, facing her mother in an embarrassing situation.
Whatever. She's been through far more embarrassing situations than this since she was a child. Let people laugh at her if they want. This fish maw and tonics are things her family would never normally buy. All she really wanted was for her mother to eat something good.
“Why is Mom being so polite to us? If we come to Pingyang and let you go back on your own, the neighbors will laugh at you for having such an insensible son-in-law. We can’t give those people that chance.”
Jin Yanzhi strode through the crowd, affectionately took his mother's arm, opened the car door himself, watched the nanny van turn the corner, turned back, took her hand, kissed it, and then led his wife forward.
"You seem to enjoy making things difficult for people now."
"Our family elders have known each other for decades. Do you really want to ruin things and make everyone look bad before you're happy?"
As the two passed by Jiang Chengjing, the husband's voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for the coquettish Miss Jiang to hear.
"If this happens again, just shout for me to come over."
Her husband squeezed her hand, his concerned gaze warm and genuine.
"But I always hope that you're not here at times like these."
Lin Zhen'er, head bowed as she composed herself, spoke softly, yet her words sent a slight shiver down the spines of those around her. She was sincere. The longer she spent with the men around her, the more her suppressed pride began to surface.
A stark difference in family background and social status can easily lead to feelings of inferiority. If, in such moments, one cannot carefully conceal their embarrassment and awkwardness and instead relies on the other person to stand up for them, their lack of self-confidence will only be exposed more thoroughly.
"But I hope I'll always be there, so that no one can bully you."
The man's answer came quickly and forcefully. He smiled and looked at his somewhat downcast wife, pulling her fluffy head into his arms.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com