Chapter 9 He was late again
After that day, Jin Qingyu didn't return for another three or four days.
Only Jiang Xingyao and Lin Ma were in the Xiyuan Villa.
After the previous warning, Lin's mother never spoke to Jiang Xingyao again, and Jiang Xingyao was happy to have some peace and quiet.
Time flew by and it was Jin Manchuan's birthday. No matter how distant her relationship with Jin Qingyu was on ordinary days, they always had to put on a loving act when they went to the old house.
We should at least go together.
After changing her clothes, Jiang Xingyao waited at Xiyuan until 6:30 p.m., but Jin Qingyu did not return.
Grandpa called from the old house to urge her, so Jiang Xingyao could only call Jin Qingyu to ask about the situation. She made two calls before he finally answered.
Jin Qingyu only said two words, "Wait a moment."
Just as Jiang Xingyao was about to speak, all she heard from her phone was the busy tone of the call being disconnected.
Jiang Xingyao felt a little irritated, but then she remembered that she would soon be able to sever ties with Jin Qingyu, so she could only suppress her displeasure for the time being.
When Jin Qingyu returned to Xiyuan, it was already seven o'clock. He parked his car in the yard with his hazard lights on, but he didn't even get out of the car. He just waited for Jiang Xingyao to come over by herself.
Looking at the familiar car, Jiang Xingyao thought of the way Jiang Cancan got out of the passenger seat that day. Her face stiffened slightly, and she opened the back door directly.
Unexpectedly, Jin Qingyu was also sitting in the back seat today, with Assistant Xu driving.
The car still carried a faint scent of perfume, the smell of freesia, which Jiang Xingyao had smelled on Jiang Cancan just the other day.
So during the time Jin Qingyu was late, he spent time with Jiang Cancan.
Jiang Xingyao immediately tried to slam the car door shut, but Jin Qingyu had already raised his eyes, his deep pupils staring at her: "Aren't you getting in? Or do you want Grandpa to see you get out of the passenger seat?"
With her thoughts exposed, Jiang Xingyao pursed her lips and finally forced herself to sit down next to Jin Qingyu.
Since he has already agreed to the divorce, there is no need for her to cause any more trouble.
As the car started, the scent of freesia filled the air, lingering around her nose. Jiang Xingyao lowered her head and subtly moved a little further away from Jin Qingyu.
Jin Qingyu didn't say anything, but Assistant Xu saw her little action in the rearview mirror and explained, "Madam, Mr. Jin didn't mean to be late. Secretary Jiang went to pick out a gift for Mr. Jin and walked a bit far. We just went to get the gift from her, which is why we were a little late."
"Were you just going to pick something up? Didn't you drop Jiang Cancan off at home on your way?" Jiang Xingyao asked.
The scent of freesia lingered for a long time. It wouldn't have lasted this long if it were just a gift exchange, unless Jiang Cancan had been sitting in the car the whole time.
Assistant Xu's lips twitched slightly, but he continued to explain, "That place is a bit remote, and it's hard to get a taxi there. We're the same..."
“You don’t need to explain anything to me.” Jiang Xingyao interrupted him, adjusting her posture slightly and turning her head to look at the car window.
Although she called it an explanation, how could she not hear the slight disapproval in Assistant Xu's tone? He clearly felt that she, Mrs. Jin, was being unreasonable.
But is that really the case? As Jin Qingyu's secretary, those were her duties, but she wasted time, causing Jin Qingyu to be late and forcing him to take her home.
This clearly exceeds the normal social distance between a secretary and a boss.
Anyone with eyes could sense the shady dealings, but those around Jin Qingyu seemed to think otherwise.
All they saw was how hard Jiang Cancan had worked. They thought this pampered Mrs. Jin knew nothing and was just being unreasonable.
Jiang Xingyao had no interest in arguing with Assistant Xu about the facts. She opened the car window a crack, and the hot air from outside finally dissipated the scent of freesia in the air a little.
Jiang Xingyao's expression relaxed a little.
Jin Qingyu glanced at her, his gaze falling on her hands resting on her knees, where the ring finger of her left hand was empty.
The man frowned slightly, took out something, and put it on Jiang Xingyao's finger.
A slightly cool temperature wafted over, and Jiang Xingyao looked down, almost laughing out of exasperation.
The thing Jin Qingyu put on her hand was none other than a diamond ring, and it was a very familiar diamond ring—the very one she had asked Ji Yunyin to help her sell that day, and the one she later wore on Jiang Cancan's hand.
"What does Mr. Jin mean by this? Doesn't Mr. Jin think it's beneath him to put such a secondhand item on his wife's hand?" Jiang Xingyao was unwilling to argue with him anymore. She thought she could endure it indefinitely, but when she saw the ring again, her pent-up anger finally erupted.
Since the day she brought up divorce with Jin Qingyu, she has never worn her wedding ring again.
She admitted that it was her own oversight to forget to wear her wedding ring when she returned to the old house today, but Jin Qingyu would not go so far as to bring the broken thing that Jiang Cancan left behind back to her hands.
Even if you park now and buy a ring from any jewelry store, it shouldn't be this one.
Jiang Xingyao reached out to take off the ring, but Jin Qingyu pressed her wrist down: "We're almost at the old house. Don't be willful at a time like this. Even if you don't like this ring, you can wear it this once to make do."
His tone sounded a bit impatient, as if he were treating Jiang Xingyao like a spoiled rich girl throwing a tantrum.
His hand slid down Jiang Xingyao's wrist, his fingers weaving through hers to form a tight clasp, preventing her from taking the ring off again.
The diamond ring emitted a soft, shimmering light that made Jiang Xingyao's eyes sting, and she felt as if her fingers were unclean.
Turning her gaze back to the man beside her, whose features were hard and cold, she suddenly whispered, "Jin Qingyu, this is the last time."
She would play along with him one last time, acting out the scene of a loving couple.
She will talk to her grandfather when the time is right.
Jin Qingyu was unaware of Jiang Xingyao's thoughts. He assumed she was talking about the ring, so he nodded and said, "Just this once. I won't let you wear it again."
Jiang Xingyao didn't correct her, and the two of them remained silent as they walked.
When the car arrived at the old house, it was already 8:30, a full half hour later than the agreed time.
Grandpa Jin disliked extravagance, while Jin Manchuan had an ostentatious personality. However, he couldn't resist Grandpa Jin's insistence, so his birthday celebration couldn't be a grand affair; it was just a simple meal with the family.
The old man had two sons and a daughter.
Uncle Jin died in an accident when he was young, leaving behind his wife, Li, and a daughter to depend on each other.
As for Jin Manchuan, he really had no talent for business, so the old man simply handed over the affairs of the Jin family to Jin Qingyu.
In their circle, it's not uncommon for successors to be chosen across generations, but Jin Qingyu happens to be an illegitimate child with an older brother.
Furthermore, Jin Manchuan's wife, Han Hui, comes from the Han family, which is only slightly inferior to the Jin family. Under such circumstances, it is somewhat intriguing that Jin Qingyu was able to seize power in the Jin family.
Jin Qingyu's position in the Jin family's old mansion has always been awkward.
Apart from the old man, no one liked him.
Even after Jiang Xingyao married him, things became very awkward.
When the two were led into the living room, the entire Jin family had already arrived.
Jin Manchuan looked at Jin Qingyu and was the first to speak up: "So you still know to come? It's a good thing this is a family dinner. If outsiders saw this, they would think you've grown up and don't want your father anymore."
Jin Manchuan's voice was sharp and his words were harsh. To put it bluntly, it was clearly his own inability to control his lower body that led to Jin Qingyu's existence, but compared to Han Hui, it seemed that he disliked Jin Qingyu even more.
Jin Qingyu didn't give him a friendly look either, only symbolically lifting his eyelids.
Jiang Xingyao had seen this kind of situation many times before, and she was already somewhat numb to it.
She took the things from Xu Te's assistant: "Dad, please calm down. Ayu and I were just picking out a gift for you, which is why we were a little late."
Jin Manchuan snorted coldly, looking at Jiang Xingyao with a disdainful expression: "Are you two special? Why wasn't A-Zhou late?"
The "A-Zhou" he mentioned was none other than Jin Qingyu's older brother, Jin Yanzhou.
Having been called out, the man casually raised his glass of red wine towards Jiang Xingyao, his shirt loose and baggy, exuding a lazy and frivolous air.
Jiang Xingyao met his gaze, raised her head, and sneered disdainfully, "Dad should also understand that Ayu is the head of the Jin family and has a busy schedule. He can't be as idle as his older brother, can he?"
As a qualified Mrs. Jin, Jiang Xingyao has always done a good job in protecting Jin Qingyu in the old house and fighting for him.
As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Xingyao saw Jin Manchuan and Jin Yanzhou's expressions change simultaneously.
Jin Manchuan even yelled, "You... did you come here on purpose to cause trouble today? You were late first, and I, as an elder, can't even say a few words to you?"
Jiang Xingyao remained neither humble nor arrogant: "Of course you can speak, but I have the right to correct any unreasonable points you make. After all, this is not the old society anymore. Even if you are an elder, you cannot act arbitrarily and be unable to distinguish right from wrong."
As Jiang Xingyao spoke to Jin Manchuan, she tilted her head again, her gaze briefly lingering on Jin Qingyu's face.
This was the last time she would defend Jin Qingyu in this kind of situation.
She wasn't afraid of offending Jin Manchuan to death, since she wouldn't be Jin's daughter-in-law anymore anyway.
Jin Manchuan wanted to make trouble again, but Old Master Jin slammed his hand on the table and said, "Enough! Is this ever going to end?"
Ayu is also your son. Why are you, as an elder, always targeting him?
You want to explain, but the young couple has already explained to you. How long are you going to keep making a fuss?
"All these years have passed, and you haven't made any progress. You've been eating rice for nothing all these years."
After yelling at Jin Manchuan, the old man looked at Jiang Xingyao, his eyes now full of kindness: "Come here, Yaoyao, sit next to Grandpa."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com