Tan Ni secretly glanced at her brother several times, almost sticking to him. Tan Yuchen was flipping through a magazine out of boredom, not looking up, and said lazily.
"You have something to say?"
"Brother, when can I be discharged from the hospital? My sister's wine tasting is coming up soon, and she promised that I would play a piece at the banquet. The news has already been spread, and I can't let the guests leave disappointed, can I?"
Tan Yuchen glanced at her, pondered for a moment, and said, "That makes some sense."
"Then I—"
"Then stay until the day before the banquet."
His words were final, clearly indicating there was no room for further negotiation, which infuriated Tan Ni.
"You're so fond of men and neglect your sister! All you do is flirt with those shady women outside, leaving me all alone here. You better watch out, or I'll tell your uncle!"
The Kyushu entertainment tabloids, with their expert stalking skills, managed to secretly photograph Tan Yuchen accompanying Tang Ning into a high-end club. In that fleeting moment, she leaned close to his cheek, seemingly placing a kiss on him.
Tan Yuchen did not respond, but he did not refuse either.
These newspapers were delivered to the hospital every day to help Tan Ni pass the time, so she naturally saw them.
Tan Yuchen asked, "Where is your upbringing?"
Tan Ni also felt that she had said something wrong, but when Tan Yuchen questioned her, she was convinced that he was biased, and she felt even more uncomfortable.
"Is Brother Yanzhi coming back this time? I sent him a lot of emails a while ago, but he hasn't replied to any of them?"
Her thoughts were practically written all over her face; she was so eager.
Tan Yuchen simply couldn't bear to look.
It's obvious that Xu Yanzhi has no interest in her, yet she's still chasing after him. When a brother sees his sister looking so cheap, how can he possibly be happy?
He glanced at her, a half-smile on his face, and asked, "Do you really want me to ask for you?"
He always laughs like that, it's never a good sign, so Tan Ni quickly waved her hand: "No, no."
Tan Yuchen got up and left.
**
When Meng Jiuyi received Tan Ni's invitation to the party, Mo Ruyue called her and asked her to come back to the Meng residence when she had time.
"Who gave it to you?" Mo Ruyue asked, looking at the invitation in her hand.
"Tan Ni is the fourth young lady of the Tan family."
Meng Jiuyi said that the Tan family villa would be hosting a wine tasting event next week, and Tan Ni invited her to attend.
Mo Ruyue was happy for her daughter who had made friends, and she pulled Meng Jiuyi to sit down.
"Mom wants to ask you, what's really going on with the Chen family? There are so many rumors going on outside, what exactly happened between you and him that night?"
Meng Jiuyi remained silent.
"Don't you trust your mother?"
Meng Jiuyi noticed faint dark circles under her eyes, indicating that she probably hadn't slept well these past few days because of this matter.
She used to be able to be ruthless and ignore it, but after humiliating herself at Tan Yuchen's place that night, she has thought about Mo Ruyue's situation back then more than once in the past few days.
Once you put yourself in someone else's shoes, it's impossible to be hard-hearted about some things.
She said that when she went to the bar, Chen Xiaoran tried to do something indecent to her, but Tan Ni intervened and stood up for her. Later, the Chen family was completely wiped out, which may also be related to these events.
There are many more things Meng Jiuyi didn't say, such as when Tan Yuchen ordered someone to cripple Chen Xiaoran, she was also forced to stand by and watch.
"Chen Xiaoran has a terrible reputation abroad; he's a scumbag who enjoys toying with girls."
"No wonder!"
Mo Ruyue's hands were trembling as she said it was no wonder Feng Lan wanted to introduce her to a marriage proposal.
"I found it strange at the time that my mother was incompetent; how could she possibly think of you in such a situation?"
But if she succeeds once, she'll try again. I'm afraid she'll hold onto her resentment and use it against you next time. Besides, I heard that Uncle Tan went to plead with the old lady, and she's already back from South Asia. There's no guarantee she won't vent her anger on you.”
Meng Jiuyi lowered her eyes and remained silent. She had many ways to ruin Feng Lan's reputation, but none of them could keep the Tan family out of trouble. So, as soon as a problem arose, Tan Yuchen would nip it in the bud.
She couldn't help but feel a little teary-eyed. Heaven was really unfair. Even someone like Feng Lan could find a powerful backer. Even though she caused trouble many times, someone would protect her.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel even more resentful towards Tan Yuchen.
"If she really intends to use marriage to scheme against you again, you might as well find a reliable and good-natured person and leave the Meng family. At least then no one will try to take advantage of you again. Rather than someone who is wealthy, I would prefer someone who respects you and puts you first in everything."
Mo Ruyue suddenly remembered, "Oh right, Mom hasn't asked you yet if you've ever met a boy you liked over the years."
Caught off guard by the question, Meng Jiuyi's eyelashes trembled uncontrollably, and she answered instinctively.
"No."
"So many years and nothing..."
"No, there really isn't!"
Meng Jiuyi was unwilling to discuss this, saying, "Women don't only have the path of marriage. If they enter into marriage to escape their suffering and treat men as a means of support, they will only fall into an even bigger trap!"
Her words were so suggestive that Mo Ruyue lowered her head and remained silent.
Meng Jiuyi bit her lower lip, wondering if she had spoken too harshly.
How's your hand?
Mo Ruyue said, "It's all healed now, just a minor injury. You've already applied the medicine for Mom."
Minor injury.
Meng Jiuyi looked at her hands; all five finger joints were dislocated, and they were covered in calluses, a result of years of massaging people.
Outsiders praised Feng Ran for her magnanimity, not only accepting her husband's mistress and their two children, but also bringing them back to the Meng residence to be well-fed and cared for.
But no one realizes that stepping into a social circle that doesn't belong to you is like swallowing needles.
Mo Ruyue gently stroked her face, "After all these years, are you still angry with your mother?"
What are you angry about?
She was angry that her father wasn't just her father; angry that she had followed Meng's father without any explanation; angry that she was doing well outside, so why did he bring her back to the Meng family halfway through; and even angrier that Meng Cheng had neglected her after they got together.
When Qi needed her mother the most, she wasn't there.
Meng Jiuyi once thought that this hatred had long taken root in her heart, but family affection is a very annoying thing. Even if you try your best to resist it, your instinct is to get closer.
Meng Jiuyi looked at her and asked the question he had wanted to ask for so many years, "Have you ever thought that you could have lived a good life even if you had married an ordinary person back then?"
A silence fell in.
Mo Ruyue sighed, "Xiao Jiu, I know you've always had some reservations, but life has many things that require us to compromise."
She said that initially, Meng's father and she were the only legitimate couple. They met on campus and were both preparing to get married. Meng's father promised that marrying Feng Ran was just to repay a debt of gratitude, and that he would guarantee to get back on track after a few years.
But she didn't live to see that day; instead, Feng Ran became pregnant.
“At that time, my mother was almost thirty years old and had no way out. Marrying an ordinary person meant taking the bus and living in an apartment building. She would fight tooth and nail with people over a little money for groceries. I didn’t want you to be born to live that kind of life. At least the life we have now is something that ordinary people absolutely cannot have.”
What kind of life?
Even knowing that Meng's father was an unreliable man, he still jumped into this pit without hesitation.
Does she have to ask for money every month? Or does she have to serve Mrs. Meng every day? Does she have to endure other people's strange looks day after day?
They simply can't fit into this circle.
Meng Jiuyi wanted to ask if it was possible to live without kneeling.
Meng Jiuyi didn't speak. Mo Ruyue touched her face and said, "Mom, I'm sorry. My heart aches whenever I think about the day you needed me the most, but I wasn't in Jiuzhou."
Hearing her bring up the old story suddenly made Meng Jiuyi feel dizzy for a moment.
Mo Ruyue didn't dare to mention this further, her eyes filled with pleading.
"Mom apologizes to you. So many years have passed, please don't ignore Mom anymore, okay?"
She's old.
Meng Jiuyi only now realized that the once radiant woman had wrinkles around her eyes, and the towering tree of hatred that had been growing in her heart seemed to have withered and lost its leaves with the passing years.
She wiped away Mo Ruyue's tears without saying a word.
After Mo Ruyue left, Meng Jiuyi packed his things, intending to leave the Meng residence.
Every time she comes back, she takes a little something with her. She's almost emptied the whole room. This time, she planned to take some books with her. When she pulled the book to the second shelf, a magazine fell to the ground.
Meng Jiuyi looked down and then paused, stunned.
Sunlight streamed in through the window, falling obliquely from her shoulder onto her face, the continuous heat seeping into her chest, leaving a feeling of tightness and unease.
Actually, she lied when Mo Ruyue asked her if she had someone she liked.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com