Chapter 34 Growing Pains: Her Growing Pains.
Lan Jia looked at Meng Cenjun first, her eyes filled with fear and a plea for help, as if she were begging him to say something.
However, Meng Cenjun simply lowered her eyes and whispered, "Go."
She glanced at Aunt Ming again, her gaze clearly urging her. What was this? Were the two of them ganging up on her? A surge of resentful anger welled up immediately, tears welling in her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to leave.
Lan Jia remained in this stalemate, as if a turning point would appear if she stubbornly waited until the very last moment.
Seeing this, Aunt Ming stopped waiting and, like a mother protecting her daughter from harm, walked over, ready to take Lan Jia away with a forceful attitude.
She swallowed nervously, grabbing Meng Cenjun's sleeve, but unexpectedly, her hand was quickly grasped in return. Lan Jia met his gaze with surprise and delight, then saw his lips move, as if whispering something to her in a voice only the two of them could hear.
Aunt Ming came over and grabbed her arm, preparing to help her leave. Lan Jia reluctantly stood up. In mid-air, their clasped fingers paused briefly before releasing each other.
Meng Cenjun withdrew her hand, and the lingering warmth on her fingertips quickly disappeared without a trace.
Lan Jia limped, as if she had been abducted into the elevator. On her way back to her room, she kept remembering the touch of Meng Cenjun's hand on her palm. He had asked her, "Do you trust me?"
What should we believe in him about? That he will handle the situation well? Or that he will never give up on her?
Unfortunately, she didn't have enough time to think things through before she couldn't help but believe him.
The atmosphere remained cold and awkward when Lan Jia was alone with Aunt Ming. Staring at her solemn face in the mirror, her resentment grew stronger. She was so close, so close to getting the answer she wanted. Why did she always have to be hindered at such crucial moments?
"Young Miss, raise your hand," Aunt Ming said indifferently.
Lan Jia's face was gloomy, and she refused to cooperate.
But those hands were even stronger, grabbing the hem of her blouse and trying to pull it off.
Lan Jia gritted her teeth and struggled for a while, her eyes were blurred by the pile of clothes, and then she felt a chill on her body as her bare back was exposed to the air.
Her cheeks flushed red, and her hair was frizzy and messy from being rubbed, making her look like a cat with its fur standing on end.
"You're injured again. Just bear with it and don't take a shower today. I'll wipe your body down."
Aunt Ming ignored her resentful expression and placed her fingers on the clasp of her bra, preparing to unhook it for her.
"Alright!" Lan Jia sharply interrupted, turning around to face her in a defensive stance. "Let me do it myself."
She saw Lan Jia with her arms crossed in front of her chest, looking wary, so she stopped and said to her with sudden sadness, "When you were little, I wiped you down like this when you had a high fever."
Playing the emotional card? She's in a fit of anger right now, nothing will work.
Lan Jia avoided her gaze and walked straight inside, sitting on the edge of the bathtub with her back to her.
Aunt Ming glanced at her, then sadly closed the door and left.
She was used to her tantrums; she thought she'd be fine soon enough.
Lan Jia finished washing up and got into bed, not expecting that she hadn't left yet.
There was a slight dent beside the bed, and then a hand reached out to brush away the stray hairs on her cheek.
Lan Jia quickly turned her face away, preventing her from touching her.
After a long silence, a sorrowful sigh finally broke the silence: "Why won't you believe that I'm truly doing this for your own good?"
"To say it's for my own good while completely disregarding my wishes?" she accused, her voice distorted and strange as she tried to suppress her grievances.
You'll understand someday.
It's that kind of talk again, as if everyone is hiding a secret, and she's the only one kept in the dark, being played like a fool.
Is it fun?
"Did Grandma tell you to do this? To spy on me? To stop me?" Lan Jia turned over and shot a sharp look at him.
"Or did you already plan who I would marry off to? That's why you went to such lengths to break us up?"
In the heat of the moment, he didn't care about anything else and blurted out all the questions he had been holding back.
"Break them up?" Aunt Ming frowned.
Those two short words, when they reached Lan Jia's ears, sounded ironic.
Immediately, a loud rumbling sound filled my mind, as if cold water and ice cubes had been poured over my head, bringing me back to my senses.
Meng Cenjun never made any promises to her, and she wasn't even sure if he really wanted to be with her.
No matter how much she desires him, it's useless if he doesn't agree.
Lan Jia felt that Aunt Ming was trying to remind her of this.
But that would be too cruel. Fortunately, she didn't say it aloud. Seeing her stunned expression, her tone softened considerably.
"Listen to your grandmother's advice and live a peaceful and happy life. How could your family, who are bound by blood, harm you?"
“Your brother is not a member of the Yi family after all. It’s not good to keep holding onto him. Besides, he has his own life to live.”
Lan Jia was almost stunned, staring at the woman who had always played the role of her mother with astonishment and disgust.
Not a member of the Yi family?
So this is how they've always seen him? This is how they've always thought of him?
What about all his efforts over the years? Is it all just a matter of course?
Her thoughts raced back to the day she went to the bar, where she overheard Shen Kuo insulting the Yi family, calling them vampires who would use people and then discard them.
Is that really the case?
She simply couldn't believe that her family was such a group of treacherous people.
"He won't leave, and he won't agree!" As if grasping at the last glimmer of hope, Lan Jia glared at her through gritted teeth.
However, Aunt Ming just smiled and tucked the blanket in, her expression seeming to say, "Don't you believe me? Then I'll go ask him for you."
Lan Jia angrily pulled the blanket over her head, completely blocking out any outside interference.
Seeing that she refused to talk, Aunt Ming got up and went downstairs.
The living room was still brightly lit. Meng Cenjun seemed to have expected her to talk to him and waited in the same spot without moving.
He watched as this confident middle-aged woman approached. His former ally, who had raised Lan Jia alongside him, now had an insurmountable rift between them.
For years, he and she actually had little to talk about, but they were both busy with their respective duties. He knew what role she played in this family: not only did she make up for Lan Jia's early lack of maternal love, but she also acted as a mediator, subtly maintaining the balance of the family's operation.
She didn't want him to be too distant from Lan Jia because he was still useful to the Yi family, but at the same time, she didn't want them to get too close. Going beyond the boundaries of siblings was a big taboo, not for any other reason than that Lan Jia was someone else's treasure, a true family member who shared her bloodline.
She will not allow anyone to take her baby away.
Especially him, a complete outsider who wasn't chosen by her.
This is the meaning of Aunt Ming's existence, and the only reason he can think of.
Is that all?
Has he not done enough over the years?
Or did they violate ethics and morality?
Meng Cenjun kept thinking, was he missing some crucial information? He really didn't understand why he was being treated with such suspicion.
At this moment, Aunt Ming chose a seat that was neither too close nor too far away. As the representative of the Yi family's leader, she calmly negotiated with him.
With a knowing smile on her face, she spoke with the wistful reminiscence of an elderly person: "I still remember the first time I saw Lan Jia at the old house, she was just a tiny little thing. At her birthday party, she wore a pink dress, carefree, and as beautiful as a little princess."
Meng Cenjun frowned, not understanding why she brought up the past, but she didn't interrupt.
Aunt Ming continued, "Later, when we arrived here, Lan Jia was already twelve years old. She was so thin, like a kitten. We fed her supplements every meal, but she didn't grow any taller. Later, I looked up some information and found that children who have suffered major traumas tend to develop more slowly than others. At that time, she trusted you the most. No matter how much I tried to be nice to her, she wouldn't get close to me. She was so guarded that when she had her first period, she was completely overwhelmed and wouldn't tell me anything. Later, she went abroad to study for a long time. I thought about her every day, hoping she would come back for vacation, just like I would for my own child. I finally saw her during the summer vacation. She was much more cheerful in her new environment and had made new friends. She finally looked like a girl her age, and I was so happy for her. When she came back, she tried on a lot of pretty dresses and excitedly said she was going to a party. She asked me to help her with the buttons, but when I looked, her back was all chafed raw, with deep bloodstains that she didn't even seem to feel any pain."
After she finished speaking, her eyes welled up with tears, and she raised her hand to wipe them away. "I cried behind her back at that time. I've been away from home for so long, and I don't know how she's been doing or how she's grown up. I've been so irresponsible. My heart aches. I feel sorry for her for losing her parents at such a young age, for all the pain she's endured, and for the fact that no one has even taught her how to choose the right underwear."
“I know that no matter how hard I tried to make up for her shortcomings, I could never replace the role of a mother.”
"The pain of losing her parents is like a permanent scar on her heart, which will never, ever heal."
She glanced at Meng Cenjun, but he quickly turned his face away, his breathing a little rapid.
"What do you want to say?" He tried his best to keep his tone calm.
Wiping away her tears, Aunt Ming raised her chin slightly, adopting a solemn expression.
"Lan Jia should have had a carefree and happy life, but a car accident destroyed everything she had."
"This matter will forever remain a hidden pain in the old lady's heart."
"Therefore, she absolutely would not allow Lanca to be in any danger whatsoever again."
Having said all that, someone as perceptive as him couldn't possibly not have noticed something amiss.
In an instant, countless possibilities flashed through Meng Cenjun's mind. She widened her eyes slightly, waiting for her to continue with some disbelief.
Aunt Ming cleared her throat: "The old lady asked me to tell you that she is very grateful for everything you have done for the Yi family over the years. Money, shares, real estate, all of it is rightfully yours."
"But there's only one condition: you can't take Lan Jia away."
She stared intently at him: "By the way, she asked me to remind you."
"Think carefully about who sent you to the Yi family in the first place."
Author's Note: The old lady is here to break up the couple...
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