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"Mom, could you please not interfere in my affairs?" Jin Chengyan placed several magazines in front of Yu Xin, the top one featuring a photo from a few nights ago when he had left the office with Yun Xin.
To be precise, it was Jin Chengyan who had exited the office first, and Yun Xin had chased after him, accidentally bumping into him. Out of courtesy, he had helped the girl up, and as a result...
These magazines were filled with sensationalized stories claiming that the Jin family's future Young Madam was supporting her busy fiancé late into the night and that she had collapsed from exhaustion while leaving.
When Jin Chengyan saw these reports, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The absurdity of it all was astonishing, yet people were actually believing it. Rumors were swirling around the company, suggesting that Jin Chengyan was about to get married!
What nonsense!
To curb the spread of such unfounded rumors, Jin Chengyan ordered everyone in the company to stop gossiping about the matter or face termination.
He instructed the public relations team to retract the magazines, only to be told that this was Yu Xin's secret directive. If they proceeded with retraction, it would mean going against the former president's wife!
That was why Jin Chengyan had brought the magazines back to confront Yu Xin.
Yu Xin examined the magazines carefully, even putting on her glasses for effect.
"Well, these photos turned out quite well. They’re clear and not blurry at all. Who knew my son was this handsome!" Yu Xin nodded approvingly, considering giving a bonus to the paparazzi who took the pictures.
Hearing his mother’s words made Jin Chengyan furrow his brow in frustration.
"Mom, do you really think there aren't enough issues for the Jin family right now? First Xi Er, then Dad's serious illness, and now you’re allowing this kind of baseless nonsense to be published..."
"It’s not baseless nonsense. You know I’m very pleased with Yun Xin. She’s obedient, considerate, and understands how to handle things. I believe you need someone like her by your side right now," Yu Xin stated firmly.
Jin Chengyan was at a loss for words; despite being an adult, his mother still felt compelled to meddle in his personal life.
Moreover, he wasn't interested in romance at the moment.
All feelings have been exhausted!
"And besides, your situation is more media-worthy. Look, no one is focusing on Jin Mengxi's miscarriage, nor have they sent reporters to the hospital to find clues about your father's illness! You need to consider the bigger picture."
Jin Chengyan was left speechless.
Indeed, no one was fixated on Jin Mengxi's miscarriage, and there weren't many reporters concerned about Jin and the company's lawsuit; instead, most were focused on his romantic scandals.
Moreover, Yun Xin's response was ambiguous, which only fueled speculation.
But isn't this just perfect? It avoids all the spotlight.
"Just this once." Sometimes, sacrifices must be made for the greater good.
"You and Yun Xin should date for now. When the time is right, then hold the wedding. You've lost the right to make decisions about this; no matter how old you are, you will always be my son, Yu Xin." Yu Xin’s commanding presence was undeniable as she swiftly dictated Jin Chengyan's future.
He took a deep breath. Fine, let the old lady worry about it. Whether he gets married or not ultimately depends on him, right?
...
"Mommy, I'm so happy to be out playing today!" Qiao Kawai exclaimed from her seat in the shopping cart.
Due to a previous surgery, Qiao Nuo had been hesitant to take Qiao Kawai out, fearing she might catch something. However, Qiao Kawai had stayed at home for a long time. She had already discussed with Qiao Chen that after some time, once Qiao Kawai stabilized, she would take her to Switzerland, where the air was good and beneficial for Qiao Kawai.
Qiao Chen agreed but didn’t mention going together.
Qiao Nuo had nothing much to miss but suspected that Qiao Chen might have some attachments, so she didn't force him.
Now, Qiao Nuo took Qiao Kawai to an imported supermarket to buy some food before driving her out for a picnic. Knowing they were going for a picnic made Qiao Kawai incredibly excited.
"Just as long as you're happy!" Qiao Nuo said as she placed vegetables into the shopping cart. Qiao Kawai wanted something light to eat, so she planned to make sushi filled with vegetables. No matter what, she had to eat it!
"Mommy, the veggies fell on the floor!" Qiao Nuo was reaching for some fruit while Qiao Kawai was playing with the vegetables in the cart. As a result, they ended up dropping them. Sitting in the cart, she couldn't get down and could only call out to Qiao Nuo.
However, it wasn't Qiao Nuo who picked up the fallen vegetables, but a man.
"Is this what you dropped?" the man said gently to Qiao Kawai.
Qiao Kawai had always been defenseless against handsome men. She nodded repeatedly, completely forgetting that she had just been calling for her mommy.
She reached out her little hand to take the vegetables from the man and hugged them close.
Qiao Nuo turned around and saw Qiao Kawai gazing dreamily at a man while holding the vegetables in her arms!
How dirty! They hadn't even been sanitized!
Qiao Nuo quickly walked over and pulled the items from Qiao Kawai's embrace.
"I told you not to touch these things; they're dirty and haven't been washed! I should have known better than to bring you to the supermarket!" Qiao Nuo immediately took out a wet wipe from her bag and began cleaning Qiao Kawai's hands.
She had wiped down the shopping cart several times before letting Qiao Kawai sit in it, worrying too much about this little one.
The little girl secretly pouted and then smiled slightly at the man standing next to her, as if to say that her mommy wasn't usually like this.
Once Qiao Nuo finished cleaning Qiao Kawai's hands, she realized that a man had been standing beside them all along—the very same person Qiao Kawai had been staring at.
"Mommy, it was this Handsome Uncle who helped me pick up the veggies that fell on the floor. I called you earlier, but you didn't hear me," Qiao Kawai hurriedly explained to her mother.
Qiao Nuo turned to look at him and felt he looked somewhat familiar, but she couldn't quite place where she recognized him from.
But when she met his gaze, Qiao Nuo felt as if she had been electrified.
“Is it you?” It was the same person she had bumped into at the hospital, whose eyes lingered in her mind, impossible to forget.
“Yeah, do you remember me?” The man spoke, his voice hoarse and deep, with a slow cadence that seemed either deliberate or unintentional.
“I remember... I’m sorry about last time at the hospital.” She hadn’t meant to bump into him and hadn’t had the chance to apologize before he left.
Their meeting this time felt like a coincidence.
“It’s alright. Is this your daughter? She’s adorable.” The man’s gaze softened as he looked at Qiao Kawai. A man who could appreciate children surely had a kind heart.
“Thank you.” Qiao Nuo gently stroked Qiao Kawai’s head. Her daughter was indeed very cute; it was because of her that Qiao Nuo had endured the toughest four years of her life.
For her, she could give up her greatest love.
“My mommy is really cute too!” Qiao Kawai chimed in sweetly, eager to praise her mother.
See, with a thoughtful little darling like Qiao Kawai by her side, life was still good without romance.
“Mommy, why is Daddy in this book? And standing with another girl...” Suddenly, Qiao Kawai pointed at a magazine on a shelf beside a nearby container, her sharp eyes spotting Jin Chengyan’s picture.
Qiao Nuo and the man turned their gazes in unison, and it was no surprise that they caught sight of Jin Chengyan on the cover.
After all these days, Qiao Nuo had deliberately ignored the fact that Jin Chengyan had once been part of her life. The past few days had been pleasant, with no one mentioning his name.
But today, there he was in a magazine photo with another woman.
To say it didn’t hurt would be a lie.
A few days ago, she had finally drawn a clear line, but now, turning around, he had already found a new love. His speed in finding someone new was simply remarkable.
Unintentionally, a flicker of discomfort flashed in her eyes.
Someone beside her noticed.
"Your daughter calls him 'Daddy'?" the man asked boldly.
"Yes, he is my Daddy! He stayed with me in the operating room when I had my surgery; he's the best Daddy ever!" Qiao Kawai, unaware of the implications, spoke her heart out.
Qiao Nuo pushed the shopping cart and apologetically said, "Sorry, we’ve finished shopping, so we’ll be leaving now."
After saying that, Qiao Nuo hurriedly pushed the cart away, fearing that Qiao Kawai might say something more.
In her haste to leave, Qiao Nuo didn’t look back and naturally didn’t see that among the crowd, the man’s gaze was fixed on her and Qiao Kawai.
It wasn’t until their figures gradually faded into the throng that he walked over and picked up a magazine from the shelf.
On it was Jin Chengyan looking slightly flustered. He couldn’t be mistaken; although they appeared to be embracing each other, it looked more like Jin Chengyan was supporting that girl, whose high heels showed clear signs of having twisted an ankle.
But Jin Chengyan…
Holding the magazine, he couldn’t help but reveal a hint of a mocking smile.
Four years ago, you couldn’t win over Ruan Shengyu, and four years later, you still can’t win over Qiao Nuo.
Moreover, every time someone who loves you sees you, their expression changes dramatically.
A person approached from behind, and upon seeing the magazine in his hand, sighed.
"I’m telling you, if you keep wading into this mess, I don’t think you’ll be able to escape this time," another man said as he took the magazine from him and placed it back on the shelf. "Let’s hurry back; it’s time for your medication."
"Ye Yun, can you stop acting like a woman?" he retorted, though his gaze had already drifted away from the magazine, teasing Ye Yun in the process.
Ye Yun's face turned a shade of green.
"Hmph, do you think I want to? I've been taking care of you for four years now. It’s not easy for me! I’m a Senior Assistant, not a Senior Nanny, okay?" Ye Yun couldn’t help but vent his frustration.
He smiled slightly and said to Ye Yun, "Senior Nanny, thank you for taking care of me all these years. How about you just give in to me?"
"Get lost!" For the first time, Ye Yun cursed at his boss.
Four years ago, Ye Yun would never have spoken so casually to his superior. However, after spending so much time together, their relationship had long surpassed that of a typical boss and subordinate.
"But Qiao Kawai is really adorable. When I held her back then, she was just a tiny bundle; now she’s grown so much," he recalled the moment when Qiao Kawai's biological mother handed her over to him.
She cried incessantly because she was hungry and hadn’t been changed in a while. He couldn’t believe how poorly an adult could care for a child.
After two days of attentive care, Qiao Kawai became lively and particularly fond of him; she would cry nonstop whenever he left her side.
Yet he felt that just because she was cute didn’t mean she should stay with him. She was Qiao Nuo’s sister and rightfully belonged with Qiao Nuo.
Little did he expect that discovering Qiao Nuo's whereabouts would lead him to the hospital.
Downstairs, two groups were at odds with each other, while upstairs an emergency surgery was underway.
At that moment, Qiao Nuo used her last breath to urge him to take her away. Even if she were to die, she didn’t want to do so in Jin Chengyan’s presence!
Everything had fallen apart. He had sent Qiao Nuo away, leaving instructions for the doctors on what to say, but before he could even step out of the operating room, it all exploded!
“Qiao Nuo returned to the country, and you followed her back. But you know, Xi Yisheng treats her very well. She could have been with Xi Yisheng, yet she ruined all that beauty for Jin Chengyan. So, this is all self-inflicted. You’ve done everything you could, and…” Ye Yun didn’t continue, fearing that if she did, she would burst into tears herself.
“Fine, I just wanted to make sure she was doing okay. You know how she has been for the past four years,” he sighed deeply and took the lead in stepping forward.
“If she’s not doing well, does that mean you are?” Ye Yun suddenly spoke up, her voice laced with anger.
Alright, he said Qiao Nuo wasn’t doing well—what about himself?
The explosion had left him with severe burns. When Ye Yun carried him out from inside, his face was barely recognizable!
No one thought he could be saved; his organs were beginning to fail. So when he was still conscious, he said goodbye to Qiao Nuo and asked Xi Yisheng to take good care of her.
After that, he never let Qiao Nuo see him again. The way he looked was simply too terrifying; he couldn’t bear to frighten her.
But then came the endless cycle of being admitted to ICU and undergoing surgeries… He had managed to cling to life. However, with eighty percent of his body burned and his organs gradually failing… that was an undeniable fact.
He didn’t know when he would die. So he asked Ye Yun to tell them he was already dead; it was better to cut off their hopes from the start than to leave them wondering when the end would come.
Otherwise, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.
The subsequent treatment was a long and painful ordeal—so painful that it felt unbearable at times.
Skin grafts, reconstructive surgeries, rehabilitation… His body kept experiencing various complications. He spent four years frequently in and out of the hospital, running into the operating room time and again!
How could he dare tell Qiao Nuo? How could he dare tell anyone from the Yan Family that Yan Beiting was still alive? But living like this was miserable! He could die at any moment!
The only person by his side was Ye Yun.
“Hey, let’s go to Italy in a few days. The air quality here is terrible, and I think you’ll definitely feel unwell if you stay here much longer.” On the way back, Ye Yun drove while chatting incessantly.
Yan Beiting leaned back in the passenger seat, feeling indeed a bit unwell. He had been making frequent trips to the hospital these past few days.
But he was tired of this life, tired of… In the rearview mirror, he barely recognized his own face.
Thus, he didn’t dare to go back to the Yan Family openly, nor could he comfort his elderly grandfather.
“Do you think if I went back to the Yan Family looking like this, it would send Grandpa straight to the hospital?” Yan Beiting suddenly broke the silence in the car.
Ye Yun thought for a moment. “I don’t know, but I do know they’ve been wanting to see you. And you know, Qiao Nuo pretends to be you every year and sends letters back.”
Yan Beiting smiled slightly. Look at that—after all these years of liking her, she was still worth it. So no matter what Ye Yun said, he never took it to heart.
Since he had invested his feelings, he never expected anything in return. If he had approached it with the mindset of wanting something back from the start, then this love wouldn’t be pure at all.
…
After buying the ingredients and returning home, he prepared to make sushi for Qiao Kawai, planning a picnic for the next day.
However, Qiao Nuo couldn’t shake off a feeling that something was off. While the rice was still cooking in the pot and Qiao Kawai was slicing fruit with a ceramic knife, Qiao Nuo stood nearby and called Xi Yisheng.
“Yi Sheng, I need to ask you something.” Qiao Nuo lowered her voice but kept an eye on Qiao Kawai’s every move.
“Sure, go ahead.”
“Did you see… Yan Beiting being buried with your own eyes?”
As soon as Yan Beiting’s name came up, the atmosphere in the room grew noticeably colder.
Qiao Nuo always found herself drawn to those expressive eyes.
However, aside from the gaze, there was nothing else that resembled Yan Beiting.
"Yes, but because of his last wish, his real name wasn't inscribed on the tombstone." It would have been too easy for the Yan Family to discover, so they used his English name instead.
"What’s up? Why did you suddenly ask about this?" Xi Yisheng was taken aback; in fact, unless absolutely necessary, Qiao Nuo wouldn’t bring up Yan Beiting in front of him.
"Oh… it’s nothing…" Qiao Nuo certainly couldn’t tell Xi Yisheng that she suspected someone was alive just because she saw a pair of eyes similar to Yan Beiting's.
Moreover, Yan Beiting hadn’t concealed the fact that he was still alive. Both the Yan Family and she herself hoped to see him live.
"Mommy, are you on the phone with Xi Dad? Can you invite him to join us for a picnic tomorrow? It’ll be more fun with more people!" Qiao Kawai innocently asked while lying down with her head tilted.
Qiao Nuo quickly covered the receiver.
What right did she have to ask Xi Yisheng to accompany them?
"Your Xi Dad is very busy! He doesn’t have time for you!"
"You say Xi Dad is busy, but Daddy is busy too! Does he really have that much work to do?" Qiao Kawai pouted, not quite understanding the adult world, and continued to cut fruit with a ceramic knife.
Once Qiao Kawai quieted down, Qiao Nuo spoke into the phone again, "Sorry about that; my little darling was just being silly. I know you’re very busy."
There seemed to be a two-second silence on the other end of the line. Qiao Nuo knew that her relationship with Xi Yisheng had become quite awkward.
"Yes, there are indeed many things. In a few days, I’ll be heading back to Italy. Take care of yourself." He had come back at Qiao Nuo's request and to check on Qiao Kawai, which had settled a significant concern in his heart.
Xi Yisheng understood that from now on, he and Qiao Nuo would only be friends.
It was hard to see any further possibilities.
The phone call ended just like that. It couldn’t be said that Qiao Nuo felt no guilt; she did, and it was overwhelming.
She had clearly promised Xi Yisheng that once he returned from Italy, they would get married.
But unexpectedly, so many things had happened during his brief time away in Italy.
Old wounds and new loves piled up together, leaving Qiao Nuo unable to extricate herself!
From now on, she would never touch love again. Living alone in solitude until the end of her days wasn’t so bad. Even if Qiao Kawai found a partner and left her, she wouldn’t feel lonely.
After all, a lifetime of one unforgettable moment was enough.
She could spend the rest of her life savoring that one deeply etched memory.
“Mommy, I’ve cut the fruit!” Qiao Kawai’s voice brought Qiao Nuo back to reality.
Qiao Nuo nodded, looking at the artistically cut fruit prepared by Qiao Kawai. “Yes, very good! You have to eat it all!”
“Ding dong~ ding dong~” The doorbell rang just as Qiao Kawai nodded in agreement.
Qiao Kawai immediately set aside what she was doing, bursting with excitement.
“Who could it be? Is it Xi Dad? But Mommy, you just talked to him. Could he be giving me a surprise? Or… Daddy? He hasn’t come to see me in a long time!” Qiao Kawai chattered to herself as she ran toward the front door.
Once her wounds healed, Qiao Kawai became uncontrollable. Qiao Nuo quickly rushed forward.
“Qiao Kawai, you can’t run so fast! Otherwise, I’ll be angry!” As she spoke, Qiao Kawai had already reached the monitor.
On the small display screen, it was neither Jin Chengyan nor Xi Yisheng, which left Qiao Kawai feeling a bit disappointed.
"Hello, I'm here to deliver a package. Is this Miss Qiao Nuo's residence?"
Qiao Nuo pressed the intercom and replied, "That's me. What kind of package is it?"
She hadn't ordered anything online, so what could it be?
"It's a document. I don't know the specifics, but please come out to sign for it!"
After signing for the document and bringing it inside, Qiao Nuo opened it to find it was from Jin's Law Firm—a property transfer agreement.
In other words, it was a transfer of Jin Chengyan's assets, and it was already signed. As soon as Qiao Nuo added her signature, the document would take effect, and her worth would immediately increase!
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