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墨書 Inktalez
"Mom, can you please stop interfering in my affairs?" Jin Chengyan placed several magazines in front of Melancholy, the top one featuring a photo from a few nights ago when he had left the office with Yunxin.
Actually, it was more accurate to say that Jin Chengyan had left the office, and Yunxin 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 Mistress was so concerned about her busy fiancé that she stayed up late to accompany him at work, only to emerge exhausted.
When Jin Chengyan saw these reports, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The absurdity of it all was astounding, and yet people actually believed it. Rumors were swirling around the company 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 dismissal.
He instructed the public relations team to retract the magazines, but they informed him that this was Melancholy's secret directive. If they did so, it would mean going against the former president's wife!
Thus, Jin Chengyan had returned with several magazines to confront Melancholy.
Melancholy examined the magazines closely, even putting on glasses for effect.
"Well, these photos turned out quite well; they're clear and not blurry at all. I didn't realize my son was this handsome!" Melancholy nodded approvingly, suggesting that perhaps they should reward the paparazzi who took them.
Hearing his mother's comment made Jin Chengyan furrow his brow in annoyance.
"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 have a good impression of Yunxin. She's obedient, thoughtful, and understands how to handle situations. I believe you need someone like her by your side right now," Melancholy replied without hesitation.
Jin Chengyan was momentarily speechless; at his age, he still had to deal with his mother's concerns about his personal life.
Moreover, he wasn't interested in romance at all.
All feelings have been exhausted!
"And besides, your situation is more media-worthy. Look, no one is focusing on Xi Er's miscarriage right now, nor have they sent reporters to the hospital to find any 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 the lawsuits involving the Jin Family and the company; instead, most were focused on his scandals.
Moreover, Yunxin'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 Yunxin should date for now. When the time is right, you can hold a wedding. You've lost the right to make decisions about this matter; no matter how old you are, you are still my son, Melancholy." The aura of Melancholy was undeniable, and with just a few words, he had dictated Jin Chengyan's future.
He took a deep breath. Fine, let the old lady worry about it herself; whether he gets married or not ultimately depends on him anyway.
...
"Mommy, I'm so happy to be out playing today!" Qiao Lovely exclaimed from her seat in the shopping cart.
Due to a previous surgery, Jono had been hesitant to take Qiao Lovely out, fearing she might catch something. However, Qiao Lovely had been cooped up at home for a long time. She had already discussed with Qiao Chen that after some time, once Qiao Lovely stabilized, she would take her to Switzerland, where the air was good and beneficial for Qiao Lovely.
Qiao Chen agreed but didn't mention going together.
Jono had nothing much to miss, but perhaps Qiao Chen did, which is why she insisted on him.
So here they were, with Jono taking Qiao Lovely to an imported supermarket to buy some food before driving her out for a picnic. Knowing they were going for a picnic made Qiao Lovely incredibly excited.
"You're happy, that's all that matters!" Jono placed the vegetables into the shopping cart. Qiao Lovely 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!" While Jono was grabbing some fruit, Qiao Lovely was playing with the vegetables in the cart, and they ended up falling out. She couldn't get down from the cart and could only call out to Jono.
However, the person who picked up the fallen vegetables was not Jono, but a man.
"Is this what you dropped?" The man spoke gently to Qiao Lovely.
Qiao Lovely had always been defenseless against handsome men; she nodded repeatedly, 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.
Jono turned around and saw Qiao Lovely gazing dreamily at a man while holding the vegetables in her arms!
How dirty! They hadn't even been sanitized!
Jono quickly walked over and pulled the items from Qiao Lovely's embrace.
"I told you not to touch these things; they're dirty and haven't been washed yet. I should have known better than to bring you to the supermarket!" Jono immediately took out a wet wipe from her bag and began cleaning Qiao Lovely's hands.
She had wiped down the shopping cart several times before letting Qiao Lovely sit in it because she was so worried 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 usually wasn't like this.
Once Jono finished cleaning Qiao Lovely's hands, she noticed that a man had been standing nearby—the very same person Qiao Lovely 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 Lovely hurriedly explained to her mother.
Jono turned to look at him, feeling that he seemed somewhat familiar, but she couldn't quite remember why.
But when Jono met his gaze, she felt as if she had been electrified.
"Is it you?" The man she had accidentally bumped into at the hospital lingered in her mind, his eyes impossible to forget.
"Yes, 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 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 Lovely. A man who could appreciate children surely had a kind heart.
"Thank you." Jono stroked Qiao Lovely's head. This daughter was indeed very cute; because of her, she had endured the most difficult four years.
She would give up everything for her beloved child.
"My mommy is very cute too!" Qiao Lovely chimed in sweetly, eager to praise her mother.
See, with a thoughtful little darling like Qiao Lovely, life could still be wonderful without romance.
"Mommy, why is Daddy in this book? And standing with another girl..." Suddenly, Qiao Lovely pointed at a magazine on a nearby shelf beside the container, her sharp eyes catching sight of Jin Chengyan.
Jono and the man turned their gaze in unison, not surprised to see Jin Chengyan's image on the cover.
After all these days, Jono had deliberately ignored the fact that Jin Chengyan had been part of her life. The past few days had indeed been good; no one had mentioned him.
Yet today, there he was, appearing in a magazine with another woman.
To say it didn’t hurt would be a lie.
A few days ago, he had clearly drawn the line, yet now, turning around, he had found a new love. The speed at which he met someone new was simply remarkable.
Unintentionally, a flicker of discomfort passed through her eyes.
Someone nearby 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 Lovely, unaware of the implications, spoke from her heart.
Jono pushed the shopping cart and apologized, "Sorry, we’ve finished our shopping, so we’ll be leaving now."
With that, Jono hurriedly pushed the cart away, fearing that Qiao Lovely might say something else.
In his haste to leave, Jono didn’t look back and thus didn’t see that the man in the crowd had been watching her and Qiao Lovely intently.
It was only after their figures gradually faded into the throng that he approached and picked up a magazine from the shelf.
The magazine featured Jin Chengyan looking somewhat flustered. He couldn’t be mistaken; although they appeared to be embracing, it seemed more like Jin Chengyan was supporting the girl, whose high heels showed clear signs of having twisted.
But Jin Chengyan…
Holding the magazine, he couldn’t help but reveal a mocking smile.
Four years ago, you couldn’t win over Ruan Shengyu; four years later, you still haven’t won over Jono.
Moreover, every time someone who loved you saw you, their expression would change drastically.
A person approached from behind, and upon seeing the magazine in his hand, let out a sigh.
"I’m telling you, if you keep wading into this mess, I really think you won’t be able to escape this time," another man said as he pulled the magazine from his hand 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 shifted away from the magazine, teasing Ye Yun in the process.
Ye Yun's face turned green with anger.
"Hmph, do you think I want to? After four years of being by your side and taking care of you, it hasn’t been easy for me! I’m a senior assistant, not a senior nanny, okay?" Ye Yun couldn’t help but complain.
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 four years of close companionship, their relationship had long surpassed that of a typical boss and subordinate.
"But Qiao Lovely is really adorable. When I held her back then, she was just such a tiny bundle. Now she’s grown so much," he reminisced about the moment when Qiao Lovely's biological mother handed her over to him.
She cried incessantly because she was hungry and hadn’t been changed in a while; everything seemed to go wrong. He couldn’t understand how an adult could take care of a child so poorly.
After two days of care, Qiao Lovely became lively and particularly fond of him; she would cry nonstop whenever she was away from him.
Yet he felt that just because she was cute didn’t mean she should stay with him. She was Jono's sister and rightfully belonged with Jono.
Little did he expect that discovering Jono's whereabouts would lead him to the hospital.
Downstairs were two groups at odds with each other, while upstairs an emergency surgery was taking place.
At that moment, Jono used his last breath to ask him to take her away. Even if it meant death, he didn’t want to die in Jin Chengyan’s presence!
Everything was in chaos. He had sent Jono away, leaving instructions for the doctors on what to say. Before he could even step out of the operating room, it exploded!
“Jono returned to the country, and you followed her back. But you know, Xi Yisheng treated her well. She could have been with Xi Yisheng, yet she ruined all the good things 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 break down in tears.
“Fine, I just wanted to confirm if she’s doing well. You know how she’s been for the past four years.” He took a deep breath and stepped forward.
“She’s not doing well. Does that mean you are?” Ye Yun suddenly spoke up, her voice laced with anger.
Alright, he thought. If Jono wasn’t doing well, then what about himself?
The explosion had left him with extensive burns. When Ye Yun carried him out from inside, his face was nearly unrecognizable!
No one believed he could be saved; his organs were beginning to fail. So, while he was still conscious, he said goodbye to Jono and asked Xi Yisheng to take good care of her.
After that, he never let Jono see him again. The sight of him in such a state was too terrifying; he couldn’t bear to scare her.
However, after repeated admissions to the ICU and countless surgeries… he had managed to cling to life. Yet with eighty percent of his body burned and his organs gradually deteriorating… these were undeniable facts.
He didn’t know when he would die, so he asked Ye Yun to tell them that he was already dead. It was better to cut off their hopes from the start than to leave them wondering when it would happen.
Otherwise, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.
The subsequent treatment was long and painful—sometimes unbearably so.
Skin grafts, rehabilitation… his body repeatedly faced various complications. For four years, he was often hospitalized and frequently rushed into surgery!
How could he dare to tell Jono? How could he dare to tell anyone from the Yan Family that Yan Beiting was still alive? But living like this was miserable! There was always a possibility of death looming over him!
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 uncomfortable in your lungs if we wait any longer." On the way back, Ye Yun drove while rambling on.
Yan Beiting leaned against the passenger seat, feeling indeed unwell. Over the past few days, he had been making frequent trips to the hospital.
But he was tired of this life, tired of... In the rearview mirror, he barely recognized his own face.
So, he couldn't bring himself to visit the Yan Family openly, nor could he comfort his aging grandfather.
"Do you think if I go 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 Jono sends letters pretending to be you every year."
Yan Beiting smiled slightly. Look at that girl he had liked for so many years; she was still worth it. No matter what Ye Yun said, he never took it to heart.
Since he had invested so much, he never expected anything in return. If he had thought about wanting something back from the start, then this feeling wouldn't have been pure at all.
...
After buying the ingredients and returning home, he prepared to make sushi for Qiao Lovely for their picnic tomorrow.
However, Jono couldn't shake off a feeling that something was off. While the rice was still cooking and Qiao Lovely was cutting fruit with a ceramic knife, Jono stood nearby and called Xi Yisheng.
"Yisheng, I need to ask you something." Jono lowered his voice but kept an eye on Qiao Lovely's every move.
"Sure, go ahead."
"Were you there when Beiting was buried?"
As soon as Yan Beiting's name came up, the atmosphere became noticeably colder.
Jono always found himself drawn to those captivating eyes.
Yet that person bore no other resemblance to Yan Beiting.
"Yes, but because of his last wishes, his real name was not inscribed on the tombstone." It would have been too easy for the Yan Family to find out, so an English name was used instead.
"What’s wrong? Why did you suddenly bring this up?" Xi Yisheng was surprised; in fact, Jono wouldn’t mention Yan Beiting in front of Xi Yisheng unless absolutely necessary.
"Oh... it’s nothing..." Jono certainly couldn’t tell Xi Yisheng that he had merely seen a pair of eyes resembling Yan Beiting's and started to suspect that the person might still be alive.
Moreover, Yan Beiting hadn’t hidden the fact that he was alive; both the Yan Family and she herself hoped to see him living.
"Mommy, are you on the phone with Daddy Xi? Can you invite him to join us for a picnic tomorrow? It’s more fun with more people!" Qiao Lovely innocently asked, resting her head.
Jono quickly covered the receiver.
What right did she have to ask Xi Yisheng to accompany them now?
"Your Daddy Xi is very busy! He doesn’t have time for you!"
"You say Daddy Xi is busy, but Daddy is busy too! Does he really have that much work to do?" Qiao Lovely pouted, not quite understanding the adult world, and continued to slice fruit with a ceramic knife.
Once Qiao Lovely quieted down, Jono spoke into the phone, "I’m sorry, that little cutie was just saying things. I know you’re very busy."
There seemed to be a two-second silence on the other end of the line. Jono 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 Jono's request and to check on Qiao Lovely, which had settled a significant concern in his mind.
Xi Yisheng understood that from now on, his relationship with Jono would only be that of friends.
It was hard to see any further possibilities.
The phone call ended just like that. It couldn't be said that Jono felt no guilt; she did, and it was a lot.
She had clearly promised Xi Yisheng that they would get married once he returned from Italy.
But unexpectedly, so many things had happened during his brief time away.
Old wounds and new loves piled up together, leaving Jono unable to extricate herself!
From that moment on, she decided never to touch love again. Living alone in solitude until the end of her days didn't seem so bad. Even if Qiao Lovely found a partner and left her behind, she wouldn't feel lonely.
After all, experiencing one unforgettable love in a lifetime was enough.
She could spend the rest of her life reminiscing about that profound experience.
“Mommy, I’ve cut the fruit!” Qiao Lovely's voice brought Jono back to reality.
Jono nodded, looking at the artistically cut fruit. “Yes, very good. You have to finish it all!”
“Ding dong~ ding dong~” The doorbell rang just as Qiao Lovely nodded.
Qiao Lovely immediately set aside what she was doing, bursting with excitement.
“Who could it be? Daddy Xi? But Mommy, you just talked to him on the phone. Could he be surprising me? Or... Daddy? He hasn’t come to see me in a long time!” Qiao Lovely chattered to herself as she ran toward the front door.
Once her wounds healed, she couldn't hold back Qiao Lovely anymore. Jono hurried after her.
“Qiao Lovely, you can't run so fast! Otherwise, I'm going to get angry!” As she spoke, Qiao Lovely had already reached the display monitor.
On the small display screen, neither Jin Chengyan nor Xi Yisheng appeared, which left Qiao Lovely feeling a bit disappointed.
"Hello, I’m here to deliver a package. Is this Miss Jono's residence?"
Jono pressed the doorbell and replied, "That's me. What kind of package is it?"
Jono hadn’t ordered anything online, so what could it be?
"It’s a document. I’m not sure what it is specifically, but please come out and sign for it!"
After signing for the document, Jono opened it to find that it was sent from the Jin Family'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 long as Jono added her signature, the document would take effect, and her worth would immediately increase!
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