C32 Address I'll Pick You Up!
C32 Address I'll Pick You Up!
There was a short pause before the older woman finally spoke, "Yun, what do you think of Mr. Zhou?"
Ah, so that's what she wanted to talk about. Breathing a sigh of relief, Jian Yun took a moment to think about it. "He's not that bad," she admitted, remembering their night together. It wasn't as awful as she had expected, given her bad luck with these types of dates. "He's quite a gentleman, and he's kind of funny too."
"Do you think you can get along?" Mrs. Jian asked again, this time tentatively.
"I don't want to make any assumptions about him, but I am willing to go on another date." Zhou Shaolong was a really decent man. From their date alone, she could tell that they had gotten along well, and she'd happily agree to go on another. If her mother would force the idea of marriage on her, she was willing to consider him.
Her mother nodded in satisfaction. "You're right. Back then, I was so anxious and worried that you wouldn't be able to get married, and now..."
"Ma, you're worrying too much! Look at me! Your daughter's so pretty. How can she not get married?" Jian Yun leaned against her mother's knees, cooing at her like a little kitten. Her bright eyes were glittering with hidden laughter as she tried to ease her worries.
"I was so afraid that I'll drag you down..." Her voice had gradually softened, and Mrs. Jian turned away. Even though she had been paralyzed for so many years and had aged dramatically overtime, her features were still soft and sweet. Anyone who saw her would assume that she had been a beauty back in the day, and they'd be right.
"Ma! Don't say that!" Frowning, she raised her head. At the sight of her mother's distraught face, she huffed. "Besides, marriage isn't that important. I can take care of you all by myself!"
"But my health...At this rate, I'm afraid that you'll tire yourself out." There were just some things that a mother didn't want to experience, and one of them included seeing their own child suffering from their burdens. As much as Mrs. Jian wanted to listen to her daughter's comforts, she still couldn't help but feel a little guilty. After all, if it wasn't for her, Jian Yun would've already reached newer and better heights.
"But I'm not tired!" Her nose began to ache, but she couldn't bring herself to cry–not here. Jian Yun forced a smile into her lips and gazed up at her mother's clouded eyes. "See? I'm happy. As long as you're getting better, I'll be even happier, okay?"
When Auntie Qin stared at the pair from the living room, she couldn't help but sigh. There were just some things she couldn't intervene in, but that didn't mean that she didn't feel sorry for them. A pang of pity stroke her heart. Both of them suffered so much over the years, and it seemed that their tribulation was still not over.
"Dad came to see me last week." She hesitated for a moment before suggesting, "How about..."
However, Mrs. Jian didn't even bother to listen to her daughter to know what this is about. Her previously calm mood had shifted into freezing cold anger. Her eyes flashed, and she clenched her fists so hard that her veiny hands had paled even further. "Why is he looking for you, huh? Is this about the divorce agreement? Does he want me to sign it?" She snorted, pushing Jian Yun away. "Well, Jian Dongyun could roll himself into his grave because I'm not signing anything for him!"
"Ma, just calm down. Will you please listen to me?" Jian Yun almost fell back. As the palm of her hand scraped across the hardwood to support herself, she winced but quickly came back up to comfort her mother. "He didn't mention any of this. All he wanted was to give you–us–some money for the surgery."
"Then I forbid you to take his money!" The more Mrs. Jian talked, the more agitated she became. Her eyes became bloodshot as she swung her arms up in the air. It was as if the mention of her father's name had brought out the raging beast from her mother's heart. "The bastard! Does he think he could pay his way out of this? Have you seen what he's done? For 20 years, he had lied and cheated! I was like a fool, watching him bring that bitch and her daughter into our own house! I remembered pitying them, feeding them my cooking, and this is what I get in return! I'd rather die than let you take his money!"
The last sentence had struck a chord with Jian Yun, and her eyes narrowed in defiance. "If you hate him so much, why don't you just sign the divorce papers! Aren't you only making this situation more miserable than it already is?" Her voice had reached another octave, as she clenched her fists.
She hated Lin Lanlan with a passion, but if there was someone else she had despised more than anyone else in the world, it was her father. Her heart burnt with so much resentment for the old man, but she couldn't understand why her mother would allow herself to wallow in such pain yet still refuse to formally separate from him. Wasn't it better for her mother to finally free herself from the man she had hated so much?
As soon as Jian Yun finished her sentence, her head swung to the side. Her hand quickly clutched her face as her eyes became glassy. The sound of her mother's slap echoed across the household, and she couldn't help but bow in shame.
"Jian Yun, what the hell did your father ever give you for you to defend him like this?" Mrs. Jian roared, pointing at her. "You want me to divorce him? And let him and that bitch Lin Rong get together? Don't you dare think about it!"
"Goodness, if you have something to say, then it's better to talk things out!" Seeing Jian Yun get slapped, Auntie Qin rushed out into the porch and stood in between the mother-and-daughter pair. She placed her hands on her hips and quickly lectured the older woman. "You don't have to hit her!"
"Ha! I bet you regret following a paralytic like me. What? Do you think your mother's so useless now that she's like this? Huh? Then you can go back to your father's place right now if that's what you want!" Her nostrils were flaring as she violently waved her fists up in the air. "Scram!"
"Ma! Please, it's all my fault. I–I won't ever mention him ever again!" Jian Yun immediately rushed to her mother's side. Although the right side of her face was swollen from the harsh impact, she didn't feel the pain. Instead, all she felt was the harsh anxiety that crept up to her chest, eating away the tendrils of her heart. "I'm not leaving you, okay? I'll never leave!"
"See? She won't leave you! Just take your medicine." Auntie Qin took out a medicine bottle from her pocket and placed a pill into Mrs. Jian's mouth. Jian Yun used this moment to rush back into the house to grab a glass of water.
Soon enough, Mrs. Jian's movements had slowed down, and her anger had receded. However, as she finally calmed, the older woman kept her eyes closed, refusing to see her daughter.
"Yun, why don't you go and get some rest?" Auntie Qin urged. "You still have to take a bus back in the afternoon. I'll take care of her from here."
Knowing that her mother needed to calm down a bit, Jian Yun nodded and entered the house.
It was only then she felt a sharp burning pain scorching the right side of her face. She glanced at the mirror, only to see that her previously pale face was bright red, and there were clear hand marks on the side of her cheek.
As Jian Yun looked for some ointment to apply on her face, she could feel her entire body growing numb. Sighing in frustration, she sat back onto the couch and buried her face into her hands. Just when she thought she could escape from her problems, they all came knocking at her doorsteps to bite her right back in the head. She reached for her phone in her pockets, itching to call Wu Wenjing. Maybe she'd know what to do.
However, as she glanced at her screen, she found a new text message. It was from Zhou Shaolong, asking if she was free to see a movie tonight.
Jian Yun originally wanted to refuse, but the image of her mother's pained face flashed back into her mind. Biting her lips, she quickly replied, "All right. I'm in Boshan now, but I'll be heading back this afternoon."
Since her mother wanted to marry her off so much, then he was ultimately the better choice. On the bright side, they had gotten along well enough that night, and she didn't hate him.
Zhou Shaolong sent another message, "Then we can talk about it once you get back."
"Got it." Jian Yun was about to send it over when her phone rang. Before she could see who the caller was, she had already accepted the call.
It was only when the call was connected did she finally realize who it was. Huo Liancheng. She cursed under her breath, squeezing her eyes shut. It was impossible to hang up now. At this point, all she had to do was to bear with it. "Hello?"
"Where are you?" She wasn't all too surprised by the bluntness of his voice. He had always been very straight to the point.
"I'm at Boshan City. What can I do for you, President Huo?" Jian Yun phrased her words carefully. Although she didn't know why the man had called, she couldn't help but have a bad feeling about this.
"There's a party tonight. You're coming with me."
Jian Yun blinked for a moment before glancing at the caller ID. Had she assumed that it was the wrong person? Her eyes narrowed at the name embedded in her screen. It really was Huo Liancheng. This time, she became even more confused by the invitation. "President Huo," she managed to say. "I think you called the wrong number. This is Jian Yun."
There was no sound from the other end of the line. Just when she thought that she had guessed correctly and was about to excuse herself, he snapped, "I know who you are!"
"But, then...I don't understand..." Even she found herself at a loss for words. If President Huo was attending a party, why would he want her to come with him?
"What's your address? I'll pick you up." He didn't even bother to explain.
"There's really no need. I've already booked a train," Jian Yun hurriedly refused.
"What's your address?" He asked again. This time, he seemed even more impatient. "I'm also in Boshan."
What a coincidence! Even Jian Yun couldn't help but raise her eyebrows in suspicion, only to stop when the right side of her face started to hurt. Gritting her teeth, she bravely said, "Well, I already made plans for tonight."
There was complete dead silence, from the other end of the line.
Huo Liancheng didn't hang up, so she also didn't dare. Previously, she had planned on resigning, so she didn't have to watch herself when offending Xia Bingbing. However, after visiting her mother today, she found that the situation wasn't in her favor. With Mrs. Jian unwilling to accept her father's help, she needed to prepare herself for more expenses that they might incur in the future.
Although working at Ming's was tiring, the salary was still quite considerable, even amidst the bad economy. If she left the company, she might not be able to find a good job right after. Although she had saved enough money for her mother's surgery, the recovering expenses was another thing she was unprepared for. Jian Yun took a deep breath. At this point, she shouldn't offend Huo Liancheng too much. After all, he currently had the largest shares at Ming's. Whatever he said would surely be followed. It wouldn't be worth it to annoy him over something so trivial.
In the end, she conceded. "Alright." She quickly gave him the address before adding, "But, President Huo, my face–"
"I'll be there in twenty minutes!" Seemingly satisfied with her answer, he hung up.