Chapter 272: Promise to Not Kill
With reddened eyes, Shangguan Ning didn’t let go of him as she said firmly, “No, he can die, but you won’t be the one who kills him. You have tolerated him for so many years and you mustn’t give up now. Father will be very angry if you do so, and your grandparents will be very disappointed as well. You will lose everything you have. It is not worth the while for his sake.”
Lying on the floor, Jing Yiran had thought that Shangguan Ning was trying to save him because she had some feelings towards him. But, she was saying that killing him wasn’t worth the while!
Could he be so unworthy even if he died? Could his life be so cheap?
Grievous disappointment dominated his heart. He spat out another mouthful of blood after he was seized by anger. Then he lost consciousness and fell into endless darkness.
Feeling dizzy, he felt someone feeding him something warm and bitter, something that was not so edible. He felt someone feeding him the bitter things one after another and he had to swallow it all down.
A strange scent came from that person. It seemed like a sweet chocolate that was addictive.
A cool hand felt over his chest as if trying to smoothen his pain.
“Silly boy, why didn’t you run?”
Was she talking about him? Yes, it was a woman.
Her voice was very catchy, loving and held a touch of concern.
Who was it?
Who was taking care of him?
Her voice sounded strangely familiar.
He tried his best to open his eyes so as to take a look at the person next to him. But his eyes were too heavy to be in his control.
Jing Yiran struggled hard in darkness for what felt like a century when he finally managed to open his eyes.
What greeted his eyes was the familiar room, facilities and doctors…
Where was the person in the dream?
The three doctors who were in charge of his treatment were all male doctors.
Could he have been dreaming?
“Second Master, feeling unwell anywhere? Chest still hurting? Head still spinning?”
The doctors asked him instantly after seeing him waking up.
Without answering any of the questions, Jing Yiran asked frowning, “Was there a woman who was taking care of me?”
“Well…” The doctors were startled for a while. They were quite shocked by this playboy – he was still thinking about women in this state!
But there had been women who came to take care of him.
The doctor told him the truth. “Old Lady has been taking care of you during the past few days, and she is now in the kitchen asking the chefs to make food, she is in the kitchen every day….”
“Anyone else apart from my grandma?” Jing Yiran interrupted the doctor before he finished the words.
The doctor answered with an uncertain tone, “Aunt Wen?”
Aunt Wen was the servant of Family Jing. She had been working for Family Jing for many years and she was 51 years old, responsible for taking care of Jing Yiran. Aunt Wen certainly would take care of him when Second Master was sick.
Jing Yiran said annoyedly, “No, I mean, young girl, anyone?”
The doctor shook head instantly and said without hesitation, “No one!”
Second Master must be crazy about women. Why else would he think about them when he had almost lost his life? Even if there was an extremely beautiful woman standing in front of him right now, he wouldn’t be able to do anything at all.
The doctor said implicitly, “Second Master, you need to take a good rest. It is very normal if you have hallucinations and dreams. All will be fine in a couple of days.”
Jing Yiran stared at him dubiously.
Dreams? Hallucinations?
Had he really been dreaming?
He thought for a while and then felt extremely tired. Then he fell asleep again.
In the study of the main house of Family Jing’s villas, Jing Yichen sat opposite to Jing Zhongxiu, looking distant and cold. He was talking with his father in a normal tone.
“Dad, I hurt him. You can punish me accordingly.”
Jing Zhongxiu looked serious as he asked coldly, “You planned to kill him?”
Jing Yichen was silent.
He would have answered without hesitation if he had been alone. He didn’t want to lie.
But he always listened to his wife and obeyed her orders. So he couldn’t ignore what she had said.
Shangguan Ning told him more than dozens of times that he mustn’t admit wanting to kill Jing Yiran and that he mustn’t make father angry or fight with him after just a few words.
Seeing his son stay silent, Jing Zhongxiu stopped being so aggressive.
It must have been a normal quarrel where he couldn’t control his anger. That was why he hurt Jing Yiran badly.
He said softly, “Whatever you may think of him, at the end of the day, he is your little brother. You can punch him and curse him, but killing your sibling is not allowed in Family Jing. You mustn’t kill him and that is my bottom line. Zhang Rong owed you and she deserved her death. But Yiran doesn’t owe you anything.”
Jing Zhongxiu wasn’t feeling so well at this moment. He favored his elder son and he had wanted to give everything to him, including all the properties. But Jing Yiran was also his son and it was impossible to abandon him.
In order to keep the balance between these two sons, he had put so much effort. But it was getting worse and worse and he was so tired of it.
Jing Yichen noticed his father’s moves and behaviors. He hadn’t understood his father all this while and a.s.sumed that he favored Jing Yiran and thus treated him so strictly and distantly. But now he understood that he was the favored one and that Jing Zhongxiu was just doing what he was supposed to do as a father to Jing Yiran.
He was somehow glad that Shangguan Ning had stopped him. Otherwise Jing Yiran would have been killed by him. If he really had killed Jing Yiran, then Jing Zhongxiu would blame himself for the entire life – he also had to take responsibility as a father if the elder son killed the younger one.
Jing Yichen looked up all of a sudden and said as he looked at Jing Zhongxiu. “Dad, as long as he doesn’t touch Ning, I won’t kill him. I promise.”
Jing Zhongxiu got startled. He had wanted this promise of his son for so long but he never expected that he would say so today after refusing to do so in so many years.
His son had finally grown up and knew how to think in his father’s shoes!
Jing Zhongxiu felt relieved as if a load had been taken off his chest. A smile hovered over his formidable face. “Alright, I see. If he ever dares to touch Ning, I will definitely go to him first. If he ever hurts Ning, I will drive him out of Family Jing. That is my promise to you as a father.”