1094 This Was Not Importan
“I have been married to him for more than twenty years. I have spent my prime years on him and I even gave birth to two daughters for him. Is he shunning me because I am old and haggard? Does he not want me anymore?”
After returning to Ping Cheng, Ding Jiayi was elated and thrilled to find out that Qiao Dongliang remained single and that he would reject anyone’s offer upfront to introduce a partner to him.
She felt ashamed that she agreed to meet those possible candidates whom other people had introduced to her.
She thought that Qiao Dongliang remained single because of her. Ding Jiayi behaved like a besotted young lady. She was immersed in her romantic thoughts and dreams for days. She even smiled in her dreams about how it was like to get back together with Qiao Dongliang.
She had dinner with Qiao Dongliang on the day before the Lunar New Year’s eve and she even stayed for the night. Although Qiao Dongliang maintained a polite distance from her, at the very least, she could spend the night with him under the same roof.
Ding Jiayi thought that Qiao Dongliang was reserved and that was why he did not reveal his feelings for her.
She could understand as they had been married for a long time.
What happened just now came as a harsh blow to Ding Jiayi. She almost cried out loud.
Qiao Zijin wet a towel for Ding Jiayi. “Wipe the tears and snot on your face.” It would be embarra.s.sing if other people were to witness this.
Ding Jiayi cried while she wiped her tears. “Zijin, your dad is without a conscience. I thought that he has the same sentiments as me. To my surprise… How can he do this to me!”
“Alright, stop crying.” Qiao Zijin felt vexed. She could not stand it that her father sided with Qiao Nan and reprimanded her. She ended up blurting her innermost feelings.
Her father had seen through her. She wondered whether she could still make use of her father to go against Qiao Nan. “Mom, as you have said, you and Dad have spent more than twenty years together. To put it bluntly, as long as Dad does not date other women or marry someone else, what does it matter if he remarries you or not? Think about it. You are his only ex-wife, the only woman in his life. Isn’t this good enough?”
Ding Jiayi, who was sobbing, paused momentarily at Qiao Zijin’s words. “I-is that so?”
“Of course!” Qiao Zijin rolled her eyes. “Mom, Dad will never be rid of you in this life. He has no intention of starting another relations.h.i.+p as well. It really doesn’t matter if the two of you get back together or not. What’s important now is you should consider my interests. If I marry well, I will be able to take better care of you and you will be able to enjoy life.”
Her parents were no longer young. Qiao Zijin could not understand why they were so childish and would still dream about dating and love. Didn’t they find it embarra.s.sing?
If Ding Jiayi was not her mother, Qiao Zijin would find her behavior to be unbearably embarra.s.sing.
“Marry well? Don’t you like Chen Jun and want to marry him? Don’t tell me you don’t want to marry him and you like someone else?” Ding Jiayi used the towel to wipe her face. She looked at Qiao Zijin with a confused look.
Qiao Zijin shook her head. “No.” She had not changed her mind. She still ‘liked’ Chen Jun and wanted to marry him.
“Then, everything is settled,” Ding Jiayi said matter-of-factly. “Your dad and I have met the Chen family. They seem nice and they took the initiative to visit us. They have given us due respect. It is a matter of time before you marry Chen Jun. What is the matter here?”
“How can everything be alright?” Qiao Zijin was upset. “Since I am going to marry Chen Jun, the Chen family and I will be in the same boat. If they do well, I will be able to do well and you will be able to lead a good life.”
Ding Jiayi, who had just cried her guts out over Qiao Dongliang’s att.i.tude, was slow to react. “Is it that complicated? Are you hatching any plans related to that wretched girl? That wretched girl refuses to acknowledge her family. After the wedding banquet tomorrow, she will have the Zhai family as her backing. She could not be bothered with her poor family.”
In fact, Ding Jiayi wanted to bask in Qiao Nan’s glory as well. However, Qiao Nan was too smart and vicious. Once provoked, she would not hesitate to retaliate and that was why Qiao Zijin ended up with an ugly hairstyle.
Up until now, Ding Jiayi dared not reveal to Qiao Zijin that she created trouble for Qiao Nan and that was why Qiao Nan retaliated by sending someone to bash Qiao Zijin at school and cut her hair to uneven lengths.
After spending several years staying alone with Qiao Zijin at another house, Ding Jiayi had a better idea of the elder daughter’s temperament.
She was fearful that after learning the truth, Qiao Zijin would bear a grudge and would not be filial to her in the future.
Although Ding Jiayi always said that she trusted Qiao Zijin, she was still careful around her.
“You and Dad are still around. She has to acknowledge me as her sister. As long as I am still leading a difficult life, she has to help me if I approach her for a.s.sistance.” Qiao Zijin would not allow Qiao Nan to have an easy time.
Qiao Zijin was overconfident in herself. She neglected the fact that she was the one who was bullied by the Chen family. Even if Qiao Nan was willing to help her, it was up to Qiao Nan to decide what she would help her with.
She could give the Chen family a verbal warning not to bully Qiao Zijin.
But if the Chen family was not given proper punishment, Qiao Zijin would continue to suffer in the Chen family.
Ding Jiayi felt unsettled and worried even though Qiao Zijin was full of confidence. She could not help but have a headache. She felt that things would not be as simple. “It would be good if the wretched girl is willing to help.”
Ding Jiayi was jealous at the mention of Qiao Nan, who was getting married tomorrow.
Ding Jiayi might look down on Qiao Nan, but she had to admit that she had chosen a good husband and a good family. Qiao Nan had done what she had dreamed of but dared not do.
She should have been basking in glory because of this marriage.
But everyone in the quad knew about her bad relations.h.i.+p with the wretched girl.
Everyone felt that Ding Jiayi was biased and had the wrong judgment. But she refused to admit it.
She was the mother while Qiao Nan was the daughter. Qiao Nan should listen to her words. Even if Qiao Nan refused to listen to her, she was still her elder and her mother. Qiao Nan could never sever ties with her.
However, the wretched girl did not have a conscience. She had not visited her for years and neither did she greet her as her mother. She should have been basking in glory, but instead, she was the big joke of the quad.
Ding Jiayi sighed unhappily. “Zijin, you must do well. I don’t care that Qiao Nan marries well. I have placed all my hopes on you. If you marry well, you will be doing me proud. It will prove that I have made the right judgment.”
The daughter that she had raised was just as good as Qiao Nan.
“Zijin, you must remember. The wretched girl has indeed married well.”