Lin Chu frowned and closed the box. She proceeded to put it back into the bag and returned it to Dai Huimin. "This is too expensive."
"No, no, this is nothing! Compared to what I owed you, this is nothing!" Dai Huimin hurriedly shook her head with an expression that looked as though she was about to bawl.
She knew that Lin Chu hated it when people cried and so she held it in. "I owe you so much more. Compared to what I owe you this is truly nothing. I never raised you properly as you were growing up, and I"ve felt any responsibility toward you. I see you"ve grown up well, but not due to any of my efforts - I"ve never done anything for you."
The old princ.i.p.al knew that she was looking for Lin Chu, hence she looked for her as well and told her everything that Lin Chu had gone through. Dai Huimin always had the feeling that Lin Chu had a good life, and according to the old princ.i.p.al that treated her so well, she must never have suffered since she was a child. At least it would be better than if she were to live with her. Thus, she felt a slight pain from losing her daughter alongside a pang of guilt, but it was not particularly severe.
Once she heard the old princ.i.p.al"s stories, she knew what she had done was wrong. Later on, it was not even because of Huang Changxian blocking her, it was because she could not bring herself to as she was ashamed to face her. The guilt in her heart was hard to swallow, and she constantly held onto it, deepening her sorrow further.
She also did not allow Xu Jiaojiao to disturb Lin Chu anymore, and even had a quarrel with Xu Jiaojiao about it. At that point, she even had the urge to strike Xu Jiaojiao.
She felt that since she could no longer do much for Lin Chu, and she had wronged her in the past, then the least she could do now was not cause her any trouble and make her angry.
This was up until Xu Jiaojiao saw the news of Lin Chu and Yan Beicheng getting married. She felt that since she had never done anything for Lin Chu, she proceeded to take out her savings and went to the mall to pick out the pair of dragon and phoenix bracelets in hopes that Lin Chu would accept them, and hoping that she would fulfill a small part of her meager duties.
"You"re married now, and I can"t do anything for you. I"ve thought about it, and I had no idea what to give you. I then thought about my hometown and this custom. I"m not capable, and not as great as the Yan Family. I also don"t know any powerful people, have no connections and don"t have a lot of money. But, I still wanted to do my best. This bracelet… is all that I can offer you. I can"t do much, but what I can do, I"ll do my best for you. Lin Chu, I beg you please accept this. Just let… Let me do these small things for you, even just a little bit!"
Lin Chu felt tears well up in her eyes, and her heart got tender from her words. "Actually, as long as you wish me well, that"s enough for me. If you wanted to gift something to me, they don"t need to be this much. I understand your intentions, and I"ve received it. You should leave this pair of bracelets for Xu Jiaojiao. When she gets married, she"ll need it as well."
"Are you… Are you unwilling to accept them?" Dai Huimin asked in an upset tone.
"No, please don"t misunderstand. I"ve really received your kind intentions, and I know you"re not scheming anything. I also know that you really want to do these things for me. I get it, and it"s not that I"m rejecting your kind intentions. On the contrary, I"ve accepted them. However, I know your family"s financial circ.u.mstances and so I believe this bracelet should be kept until they are more of use to you." Lin Chu explained softly.
Seeing that Lin Chu was not rejecting it and had explained everything to her in a soft manner, Dai Huimin believed her.
However, she still insisted on giving her the bracelet. "Our family"s financial situation is not that bad now, really."
"Me and your uncle… I mean my husband, we"ve opened up a small restaurant. It"s not big and we"re currently renting the ground floor of a residence next to the street. He"s a cook and is quite skilled, but he"s unable to constantly work under someone. So, we took out our savings and opened our own shop years ago. He serves normal stir-fry dishes, pork ribs with rice and dumplings. They"re not expensive things, so the revenue is not high. The business is going well though, those that work nearby as well as primary school students would spend more than ten Yuan per day to eat until they"re full."
"Coincidentally, there"s a block just next to our restaurant where a paralyzed old lady lives at. She needs someone to help her defecate and urinate, and nothing more. I go over twice a day to help her go to the toilet, and once she"s done, I put her back into bed. I was given one thousand and five hundred Yuan per month."
"All of this together gives me a few thousand Yuan a month." Dai Huimin brightened up as she thought of it. "So, don"t worry about Jiaojiao"s, I"ll have enough to afford hers as well."
Dai Huimin then carefully handed the bag back to Lin Chu, but did not dare put it in her hands. She was afraid she would be unhappy, so she let go of it and let the bag fall to the ground.
Although the gold bracelet was protected by a box, it was still very valuable for Dai Huimin as it was her first time buying such expensive things.
Dai Huimin"s expression was timid and nervous, and the hand she used to carry the bag trembled constantly. She looked at Lin Chu with a desperate expression across her face.
Lin Chu had always been someone that could be coaxed, not coerced. However, as she looked at Dai Huimin"s appearance, she did not have the heart to say any harsh words. Despite this, she did not dare accept it either - her heart was truly conflicted.
Dai Huimin"s gaze trembled as her eyes expressed her sorrow. She lowered her head, unable to speak, and slowly picked the bag back up and held it in her arms. One could see her frustrated expression as she was obviously disappointed but unable to show it in front of Lin Chu. It would make anyone feel uncomfortable.
Lin Chu frowned slightly and asked, "You haven"t eaten right?"
Dai Huimin was stunned and froze, her lips trembled as she looked up but was unable to speak. Then, she slowly shook her head.
Lin Chu gave it a thought and continued, "Have a meal with me."
Dai Huimin did not know whether it was so that Lin Chu could have a talk with her and set it straight that she should never bother her again or whether it because she had opened up a little toward her.
Being able to have a meal with Lin Chu still made her happy, and the corner of her eyes sparkled with tears even though she was too excited to say a word. She nodded, as she was simultaneously cried and laughed.
When Lin Chu saw this scene, she did not know how to feel. She could not say that she had gotten closer with Dai Huimin and had felt the blood connection since she still felt like a stranger toward Dai Huimin and was not able to reveal too many emotions.
Watching Dai Huimin tip-toe around her made her heart go soft and she became quite apologetic.
Even though she said she would treat Dai Huimin as a stranger, in truth she knew was kinder toward a stranger than toward Dai Huimin.
Lin Chu then began to doubt herself about whether she had treated her with the right att.i.tude.
She saw how Dai Huimin felt so uneasy and was quite afraid of her. She wanted to approach her but did not have the courage to.
Lin Chu heaved a sigh and said, "Follow me."
Dai Huimin happily agreed and gave her a quick nod, then quickly rubbed off her tears and carefully trailed after Lin Chu. It was as if she were a servant, and she acted as if she was even lower than Aunt Zhuang.
Lin Chu noticed this and slowed down so that she was walking beside Dai Huimin.
Dai Huimin slowed down as well and maintained her distance behind Lin Chu"s back.
Lin Chu, "..."
Lin Chu turned around and glanced at her but said nothing. She walked toward Shao Huai and saw Shao Huai hesitating so she said, "We"re just getting a meal nearby. You can go back first. I"ll explain to Beicheng."
Shao Huai glanced at Dai Huimin once more, as if he was not at ease. In the end, he obeyed Lin Chu"s wishes and nodded before driving away.
Lin Chu brought Dai Huimin to a nearby restaurant. On their way there she gave Yan Beicheng a call.
Shao Huai had informed Yan Beicheng beforehand, so when Lin Chu called, Yan Beicheng was not surprised.
Lin Chu told him that she had met up with Dai Huimin and wanted to bring her out for a meal. Yan Beicheng did not object and just asked, "Do you want me to accompany you?"
Lin Chu thought about it and smiled. "That"ll be great, if you"re not busy then come over."
Lin Chu had brought Dai Huimin into the restaurant at that moment and told Yan Beicheng the name of it.
She thought about it again and felt that Yan Beicheng did not really fit in sitting in the big dining area with them. Yan Beicheng was way too eye-catching, hence she asked the waiter whether there was a private room.
There was one available, and even though there was an extra 15% surcharge for it, Lin Chu did not mind and went ahead and grabbed it.
She then told Yan Beicheng the name of the private room so he could directly enter later on.
Once they entered, Lin Chu ordered several dishes. It was not a lot, just enough for the three of them.
The waiter had just left when Yan Beicheng arrived.
Originally, when facing Lin Chu, Dai Huimin would get nervous as she had never seen Lin Chu when she was growing up. Even if they were connected by blood, she was still a stranger to her. Furthermore, Dai Huimin had an indescribable feeling that Lin Chu"s temperament and grandeur made one unable to resist looking up to her. So, when she was with her, she would always be on edge.
Lin Chu herself was not aware of this, it was just that she had been around Yan Beicheng for such a long time that she had inevitably been influenced by his grandeur aura. Even her habits and nuanced movements were like Yan Beicheng"s now.
Moreover, she was always with Yan Beicheng, or Chu Zhaoyang and the others, and her aura had inevitably been influenced by them. An average person would find Chu Zhaoyang and the others intimidating, but Lin Chu had grown used to them. Even her att.i.tude toward them was casual now, so over time, her temperament naturally grew similar to theirs.
Jiang Changdai and Lu Weining were constantly looking down on Lin Chu"s origin, but they had never taken a closer and serious look at Lin Chu. Otherwise, they would have discovered that both of them could not compare to Lin Chu now!
When Yan Beicheng arrived and sat next out Lin Chu, the aura they gave out was completely unbeatable. It made Dai Huimin unbearably nervous. Initially, she could not even speak out due to excitement, but now she was practically speechless because she was so tense.
When Lin Chu saw this, she could not bear it and said to her, "Don"t be nervous, he doesn"t bite."
Dai Huimin decided to boldly raise her head since Lin Chu had said this in a nice tone. However, when she glanced over at Yan Beicheng, she discovered that he still wore a solemn expression. The courage she had just gained immediately shriveled back down, and she then embarra.s.sedly smacked her lips and drooped her shoulders again.
As the waiter placed the dishes on the table, Lin Chu thought of Xu Jiaojiao and asked, "You guys… are you okay lately?"
Dai Huimin suddenly raised her head back up, barely having the time to conceal her expression of pleasant surprise that was written all over her face before trying her best to conceal it.
Nevertheless, she kept looking at Lin Chu instead of Yan Beicheng. Even if she felt immensely pressured, at least she was able to speak out now.
"Great, we"re doing just fine!" Dai Huimin nodded her head excitedly as if she were pounding on garlic. Despite this, both her hands were still placed under the table on top of her knees, clenching onto it as she continuously twisted her fingers.
It was rare for her to chat with Lin Chu in a peaceful manner, so Dai Huimin was pleasantly surprised and cherished the moment. She also refused to give in to her nervousness and continued talking, "Didn"t I tell you just now that we"ve opened up a small restaurant? Although we"ve invested quite a lot of our savings, judging by our income since opening, the investment is very worthwhile. Your uncle"s quite good at cooking. If you don"t… don"t mind, you could… could come by our place for a meal. Let him cook you up some great dishes for you to try. He has several hand-made dishes and they"re all delicious.
"I… I"m quite good at cooking as well, even though they don"t look as good as his. The dishes he makes are restaurant-style food, while the food I make is mostly home-style food. If you"re willing, I… I could cook some for you." The more Dai Huimin spoke, the more she trembled.
Lin Chu was not opposed to the idea, yet she did not agree to it either.
Just the fact that she did not bluntly reject her was enough to make Dai Huimin happy. Her heart grew warmer and she felt a little bit of hope forming as her eyes reddened as well.
Although, when she suddenly thought about Lin Cu"s ident.i.ty now, she was not so sure anymore.
She mumbled, "I know that you"re probably used to eating great food, and probably… probably not used to the meals we make…"
Lin Chu hesitated for a while, but replied, "Not really, we eat the same as you. We don"t eat such expensive meals all the time."
Dai Huimin felt hopeful, and her tear-filled eyes grew brighter. "Our small restaurant was opened with a conscience in mind, so the ingredients are all fresh. Even the cooking oil we use is decent peanut oil, not that cooking oil that has been used and discarded, and not even that genetically modified oil. You can eat them with ease."
Dai Huimin smiled embarra.s.sedly. "Our lives are getting better each day, and Jiaojiao found a job as well. I heard it was Lin or some sort of company, I"ve never heard of it but she said the company"s not bad. The welfare benefits are okay as well. I"ve asked her to do well and be more down-to-earth, and not beg for a promotion. As long as the requirements are met, then the treatment won"t be so bad."
Dai Huimin saw that Lin Chu did not have an annoyed expression on her face and sneaked a glance at Yan Beicheng. Yan Beicheng had an expressionless face, and even his eyebrows were not raised in the slightest.
He took some Thai style sweet and spicy shrimp and peeled it, then placed it on Lin Chu"s plate. He saw Lin Chu"s bowl of fresh vegetable soup that was half empty and scooped more for her until it was filled.
Dai Huimin had carefully observed them since the beginning of the meal. Yan Beicheng was not just eating his share, he was constantly making sure that Lin Chu was eating well. He gave her food based on what dishes she like the most, and on what was missing from her plates.
She noticed that the whole time, Lin Chu barely picked up anything with her chopsticks, she just ate what was placed in front of her.
Dai Huimin suddenly felt that Yan Beicheng was not as intimidating as he seemed. Even if Yan Beicheng"s public ident.i.ty was such, he was still a normal person. No other men would even be as considerate as he was to spoil their wife as much as he did.
Even youngsters who were madly in love did not act this way.
Seeing Lin Chu living well, she felt comforted and silently felt that Lin Chu was truly blessed.
When she looked at Lin Chu and Yan Beicheng, Dai Huimin thought of Xu Jiaojiao and said, "Jiaojiao had also recently gotten herself a boyfriend. That child had always had a lot of self-love. When she was in school she had never dated, nor did she date when she got to college. I actually felt that it would"ve been great for her if she dated in college. She refused to, and as she"s a child with her own ideals I didn"t want to pry. But recently, she"s had lots of pretty clothes and bags. She"s constantly bringing back stuff, such as skin care items, and buying me and her dad a lot of things."
As she continued, Dai Huimin was afraid that people would hear her and tilted forward. "Yesterday I heard something when she was sneakily having a phone call at home. The door was closed so I couldn"t hear her clearly, but you could vaguely hear that she"s in love now, and the things that she brought back these past few days had been gifted to her by her boyfriend. It seems like he"s in the same company as her and is her superior. He also seems young and promising so that"s good."
Lin Chu"s gaze dropped slightly. She heart hesitated on whether or not she should let her know. However, upon looking at Dai Huimin being so happy, she did not have the heart to dissapoint her.
Dai Huimin glanced at Yan Beicheng once more, and quietly moved to Lin Chu"s side and whispered, "Seeing Jiaojiao with such a capable boyfriend, I"m happy as well. I know that this way, you"ll have more confidence in our family since I know that you"re not lacking anything yourself."
Dai Huimin then curled her fingers and s.h.i.+fted more. "But I still wanted to give you more, like…"
Like a mother would do for her daughter.
Lin Chu looked at Dai Huimin with conflicted feelings. Perhaps Dai Huimin was not very intelligent, but she was able to tell with certainty that up until this moment, Dai Huimin did not harbor any ill intentions toward her.
She was truly looking forward to Xu Jiaojiao living a good life. As she listened to her, she knew she was proud of Xu Jiaojiao. Even if she knew that it was unnecessary, Dai Huiming wished that her household would get better, and that they would be able to support Lin Chu if anything were to happen.
Perhaps Dai Huimin was selfish when she was younger and did not dare to take responsibility. After decades, she had suffered so much and been deceived to the point where it was no longer easy to have a conscience and be kind.
Lin Chu may be unable to get closer to her, but she did not want to be excessively harsh toward her either.
She turned her head to look at Yan Beicheng, and Yan Beicheng nodded at her as if he understood what her gaze meant.
Whatever she decided to do, he would support her.
This was also the reason why she agreed to Yan Beicheng coming over. If he were there, she would have a clearer view and regardless of what she decided, her heart would be firm about it.
Lin Chu looked at Dai Huimin and said, "I"ve seen Xu Jiaojiao"s boyfriend before."
"Really?" Dai Huimin asked in astonishment. She moved her body even closer to Lin Chu and excitedly wanted to grab onto her hand. However, her hands only stretched a bit before she promptly retracted them.
Dai Huimin nervously and awkwardly withdrew her hands back and held them firmly together as if she wanted to restrain herself so that she would not stretch them out again.
Lin Chu began to squint as she listened to Dai Huimin ask her, "Then… What"s her boyfriend like? You know more than us, and you"re surely a better judge of character than Jiaojiao. She just got out of college, so I"m worried that she"s too naive and would be deceived by others. When you look at that boy, does he look like he has a serious and steady character?"
It seemed that Dai Huimin had thought about what had happened to her in the past, and was now careful when it came to these kinds of matters.
Lin Chu began to bite her lips as she continued, "I actually know that man."
"What a coincidence! Then do tell me what"s he like in person." Dai Huimin said in surprise, but upon seeing Lin Chu"s expression she immediately asked in a nervous tone. "He"s not great, is he? If he"s not, you need to tell me the truth, so that Jiaojiao won"t be caught in an unfavorable situation."
"He"s married and is Lin Mao"s chairman"s son-in-law. His wife is called Lin Yuwen, and they"re the family that adopted me. Lin Yuwen"s my adoptive sister." Lin Chu continued, "Lin Yuwen is unable to give birth, so I feel that Cheng Ziming isn"t with Xu Jiaojiao because he likes her. I"m afraid he has other intentions."
"He… He wants Jiaojiao to give birth to his child, and secretly raise it outside?" Dai Huiming felt the blood drain from her body as a chill ran down her spine.
Dai Huimin shared the same idea as Lin Chu, but Lin Chu did not outwardly agree. She only objectively stated Cheng Ziming"s situation. "Cheng Ziming"s currently the CEO of Lin Mao, and Xu Jiaojiao works in Lin Mao, so it"s impossible that she didn"t know that Cheng Ziming is the son-in-law of the Lin Family. Her relations.h.i.+p with Cheng Ziming was obviously a voluntary matter. I don"t know if she plans on waiting for Cheng Ziming to get a divorce to be with her, or if she"s just willing to be Cheng Ziming"s mistress and give birth to a child for him.
"I think that both of these ideas are terrible. Cheng Ziming"s now counting on the Lin Family as well, so it"s unlikely that he will get a divorce. Even if he did, would he actually be able to get together with Xu Jiaojiao? Cheng Ziming"s quite good-looking, and because of his connection to the Lin Family, he"s loaded, alongside being the CEO of Lin Mao; these traits could attract a lot of women"s interests. Because Xu Jiaojiao is clear about Cheng Ziming"s situation, even if I were to tell her these things, it won"t really matter as she would"ve already known about it. Even if I talk to her, she wouldn"t actually listen to me.
"Since you"ve asked about it today, I"ve broken it down into pieces to explain it to you. From here on, you"ll need to go back and think about how to proceed on the matter." Lin Chu said.
This matter would still depend on Xu Jiaojiao"s parents. If her parents felt that it did not matter, then Lin Chu would have nothing more to say. If Dai Huimin did not approve of it, then it would be up to her to solve it as well. Regardless of what method she used, she had to make Xu Jiaojiao and Cheng Ziming break up.
Xu Jiaojiao was currently only looking to gain something from her mother, so she probably would not listen to all the excess chatter.
"I definitely won"t let her be the mistress of someone else"s husband! Let alone let her give birth to an illegitimate child w.i.l.l.y-nilly." Dai Huiming immediately exclaimed. She was absolutely decisive about it. "I"ve experienced it before, so how can I let my daughter go through it! I… I"ll go back and make it clear to her today, I won"t allow her to be with Cheng Ziming!"
As she spoke, Dai Huimin clenched her fist tightly and resentfully slapped her leg. "That child… How could that child have no self-love! Is there no other man out there? She just had to find one that has a family! She… What is she thinking!"
"Don"t beat yourself up too much, she"s only been in Lin Mao for a few months. Her relations.h.i.+p with Cheng Ziming is probably not that serious yet so you still have time." Lin Chu comforted her.
Dai Huimin absent-mindedly nodded and heaved a heavy sigh. "I"m not asking her to marry someone rich, a man that will treat her well is good enough. Look at her father, he"s not a man with great ability but he"s honest and responsible, and he treats me well. He knew of my past but did not abandon me. Even when he learned your ident.i.ty, he told me that when our family condition is better, we"ll go and get you and live a good life together. I"ve suffered before, so I understand that a reliable man is good enough, there"s no need for riches or honor or any trials and tribulations. Mutual support toward one another is all we need."
"Now our family is not considered rich by any means, but it"s much better than before. Jiaojiao does not lack food and clothing, there"s no need for her to go and look for somebody"s rich husband. That child… that child infuriates me! I"ve told her before that when she looks for a man, his sense of responsibility should come first. What sense of responsibility is there in a man who is willing to have a mistress behind his wife"s back?"
According to Lin Chu, Cheng Ziming also became the CEO of Lin Mao because of his wife. He had obtained so much from his wife, yet he ended up betraying her. How good of a person could he possibly be!
It was a rare moment where Lin Chu agreed to what Dai Huimin said.
Once they finished their lunch and were getting ready to leave, Dai Huimin gripped the handle of the paper bag uneasily and said, "When I go back, I"ll confront Jiaojiao and make her break up."
Lin Chu nodded and said nothing more.
Dai Huimin lowered her head and looked at the paper bag she was holding onto that contained the gold bracelet. She opened her mouth and wanted to give them to Lin Chu but was afraid that the latter would reject her again.
Regardless of everything, this was still something she had bought with kind intentions. The reason she gave it so late was because one of her three-year fixed-term pa.s.sbooks had recently matured, and if she had taken it out sooner she would have lost all the interest. She endured it until last week and once the interest was added she quickly transferred it into her card and quickly went to the mall.
She was afraid that she would lose it as it contained fifty thousand Yuan and she had never carried that much money before. Hence, she intentionally placed it inside of her tight waist purse that she hid inside her clothes. Once she picked the bracelet, she took the card out from under her s.h.i.+rt.
The bracelet cost her four thousand and eight hundred Yuan - Dai Huimin had never spent so much money whole life. However, when she was buying it, she did not regret it at all as it was for Lin Chu. It was her wedding gift, and her heart was filled with blessings and joy.
When she was buying it, she was filled with happiness and did not have the time to consider the issue of whether or not Lin Chu would accept it.
So at this moment, when she knew that Lin Chu would not accept it, she felt an indescribable pain in her heart. Her heart felt like it had been gripped by an invisible hand and was about to burst from its grasp.
The hand she used to hold the bag trembled, and she… It was just a little piece of herself, she just wanted Lin Chu to accept it.
Lin Chu saw this and sighed to herself. She opened her hand spread and stretched it toward Dai Huimin. "Isn"t this for me?"
Dai Huimin first noticed Lin Chu"s soft and fair palm, which was thin and not all rough, very much unlike hers.
Then she heard what Lin Chu said. Dai Huimin actually thought she had heard incorrectly. She lifted her head and looked at Lin Chu"s soft face as tears almost started streaming down her face.
"Yes! Yes, it is!" Dai Huimin said hurriedly, afraid that Lin Chu would regret her actions. She quickly handed the bag over to Lin Chu.
Both her hands were now empty, but she felt contented.
She wiped her palms a couple of times on her trousers and felt bewildered, as though she had no clue where to place them.
"You… You keep it. Wait… Wait and I"ll get you a prettier one." Dai Huimin said as she simultaneously laughed and cried.
"This is enough." Lin Chu said as she squinted. "Actually, why don"t you just save up money and next time you want to buy something, just donate it to the orphanage, or…"
"Right! Yes!" Dai Huimin nodded hurriedly, she felt that whatever Lin Chu said would be in the right. "You"re right, I"m very thankful toward the old princ.i.p.al. I"ll go back and tell Jiaojiao"s father that once we"ve earned enough, we"ll donate more to the orphanage!"
As she walked out of the restaurant, Lin Chu thought of something and asked, "Are you going home or going back to the restaurant? I"ll ask someone to send you over."
"No need, no need." Dai Huimin waved her hands as she paused before continuing, "I… wanted to go to Lin Mao and have a look."
Lin Chu immediately understood that Dai Huimin wanted to go and verify things for herself.
Thus, she nodded and said nothing else as she let Yan Beicheng send her back to the company.
Dai Huimin was not familiar with Lin Mao"s whereabouts, so resolutely called a cab and told the driver that she wanted to go to Lin Mao.
The driver was unfamiliar as well, so he took out his phone and searched for it to find out where it was.
When they arrived at Lin Mao"s main entrance, Dai Huimin took some change out of her pocket and gave it to the driver.
Once she got off the car, she waited by Lin Mao"s entrance. After giving it some thought, she felt that she was a bit eye-catching. She looked around and entered a snack shop nearby before peering through the gla.s.s door.
After a while, she saw Xu Jiaojiao and a handsome young man walking over. They were about to enter Lin Mao"s main entrance.
Dai Huimin hurriedly opened the shop"s door with the intention to go look for Xu Jiaojiao, but at that exact moment, two young ladies pa.s.sed by her.
Dai Huimin heard them chat as they walked. "Xu Jiaojiao came back with President Cheng again, both of them are not even trying to avoid arousing suspicion now."
Dai Huimin"s heart skipped a beat when she heard the word "President Cheng". She was afraid that this was the Cheng Ziming that Lin Chu had mentioned earlier.
"They"re not afraid now, the Chairman"s out on a business trip and Lin Yuwen"s in the United States getting treatment. There"s no one else here watching over Cheng Ziming." The person wearing a blue blouse said as she sneered, "However, these two are quite ridiculous with their fooling around. There"s no one in the whole company who is unaware of their games. Imagine! Going out at noon every day but still pretending to talk about business..."
"Don"t even mention that, a lot of people in the company were fooled by them in the beginning. I almost believed it as well." The other person that was wearing a dress said, "If I hadn"t gone to a friend"s house the other day and stumbled upon them by pure coincidence, I would have been none the wiser. I didn"t expect Cheng Ziming to rent a house in my friend"s small neighborhood just for his love affairs. That was when I saw him and Xu Jiaojiao embracing each other. It was quite intimate."
"Tell me, are they unafraid that the gossip spreading throughout the company will never reach the ears of the Chairman and Lin Yuwen?" The lady wearing the blue blouse asked, "Even if they"re careful in the company, it will no doubt be seen by others, right? Didn"t you run into them before? Cheng Ziming was relying on the Lin Family to raise his status, it"s as if he got married and are living with the bride"s family 1 . If Lin Yuwen were to get angry and divorce him, he"ll have nothing."
The lady in dress was a little older, so she poked the girl that was wearing the blue blouse"s head and continued, "Either you"re young or thinking too shallow. What is Lin Yuwen"s situation now? She"s infertile, and if she divorces Cheng Ziming, it won"t be easy for her to find another suitor. What man will be willing to marry someone that can"t extend his bloodline? Those that would be willing to do so would be no different from Cheng Ziming - they won"t have good intentions and will only be after the Lin Family"s money. Since they"ve already been unfortunate enough to have Cheng Ziming, they"d never accept another man that"s similar to Cheng Ziming, right? Moreover, our President Cheng, if nothing else, his face is pleasing to the eye."
"Additionally, if someone were to disclose this matter to Lin Yuwen, do you think that the informant would meet a great ending? Didn"t you notice? Now the company"s slowly fallen under Cheng Ziming"s control. Lin Yuwen is not around, and the Chairman"s getting old and often doesn"t know what to do. We don"t know what will happen in the future, so who knows if Lin Mao will actually become Cheng Ziming"s in the future. These are their family"s affairs, so who in their right mind would be willing to go and put themselves in danger for matters unrelated to them? Disclosing it would not be beneficial to them anyway, and they"re not going to gain anything. So, everyone"s just watching the drama unfold, but no one will actually go and disclose the matter."
Dai Huimin listened from the side and felt chills in her heart. She was stunned and had no clue what to do.
Listening to Lin Chu explain the matter was one thing, but in reality, she had hoped that it might have been a fluke, and that she might have been wrong about things.
Now that she had personally seen it and clarified the matter, she knew that it was the truth. Her daughter was actually fooling around with someone"s husband, and it was also well-known by everyone. Dai Huimin made a mistake when she was younger, and she did not want Xu Jiaojiao to suffer the same fate.
She felt that the mistake she had committed when she was young was because she was naive and ignorant. Moreover, she was not educated and had never seen the real world, so she was easily deceived.
Xu Jiaojiao was different, even when the family was in difficulty, they had worked hard to make sure she attended school, gained knowledge and gotten educated. She had graduated and was a university student, so she should know better. How could she have done such a thing?
This was an immoral thing!
Dai Huimin almost called Xu Jiaojiao and asked her to come down right at that moment.
However, she held it in. She did not care about saving money anymore and even stopped a cab before going back to the small restaurant.
It was not lunch or dinner time, so the restaurant was not busy. Her current husband, Xu Dongguo was a diligent person. After serving the customers at noon, he would clean up the entire restaurant by himself.
When Dai Huimin came back, she started to hum and haw to him about Xu Jiaojiao"s dilemma.
"I panicked and didn"t know how to handle it, so I just quickly come back to discuss with you." Dai Huimin dragged a stool and sat down as her face had turned pale.
Xu Dongguo did not hesitate. He immediately closed the restaurant and stopped the business for the evening. The freshly picked vegetables were put in the refrigerator as he brought Dai Huimin home.
In the evening, when Xu Jiaojiao was about to get off work, he instructed Dai Huimin to call Xu Jiaojiao and ask what time she would be returning home.
Xu Jiaojiao replied, "Mom, I have to work overtime tonight, there"s no need for you guys to care about me."
Xu Dongguo immediately grabbed the phone over and yelled, "What overtime!? I guess you"re busy fooling around with someone"s husband, right? Don"t a.s.sume that we don"t know, you have to come back immediately!"
Lin Chu did not ask how Dai Huimin decided to handle Xu Jiaojiao"s matter. She had her hands full dealing with her own wedding.
The wedding was scheduled for March next year, and Old Master Yan had flipped over the Yellow Calendar 1 for several days and finally decided on a day suitable for the two to get married, change residency, break ground, and receive the feudal estate.
Yan Beicheng ensured that Sheng Yue was left empty early that day. Not just the hall, but the entirety of Sheng Yue would not be open for business. The wedding would be held at noon in Sheng Yue, and then they would express their appreciation on the Red Roof in the evening.
On Sat.u.r.day, an appointment was made to view a house.
Thus, Lin Chu and Yan Beicheng woke up early. Since they would already be visiting the area, Yan Huaian called Chu Zhaoyang and the rest over for a house-warming together.
They did not plan to keep the matter of moving houses a secret from Aunt Zhuang, but Lin Chu still instructed Aunt Zhuang not to bring up the topic when she was chit-chatting with others or risk letting Lu Zhenghang find out about it. In Chinese culture, it"s considered inverting traditional Chinese expectations Chinese divination guide and almanac. It consists primarily of a calendar based on the Chinese lunar year. It is used by many Feng Shui pract.i.tioners and destiny diviners to complement other date selection methods for selecting dates and times for important events like marriages, official opening ceremonies, house moving-in dates, and big contract signings, as well as smaller events like the time to start renovations or travel.