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Zhao Hong was furious. Pointing at Jiang Yining, she said to everyone, “You all heard it, didn’t you? This is how she treats me, her stepmother. If she’d shown me even a shred of respect, I wouldn’t have treated her that way.”
Everyone knew the truth. Zhao Hong had laid her plans bare—she might as well have come out and said she expected Jiang Yining to support Jiang Yi from now on.
Aunt Sun spoke up. “But Yining wasn’t wrong. That’s exactly what the lawyer said. She obviously wishes you a long and healthy life, long enough to see Yi get married and have children.”
The more she looked at Zhao Hong, the more displeased she became. “No one wants to be taken advantage of. You gave birth to that child, yet you don’t plan to raise him yourself? You actually expect Yining to take over…”
Jiang Wentao spoke coldly. “That’s enough!”
He had noticed the document in Jiang Yining’s hand and knew it was the agreement she wanted him to sign. “Give me the pen.”
Jiang Yining handed over both the prepared agreement and the pen. Once Jiang Wentao had signed it, she checked everything carefully before putting it into her bag.
“This is just a simple agreement. Before the house transfer is completed, I’ll have Lawyer Liu draft a formal gift contract.”
Jiang Wentao glared at Jiang Yining with suppressed anger. “When are we doing the paperwork?”
Jiang Yining met his gaze fearlessly. “When I have time.”
Sensing she meant to delay again, Jiang Wentao opened his mouth to protest—but Jiang Yining quickly turned and said, “Thank you all for coming today. I really appreciate you taking the time.”
Before he could say anything else, she was already calling everyone to leave.
Jiang Yufang stayed behind. Seeing how unwilling Zhao Hong looked, she said, “I had no idea you treated your own son and Ning Ning so differently.”
Looking at Jiang Wentao, she felt an odd sense of unfamiliarity. “You even drove your own son out of this house. You didn’t protect him at all. Honestly, it’s pathetic. I’m embarrassed for you.”
Glancing between Zhao Hong and Jiang Wentao, she suddenly realized that both her younger brother and his wife were incredibly selfish.
With a sigh, she said, “Don’t come to me with anything from now on. I don’t want to get involved anymore—I end up caught in the middle no matter what I do.”
Downstairs, Jiang Yining thanked Lawyer Liu. “Thank you so much, Lawyer Liu, for making time in your busy schedule.”
Lawyer Liu shook hands with her. “No need to be so polite. You paid my fee, but I didn’t even do much. If you ever need me again, I’ll give you a discount.”
“Then thank you, Lawyer Liu.”
Du Yingzhe asked, “Ning Ning, where did you find this lawyer?”
“He’s the husband of one of Qiao Qiao’s colleagues.”
As the two of them walked toward the residential complex gate, Du Yingzhe thought for a moment, then said, “Ning Ning, why didn’t you ever tell us any of this before?”
Jiang Yining looked up at the sky, where a wisp of cloud was fading into the night, replaced by lights glowing from thousands of homes.
She smiled contentedly, thinking of Lake Half-City and the home she shared with He Chi.
“Cousin, everyone has their own life. You and Cousin-in-law have your own struggles. I can’t always rely on you for help.”
I have to learn to grow up on my own.
Du Yingzhe didn’t agree. “When it comes to family, there’s no such thing as a burden. If that’s how you see it, then I shouldn’t have asked you to lend me money this time, or asked He Chi to get me that discount on the house.”
Jiang Yining playfully looped her arm through his. “I was wrong. Next time something happens, I’ll come straight to you.”
Seeing his skeptical look, she raised three fingers toward the sky. “I swear. I really will.”
Du Yingzhe rubbed his nose indulgently. “You’ve always been like this, ever since you were a kid. But now that you have a husband, you don’t have to keep pretending to be strong. When you need to lean on He Chi, just lean on him.”
At the mention of He Chi, Jiang Yining couldn’t help but smile.
She asked, “Cousin, have you finalized the house purchase?”
“We’re almost done with the paperwork. Thanks to He Chi, we got a fifteen-percent discount—saved us a good amount of money.”
“When are you planning to hold the wedding?”
Du Yingzhe smiled. “Probably during National Day. I’ll let you know once we’ve set the exact date.”
Jiang Yining said, “Cousin, make sure you choose the right house. Cousin-in-law is pregnant, and I’m worried about formaldehyde.”
Du Yingzhe nodded. “We thought about that too. After the wedding, Xiaoyue will stay at her parents’ place for a few months.”
The two chatted a while longer outside the complex before the car Du Yingzhe called arrived.
“Ning Ning, I’m going to check on Xiaoyue. Let’s catch up another time.”
“Okay,” Jiang Yining said, watching him get into the car before heading toward the bus stop.
Once on the bus, she sat by the window. No sooner had she taken her seat than she saw He Chi’s car driving past. Moments later, it pulled up outside the Jingli residential complex.
Jiang Yining thought he had come to pick her up and was about to get off, but the bus doors closed.
As she reached for her phone to call him, she saw Zhao Jiajia getting out of He Chi’s car.
All at once, a chill spread through her. She never expected He Chi and Zhao Jiajia to be in contact again.
She turned to go back to her seat, but the bus had filled up with passengers, and someone else had already taken it.
Someone bumped into her, and her elbow hit the handrail. Strangely, it didn’t hurt at all.
“Girl, what are you spacing out for? Didn’t you see—”