**********
CHAPTER 228
"I am okay. Glad that I still have her. We talk every now and then so, I am not really sad."
"That is good. It is nice you still maintained a good relationship with her and you are there to be understanding for her."
"I only wish for her happiness, that's all." His once saddened face managed to produce a small smile which ended up warming Li Jing's heart. She was happy he told her that as now she understood him more and why he felt sad that she was leaving.
"And she would get it as long as you remain by her side to help her and to love her."
"Yeah." No one spoke for some seconds more before Ye Cheng broke the silence. "Now eat up."
"And what about you?"
Ye Cheng paused what he was doing with his fingers and returned his gaze back to her. "Me?"
"Yes, you."
"I umm…"
"Do not lie. I know you haven't eaten. Come and join me."
"No, Jing. This is strictly yours. You need to eat and get fat."
"What? Are you trying to say that I am skinny?"
"That's not what I meant and you know that. I meant that with the stress of things happening, you have lost some wait a little bit. You need to eat up and gain that weight back before your grandfather thinks I am not taking care of you well."
Li Jing was left speechless. She did not know what she was going to say to him.
After some seconds she blinked and looked down at her body to check the reduction he was talking about but she found nothing. Then she raised her head slowly and let her gaze lock with his with her lips slightly ajar and bent to the side.
"What weight did I lose?"
"Plenty. Take a good look at your arm," Ye Cheng poked her arm then continued poking some parts of her body he could touch that she lost weights just to emphasized his point.
"Please, do not make me laugh. Kindly join me and eat."
"Would you be feeding me?"
"Hey you are the CEO of a multi-billion dollar company, so stop acting like a baby and eat, young man!"
Ouch! Bossy!
Honestly speaking, this was the first time he was hearing her speak in such an authoritative manner and that had left him completely spellbound.
He had to admit that he loved her bossy side and subconsciously his mind drifted away to when they kissed and she took the lead.
Oh yes, our baby's new non-naive nature was finally showing.
"Stop staring at me like it is the first time you are seeing me, Ye Cheng, and eat before it gets cold. Or I would not be eating again."
"Okay, okay, okay. Fine! I'll eat, boss."
"Better."
'Did she just accept being called a…' his thoughts were scattered by her new behaviour, further entangling him in the web of her heart. Without further ado, he stopped playing and joined in.
Ring!
Ye Cheng and Li Jing turned their heads to the direction the ring tone was coming from and that was when it dawned on Li Jing that it was her phone that was ringing.
"Oh." She quickly picked it up from the table and answered the call.
"Hello, good morning sir."
"Li Jing, my darling child. Good morning. Happy new year. How are you?"
"Grandfather, I am fine. Happy new year. How are you?"
"Great. You see, I went to visit you at home today but you weren't there."
"Wait. What home?"
"Your father's house."
"Hold on grandfather, you mean you went to the Li residence?"
"Yes. The very house. I met your adoptive father and mother."
Her bure brown eyes shone with surprise at his words. "Father is back?"
Mr Lin did not understand all her surprise but from her tone, he knew something definitely was up. Something wasn't right one bit.
Even Ye Cheng who had been unintentionally listening to their conversations found her behaviour disturbing. He knew she had a hateful sister and mother but nothing about her father. It turned out that even he had something on his own.
"Li Jing, is anything the matter?" Mr Lin asked.
"Umm, not really. It is just that, he travelled for a while now and hasn't returned. I am just surprised that you made mention of him being around and…"
"And what?" She did not answer again and spaced out as all the memories she had tgried her very best to keep locked away started coming back.
It wasn't that she was just maltreated in the Li residence, no. She was more or less neglected while not being neglected at the same time.
Her adoptive father, Li Chun made preparations for her studies and wellbeing no doubt and for that she appreciated it very well but he mostly neglected her and did not bother to check up on her but chose to ask his darling wife when he knew she may not be getting the best treatment.
It was like he was trying to satisfy his conscience by asking her mother rather than seeing things for himself. So Ding Jiaying took hold of the opportunity to punish her more especially when he was not home.
Irrespective of that, whenever he returned he always asked after her and when she was old enough, she decided to leave the house and its suffering to work while studying, he refused.
Even after schooling in the university, he still did not let her leave the house against all her pleas. She was already frustrated with the limitation she got just by being caged there for Ding Jiaying and Li Xiu to feast their bitterness on her.
So when she found out they were cheating on her, Duan Tian and Li Xiu and her father wasn't around, it became her perfect escape from the cage called home.
All these while, she had not yet thought about what would happen if her father found out she was no longer living in the Li's residence and the fact that she had not gotten any news from her since simply meant that Ding Jiaying and her naughty bitchy daughter had not spilled the beans yet.
"Li Jing!" Both men said at the same time, pulling her out from her thoughts.
"Yes?" She seemed startled and confused at the same time, leaving Ye Cheng in more worry than he already was in. Quickly he reached for her right hand and gently caressed it to ease her worries, hoping she would relax and not be tensed up further.
"Just breathe, Li Jing, breathe. I am right here. I am not going anywhere okay?"
"Okay. Okay." She took in a slow deep breath till her whole nerves calmed down and responded to her grandfather.
Just from his breathing, she knew he was worried sick about her but he did not say anything concerning it and instead let her get herself back. Having done that, Li Jing, tried to calm him down as well.
"Grandfather, I am okay. I am sorry I troubled you."
"I just want to be sure that you are alright, dear. Nothing more, but if you do say you are okay, very well then."
"I am sir. I am," she reassured him and managed a weak smile at Ye Cheng who she knew was brimming with lots of questions now.
"Drop the sir thing, dear."
"Okay, grandfather."
"Better. Now I went there to greet the couple that raised my grandchild and perhaps I did wrong for not informing you first and for that I am sorry. I guess I was eager to see you and surprise you that was why. So forgive me if I had caused any trouble."
"No worries. It is okay. So, did they say anything about my not being there?"
"Not really. They said you were grown and could take care of yourself."
'Tsk, the irony of life. I can barely imagine those words coming out pf Ding Jiaying's mouth.' Li Jing thought to herself.
"But something was surprising," Mr Lin started.
"What was?" This was definitely something interesting.
Why was she not surprised, the Li's had a way of always creating drama to bring themselves out one way or the other.
"What was surprising was the fact that after everything, your father still did not want me to take you. I know he gave the excuse of not trusting me and I could falsify the documents and all but I asked him what I stood to gain?"
"It is alright." She did not want to say much but even she herself had been suspicious about the reason why her father refused her leaving the house all these years. Something definitely was fishy.
"Secondly, I gave them a little token as appreciation."
"What?" Token? Where was that coming from?
"Yes, the sum of ten million yuan as a thank you present."
"You what!"
~~~~
I am sorry for the delay in update guys and sorry I cud only do this much today. Pardon me.
