Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Upon arriving at the nightclub, she parked her car by the entrance and alighted to go inside.
“Were you the one who called me?”
“Yes, yes. He’s over there,” said the waiter, pointing at a couch.
Jin Qingyue stepped forward to see that Ling Ciye was lying on the couch, reeking of alcohol and drunk out of his senses.
“I realized that he was unconscious and thus decided to search him for his mobile phone. I then called a random number from his contacts list. Miss, please pay for his alcohol bill.”
“Alright.” Jin Qingyue whipped out her purse to get the tab with her credit card.
The waiter then assisted her in helping him into the backseat of her car.
Jin Qingyue was exhausted and panting heavily from supporting the weight of Ling Ciye, who was rather heavy due to his 1.85-meter stature.
Jin Qingyue was at a sudden loss of where to take him to.
Thinking it would be a little inappropriate to bring him to Wei Ni Estate, she decided to send him back to his place after much consideration.
Jin Qingyue was aware that he had a few houses in the city and thus decided to bring him to the one nearest to the nightclub.
She parked the car below the estate.
Jin Qingyue alighted and opened the back doors. “Brother Ciye?” she called softly.
He refused to budge, not an inch at all.
Why did he even drink so much?
There’s no need to get this drunk even if he’s upset…
Just as she was about to help him out of her car, she lost her balance and sprawled herself across his body.
Jin Qingyue froze in shock and remained still as a statue.
She got up slowly and dragged him out of the car by his arm with all her might. She then slammed the door shut and walked him towards the lobby slowly, taking one step at a time.
Jin Qingyue was already exhausted and panting heavily by the time she entered the elevator.
They reached his doorstep when they exited the elevator. The door was locked with a passcode. Thus, she had no choice but to shake him vigorously to wake him up. “Brother Ciye, what’s the passcode to your door?”
Ling Ciye was in a trance with his eyes glassed over. He murmured a few numbers in a drunken stupor.
She punched the numbers onto the keypad and found that it was indeed the passcode.
Jin Qingyue was dog-tired by the time she finally helped him onto his bed.
She was breathing heavily and gasping for air.
There was nothing in his kitchen at all, and the refrigerator was empty as well. It seemed he rarely returned to this apartment.
Jin Qingyue proceeded to boil some water.
After taking a few sips, she poured him a glass of water and left it to cool on the table beside his bed.
She switched on the air conditioner and helped him remove his shoes before tucking him into a comfortable position in the bed and pulling the duvet over him.
“Brother Ciye, you’ve had too much to drink. You’ll feel better after having some water…” Jin Qingyue said softly while kneeling beside his bed.
She thought that he had already fallen asleep. To her surprise, he opened his eyes.
Jin Qingyue straightened her back and muttered, “Um… the tea is still a little hot, wait for it to cool before drinking some. I’m going back now.”
“Drive safe on the road,” he said sluggishly in a hoarse voice.
Jin Qingyue nodded and turned around to close the bedroom door before leaving his place.
Once she got into the car, she cocked her head sideways and began blushing upon recalling the scene earlier.
Having seen all sorts of liberal forms of affection when she was abroad, she was not innocent and inexperienced in relationships. Besides, she had once been married and had a child of her own.
By right, it should not have been a big deal to her at all.
The scene earlier ran through her mind continuously.
It had indeed frightened her.
Could it be that she had begun harboring feelings for him?
She had known him for so long already, ever since they were children.
Recalling what her sister-in-law said, Jin Qingyue tightened her grip on her steering wheel while her heart began to race.
She was not feeling like her usual self.
It was abnormal to be feeling this way.
—
“Daddy, the fishes in the bathtub have grown bigger,” said Jin Yiheng, staring at the bathtub while continually turning around to look at Jin Qingyan, who was sitting on the couch.
“It’s only been a few days, there’s no way the growth would be so obvious.” Jin Qingyan stood up and took a look at the fishes he had caught.
He realized that they had indeed grown much bigger.
“What kind of breed do these fishes belong to?” Jin Qingyan questioned in puzzlement. He would usually be able to tell the breed of fishes with just one glance, but this time was an exception.
“Daddy, these fishes look a little strange.”
“I think so too. Let’s observe for a few more days.” Jin Qingyan handed him some fish food and said, “Feed the fishes.”
After feeding the fishes, Jin Yiheng went out to play merrily. He arrived at the door to find that Jin Bao’er had returned.
Jin Qingyue walked towards him while holding Jin Bao’er’s hand. “Yiheng, where are you going?”
“Auntie, I’m going to go play with Wenlun and Xiaoxi.”
“Would you like to play with Bao’er too?”
Before Jin Yiheng even answered, Jin Bao’er said, “I don’t want to play with them.”
Jin Yiheng retorted, “I don’t want to play with you either.”
He then ran away as soon as he finished speaking.
Noticing Jin Bao’er’s nonchalant attitude, Jin Qingyue chided, “Why don’t you want to play with them?”
“I just don’t want to, there’s no reason why.” Jin Bao’er looked up at her mother and said, “Mommy, I may have come back today, but I’m going to look for Daddy again tomorrow.”
Jin Qingyue was displeased to hear what her daughter had just said. She initially thought that Jin Bao’er was sick of playing with Shi Shaochuan after receiving a call from him in the morning, claiming that Jin Bao’er wanted her to come and pick her up. Contrary to her expectations, Jin Bao’er actually wanted to see him again so soon.
“Why?”
“Because I want to spend the whole summer with Daddy.”
Jin Qingyue let go of her hand and said, “Just how well does he treat you? Why are you always thinking about spending time with him?”
“Daddy hugs me to sleep at night because he doesn’t want me to be scared. He plays with me every day and feeds me delicious food. Being with Daddy makes me so happy.”
Jin Qingyue was infuriated beyond limits. “I raised you up singlehandedly. Didn’t I treat you the same as he did whenever you were on school breaks in the past?”
“That’s different.”
Jin Qingyue turned around and left for the living room while Jin Bao’er hurriedly chased after her.
“Mommy, I came home today because I wanted to tell you about something.”
“What is it?” Jin Qingyue asked while taking a seat.
“Mommy, can you marry Daddy again?” Jin Bao’er asked, staring at her.
“Did Daddy make you say that to me?” Jin Qingyue asked.
“Of course not, I wanted to say it myself.”
Jin Qingyue obviously did not believe her. “Your father and I will never get married again.”
“Why? Are you thinking of finding me a stepfather and making Daddy find me a stepmother?”
“I can’t stop your father from finding you a stepmother. But I want to find my happiness too. You don’t wish for Mommy to die alone, do you?”
Upon hearing her words, Jin Bao’er said immediately, “Mommy, if you don’t marry Daddy again, I’m never coming back to you! You’ll lose me forever!”
Jin Qingyue’s temples began throbbing continuously upon hearing her words.
“Why are you such an insensible child? Your Mommy didn’t raise you up so painstakingly to have you threaten her like this. Do you know why your parents got a divorce? Your mother had a tough time escaping from hell. Are you really going to push her back in?” Jin Qingyan interjected.
“Uncle, you don’t understand how much I want Daddy and Mommy to get back together! Why are adults so selfish!?! If she can’t give me a complete family, why did she even give birth to me in the first place!?!”
