1093 Am I That Scary?
Qiao Dongliang might be unhappy, but he would not do anything. Instead, he would stop caring for Qiao Nan and focus all his attention on helping Qiao Zijin until the day she found her happiness.
He did not ask her daughter to repay him with anything.
However, Qiao Dongliang suddenly felt that there was a possibility that when Qiao Zijin had the life that she wanted, she might rake up the past and settle old scores with him. Qiao Dongliang paled at the thought of it.
Qiao Zijin felt uneasy at Qiao Dongliang’s expression. “Dad, did you catch a cold on the way back? One will easily catch a cold during the period when winter turns to spring after the Lunar New Year. Mom, can you look for the cold medicine at home and pass them to Dad?”
Qiao Zijin had no idea what was on Qiao Dongliang’s mind. But Qiao Zijin felt a sense of crisis upon seeing his expression.
Qiao Zijin had a head for this. Whenever Qiao Dongliang treated her well, she would reach out for a yard after taking an inch.
When she sensed that something was amiss, she would give in immediately to reassure the other party.
“Yes, there is cold medicine at home. Old Qiao, take a seat. I will bring you medicine and water.” Ding Jiayi looked at Qiao Dongliang with concern in her eyes. She even touched his forehead with her hand to check his temperature.
Qiao Dongliang grabbed Ding Jiayi’s hand. “No need. I know very well whether I am sick or not. I have not caught a cold. It’s just that it’s windy and I don’t feel quite well. All medicine has toxicity to some degree. There is no need to take the medicine. It’s late. I will go back now. I still have to wake up early in the morning to send Nan Nan off. Both of you… should go to bed earlier too.”
Qiao Dongliang felt uneasy at the mention of the cold medicine.
To Qiao Dongliang, the mention of the cold medicine made him repulsed.
The change in Qiao Nan was brought about by the fever medicine. What got on Qiao Dongliang’s nerves the most was that a few days ago, Ding Jiayi went to the Zhai family’s residence, yelling for Qiao Nan to come out to meet her. Her voice turned hoarse because of her constant shouts. But she lied, saying that she was uncomfortable and might have caught a cold. Upon hearing that, Qiao Zijin stood far away from her with a cold look on her face. She feared that she would catch a cold from Ding Jiayi.
Qiao Dongliang could not understand how a medicinal pill that was used to treat illness turned into a test of one’s character at their house.
Could it be that the medicine they had at home was different from the medicine that other people had? Weren’t they supposed to be manufactured by the same company?
Qiao Dongliang could not figure it out and he had no wish to take the medicine.
Ding Jiayi stopped Qiao Dongliang, reluctant for him to leave. “You said that you need to wake up early in the morning to send that wretched girl off. Although the distance from the Qiao family’s residence to your place is not that far, it will take more than half an hour on the bicycle. It’s too tiring. Since you are unwell, you should spend the night here. This is not the first time that you do that. You can have half an hour more of sleep. Isn’t that better?”
After the divorce, Qiao Dongliang once had his meals and spent the night at the Qiao family’s residence.
Although he did not share the room, the same bed, and the same blanket with Ding Jiayi, it was a huge improvement for Ding Jiayi.
Since they could stay under one roof, it would not be long before they got back together.
Ding Jiayi still preferred Qiao Dongliang over starting another relationship. The new partner that she had might have other agendas or intentions.
Therefore, in the three years after the divorce, even if other people kindly introduced men to Ding Jiayi, she would only have meals with them a couple of times and spend a few days with them before she rejected them.
Ding Jiayi was no longer a young lady and she had a grown-up daughter. After multiple rejections, other people no longer introduced suitable candidates to her.
Ding Jiayi, who felt lonely after her divorce, realized that among all the men that she had met, Qiao Dongliang was still the best.
Since she could not find someone better than Qiao Dongliang, Ding Jiayi would naturally direct all her attention to Qiao Dongliang.
Qiao Dongliang had goose bumps at the tender look in Ding Jiayi’s eyes. He did not feel touched by her behavior. Instead, he was scared. “No need. There is really no need for that. Old Ding, you might have some misunderstanding. I was willing to have meals with you and to stay over for the night a few days ago not because I wanted to get back together with you. It’s just that I don’t want things to look bad on Nan Nan and Zijin, especially when they are getting married. It would be better for them, particularly Zijin, to have both parents around.”
Qiao Dongliang was not worried about Qiao Nan.
Miao Jing treated Qiao Nan very well. Qiao Dongliang was her father, but he did not treat her as well. Moreover, Zhu Chengqi doted on Qiao Nan as well.
It was a different case for Qiao Zijin. Compared with the Qiao family, the Chen family had the upper hand and Chen Jun was more cunning than Qiao Zijin.
In Qiao Dongliang’s opinion, if he was on good terms with Ding Jiayi and Qiao Zijin, the Chen family would know that if anything happened, her family and her father would stand up for her.
He would not allow them to look down on Qiao Zijin or ill-treat her just because she only had her mother with her and there was no one else in her family.
This was what Qiao Dongliang would do for Qiao Zijin. He was not interested in anything else.
Getting back together?
If he had the slightest notion of getting back together with Ding Jiayi, instead of filing for divorce back then, he should have maintained the status quo—to live separately despite still being married.
Qiao Dongliang thought that Ding Jiayi would have the same views as him and would understand what was on his mind.
But looking at her pestering behavior today, Qiao Dongliang realized that he was wrong again.
He was wrong about Qiao Zijin and he thought too highly of Ding Jiayi.
This pair of mother and daughter would never be sensible and understanding!
With that, Qiao Donglian could not be bothered that Ding Jiayi looked sullen. He pushed his model ’28’ bicycle and cycled unsteadily, fleeing from the house.
Now that Qiao Dongliang had made himself clear, Ding Jiayi could no longer deceive herself. “What is your dad up to? Didn’t he quarrel with that wretched girl because of both of us?”
Otherwise, she would not shower affection on an uninterested party and have the wrong impression that Qiao Dongliang had the same intention of getting back together like her.
These past few days, Ding Jiayi had been thinking of what happened when she married Qiao Dongliang back then. Apart from a table of food, they did not go through any procedures and they did not have any proper wedding dress and suit.
If she was able to get back together with Qiao Dongliang, Qiao Nan, who was doing well, should be filial to them and arrange for a proper wedding ceremony for them. In this way, she could make up for not having a ceremony in the past.
Ding Jiayi would plan their wedding using Qiao Nan’s and Zhai Sheng’s wedding as a reference.
She had yet to weave her dreams of a grand wedding when Qiao Dongliang fled from the house, shattering her dreams of having a proper wedding to pieces. “Don’t tell me that he does not have the same feelings as I do? Am I that scary that he could not cycle properly?”