Chapter 962: Perplexed and Smitten (22)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Shaking her head, Hu Xin said, “It might not be worth mentioning to you, but it means a lot to me, Mr. Jin. I ought to thank you for it.”
After a moment of silence, Jin Qingyan said, “I shall accept your gratitude on account that you’re so sincere. How’s your grandmother’s condition?”
“Grandma has already passed on. I’ve managed to repay all of my family’s debts with the one million dollars that you had given me. I also have quite a bit left to spend.”
“Why did you have to fork out the money to pay for your grandmother’s medical bills? What about your parents?”
“My parents passed away in a fatal car accident and I was raised by my grandmother. My father was Grandma’s only son and she was widowed at a young age too. Hence, I don’t have any kin left in this world now.”
“Oh, I see.” After a casual chat, Jin Qingyan stood up and said, “I’m going back to have lunch. You should go home soon too.”
“Are you going home?”
“Yes.”
“But, didn’t you say last night that you disliked returning to Wei Ni Estate?”
Jin Qingyan paused in his actions and answered, “I only disliked it at that time. I usually love going home. That’s my house, how could I possibly detest it?”
It seemed to be a reasonable explanation.
Feeling a little disgruntled, Hu Xin stood up and left his office together with him, after which they entered the elevator together.
She looked at his side profile and could not help but feel enticed and attracted to his ravishing good looks. Images of the night before flashed through her mind and she recalled him holding onto her hand and getting her to sit on his lap.
She recalled the tenderness in his voice when he was speaking to her. However, she now felt like it happened in an entirely different realm, as if whatever took place last night was just a dream.
She did not harbor any designs on him at all the first time they met and was merely interested in discussing a deal with him. They made a transaction where she gave him those video clips she had secretly recorded in exchange for a million dollars.
However, she was thrown into a sudden state of confusion when she chanced upon him last night.
What attracted her was his strikingly-unusual behavior, especially when he unexpectedly defended her against An Xiaoning and even claimed to have fancied her.
Hu Xin barely caught a wink last night and it took her a great deal of courage and consideration to send that text message. She had also spent the entire night pondering over the matter, for she did not get a reply.
After a few hours of sleep, she decided to meet him personally.
However, it seemed she had made a wasted trip this time.
Ding! The elevator doors opened and they stepped out of the elevator together. Their appearance had caught the attention of several employees, though none of them suspected there to be anything between the two of them. Well, every single person in the Jin Corporation was well aware of how deeply he loved An Xiaoning.
After exiting the turnstile, Hu Xin thought that Jin Qingyan would offer to give her a lift. Contrary to her expectations, he did not do so and instead began walking toward his car with his car key. He did not even bother bidding her goodbye.
Hu Xin stood rooted to the ground and watched as his figure disappeared, suddenly filled with a mix of emotions.
Throughout the journey home, Jin Qingyan constantly tried to recall what time Hu Xin had left last night. Why didn’t Fan Shixin tell me about it? Who was the one who deleted the text message?
Upon returning home, he immediately bombarded Fan Shixin with the questions that had flooded his mind during the car ride.
“Young Sir, I was the one who deleted that message. That woman spent some time with you last night, and… she even sat on your lap. Fortunately, I managed to rush there in time. Otherwise, something would have really happened.”
“I knew it was you. Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Had Jin Qingyan found out about this in the morning, he would not have agreed to see Hu Xin.
“But, Young Sir, if you knew about it…”
“She went to the office to thank me.”
“I reckon she has a hidden agenda. She’s very scheming for someone her age.”
“Did Xiaoning go out this morning?”
Shaking his head, Fan Shixin answered, “No, Young Madam has been home all morning. She didn’t go anywhere. Young Sir, did Ms. Hu say anything else?”
“No, she didn’t.”
Fan Shixin heaved a sigh of relief, feeling a little thankful.
—
It was eight o’clock in the evening.
No. 8 was preparing dinner together with Mo Li. The doorbell began to ring continuously all of a sudden. Mo Li wiped her hands and proceeded to answer the door. As soon as she saw who it was, she tried to close the door immediately, only to be stopped by the person at the door.
It was none other than Ye Xiaotian, who showed up in a drunken stupor.
He was flushed red and reeked of alcohol. However, he did not seem like he was about to collapse.
Not wanting No. 8 to see him, Mo Li walked out of the door and asked softly, “What are you doing here?”
“I missed you.”
Mo Li flew into a rage and scowled at him while hollering, “Hurry and get lost!”
Ye Xiaotian stepped forward and hugged her in his arms. “Lili, what happened to us?” he said with a tinge of sorrow in his voice.
Mo Li struggled to break free with all her might. Just as she was trying to do so, No. 8 rushed over from behind and pulled Ye Xiaotian away forcefully before flinging him onto the ground. No. 8 glared at him from above and warned, “You’ve already gotten married and Lili is now my girlfriend. Stop asking for trouble!”
Ye Xiaotian tried to get up on his feet and stood unsteadily, swaying from side to side.
He stared at them with reddened eyes. Keeping his eyes fixed on Mo Li, who had an apron on, he staggered toward the elevator without uttering another word.
The moment the doors closed, Ye Xiaotian slid down the wall of the elevator and squatted onto the ground to weep in sorrow.
Meanwhile, the pair returned inside the apartment. Noticing the stern expression on No. 8’s face, Mo Li held his hand and said, “He was drunk.”
“I know.” No. 8 smiled at her and continued, “It’s alright. I’ll continue preparing dinner in the kitchen. Just rest and wait for the food to be ready.”
Mo Li nodded and eased herself into a comfortable position on the couch. She began to find her vision growing blurry as tears welled up in her eyes. She wiped the teardrop away from the corner of her eye, feeling anguished and upset at the thought of her wasted youth.
It was more than a decade…
I managed to pull through it…
Splendid…
As No. 8 was stir-frying some vegetables, she wrapped her arms around his waist all of a sudden. He said with a smile, “Dinner’s almost ready. Quick, go and wash your hands.”
“Okay.”
Neither of them brought up the incident again and continued to enjoy their dinner.
On the other hand, Ye Xiaotian returned home to a less joyous occasion.
His wife, Qiao Yina, was waiting for him in the living room.
“You’re home?” Just as she’d tried to step forward to help him, he headed upstairs and completely ignored her.
Qiao Yina had no choice but to follow closely behind.
It was the same old bedroom. However, it was no longer the same person sleeping beside him.
He knew that letting her go was the right decision to make. However, why can’t he seem to do so?
So what if I’m married and so what if she already has a boyfriend?
I didn’t treasure her and give her a blissful life when I still had her. He only realized that there was no turning back when he had already lost her.
Qiao Yina filled the bathtub with water for him. He then took a bath and lay in bed afterwards, closing his heavy eyelids.
He would never speak to her for more than five times.
If it weren’t because he wanted to put his mother’s mind at ease, he wouldn’t have remarried.
At the end of the day, there was no use in blaming anyone, for he was the one who led himself to the predicament he was in today.