All the emotions of the past few days vanished in this grand feast. The tangled threads of thought in my mind were untied, and only Lu Yanchen remained in my eyes, heart, and mind.
I was incredibly grateful for the chance to start over, for finding my true love.
Being able to hold him tightly was the greatest happiness for me. From now on, no matter what I do, I will never be alone again.
Until late at night, he kissed my forehead and held my freshly washed body as we fell into a deep sleep.
That night, I slept peacefully, while some others probably couldn't sleep alone.
The next day, Jiang Qing, the workaholic, unusually didn't go to the company.
When I arrived at my mother's house, I found the maid wasn't there, and Jiang Qing's tall figure, wearing an apron, was clumsily frying eggs.
Water splashed into the hot oil, causing it to splatter, and I saw many blisters on Jiang Qing's rolled-up arm.
A plate next to him was piled high with several burnt eggs.
I reluctantly turned off the stove. "I'll do it." I scooped out the eggs he'd burned again, poured out the oil, cleaned and wiped the pan dry, and reminded him, "Make sure there's no water in the pan when you add the oil, so it won't splatter everywhere. Once the oil is hot, turn the heat down so it won't burn, like this..."
I quickly fried one. Jiang Qing looked at my defeated and dejected face. "Do you think I'm useless? I can't even do something this simple?"
After last night's events, his entire demeanor and even his appearance had changed. He looked like a wilted eggplant, listless and filled with melancholy.
"Actually, it's not that difficult. You just haven't cooked before. You're so smart, you can manage such a big company, how could you not manage an egg? Come on, give it a try."
I knew he wanted to fulfill his duties as a husband in the last three days, to do as much as he could for his mother, so I didn't interrupt but patiently taught him.
This pampered young master, who had been waited on hand and foot by servants since birth, was only now, at his advanced age, learning to fawn over others.
Consider it a way of making up for their final regrets.
I walked out of the kitchen, glancing back at the man toiling away amidst the cooking fumes.
People always regret things only after they've lost them.
If, in their newlywed days, he hadn't chosen his arrogant, domineering ways, but instead humbled himself, how could my mother not have been moved?
But life is a journey; only by walking it yourself can you know if the path you're on is right.
I watched him carry the breakfast he had painstakingly prepared upstairs, and I patiently picked up a book.
After a while, Jiang Qing came down again. He knew why I was there and cut to the chase: "Now that I've agreed to your request, tell me, what exactly happened with this food?" He had seen the test results; it showed the presence of drugs, but not poison. That's why he couldn't understand Jiang Zhi's intentions, and hadn't even considered that possibility.
Yes, who would suspect their own daughter of plotting against them? I explained, "This is a banned drug for treating brain diseases. It's been banned by the government long ago because of its severe side effects. If a healthy person takes it long-term, it can affect the nervous system in mild cases, and in severe cases, cause hallucinations, confusion, and stiffness in the limbs and trunk." This time, he didn't directly deny that I was on Jiang Zhi's side. Instead, he silently took a cigarette from the pack, glanced at me, and quickly put it back.
"You came prepared, so stop beating around the bush."
I stated directly, "Jiang Zhi wants to harm you, or more precisely, Lin Hui. She's afraid you'll return to your family, afraid the child in your mother's womb will pose a threat to her. Last time at the wedding banquet, someone bribed a child to deliberately bump into your mother's stomach, just to cause her to miscarry."
Jiang Qing wasn't surprised by this result; it seemed he had already guessed it.
That's right, he's just a jerk, not stupid.
He probably already started investigating last night. He used to grant Jiang Zhi's every request, mostly financially. As for Lin Hui, he was generous, but that didn't mean he cared about her much.
Otherwise, Lin Hui would have fallen in love with him long ago, so why would she be entangled with her ex-boyfriend for life?
It's because although Jiang Qing is rich, he doesn't offer her any emotional support. On the contrary, she goes to great lengths to please him and provide him with emotional support.
Women, being naturally emotional creatures, are easily swayed by a few sweet words from Zhou Yuyou.
If the same words came from Jiang Qing's mouth, wouldn't Lin Hui be completely infatuated?
Because he doesn't love her, he hasn't paid much attention, and has overlooked Lin Hui's frequent affairs.
He hired someone to investigate. Even if he couldn't get the core information in one night, he would definitely find clues.
So at this moment, he didn't question my words, only remained silent and exhausted.
"Did Jiang Zhi instigate this?"
"Given Jiang Zhi's personality, she might do small things, but I don't think she would drug you. Of course, I can't guarantee that."
Jiang Qing's craving for a cigarette flared up. He picked up the cigarette he had just put down and put it in his mouth, without lighting it, just biting it.
"Go on, what else did you find out?"
His expression was dejected; it seemed that after agreeing to divorce his mother, he was indifferent to everything else.
I observed his expression, hesitating whether to tell him the truth now.
"I'm not a child. You have nothing to hesitate about. I can handle it."
"What if I said... Jiang Zhi isn't your biological daughter?" I didn't beat around the bush and directly stated the truth.
He probably already guessed some things, but hadn't considered this possibility. The cigarette in his mouth fell to the ground, and he looked up at me. "What did you say?"
I took out the paternity test results I had prepared earlier from my bag. "Jiang Zhi is not your daughter with Lin Hui. This is the paternity test report. If you don't believe it, you can have it tested again."
Jiang Qing's hand trembled as he took the paternity test report!
Perhaps he had thought of Lin Hui's infidelity, but he had never doubted Jiang Zhi's identity.
Jiang Zhi had always been sweet-talking and very dependent on him, so Jiang Qing was happy to spoil her. Among these complicated relationships, only his fatherly love for Jiang Zhi was genuine.
He had even repeatedly condemned his own daughter for Jiang Zhi's sake, and now to be told that Jiang Zhi wasn't his child was worse than Jiang Qing's worst-case scenario.
He stared at the report for a long time, probably reading it word for word over and over again. He couldn't believe it, he refused to accept this result.
I saw his fingers tighten little by little, the veins on the back of his hand bulging; he was trying his best to control his emotions.
But…
"Bang!" A loud crash, his hand slammed heavily onto the tempered glass coffee table.