Spring rains fell as if they would never cease. Ji Dongyang and Zhou Yining stayed home all day. Sitting on the sofa watching movies, Zhou Yining told him about her illness and her treatment in the UK, including what happened after she shot that man, as well as Zhang Hui and Alice.

She told him everything. She had never spoken of these things to anyone, wanting to forget them. Whenever she thought of her once-manic and crazy self, she was always unwilling to face it, unwilling to admit that person was her.

She told him even the things she found most difficult to speak of.

Ji Dongyang listened quietly, his expression unchanging, though his heart already ached terribly. He hadn’t expected her to have gone through so much. Holding her, he asked in a low voice, “Did you take a year off from school?”

Zhou Yining nodded. “Mm.”

Ji Dongyang: “You came back once during your break. Why did you come back?”

Zhou Yining turned in his arms to face him. “Came back to find you.”

So that was it. She hadn’t come back specifically to ruin Zhou JiaHui’s birthday party. Ji Dongyang looked at her and said, “You found me, but you hated me.”

At that birthday party, he had pulled her aside and spoken some harsh words. Zhou JiaHui liked him, so she hated him. That feeling had lasted until she returned to China; she had hated him so much.

Zhou Yining said, “I didn’t know it was you back then. If I knew, I wouldn’t have hated you.”

If she had known, she definitely would have slept with him long ago.

Ji Dongyang seemed to see through her thoughts and smiled, a bit wickedly. Zhou Yining lunged to kiss him. “What about you? Did you really hate me at first, too?”

Ji Dongyang held her down. “No.”

He didn’t hate her, but he didn’t like her either.

Zhou Yining knew he wouldn’t coax people, but so what? He loves her now.

Around 4 PM, Zhang Ran arrived with groceries and fruits—several large bags. Ji Dongyang put the things in the kitchen and asked, “Are reporters still guarding outside the complex?”

Zhang Ran nodded. “Yes. Security can’t drive them away. Some people are walking around nearby with umbrellas, and many cars are parked there—all reporters. I don’t know if anyone sneaked into the complex, but I checked the parking lot just now and didn’t seem to find any.”

Zhou Yining looked over. “Didn’t Sister Wei say she was coming?”

Zhang Ran: “She’s here. At the film set, came with Brother Yang.”

Zhang Ran looked at Ji Dongyang. “Dong-ge, if you want to leave, wait until later. Call me before you go so I can check the situation first.”

Ji Dongyang gave a “Mm” and said nothing else.

Zhang Ran had nothing to do here, so she left after a while.

Zhou Yining came over to sort the ingredients, glancing at him. “Ji Dongyang, are you cooking tonight? I don’t know how.”

Ji Dongyang rarely cooked either; the most he had cooked was probably during that year abroad. The taste was average. “Mm, you be the assistant.”

…

Qin Yuan walked to the main gate of the Zhou residence. Auntie Zhang, coming out to dump trash, saw her and froze immediately, stuttering, “M-Mrs… Mrs. Zhou…”

Qin Yuan stood there. “Open the door for me.”

Auntie Zhang opened the door for her immediately. Qin Yuan glanced at her. “I’m not Mrs. Zhou anymore. Haven’t been for twenty-two years. Don’t call me that in the future.”

Auntie Zhang stood there helplessly. “O-Okay.”

Qin Yuan walked in on her high heels. She hadn’t stepped into this home for over a decade. The last time was when her daughter was seven. She asked Auntie Zhang, “Is everyone here?”

“Here, they’re here.”

“Good.”

Qin Yuan lifted her chin, chuckled lightly, and walked in.

Only then did Auntie Zhang realize Qin Yuan’s visit wouldn’t be simple. She was old and uneducated, didn’t understand the internet, but Zhou Lihui had thrown a huge tantrum last night, dragging the drunk Zhou JiaHui up to scold her and even slapping her. She had heard some of it, and the little maid helping in the kitchen had told her about the online matters.

Xia Yun, who had endured for a long time, also exploded, arguing with Zhou Lihui. The family fought all night, and no one went to the company today.

When Zhou JiaHui woke up in the morning, there was still a palm print on her face, showing how harsh Zhou Lihui had been.

Qin Yuan walked in unnoticed. Zhou Lihui was still lecturing Zhou JiaHui: “Come with me later to apologize to your sister.”

Zhou JiaHui: “I won’t go! Those exposures are all facts. Why should I apologize to her? I didn’t even make her apologize for pointing a knife at me!”

Zhou Lihui’s temper flared, shouting angrily, “You’ll go whether you want to or not!”

Qin Yuan chuckled lightly.

Zhou JiaHui saw her first, eyes widening as if seeing a ghost, and screamed, “Mom… Mom! Look who’s here…”

Xia Yun and Zhou Lihui turned their heads simultaneously. Xia Yun was as shocked as Zhou JiaHui. Only Zhou Lihui seemed relatively calm; after all, he was the one who called Qin Yuan. He knew she would come back, and he knew she wouldn’t let this go easily. She was someone who held grudges deeply; Zhou Lihui knew this well.

Qin Yuan looked at them coldly, arrogant as a queen, and said indifferently, “Do you think an apology alone can solve this matter?”

Xia Yun looked at her, her face turning cold. “I didn’t intend to let Huihui apologize anyway.”

Qin Yuan sat on the sofa. She wore a beige long dress. As she sat, her slender, fair ankles were exposed. The stilettos made her look extremely elegant. Time hadn’t left many marks on her face.

Time truly treats some people kindly, and Qin Yuan was one of them.

Zhou Lihui looked at her, his gaze somewhat dazed. He had regretted it over the years, especially after Zhou Yining’s accident in the UK and during her years of treatment. Every time he went to the UK, he would run into Qin Yuan. Qin Yuan always treated him as a stranger. Sometimes she would come to see Zhou Yining with her lover, a tall man with solid muscles. She lived more and more freely and confidently. Her life after leaving him was wonderful, while his became increasingly dull.

Back then, his parents disliked Xia Yun and strongly opposed her. Unable to resist, he chose the political marriage. Qin Yuan was proud and arrogant; she wouldn’t submit or show him favor. While they were slowly adjusting to each other, Xia Yun came back to find him. When she hugged him and cried, he didn’t refuse.

Deep down, Zhou Lihui liked being worshipped by his woman. Qin Yuan preferred an equal relationship. He felt a woman’s tenderness and consideration from Xia Yun, yet simultaneously liked the feeling of conquering Qin Yuan. Qin Yuan and Xia Yun became pregnant around the same time. When Qin Yuan found out, Xia Yun was already two months pregnant. That day was the first time he saw Qin Yuan go mad. Finally, after her outburst, she said calmly, “I want a divorce.”

That night, he drove Xia Yun home. Distracted, he got into a car accident, and Xia Yun miscarried.

Qin Yuan was already four months pregnant then. She didn’t abort the child but stayed home to rest. He didn’t go see Xia Yun again; he had decided to completely cut ties with Xia Yun then. When Qin Yuan heard his words, she just looked at him indifferently: “Oh.”

During that time, Zhou Lihui spoiled Qin Yuan rotten. If she wanted the stars in the sky, he would be willing to pick them. She didn’t refuse any of his gestures. Zhou Lihui thought she had forgiven him, and reconciliation was only a matter of time.

But he never imagined Qin Yuan would be so decisive. When she left, she left behind the one-month-old Zhou Yining and was gone for seven years.

A few days after Qin Yuan left, Xia Yun came back to him. Zhou Lihui found that the vanity of being a man in Xia Yun again. Xia Yun said she was willing to raise Zhou Yining with him and would treat her as her own. When Zhou Yining was one year and two months old, Zhou JiaHui was born.

The first word Zhou Yining learned to say was “Mom,” calling Xia Yun. He didn’t stop her.

It wasn’t until Zhou Yining fell ill that Zhou Lihui realized how wrong he was. Xia Yun blamed Qin Yuan entirely for her miscarriage back then and took her anger out on Zhou Yining. He didn’t know how cold Xia Yun was to Zhou Yining, where he couldn’t see.

For seven long years, Zhou Yining grew up in an environment alternating between hot and cold. How terrible must this home have been to harm her like this?

Zhou Lihui looked at Qin Yuan. The absurdity of those years made him feel dazed even now.

Zhou Lihui’s expression fell into Xia Yun’s eyes. Xia Yun gritted her teeth, her face becoming even uglier.

Qin Yuan smiled. “Since that’s the case, there’s nothing more to say.”

She stood up, suddenly grabbed Zhou JiaHui’s collar, raised her hand, and a resounding slap shocked everyone.

She struck too fast, too ruthlessly. No one reacted in time.

Immediately, a palm print appeared on Zhou JiaHui’s right cheek, heavier than the slap Zhou Lihui gave her left cheek last night.

Xia Yun reacted, screamed, and lunged over. “You crazy woman! Why did you hit my daughter?”

As Xia Yun lunged, Qin Yuan raised her hand and slapped her across the face, even harder than she had hit Zhou JiaHui. Xia Yun stumbled back a few steps from the blow, clutching her face and looking at her in disbelief, eyes red with rage. She lunged forward like a madwoman, raising her hand to hit back.

The next second, her hand was tightly grabbed.

She looked over with red eyes. Zhou Lihui was staring at her intently.

Xia Yun cried out, “What are you doing? This bitch hit me!”

Qin Yuan looked indifferent. “This slap is what you owed from back then. Now I’m returning it to you.”

Zhou JiaHui reacted, rushing over with her swollen face to help Xia Yun. Zhou Lihui turned and shouted, “Sit down!”

Zhou JiaHui froze in place, glaring deathly at Qin Yuan.

Xia Yun looked at Zhou Lihui in shock, screaming heart-wrenchingly, “I am your wife! I was hit, and you won’t help me?! Zhou Lihui, are you a man? Your wife and daughter were beaten, and you’re helping an outsider?!”

Zhou Lihui said calmly, “She’s not an outsider. She’s Ningning’s mother.”

Qin Yuan looked at Zhou Lihui and chuckled softly.

She picked up her bag from the sofa and walked away in her high heels.

Behind her were Xia Yun’s screaming and crying, chaos ensuing.

…

When Qin Yuan rang the doorbell, Zhou Yining and Ji Dongyang were still busy in the kitchen. Ji Dongyang was stir-frying; she was assisting, handing him soy sauce.

Hearing the doorbell, Zhou Yining glanced at Ji Dongyang. “It’s probably my mom.”

Ji Dongyang pressed his lips together, continuing to stir-fry the ribs in the wok with the spatula, then said calmly, “Mm, go open the door.”

Zhou Yining laughed, stood on tiptoes to kiss his chin, and raised an eyebrow. “Don’t be nervous. If my mom knows you’re the person I was looking for, she’ll thank you.”

Ji Dongyang looked at her and smiled. “I’m not nervous.”

Zhou Yining laughed and stood on tiptoes to kiss him again. This man once kept her unharmed. Although Qin Yuan didn’t say it, she was grateful in her heart.

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