Chapter 7: Just How Long Did She Plan to Keep Giving Him the Cold Shoulder…

Jin He passed by the garden and spotted Jin Can inside.

He was alone, standing in a daze under the wisteria trellis.

Recently, Jin Can had been stealing much of the attention that once belonged to him, and the mere sight of him stirred an inexplicable irritation in Jin He’s heart.

He let out a soft snort, averted his gaze, and continued upstairs.

Even though they shared similar faces, even though Jin Can had received plenty of parental affection these past few days so what? Jin He had been groomed for years as the heir to Han Lin. What could a wild boy raised in an orphanage possibly compare to him?

With a darkened expression, he returned to his room. Not long after, his mother, Lin Cheng Hui, knocked and entered.

“Why haven’t I seen you going out with Mira lately?” she asked her son.

“I…” Jin He made up an excuse casually, “I’ve been busy with a lot of things.”

“No matter how busy you are, you shouldn’t neglect your fiancée,” Lin Cheng Hui sighed. “We owe finding A Can to Mira this time. Remember, you must personally go pick her up on Saturday, understood?”

“I know,” Jin He replied impatiently.

It had been a while since he last went out with Xia Mi La. His mother’s reminder made him realize they hadn’t even been in contact for a long time.

He opened his phone to check; the last messages in their chat were clearly from before Xia Mi La went to Busan.

Before that, she would message him every day updating him on what she was doing, sending cute emojis. But ever since she went to Busan, that had stopped.

What happened in Busan? It was that incident where he and Pei Duo Xing were photographed together.

So, was she angry about that?

Nothing had happened between him and Pei Duo Xing. If anyone should be angry, it was him his anger hadn’t subsided even now.

How dare she bring Jin Can back without saying a word? Even after what she said last time, he still couldn’t forgive her.

Telling her which color gown would match his outfit was already him lowering his pride.

And she hadn’t even replied to that message.

Was she still waiting for him to coax her? That was impossible she should be the one coaxing him.

This standoff of mutual silence persisted until the day of the banquet.

Jin He took the car to Xia Mi La’s home to pick her up, but she had already left early and arrived at the venue.

“Mira!” Lin Cheng Hui’s eyes lit up at the sight of Xia Mi La. “You look absolutely beautiful today! Young girls should wear bright colors more often!”

“Auntie,” Xia Mi La approached somewhat shyly.

A timid smile graced her face, yet her demeanor remained poised and graceful.

Lin Cheng Hui was immensely satisfied with her future daughter-in-law excellent family background, good temperament, and she had even helped find her other son.

“Why did you come on your own?” she asked. “I specifically reminded He to pick you up.”

“Ah,” Xia Mi La seemed flustered. “A He didn’t mention it to me. He probably wanted to surprise me. It’s my fault for leaving too early.”

In truth, she had anticipated Jin He would come to pick her up, which was why she left early.

Of course, that wasn’t the only reason.

“That boy,” Lin Cheng Hui said, “never mind. It’s fine as long as you’re here.”

She took Xia Mi La’s hand and noticed the gauze under her shawl, startling her.

“What happened to your arm?” she asked with concern. “It wasn’t there last time we met.”

“This…” Xia Mi La adjusted her shawl, covering the gauze again, then softly repeated what had happened.

“Ha,” Lin Cheng Hui immediately showed a mocking smile. “Your father is just like that – excessively kind to that mother and daughter pair. How does someone like Bai You Na, who doesn’t even know where her father is, deserve to be treated as your equal?”

She had always felt that Jiang Xiu Zhu and her daughter lacked proper boundaries, and at this moment her dislike for Bai You Na deepened further.

“Because of Aunt Jiang’s presence, father has been in better spirits and looks younger these past years,” Xia Mi La said. “So it’s only right that father treats them well.”

Lin Cheng Hui sighed. “You silly child.”

“I am a bit foolish,” Xia Mi La lifted her head and gave her an apologetic smile. “I didn’t handle bringing Can back very well this time either. Grandmother scolded me after returning, saying I should have been more careful. I should have had more concrete evidence before acting that way, so you wouldn’t have to worry so much, Auntie.”

“Don’t say that.” Lin Cheng Hui ruffled her hair. “You’ve already done very well. I think anyone who has seen He would have done the same when they saw Can.”

Concrete evidence was indeed necessary, but the two looked so remarkably similar that anyone would have made that connection.

The reason Mira had been so eager to bring Jin Can back stemmed entirely from her kind-hearted desire to reunite their family. If there had been even a hint of ulterior motive or business consideration, she wouldn’t have acted that way. After all, Jin Can’s return home brought no particular benefit to Xia Mi La or their Xia Hong family.

It was precisely because of her purity and kindness that she liked her so much.

“Fortunately, the outcome was good.” Xia Mi La gave her a sweet smile. “Auntie found her child, A Can returned home – I’m truly happy.”

“Yes,” Lin Cheng Hui also sighed with emotion. “Fortunately, the outcome was good.”

Xia Mi La had arrived very early today, and Lin Cheng Hui treated her like family, having her help receive guests.

By the time Bai You Na and her mother arrived, most guests were already present.

Walking through the venue, one could hear praises for Xia Mi La everywhere.

“That Xia family child is so graceful and poised – truly remarkable.”

“Such excellent upbringing.”

“She looks like her mother – very beautiful.”

“If only I could have a daughter-in-law like her.”

“Would you dare to snatch her? Cheng Hui adores this child almost excessively.”

“Of course – she’s the one who found their youngest son.”

“Completely a lucky star…”

Neither Jiang Xiu Zhu nor Bai You Na enjoyed hearing such comments.

Jiang Xiu Zhu composed herself and went to greet several ladies she had always been friendly with, but they all looked at her somewhat strangely.

After receiving several subtle rejections, someone finally offered advice.

“We heard the injury on Mira’s wrist was caused by You Na? How utterly presumptuous!”

In the past when they socialized, they had always showered You Na with praises. Jiang Xiu Zhu had thought she had successfully packaged her daughter as aristocratic nobility, but only at this moment did she realize that people had never truly regarded You Na as equal to Xia Mi La.

How dare You Na injure Mira! How could she dare!?

While discussing this matter, everyone’s expressions showed not only disbelief but also deep disdain.

“You should properly teach Youna a lesson,” the ladies kindly reminded her. “Chenghui is extremely angry about this matter.”

Jiang Xiu Zhu looked up and gazed toward the dazzling hostess at the center of the banquet.

No wonder she had been completely ignored when she went to greet her earlier.

She couldn’t help but clench her fingers, allowing her long manicured nails to dig deeply into her palms.

*

Jin He and Xia Mi La completely missed each other.

He only learned that Xia Mi La had already left first when he arrived at the Xia residence.

His calls to her went unanswered, which made Jin He furious.

He drove around most of the streets before reaching the hotel. As he got out of the car with a dark expression, he encountered Cui Zhe.

“A He,” Cui Zhe raised his hand in greeting, then asked as Jin He approached, “Why are you so late for your own family’s banquet? And where’s Mira? Why isn’t Mira with you?”

Each question struck a chord with Jin He. He remained silent with a dark expression.

If it were anyone else, they would have tactfully stopped questioning him, but Cui Zhe was different – he was Jin He’s best friend, so close they could share everything.

“What’s wrong?” he nudged him with his elbow, smiling as he asked, “Who’s upset our young master this time?”

“Don’t ask,” Jin He’s mood remained terrible, but he still replied, “Nothing has been going right today.”

As they talked, the two entered the banquet hall.

Jin He instinctively looked for Xia Mi La, but after scanning the room, he couldn’t find her anywhere.

It was Cui Zhe beside him who first exclaimed in admiration: “Mira looks… particularly dazzling today.”

Following his gaze, Jin He finally spotted Xia Mi La in her red dress.

The fair-skinned, beautiful young woman was adorned with an unusual radiance by the red dress.

Like a blooming flower, vibrant and fragrant, she commanded attention.

Jin He wasn’t unaware of Xia Mi La’s beauty, but previously her beauty had been gentle and serene, like the moon behind clouds – hazy and restrained, never aggressive. Unlike now, her beauty was like a sharply cut ruby, every facet reflecting dazzling light.

He stood there watching her for a while, then felt uncontrollable anger rising within him again.

He glanced down at his blue suit – he had assumed her dress would be blue today too, which was why he hadn’t spotted her immediately when searching for blue earlier.

How long was she going to keep throwing this tantrum with him!

Filled with anger, Jin He strode quickly toward her.

Author’s note:

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[Hug]