Chapter 1090 - 1092 The Extremely Depressed Him_1
At that moment, footsteps sounded from behind, and Jiang Yichun quickly composed himself, turning to look back. He saw Jiao Bingqin walking over with Fang Guizhi’s arm in hers. Fang Guizhi was obviously uncomfortable, her expression somewhat stiff.
"Big brother Jiang, I came over to check in and didn’t expect to run into Guizhi, which gave me someone to talk to," Jiao Bingqin said with a smile, warm and graceful, as if she had a close relationship with Fang Guizhi.
Fang Guizhi awkwardly withdrew her arm from Jiao Bingqin’s grasp and forced a laugh, saying, "I need to go check on what delicious dishes my mother-in-law has prepared." Having said that, she quickly walked towards the main courtyard.
Heaven knows how uncomfortable she just was. She had intended to head to the main courtyard when she ran into this Miss Jiao. She didn’t want to pay her any mind, but fearing that it would be rude, she exchanged a few words with Jiao Bingqin. She hadn’t expected that as they approached the main courtyard, Jiao Bingqin would take her arm so warmly.
They were hardly acquainted, and since Jiao Bingqin had arrived with Jiang Yichun, Fang Guizhi felt uneasy all over. She wanted to get away from Jiao Bingqin but failed to notice that as soon as she left, she left Jiang Yichun and Jiao Bingqin alone together.
"Why did you come here? Rest well in the yard, I’ll have someone protect you," Jiang Yichun said in a lowered voice.
Jiao Bingqin’s smile remained dignified, "I was in such a hurry earlier that I didn’t manage to present my gift, making it seem as if I lacked proper manners."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yichun didn’t have much more to say and quickly entered the room. He certainly did not want Ruozhu to see him entering with Jiao Bingqin; that would leave him completely without a defense.
Inside the room, Fang Guizhi had already quietly mentioned her encounter with Jiao Bingqin on the road and how Jiao Bingqin had taken her arm to come over, naturally mentioning that they had run into Jiang Yichun outside the door.
Jiang Yichun followed close behind into the room, clearly having not said much to Jiao Bingqin, which helped Bai Ruozhu to ease her expression somewhat.
Outside, Jiao Bingqin clenched her teeth, a resentful look flashing in her eyes, but she quickly replaced it with that dignified and virtuous smile.
She walked into the room unhurriedly, greeted everyone from the Bai Family, and then said with a smile, "I’ve finally seen Little Dengdeng. The little fellow is truly adorable; no wonder big brother Jiang always talks about him."
As she walked over to touch Little Dengdeng’s face, images of Wu Wanqing using poisonous insects on Dengdeng flashed through Bai Ruozhu’s mind. She instinctively stepped back, avoiding Jiao Bingqin’s hand.
Jiao Bingqin’s hand froze in midair, her face struggling to keep composure, while the Bai Family members fell silent for a moment, not knowing what to do.
"The child is shy around strangers. Let him get familiar first. Miss Jiao, please don’t mind it," Bai Ruozhu regained her composure and apologized with a smile to Jiao Bingqin.
Jiao Bingqin, hiding her embarrassment, said, "I hope sister-in-law doesn’t have any misunderstandings about me?"
With a smile on her face and a gentle tone, Bai Ruozhu could only respond with a smile, "How could I? You are a guest of our family, and I will arrange for someone to take good care of you."
"Then why are you still calling me Miss Jiao? You’ve already said to call me Bingqin, otherwise, it feels so distant," Jiao Bingqin said with a somewhat presumptuous tone. Fang Guizhi glanced at Bai Ruozhu, indicating that Jiao Bingqin had done the same with her just before.
"I simply forgot for a moment. Bingqin, don’t stand, take a seat and talk," Bai Ruozhu was long-time friends with Fang Guizhi and understood her with just a glance. She couldn’t help thinking of Jiang Yichun’s way of addressing Jiao Bingqin; perhaps Jiao Bingqin had used the same argument or had mentioned keeping her last name concealed, suggesting it would be better to go by first names directly.
At this time, Bai Zepei returned from school, and as he entered the yard, a servant had already informed him that his brother-in-law had returned, and also mentioned that this brother-in-law brought a woman home with him.
However, the servants of the Bai Family did not know the details as clearly as Bai Ruozhu, so what reached Bai Zepei’s ears was: Jiang Yichun brought back the daughter of a deceased benefactor, had taken good care of her along the way, and there seemed to be an undertone of intimacy between them. Moreover, it seemed that he might want to provide that woman a place to settle down.
On hearing this, Bai Zepei was furious, and when he entered the main house, his whole body exuded an aura of killing intent—yes, killing intent. When he was displeased, it was usually a cold aura, but that was suppressed by his scholarly demeanor. Yet now, he wanted to give Jiang Yichun a severe beating, even though he was not a match for Jiang Yichun in a fight.
"Father, Mother, I am back," Bai Zepei greeted his parents and then turned to Jiang Yichun, saying, "Come outside with me, we have official business to discuss!"
Everyone was stunned, and it was only after Jiang Yichun followed Bai Zepei outside that they came back to their senses. Lin Ping’er gave Bai Ruozhu a meaningful glance, suggesting that Bai Ruozhu should go and persuade them, to prevent the two men from having an argument. But because Jiao Bingqin was present, Lin Ping’er did not voice that suggestion outright.
Bai Ruozhu was not nervous in the slightest. It was a good thing to have her brother stand up for her, and she did not believe that Jiang Yichun would dare to confront her brother with righteous indignation.
Outside the yard, Bai Zepei looked coldly at Jiang Yichun and said, "Don’t forget you married into our family. Moreover, given my sister’s talents, it is not impossible for her to divorce you and marry another man into the family."
Jiang Yichun’s face was ashen, not because he felt humiliated by Bai Zepei’s reminder of him marrying into the family—he had a weak sense of family pride and did not see anything wrong with marrying into the Bai Family. Rather, the implication of Bai Ruozhu finding another man if she divorced him was something he absolutely could not allow!
"Second Brother!" Jiang Yichun called out loudly, his voice raised, but he soon suppressed his anger, saying, "You misunderstand. I swear I will not betray Ruozhu, nor will I let her find another man."
The last few words were spoken through clenched teeth, as he fought to keep his anger in check, his eyes turning red.
Bai Zepei, being a smart man, quickly calmed down and lowered his voice, saying, "Is that woman related to your current mission?"
Jiang Yichun hesitated for a moment before giving a slight nod, "I cannot say more, else it would be defiance of the superior orders. We have known each other for a long time; you should trust me this once."
After a long scrutinizing gaze, Bai Zepei finally spoke, "Fine, I’ll trust you this time. If you ever hurt Ruozhu, even if I can’t do anything to you now, I’ll never let you off in the future!"
"I will prove it to everyone," Jiang Yichun said with a wry smile.
When the two men returned to the room, the food had already started to be served. Lin Ping’er smiled and said, "You two have been so absorbed in your talk that I almost had to send someone to call you for the meal."
Jiao Bingqin quietly surveyed Bai Zepei, then glanced at Jiang Yichun, mulling over something.
"Achun, look at all these gifts Bingqin has brought us as a greeting present, which makes me, your sister-in-law, feel somewhat embarrassed. She mentioned wanting to explore the Capital; I’ll be occupied with the shop’s opening in the next few days, so why don’t you take her around?" Bai Ruozhu said, indicating the gift boxes placed aside.
Jiang Yichun instantly felt his scalp tingle, realizing that his little woman was still quite angry.
"I am due to serve in the Palace in the coming days and will hardly have time to spare," he said hastily.