Chapter 457 - 163: Malicious Gossip (3)
’But on second thought, if their feelings weren’t genuine, and he handed his family’s assets over to her, what would happen if they broke up one day?’
At that thought, Qin Mei suddenly saw things clearly. It was better to rely on her own efforts than to covet Jie Jingchen’s family fortune. That would bring her more peace of mind.
"Jing Si, what’s wrong with your wife?" a neighbor asked curiously.
"She’s not wearing shoes." Jie Jingchen didn’t elaborate.
Qin Mei didn’t hide. She graciously greeted, "Auntie."
Seeing that Qin Mei wasn’t wearing shoes, the neighbor just smiled and said no more. It was the young couple’s business. A simple greeting was enough; prying would only cause resentment.
"Jing Si, Jing Si’s wife, you two are so lovey-dovey," Aunt Chen, who was standing next to the neighbor, said sourly.
Qin Mei raised an eyebrow. ’I know Aunt Chen, but not well. I heard from Second Aunt that Aunt Chen is very close with Li Axiu. Lin Yaru is the teacher for Aunt Chen’s granddaughter, and she often has Lin Yaru give her granddaughter special tutoring in private.’
’With the situation between Lin Yaru and Jie Jingwei having become such a mess, Aunt Chen definitely wouldn’t kick them while they’re down. But seeing me and Jie Jingchen so affectionate, she was surely feeling uncomfortable.’
"Aunt Chen, I love her, and she loves me. Our feelings are mutual, so of course our relationship is good." The words that came from Jie Jingchen’s lips were cold.
For a moment, Qin Mei was in a daze. ’I love her, she loves me, our feelings are mutual... Is Jie Jingchen talking about us? Why do I feel like he’s telling a bald-faced lie?’
And yet, for some reason, Qin Mei was touched.
She wouldn’t undermine Jie Jingchen in front of outsiders. To play along with his words, she wrapped her arms tighter around his neck and looked at Aunt Chen with a bashful expression.
She didn’t say anything to back him up, but her actions, paired with her shy look, spoke louder than a thousand words.
The Lin Family and the Xu Family were at each other’s throats, yet here was Jie Jingchen, strolling around with Qin Mei on his back. This made Aunt Chen unhappy. Especially when she thought about how Teacher Lin, who was in love with Jie Jingchen, now had to marry Jie Jingwei. Even though they were both part of the Jie Family, Jie Jingwei was the son of Director Jie and his ex-wife, while Jie Jingchen was the son of Director Jie and Doctor Qiao.
’A son’s status depends on his mother’s. The difference between Jie Jingwei’s and Jie Jingchen’s standing was like that between the clouds and the mud.’
’If I hadn’t run into them, it would be one thing. But since I have, it would be a waste of my friendship with Axiu if I didn’t cause some trouble for them.’
"Jing Si, everyone knows about you and Teacher Lin. Now, Jing Er is divorcing Ms. Xu to marry Teacher Lin. Your former love is about to become your sister-in-law... Ah! What a mess this has all become. Jing Si, I don’t mean to be nosy, but I’m worried. How are you, Teacher Lin, and your wife all going to live under the same roof?" Aunt Chen asked.
Qin Mei’s delicate brows furrowed slightly, her almond eyes narrowing. ’She’s just trying to stir up trouble.’
Jie Jingchen’s grim eyes fell on Aunt Chen. His lips curved upwards into a chilling, terrifying smile. A cold voice escaped his lips. "Aunt Chen, please watch your words."
Aunt Chen shuddered in fright. But banking on the fact that she was an elder, Jie Jingchen was a junior, and there were neighbors present, she figured he wouldn’t dare do anything to her. Suppressing her fear, she braced herself. "H-Have I said anything wrong?"
"There was never anything between me and Teacher Lin in the past, and there certainly won’t be anything in the future. The person I love has always been Qin Mei and only Qin Mei. If what you said today makes Qin Mei misunderstand, I will have my mother pay a visit to your in-laws to have a chat." In the past, Jie Jingchen couldn’t be bothered to explain himself, but now, he needed to make things clear.
He didn’t care what other people thought. He cared what Qin Mei thought. He had to stop anything that could negatively affect their marriage.
’He said "Qin Mei," not "my wife." He could get another wife, but Qin Mei was one of a kind.’
Qin Mei’s body tensed on Jie Jingchen’s back. ’Is this a genuine expression of his feelings, a heartfelt confession to me? Or is he just shutting Aunt Chen down?’ Qin Mei’s heart began to race, and the feelings that had just started to sprout were quietly budding.
Hearing this, Aunt Chen’s face went pale with fright. ’Doctor Qiao had done a great favor for my in-laws, and I don’t get along with them. If Doctor Qiao complained to them about me, they would surely come and make a scene. My life would be miserable. My husband might even listen to them and divorce me!’
’I’m middle-aged, and my granddaughter is already in school. To end up divorced would be utterly humiliating.’
Between her family and her friendship with Li Axiu, her family was naturally more important.
"I’m sorry." Aunt Chen swallowed her pride and apologized, knowing it was wise to back down.
"I’m not the one you should be apologizing to." Jie Jingchen’s cold, sharp eyes stared at Aunt Chen like a blade.
Aunt Chen immediately understood and looked at Qin Mei on Jie Jingchen’s back. "Jing Si’s wife, I’m sorry. I was just spouting nonsense just now, don’t take it seriously."
"If it was just nonsense, why would I take it seriously?" Qin Mei said, smiling at Aunt Chen, though the smile didn’t reach her eyes.
Qin Mei was actually a little grateful to Aunt Chen. ’If she hadn’t stirred the pot, Jie Jingchen wouldn’t have confessed to me. All this talk of love... a public confession is a bit embarrassing.’ Qin Mei mused to herself that she should remind Jie Jingchen to confess to her in private next time.
"That’s good, that’s good." Aunt Chen forced a smile, looking rather awkward.
Qin Mei thought for a moment and felt she should clarify. "Aunt Chen, actually, your worries are unnecessary. Even though Teacher Lin and I will become sisters-in-law, we won’t be living under the same roof."
Aunt Chen froze, staring at Qin Mei in confusion. "What do you mean?"
Qin Mei feigned shock and asked back, "Aunt Chen, you don’t know?"
Aunt Chen looked at the neighbor beside her. The two exchanged glances, neither understanding what Qin Mei meant. "Know what?"
"My second brother moved to the machinery plant with Xiao You," Jie Jingchen said.
"What?" Aunt Chen was shocked, and the neighbor next to her also looked stunned.
Both of them were filled with suspicion. ’Is that true?’
Jie Jingchen walked away with Qin Mei on his back. After they were some distance away, Aunt Chen asked the neighbor, "Yesterday, didn’t Jing Wu drive Director Jie’s car to help Xu Chunyan move her things?"
The neighbor shook her head. She wasn’t sure either. "But it’s true I didn’t see Jing Er come home yesterday, and I didn’t see Xiao You either."
Aunt Chen slapped her forehead. "No wonder! Jing Wu made several trips with the car. I was wondering how Xu Chunyan could have so much stuff. It turns out Jing Er and Xiao You moved out too."
"I can understand Xu Chunyan divorcing Jing Er and moving back to her parents’ house, but why would Jing Er also take Xiao You and move to the machinery plant?" the neighbor asked, confused.
"What other reason could there be? Everyone knows about Teacher Lin and Jing Si. Now she’s going to marry Jing Er, and they’d be living in the same courtyard. You can’t avoid seeing each other. Wouldn’t that be awkward for everyone? Teacher Lin has feelings for Jing Si but is marrying Jing Er. Do you think she’ll be content to live a life with Jing Er? If they live in the same courtyard, what if old flames rekindle over time?" Aunt Chen said.
"To rekindle old flames, there have to be old flames to begin with. Didn’t you hear what Jing Si just said? He has no feelings for Teacher Lin. It’s been one-sided on her part all these years," the neighbor said.
"Jing Si is just afraid of his wife, that’s why he won’t admit it," Aunt Chen retorted. "We watched them grow up. When they were little, whenever Teacher Lin was bullied, it was always Jing Si who stood up for her. If you tell me Jing Si has no feelings for Teacher Lin, I wouldn’t believe it for a second."
"If Jing Si had feelings for Teacher Lin, why did he marry someone else?" the neighbor asked.
"What else could it be?" Aunt Chen said with disdain. "The Jie Family is well-off, and the Qiao Family is the richest in Xiangjiang. The number of girls who want to marry Jing Si is endless. Who knows what tricks that Qin Mei person used to beat everyone to the punch."
The neighbor didn’t argue. Some things were truly hard to say. Jing Si had good prospects and was an outstanding man himself. Forget others, she herself wanted to marry her own daughter to Jing Si.
Aunt Chen shook her head and lamented, "I’m telling you! Doctor Qiao is the one with foresight. To prevent a scandal from breaking out in the Jie Family, she drove Jing Er’s family out to the machinery plant. This just goes to show, a stepmother will always be a stepmother. You can’t compare her to a biological mother! It’s so obvious in this matter. Doctor Qiao didn’t drive her own son to the machinery plant. Blood is thicker than water."