Chapter 598 - 210: Jie Jingsi, You Just Have Too Much Time on Your Hands
If Jie Huating were to judge based on looks, Sun Dexiang probably wouldn’t even make the list. Sun’s mother’s confidence stemmed from a simple fact: Sun Dexiang was her daughter. And in her eyes, the daughter she’d given birth to was absolutely perfect.
"Didn’t you say Ah Xiang fell for him at first sight?" Qin Mei asked.
Sun’s mother arched a brow, her fanning motion faltering as an idea struck her. "Jie Huating also fell for Ah Xiang at first sight."
Qin Mei stared at her. ’Does she have no shame?’ she wanted to ask. "Whoa! So Ah Xiang fell for him at first sight, and he fell for her at first sight. That means the feeling is mutual. In that case, Aunt Sun, the elders from both families should sit down and start discussing wedding plans."
Sun’s mother’s expression faltered. The truth was, Ah Xiang hadn’t passed muster with the elders. She’d already made things clear to that old geezer, but he’d brushed her off, using the excuse that Jie Huating was already seeing someone. Naturally, she wouldn’t let Qin Mei know any of this.
"Well... Amie, we’re from the countryside, and they’re city folk. Their situation is better than ours, so Ah Xiang feels a bit insecure, like she’s not good enough for him. That’s why she’s shut herself in her room... Sigh!" Sun’s mother lamented. "This daughter of mine is just too self-aware, too considerate for her own good."
’Self-aware? She wouldn’t deny that. Considerate? Qin Mei had her doubts.’
The gap between their families’ circumstances wasn’t small by any means. But even setting family background aside and looking only at them as individuals, Sun Dexiang was no match for Jie Huating.
This wasn’t like Sun Dexiang’s crush on Jie Jingchen, which was pure fantasy. Sun’s mother wanted her to play matchmaker, and judging by her urgency, she was aiming for marriage.
"Aunt Sun, since Ah Xiang is already being so considerate, you should stop stirring up trouble." ’All this fuss would only cause problems,’ Qin Mei mused. ’And from the impression I have of Jie Huating, he isn’t someone who can be easily manipulated.’
Sun’s mother’s expression froze. Her story was meant to elicit Qin Mei’s sympathy, to persuade her to kindly help Ah Xiang fulfill her wish, not to convince her to accept reality. "I just don’t want Ah Xiang to miss out on a wonderful match because of her insecurities."
"If a match can be ’missed,’ it was never a wonderful one to begin with." ’This is hardly a wonderful match,’ Qin Mei thought. ’More like a disaster waiting to happen.’
"Amie." Sun’s mother gritted her teeth. Qin Mei was clearly refusing to lend her a hand, and she was furious.
"Aunt Sun, being from similar backgrounds is important." Even though things weren’t as rigid as the old days, when the gap between two families is too vast, even the most devoted couple can’t withstand the scorn of the husband’s family.
"Are you and Jing Si a good match, then?" Sun’s mother snapped back.
Qin Mei choked for a moment, but then replied without batting an eye, "We are a perfect match."
Qin Mei touched her own cheek. ’Even I have to admit I’m being shameless,’ she thought. After all, Jie Jingchen had the Qiao Family behind him.
Sun’s mother didn’t believe Qin Mei’s words, but she couldn’t find anything to refute them, as she knew nothing about the Qin family’s situation.
Sun’s mother took a deep breath. "Amie, give me a straight answer. Are you going to help with this, or not?"
"I can’t help," Qin Mei replied without a moment’s hesitation.
Sun’s mother’s expression changed. She glared at Qin Mei and asked through gritted teeth, "Why?"
"Hua Er is married," Jie Jingchen said, walking out of the bathroom, his icy eyes filled with displeasure.
Sun’s mother glared at Jie Jingchen. The old geezer had said he was seeing someone; Jie Jingchen said he was married. To put it bluntly, they just thought Ah Xiang wasn’t good enough for Jie Huating.
Fine, if they weren’t going to help, she’d find someone who would. Furious, Sun’s mother shoved the fan back into Qin Mei’s hands and stormed over to the courtyard gate. She plopped down on the threshold, settling in as if lying in wait.
Qin Mei took the cattail fan and fanned herself furiously a few times—not out of frustration, but purely because of the heat. A slight smile played on her lips as she looked at Jie Jingchen and asked, "Can I turn on the fan now?"
Jie Jingchen looked at Qin Mei, a little surprised. ’When did she become so obedient?’ The delicate sheen of sweat on the tip of her nose added a soft beauty to her face, and her eyes sparkled as they moved.
"Yes," Jie Jingchen’s voice was low and magnetic.
"I’m boiling," Qin Mei said, tossing the cattail fan aside. She plugged in the electric fan and sat right in front of it.
"You’ll catch a cold if it blows directly on you." Jie Jingchen walked over and, under Qin Mei’s resentful gaze, set the fan to oscillate.
Qin Mei was speechless. ’I don’t want this husband anymore,’ she thought. ’He controls everything. If he thinks he’s right about something, he’ll impose his rules on me.’
’What’s the big deal about a fan? I’d rather have the air conditioner blasting right at me, even if I risked facial paralysis.’
"Jie Jingsi," Qin Mei asked through clenched teeth, "did your mother never tell you that a cold from getting chilly is easy to treat, but a summer cold is a nightmare?"