Chi Lanyan took a slow step back. When she finally saw Chi Xia’s face, she hugged her.
She pressed her daughter into her arms as hot tears streamed down her face and rubbed off her delicate makeup. She looked at her daughter’s face several times, embraced her several times, and no matter how much Chi Xia apologized, Chi Lanyan just shook her head.
She repeated, “It’s okay, it’s okay Xiao Xia, it’s good you’re back, it’s good you’re back.”
“Mom, I shouldn’t have disobeyed you. It’s my fault, you can beat me and scold me.”
Chi Lanyan looked at her daughter heartbreakingly. Looking at her haggard face, she probably guessed something: “Are you wronged? He bullied you? How dare he bully you?!”
“He didn’t bully me, but he…”
Chi Xia couldn’t go on; she bit her lip, simply didn’t have the face to answer.
In other words, she didn’t know the specific truth of the matter. But aside from these twists and turns, the most deadly thing was that Jin Chengjun had personally admitted to her that he was indeed helped and encouraged by others before he mustered up the courage to pursue her.
Thinking of this, Chi Xia burst into tears, choking with hoarseness.
Fortunately, Chi Lanyan was no longer as stubborn as before after Chi Xia ran away from home once. She accepted it as soon as she saw it and did not continue to question her. Afterwards, she rubbed Chi Xia’s head and comforted Chi Xia so that Chi Xia stopped her tears.
Now that the child had come home, there was no need to rush this moment to know what happened.
She held Chi Xia’s hand and squeezed: “Let’s not talk about this. Your hair is still wet, hurry up and blow dry it. Get a good sleep tonight. Tomorrow mom will not go to the company, so I’ll stay at home with you.”
Chi Xia nodded vigorously. Her late rebellious energy seemed to have been dissipated outside.
Although Chi Lanyan had always been strict with her, in daily life, Chi Lanyan had never treated her poorly. Chi Xia had never suffered much since she was a child. When she grew up, she was a rich second-generation daughter who was well protected by her family.
It was also because of this protection that Chi Xia was full of unrealistic fantasies about love that she had never been in contact with.
Therefore, when she tasted the sweetness of love for the first time, she disobeyed her parents’ advice and learned to elope with someone. As a result, in the end, all the suffering was eaten, but the happiness ran against her.
Due to Chi Xia’s stubbornness, Jin Chengjun’s relationship with her did not go well.
One desperately wanted his boyfriend to prove himself, while the other just wanted to live a normal, ordinary life with his girlfriend. Their family backgrounds were so different, their upbringing was so different so the results they yearned for would not be the same.
Life would not be as beautiful as the books Chi Xia grew up reading; it was full of all kinds of tarnished reality and human nature.
It was late at night when Chi Lanyan succeeded in coaxing Chi Xia to sleep. She walked wearily to the living room and sat down.
She frowned slightly as her mood plummeted.
Auntie Su brought her a cup of hot water and said softly, “I don’t know what hardships Young Miss has suffered outside. She’s not like she used to be at all.”
It was as if she was a different person.
Chi Lanyan rubbed her temples with a headache: “Did Xiao Xia come back alone?”
“It was someone from the Ji family who brought her back, saying that they went there to pick up Young Miss.” Auntie Su wanted to call Chi Lanyan as soon as Chi Xia arrived home, but seeing that it was raining so hard outside and Chi Lanyan also was almost home, she decided not to call her for fear of disturbing Chi Langyan’s driving.
Auntie Su went on to say, “The people of the Ji family also said that Young Master is also over there and will have to come home later.”
“Xiao Qiu? Isn’t he going to deliver food to Lu Ming?”
“Yes, but I don’t know what happened, he went to the Ji family.” Auntie Su was not able to ask. She wrinkled her brow and was confused about the current situation.
Chi Lanyan was not a fool. She had known that Chi Xia could live outside for so long only because Chi Qiu had helped in private. She also knew long ago that if Chi Qiu would help Chi Xia, then the two brothers of the Ji family would certainly not sit idly by.
It was the misunderstanding between herself and her daughter that was so deep that she had to rely on them to take care of Chi Xia.
She picked up the car keys on the coffee table. The night wasn’t that late yet: “I’ll go to Ji’s house, take care of Xiao Xia.”
Faced with the resolute Chi Lanyan, how could Auntie Su say no. But seeing that it was very dark outside, she politely blocked: “Mrs. Chi, why don’t you go tomorrow? I think that you are also very tired. Just rest early tonight. Young Miss is also back now…”
“Looking at Xiao Xia like this, can I sleep? Those two brothers from the Ji family must know what happened, I have to go over and ask them clearly. I’ll bring Xiao Qiu back by the way.”
This was the busiest rainy night in the Chi family.
Chi Lanyan’s door-to-door visit did not yield any valid information.
Ji Feining avoided answering and only said: “Auntie Chi, you are one step late. Yanchen has already sent Chi Qiu back. I know you’re anxious, but I don’t know much about this matter, so it’s inconvenient for me to say much.”
Chi Lanyan did not refute him.
He then politely continued, “Regarding Chi Xia, we are also just doing Chi Qiu a favor. For the rest, our Ji family will not get too involved.”
This was the Chi family’s family matter and Ji Feining made it clear that he did not want to interfere.
And they did this now, in essence, because of the kidnapping case back then. Chi Qiu had been the benefactor of the Ji family all his life. Ji Feining knew who was more important and who should be helped and who should not be helped.
The Ji family had returned enough to the Chi family. Now, they only owed Chi Qiu one person, all because this was a life-saving grace. For Ji Yanchen, it was a kindness that would never be repaid in a lifetime.
Chi Lanyan was very dissatisfied with Ji Feining’s concealed attitude. She was an extremely calm person in normal times but when it came to her own children’s problems, she would become agitated.
Seeing that Ji Feining was silent, she almost left resentfully and raced all the way home.
She couldn’t wait to see Chi Qiu and ask him clearly.
Once Chi Lanyan arrived home, what surprised her more than the doubts in her heart was that Chi Qiu was sitting in front of the villa drenched in rain. She quickly stopped the car, panicking as she got out of the car and shouted in surprise: “Xiao Qiu what are you doing here?!”
Chi Lanyan ran up without an umbrella and she saw Chi Qiu shivering in the rain.
Fortunately, the rain was not too heavy now. Otherwise Chi Lanyan was really afraid that Chi Qiu would be drenched.
Seeing that Chi Qiu didn’t speak, she immediately reached out to tug him and said angrily, “Get up!”
Chi Qiu still didn’t move.
Chi Lanyan had to hurry back to the car to get an umbrella and propped up above Chi Qiu: “Xiao Qiu, you tell mom, what happened? Where’s Yanchen? Wasn’t he the one who sent you back?”
Hearing Ji Yanchen’s name, Chi Qiu was afraid of Chi Lanyan’s anger, so he made a little noise and said: “I told him to go back, he didn’t know I was sitting here.”
“Why don’t you go inside?” Chi Lanyan squatted down and kept stroking Chi Qiu’s cheek and neck. After feeling the unusual temperature, her voice became more and more serious, “Xiao Qiu, don’t scare me. Hurry up and go in with me!”
Chi Qiu shook his head, his face was pale.
The rain wet his cheeks, but he did not cry anymore. His gaze was hollow and dark, as if there was nothing left. The high and low mood swings after several hours had exhausted him that he didn’t even have much strength to speak now.
Chi Lanyan stopped talking nonsense with him; she decisively dropped the umbrella in her hand to hug Chi Qiu and dragged him inside.
That was how she was, she acted as soon as she disagreed. Her character was too tough.
Chi Qiu struggled not to cooperate. As a male, no matter how thin he was, he was stronger than Chi Lanyan. He hurriedly pushed Chi Lanyan away and shrank into the corner.
He couldn’t see Chi Xia.
Lu Ming made such a big mistake and he was actually the beneficiary of one of them. Elder Lu’s huge fortune directly pushed him into an ‘accomplice’. Chi Xia had a grudge against him in the first place, and now that things had developed this far, how could she believe him?
Seeing Chi Qiu being so stubborn, Chi Lanyan burst into anger: “What’s the matter?!”
Chi Qiu was trembling. His nerves were tense as he stared at the ground.
Chi Lanyan was at her wits end. She did not do anything and instead stood directly in front of Chi Qiu: “Okay, you want this, right? Then I‘ll accompany you in the rain and see which one of us falls first. Chi Qiu, are you sure you want to do this?”
Chi Qiu raised his head up and was greeted by Chi Lanyan’s lips trembling with anger: “Xiao Qiu, mom knows that you have been unhappy for so many years. Since it is rare for you to be self-willed once, then I will accompany you.” She was sure that Chi Qiu would compromise with her, having grasped Chi Qiu’s nature.
Sure enough, in less than a minute, Chi Qiu ‘disarmed and surrendered’.
He was reluctant to let Chi Lanyan get in the rain, so he begged Chi Lanyan to leave him alone.
But Chi Lanyan hugged him again and stroked his back. Her tone went from stern to gradually gentle, blending into the night and rain: “Go inside, Xiao Qiu.”
Chi Qiu almost clenched his teeth.
Chi Lanyan was so distressed: “I promise, I won’t ask you anything. Let’s all have a good rest tonight, okay?”
Chi Qiu, who was in her arms, shook his head and nodded again.
After being in the rain for so long, Chi Qiu’s head had long been muddled. Chi Lanyan wrapped her arms around him and took him into the house. Because Chi Qiu was unsteady and Chi Lanyan was not very strong, they both fell down in the front hall.
Chi Lanyan struggled to get up and called out to Auntie Su.
Auntie Su was old and it was difficult to wake up in time after falling asleep. Instead, Chi Xia, who was a light sleeper, stepped out of the room first. She looked at the incomparably wretched two before her gaze slowly fell on Chi Qiu’s body. Chi Qiu also saw her, facing each other with his blurred lines of sight.
“Xiao Xia…” Chi Qiu’s voice was hoarse as he called out to Chi Xia.
Chi Xia looked at Chi Qiu with a complicated gaze. She hesitated for a moment before taking a few steps forward to pick him up together with Chi Lanyan.
T/N: Today’s update is a bit late. Anyway, if there’s any grammatical error or typo, please do let me know
