But I still want to give you a gentle reminder, "Brother, I’ve heard she’s originally from the Imperial Capital, and she might never come back to our place, so you’ll have to decide for yourself."
"Of course, I understand." Su Peng fully understood this point, "I know, there’s definitely no possibility between her and me."
"Brother, things here in the Imperial Capital are much more complicated than at home, take good care of mom and dad on the way."
After hanging up the phone, Xiaofeng walked over to Dabao and Erbao, sighing softly in her heart.
The other party wanted to tell her that as long as she made any move, it would be extremely easy for them to target her family.
Seeing her approaching, Dabao seemed somewhat aloof, merely glancing at her before closing his eyes to rest. Erbao was more lively, stretching out his arms for a hug as she approached.
She didn’t hug him but just touched his little cheek and pinched Dabao’s cheek, whispering softly, "Dabao, Erbao, what do you think mom should choose, whether or not to leave your dad?"
The response was naturally Dabao’s silence and Erbao’s gesturing with his hands and feet.
Lin Jing watched the woman in front of her, feeling uneasy.
She could feel that the other party looked down on her, as if she was as insignificant as an ant, not worthy to stand before her.
Xu Xuezi glanced briefly at Lin Jing then shifted her gaze away. She took out a cigarette and signaled Xiao’ou to light it for her.
"What’s your relationship with Su Xiaofeng?"
Listening to the domineering question, Lin Jing swallowed hard, "My stepmother, initially she was my father’s wife, she has been called mom by me for over a dozen years. In terms of name, she and I are like sisters."
Although there is no blood relation, legally speaking, they indeed share a sisterly relationship.
"I see, there indeed seems to be a relation." Xu Xuezi appeared satisfied with the answer, "Then you must be very familiar with her situation."
"Yes, no one understands her better than I do," Lin Jing said, head lowered, "She’s unscrupulous, manipulative, adept at playing the victim, these are all her tricks."
"Xiao’ou, arrange a nice place for her to stay, get whatever Miss Lin needs; she is a very important guest to us, we must not neglect her."
"Miss Lin, please follow me." Xiao’ou made a gesture of invitation, indicating for her to come along.
"Thank you, Miss Xu, you can be assured, I’ll do anything you ask as long as I can live a decent life in the Imperial Capital." Lin Jing could feel that Miss Xu must be influential in the Imperial Capital, and showing loyalty was of the essence.
"What if I asked you to do something illegal?" Xu Xuezi looked at her.
Lin Jing smiled wryly, "As long as Miss Xu’s offer is enticing enough, there’s nothing I can’t do."
What she sought now was success and fame; everything else seemed false.
"Truly despicable." Xu Xuezi listened to the answer and seemed quite satisfied.
When Ye Cheng returned, he had suffered a minor injury on his chest from a hidden weapon, but he had already treated it.
As soon as he arrived, Xiaofeng noticed something was off about him.
Although the smell of blood was gone, there was an odd scent on him that somewhat resembled disinfectant.
She abruptly opened his shirt and saw the bandage on his chest, her heart inexplicably ached, "Are you hurt?"
"It’s nothing, just a minor injury." It’s common to get hurt when you are away from home.
Xiaofeng buttoned his shirt for him, "Is this case very complicated?"
"I might be on the wrong track, it seems to be a major case."
"That must be very dangerous, then."
"Then you must be careful." Xiaofeng knew the nature of his work—by some means, it was very secretive.
There were some things she wouldn’t ask about if he chose not to mention them.
"I’ll be fine." Ye Cheng said, holding her hand, "You seem worried?"
"No, it’s just seeing you hurt made me suddenly feel down."
"Did I scare you?" Ye Cheng pressed against her forehead, "I thought as the wedding was approaching, you were thinking of deserting again."
"Is that what you think of me?" Xiaofeng raised an eyebrow.
"What do you think? As far as I’m concerned, your credibility isn’t very high."
"Nonsense, whether there’s a wedding or not, we are already husband and wife. Surely I can’t just back out, or are you thinking of backing out?" Xiaofeng was displeased as he hit close to home.
She was thinking about whether to leave, but having Ye Cheng guess it was another matter.
"You said it yourself, you’d stick by me for life, and I’ve kept that in my mind," Ye Cheng said smiling at her.
"Stick to you, stick to you." Xiaofeng rolled her eyes at him, this man really, such a great guy, how did he end up with her?
Definitely not because of poor judgment.
Her previous boyfriend used to say she had no femininity, didn’t know how to act coquettishly, didn’t take initiatives, altogether, a pretty boring woman.
If it weren’t for that, she wouldn’t have thought about conceiving with someone else’s help and then living with the child by herself.
Of course, Ye Cheng wasn’t aware of all these messy thoughts in her mind: "I’ve already informed Old Hong that your parents will be coming to the Imperial Capital in a couple of days, asked him to take special care."
"You mean Captain Hong, he’s your man?"
"You’re just realizing it now?"
"No wonder he took such good care of me, it’s all because of you." Every time something happened, Captain Hong was the fastest to arrive, she used to think it was because he was conscientious.
"Ha ha." Ye Cheng was in a good mood, "Let’s sleep, we’re going to be busy in the next few days."
Since Captain Hong worked for Ye Cheng, had he noticed Yin Li’s existence?
If he had, would he take any action against Yin Li?
The wedding is set for the 1st, and according to the customs of the Imperial Capital, Ye Cheng and she must not see each other for the three days leading up to their wedding; they can meet only on the wedding day itself.
That means, early in the morning, she has to return to the Quan Family, leave from there on her wedding day, and then move to the Gu Family.
Early in the morning, Chu Qing came over to fetch her.
"Seeing them after a few days, it seems they’ve grown quite a bit. Look at this skin, as tender as tofu. What did you eat during your pregnancy, how come their skin is so good?" Chu Qing genuinely felt that her two grandchildren had the best skin she had ever seen among little babies.
They were like crystal dolls, sparkling and translucent, very beautiful.
"I guess they’ve probably inherited their skin from me, and I got mine from you, so their skin is good," Xiaofeng made a roundabout compliment.
"Ha ha, I guess it comes from me," Chu Qing said as she carried the children out. "Let’s go, back to grandma’s house. In a couple of days, your grandfather and grandmother will be coming over too."
Xiaofeng, listening to her words, looked down and pulled a box out of her sleeve: "Mom, there’s something I need to return to Grandpa Gu, could you take it to him for me?"
This matter must receive Grandpa’s approval; only with his consent could she continue moving forward.
If Grandpa did not agree, then she would have to agree to Men Chao’s terms and disappear from the Imperial Capital.
Chu Qing took it: "Okay, I’ll have you send it to him shortly."
"Mom, if possible, I’d like you to personally hand it to him."
Hearing the tone of Xiaofeng’s voice, Chu Qing realized this might be a significant matter: "Alright, you’ve instructed me, so I’ll definitely deliver it for you."
Although unsure of why Xiaofeng was being cryptic, having her deliver something to Elder Gu at this time surely meant there was a matter of importance.
"Thank you, Mom, let’s go."
She looked back one last time at the small courtyard where she had lived with Ye Cheng for over two months, her eyes filled with nostalgia.
Parting today, who knows if she could ever return here.
Ye Cheng, you must be well.