It was the first time Yu Meizi had seen Ruan Zeyan up close. She was exhilarated. She saw how much respect he commanded and how he led the group as he walked in. He exuded a regal charm, and he was elegant and powerful, like a king.
The doctors and their companions didn’t dare to look him in the eye. Even when they spoke to him, they did so carefully. They treated Ling Tianya with the same amount of respect and care.
Ruan Zeyan was also an extremely handsome man. Even though she was an old hag, she was excited and thrilled to see a man as good-looking as him.
When she saw how much Ruan Zeyan cared for Ling Tianya, Yu Meizi smiled and said, “Hello sir, I am Tianya’s mother, your mother-in-law.”
When he heard her, Ruan Zeyan looked up at her with a hint of disgust when he saw her grinning face.
“Aiya, my son-in-law is even better looking in real life than on television!” Yu Meizi approached them as she complimented him. She wanted to speak to Ruan Zeyan up close.
Before she could get close to them, Ling Tianxin grabbed her tightly, “Mama, where are you going? Don’t leave Tianxin! Tianxin is scared…”
Yu Meizi had no choice but to patiently console Tianxin. “Be good, Tianxin. Mama isn’t going anywawhere. I’m just going there to talk to your brother-in-law.”
Ling Tianxin shook her head violently in protest. “Sister won’t let me see Mother, I don’t like Sister. I don’t want her!” She proceeded to hug Yu Meizi tightly. “Don’t leave Mother, don’t go to Sister! She will chase you away!”
Ling Tianxin’s words were like needles stinging Ling Tianya’s heart. She squeezed Ruan Zeyan’s hands as she winced. She was deeply affected by what Ling Tianxin had just said, and Ruan Zeyan squeezed her small hands in return. He wanted her to know that he would always be there for her to provide her with strength and support.
Yu Meizi couldn’t take a single step forward as Ling Tianxin clung onto her tightly, and she was started to get annoyed. “Tianxin, be good. Let go of Mama…”
“No! I’m not going to let go! I don’t want to you go to Sister! She will chase you away! I don’t want Mama to leave!” Ling Tianxin was hugging Yu Meizi stubbornly. She was terribly strong for such a small person.
“Ling Tianxin!” Yu Meizi was impatient now. She had never liked Ling Tianxin anyway, and she was only there because Ling Tianxin was foolish and gullible. Right now, she was nothing but an obstacle between her and Ruan Zeyan. It was her golden opportunity to butter him up. “Let go of me! Do you hear me?”
“Never!”
Yu Meizi and Ling Tianxin had reached a stalemate. After Yu Meizi raised her voice at her, Ling Tianxin began to sob. “Mama, Sister is the one who wants to chase you away. She doesn’t want you to be with Tianxin. Why are you being so nasty to me?”
Yu Meizi’s expression changed abruptly. She was only just conscious of herself. She had nearly forgotten about her plans of getting closer to the Ling family through Ling Tianxin, distracted by her desire to butter up to Ruan Zeyan. She had nearly ruined all of her efforts and the big plan. She needed to stick to the role of a compassionate mother.
As she considered her role, she decided to give up on getting to know Ruan Zeyan. She turned and hugged Ling Tianxin tightly and said to her gently, “Don’t cry anymore, Tianxin. Mother feels sad to see you cry. I shouldn’t have shouted at you. Mother just wanted to speak to your sister as well, your sister is my daughter too after all.”
“But Sister wants to chase you away. She is a bad sister,” Ling Tianxin said insistently as she buried her head in Yu Meizi’s chest.
Yu Meizi paused thoughtfully, as if she was the most perfect mother in the world. “You can’t say that Tianxin. No matter how your sister treats me, she is true to you. She treats you well, doesn’t she? You must be good to her too, do you hear me?”
Yu Meizi needed Ling Tianxin to be close to Ling Tianya. Iit was the only way for her to make use of Ling Tianxin to stay in the Ling family. Ling Tianya was also the only connection she had to the Ruan family.