Lin Yuwen had s.n.a.t.c.hed Cheng Ziming from Lin Chu before this, and now, Xu Jiaojiao was s.n.a.t.c.hing Cheng Ziming over from Lin Yuwen. Who knows which woman would s.n.a.t.c.h Chang Ziming over from Xu Jiaojiao in the future?
After all that had happened, Dai Huimin now knew that Xu Jiaojiao was truly not that smart. Even if Cheng Ziming was willing to divorce, Dai Huimin would never agree for them to be together.
She immediately wanted to object, but she stopped doing so immediately upon seeing Lin Chu"s expression.
It seemed that Lin Chu had her reasons for suggesting this.
Xu Jiaojiao looked at Lin Chu questioningly. There was no expression on her face and there was no sign of pretense. She lowered her eyes and gave it some thought.
Lin Chu quickly signaled Dai Huimin with her eyes.
Dai Huimin quickly nodded in agreement, "That"s right! Your dad and I do not agree because we were afraid of you getting cheated. We were worried that Cheng Ziming would not take responsibility. If he was sincere, then he should show us his sincerity and get our approval. When that happens, it won"t be impossible for us to accept your relations.h.i.+p. Even if he can"t get divorced at the moment, but at least we"d feel a.s.sured about it. We can wait anyway. You"re still young, you can afford to wait for a few more years."
"Really?" Xu Jiaojiao"s eyes widened in surprise as she saw Dai Huimin nodded in affirmation. She then turned to look at Lin Chu.
Lin Chu nodded encouragingly to her as well, and said, "Your mum has already said it. If Cheng Ziming could show that he is sincere, at least there"s a chance your father can be persuaded. I"m not jealous of you, I"m just worried about you getting cheated. I know you don"t have any bad intentions, so if I"m able to, I will give you my help. I have no opinion about Cheng Ziming. I"m already married to Yan Beicheng and you may not like to hear this but, I"m standing at a level much higher than that of Cheng Ziming. What is there for me to remember him for? Do you agree? If he treats you well, then I"m willing to help you out and get you your happy ending."
"Yes, Lin Chu is right," Dai Huimin supported her statement quickly. She started to vaguely understand that Lin Chu was trying to get Xu Jiaojiao to tell the truth and then decide what to do later.
Dai Huimin tried her best to look agreeable in case she betrayed anything. "Tell us everything that has happened. Don"t hide anything from us so we"ll be able to help you."
Dai Huimin reached out to fondle Xu Jiaojiao"s cheeks. "I"m angry because you"re being stupid. He hasn"t even divorced yet and you"re already trying to give him a baby. Won"t it still be you at the losing end? Who wouldn"t want the best for their child? We"ll definitely help you. If he is willing to marry you, we"ll try our best to come up with a solution."
Lin Chu added, "That"s right. With Yan Beicheng"s capability, it would not be difficult to get Cheng Ziming to divorce Lin Yuwen and then marry you. But the prerequisite is that Cheng Ziming is someone that you should be able to rely on and that he sincerely cares about you. That"s the only reason for us to help you and it won"t be a waste of Beicheng"s time. If Cheng Ziming does successfully divorce Lin Yuwen but refuses to marry you, it would be tragic for you if he is forced to marry you anyway because of Beicheng. In the end, you"ll still be at the losing end. Cheng Ziming would want to get rid of Lin Yuwen, otherwise, the Cheng family would never have an offspring."
Xu Jiaojiao hesitated but relented as Dai Huimin and Lin Chu looked sincere in helping her.
"When… When we were together, we didn"t use protection. He said that if I got pregnant, he"ll marry me. I was thinking that if the Lin family knew about my pregnancy, they would not let this matter rest. Lin Yuwen would have to divorce Cheng Ziming, which would give him the chance to marry me. Besides, the child will tie him down to me, which was why I agreed. I told him about my pregnancy the moment I found out about it. He was so happy. He told me he would apply for a divorce immediately. However, Lin Yuwen was having her treatment overseas, so he couldn"t do so at the moment. When Lin Yuwen comes back, the first thing he was going to do was to ask for a divorce," said Xu Jiaojiao.
Dai Huimin shook her head at her words. Why did Xu Jiaojiao inherit her parent"s stupidity and not their honesty?
She truly felt that Xu Jiaojiao was exactly like her when she was young. This was retribution from her past!
"Fine. Since he is happy about it, then you mean something to him. Give him a call now and tell him about your situation. Get him to come and visit you. This is his child, no matter what. He must be as sad as you are. You need someone by your side in times like this. You"ll feel better with him around," said Lin Chu.
Xu Jiaojiao gave it a thought and it sounded right. She took her phone from Lin Chu and gave Cheng Ziming a call.
When she heard Cheng Ziming"s voice, Xu Jiaojiao"s emotion overflowed. She started crying and told him about the miscarriage.
No one could hear what Cheng Ziming said on the other end of the line, but Xu Jiaojiao"s crying got worse as she sobbed, "What"re you so busy with? I suffered a miscarriage! This is serious! Aren"t you coming over?"
"Don"t come then!" Xu Jiaojiao suddenly shouted and hung up angrily.
She saw Lin Chu and Dai Huimin watching her and was too embarra.s.sed to look them in the eye. After a while, she pretended that everything was okay and said, "He"s busy with work and is outstation now. He can"t make it back in time. He said he"ll be here to see me when he returns."
"If that was the case, why did you hang up so angrily?" Lin Chu asked coldly.
"I was just losing my temper with him. He"s not here when I need him the most. Can"t I lose my temper over this?" Xu Jiaojiao insisted stubbornly.
Lin Chu nodded, "Sure. Just make sure your wait for him bears fruit."
Dai Humin added, "That"s right. Let"s wait for him before we decide anything! If he doesn"t visit you after such a serious thing happening, don"t look to us for support."
Xu Jiaojiao pursed her lips and stopped talking.
Dai Huimin stood up and said to Lin Chu, "Lin Chu, thank you for your help today. I never thought that it could bring you so much trouble."
Lin Chu shook her head and looked at the time. "I need to get back to work. It looks like there"s nothing more for me to do here. I"ll get going."
"Oh, okay," Dai Huimin quickly said. She did not want to keep her much longer.
Lin Chu gave it a thought and took out a notepad and pen from her handbag. She wrote down a string of numbers and tore the paper off to pa.s.s to Dai Huimin.
"This is my number. Call me if you have any problems," said Lin Chu.
Dai Huimin was momentarily stunned. She took the paper with trembling hands and looked at Lin Chu with disbelieve, "Lin Chu, you…"
Lin Chu did not know what else to say. She paused and licked her lips, "You and your husband look like reasonable people and are worth helping. I"m willing to do what I can. But I"m afraid I still don"t feel anything for you both."
"I understand, I understand! This is good enough for me. I have no right to ask you for more. You"re a kind child. I did such a bad thing and yet you"re still helping me. I have no right…. I have no right. I"m grateful enough that you are willing to do so much!" Dai Huimin nodded vigorously as she wiped away her tears.
Dai Huimin walked Lin Chu to the hospital entrance. They did not expect Shao Huai to be waiting there.
When he saw Lin Chu, Shao Huai explained, "I"ve already sent Miss Yan"s car to the car wash. As it"s quite dirty, they would need some time to clean it so I came to take you to the office first."
Lin Chu had found a hospital that was nearby to Lin Yi and Yan Hui.
Dai Huimin left only after seeing Lin Chu get into the car.
When she was waiting for the hospital elevator, she watched as the floor number above the elevator changed. The doors opened when the number turned "1" and unexpectedly, someone she knew walked out of it.
Lu Weining was taken aback, but she quickly smiled and said, "What a coincidence, Auntie."
"Miss Lu," Dai Huimin called out awkwardly. She started to act cautiously against Lu Weining.
When she had first met Lin Chu, Lin Chu had informed her that Lu Weining was not a friend. In fact, she was someone close to being her enemy, and the two of them could never be friends.
This Lu Weining was not a good person.
Dai Huimin thought that it did not matter if Lu Weining was a good person or not. As long as Lin Chu said she was a bad person, as long it was someone who was working against Lin Chu, then it did not matter if she was good. She would still be considered the bad guy. It was that simple.
Dai Huimin did not want to get tricked by Lu Weining again, so she paid extra attention to the situation.
"Auntie, why are you at the hospital? Are you not feeling well?" Lu Weining smiled as she asked.
"No, no. I"m here to visit someone," Dai Huimin shook her head. She did not dare mention what happened to Xu Jiaojiao and even omitted Xu Jiaojiao"s name.
"Oh, is it your family?" Lu Weining was concerned.
"No, it"s not. Is Miss Lu sick?" Dai Huimin"s brain could not function as wily as Lu Weining"s did. She could not think of any excuse, so she quickly changed the subject instead.
"No, I"m not. I"m just here for my regular check-up," Lu Weining smiled.
Dai Huimin took the opportunity to quickly get into the elevator, and said, "Then I shouldn"t take up your time anymore."
Lu Weining noticed Dai Huimin"s anxiousness, so she said, "Then I"ll take my leave, Auntie."
Dai Huimin nodded as she wished for Lu Weining to quickly leave.
When the elevator door closed, she pressed the b.u.t.ton to go up to her floor.
Lu Weining stood where she was. She pressed the elevator lift to go up and watched the number above the elevator stop at "3". After a while, the elevator started to move downward.
When the elevator reached her floor, Lu Weining quickly boarded the elevator.
When the elevator doors were about to close, she heard someone shout out, "Hold the doors, hold them for a minute!"
Lu Weining did not want to waste time. She frowned as she repeatedly pressed the close b.u.t.ton.
She watched as a woman carrying a crying child in pain ran towards the elevator, she was sweating all over. As she was about to reach, the elevator closed right in front of her eyes.
That woman witnessed Lu Weining rigorously pressing on the close b.u.t.ton. She was so angry as she pointed to the elevator door and scolded, "What sort of person is that?!"
After the woman was done with her scolding, the elevator next to her opened and she quickly got in.
Lu Weining exited the elevator on the third floor. She was not sure where to go, so she looked into the windows of every ward, one by one.
Not long after, she spotted Xu Jiaojiao and Dai Huimin from one of the windows.
Xu Jiaojiao was lying down while Dai Huimin"s back was facing the door. They did not see Lu Weining.
She was contemplating what had happened to Xu Jiaojiao. Dai Huimin looked so secretive and refused to say a word.
"Miss, are you here to visit someone?" A loud voice could be heard behind her.
Lu Weining jumped as if she was caught doing something bad. She quickly turned around. It was not a doctor nor a nurse, so she breathed a sigh of relief, "Yes, I found out something happened to Jiaojiao, so quickly came over to visit her, but my aunt just wouldn"t let me see her. She"s hiding something from me and refuses to be honest. I"m so worried, so I secretly came over. Their family condition is not that great, but my family is doing well. We help while we can. I"m worried that something happened to them again. Even if she doesn"t want to say anything, even if it"s just me being stupid about this, but I want to help if I can."
"Oh, so you"re their relative?" The middle-aged lady refused to budge now that she found someone to chat with.
"Yes, I"m her cousin," Lu Weining nodded.
"It"s so rare to find thoughtful relatives like you around anymore. Here you are still concerned for them and if they don"t appreciate it, what are you doing still taking care of them? It"s not worth it to take care of ungrateful people, they"ll still complain about you when you treat them so well," the middle-aged lady pursed her lips as she commented emphatically.
"Even if I don"t care about them, I need to think about my uncle, shouldn"t I? My uncle is a good man, I can"t allow him to be burdened by this mother and daughter," Lu Weining said sincerely.
The middle-aged lady waved Lu Weining over and took her further away from the ward before saying, "Actually, I do know a little about what happened. They didn"t want to tell you because it was too embarra.s.sing. They"re too ashamed about it."
Lu Weining"s eyes brightened in delight and asked, "You know what happened?"
The middle-aged lady was so eager to gossip that she did not notice Lu Weining"s change in expression. She lowered her voice, "They were arguing loudly in there just now. The door couldn"t even block out their voice. I heard most of their conversation."
"What happened? Do tell me. I"m so anxious I don"t know what to think anymore," Lu Weining quickly coerced her as she tried to look worried.
"I heard that your cousin had an affair with a married man and got pregnant. For some reason, she miscarried and was sent into the hospital. Your aunt was upset about this and was inside chastising her, which was why they started to argue," said the middle-aged lady.
Lu Weining"s brain started whirring. She no longer had the patience to prolong her conversation with this lady, "This is serious. I"ll have to go home and discuss this with my parents. Thank you so much for telling me this. I"ll take my leave first. I"ll come to visit you another day!"
"Oh," the middle-aged lady looked like she had more to say. Her mouth was hanging open and before she could say a word, Lu Weining ran off.
Lu Weining got to the hospital entrance when she heard a woman yelling for her, "It"s you, you, it"s you, stop there!"
Lu Weining did not think it was referring to her, but she still stopped and looked back, curious as to who it was.
She saw a woman ran over with a child in her arms. Lu Weining suddenly remembered that this was the woman who did not manage to get into the elevator on time.
That woman handed her child over to her husband as she came up to Lu Weining and scolded, "What kind of person are you? Don"t you have any manners?! The hospital is for the sick and there could be someone here in danger! I was carrying my child and shouting for you to hold the elevator doors, but not only did you not stop the doors, but you also pressed the b.u.t.tons for it to close quicker! Such a bad-hearted person at such a young age! If it was someone whose life was in danger, you would have murdered someone!"
"What are you talking about?! Isn"t your child doing fine?" Lu Weining did not want to waste her time with this strange woman and glanced at the child in the man"s arms as she said this.
"That"s right! Lucky my child is alright! He was suffering from a tummy-ache and all he needed was a jab, but what if it was something serious? How dare you try finding excuses for yourself?! Everyone, be a judge of this. This lady looks nice and proper but yet she doesn"t act the way. She has such a bad heart! When my child was crying in pain, a healthy person like her in the elevator closed the elevator door on me even though I asked for her to hold it for me. There are so many life and death situations in the hospital and yet, you deny convenience to others. Beware of retribution at such a young age!" The lady was saying these out loud to anyone nearby.
Lu Weining was trembling with anger, especially with all the strangers around berating her. With trembling hands, Lu Weining took out her sungla.s.ses from her handbag and put it on as she left hurriedly.
That woman had only wanted to vent. Now that she gave Lu Weining a scolding, she felt much better and went back to her husband and child to leave together.
When Lin Chu finished work, she told Yan Beicheng about Xu Jiaojiao in his car.
"Dai Huimin and her husband seem like good people. They were adamant objecting to the relations.h.i.+p. If it were some other greedy parents, the outcome might not be the same. Just by this alone, I"d like to help them," said Lin Chu.
"No matter what you decide, I"ll support you," Yan Beicheng said. He held on to the steering wheel with one hand as his right hand reached over to hold her hand. His thumb was on her wedding ring.
Lin Chu squeezed his hand back, and replied, "I"ll take care of this on my own, there"s no need for you to interfere. This isn"t something too difficult to handle. I can settle this easily. Don"t you dare help me. Otherwise, Xu Jiaojiao might think she can keep coming to you for anything. It would give you trouble for nothing."
Yan Beicheng looked at her and said, "There"s nothing about you that would give me trouble. Besides, what"s happening to them is a small matter, it"s easy for me to take care of. Given that you have your concerns, I"ll respect your decision. If there is anything you need help with, don"t hold back to ask me. I don"t think it"s any trouble."
Yan Beicheng knew what she was worried about. Lin Chu was embarra.s.sed that she was always being careful with him. She blushed.
She lowered her head as bother hands wrapped around his exquisite hand, rubbing it back, "Don"t worry, I won"t stand on ceremony with you."
Yan Beicheng smiled gently and held on tight to her hand.
Lin Chu continued, "When did you become so scary? You know me too well. I haven"t even said a word and you already know what I"m thinking about. It looks like there"s no secret between us at all. I"ll never dare to lie to you. You"ll be able to see through me immediately. That"s scary."
Yan Beicheng gave an exasperated laugh, "As if I kept secrets from you. Besides, what could you lie to me about? If you dared to lie to me, I"ll be so mad that I"ll ignore you. Lin Chu, we are together in this. No matter what happens, we should never hide it from each other, okay? No matter good or bad, no matter how hurtful it may be, we shouldn"t keep it from each other. The most hurtful thing you could do to me is lying and hiding something from me."
Lin Chu felt a sting in her heart. Even though she was not hiding anything from him, she still felt pain listening to his words.
She squeezed his hand tight and suddenly pulled it up towards her face. Her soft lips scattered kisses all over the back of his hand.
"I promise you, no matter what it is, no matter what situation, I will never lie to you and I will never hide anything from you. I won"t even tell a white lie to you." With every sentence, Lin Chu kissed him on his hand. She had kissed every surface of the back of his hand.
Yan Beicheng could feel the softness at the back of his hand. It was a little wet and ticklish from her kisses. It tickled him right to his heart.
Lin Chu then raised her head and looked at him with her clear, soulful eyes. "But you would need to promise me the same thing."
Yan Beicheng could not help laughing, "Don"t you trust me? I promise you."
Lin Chu nodded in satisfaction. She looked out the window distractedly and realized the road was not a familiar one. "We"re not heading home. Where are we going?"