Chapter 5
A contract that had never been put down in black and white could only rely on the consciences of both parties as they moved forward and waited to see what happened.
And Jin Yue’s very first step after making that agreement was an ugly one.
The living room’s floor-to-ceiling windows opened onto a meticulously maintained lawn. Interwoven shrubs formed a lush privacy screen, and an inconspicuous car drove past behind it, carrying the servant Jin Shengnian had just dismissed.
Jin Yue watched the car leave and sighed as her body swayed.
“Keep your arms level.” Jin Shengnian’s stern voice immediately sounded, reprimanding Jin Yue for losing focus.
Jin Yue looked pitifully at Grandma before reluctantly straightening her arms and steadying herself in the horse stance.
This was the physical punishment Jin Shengnian had used to discipline Jin Yue over the years.
It did not look tiring, but in reality, it was nothing short of comprehensive torture for the entire body.
Jin Yue now regretted it so bitterly that her insides practically turned green. When that servant approached her, she should have jumped onto the table!
“Grandma, I really was innocent. I didn’t go looking for her. She came over to me.”
“Yes, yes. She approached you on her own, offered to massage you on her own, and took your hand to touch her face on her own.” Jin Shengnian smiled kindly, but her eyes were filled with suspicion.
“Nannan, do you truly think I’ve become senile?”
“No! I really didn’t do anything, Grandma!” Jin Yue had no way to express her suffering. That flirtatious original Jin Yue had thoroughly ruined her.
“I’m married now. I will never do those things again! If I ever return to those habits of flirting with everyone, may five bolts of lightning strike me and may I never—”
“Silence!”
Perhaps people began fearing ghosts, gods, and solemn oaths as they aged. Before Jin Yue could finish, Jin Shengnian sharply interrupted her.
Whenever Jin Yue made mistakes in the past, she had never reacted as intensely as she did today.
Jin Shengnian grew somewhat uncertain and softened a little. Turning toward Bo Xianyue, she asked, “Xianyue, do you have anything to say?”
Bo Xianyue had never believed Jin Yue’s vows to begin with. There was no disappointment in her eyes, much less anger. Her voice was even calmer than her gaze. “Grandma’s punishment is fair. I have no objections.”
Hearing Bo Xianyue say this, Jin Shengnian declared, “Add another ten minutes.”
“Grandma!” Jin Yue grew anxious.
Her anxiety was useless. Jin Shengnian intended to punish Jin Yue in front of Bo Xianyue.
And since Bo Xianyue did not care, there was no room to negotiate the punishment.
Perhaps this body had grown accustomed to being punished with the horse stance. Jin Yue gradually experienced a detached sensation, as though her mind had been banished from her body.
She thought about the first twenty-odd years of her life, during which Mom and Dad had watched her constantly, terrified that she might stumble or injure herself.
At school, she was not allowed to participate in physical education. Whenever someone in her class caught the flu, her mother would request leave and bring her home to study by herself.
For both the original Jin Yue and her, was such a harsh punishment ultimately a misfortune or a blessing?
“I spoke with Xianyue’s mother just now. Since she is from Pengcheng, she wants you to hold the homecoming banquet there the day after tomorrow. What do you think?” Jin Shengnian’s voice interrupted her memories and pulled Jin Yue back into this world.
“I have no objections.” Jin Yue was already struggling simply to maintain her stance. She had no mental energy left to consider the homecoming banquet and blindly sided with Bo Xianyue and her mother.
“Very well. Once the banquet is over, you will accompany Xianyue back to Hong Kong,” Jin Shengnian said with a thoughtful nod.
“We still have to go to Hong Kong?” Jin Yue had thought they could return after finishing the homecoming banquet in Pengcheng.
“Yes. They have many customs over there, and it hasn’t even been a year since Xianyue’s father passed away. She needs to return and pay her respects.” Jin Shengnian softened her voice, seemingly mindful of Bo Xianyue’s feelings.
“I see.” Jin Yue sensed that a difficult battle lay ahead, and her mood grew heavy.
Those so-called family members were the very culprits responsible for Bo Xianyue’s current condition.
They had already torn away all pretense behind the scenes, yet they still had to sit together and pretend to be one harmonious family.
…It really was just like something from a movie.
Putting aside the family living in Hong Kong, Jin Yue had an inexplicably idealized impression of the city.
No matter the world, Hong Kong represented prosperity. Movies spared no effort in depicting its splendor, along with the humanity and desires buried beneath the glamour, constantly struggling to break free.
“How many days will we stay?” Jin Yue could not resist asking.
Seeing through her granddaughter’s thoughts, Jin Shengnian did not answer. Instead, she asked, “How many days do you want to stay?”
“Two… three or four… maybe five or six days.” Jin Yue hesitated, extending the duration every time she spoke. At the end, she remembered to maintain her character. “Oh, you don’t need to worry about me. Once you’re finished with your business, you can return to the company. This young miss can explore by herself and stay for as many days as she likes. I’ll be perfectly free.”
“What kind of nonsense is that?” Jin Shengnian disagreed.
However, she did not object to Jin Yue staying in Hong Kong for several more days.
She objected to Jin Yue sending everyone else home while remaining there alone.
The newlywed wives had not even gone on their honeymoon, yet they were already separating. It sounded inauspicious.
Moreover, Jin Shengnian still remembered that the two children had been far less distant when they were young.
Back then, whenever Jin Yue arrived in Hong Kong, she would cling to Bo Xianyue and continuously call, “Sister, Sister.” Even Liang Yuyi had thought the child was beyond saving.
Perhaps if they revisited their old haunts in Hong Kong for several days and remembered how they had felt as children, their relationship would improve again.
“Then we’ll make it seven days. I’ll have the boat wait directly at the harbor. After visiting your relatives in Hong Kong, you and Xianyue can depart from there and spend your honeymoon on the island. How does that sound?” Jin Shengnian had considered everything thoroughly, yet she still remembered to ask Jin Yue’s opinion.
“Of course!” Jin Yue’s eyes lit up. She rushed over and planted a loud kiss on Jin Shengnian’s cheek.
“Grandma, you’re simply the best grandmother in the entire world!”
Although outsiders described Jin Yue as ignorant, spoiled, and overbearing, in Jin Shengnian’s eyes, she would forever remain the tiny bundle she had received from her daughter’s arms.
The young woman’s soft lips landed on Jin Shengnian’s aged cheek. That single kiss softened her heart completely. No longer caring that Jin Yue had abandoned her horse stance, Jin Shengnian embraced her with equal affection and exasperation, stroking her head. “How old are you now? You’re still acting spoiled with Grandma.”
“No matter how old I become, I’ll always be Grandma’s granddaughter. I’m going to act spoiled with Grandma for the rest of my life!” Jin Yue declared loudly, becoming increasingly shameless in Jin Shengnian’s embrace.
“All right, stop acting spoiled with Grandma. If you want to act spoiled, go find your wife.” Jin Shengnian gestured for Jin Yue to behave affectionately toward Bo Xianyue instead. “Xianyue is responsible for all the homecoming arrangements. Whether you live comfortably there will depend entirely on her mood.”
At those words, two gazes fell upon Bo Xianyue one after the other.
Bo Xianyue had remained silent from beginning to end.
She silently watched Jin Shengnian favor Jin Yue, silently watched her arrange the itinerary for Jin Yue and herself, and silently watched Jin Yue act spoiled in her grandmother’s arms.
The arrogant spoiled heir became an entirely different person once she entered her grandmother’s embrace.
And Jin Shengnian neither demanded that Jin Yue preserve the dignified bearing of a wealthy heiress nor expected her to act like a proper Alpha.
Sunlight swept across the Jin family’s enormous residence. Beneath all the luxurious and expensive decorations stood nothing more than a simple grandmother and granddaughter.
Bo Xianyue could not detect the decaying stench of the Bo family here. She merely found this warmth painfully dazzling. When it landed upon her, it seemed ready to burn her into ashes.
“I’ll make sure to behave properly at the homecoming banquet. I won’t let all your hard work go to waste.”
There was no avoiding it. As Jin Yue spoke, the hands that had recently been damp with perspiration landed on Bo Xianyue’s hand once again.
The approaching figure did not block the sunlight. Jin Yue crouched low before Bo Xianyue and raised her smiling eyes toward her.
If this Alpha possessed any special talent, it was undoubtedly those eyes.
Sunlight spread across her amber irises as if coating them in gold.
People often used gold to describe someone’s kindness, but Bo Xianyue did not believe Jin Yue belonged to that category.
After all, gold also represented extravagance and luxury, which made it the perfect description for this dissolute heir.
The more brightly and sincerely Jin Yue smiled, the more disgust surged through Bo Xianyue’s eyes.
If Bo Xianyue had not just witnessed her flirting with a servant in the household, she might almost have believed her.
What a talented actress.
Bo Xianyue was beginning to look forward to seeing what kind of performance Jin Yue and those “actors” from the third branch would put on together.
.
On the third day after the wedding, they returned to the bride’s family. Their plane crossed the skies above Shencheng and flew directly to Pengcheng.
The brilliant blue sky swept past with the wings and filled Jin Yue’s vision. This was her first time flying, and she was even aboard a private jet.
[We really passed through the clouds just now!]
[Woohoo, we’re so high up!]
[Look, all the houses are tiny.]
[The buildings in Pengcheng look different from those in Shencheng. Are those arcaded buildings?]
……
When Jin Yue stepped off the plane, her expression was calm, yet her mind was filled with a barrage of excited commentary.
The system remained inside Jin Yue’s mind, but her endless exclamations left it with nowhere to stay. Feeling aggrieved, it floated out.
The slightly dazzling blue light repeatedly pressed close to Jin Yue’s face, but she did not notice at all.
Although her expression remained composed, her eyes shone unusually brightly as she stared at the world beyond the car window. She resembled a child who had finally emerged from prison, finding everything fresh and fascinating.
The system glanced at Bo Xianyue, who was resting with her eyes closed beside them, and strongly wanted to mock Jin Yue for her lack of sophistication.
But when it remembered Jin Yue’s past, it closed its mouth. Its round body floated gently onto Jin Yue’s shoulder as it asked, [Does Host like it here?]
[I love it!] Jin Yue nodded without hesitation, her voice carrying a hint of yearning. [I nearly ran away from Shencheng to find work here before. Everyone said there were many opportunities and high salaries here, and on weekends, you could cross the border to visit Hong Kong.]
Unfulfilled hopes always carried a trace of regret. The brighter Jin Yue’s eyes became, the more the system pitied her. It could not help comforting her. [Host is here now, and you don’t even need to work.]
[Exactly.] Jin Yue looked ahead. [I always said I would come to Pengcheng sooner or later.]
Lingering heat pulsed through the air, and autumn was barely noticeable in this city.
The car slowly entered the plaza before the hotel, passed around the fountain, and stopped beneath a portico supported by several Roman columns.
This was the hotel where Jin Yue and the others would be staying, as well as the venue for the homecoming banquet.
Lan Yuyi’s intention was that they did not need to invite many guests to the homecoming banquet. As long as the two families sat down for a meal and she could see that the children were doing well, she would feel reassured.
Therefore, Bo Xianyue had not arranged anything excessively extravagant. She had merely scheduled the itinerary with absolute precision, and by the time they stepped out of the car, the banquet was about to begin.
It took some time to retrieve the wheelchair from the trunk. Bo Xianyue waited calmly for the bodyguard to bring it over.
While she waited, a breeze brushed past her back as the person sitting beside her stepped out of the car.
Knowing the young heiress’s temperament, Bo Xianyue had never expected Jin Yue to help her. When the wheelchair was pushed over, she braced herself with her arms and prepared to move into it.
“Be careful.”
This was not the car Bo Xianyue normally used, and there was a difference in height between the seat and her wheelchair.
She misjudged the distance and nearly failed to support herself, only for a hand to catch and steady her firmly.
Two graceful figures dressed in red stood beside the car, appearing particularly striking beneath the pale white sunlight.
Bo Xianyue could not have mistaken that voice, especially when the warning carried a hint of reproach.
She raised her head in surprise and unexpectedly found herself looking at Jin Yue’s face.
The sunlight was excessively brilliant, veiling everything in white glare and obscuring the motive behind Jin Yue’s actions from Bo Xianyue’s eyes.
She truly had not expected the young heiress to possess enough patience to wait for her.
She certainly deserved to be called a talented actress.
“Oh, Miss Jin truly is exceptionally attentive toward our Fourth Miss.”
At that moment, a teasing voice sounded from a distance, mingled with many words Jin Yue could not understand.
Who said Jin Yue and Bo Xianyue were merely pretending to be harmonious? Even the way they raised their heads toward the voice was perfectly synchronized.
The two wives first saw Lan Yuyi, followed closely by Wang Ci, Bo Mingzhi’s third wife.
She stood smiling beside Lan Yuyi, looking at Jin Yue and then at Bo Xianyue as though watching a performance.
Comments 0
You must be logged in to comment.
No comments yet. Be the first!