Chapter 241 - 241: Come, Kiss Me (2)
As soon as they left, the living room instantly plunged into silence.
The temperature kept dropping, eventually becoming as cold as an ice cave.
Jiang Yining led Jiang Rou to the outdoor balcony on the second floor, not to her own bedroom. She knew that Jiang Rou just wanted to avoid others and have a private conversation.
The night air was chilly, and Jiang Rou shivered when she came out.
Jiang Yining instinctively took off her coat and draped it over Jiang Rou.
After she finished this action, she hesitated for a moment and then formed a cold smile.
“You see, it’s been nearly twenty years, and I’ve become accustomed to sacrificing myself to take care of you.”
Even if she didn’t want to admit it, it had become an instinctive response.
This was what Gu Zhanqing had bestowed upon her.
Jiang Rou hadn’t expected that she would offer her own coat, thinking of taking it off and giving it back to her. But Jiang Yining stopped her.
“Keep it on. Otherwise, you’ll catch a cold, and many people will suffer.”
Jiang Ron’s hand froze, and she said, “Yining, I’m sorry.”
“What’s the use of apologizing? Can it make up for the suffering I’ve endured over the past seventeen years? Ah Rou, you’re not just anyone; you’re my twin sister. We share the same blood, and you’re the closest person in the world to me. 1 can ignore the cold eyes of others, but not yours,” Jiang Yining said slowly, “For the past seventeen years, I’ve been hoping every day that you would abandon him and stand by my side. But even when 1 finally made up my mind to leave the Gu family, you still chose him. To me, your sorry is the most useless thing in the world.”
“Yining, what do you want me to do? You and he are the closest people to me… he’s our uncle, and you’re my sister… 1 can’t choose,” Jiang Rou said, her eyes turning red. “Before, he mistreated you, but after you left home, he realized his mistake. During this time, he has spent a lot of effort trying to find you. You know, the Gu family is not at peace, but he came to find you, you should understand his intentions.”
“Yining, please, i beg you. Come back to the capital city with us, and the three of us can live together peacefully. i’ll make it up to you, compensate for all the injustices and suffering you’ve endured in the past,” Jiang Rou said, trembling, wanting to touch her.
Jiang Yining took two steps back, avoiding her. “Did he instruct you to say these things to me?”
“No… I just hope you’ll come back. Yining, we are sisters, i don’t want to be separated from you,” Jiang Rou denied vehemently.
Jiang Yining sneered, “Right, his will is your will, isn’t it? Even if he didn’t say it, you would still obey his wishes and try to convince me to come back.”
“Yining…”
Jiang Rou wanted to say more.
But Jiang Yining didn’t give her the chance, saying coldly, “Why did 1 leave home, don’t you know? My best friend went missing, and it was just because 1 was searching for her. He arrested me, beat me severely, and confined me for a whole month. To him, I’m less than a family pet! Now that he’s come looking for me, should I be grateful and go back? No, 1 won’t go back, and 1 won’t forgive him! Because I’m not a pet; I’m a person with blood and thoughts. 1 won’t let him trample on my dignity again!”
“So what do you want to do to forgive Uncle?” Jiang Rou tried to soothe her emotions.
“I want his life to erase the hatred in my heart! Are you willing? Is he willing?” Jiang Yining looked at her proudly.
Jiang Rou shook her head. “Yining, I know you’re not that ruthless. Don’t say things out of anger.”
“No, you don’t understand me at all. Jiang Rou, we grew up together, we share the same blood, but your understanding of me is even less than that of a stranger,” Jiang Yining said, looking at the bamboo forest that seemed to be crawling in the dark night, her voice firm and cold. “If given the chance, 1 would not hesitate to kill Gu Zhanqing. So, if you truly want me to coexist peacefully with him, don’t try to persuade me to come back with you. Otherwise, one day, we will become enemies.”
With that, she turned resolutely.
The night wind swept past, lifting her skirt.
The light shone on her, revealing a determination.
Jiang Rou suddenly realized that she no longer recognized the Yining in front of her.
The Yining in her memory was understanding, had no temper, always wore a cold expression, but was always obedient to her.
The current Yining was too unfamiliar…
Jiang Yining returned to the living room, walked over to Lu Zhi, and sat down. She rested her head on his shoulder and said, “Honey, I’m tired.”
“Alright, I’ll take you to rest,” Lu Zhi kissed her forehead naturally and then said to Gu Zhanqing, “Uncle, please excuse us.”
With that, he bent over and lifted Jiang Yining into his arms.
Jiang Yining simply didn’t want to face Gu Zhanqing, so she used the excuse of being tired to have Lu Zhi send Gu Zhanqing and Jiang Rou away.
To her surprise, he actually carried her, leaving her momentarily stunned.
Lu Zhi lowered his head and told her, “Hold onto my neck, be careful not to fall. You’ve gained quite a bit of weight recently.”
Jiang Yining thought, “Is he indirectly calling me fat?” She was 1.68 meters tall and weighed only 47.5kg. How could she be considered fat? Clearly, it was his own health that was lacking!
However, considering that he had helped her tonight, she decided not to argue with him.
With that in mind, Jiang Yining obediently held onto his neck.
As they reached the staircase, they happened to pass by Jiang Rou.
Lu Zhi simply nodded slightly and continued walking.
Jiang Rou approached Gu Zhanqing and sighed, “Uncle, I’m sorry. i couldn’t convince Yining.”
Thinking about what Yining had just said, she felt uneasy.
Over these years, did Yining only remember the hardships and not the moments of sweetness between them?
Perhaps… Uncle was right. Marrying Lu Zhi was not good for Yining. After all, Yining had changed so much since meeting Lu Zhi.
Gu Zhanqing replied in a deep voice, “It’s alright, Yining has always been stubborn, and it’s not something you can change with just a few words. I have other ways.”
Using Ah Rou to mediate was just to make Yining lower her guard.
The real trump card was Chen Kexin.
Hesitating for a moment, Jiang Rou said, “Uncle, once we bring Yining back, could you please stop hitting her? Treat her as well as you treat me?”
“If she were as obedient as you, I would naturally treat her well. Ah Rou, every time i hit her, it’s because she did something wrong,” Gu Zhanqing’s words were dismissive.
Jiang Rou bit her lip lightly and didn’t say anything further.
In the bedroom, Lu Zhi placed Jiang Yining on the bed. Instead of leaving, he sat in front of her, pointing to his cheek and said, “Come on, give me a kiss.”
Without much thought, Jiang Yining slapped his cheek lightly.
But she didn’t use much force, clearly, she was wary of him.
“Lu Zhi, are you crazy? Why would I kiss you?”
Lu Zhi smirked and said, “We love each other so much, of course, we should seize every opportunity to be affectionate. After you kiss me, i’ll go and meet them with your kiss mark on my face. Isn’t this a great chance to show our love?”
Jiang Yining blushed deeply at his words.
“Do you have no shame?”
No matter how much she wanted to get back at Gu Zhanqing, she wouldn’t resort to such a vulgar method.
“I have thick skin, no shame at all. If you don’t want to kiss me, I’ll kiss you instead,” Lu Zhi held her face and leaned in for a kiss.
Jiang Yining quickly grabbed a pillow and placed it between them.
“I warn you, if you dare to act indecently towards me again, I won’t be polite.”
Lu Zhi chuckled lightly, “i was just joking with you; you took it seriously? Are you feeling a bit better now?”