Jiang Mingzuo lowered his gaze slightly, discreetly observing the woman before him.
Her expression was a spectacular display. Though she tried hard to conceal it, the subtle shifts on her face were still entirely visible from his vantage point. One moment surprise, the next vexation—it was as if a palette had been overturned, a riot of colors. Truly… rare.
He pondered for a long while before he could think of a fitting description.
Jin Ran tangled herself up in her own thoughts, finding no solution. Instead, she suddenly realized a crucial point—she had already touched him, so how could she possibly take it back?!
Since it couldn’t be undone, and everything that followed from it was beyond her control, what did it matter who she had touched?
Once she grasped this truth, clarity dawned before her eyes. Even the smell of disinfectant in the air seemed to turn refreshing.
Moreover, Jin Ran didn’t believe that a creature like a man could be completely devoid of desire.
On her very first day after transmigrating, she had examined the original host’s appearance. Coincidentally, it was almost identical to her own. Perhaps this was why, after her death, she had crossed into this book, borrowing a character’s life for a fresh start.
But she was digressing. What Jin Ran meant to say was that she was quite confident in her looks. She might not be a stunning beauty, but she was certainly a sweet, charming girl with a mix of innocence and allure—sour-sweet and utterly appealing. Therefore, Jiang Mingzuo’s choice to sleep in separate rooms definitely had nothing to do with her!
Recalling conversations with her girlfriends in her past life, men tended to go downhill after twenty-five, with a steep decline by thirty. While individual cases varied, age was still a significant trend.
This year, Jiang Mingzuo was already thirty-five.
Though it wasn’t obvious from his appearance—he looked more like twenty-seven or twenty-eight—when it came to that aspect of things, who could really know?
Jin Ran couldn’t help but entertain a somewhat dark, secretive thought. Outwardly, however, she had to put on a pleasantly surprised expression. “What are you doing here?!”
She didn’t need an answer; she already knew in her heart.
In a hospital, you either had patients or visitors. Previously, she hadn’t noticed, but now, looking closely, Jin Ran saw that Jiang Mingjiao’s arm was bandaged. “A minor accident, just a cut. Came to get it dressed.”
“Is it serious?”
“Not really.”
As he said this, Jiang Mingjiao’s gaze remained fixed on Jin Ran. However, the woman’s expression didn’t shift and change like before. Instead, she seemed to believe him almost instantly, which made him frown slightly.
Could he have misjudged?
Jin Ran truly didn’t have that many strange thoughts running through her mind.
Just consider: she didn’t even understand the Jin family, let alone the entanglements between the Jin family and Jiang Mingjiao.
Now, feeling his faint, almost imperceptible gaze resting on her, she felt as if needles were pricking her back, a fishbone stuck in her throat, sitting on pins and needles—she desperately wanted to leave.
Jiang Mingzuo was different from Jiang Xuli. The latter was fifteen, rebellious and at that awkward stage, and his attitude towards her, his stepmother, was mostly indifference. So even if she did something out of line, he might find it strange but more likely wouldn’t pay it much mind.
But Jiang Mingzuo was the man who had married the original host.
Even if they slept in separate rooms, getting married surely required discussion between two people, right? And the original host was a “love-addled” person. Jin Ran had already slipped up before because of their conversations. She was terrified that if they spent more time together, the man would see right through her, leaving not even her skin intact.
“Um…” When people are nervous, they tend to become talkative, using words to mask their true intentions. Jin Ran spoke rapidly, “Xiao Li is on the third floor getting an IV. His friend is with him now. I was just about to take this water over. Do you want to come along?”
Jiang Mingzuo paused for a moment, then nodded. “Wait a moment.”
He returned to the hospital room. Whether intentional or not, as he entered, the door was pushed completely shut.
When he emerged again, he had changed into a new outfit—a shirt and suit, looking every bit the proper gentleman. Two buttons at the collar were undone, which, compared to his previous attire, was rather conservative.
Jin Ran glanced away indifferently and stepped forward to lead the way.
Out of consideration for the patient, she didn’t walk too fast. Her skirt, which reached her calves, swayed gently, stirring cool breezes and occasionally revealing her ankles, so pale they seemed to glow.
Jiang Mingzuo, walking a step behind, wore a thoughtful expression.
She was entirely different from before—no deliberate attempts to please, her “concern” for him no longer seemed driven by some ulterior motive. It felt like simple courtesy, no different from politely asking after a neighbor who had gotten hurt.
This puzzled Jiang Mingzuo.
He still remembered the disdain in the eyes of the Jin family’s Second Miss when he first met her.
The so-called elite families in City A had always been like this—treating chicken feathers as phoenix plumes. To them, someone like him, who had climbed up from the bottom, would forever be a crude, vulgar “nouveau riche.”
Jiang Mingzuo was accustomed to the “young ladies” raised in such families. His marriage alliance with the Jin family was for what the Old Master Jin held in his hands; a woman’s attitude was never within his consideration.
Unexpectedly, this very young lady who had looked down on him one moment was willing to marry him the next. After the wedding, she had consistently and actively displayed her “considerate understanding.”
If only her disdain had been better concealed.
Jiang Mingzuo was not a masochist. This was a business marriage of convenience, devoid of any real affection. Since she was reluctant and resistant, he took the initiative to keep his distance.
The two of them treated each other with icy politeness.
But now, in just a few days, the round, almond-shaped eyes that had once held contempt and scorn were now bright as stars, so clear you could see straight to the bottom.
Jiang Mingzuo had always wondered why Jin Ran, despite her aversion, was so eager to please him.
However, now he was more curious about how a person could change so dramatically.
“… He didn’t come down for breakfast this morning. Steward Cheng discovered something was wrong after knocking on his door, so we came to the hospital. The doctor said it was food poisoning, from something he ate.”
On the way, Jin Ran did her best to recount the sequence of events.
She was the stepmother; something like this happening while she and her stepson were home alone, of course, needed to be clearly explained to the child’s biological father. “But the doctor said it’s not very serious. He’ll be fine after taking medicine for a couple of days.”
Jiang Mingzuo gave a noncommittal nod.
“Alright.”
Jin Ran: “…”
Why did it feel like this biological father was even less reliable than her, the stepmother?
Since he didn’t seem concerned, she didn’t waste any more words.
…
On the other side, Chen Xunliang was shelling sunflower seeds for Jiang Xuli.
He’d accidentally found them in his pocket. Hearing that Jiang Xuli had only eaten a few slices of bread for breakfast, he generously offered to give him all the seeds.
“So, your stepmother brought you here?” he asked after hearing the story.
Jiang Xuli nodded.
Chen Xunliang’s mouth fell open. After a moment’s hesitation, he said, “Well… actually, I think your stepmother isn’t as bad as we imagined.”
Jiang Xuli glanced at him. “That’s a surprise. You’re actually changing your tune.”
“No, really. If she were bad, she could have easily pretended not to see. But she insisted on bringing you to the hospital. She must have been worried about you.”
Hearing this, Jiang Xuli’s expression became somewhat distant.
Worried?
That word felt too foreign to him. Like a feather, it landed lightly on his heart without any weight, only stirring an inexplicable itch.
Chen Xunliang scratched his head. He thought his analysis was spot-on. Of course, he wasn’t trying to make his buddy accept his stepmother; he was just stating his opinion.
Brother Li was still the most important in his heart.
Jiang Xuli silently looked at the needle in his hand. After a moment, he said, “Whatever her reason, I just know I won’t acknowledge her as my mother.”
“You’re right. Later, she’ll have other kids, and you, being not her own, will definitely be pushed aside.”
Jiang Xuli: “…”
Suddenly, this face in front of him seemed utterly detestable.
Just then, the sound of conversation in the corridor grew louder. Someone was whispering, “Oh my god, so handsome! The man’s handsome, the woman’s beautiful. Are they celebrities here to film?”
“Not celebrities. I’ve seen that woman before. She brought her kid for an IV. See, the one over there with his hair covering his eyes.”
Jiang Xuli: “…”
“Which one? The one next to the little chubby guy?”
Chen Xunliang, who was about to laugh: “…”
The passerby’s words were like stray arrows, wounding both of them simultaneously. Jiang Xuli looked up and saw the two figures walking side by side towards them.
He curled his lip, suddenly understanding why Jin Ran had brought him to the hospital.
But even knowing, he didn’t feel much about it.
Because he had never expected anything, so there was no disappointment.
Yet, inexplicably, he felt an emptiness inside.
The moment he saw Jiang Mingzuo, Chen Xunliang reacted like a mouse spotting a cat. “Holy crap, why is Uncle Jiang here? Did he rush back because he knew you were sick?!”
Snapping back to reality, Jiang Xuli heard these words, a mocking smile tugging at his lips.
His father had never cared whether he was healthy or sick.
He watched quietly as the man approached. Neither of them spoke. Finally, Jiang Xuli lowered his head and called out, “Dad.”
Jiang Mingzuo looked at the son standing before him, who had almost grown as tall as him, and responded with an “Mm.”
It had been a long time since they had faced each other like this. He was busy with work, busy dealing with the businessmen in City A, paying very little attention to this son from his previous marriage.
On the rare occasions he did show concern, it was mostly dissatisfaction—the boy was too soft-hearted, indecisive, nothing like him at all.
Like this incident, for instance.
“I heard you ate all the expired bread.”
Jiang Mingzuo’s tone was calm, but his words struck sharply, point by point. “Did you ever think that because of your mistake, everyone had to drop what they were doing to take care of you? Causing such a huge commotion. How impressive.”
Hearing this, Jiang Xuli’s grip on the chair arm tightened fiercely.
Even without expectations, he couldn’t accept being met with immediate accusations. The original guilt was overshadowed by anger, flaring up into a blaze. He mustered his courage and glared at the man. “It has nothing to do with you!” You don’t care about me anyway!
Jiang Mingzuo found this amusing. “Nothing to do with me?”
“The material comforts you enjoy now, the luxury car you drive, the high-end food you eat, the elite school you attend—they all have everything to do with me.”
Jiang Mingzuo responded coolly. With each item listed, Jiang Xuli’s fists clenched tighter until his lips were almost bitten through, because he had no rebuttal.
But he thought, if possible, he would rather live in an ordinary family.
With a father and a mother who would care about his joys and sorrows, who would be proud of his academic progress, and who would sternly criticize and scold him when he made mistakes.
Not this—being ignored, being utterly unimportant.
Thinking of this, the boy’s eyes grew hot, but he stubbornly refused to let the tears fall.
Jin Ran, who had just come to deliver the water: “… This is freaking awkward.”
She hadn’t even registered what was happening before father and son had inexplicably started arguing.
Jiang Mingzuo’s words weren’t wrong. He had built his success from the ground up, struggling and climbing every step of the way. The hardships involved were immense.
The problem was, saying such things to a fifteen-year-old minor would only add fuel to the fire.
Looking at Jiang Xuli hanging his head like a dejected puppy, Jin Ran suddenly felt a surge of teacher-like compassion and deep sympathy.
So, when she heard Jiang Mingzuo say, “Even the expired bread is mine,” she couldn’t help but blurt out, “Well, he threw it up and gave it back to you.”
Instantly, three pairs of eyes turned towards her.
Jin Ran: “…”
The pressure was immense.
She coughed, deciding to pretend she hadn’t seen them, and awkwardly changed the subject. “I bought water. Take your medicine first.”
Jiang Xuli remained motionless. His good buddy Chen Xunliang, quick as lightning, reached out and took the water. “I’ll open it! I’m strong!”
He was really about to die of fright. Everyone knew Uncle Jiang was formidable. Even the naughtiest kids had to tuck their tails between their legs when they met him. But he hadn’t realized Uncle Jiang could be this terrifying!
Those words would make even an outsider like him feel choked up inside, let alone Brother Li.
Chen Xunliang felt a pang of sadness and decided he must be extra good to Brother Li in the future.
…
After seeing the patient, they each went their separate ways.
Since Jiang Mingzuo needed his assistant to handle the discharge procedures, Jin Ran left ahead of everyone else.
Back at the villa, she informed the butler about Jiang Mingzuo’s return. The butler immediately said he would prepare the room.
Jin Ran nodded. Jiang Mingzuo was also on the second floor, quite a distance from her bedroom. According to the butler, it was because he was a light sleeper and had to sleep alone.
But in reality, in the novel, the two had always slept in separate rooms. So, she didn’t have to worry at all about being forced to fulfill marital obligations. In other words, she was safe around Jiang Mingzuo!
Once she understood this, Jin Ran completely relaxed. She then put aside her thoughts, closed her door, and focused wholeheartedly on solving practice problems.
Time immersed in the ocean of knowledge always flew by, fleeting as a white steed’s shadow past a crack. In the blink of an eye, evening arrived.
The sound of a car horn came from the courtyard. After a while, Jiang Mingzuo and his assistant walked in.
Behind them, Jin Ran also saw Jiang Xuli.
She was a bit surprised. She hadn’t expected father and son to return together.
Over there, Assistant Wang handed the luggage to the butler and greeted her, “Madam.”
Jin Ran smiled. “Hello.”
Jiang Mingzuo was loosening the button at his collar. He seemed to dislike the constraint of the suit very much. “Have Xiao Sun drive you back. Come again tomorrow morning.”
“Alright, Mr. Jiang.”
Assistant Wang left after setting down the luggage.
Jiang Mingzuo, while taking off his suit jacket, walked towards the walk-in closet.
Jiang Xuli had vanished even earlier.
Jin Ran, having made her presence known and seeing there was nothing else for her to do, also turned and headed back to her room to continue solving problems.
However, she had a nagging feeling that she had forgotten something?