Once everything had been taken care of, with the damage assessment and repairs left to the insurance companies, Jiang Yunyan saw An Kexia and her car off before turning back.
Jiang Yining stood where she was, her head lowered, looking utterly remorseful after causing the accident.
He had planned to keep a stern face and give her a proper scolding. But the moment he saw how pitiful she looked, and thought of everything she had already been through, his resolve softened instantly.
He let out a long sigh. Reaching out, he ruffled her hair, his tone filled with helpless indulgence.
“Alright, it’s over. It’s settled. But from now on, when it comes to your driving…”
He paused. The memory of the suffocating fear that had seized him when he first received her call came rushing back, making his voice drop.
“You’d better stay far away from the steering wheel. If you need to go anywhere, call a ride-share or call me. I’ll come pick you up. If anything else happens to you… your mother really will have my head.”
His exaggerated words could not hide the genuine fear beneath them, nor the fierce instinct to protect what they had only just regained.
Jiang Yining looked up at him. The lingering unease in his eyes made her chest tighten.
Warmth and guilt tangled together inside her.
She nodded firmly, her voice soft but resolute.
“I understand, Cousin. I’ll remember.”
Yet, despite herself, her gaze drifted toward the direction where the black Porsche had disappeared.
The image of that composed, sharp woman surfaced in her mind again, along with the complicated look in her eyes.
That moment of eye contact had carried something more than the shock of a simple accident.
Did she recognize me?
…
Late that night, back in the hotel room, a faint scent of lemon incense lingered in the air.
Jiang Yining sat on the edge of the bed, absentmindedly smoothing the silk ruffles of her bright yellow dress. The fabric felt cool beneath her fingers.
Her phone suddenly vibrated, lighting up with a single word on the screen.
Mom.
Her heart skipped.
Taking a steadying breath, she answered the call.
“Ningning!” Her mother’s voice burst through immediately, sharp and trembling, laced with a sob that shattered her usual composure. “Where are you? Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere? Talk to me!”
In the background, she could hear her aunt’s anxious voice trying to calm her.
“Huifang, don’t worry. Yunyan said she’s fine, it was just a minor accident…”
Jiang Yining’s nose stung.
“Mom, Mom, I’m okay. Really, I’m not hurt at all,” she said quickly, forcing her voice to stay steady. “I’m in my hotel room right now. Don’t scare yourself.”
There was silence on the other end for a few seconds, broken only by her mother’s uneven breathing.
Then her voice came back, thick with tears, still trembling.
“As long as you’re okay… as long as you’re okay. You child… if you’re not good at driving, why would you get behind the wheel? Are you trying to scare your mother to death? Do you even know what went through my mind when I heard the word ‘accident’?”
Her voice broke, the rest swallowed by a sob.
The pain from eight years ago had been torn open again by that single word.
Jiang Yining tightened her grip on the phone, her fingertips turning cold.
She could picture it clearly, her mother’s face going pale, her body swaying as the news reached her.
Guilt and heartache surged through her like a tidal wave.
…
She quietly opened her door and stepped into the hallway, then walked to the room next door.
The door was slightly ajar.
She pushed it open and entered.
Only a dim bedside lamp was lit.
Mother Jiang sat on the edge of the bed, her face streaked with tears, her hair slightly disheveled. She clutched her phone as if it were the only thing keeping her grounded.
Father Jiang stood nearby, his brows deeply furrowed as he watched her with concern.
Her aunt sat beside her, gently rubbing her back.
When Mother Jiang saw her daughter walk in, completely unharmed, her tense shoulders eased slightly.
But her expression remained heavy, her gaze dark as it fixed on Jiang Yining.
Jiang Yining forced a small smile, trying to lighten the mood.
“Mom, it’s already so late. Why aren’t you sleeping? Cousin Yunming’s big day is coming up. You don’t want to show up with dark circles under your eyes, do you?”
“Don’t you dare talk back to me,” Mother Jiang snapped as she stood up.
Her voice trembled with restrained anger and lingering fear.
“Look at what you’ve done. You can’t even drive properly and you still dared to go out on the road? Do you think I haven’t lived long enough? Are you trying to…”
The word “again” caught in her throat.
It burned too much to say.
Tears streamed down her face once more.
“Mom!”
Jiang Yining could not bear it any longer.
She rushed forward and threw her arms around her mother, holding her trembling body tightly.
“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry for making you worry,” she said, her voice thick with emotion, carrying a quiet, newfound weight. “I promise you, I won’t let anything happen to me again. Never. Trust me… please trust me this once.”
Feeling her daughter’s warmth and hearing that fragile promise, Mother Jiang’s rigid body finally began to soften.
She wrapped her arms around her daughter in return, holding her tightly, as if she wanted to fuse them together, bone and blood.
Soft, broken sobs escaped her.
…
Father Jiang watched them, his own eyes reddening.
He stepped forward and placed a steady, reassuring hand on his wife’s shoulder.
“Alright, Huifang. It’s a blessing that the child is safe. You were frightened, weren’t you? Should we take Ningning to the hospital for another check, just to be sure?”
Mother Jiang finally lifted her head from her daughter’s shoulder.
With tear-filled eyes, she carefully examined Jiang Yining, her hands moving over her arms, shoulders, and face.
Only after confirming there was not a single scratch did her heart finally settle.
She let out a long, trembling breath, exhaustion washing over her.
“As long as you’re okay… that’s all that matters,” she murmured weakly.
With Father Jiang’s help, she sat back down on the bed.
“It’s late. Everyone should get some rest. Ningning, go back to your room and sleep.”