Ji Wanning knew there were temporary family quarters beside the family residential compound. They were generally reserved for relatives who had come to visit their families.
Previously, she had stayed with the Lin family because she still held expectations for her mother.
Now, she no longer needed to.
Lu Changzheng had already gone to apply for family housing.
At most, it would take ten days to half a month for the application to be approved.
In the meantime, staying in the temporary family quarters would be perfectly fine.
“Xiaoning, don’t say things out of anger. If you move out, where could you possibly go?” Sulian thought she was merely speaking in a fit of temper and hurried forward to persuade her.
Ji Wanning stepped aside before Sulian’s outstretched hand could touch her.
Lin Yun folded her arms across her chest and snorted. “Who knows? Maybe she’s going back to the countryside. She’s nothing but a village girl anyway.”
At that moment, a cool, composed voice came from the doorway.
“Lin Yun, what kind of thing is that to say? Apologize to Xiaoning immediately. Since Xiaoning came into this family, she’s your younger sister.”
The newcomer was dressed in dark gray clothes with a light cadre jacket over them, paired with neatly pressed black trousers. He stood about one hundred and eighty centimeters tall.
His features were handsome, and a pair of silver rimmed glasses added to his refined, scholarly appearance.
It was Lin Wenbin.
A specially appointed expert at the military district hospital, he specialized in surgery. He was highly respected throughout the military district, and even the leadership valued him greatly.
He always seemed remarkably composed, with an even temper that never wavered, as though nothing that happened could disturb his emotions.
Just like now, when he told Lin Yun to apologize to her, there was barely any change in his tone.
But Ji Wanning’s instincts told her otherwise.
She did not know whether her mother’s transformation had anything to do with Lin Wenbin.
But it no longer mattered.
Hearing her father order her to apologize to the person she hated most, Lin Yun felt both aggrieved and furious.
“She stole my childcare job, making me become nothing more than a sanitation worker. She even seduced Fang Heng. She’s nothing but a vixen!”
The moment she finished shouting, Lin Yun stormed into her room and slammed the door shut with a loud bang.
Lin Wenbin set down his briefcase, rubbed the bridge of his nose, and sighed helplessly.
“Xiaoning, let me apologize on Xiaoyun’s behalf. Don’t lower yourself to her level. I’ve noticed your clothes are rather worn. How about I ask your mother to take you shopping for a few nice new outfits?”
As he spoke, a warm smile rested on his lips, making him seem approachable and easy to like.
To a stranger, he would probably appear gentle and amiable.
Sulian quickly chimed in. “That’s right, Xiaoning. How about Mom takes you shopping tomorrow?”
She had been thinking that if Ji Wanning was going to meet potential marriage prospects, she should at least have a beautiful new outfit.
Ji Wanning’s expression remained indifferent.
“There’s no need.”
By evening, it was naturally time for dinner.
Lin Wenbin knocked on Lin Yun’s door and went inside. No one knew what the father and daughter discussed, but in the end, Lin Yun still came out, albeit reluctantly.
The dining table was square.
Lin Yun sat with Lin Wenbin on her left and Sulian on her right, while Ji Wanning sat directly across from her.
Ji Wanning did not say a single word. She simply lowered her head and ate, helping herself to both meat and vegetables.
She had paid for her meals.
Why should she deprive herself?
Lin Yun viciously jabbed at the rice in her bowl with her chopsticks and muttered, “She doesn’t do any work, but she sure knows how to eat.”
Ji Wanning pretended not to hear.
“Wenbin, have some chicken soup.”
Sulian picked up a bowl and ladled him a serving of chicken soup. Her voice was soft and sweet, her eyes filled with affection.
Lin Wenbin’s expression became gentle. His peach blossom eyes seemed to contain endless tenderness as he accepted the bowl.
“Thank you, Sulian.”
A faint blush spread across Sulian’s fair, delicate face.
From the corner of her eye, Ji Wanning watched the two of them openly displaying their affection. Ever since she had come to the Lin family, she had witnessed scenes like this countless times every single day.
She was already used to it.
Sulian seemed deeply in love with Lin Wenbin.
Whatever he said was always right in her eyes, and she was willing to sacrifice everything for him.
Naturally, Lin Yun noticed the scene as well. Her lips moved slightly, but in the end, she said nothing.
She thought Ji Wanning really was just like her mother.
Both of them were vixens.
She believed Sulian had seduced her father.
Only a year after her own mother passed away, Sulian had married him.
Back then, eleven year old Lin Yun had been completely unable to accept it, throwing tantrums every day.
But her protests had ultimately changed nothing.
After marrying into the family, however, Sulian constantly tried to please her. Even after her own biological daughter, Ji Wanning, arrived six months earlier, she still treated Lin Yun the same way.
That made Lin Yun feel immensely satisfied.
At least this time, she had finally won against Ji Wanning.
“Auntie, I’d like some chicken soup too.”
As she spoke, Lin Yun held out her bowl.
Her stepdaughter, who rarely acknowledged her, was suddenly acting close to her. Sulian was both surprised and delighted.
“Of course, of course. Auntie will get you some right away.”
Sulian hurriedly filled her bowl with chicken soup and even added a drumstick, wearing a gentle smile as her beautiful eyes sparkled.
Lin Yun accepted the bowl and silently cursed Vixen.
Then she deliberately looked toward Ji Wanning.
She wanted to see whether Ji Wanning looked hurt. After all, her own mother had served her chicken soup but had not offered any to her biological daughter.
“Auntie, aren’t you going to serve Ji Wanning some too?” Lin Yun asked deliberately, the corners of her lips curling into a smug smile.
Only then did Sulian seem to remember.
“That’s right, that’s right. Xiaoning, Mom will get you a bowl too.”
Ji Wanning replied calmly, “No need. I’ll serve myself.”
With that, she ladled herself a generous bowl of chicken soup, making sure to include plenty of chicken.
She quietly drank the soup and ate the meat.
To be fair, although her mother had once been the daughter of a wealthy capitalist family and had never lifted a finger in the kitchen, after marrying Lin Wenbin, she had somehow developed impressive cooking skills.
Whether it was the chicken soup or the other dishes, everything tasted quite good.
Sulian’s hand remained suspended in midair. Watching Ji Wanning serve herself, she looked rather embarrassed.
She picked up a chicken wing and placed it into Ji Wanning’s bowl.
“Xiaoning, have this. It’s delicious too.”
Ji Wanning glanced at the scrawny chicken wing, pressed her lips together, and moved it aside without eating it.
Sulian, however, failed to notice.
Remembering the conversation from the other night, she took a sip of chicken soup before speaking softly.
“Xiaoning, you’re already eighteen years old. Mom has been thinking that it’s time you started considering your future. You’re all alone, and I can never stop worrying about you. I want to find someone dependable who can take care of you.”
So here it comes.
Ji Wanning slowly raised her head. Her beautiful, radiant face was expressionless as she replied coolly,
“So?”
Sulian frowned slightly, a trace of melancholy appearing between her brows. She seemed dissatisfied with Ji Wanning’s response.
Even so, she did not show it openly.
“Your Uncle Lin’s nephew, his younger sister’s son, works as an officer at the steel factory. He’s excellent in both age and appearance and would be a perfect match for you.”
She sounded every bit like a devoted mother sincerely worrying about finding her daughter a fine husband.
If Ji Wanning had not known what kind of man he truly was, she might really have been deceived.
She had originally intended to expose the man’s true nature and embarrass them.
But then she decided it was unnecessary.
She spoke coldly, “There’s no need. I’m already married and we’ve registered our marriage. My husband is Lu Changzheng, Commander Lu.”