Volume 1 Chapter 18: Simply Disliking You
As the car drove into the Bai family villa, Song Jingmian noticed her parents had already been waiting outside, eagerly looking forward to their arrival.
Seeing their car, the elderly couple’s smiles visibly brightened, and they immediately stepped forward as soon as they got out of the car.
“Mianmian.”
“Mom, Dad.” She called out obediently, followed by Bo Jingci, who also greeted them as “Mom and Dad” from behind.
The two elders beamed with joy, quickly responding several times before leading them inside.
“Next time you come, don’t bring so many things. We have everything we need at home. Just visit often, that’s enough.”
“Mom, these are all Bo Jingci’s heartfelt gifts.”
She had originally thought Bo Jingci might forget about today’s visit—after all, she had almost forgotten herself—but unexpectedly, he remembered it even more firmly than she did and had prepared many gifts tailored to her parents’ tastes.
“Ah, such a good child.” Her mother smiled with relief.
At first, she had been unwilling to let her daughter marry away, especially since they had only just found her after so long. But after hearing Bo Jingci’s words and promises to the couple that day, they realized he had come for her sake.
“Sister, Brother-in-law.” Bai Sisi, wearing light makeup and a gray-pink dress, gracefully descended the stairs.
Then, with curved brows and a sweet smile, she walked up to them and said, “You’ve finally arrived! Sisi has been waiting for so long!”
Song Jingmian sneered inwardly. This woman really knew how to put on an act. After being so sarcastically targeted last time, she now acted as if nothing had happened.
Interesting.
No wonder she had been betrayed by her in her previous life.
Bai Sisi was not actually the biological child of the Bai parents. After their daughter went missing unexpectedly, the Bai couple had exhausted all their connections trying to find her but to no avail. Years later, Mrs. Bai, still longing for her daughter, adopted a child from an orphanage.
That child was Bai Sisi.
“Really?” Song Jingmian curled her lips indifferently. “How long?”
Bai Sisi: “…I’ve been looking forward to it since last night.”
Song Jingmian nodded understandingly. “Oh, I thought it was since the day we ran into each other at the mall.”
She smiled, her gaze fixed directly on Bai Sisi, her red lips alluring. “After all, when sister and brother-in-law return to the family home, a good younger sister even specially buys gifts for her brother-in-law.”
After leading them inside, the elderly couple had gone off to attend to other matters, leaving only Bai Sisi and the married couple.
Upon hearing her sarcasm, Bai Sisi’s smile suddenly stiffened, but it seemed to vanish in an instant as she quickly returned to her cheerful expression.
“It’s been so long since sister and brother-in-law last visited. Sisi missed you.”
“Ugh!” Song Jingmian suddenly bent over, pretending to retch. Bo Jingci, standing beside her, was startled and immediately patted her back.
Before he could ask what was wrong, her mischievous eyes winked at him playfully.
Bo Jingci: “…”
He smiled. She was pretending.
“Sister…?” Bai Sisi’s face stiffened, seeming to darken a shade.
“Husband!” Ignoring her, Song Jingmian continued to act as if she were feeling unwell, looking pitifully at him. “I suddenly feel so nauseous.”
Bo Jingci glanced at her gently. “What’s wrong?”
He was quite cooperative.
Song Jingmian gave him a big thumbs-up in her heart, deciding to reward him with a kiss when they returned home.
“It’s just that, somehow, seeing my younger sister suddenly made me feel this way.”
She cooed in a sweet, affected voice, “Husband, I feel so unwell.”
“Could I be pregnant?”
Bo Jingci: “…”
Pregnant with what? Cola, chicken wings, burgers, and milk tea?
“Ah, little sister,” she said as if suddenly remembering something, “Sis was just joking earlier and didn’t mean anything by it. You won’t mind, right?”
At this point, she could still manage a proper smile, obediently replying, “I don’t mind, Sis.”
Song Jingmian sneered inwardly, though she hadn’t faked it much earlier—that “ugh” had been genuine. The sight of her hypocritical, pretentious act truly made her want to vomit.
“What are you all doing over there? It’s time to eat now!”
Mother Bai called out to them with a smile from not far away. Song Jingmian immediately perked up, “Coming, Mom!”
With that, she took Bo Jingci’s hand and walked straight to the dining table without looking back.
Watching the perfectly matched backs of the two, Bai Sisi thought of Song Jingmian’s earlier hostility. The gentle expression on her face vanished, replaced in an instant by a dark, fierce glare directed at her.
The meal ended amidst lively chatter. Song Jingmian thought to herself that if only there hadn’t been such a grand white lotus beside her, the meal would have been even more perfect.
“Mianmian, it’s rare for you to come home. Would you like to go see your room?”
Father Bai smiled warmly. Even at his age, his handsome features were unmistakable, a testament to how dashing he must have been in his youth.
Song Jingmian’s looks were largely inherited from him, though she also took after her mother’s beauty.
“Everything in the room has been left untouched, just waiting for you to return. Jingci can play a game of chess with me, and you and your sister can go upstairs to take a look.”
After Father Bai finished speaking, Bai Sisi’s eyes brightened slightly. Finally, the two were separated.
So she put on a smile and said to Song Jingmian, “Yes, Sis, let’s go take a look together.”
“Sure,” she replied lazily.
Seeing the excited look on her face, Song Jingmian couldn’t bring herself to spoil her act.
If she wanted to pretend, then she’d make sure she couldn’t.
“Let’s go, little sister.”
Song Jingmian took a few steps before turning back to look at her, unable to hide the amusement in her eyes, her tone deliberately heavy.
Upstairs, Song Jingmian looked at the room her parents had kept so well-preserved, warmth flowing through her heart.
Even though she was married, her parents still treated her like a little girl, doting on her. The room was filled with many cute dolls, all prepared for her.
It was as if they were trying to make up for the years of absence.
“Sis… some of the dolls in here were prepared by me too.”
“Oh.”
Song Jingmian showed no sign of gratitude. Instead, she curled her lips into a cold smile. “Did you just throw your unwanted dolls in here?”
“And then claim it was for your dear sister, playing such a clever game.”
Bai Sisi’s eyes softened. “Sis, what are you talking about? I don’t understand.”
“Whether you understand or not, you know it in your heart.”
Bai Sisi lowered her head, her eyes turning cold. When she looked up again, she wore a pitiful, wronged expression. “Sis… why are you so against me?”
Bai Sisi truly couldn’t understand why, after just a few months of marriage, Song Jingmian had returned as if she were a completely different person, nothing like before.
And her hostility was intense, with every word dripping with sarcasm. Could it be that she had discovered something?
“Can you tell me, Sis?”
But for now, she couldn’t afford to tear off the mask. She knew all too well that she was adopted. Although the Bai family had never treated her poorly and had never deprived her materially, the couple rarely paid her much attention. Yet ever since Song Jingmian had been found and brought back, she had witnessed a side of them she had never seen before.
It was as if adopting her had merely been a way to channel their longing, fulfill an obligation, or perhaps accumulate virtue for their beloved daughter.
Hearing her affected words, Song Jingmian suddenly smiled—a genuine, heartfelt smile.
She walked over to Bai Sisi, who stood just a few steps away, and stopped right in front of her.
Song Jingmian was much taller, and with her high heels, her presence alone seemed to overpower Bai Sisi as she approached.
Meeting Bai Sisi’s pitiful, pleading eyes, Song Jingmian’s red lips curved slightly as she spoke, each word deliberate.
“It’s nothing.”
She glanced at her, a hint of mockery flickering in her gaze.
“I just don’t like you—plain and simple.”