Just as she was hesitating over whether to call back, Li Xiuning called again.
“Hello, what is it?”
“Xiao Yin, it is Mother.” The woman on the other end of the line sounded somewhat apprehensive.
“Yes, I know. Is there something the matter?” Jiang Yin repeated her previous question.
“Well, could you,” Li Xiuning stammered, seeming to want to speak but hesitating to do so.
But Jiang Yin had already guessed her intention. “You want money, right? I gave you one million last time. Was that not enough?” Jiang Yin could not help but furrow her brows.
“It is enough, enough,” Li Xiuning gave a couple of forced laughs on the other end. “But Xiao Yin, you know how it is. Your uncle, he is not”
Already irritable, Jiang Yin cut Li Xiuning off immediately upon hearing Li Weilong’s name. “You gave him money again? You clearly know he can spend hundreds of thousands in a single day of gambling. Why are you still sending him money?”
Anger surged in Jiang Yin’s heart, and she involuntarily raised her voice, startling Li Xiuning. Not only was Li Xiuning startled, but even Jiang Zhen, who was standing outside the door carrying a fruit platter, took a step back at the commotion inside, unsure if she should knock.
“Xiao Yin, do not be angry. I will just do this one last time, there absolutely will not be a next time.” Li Xiuning’s tone was pleading.
Jiang Yin stood up from the bedside and paced around the room twice in anger, speaking with disappointment. “How many times have you indulged him? Back when you had no money, he even dared to come to the door with a knife to force you to take out high-interest loans. Now that he knows you have money, do you think he will let you go?”
Because Jiang Yin did not intentionally lower her voice, this sentence fell clearly upon Jiang Zhen’s ears. She did not understand what was happening to Jiang Yin and could only guess wildly based on the keywords.
“I plan to move somewhere else, Xiao Yin. He will not be able to find me. Just give me a little more money. I will help him pay off this gambling debt, and there will not be a next time.” Li Xiuning knew the daughter she raised best; she played on Jiang Yin’s soft-heartedness and began to beg. “If I do not pay, those people will come looking for me. They all carry knives. I do not even dare go home. Right now, I found a random hostel to stay in. You know Shanyuan is a small place with no good hotels; this hostel does not even have hot water for a shower”
“Enough.” Jiang Yin interrupted her once again. She leaned against the windowsill, frowning in silence for a long time before finally speaking. “Go and open a new bank account. I will give you another. How much money did Li Weilong ask you for this time?”
“Oh, okay, good!” Li Xiuning was clearly excited. “Xiao Yin, Mother knew I did not raise you for nothing. Mother promises you, once I help your uncle pay back this five hundred thousand, I will absolutely leave Shanyuan County and never come back!”
She spoke with great conviction, but Jiang Yin did not hold much hope for it.
“Fine. It is late, so get some rest. Find a bank to open an account tomorrow. Once it is done, give me the account number, and I will transfer another one hundred and fifty-five thousand to you.” She stamped her foot irritably, her brow remaining furrowed.
“Yes, yes, yes. I will go as soon as the bank opens tomorrow.” Li Xiuning agreed readily, her voice filled with unmistakable joy.
Having settled the matter, Jiang Yin wanted to hang up quickly to escape the oppressive atmosphere. “Is there anything else?” she asked.
Li Xiuning was silent for a moment on the other end before asking, “Xiao Yin, are you doing well over there? Are the Jiang family members good to you? Since you were not raised by their side, if they are not good to you”
“I am doing very well,” Jiang Yin interrupted her for the third time. She knew it was extremely impolite, but she could not help herself. “The Jiang family is very good to me.”
“Then, then that is good. Then Mother can rest easy.” Li Xiuning replied hesitantly.
Jiang Yin had an intuition that Li Xiuning definitely had something else to say. Sure enough, the next moment she asked, “Then, then is Niannian doing well?”
Hearing her ask about Jiang Zhen, Jiang Yin could not help but take a deep breath, steadying herself before answering, “She is also very well.”
“Is she with you? Could I say a few words to her?”
“She is not here. We do not live together.”
“Alright then,” Li Xiuning’s voice dropped, her tone clearly disappointed. “Then Mother will not disturb your rest. Go to sleep quickly.”
After giving a brief “mm,” Jiang Yin hung up the phone. She tossed her phone onto the bed as if being further away from that electronic brick would help her forget everything that had just happened.
She turned to look out the window. The scenery of the Jiang estate was beautiful, with professional gardeners hired to tend the trees and gardens. Under the night sky, the deep green leaves and various flowers swayed gently, looking elegant and graceful. But Jiang Yin truly could not calm her mind enough to appreciate this man-made beauty. She closed her eyes, trying to clear her thoughts.
She had just lied to Li Xiuning, deceiving her into believing she and Jiang Zhen were not together. In her heart, Jiang Yin did not want Jiang Zhen to have the slightest connection to such a depraved family. Although Li Xiuning was decent to her, she repeatedly indulged Li Weilong’s gambling and constantly cleaned up his messes by paying his debts. Jiang Yin could not even count how many times debt collectors had blocked their door, nor could she forget the fear of her youth.
But forgetting is just forgetting; the scars left behind cannot be erased. Jiang Yin slowly exhaled and looked up at the clear moon hanging high in the bright sky. The outskirts of Jinghe City lacked excessive light pollution, leaving the sky rare and pure. Many tiny stars accompanied the full moon, making the silver disc appear even more tranquil. Jiang Zhen was like that silver moon surrounded by stars; she should not be stained by filth that could never be washed away.
After hesitating at the door for a long time, Jiang Zhen ultimately did not knock. Carrying the fruit intended for two, she drifted back to her own room in a daze. Eavesdropping on someone’s phone call was very wrong, but at the time, she could not control her body, standing fixed at Jiang Yin’s door until the voices inside ceased.
From those fragmented pieces of conversation, she pieced together a fact: Jiang Yin had relatives with a gambling problem, and she had to help them pay off their debts. Jiang Zhen was not worried about money. When Jiang Yin first returned, Jiang Ling had mentioned in passing that she, Qin Zhu, and Xue Hua had collectively given Jiang Yin a significant sum, so Jiang Yin should not be worried about funds. However, Jiang Zhen had heard a little about gambling and gamblers. What she feared was that Jiang Yin’s gambling relative would constantly cling to her and demand more money.
Jiang Zhen wanted to check on Jiang Yin, yet she did not know what position she should take to do so. If it were not for Jiang Yin, she would be the one trapped in that situation right now. At this thought, a sense of absurd guilt welled up in Jiang Zhen’s heart. She thought of Li Xiuning, her biological mother. Ever since that sudden meeting, Jiang Zhen had forced herself not to think about her, hoping she could also forget her awkward status.
But one must eventually face reality, and she had to face her status as a nanny’s daughter. Jiang Zhen walked into the bathroom and turned on the tap, letting the cold water run. She cupped a handful of water, took a deep breath, and splashed the cold water onto her face. She needed to find an opportunity to meet Li Xiuning once. Evading the issue forever was not an option; she had to handle it. Deep down, Jiang Zhen still held onto the hope that her actions might help Jiang Yin, even just a little bit.
After two days of apprehension, at noon on Wednesday, Jiang Yin got into the car Jiang Ling had sent to pick her up. The personality she developed growing up made her a bit afraid of dealing with strangers, let alone an upper-class social banquet. This was essentially like being roasted over a fire. Jiang Yin, who was prone to anxiety, had been so nervous on Tuesday night that she could hardly sleep. By Wednesday, she spent the entire day feeling out of sorts. She was afraid of meeting those upper-class people with their elegant speech and extraordinary manners, but she was even more afraid of making a fool of herself and embarrassing the Jiang family.
After getting in the car, Jiang Ling chatted with her for a bit and noticed that her sister’s responses were not as calm as usual. “Xiao Yin, are you a little nervous?” Jiang Ling asked directly.
Jiang Yin did not intend to hide it and nodded. “Very nervous.”
“It is fine,” Jiang Ling said, looking at Jiang Yin in the passenger seat through the rearview mirror. “After Father introduces you, just stay with me. I will introduce you to our family friends. They will not make things difficult for you.”
“Then, what is the story being told to the public? Regarding my identity.” Jiang Yin was so nervous she was almost incoherent.
Fortunately, Jiang Ling understood her meaning. “The public story is that you have always lived with Grandmother at the old Jiang family residence in Ningdong Province and only moved back after starting university.”
Jiang Yin nodded, repeating the sentence in her head over and over, trying to brainwash herself so she would not say anything she should not when others asked. Jiang Ling suddenly apologized to her. “I am sorry, Xiao Yin. We cannot tell everyone the real reason for the time being. Because if we did, it would easily”
“Sister, I understand.” Jiang Yin knew very well in her heart that once such a scandal fell into the hands of those with ulterior motives, it could likely be used against the Jiang family in the future. She did not mind; her own reputation was the least significant thing to her. To protect the Jiang family, she did not care about this kind of sacrifice. Seeing how sensible she was, Jiang Ling felt a pang of bitterness, feeling that she still owed Jiang Yin too much and had to make it up to her.
“Do you have enough money? If not, just ask me,” Jiang Ling sniffled. “I have money.”
“I have money too,” Jiang Yin smiled. “You all have already given me a lot of money. I will not be able to spend it all for a long time.”
“Then, do you lack anything else?” While waiting for a red light, Jiang Ling turned to look at her. “Xiao Yin, if anything is wrong, you must not hide it from me. I want to help you more.”
“Okay,” Jiang Yin agreed immediately.
The banquet was held at the Jiang residence; there was a dedicated banquet hall in the manor, making it no problem to host a small-scale event. After returning home, there were still three hours before the banquet began at seven. Jiang Ling took Jiang Yin to her room, deciding to personally dress her up.
“Our Xiao Yin hardly needs any makeup,” Jiang Ling remarked while organizing her cosmetics. “Being young is so nice; you look good with just a little bit of makeup.”
Though she had been praised several times already, Jiang Yin was still a bit embarrassed. She pursed her lips and smiled, not quite knowing how to respond. Jiang Ling did not mind her silence, focusing on finding the items needed for makeup. Taking advantage of this moment, Jiang Yin opened Weibo on her phone. The first recommendation on her homepage was a fan-taken photo of Jiang Zhen participating in an outdoor promotional event today.