Looking at the warm and friendly smile on Xie Qingyun’s face, Jian Jinci felt quite fond of this girl. She stepped aside to make way. “Please come in. Sorry to trouble you.”
Xie Qingyun entered the room carrying a medical kit, smiling. “No trouble at all.”
Jian Jinci said, “Please have a seat.”
Xie Qingyun sat on the sofa, and Jian Jinci poured her a glass of water.
Xie Qingyun glanced around the furnishings in the room. The apartment wasn’t large—two bedrooms and a living room—but it was clean, tidy, and warmly decorated. She said, “For the next week, I’ll come every morning at ten sharp to apply your medicine.”
A week…
Jian Jinci didn’t want to trouble others. She declined, “That’s not necessary. It would be too much trouble for you.”
She disliked inconveniencing others, as it always felt like owing a favor.
Xie Qingyun smiled, her expression as bright as a little sun. “It’s fine. Although I’m a doctor, I don’t have a fixed job and spend most of my days with nothing to do.”
Then, as if remembering something, she added, “Besides, you’re someone Pei Yanzhou cares about.”
She sensed that the girl before her seemed quite familiar with Pei Yanzhou. Though she didn’t want to pry into their relationship, she couldn’t help but ask, “Are you… very close to him?”
“As close as can be,” Xie Qingyun replied.
A subtle shift crossed Jian Jinci’s expression, which Xie Qingyun immediately noticed. With a teasing smile, she explained, “Some things involve Pei Yanzhou’s privacy, so I can’t tell you. But I can say for certain that you’re the only one he cares about.”
Jian Jinci’s cheeks flushed slightly. Xie Qingyun’s lengthy explanation, coupled with her playful smile, made it seem as though Jian Jinci were jealous.
After Xie Qingyun finished applying the medicine, Jian Jinci straightened her clothes. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Xie Qingyun said, standing up to leave. She looked at Jian Jinci with a knowing smile. “If you want to thank anyone, thank my brother. He’s the one who sent me.”
Jian Jinci pursed her lips lightly and nodded. “I still want to thank you.”
After Xie Qingyun left, Jian Jinci stared blankly at the suit hanging on the coat rack. After gazing at it for a while, she took a kraft paper bag, placed the suit inside, and left the apartment.
The suit looked expensive, and some high-end garments couldn’t be washed directly with water. She took it to a dry cleaner.
The dry cleaner staff told her to come back in two days to pick it up.
Back home, Jian Jinci took a carton of milk and a small bread roll from the refrigerator. After eating a few bites, she buried herself in her drawing work. Most of her time was spent sketching at home, and she only took on part-time jobs when she couldn’t secure freelance commissions.
It wasn’t that she hadn’t considered finding a regular job instead of relying on freelance work. She had submitted resumes and even received offers, but no one dared to hire her—those people had been bribed by Liang Jinyu.
Eventually, she could only take on commissions through online platforms, using a pseudonym. Only then was she able to secure work.
In the evening, the sunset light streamed into the room.
She was still engrossed in her drawing when a ringing sound interrupted her. Glancing at the caller ID on her phone screen, she paused for a moment before answering.
The call lasted only a minute. After hanging up, Jian Jinci changed her clothes and went out.
The call was from Jian Senran, asking her to come home for dinner. Jian Senran’s intentions were easy to guess—the so-called dinner was nothing more than an opportunity to question her and warn her not to take anything from Jian Ying.
By now, she understood all the tricks and motives of that family.
When she arrived at the Jian residence, she was stopped by a bodyguard at the gate. The bodyguard went to announce her arrival. How ironic—having to be announced just to enter her own home.
The bodyguard finished reporting and opened the door to let her in.
Upon entering the living room, she saw the family of three enjoying a harmonious meal. They had already eaten halfway through their dinner. She stood in the living room, but they only glanced at her briefly before continuing their meal.
She remained standing, waiting for them to finish.
Half an hour later, Jian Senran wiped his mouth with a tissue, stood up from the dining table, and walked toward her.
He got straight to the point: “What is your relationship with Mr. Pei from Jingche Group?”
Jian Ying glanced at her and also walked over.
“No relationship,” Jian Jinci replied truthfully. “We’ve met twice, not even friends.”
Jian Senran: “Then at the cocktail party…”
Before he could finish, Jian Jinci interrupted: “I was injured at the cocktail party he hosted. Isn’t it normal for him to take me to the hospital?”
“Then why did he carry you to the hospital?” Jian Ying raised her chin slightly, recalling the scene from last night. She was so jealous she could go mad—that was the man she had her eyes on.
Jian Jinci’s expression turned icy. “I’m not him. You should ask him that question yourself.”
Jian Ying grew furious, pointing at her. “What kind of attitude is that?”
“I’m just stating the facts,” Jian Jinci met her gaze directly.
Jian Senran interrupted the two of them. He looked at Jian Jinci and said, “Xu Chen is a good man. You two should get along well. Your sister has taken a liking to Mr. Pei from Jingche Group. Whatever your relationship with him is now, end it. Stay away from him.”
Hearing these words from her biological father was truly laughable.
Song Xuchen is a good man…
That was the funniest thing she had heard all year.
She looked coldly at Jian Senran. “I’ll keep my distance from him. As for Song Xuchen, if I told you he cheated, would you still think he’s a good man?”
Jian Senran sat on the sofa, poured himself a glass of water, took a sip, and said, “That’s normal. All men make mistakes. Don’t be too nitpicky. Just live your life well.”
These words shattered her worldview. So this was his excuse for being unfaithful even after becoming a father?
He was unfaithful everywhere, and her mother turned a blind eye—not because she was tolerant, but to ensure her young daughter could have a complete family. At night, her mother would cry alone in secret. Jian Jinci had witnessed it several times.
But what did her mother’s endurance bring her? It brought severe depression and a wrist-slitting suicide in the bathtub.
She lost her mother at the age of six. After her mother’s death, Jian Senran brought Liang Jinyu and her daughter home. When she saw Jian Ying, who was a year younger than her, she realized that Jian Senran had already started another family outside.
Jian Jinci looked at Jian Senran and sneered. “Song Xuchen and I have already broken up. I don’t have a masochistic streak—I won’t knowingly jump into a pit of fire.”
Liang Jinyu walked over, her face full of spite. “Jian Jinci, I don’t care what happens between you and Song Xuchen. If you dare compete with your sister for a man, I’ll make sure that illegitimate child can’t go to school. You better think carefully.”
The “illegitimate child” she referred to was Jian Xu.
Jian Jinci clenched her fists at her sides, her nails digging into her palms. She couldn’t stand anyone calling Jian Xu an illegitimate child. “He is not an illegitimate child. Jian Xu is my brother. If no one wants him, I do.”
Jian Ying sneered, crossing her arms as she looked at her. “Is my mother wrong? Jian Xu will never change the fact that he’s an illegitimate child.”
Jian Jinci’s eyes turned icy as she stared straight at Jian Ying’s face. “If Jian Xu is an illegitimate child, then what are you, Jian Ying?”
“Slap!” Liang Jinyu struck Jian Jinci across the face, leaving a burning sting and a ringing in her ears.
Her eyes reddened with fury, she straightened up and slapped Liang Jinyu back with all her strength.