Over the past five years, although Shu Yao had not been in the country, Wu Jingmeng had taken the initiative to report to her about everything related to Jiang Yiyan.
Of course, all of it had been negative.
So in Shu Yao’s impression, Jiang Yiyan had become even more sharp-tongued and malicious than she had been five years ago.
But when she clearly saw the face so close to her now, she felt momentarily dazed.
This was not the Jiang Yiyan that Mengmeng had described.
She had not grown harsher or more vicious. On the contrary, compared to five years ago, she now seemed gentler and more kind.
With such a soft and warm demeanor, she hardly matched words like “harsh” or “malicious” at all.
Gradually, Shu Yao began to show goodwill toward her as well.
“It’s been five years. How have you been?” Shu Yao took the initiative to make small talk.
Jiang Yiyan smiled and nodded, without the slightest hint of awkwardness.
“I’ve been quite well. I don’t have a high level of education, and I don’t have any career of my own at the moment, but Meimei is sensible and well-behaved, and Mochuan treats me well too. I’m quite content with this kind of life.”
Jiang Yiyan did not mention Wen Mochuan on purpose. She simply felt that since she had brought up her daughter, deliberately avoiding mention of her nominal husband would seem forced.
There was no deliberate flaunting, just a casual mention in passing, which she felt was not inappropriate.
But while she spoke without intent, Cai Wenqing and Jiang Xu, who were listening, reacted differently.
Jiang Xu frowned immediately, his displeasure clearly showing on his face.
Cai Wenqing, on the other hand, managed to conceal her discomfort better.
As for Shu Yao, whether Jiang Yiyan had said it intentionally or not did not matter to her. After all, she and Mochuan had been impossible since five years ago. Whether Jiang Yiyan mentioned him or showed off her life had nothing to do with her.
“That’s very good,” Shu Yao said with a pure and sincere smile, genuinely praising her. “You look radiant. You must be very happy every day.”
“Yes.” Jiang Yiyan had already achieved her purpose today and did not wish to continue the conversation. She simply followed Shu Yao’s lead. “There’s really no pressure. I just eat, sleep, and relax every day. Nothing to worry about.”
To be honest, the two were not close at all, and continuing the conversation would only make it awkward. So, with mutual understanding, they ended the exchange at the right moment.
The phone returned to Jiang Cheng, and Jiang Yiyan said her final goodbye.
“Dad, it’s getting late. You should rest early. Mochuan and I have already agreed that we’ll go early to Xingyun Hotel tomorrow.”
Jiang Cheng agreed, though somewhat reluctant to hang up. He chatted a little more with Meimei before finally ending the call.
Throughout the entire conversation, Jiang Yiyan did not say a single word to Jiang Xu.
She had even chatted briefly with Shu Yao and greeted Cai Wenqing, yet she never once mentioned Jiang Xu.
While Jiang Yiyan was making the video call, Wen Mochuan had been sitting nearby the entire time. He neither approached nor deliberately avoided the scene.
He had originally thought that since his wife made the call, she would include him in it, perhaps even deliberately display some affection in front of Shu Yao.
But until the call ended, that moment never came.
Wen Mochuan found himself even more unable to understand the woman beside him. After she hung up, he looked at her thoughtfully, his brows slightly furrowed.
Jiang Yiyan did not even need to look at him to guess what he was thinking, but she chose to ignore it. Meeting his searching gaze, her tone remained calm as usual.
“It’s getting late. Time to wash up and rest.”
Wen Mochuan nodded in agreement, though inwardly he thought this was something one would say to a kindergarten child like Meimei. It was barely past eight, not even nine yet. She was not an elderly person, so how could she possibly be going to bed this early?
Still, he did not expose her. Instead, he called Feng Ma and asked her to take Meimei for a bath.
Meimei was reluctant to leave. Even as Feng Ma led her toward the downstairs bathroom, she kept turning back to look at her parents.
She really wanted to sleep with them.
But despite all her hints, her parents showed no reaction. Feeling dejected, she lowered her head and stubbornly stopped looking at them.
There had been times before when the three of them slept together, but those occasions were usually initiated or hinted at by the original Jiang Yiyan, with Wen Mochuan passively accepting.
Now that the original host was gone and a different Jiang Yiyan occupied this body, she naturally would not bring it up.
Since she did not mention it, Wen Mochuan certainly would not either. So Meimei’s little wish was destined to dissolve like a bubble.
Unless she gathered the courage to ask for it herself.
But after disturbing her mother’s sleep the previous night and causing her to feel unwell the next day, Meimei did not dare push her luck.
Her relationship with her mother was getting better and better, and her mother had become gentler. She was already satisfied with this. She would take things step by step.
Thinking this, Meimei suddenly felt cheerful again. She obediently followed Feng Ma to bathe and sleep, even humming a little tune.
Jiang Yiyan had not failed to notice the hint in her daughter’s eyes. She had been worried that the girl might suddenly run over, cling to her, and plead pitifully to sleep with both parents. If that had happened, she would not have known how to refuse.
Fortunately, it had only been a false alarm.
After their daughter left, the couple had even less to say to each other. They exchanged a simple goodnight and went upstairs to their separate bedrooms.
That night, Jiang Cheng, understanding that his wife and stepdaughter had not seen each other for a long time and must have much to talk about, suggested after dinner that Cai Wenqing sleep with Shu Yao.
Cai Wenqing was delighted. “Acheng, you’ve always kept us in your heart,” she said, looking at him with gratitude.
But Jiang Cheng felt it was nothing special. “You’ve been talking about Yao Yao for five years. Now that she’s finally back, of course you two should spend more time together,” he said considerately. “It’s almost nine, and Yao Yao must be tired. There’s nothing else to do here, so you should go upstairs and rest.”
Cai Wenqing took her daughter’s hand, said goodbye to the father and son, and happily went upstairs to Shu Yao’s room.
The two men watched them leave. Only after their figures disappeared did they withdraw their gazes.
Jiang Cheng felt very pleased. His stepdaughter had returned with a doctoral degree, bringing great honor to the Jiang family. He was certain that it would not take long for the entire elite circle in Jiang City to know that their family had produced a PhD.
As for Jiang Yiyan, although she had not achieved much, she had at least begun to mature. She no longer targeted Cai Wenqing and Shu Yao maliciously and had even shown them goodwill.
He did not have high expectations for his biological daughter. He did not require her to make achievements in the family business or excel in any field to bring him pride.
He only hoped that she could live a normal life and be happy every day.
Everything seemed to be moving in a good direction.
But Jiang Xu was not so optimistic. He always felt that his sister’s current goodwill was a disguise, and that at any moment she might reveal her true nature and stir up trouble again.
Cai Wenqing was also worried, but her concerns were completely different from Jiang Xu’s.
He feared that Jiang Yiyan’s kindness was an act, while she feared that it was not an act at all, that Jiang Yiyan had truly changed.
After entering the room, she locked the door and pulled her daughter aside to talk.
Without even asking about her life and studies abroad, she said anxiously, “You saw Yiyan’s change, didn’t you?”
Shu Yao had indeed noticed that Jiang Yiyan was not as she had imagined. She was nothing like the person Mengmeng had described over the past five years. In fact, compared to five years ago, she seemed much more pleasant and kind.
But Shu Yao did not see this as a bad thing. On the contrary, she thought it was good.
If past grievances could be set aside, then life could move forward peacefully.
“I saw it,” Shu Yao said sincerely. “To be honest, I was surprised. Over the years, Mengmeng kept telling me all sorts of negative things about Yiyan, so before coming back, I was quite worried. But now that I’ve seen her in person, I feel relieved.”
In the days before her return, she had been uneasy. Jiang Yiyan had suddenly liked her social media posts, something that had never happened before.
Given their past relationship, she had not dared to think it was goodwill, so she had been anxious for days.
Only now did she finally feel at ease.
Seeing how naive her daughter was, Cai Wenqing became even more worried.
“It’s not that Jingmeng was deliberately speaking badly about her. What she said was simply the truth. Over these five years, Yiyan hasn’t changed at all, she’s only become worse, even more malicious than before.”
“That’s exactly why I’m worried. People don’t change their nature so easily. If she didn’t have some hidden motive, why would she suddenly change so much?”
“You’re so simple and trusting. I’m afraid you’ll be taken advantage of.”
Her mother’s words did make Shu Yao more cautious toward Jiang Yiyan, but she did not voice it. Instead, she tried to reassure her mother.
“Don’t think like that. For Dad’s sake, we should believe that she’s truly changed. Dad hopes for a harmonious family, and we also want a peaceful life. Isn’t this good?”
Cai Wenqing’s brows remained tightly furrowed. Not only did her daughter’s words fail to comfort her, they made her even more uneasy.
“It’s not her causing trouble that worries me,” she said. “It’s her being too well-behaved… especially if it’s all an act.”