Chapter 16.2

Zhan Jiayin looked at Li Nanjue, who was deep in thought. A pool of bitterness bubbled from within her heart.

She knew Li Nanjue was regretting, regretting that he treated Xu Manqin so coldly. If Xu Manqin had never died, nothing would have changed. But now that she is dead, her image has been popping up all over the place. To top it off, she died miserably. Burnt to a crisp in a fire. Her former grace and beauty were seared off.

Zhan Jiayin stepped forward and spoke warmly, “Although jie jie died, Xiao Xiao is still here. When the time comes, we can give jie jie’s things and some of the family assets to her to make up for her loss.”

[T/N: Jie jie, in this case, refers to a slightly older woman.]

Rather than waiting for someone to bring up this, Zhan Jiayin thought it’d be better to take the initiative. After all, she had promised Li Xiao that she would get her a portion of the family fortune.

Li Nanjue took one last look at the video, which displayed Xu Manqin holding the doll. With a sweet expression, Xu Manqin spoke to the clothed chair, “Nanjue, today is Xiao Xiao’s tenth birthday. Let’s sing her happy birthday together and wish her eternal happiness.”

He suddenly remembered that he had ignored Li Xiao’s coming-of-age ceremony. He hadn’t even been bothered to bring her a gift. Not a word of blessing was given to her. But for Qianfei’s coming-of-age, everything was set up to revolve around her. Thousands of people were coming to celebrate.

Li Nanjue turned off the video. He declared gloomily, “I’ll give Xiao Xiao 10% of the company shares, as well as the building downtown.”

When Zhan Jiayin heard this, she nearly jumped up.

Nanjue’s parents owned 15% of the company, and Nanjue owned 37%. Previously, Nanjue had told Zhan Jiayin that he would give Qianfei and Qianxing 5% of the company shares for their birthday. She thought he would also give Li Xiao 5% and a few houses. She would have never thought he would give Li Xiao 10% and the building downtown. That building was by no means small. The floorplan was impressive, and there were five floors. Not to mention, it was located in a bustling district. Zhan Jiayin estimated it’s price to be at least 5 billion. Originally, she had wanted to leave that building aside for Qianfei and her shop.

[T/N: Reminder. The house is 5 billion RMB. Not USD or Euros.]

That combined with the things Zhan Jiayin would have to leave for Li Xiao would come to be more than what Jiayin’s own daughter was inheriting. How was her daughter inferior to Li Xiao?

A thought suddenly crossed Zhan Jiayin’s mind. Xu Manqin died at a bad time.

Xu Manqin’s death caused Li Nanjue’s guilt towards Li Xiao to reach an all-time high. For the first time ever, he wanted to be a loving father.

Her eyesight turned slightly blurry. All Nanjue could think about was Li Xiao. What about Qianfei and Qianxing? They were also his children, and they endured sufferings since childhood. But, Zhan Jiayin couldn’t oppose it. After all, she was a tender and loving woman. How could she block a father from giving his daughter a part of the family fortune?

Zhan Jiayin could only lie with a smile on her face. “That’s what you should do.”

Li Nanjue looked at her with a tender expression, and his eyes softened. “Jiayin, thank you for your empathy. I knew you would be able to understand me.”

He reached out to hold her hand, thinking that he was fortunate to have Jiayin by his side. She was considerate and valued love over money.

Just then, Li Nanjue’s actions were interrupted by his anxious, fatherly emotions. He lifted his head to see his eldest daughter, Li Xiao, sweaty from running in.

“What’s wrong Xiao Xiao?”

Li Xiao hesitantly said, “Dad, can I see Mom?”

Li Nanjue’s heart jumped. “Your mom is still recuperating. It wouldn’t be convenient for you to visit her.”

Li Xiao sniffed and said, “I haven’t seen Mom in a long time. I really miss her. I- I dreamt of Mom last night.”

“Mom came to find me, in my dream. She told me to live happily and to not make you mad. I’m worried. Is Mom really okay?”

Li Xiao lifted her head, revealing her eyes moistened by tears. She looked pitiful. Those who were usually strong, when they suddenly displayed their vulnerabilities, it had a terrifying power over others.

Li Nanjue’s heart was filled with guilt, a feeling he seldom had. But he couldn’t tell the truth to the pair of teary eyes in front of him. “Your mom is fine. Her treatment has reached a critical stage.”

The only thing Li Nanjue could do was put this behind him. He couldn’t have Li Xiao thinking that they were responsible for her mother’s death. He never would have thought Li Xiao would have that type of dream. Did Xu Manqin herself, perhaps, appear in Li Xiao’s dreams?

When Xu Manqin left this world, she was still thinking about them, which allowed Li Nanjue to feel confused about his own feelings. Originally, Xu Manqin was 90% bad in Li Nanjue’s heart, and at most, 10% good. But, after her death and his recent infatuation, the amount of goodwill he had for her increased.

Li Nanjue coughed and changed the subject. “You’re already of age. Some of your mom’s assets will be given to you.” He continued, “This was her idea. It just so happens that I also want to give you a gift to make up for not giving you a coming-of-age gift last year.”

Li Xiao cooperatively widened her eyes. “What present?”

She glanced at Zhan Jiayin’s pale face and had a good feeling about this.

After brushing up favorability with Li Nanjue, Li Nanjue returned to the company. He had some paperwork to do to prepare for the transfer of company shares.

Li Xiao hadn’t thought Li Nanjue would be so generous to give her company shares worth millions. Of course, she gratefully accepted them with an unrestrained smile on her face.

After Li Nanjue left, Zhan Jiayin came over and quietly said, “Xiao Xiao, I persuaded your father today. He said he’ll also prepare some property to give you. So shouldn’t you take that video…”

Li Xiao was amused. Li Nanjue was giving her things, but that was only a result of Xu Manqin’s death. Zhan Jiayin was being difficult and twisting things to make it seem like she contributed a portion. Li Xiao couldn’t imagine her current frustration.

People who were accustomed to receiving from Li Nanjue had to find comfort elsewhere once they felt like he wronged them.

As a result, Li Xiao acted trusting. “Okay. Wait until I receive it. Then, I’ll get rid of it. Don’t forget to remind Uncle Ren to give me 1 billion. There’s no way he can’t afford it, right?

“But with his status, it should be simple, no? He treats you really well. He’s even willing to give me 1 billion for you. Although I don’t like him, I must admit, Uncle Ren is the type of guy I’d marry.”

Zhan Jiayin had just been hurt because of Li Nanjue’s actions. In her heart, she started to lean more towards Ren Shaotang. He was such a proud man, so how could she quietly let him give money to Li Xiao for her. This was her fault, so she had to help him!

After Li Xiao completed her routine of driving a wedge between them, she waved her sleeves and left.

But she hadn’t thought that her provocation would have had such quick results.

August 5th

Li Xiao grabbed a stack of photos and shuffled through them. The photos were taken by Zhang Yan, who had been following Ren Shaotang. Zhang Yan naturally had advantages because she was a female ghost, and she could easily install surveillance cameras. Her hard work hadn’t gone to waste, and the result came out to be some pretty good pictures.

In the first picture, Ren Shaotang was reaching out to wipe cake crumbs from the corner of Zhan Jiayin’s mouth. His expression was filled with love, tenderness, and helpless doting.

In the second picture, Zhan Jiayin had slipped, and Ren Shaotang had reached out to support her with one arm wrapped around her waist and one at the small of her back. Zhan Jiayin’s ears were bright red.

In the third picture, Zhan Jiayin was crying, and Ren Shaotang seemed concerned as he anxiously looked at Zhan Jiayin.

In the fourth, Ren Shaotang was embracing Zhan Jiayin in his arms.

……

Li Xiao took her time to admire the photos. Although she wasn’t particularly fond of Zhan Jiayin, she had to admit, even though Zhan Jiayin wasn’t remarkably gorgeous, she was still photogenic. Although Zhan Jiayin was 37, her demeanor resembled that of a young girl’s.

From the 30 photos, Li Xiao chose 10 that were particularly ambiguous. Zhan Jiayin really didn’t seem to care that she was married. She was even roaming around with her second male lead. It seemed that although lovers part, they still long for each other. Although Zhan Jiayin may think that she and Ren Shaotang are merely friends, the public’s opinion would be more important.

The hat on Li Nanjue’s hat was especially large, green, and dazzling. Admiring the hat by himself would be too pitiful. Li Xiao thought she ought to let other people admire the hat on his head, as well!

[T/N: There’s a saying in Chinese that when a man is cheated on, he wears a green hat. Can be applied to women, too, but is more commonly used to describe men.]

Fantastic! Let’s send a picture to that scum dad and sexist grandma first!