“Ji Yan?”
Before Ji Yan could turn around and return to her room, she was stopped. She turned around and looked at Shang Yunan, a slight heaviness in her heart.
“Father?”
Compared to how Mrs. Shang had emphasized for Ji Yan to call her respectfully countless times, Shang Yunan didn’t really care about these titles.
“Call Jinshen and ask him to come home early.”
Call Shang Jinshen? She would rather die. The man’s mood was unstable.
No matter how reluctant she was in her heart, Ji Yan had to nod obediently on the surface. After returning to her room, she picked up the phone and stared blankly for a long time before reluctantly dialing a string of unfamiliar numbers.
“Hello,” She heard a cold voice answer and Ji Yan didn’t know what to say. Should she ask him to come home for the family dinner that Shang Yu An and his mother would attend? She was afraid that Shang Jinshen would kill her on the phone.
“Ji Yan, speak.” Shang Jinshen’s tone was a little impatient. Perhaps only he knew that deep down in his heart, he was worried and not impatient.
“Um, Father’s back, and he said that you should come back early for dinner.” She can’t mention Shang Yu An. Ji Yan quickly sped through and wanted to hang up the phone as soon as possible.
“Are you afraid of me?” On the other side of the phone, Shang Jinshen asked dangerously. He did not care whether Shang Yunan would come back or not.
Ji Yan was dumbfounded. “You want me to be afraid of you, don’t you?”
Shang Jinshen held his breath. She wasn’t afraid at all. It was an obvious provocation!
This stupid woman has suffered so much. Why won’t she learn how to act obediently?
“Then come back early,” Ji Yan said and then hung up the phone. It was most tiring to compete with Shang Jinshen in wisdom and courage. That man was difficult to figure out. If she competed with him, she would die sooner or later.
What’s there to be afraid of? Ji Yan just didn’t want to face him. His indifference hurt her, but his occasional gentleness made her yearn for it. In any case, it was not a good sign.
Shang Jinshen listened to the beeping sound on the phone and looked gloomy. How dare she hang up the phone on him? However, when he remembered that Ji Yan had asked him to go back early, Shang Jinshen looked a little better. It felt good that someone was waiting for him.
Ji Yan’s plan to hide was in vain. She helplessly called Li Wenjing to talk for a while and asked the manager for leave while she idly applied ointment to her arm.
After a while, she heard the sound of a car engine. Ji Yan put down the ointment and went to the windowsill. She saw Shang Yu An, who was wearing a suit, arrive.
Shang Yu An opened the door and a pair of delicate high heels fell to the ground, revealing a beautiful face Ji Yan was familiar with. It was Liu Lian, Shang Yu An’s mother.
She was just like her name. Liu Lian came from an offshore town in the South River, gentle and beautiful. She always spoke in a soft voice, making people feel fond of her.
“Yu An, bring in all the gifts we brought,” Liu Lian said softly.
Shang Yu An held Liu Lian’s arm, picked up the exquisite paper bag with one hand, and walked toward the living room. Maybe it was his intuition, but Shang Yu An looked up somewhere on the second floor.
Ji Yan’s heart tightened and she closed the window.
“Master Shang, I’ve come with Yu An.” Liu Lian walked towards Shang Yunan with a smile and snuggled up like a little bird leaning against a man.
Madam Zhang stuck her head out of the kitchen and took a glance. She quickly withdrew her sight and continued cooking.
“Father,” Shang Yu An greeted and then looked around, looking up at the stairs from time to time.
As soon as Mrs. Shang came back, she saw this blinding scene. Liu Lian was sitting on her usual seat and chatting intimately with Shang Yunan. The harmonious atmosphere instantly made her face sink twistedly.
“Smack.” Mrs. Shang threw the keys on the counter.
Seeing her, Liu Lian showed a hint of joy on her face. “Xiulan, you are back?” She sat still as if she were the real hostess of the Shang family.
Mrs. Shang swept a sharp glance at her and looked at Shang Yunan. She questioned, “Why did you bring them to our house?”
Dissatisfied with her tone, Shang Yunan said in a low voice, “We’re all family. What’s wrong with having a reunion dinner together?”
“Reunion dinner? I think you’re getting more and more confused as you live. How dare you bring a mistress back openly?” Mrs. Shang’s tone was full of disdain. “Shang Yunan, now that you’re rich, are you going to disregard your wife’s reputation?”
Every wealthy family had some dirty secrets under their glamorous facade. But to protect their reputation, they would not put it on the stage. For example, Ji Yan’s biological mother was also secretly sent abroad by the Ji family. They were afraid that it would cause gossip.
But Shang Yunan often appeared in front of the public with Liu Lian. Liu Lian’s means were so ingenious that she could convince Shang Yunan to provoke his wife for her.
“Xiulan, we don’t mean to do anything else. We’re just bringing some gifts back to visit you and Jinshen,” Liu Lian said pitifully. She looked as if she was wronged and her hands were tightly gripping Shang Yunan’s sleeve.
Mrs. Shang was fuming. “B*tch, I didn’t even find trouble with you, and you’ve come to mock me. I think you can’t recognize who is the lady of the Shang family!”
“Enough, Xiulan, where did all of your education go?” Shang Yunan’s face was full of ire as he asked in a stern tone.
Mrs. Shang laughed instead. She had already lost her rationality. “Shang Yunan, don’t forget who is the one you relied on for today! Without me, without the Han family, you would still be useless trash.” The Han family was Mrs. Shang’s maiden family. They had a deep foundation in the North River City, which was why Han Xiulan was raised with a high-handed and dominant character.
Shang Yunan came forward and slapped her. A man who used his wife’s family influence was already disgraceful, and Mrs. Shang further taunted him about it. No one could stand it.
It was no wonder that Shang Yunan did not care about his wedded wife and doted on the mistress all day. Compared to Mrs. Shang, Liu Lian was just like a gentle little flower.
She took Shang Yunan’s hand and comforted him in a warm voice, “Don’t be angry, Master Shang. Without your management, we couldn’t have come this far in the North River City.” Her words made Shang Yunan’s face look much better. Although he had borrowed the momentum of the Han family, the reason why his company had its current status was because of Shang Yunan’s business talent.
Mrs. Shang was trembling with anger. She pointed at Liu Lian and screamed, “Get out of my place!”
Liu Lian immediately hid behind Shang Yunan’s back. Shang Yunan gave Han Xiulan another slap. “This is the Shang family. It’s my territory. Han Xiulan, don’t go too far.”
“Hey, it’s so lively.” A cold voice came from outside the door. Han Xiulan was beaten dizzy and couldn’t help looking out the door with joy on her face when she heard the man’s voice.
Shang Jinshen came in with a smile. His face was so horrid that even his laughter was a little creepy.
Shang Yunan looked at his second son and calmed down. He held Liu Lian in his arms and sat back on the sofa.
Han Xiulan immediately rushed to Shang Jinshen and sobbed with a grievance, “Son, if you had not come back soon, I would’ve been driven out by outsiders!”