Han Lin blushed, and then her face turned white. ‘What does he mean by that?’ she thought.
At this moment, Han Lin’s parents grew a little embarrassed. Han Lin never had to work a day, yet she liked keeping up with the Joneses. Although such a personality might not seem to be a huge deal, when compared to Ji Yan, Han Lin appeared to be uneducated and useless.
“You’re still young, so you still have lots of opportunities to improve,” Ji Yan added, attempting to ease the tension.
Shang Jinshen shot a glare at Ji Yan. This woman really did not know what was good for her. He spoke up for her, yet she insisted on playing the villain.
At the same time, Ji Yan wondered why Shang Jinshen would suddenly speak up for her. Nevertheless, she felt lucky that he did not side with the others to find fault in her.
Han Xiulan said nothing when she saw how biased Shang Jinshen was, but she had already lost her appetite.
That night, none of them asked about Shang Yunan, the head of the Shang family. After all, he had not returned home for many years. Naturally, Han Xiulan was angry at him, as she knew that he must be staying together with Liu Lian, his lover.
Han Xiulan was used to being domineering, so she would never go down on her knees and call Shang Yunan. As a result, the two of them grew apart.
After seeing off the Han family, Han Xiulan sat on the sofa, then looked at Ji Yan while saying coldly, “You’re getting bolder and bolder, aren’t you? Do you really think you are the head of the family now?”
Ji Yan only silently cleaned up the mess on the table. She knew that Han Xiulan would vent her anger on her once the guests left. Forget it. She would just pretend to be deaf and bear with it.
Han Xiulan was bored by Ji Yan’s silent treatment, and when she could not quell the anger in her heart, she shouted even more aggressively, “What? You don’t even respect me now?”
Ji Yan put down the utensils and replied, “Madam, you can tell me what you want me to do.” She only wished to live a peaceful life in the Shang family, and she had no other thoughts.
Han Xiulan’s brows lifted in anger. “Ji Yan, don’t think that you’re so great just because you won first place. Let me tell you. Our family doesn’t think so highly of you.
So stop making a fool of yourself. You better quit your work as soon as possible and stay at home to serve your husband and mother-in-law. Do you hear me?”
Ji Yan clenched her hand and said with a firm look, “Madam, this is the only thing I can’t promise you. I’ll never give up designing.”
Han Xiulan suddenly sprang up from her seat and smashed the glass in her hand. She then shrieked, “You! You either quit your work or get out of our family. I’ll let you choose.”
“Mom, it’s not worth it to get angry over this.” Shang Jinshen suddenly appeared in front of the stairs, glancing around the room casually. He then said to Han Xiulan, “Let her do what she likes. You wouldn’t want to have a daughter-in-law like Han Lin who only knows how to make trouble, do you?”
Han Xiulan looked at Shang Jinshen with dissatisfaction. “What’s wrong with Han Li? Her family has power and influence, so what’s wrong with being a pampered lady?”
Shang Jinshen sneered. “You’ll know it when she acts against your orders one day. All right, Mother. From now on, you’d better not interfere with Ji Yan and I’s relationship.”
Ji Yan listened to Shang Jinshen’s words in silence and thought he seemed to be defending her. Thus, she turned around and walked to the kitchen with the utensils. She did not wish to be involved in the conversation any longer, lest Han Xiulan grew even angry seeing her face.
After helping Madam Zhang wash the dishes, Ji Yan came out of the kitchen and went upstairs when the living room finally became quiet.
She stopped outside Shang Jinshen’s study room and noticed the lights were still on. She hesitated for a moment, but still reached out and knocked on the door softly.
“Jinshen, it’s me,” she called out and waited.
After a long while, she heard the sound of the wheelchair sliding, and Shang Jinshen’s face, which seemed a little horrifying under the illumination of the light, appeared in front of her.
“What’s the matter?” His voice was as cold and ruthless as ever.
Ji Yan shook her head. “It’s nothing. I just want to thank you.”
She was grateful to Shang Jinshen for speaking up for her that night. He usually treated her badly, but occasionally, he would be nice to her. Hence, she did not know what to do. In fact, his occasional kindness made her feel even more at a loss of what to do.
Shang Jinshen snorted. “You think I was helping you? Ji Yan, you’re not that naive, are you?”
Ji Yan frowned gently and handed him a cup of tea. “Anyway, I just came to thank you. No matter why you did so.”
Shang Jinshen did not reach out to take the cup of tea. Instead, he looked at Ji Yan with his dark eyes. “Then what are you doing? Currying favor with me?”
“I just want to live a peaceful life in the Shang family.” Feeling embarrassed, she stuffed the teacup into Shang Jinshen’s hand and turned to walk to the guest room.
Shang Jinshen was stunned for a moment by her reaction, and the hot tea in his hand made him a little confused. “What on earth is she doing?”
Meanwhile, Ji Yan buried her head in the blanket and bit her lip in annoyance. “Oh my god, what was I doing?” She thought to herself. She could not believe that she had sent Shang Jinshen tea to flatter him just because he spoke up for her!
She had already decided to stay away from that elusive man! Ji Yan thought, then let out an exasperated sigh.
She believed that Shang Jinshen was definitely not speaking up for her, and perhaps, he had other intentions. The more she thought about it, the more determined she was that he would not be so kind to her. Therefore, she reminded herself not to get confused.
Ji Yan fell asleep in a daze, and her dream was filled with flowery scents. She dreamed that she was snuggling with Shang Jinshen under a tree. The next day, when she woke up, she was almost scared to death by the dream. It was impossible that she and Shang Jinshen would never share such a sweet moment together. She thought.
She believed that her dreams were always the opposite, so Shang Jinshen and her had always been incompatible like fire and water.
After calming herself down, Ji Yan put on her clothes and got ready to go to work. The Shang family mansion was located in the most luxurious villa area in North River City. Of course, it was also the most remote location.
It usually took an hour for her to walk to the bus station. This was undoubtedly the most difficult thing for her. However, she was too embarrassed to ask the Shang family’s driver to drive her, so she got up and left the house at six o’clock in the morning.
At this time, the sky was still dark. Shang Jinshen could not fall asleep, and he spotted Ji Yan’s figure when he looked outside while smoking by the window.
When he saw Ji Yan walking out of the house in a hurry, he could not help frowning. “Does this stupid woman go out so early every day? It’s winter, and the sky’s still dark. She might encounter danger if she goes out so early.” Shang Jinshen could not help but think that Ji Yan was a bold woman.
He looked at the photos on the table again. Lan Si had sent them to him the night before, and the photos were all of Ji Yan’s whereabouts in the past two days.
He could not deny the fact that he had never seen the weak and gentle side of Ji Yan when she stood in the bush and stared at the old house with tears.
The Ji Yan he knew had always been strong and stubborn. She would never yield to please him or Han Xiulan, and she would always straighten up and put on a fearless expression.
The Ji Yan he knew would gamble her life for fifty million yuan for the sake of the marketplace. She would show her emotions through crying or smiling, but she never revealed the most genuine side of herself.
Shang Jinshen was confused, and he could not fall asleep. He could not figure out what was going on in his mind, but he still refused to believe in Ji Yan. He did not trust women.
Therefore, he looked away coldly. What Ji Yan did had nothing to do with him.