Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

  “Mom, don’t be ridiculous. Qiao Nan probably has nothing to do with Chen Jun knowing about her whereabouts. It’s Chen Jun. I already said that Chen Jun likes Qiao Nan a lot. I guess that he’ll want to get together with Qiao Nan now that he’s divorced me. You know what Chen Jun does too. It’s difficult for us normal folks to find out where Qiao Nan went, but it’s nothing more than a phone call away for Chen Jun.”

  “.……” Ding Jiayi’s expression stiffened. Was Zijin kidding? What was going on? Why was Zijin always speaking up for that wretched girl today? She had scolded that wretched girl because her heart ached for Zijin and she felt that Zijin had suffered because of that wretched girl. “So? If Chen Jun wants to get together with that wretched girl, why did he call us to tell us where that wretched girl is? Will Chen Jun be able to marry that wretched girl if we look for her and make a din?”

  What was Chen Jun doing? Did he like her or did he hate her?

  Qiao Zijin bit on her lip, not bothering to explain to her mom the meaning of a ‘love-hate relationship’. “Men care a lot about their pride, especially men like Chen Jun. Think about it. Qiao Nan’s already forty. There are so many women crying and begging to marry Chen Jun, but Qiao Nan’s like a piece of wood and hasn’t shown any sign of affection for him. That’s why Chen Jun’s upset.” To put it more accurately, his embarrassment had turned into anger.

  \r \r \r

  Something must have happened between the two of them, but she was not clear about what Qiao Nan had done to anger Chen Jun. All she knew was that Chen Jun’s concern that they had not made trouble for Qiao Nan could only show how much he cared for Qiao Nan.

  Chen Jun did not like her and she had even cheated on Chen Jun. Apart from getting a divorce from her and not giving her any alimony, Chen Jun had not done anything overboard. Qiao Nan was different. Qiao Nan was someone Chen Jun had thought of for over ten years. If Qiao Nan had not restrained herself and left him with some dignity, Chen Jun might have flown into a bigger rage.

  “So, what does he mean by his phone call, telling us where Qiao Nan is and even asking us to kick up a fuss in front of Qiao Nan?” Ding Jiayi was getting more confused as she listened to Zijin. Was this how youngsters dated nowadays? It seemed like such a mess to her.

  Qiao Zijin poured a cup of water for Ding Jiayi and pulled Ding Jiayi onto the chair, changing the conversation topic from the property deed to Qiao Nan’s relationship with Chen Jun. “Think about it. Qiao Nan’s never made many friends even when she was in school or when she went out to work. She might be so reclusive that she might not even have someone to talk to. If we make trouble for Qiao Nan now and she can’t handle it, who do you think Qiao Nan will turn to for help? Who do you think Qiao Nan knows who will also be able to convince us not to create any more trouble for her?”

  “Chen Jun?” Yes. Yes! As long as Chen Jun made a request, she could only follow suit. She always felt a little uneasy when she looked at Chen Jun, but she could not tell why.

  She was unreliable and Old Qiao was useless. In front of Chen Jun, Zijin was helpless as well. Right. As long as Chen Jun were to interfere in the matter, the Qiao family would be like deflated balloons, utterly helpless. “So, Chen Jun wants us to create trouble for Qiao Nan so that she’ll look for him for help?”

  Seeing Qiao Zijin nod, Ding Jiayi could not help but ask, “Zijin, what’s the point in your telling me all this? Why don’t you just tell me what you’re thinking of doing? You know that I’m not as intelligent as you are. If you don’t tell me frankly, I’m afraid that I might mess it up for you.”

  “Mom, I want Qiao Nan to marry Chen Jun and be my son’s stepmother.” As long as Qiao Nan married Chen Jun, all her worries would disappear. Perhaps, if she insisted on Qiao Nan not having her own children, Qiao Nan would not even dare to get pregnant. Once her son was old enough and had the ability to take most of the Chen family’s assets as his own, she would then be so kind as to allow Qiao Nan to become a mother.

  Qiao Zijin was clear that she would never be able to control whether Chen Jun’s second wife gave birth to a child, unless that woman was Qiao Nan.

  Ding Jiayi pinched herself on the thigh. It hurt so badly that she scrunched her face up. “Zijin, have you been angered by that wretched girl so badly that you’ve gone mad? Why are you spouting such nonsense? Zijin, what did you just say? I didn’t hear you clearly. Can you repeat yourself?”

  “Mom, I want Qiao Nan to marry Chen Jun and be my son’s stepmother.” Qiao Zijin almost repeated her words ad verbatim. “Mom, I haven’t gone crazy, and neither am I being foolish. I’m serious. Mom, listen to me. So many people looked up to you in the courtyard because Chen Jun was your son-in-law. I’m sure you haven’t forgotten about that. Do you know just how many of our neighbors looked down on us and laughed at you, asking when Chen Jun would come to visit you? Aren’t you angry at them and hurt because of that? Don’t you want to retaliate?”

  “Of course I do!” Even in her dreams, she had started to dream of Zijin getting married to someone with higher qualifications than Chen Jun after getting divorced from him. But the moment that piece of news emerged, Ding Jiayi had given up such a dream.

  Qiao Zijin’s eyes glimmered. “That’s good. Mom, as long as you want it, I’ll try my best to fulfill it. Chen Jun was promoted again. If the person he gets remarried to is Qiao Nan, then Chen Jun would be your son-in-law again. Won’t that be good?”

  “It is. But what will happen to you.” It seemed a little strange for her elder son-in-law to become her younger son-in-law, but it was fine as long as he was her son-in-law.

  “What do you mean? If Chen Jun marries Qiao Nan, he’ll be my brother-in-law in the future. I have such a huge check in my hands, living in such a good house, and even have a brother-in-law like Chen Jun. Think about it, Mom. No one will dare to bully me if I encounter any troubles. It won’t be easy for me to find another man, but I’m sure that once Chen Jun becomes my brother-in-law, there will be a whole line of men with better-than-average qualifications lining up to marry me. After they marry me, they won’t even dare to bully me like Chen Jun did in the past. What’s so bad about that?”

  Ding Jiayi was almost convinced by Qiao Zijin’s words because the picture that Qiao Zijin painted did seem rather ideal. “If this is really what you want, I don’t have anything against it. To me, there’s nothing more important than you.”

  The more Ding Jiayi thought about it, the more she felt that Qiao Zijin was right.