Qiao Nan had already thought that it was strange for Ding Jiayi to give up so easily. But it was good that no trouble was brewing, especially the kind caused by Ding Jiayi that was difficult to solve.

  Whether it was because Ding Jiayi didn’t want to make the call or because someone had stopped her from doing so, only the two people in the Qiao family in Ping Cheng would know the answer to it.

  Ding Jiayi was infuriated and anxious but also helpless. “Old Qiao, if something happens to Zijin, you’d better not regret it and push the blame to me.” Why was Old Qiao being so stubborn?

  “Nothing will happen to her as long as she knows her place. If anything happens, we will be the first ones. She’ll never let anything happen to her.” Qiao Dongliang was indifferent and his tone was firm. “I’m not stopping you from interfering, but that will be on you.” Was Old Ding trying to push the blame to him? Did she really think that it would be his fault if it wasn’t her fault if something happened to Zijin?

  Was it just one person’s fault when a child got hurt? Both parents were to be blamed! As Qiao Zijin’s parents, neither he nor Ding Jiayi could shirk responsibility for bringing up Qiao Zijin in this manner. As such, both he and Ding Jiayi would be at fault if something were to happen to Zijin. The only one who would be innocent was Nan Nan.

  \r \r \r

  “Fine, I won’t interfere in it. Will that do?” Ding Jiayi had been in a dilemma for a long while over whether to stand on her husband or daughter’s side. Her daughter was all grown up, and Qiao Zijin had already told her that she was never returning to Ping Cheng, and neither should Ding Jiayi visit her. Ding Jiayi had been terribly miserable after hearing those words, but that also meant that she no longer needed to make that difficult choice between her husband and daughter.

  There was no point in choosing her daughter since her daughter didn’t need her nor cherish her, and neither did she even want her mom by her side. As such, as soon as Qiao Zijin treated her with that attitude, her two choices had been narrowed down to a single choice. Qiao Dongliang was the only choice left, and Ding Jiayi was no longer caught up in a dilemma.

  “Heh. This isn’t the first time you’re saying that. When I told you not to make that phone call the last time, didn’t you still do so anyway? I think that you’d better pack a few pieces of clothes and visit Zijin in the capital since you worry so much about her. Didn’t Zijin say that she’s going to settle down in the capital and not return to Ping Cheng? It looks like Zijin is going to make a name for herself. Otherwise, how can she possibly sound so arrogant? You’ve finally waited until this day. It seems like you haven’t raised your daughter for nothing. If you go to the capital, you won’t have to worry about her anymore, and you can even enjoy a good life thanks to her. You’d better go to the capital to prove that you haven’t raised Zijin in vain.”

  When that time came, Ding Jiayi would live in the capital while he lived in Ping Cheng. That way, they would stay in their own lanes and both their lives would be better than they were now!

  Ding Jiayi felt a tinge of guilt. It was true that she was at fault for making the phone call. “Old Qiao, don’t get upset. I’ll admit my mistake. Touch your heart and tell me if you’re really not concerned about Zijin’s situation after she arrived in the capital. Yes, I did make that call. But Qiao Nan didn’t answer it in the end. So, we shouldn’t be talking about how that phone call could have affected Qiao Nan. I’m not going to the capital.”

  Her elder daughter, Qiao Zijin, was unreliable. That had nothing to do with whether Qiao Zijin had money or not. This was not the first time Ding Jiayi had come to that realization. If Qiao Zijin had no money, she wouldn’t even be able to protect herself, let alone take care of her mom or be filial to her.

  On the other hand, if Qiao Zijin got rich, she would definitely keep everything for herself. Perhaps, if Qiao Zijin thought of her mom from time to time and decided to be filial to her, Ding Jiayi would already be quite lucky.

  Between Qiao Zijin and Ding Jiayi, Ding Jiayi understood that no matter how well she treated Qiao Zijin while sacrificing her own interests, there would never come a day when Qiao Zijin would repay her kindness.

  “Yes, you don’t want to go to the capital.” Old Ding must have known that she wouldn’t be able to depend on Qiao Zijin. That was why she hadn’t dared to think of relying on Qiao Zijin to take care of her in her old age. Old Ding had wanted to live out the rest of her life with him on the account of their decades of marriage. But as long as Qiao Zijin was in the slightest bit dependable, Old Ding would have dumped him for her daughter.

  At the thought of this, Qiao Dongliang wondered if he should think of that as his own misery or Ding Jiayi’s misery.

  Ding Jiayi had already confirmed that Qiao Dongliang’s reaction had been abnormally strong. Now, she no longer dared to call Qiao Nan behind Qiao Dongliang’s back. Fine, she wouldn’t call her. Zijin might have changed her phone number, but she hadn’t. That meant that Zijin would still know her phone number. As long as Zijin ran into some problems she couldn’t solve, she wouldn’t have to contact Zijin. Zijin would naturally contact her.

  With that thought, Ding Jiayi finally felt at ease.

  Qiao Dongliang glanced at Ding Jiayi. “Don’t you think it’s too early for you to relax? You must know why Zijin insisted on going to the capital this time. It seems like there’s a pile of gold waiting for her there. Before she went there, I saw the two of you always mumbling to each other in the room. What’s Zijin up to?”

  Ding Jiayi’s gaze wavered. “She was always with me, trying to persuade me to go to the capital with her. How am I supposed to know why she wants to go to the capital? I’m sure you’re clearer than me about how expensive the houses are in the capital. If I go to the capital, Qiao Nan can’t afford to not take care of me. Then, as long as Qiao Nan arranges accommodation for me, Zijin’s accommodation will be taken care of too. She just wanted to save that sum of money.”

  Since she couldn’t be of any help to Qiao Zijin, Ding Jiayi had better not let any of Qiao Zijin’s secret slip to Qiao Dongliang. If she were to tell Qiao Dongliang about it, Zijin would definitely disown her.

  “I don’t believe you.” Qiao Dongliang’s expression was full of suspicion. “It’s impossible that she wants you there just for a free stay. I was tricked by you the last time. I want to see what you’re going to do this time that Zijin’s not with you. Tell me. Why did you throw away my identity card, steal my bus ticket, and stop me from going to the capital? How did Zijin manage to arrive there before me? You’d better explain it all to me.”

  Ding Jiayi wanted to kneel down before Qiao Dongliang. It had been almost half a year since that incident. Why was Qiao Dongliang still harping on it? “Old Qiao, you’re really overthinking it. I had nothing to do with your identity card going missing.”