Chapter 2674 - 478: Bonus Update Three

"Qingling, did you come with friends?"

Jian Ye took his hand off his earring and put it in his pocket, always sporting a handsome smile.

Bai Qingling nodded and heard Qingqing and Qinghuan talking as they came out from the bathroom doorway. She conveyed this to Jian Ye silently.

Jian Ye turned to take a look.

He lowered his gaze, raised his eyes, and contained his smile, speaking sincerely, "It was wrong of me to scare you earlier. To express my apology, let me cover lunch for you all today."

"Master Designer Jian, is your money jumping to get out?"

Qinghuan teased with a smile from a few steps away.

Jian Ye seriously took out his wallet to check, "Seems like it’s not yet, but it’s my honor to invite a few beautiful young ladies to a meal. Please give me a chance to offer my apology."

Qinghuan and Qingqing chuckled with closed lips, "You’ll have to ask Qingling."

"Yes, it’s up to Sister Qingling."

"No need for today."

"Qingling, you’re not mad, right? You definitely aren’t."

Jian Ye’s words earned him a roll of Qingling’s eyes, and then she said seriously, "It’s not just the three of us today; there are elders and guests in the private room. Let’s talk about it another day when there’s time."

...

After lunch, Mother Chu took Jiang Qian back to the hotel, while Qinghuan and Qingqing each went back to work.

Momo didn’t have work in the afternoon, so she went back to the Mo family with Qingling.

The two of them entertained the little adorable Zirui for an entire afternoon and then had dinner at the Mo family before Qingling finally went home.

Hotel

Mother Chu took an afternoon nap and, after being scolded by Father Chu, was utterly dispirited.

"Aren’t you afraid that your actions will spread to the Imperial City, bringing mockery upon Junming?"

Father Chu seriously criticized Mother Chu, "If you truly care about Junming, you wouldn’t act out every day. Before I came, Junming told me that if you destroy the bond between him and his brothers and continue this way, he’ll leave the company, run away from home, and never return again."

Originally bowing her head, Mother Chu stood up suddenly upon hearing this.

In disbelief, she looked at Father Chu, "No, how can that be?"

"Can’t be?"

Father Chu sneered coldly.

Gazing down at Mother Chu from his tall stature, "From childhood to now, has there been anything Junming did that you could say no to and he’d stop doing it? Do you still not understand what kind of person your son is?"

Mother Chu froze for half a minute.

Reflecting on it carefully, it was indeed as Father Chu said.

From a young age, Chu Junming always had his own opinion on things, whether it was swearing brotherhood with Ye Zhan, Tang Jinchen, and Feng Yize that she disagreed with him having fun with Feng Yize.

Or when he joined the company as a teenager and insisted on starting from the ground up, she worried about his hardship and strongly opposed.

Or the first major reshuffling when he took over the company, relatives pleaded to her, and she begged him for favors.

Later, she arranged blind dates for him.

He never listened to her.

Her grown-up son no longer listens to her, leaving Mother Chu with an indescribable feeling inside, decidedly uncomfortable.

Father Chu observed her expression of being negatively impacted and frowned, speaking coldly, "You chose to be a housewife for all these years out of your own will, not because I disagreed with you working. When Junming is married in the future, his married life will be his own decision."

"Do you think it was my unwillingness to work back then?"

Father Chu’s words struck a nerve in Mother Chu, her voice suddenly sharp, and her gaze turned mocking.

"Wasn’t it?"

Father Chu’s face turned sour, asking stiffly.

Ever since their marriage, she never worked a day outside.

Mother Chu suddenly laughed.

But the laugh was full of self-deprecation, "Not working after marriage was something your family elder demanded I promise before I married you. If I didn’t agree, he wanted you to marry another woman."

"Chu Hancheng, your family’s tradition was to forbid women from working. As the daughters-in-law of the Chu family, they were only to bear children, be good wives, and teach the offspring. Did you really not know this? Everything I’ve done up until today was just as taught by your parents, and it was the family rule I’m merely executing, ensuring it passes down generations."

Mother Chu pursed her lips tightly, "If I hadn’t been out of work all these years, would this method of freezing cards scare me now?"

Father Chu was speechless for a long time with Mother Chu’s words.

The atmosphere froze.

"I didn’t know they threatened you."

After a long while, Father Chu’s strained voice rang out.

He had always opposed the family rules.

Mother Chu avoided his gaze, her eyes reddening, "Now, what’s the point of saying all this? I have given up half my life for the family and for you, and what do I get in return? My husband’s disdain, my son’s rebellion."

"I do not disdain you."

"Whether you do or not, you know it yourself."

There was a knocking sound from outside, Jiang Qian’s voice came through the door, "Godmother, are you inside?"

Mother Chu glanced up at the ceiling, then coldly eyed Father Chu before turning and lying back on the bed.

Father Chu opened the door, his tall figure blocking most of the doorway, and said to Jiang Qian standing outside, "Your godmother is still asleep. You can eat dinner by yourself, no need to wait for her."

Jiang Qian responded.

Father Chu then closed the door.

...

This Friday, Bai Qingling spent the morning at Qinghuan’s studio.

After Qinghuan finished her work, she saw Bai Qingling lounging on the sofa reading a book and secretly painted her.

Then sent the painting to Feng Yize.

Two minutes later, Qingling’s WeChat chimed.

Engrossed in her reading, she swiped away the notification, uninterested in checking it.

Until Qinghuan chuckled beside her, asking, "Sister Qingling, what are we having for lunch? Are we going back to eat or eating out?"

Bai Qingling reluctantly exited the reading app.

She opened WeChat, it was a message from Chu Junming.

[Qingling, lying down playing with the phone for too long is bad for your eyes.]

She blinked in confusion at first, then scanned the studio, finally sitting up, targeting the only other person in the studio besides her, "Qinghuan, did you paint me?"

If not, how could Chu Junming know she was lying down playing with her phone?

Qinghuan smiled, her gaze evasive, "No, I didn’t."

"Let me see how you painted me!"

Qingling’s certainty grew from Qinghuan’s expression.

She jumped up to try and snatch her phone.

Qinghuan giggled and dodged, both ran around the studio.

Seeing she was about to be caught, Qinghuan laughed, "Sister Qingling, let’s compete outside. If you catch me, I’ll show you."

Then, like a gust, she dashed out of the studio.

Qingling laughed and scolded, "You little rascal, just wait till I catch you!"

She chased out of the studio.

Nearby was a large sports field, Qinghuan ran ahead, Qingling pursued behind.

After several meters, they heard someone calling from across the road, "Qinghuan, Qingling."

The two stopped, turned to look across the street.

—

[Additional updates counted weekly, more to come.]