Chapter 639 - 223: Maternal Grandfather is Gravely Ill

’How could it be Jing Er? I personally saw Jing Si drive back. Why did it turn out to be Jing Er?’

"Yaru’s stomach hurts, and she won’t let me touch her. There’s nothing I can do," Li Axiu sighed.

Lin Yaru turned her head to look at Li Axiu, her eyes filled with resentment.

Li Axiu sighed again and explained, "Yaru, you asked me to go to the Jie Family and find your father-in-law to drive you to the hospital. I went to their house, but your father-in-law wasn’t home. Only Jing Si and his wife were there, along with Jing Qi. I thought about your... complicated relationship with Jing Si. If I had asked him to take you to the hospital, and the neighbors saw, there’s no telling what kind of gossip would start. To avoid all that, I had no choice but to call Jing Er."

Lin Yaru gritted her teeth. ’I planned for everything, but I never accounted for my own mother. She used to support me and Jing Si so much, and now she supports me and Jing Er just as fiercely.’

Lin Yaru’s fantasy was shattered by her own mother. She shot up in a rage and shrieked, "Mom!"

Li Axiu was startled by Lin Yaru’s sudden movement. Instead of blaming Lin Yaru for faking a stomach ache, she tried to calm her down, saying, "Yaru, don’t get so worked up. Listen to Mom..."

"Listen to what? You’re really my mother, aren’t you," Lin Yaru spat through gritted teeth.

With Jing Er right there, Li Axiu didn’t dare to say things too openly, even though everyone knew the truth. "Yaru, I’m doing this for your own good."

"For my own good? Are you? You’re doing this for my brother—"

SLAP! Li Axiu raised her hand and slapped Lin Yaru across the face. In her anger, she had used a lot of force, and a red, five-fingered handprint instantly appeared on Lin Yaru’s cheek.

Lin Yaru was stunned by the slap. Her eyes went wide as she stared at Li Axiu in disbelief.

’Mom actually hit me. She hit me in front of someone else! What did I do wrong? Is it so wrong to try everything to get close to the man I’m obsessed with?’

Jie Jingwei stood to the side, watching coldly. It wasn’t just Li Axiu; even he wanted to hit her.

’They were legally married. She was pregnant with his child. And yet, she was still scheming to get close to Jie Jingchen.’

’At this moment, he even regretted scolding Jie Jingchen for leaving Lin Yaru to fend for herself. This woman was married and still wouldn’t behave... Forget leaving her to fend for herself, he wanted to strangle her with his own hands.’

"Yaru." A flicker of guilt crossed Li Axiu’s eyes.

"Go on! Hit me! Just kill me and get it over with!" Lin Yaru lunged toward Li Axiu like a madwoman, deliberately bumping her with her pregnant belly. Li Axiu panicked. She didn’t dare move away, terrified that Lin Yaru might hit her stomach on the table. At best, she’d lose the baby. At worst, two lives would be lost.

"Yaru, calm down!" Li Axiu grabbed Lin Yaru’s shoulders. Seeing her daughter acting so crazed gave her a splitting headache. She turned to Jie Jingwei, who was standing nearby, and pleaded for help. "Jing Er, hurry and stop her! Don’t let her hurt the baby!"

Having been called out by name, Jie Jingwei could no longer remain a cold bystander without looking completely heartless. He strode forward and yanked Lin Yaru’s wrist, his deep eyes burning with fury. "Are you done?"

"No!" Lin Yaru roared, glaring at Jie Jingwei. ’He’s the one who ruined me! If it weren’t for him, I would still have the right to get close to Jing Si. Mom and Dad would still support me. As long as I dressed up beautifully every day, Jing Si would eventually notice my beauty, divorce Qin Mei, and marry me!’

The two locked eyes, both of them seeing the blazing fury in the other’s gaze. Neither was willing to back down.

"Jing Er, she’s pregnant. She’s being unreasonable and needs to be taught a lesson, but you can’t lose your senses," Li Axiu cautioned, afraid that Jing Er would lose control and hit her daughter—even though, at that very moment, she wanted to do the same.

Jie Jingwei gritted his teeth and took a deep breath, trying to calm the rage churning inside him. He looked at Li Axiu. "Don’t worry, Mom. I know my limits."

Li Axiu opened her mouth, but no words came out. ’My son-in-law has already said so much, what else can I add? My daughter really went too far this time. If we let this slide, who knows what irreversible mistake she’ll make next.’

Li Axiu made a decision. She said to Jie Jingwei, "Jing Er, have a good talk with Yaru. As long as you don’t hurt the baby, you can use some... special methods to teach her a lesson she won’t forget."

These "special methods" were, without a doubt, a hint that she was giving Jie Jingwei permission to hit her daughter. She supported a light punishment, not a violent beating.

Jie Jingwei was stunned for a moment, then gave a helpless smile. He said to Li Axiu, "Mom, she’s my wife, and she’s pregnant. How could I bear to hit her?"

’Even if he wanted to give her death by a thousand cuts in his heart, he would never admit to his mother-in-law that he wanted to beat her daughter.’