Chapter 660 - 229: Meimei, That’s 108 Stabs

He was trying to speak to her seriously, but she just teased him in return.

Jie Jingchen’s expression faltered. "Meimei," he said helplessly.

"Haha." Qin Mei chuckled and patted Jie Jingchen’s shoulder. "I was bored, so I thought I’d tease you a little."

"Stop joking around. You still haven’t answered my question." Jie Jingchen feigned anger and brushed her hand off his shoulder.

"What question?" Qin Mei gave him a sly smile, feigning confusion.

Jie Jingchen pressed his lips together, staring at her with a look of reproach.

"Are you mad?" Qin Mei sat up straight and nudged his arm with her shoulder. Seeing him glare at her with a stone-cold face only made her want to tease him more. She reached out, hooked a finger under his chin, and lifted it slightly. With a roguish grin and a look that practically begged for a slap, she said, "Hey there, handsome. Come on, give me a smile."

"Qin Mei, be serious," Jie Jingchen said, his brow twitching as his expression darkened.

’He’s no fun to tease,’ Qin Mei thought, losing interest. She poked his chin one last time before slumping back against the sofa, resting her cheek on one hand while draping the other over the backrest. "English, French, Korean, Russian..."

"Meimei." Jie Jingchen couldn’t listen anymore and cut her off.

"You don’t believe me?" Qin Mei met his gaze. She was telling the truth. ’Too bad he doesn’t believe me,’ she thought. ’Nothing I can do about it.’

Jie Jingchen stared at her, saying nothing. He neither confirmed nor denied her claim. After a minute of staring, Qin Mei caved. She shrugged nonchalantly. ’Believe it or not. Who cares.’

Qin Mei got up, stretched with a complete disregard for her image, and yawned. "I’m sleepy. I’m going upstairs for a nap."

Qin Mei headed for the stairs, expecting Jie Jingchen to trail eagerly after her. Instead, he remained on the sofa, lost in thought.

A flicker of unease went through Qin Mei. ’This isn’t good,’ she thought. ’The original owner of this body had a squeaky-clean, simple background—she was supposedly an illiterate who’d slipped through the cracks. But now, everything that should have stayed hidden has been exposed.’

’I could somehow explain away the medical skills. But knowing all these languages? How am I supposed to explain that?’

Qin Mei slapped her own mouth in frustration. ’This damn mouth of mine! Always getting me into trouble. There was a translator right there, why did I have to show off and speak German? I’m just asking for it.’

’It’s a good thing Jie Jingchen is retired. If he were still climbing the ranks, he’d probably launch a full-scale investigation into my background.’

Qin Mei went upstairs to her room and lay down on the bed. She stared at the ceiling, but sleep wouldn’t come.

’Did Jie Jingchen really sacrifice himself for the Qiao Family? And what can I do to turn this whole situation around?’

’My arrival has become a wild card in so many people’s lives. Do I really have the power to save the ones I want to save?’

"Eldest Young Master," the butler’s voice said.

Jie Jingchen snapped out of his trance, pushing aside his swirling thoughts. He looked at the butler with a frown. "Did you see my aunt?"

"Yes." The butler nodded, glancing up toward the second floor. "I relayed the Master’s message to the Governor’s Wife, word for word, just as he instructed."

Jie Jingchen’s expression was grim. He crossed his legs, his long fingers drumming an irregular rhythm on his thigh. "You know, you could have altered the message slightly."

The butler gave a bitter smile. ’Alter it how? By changing ’Eldest Miss’ to ’Eldest Young Madam’? Would I dare to unilaterally change the Master’s words?’

"Eldest Young Master, I wanted to, but I didn’t have the nerve." The butler had become the head steward of the Qiao Family not just because of his competence, but because he was obedient. He followed the Master’s orders to the letter.

"What was my aunt’s reaction?" Jie Jingchen asked.

"Angry," the butler replied honestly.

A dark look flashed in Jie Jingchen’s eyes, and his lips curved into a semblance of a smile. "That’s a normal reaction."

Jie Jingchen said no more. He stood up and brushed off some nonexistent dust from his clothes. He took a single step before turning back, walking over to the telephone, and picking up the receiver to dial a number.

After a few rings, Mr. Xie’s formal, unyielding voice came on the line. "Hello?"

"Dad, it’s me," Jie Jingchen said.

Hearing his son’s voice, Mr. Xie grew agitated. "Jing Si, where’s your mother? How is your grandfather’s health? Is he really seriously ill, or is he just faking it again?" he asked urgently.

Mr. Xie was deeply worried. He hadn’t slept a wink the previous night. He knew that if his father-in-law was only pretending to be sick, Yan Qiu’s temper meant that even if it was too late to return that same day, she would have been back first thing in the morning. But she hadn’t returned, nor had she called. He was frantic.

His parents-in-law couldn’t stand the sight of him. Yan Qiu hadn’t suggested he come along, and he didn’t dare ask.

The Jie Family was no match for the Qiao Family, and he felt he was unworthy of Yan Qiu. They had been married for over twenty years and had three children, yet his parents-in-law, who doted on their grandchildren, still refused to acknowledge him as their son-in-law. It was a source of deep-seated failure for him.

"Grandfather is faking his illness," Jie Jingchen said. He clearly heard his father sigh in relief on the other end. A pang of bitterness hit Jie Jingchen. ’When a son-in-law isn’t liked by his in-laws, it’s not their fault. It must be because the son-in-law is too incompetent. Father should really do some self-reflection.’

’Then again, self-reflection wouldn’t do any good. Grandfather and Grandmother don’t like him, and that’s all there is to it.’

Before he married Qin Mei, Jie Jingchen would have just gloated over his father’s predicament. But now that he was married, he was a son-in-law to the Qin family, and whether they would accept him was anyone’s guess.

"How did your mother react?" Mr. Xie asked.

Jie Jingchen fell silent, unsure how to answer. After Qin Mei had stirred things up, whatever deep-seated resentment his mother had felt had completely evaporated.

"When is your mother coming home?" Mr. Xie asked again.

"Dad, there’s something I need to tell you beforehand," Jie Jingchen said, his voice turning serious.

Mr. Xie’s heart plummeted. A terrible premonition washed over him. ’His in-laws have convinced Yan Qiu. She’s agreed to divorce me.’

The thought of divorcing Yan Qiu sent a sharp, suffocating pain through his chest. He loved her. He didn’t want a divorce, didn’t want to lose her. What would he do with the rest of his life if she wasn’t in it?

Mr. Xie couldn’t accept it. He didn’t have the courage to hear what Jie Jingchen was about to say, so he hung up the phone. Faced with the prospect of divorce, Mr. Xie made the childish choice to run away.

"Hello? Dad?" Jie Jingchen heard the dial tone and felt his face darken with frustration. He hadn’t even said anything yet, and his father had already hung up on him.

The butler, standing off to the side, watched as Jie Jingchen held the receiver with a look of baffled helplessness. The corner of the butler’s mouth twitched. ’The Master’s son-in-law hung up on the Eldest Young Master. So rude. No wonder the Master can’t stand him.’

Jie Jingchen put the receiver down and tried dialing again, but the line wouldn’t connect.

"Eldest Young Master, perhaps the telephone on his end suddenly broke?" the butler asked tentatively.

Jie Jingchen set down the receiver and rubbed the bridge of his nose. ’The phone isn’t broken. My dad obviously just pulled the cord out of the wall.’

"Old Madam, please slow down," the nanny’s voice called out.

"Xiao Hua, what do you think? Is this jade bracelet beautiful?" the grandmother asked her nanny.

"It is," the nanny replied.

"Do you think my eldest grandson’s wife will like it?" the grandmother asked.

The nanny paused, then shook her head, looking troubled. "I’m not sure about that. You should ask the Eldest Miss; she would know the Eldest Young Madam’s tastes better."

"Why bother asking her?" the grandmother grumbled. "She promised to go shopping with me to buy a wedding gift for my grandson’s wife. But the moment she ran into some friends, she ditched us and dragged Jing Shan off to a party."

"Old Madam, we’re getting on in years. The activities of the young folk aren’t for us," the nanny said, trying to soothe her. She then spoke up for Yan Qiu, "The Eldest Miss so rarely gets to come home. It’s only natural she’d want to catch up with friends when she sees them."

"Is it that she rarely gets to, or that she simply doesn’t want to?" The grandmother grew more incensed as she spoke. "If my daughter wanted to come home, she could come home anytime. The problem is, she doesn’t want to."

Seeing that the grandmother was getting worked up, the nanny quickly changed the subject. "Old Madam, I heard the Eldest Young Master mention that the Eldest Young Madam is fond of money."

"Really?" The grandmother’s anger dissipated as quickly as it had appeared.

The nanny beamed at the grandmother. "The Eldest Young Master said so himself yesterday. It must be true."

"Haha, it’s good that she likes money, very good! If there’s one thing our Qiao Family doesn’t lack, it’s money." The grandmother was overjoyed. She already liked Qin Mei and was eager to indulge her.