Chapter 820 - 282: Jie Jingsi, Are You Out of Your Mind?

With her son having lost his fertility, her grandson was her only hope. If she chose to protect her daughter, she would offend the Jie family, and the Xu family lacked the power to fight them for Xiao You. By accepting his father’s proposal to save his second brother, she was promised the right to visit her grandson whenever she wanted. Furthermore, Jie You would provide for her in her old age and arrange her funeral. Liu Guihua knew all too well that she couldn’t rely on her own son.

Qin Mei lowered her head in silence.

Jie Jingchen gazed at her and added, "Between Xu Chunyan and Second Brother, one must be sacrificed."

Qin Mei looked up, meeting Jie Jingchen’s deep, dark eyes. "Your father convinced Liu Guihua, but what about Xu Chunyan?"

"Liu Guihua will convince her," Jie Jingchen replied. "For Xiao You’s sake, Xu Chunyan will be persuaded."

Qin Mei fell silent again. Children were a mother’s greatest weakness. Any woman with even a shred of maternal love would gladly sacrifice herself for her child.

"What will happen to Xu Chunyan in the end?" Qin Mei asked.

"Labor camp," Jie Jingchen answered.

It was to be expected. Qin Mei had thought that both Xu Chunyan and Jie Jingwei would be sent to a labor camp. However, after her father-in-law’s behind-the-scenes maneuvering, Xu Chunyan ended up taking the fall for everything.

"Where is she being sent?" Qin Mei asked.

"The Northwest," Jie Jingchen replied.

Qin Mei was taken aback. "Xu Anshan was sent to the Northwest, and now Xu Chunyan is being sent there too? Are they sending her there so the father and daughter can reunite?"

Jie Jingchen chuckled. "Meimei, the Northwest is a massive region. They won’t necessarily end up in the exact same place. Besides, even if they do, they’ll both be labor camp convicts. If they want to continue stirring up trouble, do you really think the security out there is that lax?"

Qin Mei pursed her lips, offering no further comment.

This was Xu Chunyan’s retribution. If she hadn’t provoked her, their family of three could have lived happily. She truly couldn’t fathom what went through Xu Chunyan’s mind. Why was she so obsessed with molding a sister-in-law to her liking? If Xu Chunyan hadn’t caused so much trouble, she would never have retaliated. Even after getting a divorce, Xu Chunyan still hadn’t let it rest. Had Xu Chunyan been smart enough to come to her senses, work diligently, and live an honest life, her future would have been incredibly bright. Instead, the more setbacks she faced, the harder she fought, resorting to increasingly despicable and vicious methods. In the end, it culminated in a sentence to a labor camp.

Political background checks scrutinized three generations of a family. With a mother in a labor camp, it would be almost impossible for Jie You to pursue a career in the military or politics.

"Jie Jingsi, does your father hate me?" Qin Mei asked in a mild tone. She didn’t care in the slightest about her father-in-law’s attitude toward her. As long as her mother-in-law treated her well, that was enough.

"Hate?" Jie Jingchen’s eyes flickered slightly. The word "hate" was too sharp. "No. You reported Xu Chunyan, not Second Brother."

Qin Mei burst out laughing. They really were cut from the same cloth. She had thought that even if her father-in-law didn’t hate her, he would at least shoot her a few glares. However, he proved to be magnanimous. Whenever he saw her, he acted as if nothing had happened, never once uttering a harsh word of blame.

With Xu Chunyan sent to the Northwest, Lin Yaru had also quieted down. Aside from Wen Xingnan occasionally dropping by to force a conversation with her, her days passed quite peacefully.

"Meimei, time to get up." Having finished making breakfast, Jie Jingchen called out to wake Qin Mei.

Clutching the quilt, Qin Mei rolled over, turning her back to him.

"Meimei," Jie Jingchen said, patting her shoulder.

"Don’t bother me," she grumbled, irritated at being roused from her sleep.

"Meimei, you’re going to be late." Sitting on the edge of the bed, Jie Jingchen yanked the quilt off her.

Qin Mei reached out to snatch it back. Failing to do so, she gave up, curling her body into a ball as she mumbled groggily, "I don’t go to school, and I don’t go to work. What could I possibly be late for?"

"Meimei, did you forget? Today is the day of the college entrance examination." Jie Jingchen scooped her up into his arms. Ignoring her struggles, he carried her toward the bathroom.

Qin Mei opened her sleep-crusted eyes and shot him a resentful glare. "Jing Qi isn’t taking the college entrance exam anyway," she said petulantly. If Jing Qi were taking the exam, she would have taken it seriously and personally escorted him to the testing center. But since he wasn’t taking it, she naturally didn’t care.

"Jing Qi isn’t taking it, but I am," Jie Jingchen said, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"What did you just say?" Qin Mei was stunned, suddenly wide awake. Her almond eyes widened in absolute shock and disbelief as she stared at him. Seeing that he didn’t seem to be joking, she swallowed hard. "Are you serious?"

The smile on Jie Jingchen’s lips widened. He lowered his head and kissed her—not a deep kiss, just a light peck—before pulling away. He carried her into the bathroom and set her down. "Hurry up and wash. After breakfast, you’re taking me to the testing center."

Qin Mei’s mind was in turmoil. Jie Jingchen was taking the college entrance exam? Why hadn’t she known about this? She had urged him to take it before, but he had refused. Why had he suddenly changed his mind?