Shocking! The Broke Campus Heartthrob Is My Child’s Father - Chapter 76

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Lin family returned to a peaceful quietness similar to before.

Mr. Lin’s two sons had gone back, and Madam Lin had sent Lin Kexing to stay at her maternal home for a few days. During the daytime, the only master of this house was Madam Lin herself.

Since Madam Lin took over the family’s charitable foundations, she’d had her own conference room and study built into the grand estate.

Today, in that vast study, only Madam Lin and Mrs. Jiang remained.

The room’s soundproofing was excellent, and Madam Lin had deliberately closed the door. Seated in the wide office chair, she watched Mrs. Jiang’s expression with keen interest—though even now, thinking about it, she still felt a sense of dread.

Was Mrs. Jiang’s plan feasible? Certainly.

Was the probability of success high? Very high.

Madam Lin didn’t know whether to be grateful that Jiang Yan had no romantic interest in Kexing. Thinking carefully, if years later, Kexing and Jiang Yan got together and were determined to marry, could she stop them? Of course not. And if Kexing and Jiang Yan were together, wouldn’t she, as a mother wanting her daughter to have a better life, help her son-in-law? She definitely would.

“Is there anything else you want to say?” Madam Lin asked.

Mrs. Jiang shook her head.

There was nothing more to say; as the saying goes, history is written by the victors.

However, she still wanted to know one thing.

Everything had been almost flawless—even her own son Jiang Yan didn’t know her intentions. How did Madam Lin find out?

At the Lin residence, she had been extremely careful. Every word she said to Lin Kexing, even if passed on, couldn’t be faulted.

How did Madam Lin know?

Mrs. Jiang had been pondering this question since yesterday, thinking back and forth without any clue.

She had suspected Jiang Ruoqiao, but quickly dismissed the idea. Jiang Ruoqiao was just a twenty-year-old student who didn’t know Madam Lin. They moved in different circles and were unlikely to meet, so it couldn’t have been Jiang Ruoqiao who told her.

Could it have been Kexing? Unlikely—Kexing was currently immersed in pain, not wanting others to know about this matter. Kexing would absolutely not voluntarily mention it to Madam Lin.

So who could it be?

Mrs. Jiang finally asked, “How did you find out?”

Madam Lin didn’t answer. Understanding Mrs. Jiang’s cunning, one would know she was like a venomous snake. Although she had no relation to Jiang Ruoqiao, Ruoqiao was just a student who had kindly informed her. There was no need to reveal Jiang Ruoqiao’s name; it wouldn’t benefit her at all. After a moment of silence, Madam Lin finally said, “Someone did notice something wrong with Kexing. She lost weight drastically. I was too busy with work to notice, but that doesn’t mean others couldn’t see. I naturally care about my daughter, so I had someone look into it. Then I learned that night Kexing returned to the city from the farmhouse, but she didn’t come home. I became suspicious, especially when I remembered you said you were going to take care of a sick friend…”

Mrs. Jiang laughed bitterly. So that’s where the flaw was?

Madam Lin smiled slightly, “Would you call this returning good for evil, or perhaps,” she paused, “the story of the farmer and the snake?”

“‘Returning good for evil’?” Mrs. Jiang savored the phrase, then looked up. “Isn’t it more like charity? You must have enjoyed these ten years, enjoyed keeping me under your foot, watching me circle around you like a servant.”

Madam Lin didn’t get angry. “Whether it was genuine or charity, regardless of my intentions, haven’t you and your son lived comfortably these ten years? Comfortable enough to scheme against someone else’s daughter, coveting another family’s fortune.”

Mrs. Jiang lowered her head and laughed, “Scheme against your daughter? Do you really understand your daughter? Do you know what kind of person she is? You don’t think I seduced your daughter into liking Ah Yan, do you? Have you ever wondered why your daughter listened to everything I said? It’s because I knew what she was thinking. I said what she wanted to hear. That night, I wasn’t by her side; I didn’t tie her legs. She went to Ah Yan’s room in the dark on her own.”

At this point, they were just hurting each other.

Mrs. Jiang knew Madam Lin wouldn’t make this public. Madam Lin feared Mr. Lin finding out, and even more, she feared others knowing.

Otherwise, after learning about it, why would she have endured until now?

Those who have nothing to lose don’t fear those who do—Mrs. Jiang understood this principle deeply.

“Is it that I seduced her, or that I went along with her heart and said what she liked to hear, and then she misunderstood? Isn’t it clear?” Mrs. Jiang laughed coldly. “Your daughter is ruined.”

If she were to evaluate without considering family background, she felt that Ah Yan’s girlfriend was far superior to Lin Kexing in many ways.

No mother can tolerate someone speaking about her child like this.

Madam Lin had been calm until now—Mrs. Jiang knew exactly how to provoke her and make her unhappy.

Seeing Madam Lin’s face turning ashen, Mrs. Jiang felt quite satisfied: Ten years! She had endured for ten years!

“If Wenyan were still alive, if the Jiang family were still around,” Mrs. Jiang continued to provoke, “do you think I would have considered your daughter worthy to be my daughter-in-law?”

Madam Lin’s face was ashen, but upon hearing this supposedly most infuriating statement, the flame in her heart suddenly extinguished. She smiled more composedly. “If you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have forgotten. Do you know why I took you and your son in back then? You can call it charity if you want, but I prefer to call it sympathy, pity.”

They had known each other for nearly thirty years.

Who didn’t know the other?

“The cause of Jiang Wenyan’s death was clear; he died in a car accident,” Madam Lin smiled slightly. “But you may not know where he was going at that time.”

Mrs. Jiang snapped, “What does that have to do with you? Wenyan was just going to buy medicine for Ah Yan!”

“You believe that?” Madam Lin asked. “He was going to the airport to send his mistress abroad. Perhaps even heaven couldn’t stand it, so he was killed in the crash. I don’t know whether to say he was hateful or to say you were pitiful. You thought a penniless young man who suddenly rose to success would remain faithful to you? Honestly, I don’t know what all your scheming is for. If you say it’s for your son, is this really what your son wants? If it’s for yourself, what can you gain?”

Madam Lin now sighed deeply, “Do you remember your dream when you were in school? You may have forgotten, but I still remember. You said you wanted to be famous, a female entrepreneur, to achieve your own career. But now? Who have you become like this for? I know you want to revive the Jiang business, but have you thought clearly—is it Jiang Wenyan’s Jiang company, or your son Jiang Yan’s Jiang company? Even if you wanted to start your own company and be a female entrepreneur, I would say that’s admirable. But you doing this for the Jiang company makes me think you’re extremely pitiful!”

Mrs. Jiang refused to believe these words. She tried to remain calm and eventually laughed, “You’re just saying all this to anger me. I won’t believe a word you say. Save your breath.”

Madam Lin looked at her, with an expression of both pity and helplessness. “You can ask your son if this happened. Do you think your son doesn’t know? Why has he been reluctant to mention his father all these years, and never brings him up? Every time you mention him, how does your son feel?”

Mrs. Jiang shook her head, “I don’t believe a word of it.”

*

Mrs. Jiang left the Lin residence.

Madam Lin would never trust this person, so she had someone follow Mrs. Jiang.

Mrs. Jiang tried to find Jiang Yan, but he refused to see her. Later, she returned to her former hometown in a daze. At over forty years old, she was unwilling to seek employment as an ordinary worker, yet she didn’t have many savings to maintain her lifestyle. One can imagine how difficult the days ahead would be.

Madam Lin understood Mrs. Jiang too well. She had heard her words but refused to believe them, too afraid to even verify the truth.

Madam Lin knew what Mrs. Jiang was thinking. Mrs. Jiang’s departure was actually waiting for Jiang Yan to eventually care enough to look for her. After he found her, she could use Jiang Wenyan’s affair to question him. At that time, she would be the suffering, vulnerable mother who had been kept in the dark by her son for many years. Her son would feel guilty towards her, and she would regain his trust and care.

After so many years, time had changed people beyond recognition. The Mrs. Jiang who once loved Jiang Wenyan so deeply that she wanted to follow him in death had eventually used this deep emotion to scheme against her own son.

Did she love Jiang Wenyan? Did she love Jiang Yan? It didn’t seem so.

But if you say she loved herself, that didn’t seem right either.

Madam Lin looked at their graduation photo. The once most dazzling and beautiful girl had become like this.

Would Mrs. Jiang’s current retreat-to-advance scheme succeed?

Not necessarily.

Madam Lin looked at her daughter’s photo and couldn’t help but sigh deeply. Children will always grow up, and besides life itself, what parents cannot control are their children.

Mr. Lin knocked and entered. The couple chatted as usual. Mr. Lin asked where Mrs. Jiang had gone, after all, she had been in this home for ten years. Generally, Mr. Lin would remember housekeepers who had worked for such a long time, not to mention Mrs. Jiang was once Madam Lin’s classmate and good friend.

Madam Lin smiled and replied, “She said she’s willing but unable now, and that relatives back home are sick, so she wants to go back to take care of them. If she’s not busy in the future, she’ll come back.”

She won’t come back.

Kexing will gradually get used to it, with Auntie no longer being a part of her life.

*

Jiang Ruoqiao’s grandparents were coming.

After consideration, she didn’t book a hotel but rather a vacation rental with two bedrooms and a living room. Elderly people probably fear staying in hotels alone, so this rental would be better. She could live with them and would immediately notice if anything happened. The rental she booked was just in the neighboring community to Lu Yicheng’s rented apartment, only a few minutes’ walk away. The community environment was also quite nice, and importantly, it was close to her school and convenient for transportation.

Her grandparents would arrive tomorrow. Jiang Ruoqiao first went to the rental to see if there were any necessary supplies to be added.

In the evening, Lu Yicheng’s advisor needed to see him, so Jiang Ruoqiao took Lu Siyan to play at the rental, arranging with Lu Yicheng to pick up Lu Siyan there directly.

Jiang Ruoqiao was enthusiastically arranging things.

Although they would only stay for a few days, she still bought a milk pot. The rental had a kitchen and condiments. Her grandparents were accustomed to cooking their own noodles for breakfast, and she worried they might not be used to local snacks. Thinking of her grandparents coming, Jiang Ruoqiao was both worried and excited—worried that her grandmother’s health might truly have problems, and excited to be able to take the two elderly people out for a good time.

Lu Siyan was also very curious: “Mom’s grandparents, are they very old?”

Jiang Ruoqiao smiled, “Actually, not too bad. My grandfather is seventy-two this year, and my grandmother is seventy-three.”

Lu Siyan counted on his fingers. Wow, seventy-two and seventy-three! He was only five this year, so they were really, really old!

“Is their hair all white?” Lu Siyan hummed a tune, “The old duck-herding grandpa, with a white beard~”

Jiang Ruoqiao: “…Not completely white. Actually, my grandparents are very beauty-conscious. They dye their hair every New Year. They were local handsome men and beautiful women back in the day. Just look at me—I look a lot like my grandmother when she was young.”

Lu Siyan had many questions. At first, Jiang Ruoqiao would answer, but as she answered, she noticed something was wrong. She put down the humidifier in her hand, recalling a possibility, and her face suddenly turned pale. Siyan asking like this… did it mean that in that future, he hadn’t met her grandparents?

Jiang Ruoqiao sat down beside Lu Siyan and asked with a rough, extremely difficult voice, “Siyan, Mom wants to ask you a question. Have you never met your great-grandma and great-grandpa?”

Lu Siyan has a good memory. He thought for a moment, then shook his head, “No, I haven’t.”

Jiang Ruoqiao suddenly froze.

Her throat felt dry, and her eyes began to sting.

No, it’s not possible.

Her grandparents were in such good health. Maybe Siyan had met them but didn’t remember…

But she knew that, given how much her grandparents loved her, they would definitely want to see Siyan frequently. Even if they couldn’t meet in person, they would video call.

Siyan’s memory wasn’t poor, so it could only mean… in his memory, he had never met them.

But that was only a few years from now!

Jiang Ruoqiao lost her composure. She stood up, saying she would wash her hands, then went to the bathroom, closed the door, and turned on the faucet.

Actually, from a very young age, she knew what death meant.

She had seen her father covered with a white cloth.

She also knew her grandparents were seventy-two, and she would be twenty-seven when she gave birth to Siyan, which was still seven years away.

When people get older, life, aging, illness, and death are no longer distant issues.

She knew, she knew all of this! But she just couldn’t accept it.

*

Lu Yicheng entered after knocking.

Lu Siyan opened the door. After changing his shoes, Lu Yicheng saw Lu Siyan standing anxiously at the bathroom door. He was curious and walked over, asking softly, “What’s wrong? Is your mom inside?”

Lu Siyan nodded solemnly.

“I think I did something wrong,” Lu Siyan was very remorseful. “It’s the first time I’ve seen mom with that expression!”

Lu Yicheng stood there, only hearing the sound of water from inside.

He thought for a moment, then led Lu Siyan to the balcony before asking, “What happened?”

Lu Siyan told everything truthfully, “Mom asked me if I had met my great-grandma and great-grandpa, I said no, and then mom went to the bathroom.”

So that was it.

Lu Yicheng fell silent. There were chairs on the balcony too. He sat down and unconsciously took out his phone from his pocket, his fingers slightly trembling as he opened the photo album.

At first, he had very few photos in his album. It was only after Siyan came that the number of photos increased.

There were a few photos in the album that were very, very blurry.

In the photos was an elderly person with white hair and wrinkled skin.

There was the elderly person sitting in a chair, looking nervously at the camera; the elderly person sitting on the sofa, falling asleep while watching TV; and also the elderly person… lying asleep on a hospital bed.

It was his grandmother, who had lived with him for many years.

Occasionally, he would feel regret—regret that he grew up too slowly to let her enjoy even a day of prosperity, and regret that if only Siyan had come earlier.

Grandma seeing Siyan would have been extremely happy, and she would have liked him very much.

Indeed… it was regrettable.