Chapter 2

  Su Lan was nervous for several days because of that phone number, but there was no news on her mobile phone, so she thought she had thought too much and stopped caring. She just focused on her own work.

  It wasn't until half an hour later that the customer rushed over.

  The customer was a young woman, beautiful in appearance, and dressed with great charm. Having met her several times before, she spoke fluently without any awkwardness, and there was no hint of resentment on her face from the divorce. She looked full of energy and vitality.

  Mi Ai wore 20 cm high heels, with a pair of black frames on her nose, and apologized repeatedly: "Sorry, Lawyer Su is really sorry, I just came over now." As she spoke, she took off her glasses.

  Su Lan raised her hand: "It's okay, you sit down first."

  Mei Ai tidied up her clothes and sat down, ordered a glass of plain water from the waiter, smoothed out her hair, and smiled elegantly: "Let's get started, Lawyer Su."

  Su Lan said: "Tell me about your situation."

  "My husband and I have been married for three years and we don't have any children. He has a mistress outside, and I'm planning to divorce him. Can you help me get the most benefits out of this?"

  "What's your idea, sir?"

  Mei Ai smiled broadly, as if telling an irrelevant person: "Who cares about him." She then flipped through a stack of photos and some documents in front of Su Lan, saying: "This is the evidence of his infidelity, and property. He had two sons before, now studying abroad, both are married, I don't want them to threaten me."

  Su Lan lowered her eyebrows and took a glance, the person in the photo was of an age that made him and Mei Ai seem... like a grandfather and granddaughter. But this kind of thing, she had seen it all before. She nodded: "I will try my best to fight for your greatest interests."

  Just then, Mei Ai's phone rang. She apologized to Su Lan with a glance and answered the call, her face suddenly blooming into a smile like a flower.

  Mi Ai changed her lazy posture and drawled: "What are you looking for me?"

  "Dealing with the divorce... huh? Not really, don't want to think about it, want to be with you... yeah, are you happy? Hmph, forget it, don't come over, don't want to see you." Her face was full of disdain as she hung up the phone and turned to Su Lan: "Sorry, Miss Su, for keeping you waiting so long."

  Su Lan shook her head: "It's okay." But she felt slightly uncomfortable in her heart, on the one hand disliking Mei Ai's style, and on the other hand thinking that this person was too much to handle.

  "Is there anything else to say?"

  She smiled and shook her head: "The information you provided is enough, I will contact you if there's anything else."

  Mi Ai stretched out her hand and said: "I'm really sorry, wasting your time for so long. Miss Su, I'll pay you double the compensation."

  Su Lan nodded and said, "It's okay, you have something to attend to first."

  Mi Ai nodded and beckoned to the waiter: "Check."

  After settling the bill, Mei Ai said: "Where is Lawyer Su going? I'll send you on your way."

  Su Lan picked up her bag and stood up: "No need to bother, I have another case."

  She smiled brightly: "It's okay, I'm on my way and I don't have anything else to do right now."

  Su Lan heard her just now on the phone, only felt embarrassed. Refused: "Forget it, you're busy."

  Mei Ai was taken aback for a moment, then smiled knowingly and said: "It doesn't matter, I'll send you over first."

  Su Lan just smiled.

  In the end, it was Mei Ai who sent her over.

  Su Lan arrived at the office.

  It's getting late, she didn't plan to go back to the dormitory either. At noon, Jinglu also won't come back, so she is alone.

  Su Lan went to the restaurant with a portion of food and passed by.

  When she got home, she saw her long-unseen mother-in-law in the living room, and Su Lan was stunned.

  Grandma usually doesn't come over for nothing, but she came this time. It turned out that she was looking for Jing Yang after asking.

  Su Lan was afraid that Zhao Yi would see the bag in her hand and talk to herself again, so she went straight to the kitchen to put down the bag and poured a pot of tea over, saying: "Mom, if you have anything to do with him, just give him a call. If he can't come back for a while, it's okay to leave a message for me."

  Zhao Yi's face was solemn, and he said, "This is a big deal, can't make a phone call."

  Su Lan saw Zhao Yi's unpleasant expression and stopped asking further questions.

  Zhao Ai asked: "When will Jing Yang come back?"

  She was taken aback, how to answer this, they were on a date, who knows where they went, maybe even to that woman's bed, disturbing someone else's love nest isn't good.

  Zhao Ai saw that she didn't respond, and sighed: "This family is entirely relying on women to hold it up. Don't mention anything about favoritism towards my son, just look at you, do you look like a woman? He's got no manners, but you're fine with it, turning a blind eye. I said back then that one of you was born in the year of the dog and the other in the year of the sheep, which would be a perfect match. It seems I was blind, how did you end up with him?"

  Su Lan dodged and didn't turn back, lowering her head and saying: "Mom, do you want to drink some water?"

  Zhao Yi gritted his teeth: "You, now don't care, I'm dead, he's even more unbridled, you'll be the one to suffer! At that time, you can cry and see."

  Su Lan nodded repeatedly and went to pour water, settled her mother-in-law, and hurriedly called Jing Yang. If she stayed like this any longer, wouldn't she be talked to death?

  It took a while for someone to pick up on the other end. When they finally did, they said, "What's going on?"

  "Mom is coming."

  "Come if you're going to come."

  "I'm looking for you because I have something to discuss with you."

  A rustling sound came from across the way, and a man's voice lazily said, "I've got some things to take care of, I'll be back at noon."

  "How long did it take."

  Half an hour.

  "Goodbye."

  After hanging up the phone, Su Lan went back to the living room to entertain her mother-in-law.

  When Jingyong returned, he saw Su Lan sitting upright and still, like a Buddhist in meditation.

  Su Lan looked at him and saw that he was about to step inside, so she pulled out a tune and said: "Change your shoes before entering!"

  "Looked down and saw her feet, impatiently opened the shoe cabinet, saying: 'Mom, what wind blew you over here.'"

  It must be a big deal that can make Zhao Ye take a special trip. However, this matter has to be traced back to a very long time ago.

  Jing's family has three siblings. Zhao Cai is the eldest, the second child Jing Min married into a Hou surname official family, and the third child married a businessman.

  This time it was the second daughter of the Hou family who got into trouble.

  A few days ago, Zhao Wei received a call saying that her second aunt had been hospitalized on the other side. She was old and had some problems, which was natural, so she didn't take it to heart. The next day, Jing Min called back, crying and wailing. She specially ran over there and found out that something big had happened, not a small matter, but a big one, an even bigger one. That's when she rushed over here in a hurry.

  It all started a few years ago, with the son of the Hou family, named Hou Qin. His current wife is Yang Yue, who was originally his mistress. Previously, he had another wife named Xuan Ya, who was beautiful and well-educated, although her family background wasn't as good as the Hous'. However, Hou Qin just couldn't stand her, and after more than three years of marriage, they finally divorced. At that time, everyone felt sorry for Xuan Ya, so his aunt tried to persuade her to be patient and wait for Hou Qin to come around.

  Who would have thought that Hou Qin had eaten the iron-hearted medicine of divorce, but Xuan Ya disagreed. He deliberately abused the child in front of Xuan Ya. Yang Yue was also ruthless, bringing her brain-dead fans to harass the Shi family with phone calls, splashing dirty water everywhere, and driving Xuan Ya's father to death.

  In the end, they got divorced. In the end, Xuan Ya wasted her youth, didn't have a child, and lost a loved one.

  Yang Yue and Hou Qin are always on the entertainment headlines, known as the Golden Boy and Jade Girl, just thinking about it is infuriating.

  At that time, everyone thought Hou Qin had gone too far, saying something that was not only unhelpful but also offended people. The Hou family was in power, and Hou Qin was still a second-generation ancestor, always looking down on others, it was not worth it for the whole family.

  Then, Xuan Ya left, and the water-like woman was worn out like a dried rape flower. She wore a grey long-sleeved sweater with her collar covering her mouth, revealing only a pair of dull eyes. Holding a small suitcase in her hand, she stood in the snow, making people's hearts ache to death.

  The Hou family and the Xuan family live in the same alley, just around the corner from each other.

  Su Lan saw her, and her whole body ached. Although they hadn't been sisters-in-law for many days, she heard that she was leaving and still agreed to see her off.

  At that time, everyone was eating at Jing's house.

  Su Lan said when sending people away.

  Hou Qin's face was like he had eaten shit, and with a loud bang, he slammed down his chopsticks. Yang Yue also put down her chopsticks.

  Jingxiang glanced at Hou Qin with a faint look and said to Su Lan: "Walk slowly, the road is slippery, be careful of your stomach."

  Su Lan's belly was already eight months big, her feet were invisible, she hummed a sound and turned to go out the door.

  It's just that Hou Qin couldn't stand it anymore, but didn't dare to trouble Su Lan. When beating a dog, one must consider its master. Hou Qin was afraid of Jing Yang and only feared this one person. When he saw Jing Yang, he was like a hound seeing its master, his tail almost wagging all the way up to his waist.

  Zhao Ai said bluntly, "Xuan Ya is back, and she's married a powerful man." Thinking of this, she couldn't help but shake her head. "In the past, that child didn't even dare to watch when killing chickens, so timid. But now she's become ruthless, cutting at Hou Qin's vital points with every knife stroke. It seems like she won't stop until she achieves her goal."

  "What's up?" Jing Yang also knew about it and didn't ask much, sitting on the sofa and asking.

  "You also know that your second aunt's family is very concerned about their reputation, Yang Yue used to do some shameful things, and Xuan Ya dug them all out."

  "What's going on with the Hou family now?"

  Zhao Ai shook his head: "Lost face, lost big."

  Su Lan added tea: "Second Aunt was looking forward to their divorce before, this time it's definitely going to happen!"

  "Another way to put it is that Houqin's temper will definitely clash with Xuan Ya's until the end. Moreover, she couldn't help but say: "Houqin was hospitalized recently and his life was in danger, but they still can't find the cause. He did a lot of wrong things before, so by rights, he should be punished. But you two are brothers, and Houqin has that kind of temper, this time it will be a fight to the death. Your uncle's position is over there, being watched closely, nothing can be done. Xuan Ya has a big background, it's inevitable that things won't end well. I'll get straight to the point, Houqin respects you the most, your second aunt's intention is to hope that you can talk to him and calm things down."

  Jingxiang laughed and said: "Mom, this matter can be settled by anyone, let alone me, even if I were to find Guanyin Bodhisattva, she wouldn't be able to persuade him."

  "Isn't this a bad time? Can't always be head-on, a gentleman takes revenge ten years later."

  He took a sip of tea, scalding his tongue, and gazed at the water cup in admiration. He then turned to Su Lan and said, "Why is the water so hot?" He gestured to the table: "Go exchange it for a cooler one and add some ice."

  Su Lan nodded and took the teapot to the kitchen.

  Jingxiang waved his foot and said: "I know something about this, let me say it, don't bother."

  "Admiration!"

  "That guy just wants to educate Hou Qin, can he really get him killed? Nonsense, as long as he's alive, when can't he turn things around?"

  It's said that Su Lan is close to Xuan Ya, right? Your second aunt meant for her to go and ask for a favor.

  Su Lan came out with the teapot, Jing Yang seemed not to have heard, turned his head and glanced at her, his tone gentle: "The tea leaves have been changed, the tea leaves in the pot have been steeped for so long that they can kill people."

  Su Lan didn't respond and reluctantly went back to change the tea leaves.

  Zhao Meng glared at him: "After all, she's your wife, how can you order her around like that, what kind of behavior is this?"

  "He smiled and said: 'She is very pleased.'"

  "I've told you already, you should at least show some gratitude, your second aunt has always treated you well."

  "I've heard what you said, don't worry about it."

  Zhao Ai let out a sigh, stood up: "It's getting late, I'm going back."

  Looking back, he patted his mother's shoulder: "You also know Su Lan's culinary skills, so I won't keep you." When sending her to the door, he opened the car door and directly shouted at the person in front: "Yue Fei, send the old lady home."

  Yue Fei nodded and said: "Good."

  Zhao Ai saw the car at the door and looked up at Jing Yang again, shaking his head helplessly.

  When Su Lan came out, there was no one in the living room. Jing Yang entered from outside and slammed the door shut with a "bang".

  She put down the teapot and said: "Has mom gone back?"

  "Uh-huh."

  "How did you go out wearing slippers again? Don't move, change your shoes and come back in."

  He didn't wait for a response and directly walked in, asking "What's for lunch today?"

  "I just bought some noodles back and one serving is not enough for you to eat."

  He paused for a moment: "Then what will I eat?"

  "She muttered: 'Who knows?' and turned into the kitchen."

  Admiration also followed in the past, seeing Su Lan had already put the noodles on a plate and stirred them casually, the red and green colors looked exceptionally good. After finishing, she carried the plate out.

  He said to himself, "When can you learn how to cook?" Then he rolled up his sleeves, went into the kitchen, lit the fire, threw in some vegetables and noodles, cooked them casually, added a bit of salt, and it was done.

  He waited until the other person took a bite, and after tasting it for two mouthfuls, he found it really disgusting. He slapped his chopsticks down on the table and saw that the person opposite him was eating with relish. He wanted to say something but didn't know what to say.

  "When can you learn how to cook?"

  "If you're hungry, just go out and eat, why come back and scold me."

  Jingxiang opened his mouth, unsure of what to say, then picked up his chopsticks and quickly finished the noodles in his bowl. He slammed down his chopsticks and went straight to the bedroom.

  At night, Jing Yang came back again, Su Lan was flipping through a book on the bed, and Jing Lu had already fallen asleep.

  He came in, she was stunned for a moment, and then pinched her throat and said: "Speak softly, don't wake up Lu Lu."

  Admiringly strolling over to the other side, he conveniently took off his jacket, kissed his son, then went to the bathroom for a shower, and put on pajamas before coming out.

  Thinking of what happened during the day, Su Lan closed her book and asked: "What did mom say to you afterwards?"

  Jingxiang lifted up the quilt and lay down, let out a breath, saying: "Let you go find Xuan Ya to talk."

  She nodded: "It's not impossible."

  "Stay out of this, it's none of your business."

  "Many?"

  "Benefits, power, and human relationships are all mixed together, you say it's messy or not?"

  She lowered her eyebrows and said: "Can't let mom be embarrassed."

  She looked up to see Su's eyebrows slightly drooping, the soft yellow light casting a warm glow on her face, highlighting the fine hairs, her skin translucent, and the corners of her lips slightly red against her black hair. He replied vaguely: "Then go visit Er Jie when you're free, we can talk about other things later, no rush." He reached out to touch her face: "Want to?"

  Su Lan slipped into the quilt like a fish, her big black eyes looking at him as she said in a muffled voice: "I have court tomorrow, go to sleep early." Then she burrowed deeper into the quilt, completely covering her face, leaving only the top of her head exposed.

  ………

  Su Lan drew a blank and then contacted Lu Yu again, before going to the hospital. She took a look at Er Gu and found that she was not in danger, but the Hou family was in chaos, with everyone running around like headless chickens.

  Plus her relationship with Xuan Ya, Su Lan standing there was not good, could only smile and hold on for a while, finally didn't say half a sentence, barely came out of the ward.

  Lu Yu was nonchalant, and when he came out, he snorted again: "Yang Yue really deserved it!"

  At that time, there were several people at home, and when they started talking, Su Lan only knew that Yang Yue's scandals in the entertainment industry had all been exposed. Her gold masters avoided her as much as possible, and Hou Qin was no better off. She sighed inwardly, wouldn't Jiang Yun not spare Hou Qin this time? She didn't feel particularly pleased, but rather that this entanglement would make Xuan Ya embarrassed, and her daughter was still at the Hou's house, which would inevitably affect the child.

  Su Lan looked at her and said, "What's your grudge against her?"

  "No grudges, no hatred." Lu Yu casually flicked his hair, "It's just that I dislike those scumbags. By the way, mom asked you to bring Luo Luo over to stay for a few days, when are you going?"

  "Mom didn't tell me." Su Lan looked bewildered.

  Lu Yu patted his forehead and said, "She must have forgotten."

  "Su Lan?" Just as they were talking, a female voice emerged from behind them.

  The two turned their heads and saw the approaching woman. Lu Yu nudged Su Lan with his elbow, saying: "Do you know her?"

  Su Lan felt a sense of familiarity, and after a while, she suddenly remembered that this was her junior sister from university. But then her heart felt like it had been pricked, and subconsciously, she took a step back.

  Jiang Meiting just came to the hospital, didn't expect to see Su Lan, this person is familiar, hasn't seen her for many years, very excited to see an old classmate, walked over with a smile and said: "Senior sister, what a coincidence, you're here too."

  Lu Yu patted Jiang Mei Ting's shoulder and smiled, saying: "You two chat first, I'll wait for you at noon, we'll head back together."

  "Good."

  Jiang Meiting looked at Lu Yu who was wearing a white coat and smiled: "Senior sister, are you also here to see a doctor?"

  Su Lan shook her head and said, "Come see my aunt." Her eyes fell on the medical record in her hand, and she asked with concern, "Are you sick?"

  Jiang Meiting smiled shyly and said softly with a slight bow of her head: "I'm here for gynecology."

  "Are you married?"

  "No, I'm engaged, after the new year." She said this with a blush on her face, completely immersed in happiness.

  Su Lan felt a sour taste in her mouth, as if something was rotting from the inside out, spreading all the way to her oral cavity, filling her mouth with a foul odor. Suppressing the unpleasantness in her heart, she managed not to say anything harsh and only asked: "When did you guys arrive?"

  "Jian Xiu has found a place here and we plan to settle down here from now on."

  Su Lan nodded and asked: "What's the result of the examination?"

  "I had just registered and hadn't been called yet, when I saw you, I came over."

  "Jiang Meiting! Who is Jiang Meiting? It's your turn." The nurse yelled while holding the chart in the corridor.

  Jiang Meiting waved goodbye: "I'll be right back." She told Su Lan: "See you later, talk to you next time."

  "See you later."

  The smell of disinfectant in the hospital corridor wafted into her nostrils, Su Lan wrapped her clothes tightly around her, this winter was getting colder and colder.

  It wasn't long before Lu Yu came over and said that he had found a doctor to take over his shift so he could leave early.

  Su Lan said: "No need to rush, I can wait a while."

  "Whatever, I've been stuck in disinfectant all day, I'm so annoyed. Today I'll just take a break and be lazy."

  "Suit yourself." She smiled.

  The two of them left the hospital and took a taxi back home.

  Lu Yu thought of what Zhao Sai said in the morning and asked: "Mom, what did you mean by letting him plead for mercy?"

  Su Lan nodded: "That's what I meant."

  Lu Yu: "Hou Gong's disgusting things make others wipe their buttocks, really has his."

  "Alright, sister," Su Lan grasped her hand, "can't let mom lose face."

  "Never mind, I won't say it anymore. By the way, when are you moving in? I'm so bored these two days. You come over and we'll have some company."

  Su Lan thought for a moment and said, "Let's just do it today."

  The two agreed, and the driver took them directly to Su Lan's house. She packed her things and followed Lu Yu back home. Jing Lu was still in kindergarten, almost time for school to let out, so they could pick him up on the way.

  The boss looked especially happy today, and the whole company was happy along with him.

  "Hey, what's going on today? The boss is unusually happy. I went in to look at some files and actually came out normally."

  "Who knows? Probably found another little lover again."

  Another person whispered: "Don't talk nonsense, be careful with your salary being deducted."

  Just as I was admiring the view, I happened to see two people. One of them coldly said: "What are you doing standing here?"

  The two of them took a careful look at him, asked if he was okay, and then quickly ran off. After they had gone far away, they covered their mouths and said: "I'm scared to death! You say the boss is so handsome, why is he so cold?"

  "As a boss, you should have some dignity."

  Next to him, a man with a frightened look on his face said, "Forget it, I've had a shock, and I don't want to see him again."

  Admiring the good mood today, he got off work early and specially bought a mousse cake, also buying an airplane model. He hurried back home, opened the door, but found no one there. He looked at the watch on the bowl, 12:20, still early. Su Lan should have gone to pick up the kids by now, so he dialed the restaurant's phone number and ordered a table of dishes, also ordering two movie tickets, oh, and water park tickets, as long as his son liked them, he ordered everything. Then sat on the sofa, excitedly swinging his toes, waited another 20 minutes, still no one came back, he opened the model and assembled it. The delivery staff brought the food over, but by 1:20, Su Lan still hadn't returned.

  He thought he was too excited and forgot to call Su Lan. It's also true that they usually don't make phone calls when there's nothing going on, this habit should be changed.

  He opened his mobile phone and saw the message that had just come in from the TV station, saying that he had won first prize in the Jing Road Intelligence Competition. He skillfully found the number without a name. It was actually him who usually didn't do such things, but he knew everyone's mobile phone numbers by heart, just in case.

  The call was answered quickly on the other end. A noisy sound came from the receiver.

  "Hey, what's wrong?" The voice on the other end was soft and gentle.

  "Where are you?"

  "I'm at mom's place." Su Lan paused for a moment, thinking that Jing Yang wouldn't call her without a reason. Today was strange, and she also heard the silence on the other end of the line, so she guessed: "You're back home?"

  "Uh-huh."

  The other side fell silent for a moment, the two of them were used to being independent, and they didn't tell each other where they went. Su Lan didn't even notify Jing Yang when he came to Zhao Ze's place. Now that he called over, Su Lan didn't know what to say. If there was no key, he could leave, after all, someone would be waiting for him. If there was a key, he could take a walk around and then leave, because this home was no different from a decoration to him.

  "When are you coming back?" Jing Yang looked at the table with a fiery red color, and his heart cooled down.

  "Stay for a few more days, stay here for these few days."

  "How was the road?"

  "Eating."

  "He won first place in the youth group, and the TV station asked him to continue participating in the competition, I just received the information." He thought she was so calm that she shouldn't know, the atmosphere was too awkward, it's time to mediate.

  Su Lan smiled and her tone became lighter: "I know, the TV station called me, Lu Lu was very happy too, we were just celebrating."

  Who are we? Who are they? He gazed up at the airplane's wings, his mouth curling into a gradual smile as he leaned against the dinner table and asked faintly, "Why didn't you call me?"

  "Huh?" A strange voice came from that side, paused for a second, and then said: "I thought you were busy, so I didn't bother you."

  "Mom, mom, I want to eat candy, can I have some?" The voice of her son came from the phone. Jingxiang knew without thinking that Jinglu was now holding onto Sulan's leg asking for candy. He loved eating sweets, especially candies, but he had a lot of cavities, so Sulan never let him have any.

  "You can only have one, no more." Su Lan said to Jing Lu on the other end of the line, then added: "If there's nothing else, I'll hang up first."

  I haven't eaten yet.

  Su Lan was taken aback for a moment and said, "We just finished eating."

  He doesn't speak.

  On the other end of the phone came a cheerful laughter, making this side even more quiet.

  Su Lan said: "I'll hang up first, see you later."

  A deathly silence fell around me.

  He gazed at her with a gloomy face, turning his phone in his hand, his eyes fell on the ring on her nameless finger, and his gaze was deep and unfathomable.

  Jing Lu grabbed Su Lan's leg and said: "Mom, are you guys fighting?"

  Su Lan was stunned, looking up at Jing Yang and wondering what was wrong with him today. She came back to her senses, picked up Jing Lu and said: "No, Daddy just can't find something, is the sugar delicious?"

  Jinglu smiled and nodded: "It's delicious."

  Zhao Ai held up her mobile phone and smiled so wide that her mouth couldn't close: "Lulu come here, your grandpa wants to talk to you."

  Jing Lu got down from Su Lan's body and ran over, saying: "Grandpa, I'm Lu Lu."

  "Alright, I know, Grandpa."

  Lu Yu Ba said on Su Lan's shoulder: "With Lu Lu being so smart, this time representing the youth group to compete, getting first place and then representing China in the competition, at that time you'll be famous internationally. You can just wait for your son to bring home a Nobel Prize."

  "What's wrong with him, he's just blindly guessing, I was just trying to exercise him a bit, didn't think that much."

  Lu Yu raised an eyebrow: "You're just talking nonsense, why don't you try to deceive me?"

  Su Lan smiled awkwardly, and this was something she really couldn't understand. In the summer, Jing Lu insisted on signing up for an IQ competition hosted by a TV station, Su Lan naturally had no objections, but was worried about Jing Yang, as he usually didn't like children to be in the spotlight, yet unexpectedly he agreed.

  The couple didn't think much of it, just wanting to exercise their child a bit. Unexpectedly, Jinglu won first place in the youth group and will represent them in the next level of competition.

  The whole family was delighted and the pot was opened with a loud noise.

  "You'd better educate Jinglu properly, or else when he wins a Nobel Prize in the future, you'll be too embarrassed to show your face as his mother."

  "I don't have many requirements, as long as he grows up healthy and strong." Su Lan sighed, looking at Jing Lu.

  "Like a mother."

  She smiled and said nothing more.

  Jinglu ran over with her little arm waving, smiling and saying: "Mommy, Mommy, Grandpa said he'll be back to see me soon."

  "Ah ah ah, Grandpa is coming back, and there's delicious food."

  Su Lan smiled at him.

  Zhao Wei is calling out to two children over there.

  Just then, the door opened and Jia Hang shouted in a loud voice: "Lu Lu, look what Uncle has brought for you!"

  A blast of cold air came in, and all that could be seen was Jia Hang's two long legs, with a large model still in his hands. He huffed and puffed as he carried it in, putting it down on the table with a thud, and said with a smile: "You two little rascals come over quickly and take a look at this!" Behind him followed Liu Dui.

  Jia Hang, hehe, hugged Jing Lu and played with him, still smiling on his face: "Wow, Lu Lu is so awesome, got the first place, right?"

  Jing Nian also tiptoed and said: "I want a hug too."

  Jia Hang held one in his arms and kept saying "ba ba" nonstop.

  Liu Dui noticed Zhao Mai's displeasure and politely asked: "Auntie, are you okay?"

  She sat down beside Su Lan, who saw that her belly was flat and she didn't seem as loud as usual. After seeing Zhao Yi go in, she asked softly: "What's going on between you and Gao Cheng?"

  Liu Dui pulled at her lips and dodged eye contact: "Forget it, don't mention it, he's married and I'm getting ready to get married too."

  Upon hearing this, Su understood and didn't ask further questions.

  Liu Dui's eyes swept around in a circle, and she said with feigned ease: "I heard that Lu Lu is going to compete, how impressive."

  Su Lan smiled: "How did you all know?"

  "He just appeared on TV, Lu Lu is so handsome, hehe." She said with a smile and ran over to play with Jing Lu.

  A few of them played over there for a while and then made a racket wanting to go outside to build a snowman.

  As soon as he entered the door, he saw a family playing in the snow outside. His son was sitting on Jia Hang's shoulders, laughing and putting the snowball from Jia Hang's hand into Su Lan's neck. Lu Yu was also there, and even Liu Wei was there, they were all laughing and chatting, and as a father, he seemed like an outsider.

  Liu Dui was the first to notice Jing Yang at the door. She froze, stood up straight and called out in a daze: "Brother Jing Yang."

  That faint voice suddenly echoed in the courtyard, and the laughter stopped abruptly.

  He doesn't mind if others don't know he's unhappy, his face is as black as a pot bottom.

  Jia Hang snorted and stuffed a snowball into Su Lan's neck, the icy snow stimulating her nerves. Su Lan came to herself, brushed off the snow on her hands, and walked forward, saying "Are you done?"

  Gazing at her, he reached out and took her hand, it was really cold, how long had she been playing outside.

  His warm palm wiped away the snow water from her palm, and he said lightly: "Mm."

  Lu Yu smiled and said: "Jing Yang has arrived, come in quickly, what are you standing there for?"

  Jing Yang didn't look at her and asked Su Lan with a expressionless face: "How did you get here?"

  He grasped her hand, she wanted to pull it back, but was held tightly, the temperature of his hand transmitted over, stimulating her skin to itch. She got angry again, and sighed in her heart. Why did she get angry again, recently getting angry has been quite frequent, and it's even harder to deal with than Lu Lu.

  Su Lan said softly: "Mom let me come over." After a pause, she added: "Haven't you eaten yet?"

  "I'm full!"

  Su Lan opened her eyes and looked at him, closed her mouth, and let him make a fuss for a while, after which he would calm down again.

  Jia Hang said with a smile on that side: "Brother, look at you coming back with a bad face, it's better not to come back and ruin the atmosphere."

  Lu Yu glared at him: "You talk too much."

  Liu Dui saw the atmosphere was not good, smiled and said: "It's getting late too, Jia Hang, let's go."

  Jia Hang shrugged: "Then let's go."

  Su Lan's hand was clenched in pain.

  Liu Dui's two hands were placed on Jia Hang's back, gathering strength to push him out the door. She chuckled and said to Su Lan: "Come over again in a few days."

  Everyone has dispersed.

  Su Lan pulled on his hand and said, "Come in."

  Look up to it without moving.

  Her eyes fell on his chest, and she said helplessly: "Save some nonsense for when you get back, Lu Lu is watching."

  Admiration remains unchanged.

  It's time, adults go to work, children go to school.

  Admiration is just like having a big ego, but still has to be humble.

  Lu Yu advised her again on the road to be good with Jing Yang. Su Lan said in her heart: "I'd like to, but he has to agree." But she nodded and agreed verbally.

  He perfunctorily responded with a couple of "uh-huhs".

  He didn't show up even when I came back at night, just let him go, she doesn't care!

  These days, Su Lan is rarely quiet, Jing Yang doesn't bother her, Mei Ai's case was suddenly withdrawn, saying they're not getting a divorce after all. She has some free time and goes shopping with Lu Yu, looking for something delicious to eat.

  After Mei Ai's case was over, Su Lan had some free time again and made a phone call to Xuan Ya. The other end was still gentle, the two chatted for a while about their daily lives and made an appointment to meet up. Xuan Ya was recently pregnant and wasn't feeling well, plus she lived in a neighboring city, so it wouldn't be easy to see each other soon.

  Su Lan heard Xuan Ya's tone was normal, and she didn't seem to be affected by Hou Qin's matter, nor did she want to trouble others, so she said: "Pregnant women should rest well, you go to sleep quickly, and don't always hold your phone, wait until it's free to make a call."

  "Goodbye."

  The two of them hung up the phone, and Su Lan looked out at the gloomy sky outside the window, feeling that life was becoming more and more tasteless.

  She daydreamed for a while, got off work, took Jing Road, and went home.

  Jing Yang was sitting on the sofa, frowning and talking on the phone.

  After dinner, Zhao Sai said a couple of words, no more than that the Hou family was urging them to hurry up, and also mentioned that Jing's father would be back in a few days.

  A few people nearby responded one after another.

  Jing Yang didn't say anything. At night, Jing Road slept between the two of them, and neither of them spoke either.

  Su Lan turned on the small lamp beside her bed as usual, intending to read for a while before sleeping. She flipped through two pages of the book, then another one, but couldn't focus at all. Her mind was preoccupied with other things - Jian Xiu's, Jiang Mei Ting's, and Mi Ai's. It was like having jumping candies in her head, bouncing around chaotically, making her feel annoyed and unable to make sense of anything. The more she flipped through the pages, the louder the rustling sound became.

  "Can you keep your voice down?" The man complained beside him.

  Su Lan didn't mind and continued flipping through the book.

  The man finally lost his patience, sat up, rubbed his forehead and cleared his throat, asking: "What are you looking at? You're flipping through the book so fast."

  "It doesn't matter."

  Jing Yang sat on the bedhead, rummaged through the drawer beside him with a few rustling sounds, and lit the lighter with a click, producing a red flame.

  Su Lan put down her book and looked at him: "Go outside!"

  She gazed at her sleeping son, turned off the lighter, and tossed the cigarette to the ground. She had been flipping through a book, disturbing his sleep, and now that she was craving a smoke, he couldn't sleep either.

  "Did you go see Erjie this morning?"

  "Uh-huh."

  "What did you say?"

  "She's fine, nothing serious. It's just... " Su Lan recalled the words of Jing Rui this morning, she patted her own hand and whispered: "If Xuan Ya has any requirements, feel free to mention them, our family will do whatever we can, even if it means making some sacrifices." After finishing, she gave her a meaningful glance.

  She meant that Su Lan could also hear it, wasn't it just to sacrifice Yang Yue, and secondly, Er Gu also looked at Yang Yue with disapproval, it was a good opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.

  "It means Bao Hou's family, Yang Yue doesn't care at first."

  Jingxiang snorted with laughter: "Second Aunt is indeed a good judge of the situation."

  The two of them didn't say a word, Su Lan continued reading her book, and when she came across an interesting part, the corners of her lips would still curve up into a smile. Her long black hair was tied back at the nape of her neck, and the warm yellow light made her skin look even more delicate and smooth like porcelain, with a red lip that seemed to be smiling mischievously, scratching his heart itchy like a claw.

  He leaned in close, as if to kiss her. A shadow loomed over them, and Su Lan shuddered, taking a step back. Their eyes met, one filled with alarm, the other burning with intensity.

  Admiring eyes fell on her lips, hands reached out to hold the back of her head, wanting to continue kissing. Su Lan was startled, pressing down on her throat and frowning: "Where's Lu Lu? What are you doing?"

  "It's been a long time." His eyes were burning, his throat was burning, and his whole body was burning.

  Su Lan slammed the book shut and turned her gaze: "Lu Lu is here."

  "Go outside."

  "He woke up and looked around, but no one was making a fuss."

  "Go take a bath!" He's really being stubborn today.

  She slipped into bed like a fish, clinging tightly to the quilt. Jing Yang propped himself up on his elbows, his face close to hers, his tone laced with a hint of coaxing: "Be quiet, it's okay."

  I'm sleepy.

  "When are you not sleepy?" He lightly threw out a sentence. Behind him came the rustling sound of fabric rubbing against something.

  Su Lan's hand grasped the quilt, her whole body trembling. Footsteps approached, his rough fingers rubbed against her face, scorching hot, ordering: "Open your eyes."

  Su Lan opened her eyes and was covered in cold sweat, saying: "Lu Lu is here."

  "What does he know?"

  "Admire you, you're not lacking!" She was anxious.

  He narrowed his eyes and looked at her, saying: "If there's enough, bring some for me too."

  "It's not the time."

  He didn't seem to have heard her, and instead bent down, lifted her up in his arms, and kicked open the bathroom door.

  "This morning, Jinglu complained again: 'Mom, where did you go sleep yesterday? I couldn't find anyone this morning.'"

  Jingxiang clenched his fists and coughed lightly, saying: "Hurry up and eat, or you'll be late."

  Jing Lu hummed in agreement.

  Lu Yu and Zhao Ye couldn't help but smile with a deeper meaning, while Su Lan lowered her head to drink the porridge, her face as red as a tomato.

  After breakfast, Jing Yang sent Su Lan and her mother away. He saw that she had been flushed since morning, with a faint red glow on her face, which he found particularly interesting. He teased: "Are you having a fever? Your face is so red." His hand reached out to touch her forehead in a pretend manner.

  Su Lan dodged to the side and hid, lowering her head without speaking. Thinking of those fragmented scenes from last night, she felt a little short of breath.

  Between husband and wife, it's impossible to avoid, let alone someone like Jing Yang, who is a scumbag. His body was already there, and Su Lan could only refuse when she was conscious, but later her consciousness became blurred, and she vaguely felt some rejection in her heart, but her body was screaming loudly.

  At first, the two of them were worried about their son and couldn't let go. He got excited, his head flushed with blood, and directly carried Su Lan to the empty room next door. When they got there, Su Lan came to her senses again, no matter how he made a fuss, she refused to budge.

  To say that Su Lan had no particular preference for other scenery, but this figure and skin were all to his liking, especially that long hair, spread out on the bed, often making him unable to help himself. It's just that this person was stubborn, refusing to let go. In the end, after some hesitation, they came together again.

  She resisted and he had to use force.

  After a big fuss, it was over, and nobody said anything. They didn't even bother to take a shower, just rolled up in their blankets and fell asleep again, only to wake up when the sky was already bright.

  She subconsciously went to scoop up water, but there was no one. She suddenly opened her eyes and only then remembered what had happened yesterday.

  Su Lan's face turned red with shame and she said angrily: "What are you doing running over here?"

  She looked up at him and asked, "Which dress do you want me to wear?"

  Su Lan remembered that her nightgown had been thrown into the bathroom by him, and she had been carried over naked last night, which made her even more ashamed and angry, so she rolled up in the quilt and didn't speak.

  Jingxiang went to the room to get some clothes and brought them over for her to change into. Su Lan finally went downstairs, but as she did, she heard her son complaining again. She really wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

  His hand fell on her collarbone, his thumb brushing over the purplish bruise on her neck. "Cover up a bit."

  He was having a good time, Su Lan bit her lip and said: "Are you free this weekend? Let's go to the Xuan family."

  Upon hearing this, Jing Yang's expression turned serious, and after a moment of thought, he said: "I have time."

  "That's good, I've made an appointment with Xuan Ya, she'll probably come over that day, and we can sit together then."

  "Alright." He nodded.

  After a while, Jingxiang shook his head again: "Forget it, you guys catch up, I'm a big man and it's not interesting for me to go, you go by yourself."

  Su Lan responded with a "yes".

  Everyone went their separate ways and lost contact again.

  …………

  Near the end of the year, there were more things to do in the office. The previous cases had to be sorted out again. Su Lan was busy all morning like a donkey, and by noon she didn't plan to go home, so she prepared to have a simple meal outside.

  She had just stepped out of the office building's lobby when she heard someone calling her. Turning around, it was actually Mei Ai, whom she hadn't seen in a long time.

  Su Lan saw her with a rosy complexion, wearing a red off-the-shoulder dress and walking towards him in wine-red high heels.

  Su Lan smiled and greeted her again: "Hello."

  Mei Ai walked over and smiled: "How have you been lately?"

  "I'm fine, and you?"

  She smiled and said, "We agreed to divorce, but in the end we didn't. He couldn't bear to split our property, so we didn't get a divorce." After a pause, Mei Ai continued, "However, I paid your lawyer's fees. I'm telling you this because you're an honest person. You went through all that trouble and then withdrew the case without saying a word. Just now, I was passing by on my way to take care of some business, so I came over to see you and happened to run into you."

  Su Lan smiled and said: "I didn't help you with anything, did I?"

  Mi Aiyan patted her shoulder with a smile: "Hey, Attorney Su isn't as serious as you are, it's not good. Maybe next time we can find you again. It's getting late, where are you going?"

  "Go eat lunch."

  "You can go now, I won't invite you to dinner today." She shook her phone: "This time is really busy." And instructed: "I've called your department head, that expense is not small, it's specially for you, don't let others deduct it."

  "Thank you."

  "Don't be polite, goodbye." Mei Ai waved her hand and turned around to leave.

  Jia Hang came out of the building with his hands in his pockets and looked at Miai in the distance, standing behind Su Lan and asked: "Who is that?"

  "Find a lawyer."

  Jia Hang didn't mind and said: "Where are we going to eat? Let's go together."

  Su Lan thought it would be just one person at noon, so she agreed.

  The lunch break was short, and the two of them casually found a noodle shop to fill their stomachs. They had just ordered food when Jia Hang waved at Su Lan from behind her back.

  She turned around and saw Jian Xiu bringing Jiang Mei Ting over. Years had passed, but he still stood tall and slender, yet the one who was once his heart's desire had now become a thorn in his heart, causing him pain that radiated to every limb.

  Su Lan's heart skipped a beat, but she kept her composure and nodded slightly.

  Jia Hang shouted: "President, come and drink together."

  Jiang Meiting leaned in close to Jian Xiu's ear and whispered a few words, then the two of them walked over this way. Jia Hang stood up, pulled out a chair and invited Meiting: "Please sit down, Madam President."

  Jiang Meiting smiled and said, "Jia Hang senior, you're so enthusiastic that it's making me feel embarrassed." Then she turned to Su Lan and smiled, saying, "Senior sister, hello, we meet again."

  Su Lan said: "Hello."

  "That's our school motto, care for the ladies." Jiahang joked and handed over the menu, "You guys order whatever you want, I'm treating today."

  Jiang Meiting smiled and said: "Really? That's great." She then turned to Su Lan and asked: "What did you guys just order, let me take a look."

  "Beef noodles."

  "Hmm." Jiang Meiting thought for a moment while looking at the menu and poked Jian Xiu's arm, saying: "What do you want to eat?"

  "Whatever."

  Jiahang smiled and said: "President, it's not casual here."

  Jiang Meiting's eyes were filled with happiness as she smiled and said, "He always does this, every time he says it's okay, I agree, but then he complains, it's really hard to serve him."

  "Sister-in-law, don't worry too much, the boss is just a stubborn old man, he's got a good face but can be infuriating. Haha."

  Jiang Meiting smiled and also ordered two bowls of beef noodles, instructing the server. She then saw Su Lan sitting with Jia Hang and curiously asked: "How are you guys together? Ha! Jia Hang, you're not her husband, are you? What a coincidence." She covered her mouth and laughed.

  "It's just my sister-in-law." He said with a pout.

  Jiang Meiting had only heard rumors about Su Lan's affairs, and didn't know anything else. Realizing she had misspoken, she stuck out her tongue and then said to Su Lan: "You say our fate is really amazing, we can even run into each other while eating noodles."

  Su Lan smiled.

  Jia Hang asked from the side: "Director, what are you doing here?"

  "Coincidentally, I rented a floor in this building and plan to use it as our company's office in the future," Jian Xiu said.

  "Is it settled?"

  "It's being renovated."

  "If there's anything I can help with, just let me know."

  Jiang Meiting didn't exchange pleasantries with him either, smiling and saying: "I'm afraid you won't have time."

  "Yes, I have plenty of time. It just so happens that Su Lan and I are also in the same building, so we can meet up from time to time, very convenient."

  Jian Xiu saw Su Lan as soon as he entered, still with the same appearance, long hair tied back behind his ears, neat bangs, and a conventional outfit. After all these years, it seemed that neither of them had changed. What were they mourning? Who knew what they were mourning? Mourning for whom to see?

  Jia Hang said to Jian Xiu, "Director, I've contacted almost everyone in our club. Why don't we set the time at the end of the year? At that time, everyone will be on vacation and have more free time, so we can all get together."

  Jian Xiu nodded with a smile: "Okay."

  Looking at her again, she still has a gentle and calm demeanor, but with a hint of discontent. Wanting to say something, but the words don't quite match up. Looking again, seeing that although she's dressed simply, it's actually a high-end brand, thinking: "This is also good, at least that man lets her live without worrying about food and clothing." But somehow it all feels off, is wearing nice clothes really just being good? Su Lan isn't that materialistic of a person, maybe she's not living well after all.

  A few people chatted for a while, and Jia Hang suggested again: "When are you guys getting married? We can send out the invitations together then, everyone will come, it's more convenient."

  "The invitation has not been finalized yet, it's still under discussion."

  "Has your wedding date been set?"

  "After a year, listen to your family." She looked at Su Lan again and said: "Sister Su Lan, do you have any suggestions for me? Recently, I've been busy with the wedding and my head is spinning."

  She hadn't even spoken yet when Jia Hang said beside her, "Others get married secretly and quietly, you can't learn from them."

  Jiang Meiting smiled and said: "Jia Hang, you seem to know a lot, tell me."

  Jia Hang glanced at Su Lan and saw that her face didn't look good, so he said: "There's nothing to say about me, let's talk about you guys. How have these years been for you abroad?"

  After a while, they finished eating and dispersed.

  On the way back, Jiang Meiting was still chattering away about the details of the wedding ceremony. When she thought of the scene just now, she felt that she was acting in a solo play, but there was also Jia Hang who was making jokes and teasing her.

  Finally saw Jian Xiu's lukewarm expression again, and his heart felt blocked. He walked over and said: "Jian Xiu, what are you thinking?"

  "Huh?"

  "Are you still so smitten with her that you lose your soul every time you see her? She's already married."

  Jian Xiu couldn't help but laugh and rubbed her hair, saying: "What nonsense are you talking about? We're getting married too, aren't we?"

  Jiang Meiting smiled and said: "Hey, I heard that Su Lan married a rich guy, have you seen him?"

  Jian Xiu didn't get annoyed, but instead smiled and said: "There's no need to rush the wedding, you like what you want, that's the key."

  Jiang Mei Ting stopped there, not mentioning it again. She looked up at Jian Xiu's face and thought: How can there be such a good-looking person in the world? One smile captivates my heart, another smile captivates the city, three smiles and I'm willing to follow him no matter how bitter or tired I am. Then she remembered something, tiptoed and pinched his nose: "You're not allowed to smile at others, otherwise you'll kneel on the keyboard when we get home."

  Jian Xiu said: "Good."

  In the evening on the way home, Zhao Sai said that there was another change in the Hou family, and Hou Qin gritted his teeth to divorce Yang Yue, presumably wanting to get out of it.

  Su Lan thought to herself, "Hou Qin is really hateful. Back then, he joined forces with Yang Yue against Xuan Ya, and now that disaster has struck, he doesn't even consider their past relationship."

  Jingxiang was there, didn't say anything, but on the other hand, Luyu whispered: "Houqin this heartless."

  Zhao Meng glared at her and then held Su Lan's hand, saying: "Let's not get involved in their family affairs anymore. After all, it's Hou Qin's own fault. Your aunt is also trying to pull strings on that side, but your dad doesn't like getting mixed up in this kind of thing, so let's not make him angry either. As for Xuan Ya, I heard she's coming over in a few days. If you want to see her, it's not like it's impossible, just be a bit more discreet. After all, we have to consider the face of Er Gu's family; no matter what, we're all one family."

  Su Lan nodded in agreement.

  Zhao Wei said: "Your dad called at noon and told you to go over there once."

  Su Lan lowered her head: "Mom, I know."

  "You're such a child, having such a big generation gap with your family. That's also your dad, he won't lose out to anyone else, don't be stubborn with yourself. Once he's gone, you'll regret not being filial." Zhao Yi said helplessly.

  Su Lan felt a bit intimidated and whispered: "Mom, I know." She finished speaking and hugged Jing Lu upstairs.

  Zhao Sai naturally saw Su Lan's resistance and said to Jing Xiang: "You also persuade Su Lan, she is very stubborn. Even her relatives dare not call her directly, and they have to pass messages through me. You see Su Lan like this, she doesn't say anything on the surface, but she must be uncomfortable in her heart. You comfort her a little."

  He looked up and nodded, then said: "What's going on with the phone call over there?"

  She said it was her brother's wedding, right after the new year, she was afraid she wouldn't go, so she gave a call in advance.

  "When did she have an older brother?"

  "It was a mistake made in his youth."

  Zhao Ai's expression turned stern, and he whispered to his ear: "I heard that you've been up to no good again. Let me warn you, Jing Yang, if you dare to take someone's life, be careful with your own skin."

  Jingxiang laughed and said: "Mom, don't drag me into everything, I'm going upstairs."

  Zhao Meng glared at him: "I knew you were hiding."

  When he looked up at the gate, he only saw his son sitting on the ground playing. Seeing that Su Lan was not there, he asked: "Where's your mom?"

  "Mom went next door to make a phone call."

  Jingyang closed the door and walked to the next door, which was not lit inside. The door was slightly ajar, and he pushed it open with his hand. Su Lan was leaning against the window, holding a phone and talking to someone on the other end.

  "I know."

  "It's okay."

  "Take care of yourself too, goodbye."

  She hung up the phone, and her mobile rang again. This time she picked it up but didn't say a word. In the end, she only said "goodbye" before hanging up the phone again.

  Jing Yang walked past and leaned on the other side of the window, saying softly: "Who is it?"

  Su Lan didn't turn around: "Mom."

  "How is her elderly body?"

  "Not bad."

  He gazed at her profile, half hidden in the darkness and half visible, with an indescribable charm on the tip of her nose. He reached out to play with a strand of her long hair in his hand and said, "Dad wants me to pass on a message, saying that your brother is getting married."

  She nodded: "I know."

  He curled her hair into a bun, tied it up, and the hair still refused to obey and scattered again, so he played with it tirelessly.

  "If you don't want to go, then don't force yourself."

  Su Lan's family affairs, he had also heard of them, but not many. In recent years, she hadn't returned to her hometown once, naturally avoiding some things. She didn't say, and Jing Yang didn't ask much either. As long as there was an answer, whether to go or not, those complicated family matters were not worth bothering about.

  The two of them didn't have much to say, and after a while, his phone rang. He picked it up and answered it, vaguely hearing the woman's voice on the other end.

  Su Lan turned around and was about to leave, her hair was pulled by him, and it hurt all the way to her bones. She frowned, holding back her voice: "Let go."

  Jingxiang was jokingly holding her neck, and then said a few polite words to the phone, hung up, and said: "Ziqian's wife, let her go to attend her son's 100th day banquet."

  He said again: "Su Lan, have you been holding something against me lately? Why do you run away whenever you see me? I am your husband."

  Su Lan thought: I don't know who has an opinion about whom either.

  "No."

  Outside the window hung a lonely big moon, the snow-covered ground put down that infinite coldness, and it penetrated through the window into the room, Su Lan's heart also turned cold.

  Jingxiang gazed at her sparkling eyes, reached out to gently lift her chin, and felt the softness of her skin. Her evasive gaze, slightly flirtatious, tickled his heart. Jingxiang took advantage of the situation and pulled her into his arms, unbuttoning the front of her clothes.

  Su Lan's body trembled slightly, but was soothed by his gentle rubbing of her waist, making her entire person feel limp. The warmth from his palm made her lean into him, and for a moment, Su Lan didn't know how to hide, she just stood there blankly.

  Jingxiang bit her shoulder, suddenly pulled off her outer garment, reached out to pinch her breast, touched the tip, and teased a few times, chuckled: "Why is it so cool here? I'll warm you up in a while."

  Su Lan shuddered, wanting to turn around, but he held her hands, without her outer garment, the wind from the window gap blew in, making her hair cold, and her stomach felt solid and uncomfortable. She slightly frowned and said: "My belly is cold."

  He lifted her up, holding her buttocks and sitting down on the chair behind him. His hands grasped her back, he tilted his head to kiss her lips, saying "You won't be cold in a bit."

  It was still cold, coming from her back and heart, everywhere was cold, she had to hold onto her, half out of conditioned reflex, half out of yearning for warmth.

  He went all the way down, lingering on her breasts, then pulled down her pants and unfastened his own restraints.

  Finally entering, Su Lan let out a soft hum.

  His hands grasped her neck, and he whispered: "If it hurts, just cry out loud, the louder the better."

  As he spoke, his lower body continued to move, and his mouth was still nibbling on her skin. Su Lan's brain felt like it was filled with a sticky paste, and she only felt a wave of dizziness on her forehead, her mouth had no air, and below was both dry and hot. The man's scent pierced into her nostrils, passionate, crazy, attracting her primitive **, and indeed, she let out an uncontrolled scream, but then was startled by herself, and quickly covered her mouth. However, this scream only excited Jing Yang even more.

  "Say it once, say it loud, say my name, huh?"

  "Shout out loud, it feels good."

  He went on and on, Su Lan started to sob quietly, suddenly Jing Yang stood up and hugged her against the wall, this time Su Lan had nothing to hold onto, afraid of falling down, she could only tightly hug him.

  Jing Yang said: "Good point, call out loud."

  Her lips trembled, eager to try, sweat wetting her eyelashes, looking even more pitiful. The man couldn't help but increase his strength.

  The more he talked, the more spirited he became.

  Su Lan vaguely remembered a long, long time ago when she was with someone else, at the age of innocence and naivety, when even a slight touch would make her blush. She had no qualms about ridiculing classmates who were promiscuous, firmly believing in pure love affairs. Yet, she couldn't understand those who clearly didn't have love but still indulged in each other's bodies.

  Now she stands in this position, only to realize how helpless she is.

  The man in front of her was like a ferryman, she got on his boat and went further and further, everything was under his control, resistance and disgust were eventually replaced by fear, the dependence generated from this made her slowly drift away.

  He said again: "Call out, a little is fine." His big hand followed her waist, pinched it, and she softened a bit, finally calling out in a voice that was just right, neither too loud nor too soft, perfectly matching the mood.

  It was at a time of war and chaos that the glass door suddenly emitted a few dull sounds, not loud but clear, piercing into the ears of the two people.

  The man and woman froze for a moment. The scorching heat inside tortured people, Su Lan's heart trembled, her eyes suddenly widened, she swallowed hard, and dared not move, leaning on Jing Yang's shoulder.

  Jing Lu used a bit of force and opened the door slightly, but saw that it was dark inside. He hesitated and called out in a low voice: "Mom, are you in there?"

  The two of them were right behind the door, neither of whom dared to make a sound.

  "Dad, are you there?"

  The sound stopped again, and the light from the corridor cast a dazzling bright line on the ground.

  After a long time, the little person at the door murmured: "Did you hear that wrong?" and slowly closed the door.

  The footsteps outside the door had stopped.

  Su Lan finally let out a breath, and her whole body went limp like a deflated balloon on Jing Yang's shoulder. The heat from her body had dissipated, and she was chilled to the bone, but that one place, hidden within her own body, was burning with anxiety.

  Admiringly helpless, the son made a fuss, where was the interest, and then casually did it again, hastily finishing, and patted her shoulder saying: "Asleep?"

  Su Lan's tears flowed out inexplicably, her heart felt cold and sour, she shook her head without speaking.

  He felt the wetness on his shoulder and said with a numb tone, "You're so delicate, you can cry over this. If I use a bit more force, you'll have to go to the underworld." He patted her buttocks again, saying, "Get down first, put on your clothes and get out. This isn't a place for humans to stay."

  Su Lan closed her eyes and didn't look at him, using one hand to lean against the wall and slightly shrinking to one side. Jing Yang smiled and put on his clothes by himself. Seeing that she wasn't moving, he picked up her clothes and handed them over to her, saying: "I'll go out first, you get dressed and come out, don't cry anymore. If our son sees it, you can explain it yourself, I won't get involved."

  After he left, Su Lan sat weakly on the ground, the coolness of the floor stimulating her brain to clear up. Her mind suddenly flashed with the four words "drinking poison to quench thirst", and thinking back, she felt that she had been with people like Jing Yang for too long, and was becoming more and more shameless.

  ……

  Recently, Yang Yue's scandals were all over the place, and later she even got divorced. Without the support of the Hou family, she is now struggling to make ends meet like a street rat.

  Er Gou Jing Min was delighted on that side, this matter just went down a bit, and then he had to arrange for Hou Qin to find a daughter-in-law.

  Winter had passed more than half, and Jinglu had a winter break. Su Lan still had to go to work, Jing Yang's company had launched new products and was busy with no time to spare, and the child was left to Zhao Cai again. Everyone was busy with their own things, but there was another happy event in the Jing family, Jing Yang's older brother Jing Xing was able to move. Although it was only his fingers moving, it made Lu Yu extremely happy and tearful, the doctor said that the situation was improving, and the possibility of Jing Xing recovering to a normal person was very high.

  Jing's father came back once, praised Jinglu for a while, and handed over the family affairs to Zhao Yi. In less than half a day, he hurried away again. He was busy like a spinning top, at such an old age, still didn't know how to take it easy.

  Jia Hang said there was no definite news about the gathering either.

  As for Xuan Ya, Su Lan had met her once before on the street and they exchanged a few pleasantries. She was originally planning to visit her at home, but Jiang Yun had to return to Lin City to take care of some matters, and Xuan Ya followed him, so the opportunity slipped away again.

  Her father called again later, his voice old and lacking the vigor of his youth. He said on the other end: "Your brother is getting married, you have to show up no matter what, otherwise it won't be right. I haven't seen you in years, I miss you too, and I want to see my grandson."

  Su Lan heard her brother and got anxious, not sparing him with her words: "Are you thinking of me or wanting to see Jing Yang? When I got married, what did you say? We're not related, no need for brotherly affection!"

  On the other side, Su Younian was shouted at and quickly put down his patriarchal attitude, laughing: "You're right. I heard that Lu Lu recently won an award, what a good kid!" After a pause, he reminded him again: "Your aunt has been watching entertainment news lately, and actually saw Jing Yang having an affair with another celebrity. Lanlan, I know you're wronged, but since the marriage is already settled, you should also take care of it, don't let people bully you, if you really can't bear it, Dad will go over there to defend your honor, after all, you are a lower-ranking wife, they should be more restrained..."

  It's been years since the father and daughter last spoke on the phone, so Su Younian took the opportunity to talk non-stop. Every sentence was about worrying that she would be bullied, worrying this and worrying that.

  Su Lan held the phone, stubbornly not speaking, but tears streaming down her face. At times like this, she was touched by family affection, stuck in between, unable to move forward or backward. Tied by blood, she didn't know what to do. Her father's private life wasn't good, he did his best for himself, but her mother was another story.

  She hesitated and was finally persuaded by Su Younian, nodding in agreement: "Okay."

  The voice from over there was filled with childlike excitement and eagerness, saying: "Okay okay, I'll go pick you up instead."