She rushed out of the room, clutching the incessantly ringing phone tightly. The moment the phone rang, Shen Ruxue hurriedly ran from Jiang Lai’s side all the way to the living room balcony, making sure the call wouldn’t affect anyone else before answering.
“Hello?”
Shen Ruxue’s voice still carried lingering panic, her breathing a bit unsteady.
A familiar yet unfamiliar voice came from the other end of the line, instantly throwing her heart into chaos. Because on the other end of the call were her “parents” from after her rebirth.
“Ruxue, is that you?”
Shen Ruxue also “appreciated” the inaction of her parents after her rebirth. Because of that, she could think about returning to her original family without any attachments. In her current family, her birth was without any love; she existed only to fulfill a family task.
But that was fine too. A pair of irresponsible parents meant Shen Ruxue wouldn’t develop too much emotion. From childhood to adulthood, she had grown up in a specific family environment, like an individual independent of everyone else. Contact with her parents was minimal; aside from living under the same roof, there seemed to be no common ground.
So why were such irresponsible parents calling now? Shen Ruxue was a bit curious.
“What’s wrong?”
“We’ve been trying to call you all afternoon but couldn’t get through. Calling so late now to tell you that in a few days, someone from the family might contact you and arrange for you to meet some people. You’ll need to come back then.”
On the other end of the line, there was no familial affection or gentleness, only commands like between a company superior and subordinate.
That tone alone was irritating, and calling so late at night just to say something so boring.
Shen Ruxue wasn’t a child; she naturally knew what “meeting some people” really meant.
“I’m not going back. I’m not a tool for any of you.”
“Why don’t you—”
“Why can’t I? My affairs are none of your business.”
Shen Ruxue would never allow anyone to control her life. Since everything was arranged by the family, she would overturn the entire family.
She just didn’t know if Si Yina would be reliable enough.
As long as she had the strong support of Si Yina’s mother, gaining control over the family was only a matter of time. Shen Ruxue didn’t want to be powerless like before; she only wanted to live for herself now.
She had no intention of dealing with the phone call matters. Even answering the call was already a courtesy.
However, this incident gave her an idea—a way to garner sympathy.
After all, her Jiang Lai was the type who couldn’t stand seeing this kind of thing.
***
In the room, Jiang Lai hesitated for a long time after seeing Shen Ruxue leave, then prepared to do what she, as an “adult,” should do.
She looked down at her loose pajamas, fingers gently twisting the hem, her heart tangled with conflict.
She couldn’t put it off any longer. If she let the other party think they had an opportunity, it would be trouble.
Jiang Lai urgently wanted to have a good talk with this little girl, clear things up, and end this entanglement that troubled her so much.
To that end, she absolutely could not show any weakness or give the other party any chance.
Jiang Lai stood up and glanced at her pajamas. Although the style was normal, it looked particularly sexy on her.
After thinking it over, she changed into a simple home outfit. After quickly changing, she stood in front of the mirror, took a deep breath, trying to calm her complicated emotions. In the mirror, her brows were slightly furrowed, her eyes showing a trace of exhaustion and helplessness.
She gently opened the door, walking as quietly as possible, afraid of waking up her sister-in-law and daughter in the room.
But when she reached the living room and looked up, she saw Shen Ruxue curled up on the sofa, her mood clearly low. Jiang Lai’s steps stopped.
All the words she had prepared got stuck in her throat the moment she saw Shen Ruxue like this.
‘What on earth had happened?’
Shen Ruxue hung her head low, both hands tightly clutching the hem of her clothes, shoulders trembling slightly. Her hair was a bit messy, a few strands falling over her cheeks, wet with tears and sticking to her skin.
Jiang Lai stood still, her gaze on Shen Ruxue. She wanted to ask, but when she saw that tearful appearance, the words died in her throat. Her lips moved slightly, but no sound came out.
Jiang Lai remembered Shen Ruxue’s unsettling actions, and complex emotions surged within her. If possible, she just wanted to completely cut ties with this girl.
That gentle yet persistent gaze, the intimate words, and the behavior of sneaking into her room at night—all made Jiang Lai both angry and afraid.
She had originally planned to give Shen Ruxue a good scolding, to straighten out her thinking, to make her understand how inappropriate these feelings were—that she would definitely meet someone more suitable in the future.
But now, seeing Shen Ruxue so upset, those harsh words just wouldn’t come out.
Jiang Lai’s hand unconsciously lifted, wanting to pat her shoulder in comfort, but stopped mid-air.
‘Was it really appropriate to do this?’
She stood frozen, at a loss for a moment. The room was extremely quiet, with only the soft sound of Shen Ruxue’s sobbing echoing in the air.
Finally, Jiang Lai couldn’t hold back anymore.
She quietly walked over to Shen Ruxue and sat down.
Shen Ruxue had actually noticed Jiang Lai’s presence long ago, but she hadn’t looked up, wanting to appear even more pitiful.
Only when Jiang Lai sat beside her did she slightly raise her head, looking at Jiang Lai with eyes full of tears, a look of helplessness and fear.
“Xiaoxue, is it okay if I call you that?”
Jiang Lai said softly, her tone gentle enough to surprise even herself.
She reached out and gently patted Shen Ruxue’s shoulder.
“What’s wrong? Crying so sadly—is it because of that phone call just now?”
Shen Ruxue bit her lip and lowered her head again, tears falling onto the back of her hand.
“My family… they want to introduce me to someone I don’t know…”
Her voice was thick with nasal congestion, almost choking as she spoke.
“They want to introduce me to… someone I don’t even know…”