Chapter 23: That is an Unestablished Equation

Ying Jing is drugging Wen Fucheng.

Sister, what are you saying?

You’re really going to ruin our friendship like this, you know.

“I am now unilaterally declaring a three-second break in our friendship.”

Wei Yi had just woken up when she received this barrage of messages from her best friend. As a sister, she was, of course, happy for her.

“But don’t you think your progress is too fast? You! That can still be understood as love at first sight, but Wen Fucheng can’t possibly be the type to care about looks!”

“Who says it’s impossible? What if I just happen to be exactly his type?”

Sister, are you stupid!

Sister, you’re love-struck and going to get scammed.

Sister, wake up.

“A man like Wen Fucheng, what kind of beautiful women hasn’t he seen? You’ve only met a few times and he already agreed to let you pursue him? This is a trap. He must think you’re young and bold, and he’s just playing around with a wealthy heiress like you.”

The more she listened, the more bizarre it sounded. Were they talking about the same person?

“Wen Fucheng isn’t like that.”

“Men! You’re too inexperienced, so of course you don’t understand. It’s not surprising that someone young would be infatuated with a mature man like him.”

No, no, no. Ying Jing wanted to say she wasn’t inexperienced. In her past life, she had seen too many scumbags, but Wen Fucheng was definitely not one of them.

However, her friend’s words weren’t entirely unreasonable.

Thinking carefully, from the time she met him at the club to getting in his car and now having meals together, he seemed to have never refused her requests.

A man as busy as Wen Fucheng, how could he possibly find the time to accompany a young girl like her?

There’s something fishy going on.

Had they met before this?

Ying Jing really had no memory of it.

This damn rebirth plot had been completely scrambled.

No, she had to find an opportunity to test him.

Ying Jing tidied up efficiently and headed home.

Little did she know, she would run into Mother Ying the moment she walked through the door.

“Your aunt said you weren’t home last night. Where did you go?”

Not expecting her mother to be there, Ying Jing quickly thought of an excuse. “I slept at Wei Yi’s place. You know how it is, we’re close. I occasionally go over to keep her company, and she comes to keep me company too.” This was true; if they hadn’t had that relationship since childhood, Mother Ying would definitely have been suspicious.

“Mom, why did you come over suddenly? Didn’t Brother go to work?”

“I came specifically to find you.”

Oh, looking for her. What for?

Ying Jing sat on the sofa and picked up a piece of fruit from the table to take a bite.

Mother Ying looked at her daughter and couldn’t help but sigh. They only had two children, and both Ying Zenan and Ying Jing were the cream of the crop. Especially Ying Jing, who had been beautiful since she was a child; her growing beauty brought all sorts of trouble with it.

Just the number of families who had approached them for marriage alliances was numerous.

The Ying family didn’t need to use their children’s marriages to consolidate their status; their marriages were free.

But Ying Jing’s obsession with Lu Zishu had caused such a scene that Mother Ying had kindly warned her several times. She had even developed psychological trauma from Ying Jing’s suicide attempt.

“Are you still in contact with Lu Zishu?”

“Yeah!” They were in the same school, so they saw each other all the time. With Ying Jing’s unlucky constitution for running into the male lead, she figured she’d probably pass by him even if he fell into a ditch.

The two of them understood the question differently, and Mother Ying became instantly nervous when she heard her say yes.

“Didn’t you tell me you weren’t going to pursue him and didn’t like him anymore?”

“That’s right, I’m pursuing someone else now. Once I catch him, I’ll bring him home for you to see.”

This was outrageous—eating from the bowl while looking at the pot.

How had she never noticed her daughter had the potential to be a heartbreaker?

Could it be that she was just giving up because she couldn’t get Lu Zishu?

“Then can you tell Mom who you’re pursuing now?”

“No.” Ying Jing shook her head with an apple in her mouth, answering vaguely. “I can’t say right now. In any case, he’s a very special and wonderful person, a thousand times better than Lu Zishu.”

Mother Ying was very worried.

“You aren’t just planning to find someone random to be with just to make Lu Zishu jealous because you couldn’t have him, are you?”

Ying Jing froze while biting the apple. Did she look like that kind of person?

Under her mother’s questioning gaze, Mother Ying nodded slowly. She hadn’t *not* done that before.

It wasn’t her fault for being suspicious. Ying Jing’s pursuit of Lu Zishu hadn’t been for a day or two, or a month or two. It had been several years… Now that she said she didn’t love him and wasn’t pursuing him, it was hard not to be suspicious!

She knew it would be difficult to change her family’s mind all at once.

“Mom, just consider that I’ve grown up and thought a lot of things through! A forced melon isn’t sweet, and I know I caused the other party trouble. Please believe me. I already apologized to Lu Zishu last time we met. After all, I’ve even faced death, so I’ve let it go.”

Is that so?

Seeing her so serious, Mother Ying reluctantly believed her and revealed a look of relief.

“That’s good. Your brother should have told you about Grandpa Ye’s seventieth birthday, right? Ye Qingyu came to the house in person yesterday to deliver the invitation.”

“Hm?”

“Grandpa Ye was very good to you when you were little, and you used to go find Ye Qingyu to play all the time.”

Ying Jing wanted to cry; she didn’t remember.

“Mom, you said it was when I was little. How young would that have been? It’s normal that I don’t remember.”

“That boy Ye Qingyu has grown more and more handsome, and he’s a good person too. Don’t you have any thoughts about him?”

Thoughts? What kind of thoughts could she have?

“Mom, if I had thoughts about him, I would have already slept with him. Would I still be waiting for you to introduce us?”

Ying Jing’s words opened her mother’s eyes.

Afraid of scaring her mother, Ying Jing quickly explained.

“I only said that to tell you that there’s no possibility between Ye Qingyu and me, so don’t think about introducing us, lest we end up not even being able to be friends.”

“Then what kind do you like? Like Lu Zishu?”

How did it circle back to that?

“Didn’t I tell you! I’m pursuing someone else. As soon as I have news, I’ll tell you immediately.”

“You aren’t going to go pick another melon, are you?”

Ying Jing chuckled and sat down next to her mother.

“Don’t worry, this melon is guaranteed to be ripe.”

The more Ying Jing said this, the more worried Mother Ying became. After leaving the villa, she had her driver take her directly to the Ying Group.

Ying Zenan didn’t expect his mother to come. He had just finished talking with Wen Fucheng. As he stepped out of the conference room, he saw Shen Qiurong just exiting the elevator.

“Mom, why are you here? Isn’t Dad still away?”

“I’m not looking for your dad, I’m looking for you. None of you ever come home, so I can’t see you unless I come to the company. I just happen to have some things to ask you.”

Ying Zenan glanced at Wen Fucheng and told Shen Qiurong to wait for him in his office, returning only after seeing Wen Fucheng off.

As soon as he pushed the door open, he heard his mother’s interrogation.

“Your sister said she’s been pursuing someone wonderful lately. Do you know who it is?”

Ying Zenan: …

His mother had come at a truly coincidental time; the person his sister was talking about had probably just stepped out of the Ying Group’s threshold.

“I… should know, I guess!”

“What do you mean ‘should know’? Tell me the truth. Are you covering for her? Is she still involved with Lu Zishu?”

“You should ask her that yourself. Asking me is useless.” If he told her, Ying Jing would drive him crazy.

“Then have you met the person? How is he?” It couldn’t be someone like Lu Zishu again. Although there was nothing wrong with Lu Zishu himself, it was Ying Jing who insisted on pestering him. But he still wanted to protect his own sister.

If Ying Jing had given up on Lu Zishu, that would be for the best. No one wanted the little princess they held in the palm of their hands to be so wronged by loving someone who didn’t love her back.

Ying Zenan absolutely did not want to admit that Wen Fucheng was better than him.

“He’s quite good.”

“Then how does he compare to you?”

Ying Zenan answered without thinking.

“That equation doesn’t hold up.”

Later.

When Shen Qiurong finally met the Wen Fucheng that Ying Jing brought home, and then looked at her own son.

Yeah, that equation really didn’t hold up.

(End of chapter)