Chapter 129: Bai Xiangjun, mother and daughter reunion_3

Translator: 549690339

Yang Lin nodded, her dark eyes undisturbed.

The old man sighed, then handed a bun to Yang Lin, “It seems he didn’t drink too much today. Ah… it’ll be better once you’re grown up.”

Yang Lin shook her head. She didn’t take the bun.

Nor did she speak.

She simply took out the keys to her home, and quietly went to open the door.

She had grown numb to that phrase. How big did she have to get before she was considered grown up?

Since she was five, she had been looking forward to growing up.

Now at eighteen, was she grown up?

She didn’t know.

As soon as she opened the door, she was greeted by the blaring sound of the television, with smoke swirling in the cramped hallway.

A middle-aged man who hadn’t bathed for days was sitting on the sofa, with fried chicken and some cans on the table, and chicken bones littering the floor next to the old couch.

He must have won some money.

He glanced at Yang Lin, then immediately wobbled to his feet, his lengthy hair matted together, mumbling as he pulled out a handful of change, “Xiaolin, I’m sorry. Dad drank too much the day before yesterday. Have you… have you eaten yet?”

Yang Lin ignored him.

Until she saw that the lock to her room had been tampered with.

Startled, she then charged over and flung open her room’s door to find everything in disarray.

“Bang”

She slammed the door closed and locked it securely.

Crawling under the bed, she retrieved a locked metal box.

The lock was intact.

She let out a sigh of relief, then collapsed onto the floor, breathing heavily.

It took her a long while before she pulled out today’s earnings from a compartment in her backpack and neatly placed them in the metal box.

Only then did she slowly tidy up her room, and brought out a fresh, vivid lily, placing it in a plastic bottle on the windowsill.

Yang Lin sat on the bed, quietly observing the lone lily.

Its slightly flared petals were as pure as snow, an elegant white, the only splash of color in the entire room.

She watched for a long while before slowly taking out a bottle of green ointment from her backpack and applied it to the bruises on her arms, legs, and torso.

The brownish paste slowly melted over the dark purple bruises.

A dull ache radiated from the spots.

Meanwhile.

A car slowly drove into Xiangcheng.

Ji Mulan watched the unchanging streets ahead with an expressionless face, her mood listless.

“There’s news that they’re looking to develop tourism here,” the man smiled at Ji Mulan, explaining his reason for coming to scout the possibility of opening a hotel here.

Hearing this, Ji Mulan sat up straight.

She looked at the man, knowing his information was always sharp.

When he said this, it meant the possibility of Xiangcheng’s tourism development reaching 80%.

The largest hotel in Xiangcheng was in the city center, a twenty-six-story building, “When can I meet your dad and your daughter? We’re going to be living together after all.”

He pressed the elevator button and turned his head to ask.

“Never mind my dad; he definitely won’t see me,” Ji Mulan said indifferently, pausing when she mentioned Bai Lian, “She has also had a tough time these past two years. I hope she knows to work hard this time.”

“Don’t put too much pressure on the child.” The elevator doors opened, and the man stepped in, pressing a floor number.

Ji Mulan was beautifully made up, every movement exuding grace.

Even past forty, her charm had not faded, and on the street, she turned heads effortlessly.

Listening to the man’s words, she tugged at the corner of her mouth but remained silent.

His son was highly accomplished, so, naturally, he could utter that phrase with ease. Had their positions been switched, he might not have preserved her composure.

After exiting the elevator, Ji Mulan calmly dialed a number.

Bai Lian was still in the library.

She was in the middle of working on a biology paper when she received a call from Ji Shaojun.

Biology was much simpler than physics. Even high school seniors like Ji Heng could solve a few of the questions.

“Alian,” on the other end of the phone, Ji Shaojun had just finished teaching a child. He was holding a drawing board, frowning. “Your mom’s back, you know?”

“She called me yesterday,” Bai Lian replied.

“Yeah,” nodded Ji Shaojun. “Come with me to see her later, we need to have a proper talk.”

“Oh,” Bai Lian drawled out her response. After they hung up, she leaned back in her chair comfortably and flicked Jiang He’s forehead, “I’m going out for dinner later, you heading home first?”

Jiang He, holding his head, looked at Bai Lian with wide eyes, “I’ll wait for you.”

Bai Lian: “…Okay.”

She waited for Ming Dongheng to arrive from Backter Street before heading to Wanhe Building.

Wanhe Building.

Ji Shaojun hadn’t gone in yet; he was sitting on the outside steps, smoking and waiting for Bai Lian.

His brow furrowed.

“Uncle,” Bai Lian watched him for a while before standing in front of him, raising an eyebrow, “Why not go in?”

Ji Shaojun stubbed out his cigarette. He looked at Bai Lian, seemingly hesitant to speak.

She just stood there in front of him, memorizing vocabulary words while she waited for him to talk, in no particular hurry.

“There’s something I need to tell you in advance. Take it slowly,” Ji Shaojun looked at Bai Lian. It took a long moment before he patted his sleeve, stood up, and after another lengthy pause, finally said, “Your mom brought an uncle along.”

Bai Lian was slightly surprised. For about ten seconds, as she grasped what Ji Shaojun meant, she smiled lazily, “That’s nice.”

This was the modern age, where women were free to divorce and not be bound by societal norms.

Bai Lian was happy for her.

Ji Shaojun had hesitated so long because he feared Bai Lian would be upset.

Her father was accepting an illegitimate child, and her mother was on the brink of remarriage.

He had imagined a thousand different reactions from Bai Lian, but he never expected this one.

“Alright, you really have grown up,” he sighed deeply, casting his gaze downward and patting Bai Lian’s shoulder, “Let’s go, join your uncle inside.”

Inside the private room.

Ji Mulan was sitting next to a man.

“Relax,” the man reassured Ji Mulan with a smile, “I’ve already got someone arranging everything, it’s going to be alright.”

He had found a school for her daughter just as Ji Mulan had requested.

However…

The man was a bit concerned; he actually didn’t recommend that Ji Mulan’s daughter attend that particular school.

International schools typically had students who advanced straight through from a young age, with high competitive pressure. And Ji Mulan had mentioned her daughter studied liberal arts and that her academic performance was not very promising.

Entering this school would bring immense pressure; a significant gap could be quite discouraging.

He was mulling this over when the sound of the service staff at the door rang out, followed by the door opening.

It must be her daughter’s arrival.

Ji Mulan and the man both looked up towards the door.