Monday is the busiest day of the week for the company, not only because of the day's workload but also due to the backlog of tasks accumulated over the weekend.
Yao Jing arrived at the company early and worked non-stop from morning until the afternoon, not even having time for a meal. If Wu Zhiming hadn't brought her lunch, Yao Jing would have forgotten to eat altogether.
Wu Zhiming didn't say much; he delivered the lunch and left immediately. Yao Jing wanted to talk to him, to apologize, but for some reason, the words stuck in her throat. She could only watch as Wu Zhiming walked away. For a moment, Yao Jing felt a bit empty inside. She knew it might take a long time for Wu Zhiming to forgive her.
Just as she finished her meal, the door to Yao Jing's office was pushed open. Zhou Yanqiu walked in from outside.
"Jingjing, look what I brought you!" Zhou Yanqiu said with a smile, holding a thermos.
"Mom, I'm very busy this afternoon. Just leave it here, and I'll drink it when I have time," Yao Jing said.
"No matter how busy you are, you need to take care of your health, right? I specially made chicken soup for you! Drink it while it's hot!" Zhou Yanqiu said, placing the thermos on the desk and opening it.
The chicken soup was indeed hot and smelled delicious.
"Mom, if you have something to say, just say it. You wouldn't make chicken soup and bring it to me for no reason," Yao Jing said.
"My dear Jingjing, you understand me so well. It's like this: your brother plans to buy a house in Rongjin City. I gave him the money, but the house he wants to buy requires a lot of money. I sold my house, and someone was interested in it right away. Everything went smoothly," Zhou Yanqiu said.
"You mean you sold your house to help my brother with the down payment?" Yao Jing frowned.
"That's right. Now that the house is sold, your father and I have nowhere to go. I was thinking, you and Zhiming have an empty apartment downstairs. Your father and I can move in. After all, we are family," Zhou Yanqiu said.
Yao Jing stared at Zhou Yanqiu without speaking, but her expression was unpleasant.
"You gave all the money to my brother?" Yao Jing asked.
"Yes," Zhou Yanqiu nodded.
"Including the salary you took from me over the years? Didn't you say you were just managing it for me? Didn't you say you could give it to me whenever I needed it?" Yao Jing asked.
"Isn't it because your brother needs to buy a house? His girlfriend's family is well-off. If he doesn't even have a house, how could they respect him?" Zhou Yanqiu explained.
"So what if they don't respect him? Didn't you look down on Wu Zhiming when he married me?" Yao Jing asked.
"Wu Zhiming is Wu Zhiming, and your brother is your brother. How can they be the same?" Zhou Yanqiu retorted angrily.
"How are they different? An An wants to buy a house, and you not only took all your savings but also sold your house?" Yao Jing asked.
"Yes, a villa costing over ten million," Zhou Yanqiu said.
"A villa? Over ten million? Mom, when I wanted to buy a new house, you wouldn't give me the money. Now that An An has a girlfriend, you give him millions to buy a house. You can insult Wu Zhiming all you want, but you won't allow anyone to look down on your son. Mom, you can't live like this. I've been trying to love and respect you, but everything you do makes me look down on you," Yao Jing said passionately.
"Your brother is the one to carry on the family name. No matter what, you're just someone else's wife. How can it be the same?" Zhou Yanqiu said.
"Now I understand, Mom. To you, I've always been someone else's person... Mom, please, for the sake of our mother-daughter relationship, don't bother me anymore. I just want to live quietly. I don't want to become insignificant because of you. As for the house, I will help you and Dad find a small apartment. This is the last thing I can do as your daughter. But I hope you promise me one thing: from now on, don't speak ill of Zhiming, don't contact Li Bin, and don't try to take a penny from Wu's Group. If you can do that, I will help you find a house. If you can't, then consider me no longer your daughter," Yao Jing said.
"Jingjing, how can you say that? We are blood-related!" Zhou Yanqiu said excitedly.
"Mom, do you agree or not?" Yao Jing asked resolutely.
Seeing Yao Jing like this, Zhou Yanqiu felt fear for the first time. In the past, she had always acted without fear because she never worried that Yao Jing would leave her. She could take whatever she wanted from Yao Jing without consequences. But now, Yao Jing's resolute stance meant that her days of exploiting Yao Jing were over.
With her house just sold and nowhere to stay, if Yao Jing didn't help her, she would have to return to her family home, which would be utterly humiliating.
"I... I'll agree to your terms, alright?" Zhou Yanqiu said.
"Good," Yao Jing nodded. "I'll arrange for someone to find you a place to live immediately. I'll also provide you with a monthly allowance. I just hope you can keep your promises. If I find out that you can't meet my requirements, you will lose me forever and never see me again."
"Please, daughter, don't be like this. I know I've made mistakes in the past, but I'll change. You can't just abandon me," Zhou Yanqiu pleaded, grabbing Yao Jing's hand.
Yao Jing pushed her hand away and picked up the phone on her desk, calling her secretary in.
"Find a single apartment suitable for elderly people, a quiet place. Report all expenses directly to me and don't go through company accounts," Yao Jing instructed.
"Yes, President Yao," the secretary nodded.
"Wow, daughter, you're quite impressive," Zhou Yanqiu couldn't help but praise.
"All of this is thanks to the son-in-law you dislike so much. You never understood that Wu Zhiming, who lay low for over twenty years before rising to power, is no longer the person you remember. You keep talking about Li Shao, but how can Li Shao compare to Wu Zhiming? Wu Zhiming may not be as prominent as Li Shao now, but he has the heart and ability to achieve great things. He was able to rise and seize the Wu family's assets and can make the Wu family even stronger in the future. Maybe in three to five years, the Wu family will surpass the Li family and even those major families in the provincial capital. By then, you will have everything you want. Why do you keep making things difficult for Wu Zhiming? Why do you keep trying to arrange liaisons? Do you see your daughter as a prostitute?" Yao Jing asked with a stern face.
Zhou Yanqiu's face turned awkward. It was the first time she had been reprimanded by her daughter like this and the first time she heard such harsh words from Yao Jing.
"Your vision determines your horizon, and your horizon determines your outlook, Mom. Your vision is too narrow," Yao Jing said, shaking her head and sitting back down.
"I... I did it all for your good. You don't love Wu Zhiming. Back then, it was the Yao family's plan to marry you off to him to climb up the social ladder. I always thought you were just too stubborn to leave him, which is why I kept urging you to divorce him. No matter whether you married Li Shao, Wang Shao, or Chen Shao, it would be better than being with Wu Zhiming in my eyes. I am greedy and materialistic, but I also want you to marry someone truly worthy. You say I underestimated Wu Zhiming, and I agree. But no one knows what the future holds for Wu Zhiming. He might rise quickly but could also fall just as fast. I just want to give you more options," Zhou Yanqiu sighed.
"If a married couple always thinks about backup plans, can they still be considered a couple?" Yao Jing asked.
"Jingjing, you clearly don't love Wu Zhiming, so why do you insist on staying with him? Is he forcing you?" Zhou Yanqiu asked.
"I don't love him, but I enjoy our time together. He is quiet and doesn't like to talk much, and I also enjoy quietly reading. Sometimes we can spend the whole day at home without saying a word to each other. But even so, with just a glance, he knows what I'm thinking. It might seem unbelievable to you, but it's true. We have a kind of tacit understanding and mutual attraction that doesn't involve love. This is why I don't want to divorce him. I don't want to try anything new, even if it means trying to love someone," Yao Jing said, shaking her head.
"I see," Zhou Yanqiu said. "It seems the one who understands you best is Wu Zhiming."
"Yes."
"I don't know what to say. I know I have many flaws, and it's impossible to change them all at once. I just hope that in the future, when I make mistakes, you can be more patient with me. After all, you are my flesh and blood," Zhou Yanqiu said emotionally.
"I'll be as patient with you as you are with Zhiming," Yao Jing said.
"I'll try... but I can't let it go that he slapped me!" Zhou Yanqiu said angrily.
Yao Jing smiled helplessly. It was indeed too difficult to expect Zhou Yanqiu to change all at once. However, she could see that Zhou Yanqiu had started to realize some of her mistakes. This awareness was a good sign.
Balancing fish and bear paws is impossible, but Yao Jing firmly believed that no ice was too hard to melt, and no heart was too tough to soften. No matter how difficult the task, there was always a way if one was willing to put in the effort.
The only thing to remember was her identity. She was not only a daughter but also a wife. She used to waver between the two roles and ended up pleasing neither side. But after hearing Wu Zhiming's words the other day, she finally woke up.
She was Wu Zhiming's wife and the only person Wu Zhiming could trust and rely on without reservation!