Chapter 45.2

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Qiao Ziman didn’t say a word, and no one dared to speak either. When they reached the door, she suddenly stopped and pulled her sunglasses down slightly, carefully sizing up He Cuizhen and Chi Yin. Seeing that neither of them were injured, Qiao Ziman let out a sigh of relief.

Then, she turned to He Cuizhen with a serious expression. “Mom!”

He Cuizhen lowered her eyes and remained silent.

“What am I supposed to say to you? Can’t you control your temper? You’re not getting any younger. What if something happens to you, and I’m left with nothing to do? Next time, can you give me a heads-up before you start fighting? At least let me come along and do my part!”

He Cuizhen mumbled, “But Chi Yin got there in time, didn’t she?

The police officer who was seeing them out finally reacted, saying, “Hey, what do you mean ‘let me go and fight’? You shouldn’t be fighting in the first place!”

“Right, right,” Qiao Ziman immediately changed her attitude by 180 degrees, repeatedly nodding, “Shouldn’t fight, shouldn’t fight. We know we were wrong.”

She then turned her serious gaze toward her grandmother. Just as she was about to speak, her grandmother shifted her gaze away. “You can’t scold me after you’ve already scolded her.”

Qiao Ziman: Where did she learn these lines from?

Speechless.

Qiao Ziman was so full of frustration, but she had nowhere to vent it. She then turned her attention to Chi Yin, who had been the most aggressive in the fight. She’s an adult now, and still fighting?

She walked up to Chi Yin, took her hand, and raised it to her face to examine it closely. Then she gently blew on it, her eyes softening with tenderness. “It’s all red. Does it hurt?”

“Today, it’s all thanks to you.”

He Cuizhen and Grandma: …

Why is there such a difference in treatment?

Ji Yun: …She’s really being so sweet and sour all at once. It’s like dog food everywhere.

Seeing the mood lighten, He Cuizhen agreed, “Indeed, it’s all thanks to Chi Yin.”

Qiao Ziman suddenly remembered the message from Tang Xiaoxiao, saying that Chi Yin had resigned. Her expression gradually became serious.

She wasn’t the type to keep things to herself when something was bothering her. Although she knew it would be better to ask such questions in private, she just couldn’t hold back any longer. Qiao Ziman turned to Chi Yin and asked, “Tell me the truth. Did you really leave the company?”

Chi Yin was stunned for a moment before answering honestly, “Yes.”

Qiao Ziman grabbed her wrist, panicking, “Why didn’t you say anything?”

Chi Yin met her gaze directly. “Because these past few days, we’ve been a bit busy, and there wasn’t time…”

That was true. It had been either working non-stop or falling into deep sleep. How could they have had time to talk about this?

Qiao Ziman accepted this reason but then asked, “Is it because of me? Is it because of the rumors about the company?”

This time, Chi Yin hesitated. After all, her departure from the company was still closely tied to Qiao Ziman.

Sensing Chi Yin’s hesitation, Qiao Ziman understood. She was both angry and anxious, reaching out to pinch Chi Yin’s cheek. “Are you stupid? We haven’t even officially gotten together yet, why are you rushing? They’re just gossiping, what can they say? Saying a few things about me won’t make any difference.”

“Besides, even if we’re found out to be together, it’s still above board. I got promoted on my own merit. I have nothing to be guilty about, so why should I care what they say? I don’t care!”

Qiao Ziman held her face, speaking seriously. “Yin Yin, I can’t accept you giving up your career for me. True love makes both people better when they’re together, not one sacrificing themselves for the other.”

Chi Yin was a bit surprised at first, but soon her eyes softened with affection. She replied, “I’ve never liked this industry, so it’s not really giving up my career for you. Do you remember I told you about the government’s plans to develop the commercial square on East Street? My partner and I were discussing investing in one or two restaurants and cinemas, right?”

Chi Yin continued, “We won the bid, so I’ll be shifting my focus to that project in the second half of the year.” This was also the truth.

So that’s what it was. Qiao Ziman finally felt a huge weight lift from her chest, and her mood immediately brightened. “That’s great! Let’s go! I’ll take you all out for a meal to celebrate properly.”

She turned around just in time to bump into He Cuizhen, who had a dark look on her face.

Qiao Ziman’s smile froze, and a chill ran down her spine. “Mom, what’s wrong?”

He Cuizhen sneered. “Explain this to me—what do you mean by ‘we haven’t really gotten together’?”

Qiao Ziman’s heart sank with a loud thud, and she thought to herself, This is bad.

“Mom, please let me explain.”

“Go ahead and explain.”

“Mom, what if I said I misspoke just now? Would you believe that?”

He Cuizhen glanced over and noticed a street cleaner nearby. She quickly ran over, grabbed the broom from the worker’s hand, and said, “Sis, can I borrow this for a minute?”

Qiao Ziman panicked and stepped back. “Mom, this is right in front of the police station! Don’t do anything crazy!”

He Cuizhen didn’t care about that at all. She charged straight at Qiao Ziman.

Qiao Ziman’s legs were already wobbling, and since she couldn’t run, she took a solid hit to her backside. “Ouch! Don’t hit me! I’m telling the truth, I was just bluffing before!”

“Oh, so it’s fake, huh, Qiao? So you sleep with people? And after sleeping with them, you don’t even take responsibility? Who taught you to be so shameless?” He Cuizhen retorted, furious.

Her grandmother, seeing this, fueled the fire, waving her arm. “She deserves it!”

Another few swats landed on her backside, and Qiao Ziman was hopping up and down in a panic. “Yin Yin, Ji Yun, are you two just watching the fun? Hurry up and hold my mom back!”

Both of them quickly rushed forward, one on each side, to restrain He Cuizhen.

Qiao Ziman rubbed her sore backside. “Who said I’m not taking responsibility? I was just thinking about confessing to her!”

“Well, then go ahead and confess! Tell me, is it because of those gossipers in the village that you’re hesitating? Are you scared?”

Qiao Ziman puffed out her chest, pointing at herself. “Me? Scared? That’s ridiculous! Why would their opinions matter to us while we’re in a relationship?”

He Cuizhen clearly didn’t believe her. “Qiao Ziman, are you trying to trick me again? You need to make a statement right now, or I’ll never let you off!” she said, waving the broom in her hand.

Qiao Ziman shuddered all over. Make a statement? Fine, it’s all the same, no matter where I do it. She walked toward Chi Yin. Looking into her eyes, she said, “Yin Yin.”

Once the words left her mouth, she felt a little nervous. After all, it was her first time. Should’ve memorized some lines before this.

“You—”

Qiao Ziman tried to gather her thoughts.

“Would you…”

She waited, but no follow-up came.

At that moment, He Cuizhen put all her strength into pushing past Ji Yun’s defense and gave Qiao Ziman a heavy slap on the shoulder. “What are you dragging your feet for?”

Qiao Ziman, whose legs were already weak, suddenly lost her balance under the force and collapsed, landing directly on her knees at Chi Yin’s feet. Her hands hit the ground, and her head lightly bumped the floor with a crisp “thunk.”

The situation got even worse. With the sudden movement, the scarf that had been covering her neck to hide the hickeys fell off. Also falling, bit by bit, was Qiao Ziman’s already fragile sense of dignity.

Ha ha ha ha, the little voice in her head laughed triumphantly. It’s all over now.

Everyone was bound to know she was the one on the bottom.

Silence. 

A deathly, suffocating silence filled the air.

Only Ji Yun broke it, stepping forward with a few flowers she had picked from the nearby garden and handing them to Qiao Ziman. She said in a soft voice, “Qiao Qiao, like you said, a proper confession should start with a bouquet. This is all I can do to help.”

Qiao Ziman’s eyes, empty and dazed, blinked once. “Thanks…”

The weight of the moment seemed to have drained all emotion from her, but she knelt there without moving, continuing to ask, “Will you officially be my girlfriend?”

Even Chi Yin didn’t expect this kind of confession. She froze, taken aback for a moment, before finally managing to speak. “There’s no need for something so formal.”

“Get up,” she added with a soft smile, “I’m willing.”