After the meeting, Gao Yuan sent her back. When she returned home, Zong Jinghao was not back yet. The two children had already taken a bath and were about to go to bed.
Seeing Lin Xinyan entering the door, Lin Ruixi rushed over, hugged her leg, and said, “Mommy, you’re back!”
Lin Xinyan picked her up and kissed her on her cheek. “Why aren’t you sleeping?” she asked.
The little girl thought for a while and said, “I’m waiting for you.”
“What are you talking about? You were obviously staying up because you were drinking milk.” Lin Xichen exposed her unceremoniously.
The little girl blinked and glared at him. “Xichen is so annoying!”
The boy was wearing a set of fleece pajamas. He put down his glass of milk and glanced at his sister, “I merely told the truth.”
The little girl buried herself in Lin Xinyan’s arms coyly while saying, “Mommy, Xichen is bullying me.”
Lin Xinyan patted her on the back. “Alright now, he didn’t mean to bully you.”
Thinking that his sister was childish and only knew how to act like a baby, Lin Xichen went back to the room to sleep.
He slept alone now, and Lin Ruixi slept with Cheng Yuxiu.
She could not sleep alone because she was afraid.
Lin Xichen wondered what there was to be afraid of.
After washing the glasses that the two children used, Cheng Yuxiu walked over, looked at Lin Xinyan, and asked, “Did you come back alone?”
She hadn’t seen Zong Jinghao.
Lin Xinyan put Lin Ruixi down. “Go and play with your brother for a while.”
“I want Mommy to carry me.” Lin Ruixi clung onto her arms reluctantly.
Lin Xinyan coaxed her, “Ruixi is a good girl. If you wait till the weekend, Mommy will take you and Xichen out to play.”
“Really?” the little girl exclaimed excitedly.
In fact, she was easy to coax. She just needed to be given food, drinks, and playtime.
Lin Xinyan patted her head and assured her before she was willing to go to Lin Xichen.
“Do you have something to tell me?” Cheng Yuxiu asked.
She wouldn’t have sent the child away otherwise.
“Let’s go to the room and talk.”
“Let’s go to my room,” Cheng Yuxiu offered. After she took over caring for Lin Ruixi, she and Zong Qifeng slept in separate rooms. There was no one in her room at that moment.
Lin Xiyan nodded.
After entering the room, Lin Xinyan closed the door. Cheng Yuxiu gestured for her to sit.
Lin Xinyan sat down near the edge of the bed. After thinking for a while, she said, “Wen Qing had a car accident.”
“Is his condition serious?” Cheng Yuxiu asked.
Lin Xinyan shook her head. “I don’t know. Jinghao went to check on him.”
Cheng Yuxiu sighed, “Fate is unpredictable.”
“This is not an accident,” Lin Xinyan said as she wondered if Cheng Yuxiu hated Wen Qing.
The latter’s eyes widened in disbelief. If it was not an accident, that meant it was premeditated. Who would dare to do this?
“Bai Hongfei’s adopted son, Bai Yinning, came to B City. He did this to avenge Bai Hongfei.”
Cheng Yuxiu lowered her eyes thoughtfully and said, “It has been so long since. Why bother?”
“No matter how much time has passed, the damage is done. Don’t you feel any resentment?” Lin Xinyan asked the question that she had wondered for the longest time.
Cheng Yuxiu got up, walked to the window, and looked outside.
“How do you differentiate right from wrong? I was the one who made Wen Xian a promise, and though what happened was unexpected, I have to bear the consequences. If I think about it carefully, what did Wen Qing do wrong? If I really ruined Wen Xian’s marriage, what he did was justified,” she said.
“But you did not ruin her marriage.” Lin Xinyan looked at her.
“Things happened because of me, nonetheless. If I refused Wen Xian when she came to me, things wouldn’t have progressed the way they did. Maybe fate was toying with us, or maybe it was predestined. I had already seen through the matter.”
She felt that she was currently at the pinnacle of her life, living happily and harmoniously with her family. This was something which she didn’t dare to imagine before. Even though Zong Jinghao still refused to speak to her, she was contented that she could still see him frequently.
“Please help me persuade Bai Yinning.” Cheng Yuxiu knew it wouldn’t be easy to get revenge on Wen Qing. Besides, Bai Yinning was Bai Hongfei’s adopted son. She didn’t want to see him get into trouble.
“I’m afraid no one can persuade him,” Lin Xinyan knew very well that Bai Yinning was set on getting revenge.
Cheng Yuxiu sighed. The younger generation should not bear the grudges of the older generation.
“If he succeeds, would you be happy?” Lin Xinyan asked as she walked toward her.
Cheng Yuxiu shook her head. “No, I won’t. Wen Qing is in the wrong, but it is true that he regards Jinghao as family.”
She didn’t want Zong Jinghao to know the truth because she was afraid that he would not be able to accept it. He had always respected Wen Qing, and the latter cared about him as much as he cared about his sister.
Moreover, she didn’t want her son to be involved in a matter of the past.
She was satisfied enough to see him from time to time. It was fine for her, even if he would never acknowledge her as his mother in this lifetime.
“Where is Bai Yinning?” Cheng Yuxiu suddenly asked.
She couldn’t just watch him get into trouble. Even if it was for Bai Hongfei’s sake, she should persuade him.
Lin Xinyan told her where Bai Yinning stayed.
After visiting the Wen family once, she felt that Cheng Yuxiu’s approach was right. Since the truth had been hidden for so long, and the matter had passed, it was only right not to uncover it because it would surely do more harm than good.
Amongst them, the one who would be hurt the most was Zong Jinghao. The person who he had always respected was his enemy, while the person he had always treated indifferently and even hated was his biological mother. How could he accept this turn of events?
How could he face it?
She was worried that Bai Yinning would break the current peace.
“Alright, rest early,” Cheng Yuxiu said.
Lin Xinyan responded softly in agreement, then turned around and walked out of the room.
However, as soon as she walked out, Zong Jinghao came in through the front door. His eyes flickered when he saw her coming out of Cheng Yuxiu’s room.
With his coat in her hand, she asked, “Is it serious?”
“It’s not life threatening, but he has a broken arm and needs to recuperate.” Zong Jinghao finished and went upstairs to the second floor, while Lin Xinyan hung his coat before following him upstairs.
Lin Xinyan entered the room, and Zong Jinghao was unbuttoning his shirt by the side of the bed. With his back to Lin Xinyan, he asked, “What were you doing in her room?”
Lin Xinyan closed the room door, saying, “Ruixi is sleeping with her. I went in to check on my child. Can’t I do that?”
Zong Jinghao didn’t answer her. He undressed and went straight into the bathroom.
Soon, the sound of running water came from the bathroom.
Lin Xinyan knew there was still a barrier between him and Cheng Yuxiu.
She couldn’t help but sigh. It was a pressure to have too much knowledge, and she would rather not have known too much.
That way, she could think from his perspective without feeling troubled over Bai Yinning’s affairs.
On the one hand, she couldn’t decide whether to tell him, but on the other hand, she was afraid that Bai Yinning would resort to other methods if she didn’t.
Based on Zong Jinghao’s smarts, he would definitely connect with time.
She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn’t realize the sound of running water from the bathroom had stopped.
“What are you thinking about?”
She looked up.
