CHAPTER 228: CHAPTER 228: BABY, AS LONG AS YOU LIKE ME, THAT’S ENOUGH (2)

"Grandma doesn’t like me going to her room. Going there is a waste of time." Shen Jiajia’s face was full of reluctance, thinking about the amiable way Grandma treated Mi Jing, her eyes flashed with deep jealousy.

A family member can’t even compete with an outsider, what kind of thing is this?

Shen Jiajia had long been dissatisfied with Grandma’s favoritism, and now she had reached the point where she hated her. So, Shen Jiajia only pretended to care about Grandma on the surface, but deep down, she wished that Grandma would pass away soon, so she wouldn’t have to be always subjected to her attitude and do everything to please her!

"Even if it’s a waste of time, you have to go." Ma Huilian was slightly annoyed at Shen Jiajia for not understanding her place, and said sternly, "Do you still want her help or not?"

"Alright, I’ll go then." Thinking of Chu Chen, Shen Jiajia immediately changed her attitude. She thought, compared to future happiness, a little grievance now was nothing!

Ten minutes later, Shen Jiajia brought a cup of warm milk to the door of Grandma’s room. Hearing the laughter inside, she hesitated for a moment before raising her hand to knock on the door.

Knock knock—

"Brother, sister-in-law, when did you come back?" Shen Jiajia looked at Shen Lingxing and Mi Jing with slight surprise on her face, as if she had just discovered they were home.

"We’ve been back for more than an hour." Mi Jing, who had just been interrupted in her chat with Grandma by the knock, smiled as she looked at Shen Jiajia who walked in.

"Oh, all the servants are off tonight, no one told me you were back." Shen Jiajia smiled politely, then turned her gaze to Grandma and said considerately, "Grandma, I warmed a cup of milk for you. You should drink it while it’s hot, it’s good for your sleep."

"I just had some porridge, leave it there." Grandma said indifferently.

"Okay." Faced with Grandma’s coldness, the smile on Shen Jiajia’s face did not fade one bit. After placing the cup on the bedside table, she sensibly said, "Then I’ll leave now."

"..."

Grandma had no intention of keeping Shen Jiajia, she sat on the bed without any expression, watching Shen Jiajia leave. Mi Jing, already accustomed to the somewhat strange atmosphere in this family, remained silent.

The originally cheerful atmosphere changed with Shen Jiajia’s arrival and then returned to its former joy after her departure.

"Jingjing, drink this milk." Grandma leaned over, picked up the cup from the bedside table, and handed it to Mi Jing with a kind smile.

"Uh... Grandma, you should drink it yourself." This was Shen Jiajia’s gesture of good will, and Mi Jing felt undeserving of it, slightly embarrassed.

Seeing this, Shen Lingxing reached out and took the cup from Grandma’s hand, forcefully placing it in Mi Jing’s hand, commanding, "Drink it!"

"You brat, can’t you be gentler with Jingjing?" Grandma scolded Shen Lingxing with a stern face, strongly defending Mi Jing.

"Sometimes being too gentle doesn’t work with her." Shen Lingxing raised his hand and rubbed Mi Jing’s head.

Hearing this, Mi Jing glared at Shen Lingxing unhappily, then smiled at Grandma, and obediently drank the milk.

Outside the door, Shen Jiajia had not left. Listening to their conversation inside, her face was full of jealousy and resentment.

"Mom, am I really your and Dad’s biological child?" Shen Jiajia stormed upstairs angrily, complaining as soon as she reached Ma Huilian’s side.

"What nonsense are you talking about!" Ma Huilian glared at Shen Jiajia with a stern face, looking towards the door of the closed study.

"I just don’t understand why Grandma always finds me disagreeable!" Shen Jiajia was furious, completely losing her usual gentle and quiet demeanor, her fierce expression resembling a bitter woman.

"Lower your voice, if your dad hears you, what will he think?" Ma Huilian’s face darkened even more, wishing she could shut Shen Jiajia up to avoid disturbing Shen Zixian who was busy in the study.

"Didn’t you also say that complaining about these things is pointless, so why can’t you stay calm now?" Ma Huilian pulled Shen Jiajia to sit on the sofa, her eyes glaring.

"I..." Only then did Shen Jiajia realize she was too agitated. She looked at Ma Huilian and said coquettishly, "Mom, I must marry Chu Chen. You have to help me, no matter what."

"Haven’t I said it already? Where I can help, I will help you! Sigh, have you prepared for the company internship assessment?"

Compared to leveraging a marriage with the Chu Family, Ma Huilian preferred Shen Jiajia to enter the company sooner. After all, they were part of the Shen Family. No matter if Grandma liked them or not, they wouldn’t end up with nothing. As for Chu Chen, that playboy, Ma Huilian didn’t think her daughter could hold onto him. But everything must be tried to know the real result. Since Shen Jiajia was set on Chu Chen, letting her try wouldn’t hurt.

"Almost, I’ve read all the necessary materials, should be able to pass the assessment. But if Brother makes it difficult for me, then I can’t say." Shen Jiajia confidently said, flipping her hair.

"Then prepare more, so that he can’t make things difficult for you even if he tries." As she spoke, the light in Ma Huilian’s eyes dimmed, "Sigh, your dad has always been unwilling to manage company matters, otherwise, I could ask your dad to help you."

"Mom, do you not believe in my abilities?" Shen Jiajia, who knew Shen Zixian was unreliable, never mentioned her intention of joining the company to him.

"I believe, but..."

"No buts, I will definitely enter the company smoothly." Shen Jiajia stood up, flipped her hair, and said, "Talk to Dad about my matter as soon as possible. I’m going back to my room to review the materials."

Watching Shen Jiajia’s confident back, Ma Huilian smiled as if she saw herself back in the day.

"Why so long?" After waiting for a while to see Ma Huilian walk in with a teapot, Shen Zixian asked faintly.

"I was chatting with Jiajia outside." Ma Huilian said with a beaming smile as she poured tea for Shen Zixian, "Time flies, Jiajia is almost graduating from university."

"Yes, more than twenty years have passed in a blink of an eye." Shen Zixian sighed, his voice tinged with a bit of sorrow.

They had known each other for over thirty years and had been together for over twenty years. Shen Zixian spoke briefly, but Ma Huilian could guess his thoughts at that moment. For over twenty years, though Shen Zixian never spoke of Ling Wei, deep in his heart, he always harbored a sense of deep guilt.

Every year on Ling Wei’s death anniversary, without needing a reminder, Shen Zixian would always go alone early in the morning to sweep and pay respects at the grave, rain or shine.

She was a smart woman, able to detect that Shen Zixian’s feelings for Ling Wei were more than just guilt. But she never actively uncovered that layer of private ambiguity, pretending to know nothing, deftly evading, and never mentioning her former "close friend," as if Ling Wei had been completely forgotten due to her departure.