CHAPTER 285: ITCHY BITES

Eventually in the scene her mother had grabbed a knife and rushed toward her ready to kill her but AiLin who had guessed this would have happened managed to capture everything and brought her own mother to prison. While her mother thought she would be released easily if she could prove she wasn’t in her right mind which she did, but then the police had emphasized that she had to be put in a mental hospital due to her attacking others whenever she isn’t mentally stable.

At first AiLin pretended she was against it but deep down this was what the main character had always wanted to do. She didn’t want to put her mother in prison, that was far too less of a suffering. But to be alone in a place with many people who aren’t in their good mind place she would also soon turn just as crazy as them. The cherry on top was the fact that her mother could never ever leave, never unless AiLin agrees to which she would never.

Once she was done, AiLin sat back on her chair finding his Yanlan was too quiet in his thoughts which alerted her. She walked toward him and when she came closer he had pulled a smile again, looking as though nothing was off place when earlier he seemed rather distraught.

"You seem to be really tired," she told him which he answered with a laugh.

"I was just doing some self reflect, you’re sweating should I bring you a new towel?"

AiLin looked at her face and shook her head, "It’s the last scene that I have to appear today so I guess I could just wash the make up off in the washroom, it’s okay just stay here the women’s washroom is close over there."

Yanlan eyed where it is and nodded. He was also in the brink of exhaustion but if AiLin was ever in danger, he would make sure that he could rush toward her faster than any danger could harm her. Just thinking about his protectiveness made Yanlan to chuckle a little. He had always cared little for people who aren’t his family and at first he was more apprehensive toward AiLin as she was still an outsider. Though all the reports he had seen of her showed how she was someone with a troubled past but good heart, Yanlan couldn’t easily believe other people as easily as he had been betrayed by them numerous times.

But AiLin was as she had always been even through her reports. She was someone desperate to have a family and yet despite her troubled past, she never once wanted to harm others actively, always turning into a victim. Seeing this made Yanlan wish that he could protect and be by her side even more, knowing well that kind people aren’t treated well but wish to treat her better so the world wouldn’t feel too tough on her.

Not knowing what Yanlan was thinking, AiLin had made her way to the washroom. She took off her make up quickly inside and went into the cubicle to continue changing her clothes, draping over a comfortable black sweatshirt and pants when she suddenly heard whispers echoing from outside.

"....you can’t do this to me!"

It was a familiar female voice. Familiar because it belongs to Jiang NianNian, the voice that had always haunted her though now sounding rather strained and fearful. She couldn’t tell if they were aware that there were people inside the cubicle as earlier she noticed she had been the only one inside which must’ve been overlooked by Jiang NianNian. The sound of the door locking turns out came from outside, meaning that she must have locked it when getting inside so no one else could enter and overhear her words.

But how ironic it is for the entire conversation to be served in silver platter for AiLin to hear?

She saw the heels that stood in front of Jiang NianNian, clearly coming from another woman, but who?

"I don’t want to do it no matter what. I don’t care if he is an executive in Hua Corporation! A smelly disgusting old man like him wanting to see me is disgusting enough to make my stomach churn."

A silence followed and finally Madam Jiang answered, "Then what do you want us to do?! He is only asking for a dinner! Just a normal dinner and if he tries anything you can leave. Don’t you know our situation better than anyone else now NianNian? We need his help! And just do one favor from me alright? I have never asked anything from you have I?!"

AiLin furrowed her eyebrows, getting a glimpse of the picture from what they were talking although it wasn’t too clear. Hua executive, an old man, a promise meeting, and their current situation.

Madam Jiang who had fallen into her trap eventually plan to sold her daughter for wealth.

AiLin’s lips tugged and curled, almost having a hard time from holding herself to break into a laughter. She couldn’t imagine that this day would come, that one day madam Jiang and Jiang NianNian herself was going to suffer the medicine. It was funny and though it was, AiLin felt a sense of emptiness after her smile. She didn’t feel empty because she suddenly thought that this revenge was useless, no. Instead she felt empty because she didn’t think that the two women ever understood the gravity of their action even if they now suffer the same way as she did.

Perhaps because they would then blame their misfortune to her but that wouldn’t happen. AiLin would make sure that they would be sober of their own action and the karma hitting them.

AiLin tapped her elbow with her finger, quiet as she thought of what she should do now. Then she opened her voice recording app inside her phone, smiling as she does so.

"I haven’t fallen so low that I will resort to sleeping with an old man like you do," Jiang NianNian said with her teeth gritted, "I don’t care if you start having a relationship behind father’s back since he entered hospital, I don’t care either what kind of man you have decided to date or have fun with but don’t ever involve me in this! I have reputation to protect and if by any chances anyone found out about this meeting my life will be ruined! All because of you!"

Madam Jiang’s mouth parted slightly and anger as well as shamed colored her face green unimpressively.

Madam Jiang’s voice cracked, though she tried to maintain her cold composure. "Ruined? Your life will be ruined? Do you think mine hasn’t been? Do you think I wanted to end up like this where I have to grovel to men who see us as nothing but decoration? Everything I’ve done, I’ve done to keep us afloat, to keep you dressed like a princess while we’re drowning in debts!"

Jiang NianNian scoffed, her face contorted in disgust. "Don’t act like this is a noble sacrifice. You’ve always been like this, chasing after rich men, and don’t say you had done this because you wanted to protect us! Let’s be real all you want is the money and privilege that comes with being rich!"

Madam Jiang stepped forward, her fists bunching tighter as if she was going to hit, "You ungrateful girl! Everything you have now, all of it! Your schooling, your designer clothes, your reputation it’s all because I made the hard decisions. And now it’s your turn."

"My turn?" NianNian hissed, voice lowering but dripping venom. "My turn to be sold like livestock? To some sagging, foul breathed leech who thinks he can buy my time with a few favors? You must be insane. He isn’t worth my time and I won’t ever sit in front that disgusting pig- OUCH!"

The slap echoed suddenly and the sound sharply cut through the tense air. AiLin’s brows twitched slightly inside the stall, a tug tightening on the left corner of her lips.

Jiang NianNian reeled back, hand softly touching her cheek, wide-eyed as she stared at her mother. "You hit me?" she whispered, not out of pain, but disbelief.

Madam Jiang’s chest was heaving, her face twisted with fury aa Jiang NianNian had kept pushing her buttons. "I did and so what?! You need to wake up. Life isn’t some fairy tale. We’re not those people who get happy endings handed to them. This is survival, NianNian. And if you keep acting like this, we’ll lose everything. You don’t have to love him. You don’t even have to talk to him. You just have to show up, look pretty, and smile. That’s all."

Jiang NianNian stared at her mother as if seeing her for the first time, her expression slowly shifting from shock to loathing. "You’re disgusting," she said quietly. "You talk about survival, but all I see is someone who gave up on dignity a long time ago. Not to forget how you even push father down and cause that accident which only worsen our situa-" Jiang NianNian then stopped as her eyes landed on the ground, seeing a shadow inside one of the cubicle that made her immediately flinch, "Who is there?!"