Except for suspecting that Ji Ya hadn’t taken her medication, Ji Jiangyuan couldn’t find any other words to express his current feelings!

“Ji Jiangyuan, who do you think you’re talking to? I carried you for ten months before giving birth to you, raised you to adulthood, and now when I ask for a small favor, this is your attitude!”

Ji Ya’s chest heaved. “You think that just because you gave me that $100,000 check, you can ignore my requests, you can—”

“Of course I can. Especially unreasonable requests, I believe I have the right to refuse.”

Perhaps because he had seen Ji Ya lose control of her emotions so often since childhood, Ji Jiangyuan had tried to live a more cheerful life. He didn’t want to become a second Ji Ya.

Just like now, as Ji Ya was on the verge of emotional collapse, Ji Jiangyuan remained remarkably calm:

“I’m sorry, I can’t help you. After returning to China, you forbade me from contacting my birth father’s side, and haven’t I been following your demands? Now you want me to arrange a meeting with him in my name, but I can’t think of any reason to do so. We’re only father and son by blood; in real life, we’re more like strangers, with no connection, no contact… Now, please don’t force me to disturb his life.”

Ji Jiangyuan truly felt sorry for his birth father.

He was born to Ji Ya, and the blood relationship between mother and son wasn’t a choice – no one had asked if he wanted to be born, this blood tie had simply been thrust upon him.

According to Chinese superstition, this might be a karmic debt from his previous life that he had to repay in this one.

But his birth father, Tang Hongen, even though their marriage had ended over a decade ago, would still have his life disrupted whenever Ji Ya was unhappy.

Why should that be?

Who gave Ji Ya such power?

Ji Jiangyuan’s gaze was indifferent. He had once been controlled by Ji Ya’s extreme emotions; whenever she lost control, he would inevitably compromise.

This was a son’s concern for his mother, not wanting her to be hurt.

Later, Ji Jiangyuan finally faced a truth: every time Ji Ya lost emotional control, it wasn’t she who got hurt, but rather those who loved and cared about her. The more someone cared about her, the deeper they were hurt. Staying around her for too long would cause a suffocating feeling, which was why all those boyfriends Ji Ya had dated in America, whether for long or short periods, had eventually fled from her.

“Please cherish Uncle George. If there’s nothing else, I need to get back to work. Have a pleasant evening.”

As Ji Jiangyuan moved to close the door, Ji Ya placed her hand on the doorframe.

“Ji Jiangyuan, where is your conscience? Do you think I can have a pleasant evening tonight? If we can’t find a solution, tomorrow the bank will take away my Elegance. It’s what I’ve poured my heart and soul into creating, it can’t be taken away like this, can’t be destroyed by others!”

Ji Ya’s hand remained on the doorframe; forcefully closing the door would hurt her hand.

Ji Jiangyuan knew it was inappropriate, but he wanted to laugh:

“You think others are taking away Elegance, stealing your life’s work… Who do you think these people are? The bank, Sheng Xuan who gave you the loan?”

“And Xia Xiaolan—”

“Yes, and Xia Xiaolan! And if we dig deeper, you think my father is backing Xia Xiaolan, so you want to meet with him, believing that if he gives up this idea, your crisis will be resolved, right?”

Ji Jiangyuan spoke quickly, exposing Ji Ya’s thoughts one by one.

Ji Ya flushed with anger and embarrassment: “Isn’t that the case?”

“From your perspective, that’s how it is – the whole world is against you.”

Ji Jiangyuan glanced at the doorframe and abandoned his plan to work overtime in the hotel room. He went back inside, packed all his materials into his bag, and headed downstairs.

“Wait, where are you going!”

“Does where I go matter to you? If I were you, I would reflect carefully on why the whole world seems to be against you.”

He couldn’t stay in the room anymore; he needed to go to the office to work overtime.

Huaqing University would start soon, and tomorrow he would return to Beijing; this work had to be completed tonight.

This job was the best part-time position Ji Jiangyuan could find now. If he wanted to balance his studies and cover his living expenses without asking others for help, he had to keep this job!

Financial independence leads to personal independence.

Conversely, the joy of personal independence surpasses that of financial independence. Ji Jiangyuan felt this particularly deeply!

If his biological mother was an unreasonable, obsessive person, why should he remain entangled? If he wasn’t happy here, he could simply go somewhere else.

Ji Jiangyuan shouldered his bag and went downstairs.

Tina had heard the commotion and opened her door a crack, giving Ji Jiangyuan a “V” sign.

“That was amazing!”

Ji Jiangyuan appeared gentle; she hadn’t expected him to have such strong principles.

However, fearing Ji Ya might ask to borrow money, Tina quickly pulled her head back and quietly closed her door.

She wasn’t stupid either – never mind that her brother had already transferred the money to a trust, even if he hadn’t, she had no relationship with Ji Ya, so why should she lend her money?

George was Ji Ya’s husband.

Aunt Cynthia was Ji Ya’s mother-in-law.

If these two weren’t willing to provide money, there must be a reason.

“Ji Jiangyuan, stop right there! I command you to stop!”

“Ji Jiangyuan—”

“You’re unfilial, you deserve to be condemned by everyone!”

Ji Ya shouted at Ji Jiangyuan’s back, but it didn’t affect his departing steps at all.

Ji Ya leaned against the wall, her chest heaving. After a while, she straightened up again.

Everyone wanted to see her fail.

At this moment, she couldn’t fall.

Ji Ya looked at her watch; it was nine o’clock in the evening.

She left the hotel and called a taxi:

“To the Municipal Government Residential Complex.”

In Mrs. Wilson’s room, George watched her leave through the floor-to-ceiling window, pain flashing across his face.

“I’m a bad person.”

Mrs. Wilson sneered, “Do you want to be a good person? Good people are always bullied by others. Neither your uncle nor your wife will show mercy just because you’re a good person.”

Good person?

Good people always retreat step by step until there’s nowhere left to retreat.

This is also reflected in marriage – unprincipled indulgence and tolerance won’t make a woman fall in love with her husband; it will only make her take him for granted!

Mrs. Wilson’s attitude was firm:

“Unsuitable businesses should end, unsuitable people should separate. Child, you have to face this reality.”

George fell into silence.

…

“I’m sorry, comrade, you can’t enter randomly.”

The residential complex housed most of the city’s leading cadres, and it was evening – how could they let people in arbitrarily?

Even if it was a lady.

Even if she was a very elegant lady.

It still wasn’t possible to enter freely.

It was already so late, and she was asking to see Mayor Tang!

Even if she were petitioning, it wouldn’t make sense to come to the government residential complex to confront someone – she should go to the municipal government office building.

“I won’t leave until I see him.”

Ji Ya turned up her trench coat collar. Even in Pengcheng, February nights were cold, and tonight a light rain had started falling, the raindrops blown onto her face by the wind, making the obsessive Ji Ya appear somewhat pitiful.