Plunder-Chapter 305: Being Unloved is Most Shameful
Mrs. Zhou’s calculating eyes stared fixedly at Qiao En.
"Leave him, name your price, as long as it’s not excessive, I can meet your demands,"
Mrs. Zhou said, feigning calmness.
Even though she had just had a verbal conflict with Zhou Jin’an, and even though Qiao En had witnessed it all, she still maintained her innate pride, crushing Qiao En’s self-esteem with a haughty demeanor.
If she were still the naive young girl of five years ago, Qiao En thought, she might have acquiesced to Mrs. Zhou’s wishes, named a figure, and then left tactfully.
She smiled, her eyes and brows exuding warmth.
"How much money do you think it would take for me to leave?"
She countered.
In this unseen confrontation, gentleness was the winning strategy.
"Ten million."
Mrs. Zhou confidently named a figure.
"But, you cannot take the child with you,"
She lifted her chin, her sharp gaze coldly sweeping over Qiao En.
This time, Qiao En’s smile broadened, her eyes curving into lines.
"Madam, I’m sorry to disappoint you,"
Mrs. Zhou’s expression immediately turned stern, "What? Is the money too little? Qiao En, don’t forget, it was I who gave you the opportunity to get this far. You and Jin’an are worlds apart; he needs a woman who can support him, and what do you have?"
As Mrs. Zhou spoke, Qiao En subtly lowered her gaze, maintaining a dignified pose.
"Madam, you are right, Jin’an and I are worlds apart, my family background, education, upbringing, perspective, none of these can compare with him. However, you overlooked one thing, the love he has for me,"
"You must be unwilling to accept that when the events of over twenty years ago resurfaced, Jin’an did not make the same choice his father did, and I, a woman far inferior to you in every respect, received the care you never had. Madam, do you think I’m merely lucky?"
"Jin’an and I met, fell in love, and have faced many hardships and trials together. I love him deeply, and he loves me too, we both cherish our feelings for each other. Thus, no matter how great the storms outside are, they can’t overturn the steadiness in our hearts,"
"Madam, there was a reason you were forced to leave the Zhou family years ago, and it’s not just the trigger event, the real reason is something you know better than anyone,"
At this, Qiao En paused.
In Mrs. Zhou’s eyes, she saw a flash of unprecedented astonishment.
Being unloved is the most shameful thing.
Ding Yongsheng’s scheme could only succeed because the relationship between Mrs. Zhou and the old master wasn’t solid enough.
A fragile relationship is like loose sand, which can be dispersed by a gust of wind or a rainstorm.
Qiao En slowly stood up, the apple in her hand now neatly peeled.
She handed the peeled apple to Mrs. Zhou, her face still bearing a gentle smile.
Mrs. Zhou, forcing herself, reached out and took the apple.
But in an instant, she threw the apple forcefully, and it hit the door with a "bang".
Alerted by the sound, Zhou Jin’an opened the door.
The apple rolled on the floor, gathering dust.
"Jin’an, let’s go home,"
Qiao En walked slowly towards Zhou Jin’an, his expression frosty as he glanced briefly at Mrs. Zhou.
Her expression was extremely complex, her lips trembling slightly.
"Take care of yourself,"
He dropped the phrase, put his arm around Qiao En’s shoulder, and the two leaned on each other as they walked out of Mrs. Zhou’s sight.
Leaving the Zhou Residence, Zhou Jin’an frowned deeply.
"I’m sorry you had to go through that,"
He was very repentant.
Qiao En just sighed softly, "Honestly, she’s quite pitiful too. She married into the Zhou family at twenty-one and was driven out at twenty-five, with no family, no friends, and has spent most of her life alone, nurturing resentment."
"She has trapped herself,"
Zhou Jin’an spoke gloomily.
"I hope one day, she can resolve her inner conflicts. Jin’an, if that day really comes, we must take good care of her."
Qiao En tenderly took Zhou Jin’an’s arm.
He gratefully nodded his head.
The day when Nian’en was a full month old, Lin Youyou, with her pregnant belly, rushed back from Singapore.
"Young Madam, congratulations, the little princess is so adorable!"
As the child lay in the cradle, Lin Youyou played around it, a gentle woman with a tender smile in her eyes.
"You’re almost there too, are you due next month? Then you will be even happier than I am, with two little babies!"
Lin Youyou smiled, her eyes squinting into slits, as she gently stroked her large belly.
"I wonder if it’s a girl or a boy."
"Whether it’s a girl or a boy, you’re going to love them," Qiao En said.
Lin Youyou blinked her large eyes, "Does Assistant Cheng prefer a boy or a girl?"
Qiao En chuckled, "Well... when you see him tomorrow, be sure to ask him."
Lin Youyou’s face instantly flushed with two red blooms.
With the child about to be born and Cheng Lu’s sentence almost up, excitement sparkled in Lin Youyou’s eyes.
The next day, just as dawn broke, Qiao En heard the clatter of pots and pans from the kitchen downstairs.
Being a light sleeper, she tiptoed downstairs.
In the kitchen, Lin Youyou was frantically busy.
Qiao En’s sudden appearance startled her.
"Young Madam, I’m sorry for waking you. I wanted to make sushi for Assistant Cheng. He told me last time that he loves sushi, and I thought of making some to take to him."
She shyly looked at Qiao En.
Her eyes were filled with the indulgent yet restrained emotions of being in love.
"Let me help you."
Qiao En said, smiling as she rolled up her sleeves ready to enter the kitchen.
Lin Youyou immediately blocked her nervously at the kitchen door, "Young Madam, I can make sushi, I’ve practiced many times at home. Please go and rest, I’ll keep the noise down, it won’t take long."
Qiao En understood that Lin Youyou wanted Cheng Lu to taste the sushi she had made herself.
"Okay, I’ll go and rest. You should get some sleep too after you’re done."
At that moment, the time froze at five ten in the morning.
Qiao En returned to the bedroom, Zhou Jin’an was deeply asleep, and she had just lied down when his arms engulfed her into an embrace.
No words were necessary, just the familiar warmth wrapped around Qiao En.
Like a kitten, she snuggled deeper into Zhou Jin’an’s embrace.
Soon, dreams descended upon her and she fell back into a deep sleep.
In the kitchen, Lin Youyou was busily pressing on.
What Cheng Lu liked to eat, she wasn’t sure. When they met last time, she asked what food he liked and he vaguely replied that anything was fine.
She took it seriously and asked about each item one by one; he nodded to all. Lin Youyou, a typical kitchen novice, remembered all the foods he nodded to.
However, some dishes were either too complex or turned out not to look or taste right, and after numerous failed attempts, she noticed her sushi was marginally decent.
Thus, she decided to make a portion of sushi to take to Cheng Lu.
Once the sushi was ready, daylight had already arrived.
Lin Youyou was busy in the kitchen, and Sister Rong didn’t disturb her.
After finishing the sushi, Lin Youyou hurried to change her clothes and left the house.
However, en route, an unexpected event occurred.
