Jing Yi had grown up without a father or mother, but she had seen other people's mothers.
She had seen mothers picking up their children from school, mothers attending parent-teacher conferences, and mothers shopping with their kids...
Jing Yi had always felt that having parents or not didn't matter much to her; she could live well on her own.
But then, Lin Ruiqing said to her that she hoped her daughter would be healthy, happy, and successful in everything - just like what an ordinary mother would say to her daughter.
Jing Yi had never imagined that one day, someone would say such things to her.
After all, she was a person who had been abandoned at an orphanage right after birth.
Lin Ruiqing continued to look at her tenderly, "Yi Yi, your arrival is another gift that heaven has sent me."
My arrival is a gift?
Jing Yi was suddenly stunned. At that moment, it was as if the softest corner of her heart had been touched.
She opened her mouth, her eyes burning slightly, her voice very soft, but Lin Ruiqing still heard it.
"Mom."
Lin Ruiqing's eyes reddened slightly as she gently squeezed her hand and responded with a soft "Yes!"
She then looked at Jing Zejun, who also had tears in her eyes and called out "Mom" with a smile. Lin Ruiqing responded to her as well.
Lin Ruiqing embraced both daughters, patting them gently, and said with a smile, "This is wonderful. This is the happiest birthday I've ever had!"
Jing Yi rested her head on Lin Ruiqing's shoulder, tears welling up in her eyes. It was joy, and it was also contentment.
She had a mom now!
...
The party was still going on, and Jing Yi was on the balcony getting some fresh air.
She still held a wine glass in her hand, eyes closed, enjoying the cool evening breeze. She looked very happy.
But someone interrupted this scene. Jing Yi opened her eyes and looked in the direction of the approaching footsteps.
[I knew it would be this fool.]
Seeing Jing Zeqian walk over, Jing Yi turned her head away, refusing to look at him.
Jing Zeqian rubbed his nose, seemingly trying to figure out how to start, "Um..." Jing Yi still didn't speak or look at him.
[Um, um, do I not have a name? Or have you become a stutterer after not seeing me for a few days?]
Jing Zeqian sighed, feeling tongue-tied for the first time. Seeing that Jing Yi was about to turn and leave, he quickly called out to her, "Yi Yi!"
Jing Yi stood with her back to Jing Zeqian, "If you have something to say, say it quickly."
Jing Zeqian lowered his head, looking somewhat dejected, "I want to apologize to you. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have questioned you without asking, I shouldn't have said those awful things. I was presumptuous, I was unreasonable..."
Jing Yi listened to Jing Zeqian's confession behind her and let out a light sigh. It had been several days, and her anger had mostly subsided, but his words still bothered her.
[I just feel... it's quite disappointing. You were the one who first said I was your sister...]
Jing Zeqian clenched his fists tightly, feeling an indescribable emotion in his heart.
"...I'm sorry, I'm not a good brother. My sister hadn't been home for over twenty years, and I never once cared. When she came back, I mocked and criticized her, didn't help her with her suitcase, made fun of her for being silly, tried to control her everywhere, and thought I was doing what a brother should do."
His voice was a bit choked up. Jing Yi bit her lower lip lightly and blinked hard.
"Now, I've said such harsh things to her because of someone who betrayed me. She's actually someone who loves to have fun and sleep, but she's been running around every day for my sake. Mom is right, I'm really ungrateful..."
[Who apologizes by pointing out others' flaws? You're the one who loves to play and sleep!]
Jing Yi turned and walked back into the hall. Jing Zeqian thought she still wouldn't forgive him and leaned dejectedly against the door, looking defeated.
A few minutes later, Jing Yi came back. Jing Zeqian's eyes lit up, and he stood up straight.
Jing Yi handed him several bottles of wine. Jing Zeqian looked down at them, confused.
Jing Yi casually pulled out the cork, "Last time you didn't get to drink, right? You can drink now." With that, she started drinking straight from the bottle.
Jing Zeqian was startled, his eyes widening as he quickly steadied her hand, "This is red wine, not grape juice!"
Jing Yi gave him a strange look, "I know." She glanced at Jing Zeqian's hand, "Are you going to drink or not?"
[If I didn't see this fool was in a bad mood, I wouldn't bother drinking with him.]
Jing Zeqian felt a pang in his heart as he gripped the wine bottle, "Yi Yi, I'm sorry..." He really was a jerk.
The wine bottle opened with a 'pop', and Jing Zeqian took a big gulp.
Jing Yi leaned on the railing, looking at the path illuminated by the banquet hall lights, "Did she give a reason?"
"...For a man." Jing Zeqian took another swig from the bottle as he spoke, "For a man, she gave up everything. She gave up her career, her child, and now even her freedom..."
Seeing him like this, Jing Yi frowned, her eyes displeased. She didn't mince her words, "If she gave it up, why are you upset? Did you make her give it up? Besides, does she even have a career anymore? Didn't Junjun and Actor Wen both tell you about Jiang Miaomiao's issues? And you? You still think she was focused on her career?"
Jing Yi's words stripped away the last layer of Jiang Miaomiao's facade and shattered the image of her in Jing Zeqian's mind.
"When I first met her, she was just like Junjun, reverent and aspiring towards the acting profession."
[Even at a time like this, he's reminiscing about the past...]
Jing Yi scoffed and added for Jing Zeqian, "Later, when she became famous, had money, and the boss was protecting her, there was no need to bother about acting anymore."
Jing Zeqian gave a bitter laugh, "Yes, everyone could see it except me."
Jing Zeqian's eyes were a bit hazy as he raised the bottle for another drink. Jing Yi was a bit worried he might get drunk.
Jing Zeqian continued to ramble, "Yi Yi, I'm the second young master of the Jing Family. On the surface, they call me the pride of heaven, but behind my back, they say I'm useless, that I'm nothing without the Jing Family."
"Although I said I didn't care, I was actually very resentful. I secretly vowed that even without relying on the Jing Family, I could make something of myself. Startrack is my career, my pride."
"How amazing was I! The first artist I managed won Best Actress, I founded Startrack, and this entertainment company quickly became one of the top in the industry. Later, many artists started joining, but..."
[But Jiang Miaomiao was different from them. She was your initial pride.]
Jing Zeqian leaned on the railing and suddenly burst into laughter. Jing Yi watched, feeling very uncomfortable.
"Hahahahaha, it's all fake! The dream was fake! The success was fake! I'm really f***ing useless, a presumptuous, ungrateful, blind fool. Yi Yi, I'm just useless!" The figure on the railing trembled slightly...
Jing Yi sighed. Sometimes things need to fall apart before they can be rebuilt. It would be better once he got it all out of his system.
