Chapter 112

Chapter 112

Shu Yao left Shenzhen, and ever since then, whenever Jiang Yiyan encountered Wu Jingmeng at the kindergarten, she would avoid her.

Jiang Yiyan felt that Wu Jingmeng was both pitiful and hateful. She placed all her hopes on others without ever considering what she could achieve on her own; she was a person without self-reliance.

Forget it. Since this is the case, there's no need to deliberately confront or squeeze her anymore.

Jiang Yiyan now just wanted to live her life well.

To take good care of her daughter, spend quality time with her father, and focus on her career.

As for Wen Mochuan...

She knew that although they were divorced, Wen Mochuan had been consistently showing goodwill. She could see his sincerity, and in fact, she hadn't completely closed the door; she was giving him a chance.

Or rather, giving them both a chance.

This man was someone she truly cared about, but due to many complications, she couldn't simply claim him as her own with peace of mind.

But she also thought that if they really couldn't go back and had to stay in this world within the book, why couldn't she accept Wen Mochuan?

Jiang Yiyan still had hesitations and doubts, so she decided to clear her mind and not think too much about it.

Later, Jiang Xu came to visit her once, but Jiang Yiyan remained cold towards him.

Jiang Xu didn't persist or beg for forgiveness from his sister. He seemed... more normal, less obsessive than before.

The change was so significant that Jiang Yiyan was astonished and couldn't believe her eyes.

She even wondered if Jiang Xu had been possessed by someone else. Was the soul inside his body still the same one?

However, given his recent improved attitude, Jiang Yiyan was willing to give him a friendly face.

"Uncle," Meimei called out to him.

Meimei was always a polite child. Even if she sensed some tension between adults, she remained courteous.

She would defend her mother when necessary, but she would also greet people politely.

Now, Jiang Xu treated Meimei differently, no longer ignoring her. He would bring her small gifts and initiate conversations.

But Meimei was still wary of him and quickly hid behind her mother when he approached.

Jiang Xu understood that he had been wrong before, so he was especially tolerant towards his niece.

Since she couldn't accept him yet, Jiang Xu didn't force it and instead spoke directly to Jiang Yiyan.

"In a few days, it will be Mother's memorial day. Would you like to visit her grave together?" Jiang Xu asked.

For years, every year on Mother's memorial day, his sister and father would go. But he didn't always join them.

Not because he intentionally avoided it.

Sometimes, coinciding with busy work, he would use it as an excuse not to go. If he had free time, he would join them.

He never experienced much maternal love growing up, having been sent to boarding school in elementary school. Later, with the contrast of a stepmother, he felt that his mother favored his sister over him.

Reflecting now, he realized how foolish he had been.

Over the years, he harbored resentment towards his deceased mother and had a strained relationship with his sister while treating a fake stepmother as family.

Regardless of Shu Yao, Jiang Xu harbored hatred towards Cai Wenqing, especially after learning the truth about her deliberate manipulation and attempts to sow discord between him and his sister.

Regarding Shu Yao... Jiang Xu still felt conflicted. But he knew they had no future.

He couldn't accept being her backup plan. Despite loving her deeply, she saw him as a second choice.

When she could pursue Wen Mobei, she did so wholeheartedly. When that failed, she turned to him again. Such a Shu Yao was not the person he knew.

Perhaps even she was acting.

It didn't matter anymore.

Jiang Yiyan didn't know her original mother's memorial day, but upon hearing Jiang Xu mention it, she took it seriously.

"Sure," she agreed without hesitation.

Her mother's memorial day was September 25th. Jiang Yiyan didn't inform Wen Mochuan beforehand, but on that day, Wen Mochuan was already waiting outside her house early in the morning.

Meimei had just mentioned her father, and when the door opened, she saw him standing outside. She almost jumped into his arms.

"Daddy!"

Wen Mochuan skillfully picked her up and affectionately pressed his cheek against hers.

"Daddy, why don't we live together anymore? Back when we lived in the villa, we used to share a room. Now it's not the same, sometimes I can't find Daddy at night."

Wen Mochuan glanced at Jiang Yiyan, who deliberately turned away, and smiled, saying, "Isn't this living together? We meet as soon as the door opens."

"It's not the same!" Meimei insisted. "It's completely different."

Wen Mochuan said, "Daddy can't decide this. Ask your mom."

"Mom!" Meimei immediately turned to call out, but Jiang Yiyan put a hat on her head.

"It's still a bit sunny outside, wearing a hat will prevent you from getting sunburned." Jiang Yiyan interjected.

Meimei's attention was quickly drawn to the beautiful hat, and she immediately exclaimed, "What a pretty hat!"

"Isn't it pretty? Mom bought it specially for you!" Then, while her daughter wasn't looking, Jiang Yiyan gave Wen Mochuan a sharp glance.

Wen Mochuan didn't mind his wife's eye roll; in fact, he seemed to relish it somewhat.

Jiang Yiyan hadn't specifically asked Wen Mochuan to come along, but since he had shown up with good intentions, she didn't chase him away.

The family of three drove directly to the grave of Jiang Yiyan's original mother. Jiang Yiyan didn't drive; she let Wen Mochuan take the wheel. This was her first visit to the original mother's grave, and since she didn't know the way, she found an excuse to have Wen Mochuan drive.

When Jiang Yiyan's family arrived at their destination, Jiang Xu and his father were already there.

Jiang Yiyan was quite surprised because they had left early. She didn't expect that the Jiang family father and son would arrive even earlier.

She didn't know if this was how things were on the original mother's memorial day in previous years or if it was just this year.

But it didn't matter anymore. At least now, the father and son had seen through Cai Wenqing's schemes, and the original self and her mother were no longer alone and helpless.

On the tombstone was a photo of a lady, who looked to be in her early thirties, with a gentle smile that was very captivating.

So this was the original mother. Her beauty was indeed as high as Jiang Yiyan had imagined. Upon closer inspection, there was a resemblance between mother and daughter.

However, the original self's face had taken all the best features from her mother, making her even more beautiful.

Jiang Yiyan brought a bouquet of chrysanthemums and placed them in front of the tombstone. Though she didn't say anything aloud, she silently prayed, "Auntie, though I am not your daughter, since I am in this body, I will cherish it and value this identity. Please rest assured that I will treat Meimei as my own daughter. If I can't return to my world, I will be Meimei's real mother."

"Auntie, may you rest in peace."

For some reason, the clear sky suddenly turned stormy.

Today was supposed to be a sunny day, and there were a few people in the cemetery. With the sudden storm, everyone hurriedly packed up and went home.

The Jiang family was no exception.

But it was only temporary. Once they left the cemetery and got into the car, the wind stopped, and the sky cleared up again.

Looking out the car window at the clear blue sky, Jiang Yiyan had a rather mystical thought.

Could that sudden gust of wind have been... the original mother acknowledging her silent prayer?

It wasn't surprising that she had such thoughts, given the more mystical events she had experienced.

If the original mother really heard her silent prayer, what did the gust of wind mean?

Was it anger? Or was it gratitude for her willingness to do so?

Perhaps it was due to her overthinking during the day, but Jiang Yiyan had a very vivid dream that night.

In her dream, she saw her parents. They weren't sad or upset as she had imagined; instead, they were happy every day, as if nothing had happened. Her mother still danced in the square at night, and her father still played chess with the neighbors.

And surprisingly, she was still there.

Previously, she had seen a young girl accompanying her parents, but since she couldn't see her face clearly in the dream, she almost forgot about it upon waking. She didn't know who that person was.

But this time, she clearly saw that it was her own face.

Did this mean that in that world, she hadn't died? Was she still with her parents?

If that were true, then what was happening in this world?

Jiang Yiyan knew it was a dream, yet this dream felt different from others. Despite knowing it was a dream, everything seemed real.

Just as Jiang Yiyan was filled with questions, the "her" in the dream suddenly turned and looked directly at her. Those eyes seemed to know exactly where she was, intentionally looking at her.

Jiang Yiyan was startled by this.

Then she seemed to hear her say, "I am living well and happily here, happier than ever before. My parents don't know what has happened; they treat me as you and are kind to me. If you are also doing well in that world, let's leave each other alone."

"You take care of my daughter, and I will take care of your parents."

These words made it clear: two souls had swapped places. She now occupied her body, and in that world, she occupied Jiang Yiyan's body.

"Do you not want to switch back?" Jiang Yiyan asked, "There is your daughter and your father here, and your beloved husband."

The other Jiang Yiyan replied, "Father doesn't need me, and husband... humph, I was too fixated before. Now, looking back, it seems ridiculous. Perhaps we just weren't meant to be. As for Meimei... I know I have wronged her, but I believe you are a kind person and will treat her well. I trust you."

Jiang Yiyan didn't know why, but when she heard the other Jiang Yiyan say these words, she felt a sense of relief.

It seemed she was content with the current situation.

In that world, her parents were being cared for, and they didn't even realize their daughter was no longer the same. This caused them no harm.

Her parents could enjoy their golden years, and she could feel relieved.

Although she still missed them, she no longer needed to worry constantly.

In this world... she and Meimei had developed a bond. She had gradually adapted to life here and made friends. If she had to leave suddenly, she would be very reluctant.

And there was Wen Mochuan...

She had always wondered whether she should pursue a relationship with Wen Mochuan, as in her heart, he was someone else's husband.

The other Jiang Yiyan seemed to understand her thoughts and smiled, saying, "Let's not look back. Don't waste ourselves on unworthy people, but also don't miss out on those who are worth it. Wen Mochuan and I... were never meant to be together. Perhaps you and he are meant to be."

The other Jiang Yiyan added, "I have something to tell you. I'm dating someone new. He's a young man, not inferior to Wen Mochuan."

Jiang Yiyan: "Huh? You have a boyfriend now?"

Jiang Yiyan: "My parents have been pressuring me to get married. I'm not a nun, so naturally, I've been trying to find a boyfriend. Your face... isn't particularly handsome, but it has good potential. After taking good care of myself for a while, my looks are sufficient now. Anyway, I'm very satisfied with my current life, and I hope we can both be well."

This dream was heavy, and when she woke up, it was almost noon.

Her head was throbbing.

The curtains were drawn in the room, making it as dark as night. If not for checking the time on her phone, she wouldn't have believed it was nearly noon.

She sat up, got out of bed, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, and pulled back the curtains. Instantly, the bright sunlight flooded into the room.

Perhaps because she had adapted to the darkness for too long, the sudden daylight was blinding.

Her eyes couldn't adjust immediately, so she closed them for a moment before they could finally cope.

Sitting quietly by the window, she took some time to compose herself before getting up and leaving the room.

In the living room, Feng Ma was cleaning. Seeing Jiang Yiyan come out, she immediately put down her work and asked, "Miss, what would you like to eat? I'll make it."

Jiang Yiyan thought for a moment but wasn't feeling hungry, so she said, "I won't eat at home; I'm going out."

Then she took out her phone and sent a message to Yun Lan.

Jiang Yiyan: "What shift do you have today?"

Yun Lan must not have been busy, as she quickly replied, "Wanna meet up for lunch?"

Jiang Yiyan: "What do you feel like eating? It's on me."

Yun Lan: "You choose since you're treating."

Both of them were straightforward, so they quickly agreed on a time and place.

After lunch, Jiang Yiyan asked Yun Lan if she still had work. Since Yun Lan was on the evening shift, Jiang Yiyan treated her to a facial treatment.

Yun Lan was quite perceptive. After the treatment, she directly asked, "Is something bothering you today?"

Jiang Yiyan did indeed have something on her mind.

But she didn't know how to explain her situation with Wen Mochuan.

So she brought up the matters involving Shu Yao and Jiang Xu.

Yun Lan commented, "It's quite dramatic. With a good writer, it could be turned into a novel."

Jiang Yiyan thought to herself that this was originally a novel, and they were all characters within it. The current development was actually better than the original story, which was far more dramatic.

"Then, how are things between you and your brother now?" Yun Lan asked.

Jiang Xu is not Jiang Yiyan's biological brother, and their relationship has always been strained. Even if Jiang Xu suddenly realizes his mistakes and wants to make amends, it’s impossible for Jiang Yiyan to be as close to him as other real siblings.

"Given that they’ve fought for so many years, how good could things get? At most, they would just be... polite when they meet in the future, no longer as hostile as before."

Yun Lan: "Being polite is also good. To be honest, once siblings grow up, they naturally lead their own lives anyway."

Jiang Yiyan smiled: "After fighting for so many years, it feels a bit strange to suddenly talk about making amends now."

But Yun Lan suddenly asked, "What about you and President Wen?" She quickly added, "I’m not asking on behalf of Xie Mingfeng; I just feel we’ve become friends, and this is just out of concern as a friend."

In fact, Jiang Yiyan had sought out Yun Lan today mainly because she was unsure how to handle her feelings with Wen Mochuan. She just didn’t know how to bring it up at first, so she used Jiang Xu as an excuse to start the conversation.

Now that Yun Lan had asked, Jiang Yiyan didn’t hesitate and said directly, "Even though we’re divorced, I feel like nothing has really changed."