Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Jiang Mingsuo’s eyes were downcast as he subtly observed the woman before him.

Her expressions were a spectacle; though she tried to conceal every subtle shift, from his vantage point, they were laid bare.

One moment surprised, the next distressed—as if a palette had been overturned, a riot of colors.

Truly… rare.

It took him a moment to find a fitting description.

Jin Ran was caught in a tangle of her own making, finding no solution, when a sudden realization struck her: she had already made her move—could she possibly go back on it now?!

If it couldn't be undone, and the ensuing events were beyond her control, then who she had touched ceased to matter!

With this truth dawning on her, everything clicked into place, and even the hospital’s disinfectant smell seemed to turn refreshing.

Besides, Jin Ran didn’t believe a man could genuinely be without desire.

On her first day here, she had seen the original body’s appearance—coincidentally, almost identical to her own. She wondered if this was why, after her death, she had transmigrated into this book, taking on a new role to begin life anew.

But she was getting sidetracked. Her point was, she was quite confident in her looks. She might not be a dazzling beauty, but she was definitely a sweet-and-alluring "pure-yet-tempting" girl. So, if Jiang Mingsuo chose to sleep in separate rooms, it certainly wasn’t because of her!

Recalling conversations with her girlfriends from her past life, men started to decline after twenty-five, and by thirty, it was a precipitous drop. While it varied by individual, age was still the overarching trend.

Jiang Mingsuo was already thirty-five this year.

Though outwardly it wasn’t obvious—he looked more like twenty-seven or twenty-eight—who knew what was truly going on beneath the surface?

Jin Ran couldn’t help but harbor some dark, petty thoughts, though on the surface she feigned surprise and delight: "What are you doing here?!"

She didn’t need an answer; deep down, she already knew.

People in a hospital were either patients or visitors. She hadn’t noticed earlier, but now, looking closely, Jin Ran saw Jiang Mingsuo’s arm was bandaged: "Just a small cut. Came to get it dressed."

"Is it serious?"

"Not really."

As he spoke, Jiang Mingsuo’s gaze remained fixed on Jin Ran. But unlike before, her expression didn’t shift erratically. Instead, she quickly believed him, which made him frown slightly.

Had he misjudged her?

Jin Ran genuinely didn’t have so many strange thoughts.

After all, she barely knew the Jin family, let alone the intricacies of their connection with Jiang Mingsuo.

Now, under his subtle, lingering gaze, she felt a prickle on her back, a lump in her throat, completely on edge—she desperately wanted to flee.

Jiang Mingsuo was different from Jiang Xuli. The latter, at fifteen, was in his rebellious, angsty phase, mostly ignoring his stepmother. So even if she did something out of character, he might find it odd, but more likely wouldn’t care.

But Jiang Mingsuo was the man who had married the original body.

Even if they slept in separate rooms, marriage surely required mutual discussion, didn’t it? The original body was a "love-struck fool," and Jin Ran had already given herself away once during a conversation. She was terrified that if they spent more time together, he would strip away all her pretenses.

"Um…" When nervous, people tend to talk more to mask their true intentions. Jin Ran spoke rapidly, "Xiao Li is on the third floor getting an IV. His friend is with him now. I was about to bring this water up. Do you want to come along?"

Jiang Mingsuo paused, then nodded: "Wait a moment."

He returned to the hospital room. Whether intentional or not, the door closed completely behind him.

When he emerged, he had changed into a new outfit—a crisp shirt and suit, the epitome of a refined, handsome man. Two buttons at his collar were undone, which, compared to his previous attire, was surprisingly conservative.

Jin Ran coolly averted her gaze and led the way.

To accommodate the patient, she didn’t walk too fast. Her calf-length skirt swayed gently, stirring cool breezes, occasionally revealing ankles so pale they seemed to glow.

A step behind, Jiang Mingsuo’s expression grew thoughtful.

This version of her was completely different from before—no deliberate attempts to please, no "concern" driven by ulterior motives. It was just simple politeness.

No different from politely inquiring about a neighbor’s injured son.

This left Jiang Mingsuo somewhat perplexed.

He still remembered the disdain in the eyes of the Jin family’s second daughter when they first met.

The self-proclaimed elite families in City A were always like that—treating chicken feathers like phoenix plumes. To them, someone like him, who had clawed his way up from nothing, would always be a crude "nouveau riche."

Jiang Mingsuo was no stranger to "young ladies" raised in such families. His marriage alliance with the Jin family was solely for what Grandpa Jin controlled; a woman’s attitude had never been his concern.

Unexpectedly, this young lady, who had once looked down on him, later agreed to marry him. After marriage, she constantly tried to show how "understanding" she was.

If only she could have hidden her aversion better.

Jiang Mingsuo wasn’t a masochist. A marriage of convenience had no emotional connection. Since she resisted helplessly, he took the initiative to keep his distance.

They existed in a state of icy politeness.

But now, in just a few days, those round almond eyes no longer held disdain or contempt. They were bright as stars, clear and transparent.

Jiang Mingsuo had always been curious why Jin Ran, despite her aversion, had gone out of her way to please him.

But now, he was even more curious about how a person could change so drastically.

"...He didn’t come down for breakfast this morning. Butler Cheng went to knock on his door and found something wrong, so we brought him to the hospital. The doctor said it’s food poisoning—he ate something spoiled."

On the way, Jin Ran did her best to recount what had happened.

As the stepmother, being alone with her stepson during such an incident, she naturally felt obligated to explain clearly to the boy’s biological father: "But the doctor said it’s not serious. He just needs medication for a couple of days."

Jiang Mingsuo gave a noncommittal nod.

"Alright."

Jin Ran: "..."

Why did it feel like this biological father was even less reliable than she, the stepmother?

Since he didn’t seem concerned, she didn’t waste any more words.

On the other side, Chen Xunliang was shelling sunflower seeds for Jiang Xuli.

He had accidentally found them in his pocket. Hearing that Jiang Xuli had only eaten a few slices of bread for breakfast, he generously offered to give him all the seeds.

"So, your stepmother brought you here?" he asked after hearing the story.

Jiang Xuli nodded.

Chen Xunliang’s jaw dropped. He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Well, actually, I don’t think your stepmother is as bad as I imagined."

Jiang Xuli glanced at him: "How unusual. You're backtracking."

"Really, if she were bad, she could’ve just pretended not to see, but she insisted on taking you to the hospital. She must’ve been worried about you."

Hearing this, Jiang Xuli’s expression went blank.

Worried?

That word felt too unfamiliar to him, like a feather lightly brushing his heart without any weight, only stirring up a vague, weird tingling.

Chen Xunliang scratched his head. He thought his analysis hit the nail on the head—not that he was trying to convince his buddy to accept his stepmom, just sharing his opinion.

Brother Li was still the most important in his heart.

Jiang Xuli just looked at the needle in his hand. After a moment, he said, "Whatever her reason, I just know I won’t accept her as my mother."

"You’re right. Later on, she’ll have other kids, and you, not being blood-related, will definitely be shoved aside."

Jiang Xuli: "…"

Suddenly, that face pissed him off.

Just then, voices grew louder in the hallway. Someone whispered, "Oh my god, they’re so hot! Are they celebrities here to film?"

"Not celebrities. I’ve seen that woman before—she brought her kid for an IV. Look, the one over there with hair covering his eyes."

Jiang Xuli: "…"

"Which one? The one next to the chubby kid?"

Chen Xunliang, who had been about to laugh: "…"

The passersby’s words were like arrows, stinging them both. Jiang Xuli lifted his head and saw the two walking side by side.

He smirked, suddenly understanding why Jin Ran had brought him to the hospital.

But even knowing, he didn’t feel anything.

Because he’d never expected anything, there was no disappointment.

Still, his heart felt weirdly empty.

The moment he saw Jiang Mingsuo, Chen Xunliang froze like a mouse spotting a cat: "Holy crap, why is Uncle Jiang here? Did he rush back because he found out you were sick?!"

Jiang Xuli, snapping out of it, curled his lips into a mocking smile.

His dad never cared whether he was healthy or sick.

He watched quietly as the man approached. Neither spoke. Finally, Jiang Xuli lowered his head and said, "Dad."

Jiang Mingsuo looked at his son, who was almost as tall as him now, and grunted "Hmm."

Truth be told, it had been a long time since they’d spoken face to face. He was busy with work, busy dealing with businessmen in City A, and paid little attention to this son from his ex-wife.

The few times he did show concern, it was mostly out of dissatisfaction—the boy was soft-hearted, indecisive, nothing like him.

Like this incident.

"I heard you ate all the expired bread."

Jiang Mingsuo’s tone was calm, but his words were sharp. "Did it ever occur to you that because of your mistake, everyone had to drop what they were doing to take care of you? Causing such a commotion—you really outdid yourself."

Hearing this, Jiang Xuli gripped the armrest of his chair tightly.

Even without expectations, he couldn’t accept being blamed right off the bat. His guilt was quickly overshadowed by anger, boiling over. He gutsed up and glared at the man: "It’s none of your business!" You never cared anyway!

Jiang Mingsuo found this amusing. "Not my problem?"

"The material comforts you enjoy now, the luxury car you drive, the high-end food you eat, the fancy private school you attend—all of that has everything to do with me."

Jiang Mingsuo responded coolly. With each item listed, Jiang Xuli’s fists clenched tighter, until his lips were nearly bitten through—because he had nothing to say.

But he thought, if he could, he’d rather live in an ordinary family.

With a dad and a mom who cared about his joys and sorrows, who were proud of his academic progress, and who would scold him sternly when he made mistakes.

Not ignored. Not even noticed.

At this thought, the teenager’s eyes stung, but he stubbornly refused to let the tears fall.

Jin Ran, who had just come over to bring water: …What the hell?

She hadn’t even registered what was happening before father and son were suddenly arguing.

What Jiang Mingsuo said wasn’t wrong—he started from nothing, grinded his way up through hardship to achieve what he had now. The struggles were beyond words.

But the problem was, saying things like that to a fifteen-year-old minor only added fuel to the fire.

Looking at Jiang Xuli, hanging his head like a kicked puppy, Jin Ran felt a sudden surge of protective instinct and deep pity.

So when she heard Jiang Mingsuo say, "Even the expired bread is mine," she couldn’t help blurting out: "He threw it up and gave it back to you."

Instantly, three pairs of eyes turned toward her.

Jin Ran: "…"

She wanted to sink through the floor.

She coughed, decided to act like she hadn’t noticed anything, and awkwardly changed the subject: "I bought water. Time for your meds."

Jiang Xuli didn’t move. His good buddy Chen Xunliang snatched the bottle: "I’ll open it. I’ve got strong hands!"

He was practically shitting bricks. Everyone knew how intimidating Uncle Jiang was—even the most mischievous kids had to tuck their tails around him—but he never expected Uncle Jiang to be this terrifying!

Those words were painful to hear even for an outsider like him, let alone for Brother Li.

Chen Xunliang felt an ache in his chest and decided then and there that he would always have Brother Li's back in the future.

/

After visiting the patient, they all went their separate ways.

Jiang Mingsuo needed his assistant to handle the discharge procedures, so Jin Ran left on her own.

Back at the villa, she told the house manager that Jiang Mingsuo had returned. The house manager said he would get the room ready right away.

Jin Ran nodded. Jiang Mingsuo was also on the second floor, quite far from her bedroom. According to the butler, since he was a light sleeper, he needed to sleep alone.

But in reality, in the novel, the two had always slept separately, so she didn’t have to worry at all about being forced to fulfill marital duties. In other words, she was safe around Jiang Mingsuo!

Once she understood this, Jin Ran completely relaxed. She then put her worries aside, locked her door, and focused wholeheartedly on grinding through problems.

Time always flies when immersed in the ocean of knowledge—in the blink of an eye, it was already evening.

A car horn honked in the driveway. After a while, Jiang Mingsuo and his assistant walked in.

Jin Ran also noticed Jiang Xuli behind them.

She was a bit surprised, not expecting the father and son to return together.

Nearby, Special Assistant Wang handed the luggage to the butler and greeted, "Madam."

Jin Ran smiled. "Hello."

Jiang Mingsuo undid his collar button, seeming to dislike the constraint of his suit. "Have Xiao Sun drive you back. Come again tomorrow morning."

"Understood, President Jiang."

Special Assistant Wang left shortly after setting down the luggage.

Jiang Mingsuo took off his suit jacket and walked toward the cloakroom.

Jiang Xuli had long since disappeared.

Since she’d been acknowledged and seeing there was nothing left for her to do, Jin Ran turned and went back to her room to continue grinding through problems.

Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she had forgotten something.