Chapter 106: The Past of Blood
Jing Yichen was fed up of answering Shangguan Ning’s questions but she sounded so endearing that he answered all of them patiently.
He couldn’t explain what he felt for her.
No one in the past had ever been keen to know so much about his childhood. In fact, sharing stories of his childhood made him relive it.
He realized that things weren’t as bad as he had imagined them to be.
It was already late by the time they finished the tour of the entire villa.
After her shower, Shangguan Ning sat down on her bed and took out the necklace that had been gifted to her. She carefully caressed it with her fingers. Jing Yichen saw the grief on her face. The kind he had never seen before. He took her into his arms, gently.
Shangguan Ning wiped her tears and put away the necklace, carefully. She explained to him in a soft voice, “This was my mother’s necklace. She was wearing this necklace when she died. It disappeared soon after and was nowhere to be found.”
Jing Yichen shivered. No wonder Shangguan Ning had such an extreme reaction when she saw this necklace.
He tightened his hug, wishing he could absorb her sorrow and pass on some warmth and strength instead.
Shangguan Ning felt much better after a short while. She continued to lean into Jing Yichen’s arms and said, “My mother killed herself, in front of me. There was so much blood. She died in my arms and I held her for what seemed like forever. I cried for months after the incident. I am yet to find closure because no one told me why she did what she did. I watched her die…”
Jing Yichen’s felt her pain as she was narrating the story.
Before they got married, he had already done some research about Shangguan Ning. He knew that her mother had killed herself, but he didn’t know that Shangguan Ning had witnessed the suicide.
This was something a child absolutely could not bear. She was so young back then, so naive. This incident must have definitely had a devastating effect on her heart and mind.
He lowered his head and kissed her forehead. Then he said lovingly, “It is okay, Ning. We have each other. Let bygones be bygones…”
Shangguan Ning usually didn’t dare to think about her past because it was extremely painful. But lying in Jing Yichen’s arms, her heart felt secure, and the memory of her mother’s death was so unbearably sad that she couldn’t stop herself from sharing it.
“You know, my mother loved me very much. She wouldn’t have abandoned me and she would never kill herself if it wasn’t for circumstances. I always suspected that someone was responsible for making her do this. But I have such little strength left in me, emotionally, that I haven’t had the courage to search for any answers. I’m actually really happy to have this necklace. It doesn’t matter what Jing Yiran’s plan is. The fact that this necklace is with me, has given me hope.”
Jing Yichen comforted her, “You will find out the truth. I will help you to. You needn’t be afraid of him, because he won’t dare to do anything to harm you, as long as I’m around. He has never been able to beat me since we were little. Do you know why?”
Shangguan Ning she asked curiously, “Why?”
“Because I am better looking than he is!”
Shangguan Ning had expected to hear a shocking secret, instead, what he said, made her chuckle.
She nodded seriously after she was done giggling. “Yes, my husband is most good looking. Better looking than Jing Yiran. Better looking than any other man in the entire world.”
Jing Yichen kissed her lips and held her in his arms until she fell asleep.
The following day, after breakfast, both of them were ready to leave the Family Jing House.
When they reached the gates of the villa, they saw Jing Yiran, dressed in casuals, leaning against the wall, charmingly. When he saw them coming towards him, he whistled at Shangguan Ning, in a flirtatious manner .
Shangguan Ning ignored him and was about to leave along with Jing Yichen, when Jing Yiran instigated her by saying, “Looks like someone slept really well last night. Maybe no one is interested in knowing how I got the necklace and from where.”
Shangguan Ning halted for a few seconds. She was finding it hard to keep calm. She wanted to say something to him but she let the moment pass. She was about to get into the car when she heard the sound of bones cracking.
She turned around to see Jing Yichen wringing Jing Yiran’s arm. He had Jing Yiran pinned against the ground. She was sure Jing Yiran would’ve broken a few bones by now.
Jing Yichen said seethingly, “You’d better tell us what you know about necklace, otherwise you will suffer a fate that will be a hundred times worse than the pain you’re going through right now.”
Jing Yiran was in immense pain and his face was contorted. His eyes were sparkling with rage as he stared at Jing Yichen. He warned, “Don’t be too aggressive, Jing Yichen! You will regret it!”
Seeing both the brothers on the verge of beating each other up into pulp, Shangguan Ning quickly ran forward to stop Jing Yichen.
“Let go of him, Yichen! He is not worth your time or anger.”
Hearing this, Jing Yichen eventually released his grip over Jing Yiran.
Jing Yiran stared at Shangguan Ning with bloodshot eyes. He coughed and spat out blood.
The Butler who had witnessed the fight between the siblings, quickly called the doctor from his walkie-talkie.
Shangguan Ning was afraid that if they delayed their departure any further, Jing Yichen would kill Jing Yiran. She seized the moment and quickly pulled Jing Yichen into the car.
After they got into the car, she said to the Butler in an apologetic tone, “I am so sorry to have caused you all this trouble.”
The Butler had never expected the lady to apologize to him, so he immediately replied with a smile. “My Lady is too courteous but you needn’t worry. This is my job. Don’t stress about Second Master. He always gets injured, and the doctors will be here any minute now. He will be alright soon.”
Shangguan Ning thought that as long as Jing Yiran wasn’t grievously injured, then all would be fine. She hoped he would now stay in bed and rest it out for a few weeks, instead of causing any more trouble.
She smiled and said, “Oh, that’s good. Thank you.”
Jing Yichen and she, then drove back home.
Only after getting back to their home, did Shangguan Ning breathe a sigh of relief. They changed into their work attire and left for the company.
As the week progressed, the couple made it a point to get some exercise. They were both fond of tennis, so they visited Big World’s Tennis Pitch together on afternoons when they both had some time on their hands.
Apart from the time when Shangguan Ning wasn’t up to it, the two would play tennis every week. They didn’t give it a miss even when she had her hands full with the set up of Liyu Science & Technology.
They got better at their game.
Shangguan Ning couldn’t help but think of Zhao Anan when she finished with tennis, one evening. She tried to call her but the call didn’t get through, as usual.
Zhao Anan had never answered any of her calls in the past two months. She rarely replied to her texts, as she claimed that she was in therapy and had limited access to her phone.
Shangguan Ning had wanted to share the good news of her marriage with Jing Yichen. She was not only her best friend but also the matchmaker. Without Zhao Anan, she might never have met Jing Yichen.
She was indeed very lucky to have found true love at her first blind date.