"Qingng, it’s ti you grew up. Co back. We can talk, and I’ll listen to what you have to say."
The text was from a number that was both familiar and strange.
Jun Qingng would rember this number until the day she died.
It was the private number of her father, Jun Xinghe, and the source of her nightmares ever since she ran away from ho.
She was about to swipe left and delete it. Out of sight, out of mind.
But her hand hesitated, unable to press delete.
A sudden realization dawned on Jun Qingng.
’Maybe running away is pointless. What’s coming will co anyway.’
’Now that her father had found her number, it ant he was getting serious. He wasn’t going to let her run wild anymore.’
’Ti to face it, then.’
Jun Qingng replied, "I don’t want to talk to you, and I’m not coming back. I’m doing great, so please stop bothering . I will never agree to co back and go through your ’training’."
After sending the ssage, her heart still felt heavy, far from relieved.
She thought,
’What if Dad just forcibly drags back?’
’Back to that successor training, where you aren’t even allowed to laugh freely?’
She dragged herself ho, her steps heavy.
Jun Qingng threw herself onto the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Hearing the commotion, Guo Jia ca out of her room in her pajamas.
"You’re back?"
"Where else would I be?" Jun Qingng said listlessly, not even glancing at her best friend.
Guo Jia plopped down beside her, exasperated.
"You two are a couple now! You should be getting into bed already! Secure my al ticket—uh, I an, you should pursue your happiness as soon as possible."
"Mmm..."
Jun Qingng managed a muffled grunt. She felt awful, not even having the energy for a coback.
Guo Jia scratched her head, sensing sothing was off. "What’s wrong? Did you and Jiang Liu break up? Or... did you try to make a move on him and get rejected?"
"It’s neither. We would never break up."
Jun Qingng shook her head, not trying to hide anything.
"He texted . Told to co back."
"He?"
Guo Jia froze for a second, then instantly realized who "he" was.
Her smile vanished. "Your father, Jun Xinghe?"
"Mhm. And please, call him ’that bastard’."
"At a ti like this, you’re still thinking about cussing him out!"
Guo Jia couldn’t sit still. She sprang to her feet and began to pace anxiously around the living room, hands clasped behind her back.
After a lap, she returned.
"It’s over, it’s all over! You’re going to be taken away by your father! What am I going to do? I’m not close with Jiang Liu. Ugh, I don’t want to have to wait in line..."
"Can you stop thinking about your food for one second?" Jun Qingng snapped impatiently.
She was already in a terrible mood!
She couldn’t bring herself to get mad at Jiang Liu, so her best friend had to bear the brunt of her temper.
Guo Jia looked aggrieved. "Okay, fine. I am worried about you, I just don’t know what to say. You know I’m scared of my dad, too."
Just then, another ssage lit up Jun Qingng’s phone.
"You got a ssage."
Guo Jia imdiately leaned forward, nervous. "Quick! See if it’s Jiang Liu or your dad."
She didn’t dare call him "bastard" out loud. If Jun Qingng’s father could find her phone number, he probably knew where they lived, too.
Jun Qingng opened her phone. Seeing it was a text ssage, her mood soured even further.
Jun Xinghe: "My dear child, your father loves you. Can’t you trust ? I’ve been thinking, and if you don’t want to take over my company, that’s fine. But you have to promise one thing."
At this, Jun Qingng’s expression grew even colder.
If before she was a rose basking in the sun, now she was an ice lotus on a snowy peak.
She replied coolly, "No need."
Guo Jia clicked her tongue in amazent at Jun Qingng’s cold and lofty expression. "You’re one person in front of Jiang Liu and a completely different person in front of everyone else. Woman, you’re a master of disguise."
She rembered when Jun Qingng had first run away.
She was cold as ice every day, refusing to eat this or that—impossibly picky.
She had the air of a cold, pampered young lady, refusing to spare anyone the ti of day. The only ti her expression softened was when Jiang Liu’s na ca up.
A classic case of soone who’s cold on the outside but warm on the inside.
Later on,
Jun Qingng started spending money like water. When her funds started to dwindle, she invested in a kindergarten.
After that, she started hanging out with Jiang Liu and Tongtong, and slowly, she began to soften.
Jun Qingng shot Guo Jia a glance but didn’t reply.
Her worry now was that if she continued to disobey, her father might just show up at her door.
’If that happens...’
’...what if he finds with Jiang Liu?’
’What would I do then?’
’Knowing my father’s personality, he’d definitely put pressure on Jiang Liu, maybe even use so despicable ans to hurt him.’
Jun Qingng found that completely unacceptable.
She could stand being wronged, but she couldn’t let her boyfriend be wronged. Besides, life was already hard enough for Jiang Liu, raising Tongtong on his own.
’Sigh... If it really cos down to it, should I just be a good girl and go back?’
A heavy feeling, like her heart was being filled with cent, settled over Jun Qingng.
The thought of breaking up with Jiang Liu made her chest so tight she could barely breathe.
Jun Xinghe replied again: "You’re not a child anymore, so why are you still acting so sullen with ? I promise, if you agree to do one thing for , I’ll listen to you from now on, how does that sound? I’m even willing to let go of the past and apologize to your mother."
Jun Qingng was tempted.
She didn’t know what it was, but if it wasn’t too difficult, she might be willing to give it a try.
Jun Qingng: "Na it."
Jun Xinghe: "I’ve found an excellent match for you. He has a great personality, he’s handso, young, and promising. You get together with him and have a child to be my successor. How about it?"
After sending the ssage, Jun Xinghe couldn’t resist picking up the teacup on his desk and taking a sip.
He was hungry again.
Every ti he thought about Jiang Liu’s cooking, he’d get an unbearable craving, wishing he could teleport right to the man and have him cook a grand feast.
That yak and potato mushroom soup, the stead buns... the tuna—it was all simply divine!
’If my daughter gets together with Jiang Liu, not only will she be happy, but I’ll secure a permanent al ticket.’
’It’s a win-win!’
Jun Qingng flew into a rage after reading the text.
She replied through gritted teeth, "Don’t even think about it! Absolutely not! I already have soone I love! And we’re together!"
She would never betray Jiang Liu.
Jun Xinghe saw Jun Qingng’s ssage.
Fuming, he lit a cigarette.
’My daughter is dating soone behind my back?’
’It’s not so good-for-nothing punk, is it?!’
’I’m going to explode!’
But then Jun Xinghe cald himself. ’My daughter might be pure to the point of foolishness, but she isn’t that shallow. She’s seen the world, after all.’
The line of young n in Jing City trying to court her used to stretch all the way overseas, yet he’d never seen her give any of them the ti of day.
Jun Xinghe thought for a mont, then texted back: "What’s his na? What does he do? What’s his family background? His character? And what level are his culinary skills?"
Jun Qingng panicked for a mont, then replied defiantly, "You don’t need to know! The two of us are very happy together. Don’t you dare try to investigate him. If I find out you’ve hurt him in any way, I’ll never speak to you again!"
Jiang Liu was the apple of her eye.
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