Chapter 11: Stood Up [1]

“Ha! Finally making a move—do you think you can beat me?” Jing Nuo exploded the moment Wen Xiaorou mentioned going to work at the company. When had this happened, and why had he not known?

“I don’t want to argue with you anymore. If you don’t want to see me, you can choose not to come back home,” Wen Xiaorou said, knowing that continuing this quarrel was pointless. She didn’t want to fight with Jing Nuo over things that would never happen; after all, she was still living under someone else’s roof.

“Are you trying to drive me away? Have you forgotten whose house this is?” Jing Nuo said spitefully, fully aware Wen Xiaorou wouldn’t dare push him out, yet he deliberately spoke to provoke.

“How could I? Fine, I’ll leave,” Wen Xiaorou replied, seeing Jing Nuo’s unwillingness to relent. She got up from the bed, intending to rest in the guest room.

“Better if you don’t come back,” Jing Nuo said, noticing her attempt to avoid him. He deliberately applied pressure to see how Wen Xiaorou would react when cornered.

“I am the lady of the Jing family. Why should I leave?” Wen Xiaorou stopped in her tracks, turning to confront Jing Nuo’s threat.

Occasionally, Wen Xiaorou had thought about leaving the Jing family, leaving Jing Nuo behind, and starting anew. She wanted to let go of him, to forget him. But whenever she looked at the quietly enduring Jing Nuo or remembered how kindly the patriarch treated her, she couldn’t bring herself to speak up. So she waited—perhaps one day Jing Nuo would accept her, perhaps one day she could resolutely leave the Jing family and Jing Nuo. But those were mere fantasies; in reality, all she could do was endure.

“Positioned quite well, aren’t you, Lady of the Jing family? Besides my father’s backing, which of my criteria for choosing a wife do you meet?” Jing Nuo loved to mock Wen Xiaorou like this, belittling her until she was worth nothing, trampling on her dignity. Only then did he feel somewhat relieved, thinking being with her was still somewhat meaningful, and feeling less frustrated about not being with the woman he truly liked.

“So, are you planning to abandon me? If so, be honest; there’s no need to beat around the bush,” Wen Xiaorou, unable to bear it any longer, clarified the implication behind Jing Nuo’s words to preserve the last shred of her dignity.

“How could I bear to? You’re the daughter-in-law my father personally chose,” Jing Nuo replied, unwilling to continue along that line. The family patriarch had warned him that if he dared to abandon Wen Xiaorou, he would forget about inheriting the Jing family fortune.

“So if you have grievances, keep them to yourself. Don’t go around biting people like a mad dog. I have no energy to argue with you,” Wen Xiaorou snapped, like an anxious little dog cornered and barking wildly, disregarding Jing Nuo’s face and feelings—perhaps even threatening him in her own way.

“Xiaorou, is this how you speak to your husband? Jing Nuo works hard every day to support you. You’re truly ungrateful. How has the Jing family ever wronged you? You call my Jing Nuo a mad dog, yet you won’t allow him to have an opinion?” The matriarch suddenly appeared at the bedroom door, staring sharply at the two inside.

Wen Xiaorou’s heart dropped into an icy pit upon hearing the matriarch’s voice. This time, she was truly caught out. Occasionally she and Jing Nuo had argued before, but it was always confined to the two of them within these walls. Now the woman who loved Jing Nuo most had caught them red-handed—and had witnessed Wen Xiaorou insulting her dearest grandson.