Sweetie, don't look at him, kiss me.

After leaving the Ji Group building, Lin Qingmian picked out a basket of fresh strawberries and oranges at a fruit shop by the roadside, and then bought a bouquet of carnations at a flower shop next door.

The carnations were wrapped in light green paper and tied with a cream-colored ribbon.

As she stood by the roadside waiting for a bus, carrying these things, the evening breeze ruffled the stray hairs on her forehead.

The last time she visited Jiang Yao's mother, she was in an even worse state than she is now.

At that time, I had a few hundred yuan in my pocket that I had saved from working. I split half of it to buy fruit and gave the other half to Jiang Yao.

Jiang Yao refused, and the two of them pushed and shoved each other in the hospital corridor for a long time. In the end, the nurse couldn't stand it anymore and forced them both into the ward.

Thinking of those memories, Lin Qingmian unconsciously smiled.

Jiang Yao's mother's ward is on the fifth floor of the inpatient department. It's a three-person room, and she's sitting by the window.

Just as I reached the door, I overheard a conversation between a mother and daughter inside the ward—

"...Don't keep saying things like that."

It was Jiang Yao's voice, with a forced smile, "Aren't you alright? The doctor said your condition is improving."

"What's getting better?"

Jiang Yao's mother's voice was weak but carried a hint of stubbornness: "I know my own body best. Don't try to fool me, Mom isn't a three-year-old."

Lin Qingmian silently pushed open the door.

In the ward, Jiang Yao was sitting by the bed, holding a bowl of porridge in her hand, feeding her mother spoonful by spoonful.

Jiang's mother leaned against the headboard, her face pale and thin, her hair gray, and her eyes sunken, but her spirits were still relatively good.

Seeing Lin Qingmian enter, Jiang Yao's eyes lit up, and she stood up to greet her: "Mianmian, what brings you here? Didn't I tell you not to come all this way?"

"I just happened to be passing by, so I thought I'd drop by for Auntie." Lin Qingmian handed the fruit and flowers to Jiang Yao, then walked to the bedside and greeted Jiang's mother with a smile: "Auntie, you look much better today."

Jiang's mother smiled and nodded, reaching out to take Lin Qingmian's hand: "Mianmian is here, please sit down, please sit down."

Lin Qingmian sat down on the edge of the bed. Jiang's mother looked her up and down, then turned to Jiang Yao and said, "Look at Qingmian, how sensible and considerate she is."

"When will you be able to find a boyfriend like Mianmian and bring him home to meet Mom?"

Jiang Yao's smile froze for a moment, and she lowered her head to clear the dishes: "Mom, why are you bringing this up again?"

"Why can't I say?" Jiang's mother sighed, her voice weak but with a hint of stubbornness: "I know my own body."

"My illness can't be left untreated for much longer."

"mom……"

"Don't interrupt me, let me finish."

Jiang's mother waved her hand, looking at Jiang Yao with loving eyes: "I've never been very capable in my life, I haven't saved up any wealth for you, and I've been a burden to you for so long."

"Mom doesn't want you to be rich or marry into a wealthy family. She just hopes that someone who cares about you will stay with you and take care of you."

"That way, even if Mom passes away, I can rest in peace."

Jiang Yao's eyes reddened. She turned her back and pretended to tidy up the things on the bedside table: "What are you saying? You will definitely live to be a hundred years old."

"Didn't you say you'd help me take care of my kids in the future?"

Jiang's mother smiled, tears welling in her eyes: "Okay, Mom will try her best. Mom will definitely try her best to live until your wedding day."

Lin Qingmian sat to the side, watching the heartwarming interaction between the mother and daughter, and her nose tingled with tears.

She thought of her mother, Zhang Yuzhu.

From childhood to adulthood, Zhang Yuzhu had never looked at her with such eyes.

In her memory, Zhang Yuzhu's gaze towards her was either indifferent, disdainful, or calculating.

When she was a child, she had a fever of 40 degrees Celsius. Zhang Yuzhu was accompanying Lin Qingqing to a piano competition and only allowed the nanny to take her to the community clinic.

Later, when she got first place in her grade, Zhang Yuzhu just gave a faint "hmm" and turned to praise Lin Qingqing for her improved piano skills.

Later, when the Lin family went bankrupt, Zhang Yuzhu's first thought was to "sell" her for a good price.

She had never felt such warmth from Zhang Yuzhu before.

there has never been.

"Mianmian, you chat with my mom for a while, I'll go wash the dishes."

Jiang Yao's voice pulled her back to reality.

Lin Qingmian snapped out of her daze and nodded: "Okay, go ahead."

Jiang Yao carried the bowl and chopsticks out of the ward, and after the door closed, the ward became quiet.

Jiang's mother held Lin Qingmian's hand and gently patted the back of her hand: "Mianmian, Auntie has something I'd like to ask you."

"Auntie, please speak."

Jiang's mother sighed, "Yaoyao is a stubborn child who likes to show off."

"She always says she's not in a hurry to find a partner, but her aunt knows that she's afraid that if she does find one, the other person will look down on her for having a mother who's a burden."

"You're more sensible than Yao Yao, and you know more people than I do..."

She paused, her voice tinged with pleading, "If you meet a suitable, reliable boy, could you please keep an eye out for Yao Yao?"

Lin Qingmian's nose tingled with emotion, and she quickly nodded, "Auntie, don't worry, I'll keep an eye out for Yao Yao."

"well."

Jiang's mother smiled with relief: "With your words, Auntie is at ease."

After chatting with Jiang's mother for a while, Jiang Yao returned.

She glanced at the time and said to Lin Qingmian, "Mianmian, wait for me a moment, I'll see you out."

The two walked out of the ward and sat down on a bench at the end of the corridor.

Jiang Yao remained silent for a long time before taking out her phone from her pocket, flipping to a page, and handing it to Lin Qingmian.

An entertainment news item appeared on the screen—

[President of Ji Group and his fiancée spotted on a romantic getaway, sparking rumors of an impending wedding]

The accompanying photo shows Su Ting holding Ji Linzhou's arm. The man is looking down slightly, as if listening to her speak. His profile is cold and stern, yet there is a strange sense of tenderness about him.

Lin Qingmian's heart clenched suddenly.

"Mianmian."

Jiang Yao put her phone away, turned to look at her, her voice tinged with hesitation and heartache: "A man like this... are you really not considering divorce?"

Lin Qingmian remained silent for a long time.

A nurse pushed a trolley through the corridor, the wheels making a rumbling sound as they rolled over the floor.

The setting sun streamed through the windowpane, casting a warm orange glow on the floor.

She clenched her fingers so tightly that her nails dug into her palms, causing a slight stinging sensation.

"I……"

She opened her mouth, but found herself unable to say "yes" or "no".

She remembered the moment she woke up in Ji Linzhou's arms yesterday morning, the quiet way he ate the food she had made, and the warmth of him pulling her into his embrace while holding her waist.

But she also remembered what he had said: "For me, marriage is just a transaction."

I remember his indifferent back as he turned to leave, and the cold look in his eyes when he agreed to pretend to be engaged to Su Tingwan.

"Yao Yao".

She finally spoke, her voice so calm it betrayed no emotion: "My marriage to him was a transaction from the start. He helped me with my debts, and I was his wife in name only for a year."

"Who he marries and who he's with is none of my business."

She looked up and smiled at Jiang Yao: "I promised him that I wouldn't interfere in his private life or publicly announce that I was married. That was the condition he agreed to help me."

"But that was before!"

Jiang Yao grew anxious and grabbed her wrist. "You only agreed because you were forced to. Now you have another job and can earn money to pay off your debts. Why do you still want to suffer this injustice?"

"I...I don't know."

"Should we get a divorce...?"

After a long pause, Lin Qingmian closed her eyes, her voice so soft it was almost carried away by the wind: "Yaoyao, I really don't know."