Jiang Lai looked completely bewildered: "Aren't I your daughter?"
Min Xuehua shook her head seriously: "You're at most a son."
"Mom~ Look at me." Jiang Lai straightened her back and struck a pose. "Am I not pretty? Don't I look like you? How can you question my beauty!"
Min Xuehua glanced at him up and down, then clicked her tongue and said, "He's much worse than I was when I was young."
Jiang, enraged, yelled, "Then who are you calling your daughter?! I'm going to beat her up!"
Min Xuehua: "Fine, go beat up Lin Zhi then."
Jiang Lai suddenly shut her mouth, eagerly pulled Min Xuehua to sit down, and when Lin Zhi was mentioned, she didn't even care about the Fairy Aunt.
"You and Sister Lin are such good friends?"
Min Xuehua shuddered: "When did we need your help? Speak properly and enunciate clearly. Is your acting really that bad?"
"Mom, I'm very good at delivering lines, I'm a top-level Mandarin speaker, don't worry about me! Just keep going, keep going."
Jiang Wanqiu interjected, "Who is Lin Zhi? She seems to have a good relationship with Lai Lai."
Min Xuehua glanced at her daughter and said sarcastically, "I don't think they have a good relationship. When she was little, she would pester me to play with her older sister, but now that she's grown up, she wouldn't even recognize her if her sister were standing right in front of her."
Jiang Wanqiu, unaware of these matters, looked at Jiang Lai curiously: "What sister?"
Jiang Lai was lost in memories, and with Min Xuehua's prompting, the people in her memory became clear.
She wore her hair in a ponytail, which wasn't permed or dyed, and had light makeup on her face. She was very pretty, just like the Little Dragon Girl from the TV series, and... there was a small mole under her lip.
Jiang Lai suddenly realized and slapped her thigh: "I knew she looked familiar! It's her!"
Min Xuehua took a sip of coffee and shook her head helplessly. Jiang Wanqiu still didn't understand what she was saying.
Jiang Lai took out her phone, eager to send a WeChat message to Lin Zhi, asking if she still remembered her and the dolphin night light. She had just finished typing a 100-word essay and was about to send it when Min Xuehua spoke up leisurely.
"Have you thought this through? If you tell her, it's like announcing that you and I have a relationship beyond teacher and student. Even if she doesn't connect it to my daughter, she'll know you're my relative. Didn't you say you didn't want anyone to know about your relationship with me? She sees me as her mentor, so naturally she'll take care of you."
Jiang Wanqiu was very clever. She vaguely guessed something, and looking at her niece's hesitant little expression, she could guess what kind of person Lin Zhi was.
She smiled but didn't say anything. She wouldn't stop her niece from starting a new relationship just because she had a failed one.
Jiang Lai deleted the short essay she was about to send and turned off her phone: "Sigh... I dug this hole myself, now I have to jump in!"
Jiang Wanqiu and Min Xuehua chatted about everyday things, completely ignoring Jiang Lai who was spacing out beside them. There was none of the enthusiasm they had when they first met. The family's affection was all "fake"!
"Mother."
Min Xuehua stopped talking and turned to look at her daughter: "What's wrong?"
"You really like Sister Lin, don't you?"
Min Xuehua wore a proud expression: "Of course, her academic performance is far superior to yours. She's the first one I've taught since I started teaching her. I even considered casting her as the lead in my drama, but unfortunately..."
Jiang Lai blinked: "What's a pity?"
Min Xuehua stopped talking: "Why are you so gossipy? She didn't even tell you, how can I tell you?"
Jiang Lai once again doubted whether she was an adopted child.
"If you won't tell me about what happened before, at least tell me about what happened recently, right? I came back because of her. You said on the phone that her father was in a car accident, so that's why she's been like this these past few days?"
Min Xuehua nodded, then shook her head: "Not entirely. Her family's situation isn't exactly special, and I can't tell you, but ultimately the problem lies with this money."
"money?"
Although Jiang Lai didn't spend much time with her parents when she was young, Jiang Wanqiu never let her suffer in terms of food, clothing, or daily necessities. She even had the latest mobile phone and had almost no concept of money. Girls should be raised in luxury. Although Jiang Wanqiu didn't have any children, she gave all her love to her. It's all thanks to Jiang Wanqiu that Jiang Lai didn't grow up badly and didn't resent her parents.
Min Xuehua: "Yes, your company is on the rise. What doesn't cost money? The money she can freely spend is simply not enough to cover her father's surgery fees, follow-up nursing fees, and compensation. It seems her father is still in critical condition and will need many more surgeries later. He's just being kept alive with money. And then there's her brother... never mind. In short, her life is worlds apart from yours. So hurry up and try to become an overnight sensation to make money for your company."
Jiang Wanqiu spoke up for her niece: "Sister-in-law, becoming an overnight sensation is all about luck. Lai Lai is still young, she can take it slow."
Min Xuehua nodded: "That's true."
Jiang Lai suddenly stood up, startling Min Xuehua so much that she almost spilled her coffee on her haute couture.
"I've made up my mind! I'm going to become a huge star!"
"ha?"
Jiang Lai originally didn't plan to participate in variety shows, but given the current market, variety shows are like an elevator; if the effect is good, it can take you straight to the sky. Moreover, Jiang Lai is good-looking and can attract a lot of fans just by her appearance. At present, the only option is to increase her exposure. So she made up her mind and contacted Nan Moxi.
Nan Moxi was shocked when she heard this. She felt that Jiang Lai was not the kind of child who was eager for quick success, so she asked for the reason.
Jiang Lai stammered and couldn't give a clear answer, only asking Nan Moxi for help. Nan Moxi naturally had no reason to refuse, but still asked several times, "Are you sure?"
Jiang Lai's answer became more and more resolute, but she still hoped to take on more roles. Nan Moxi agreed, but it required a major revision of the project proposal.
"By the way, Sister Nan, could you please not tell Sister Lin?"
"Why? Wanting to be famous isn't a bad thing. Everyone in the entertainment industry wants to be famous, just don't do anything bad."
"No, anyway, Sister Nan, you have to keep this a secret for me."
Nan Moxi chuckled: "If you really accept the variety show, Lin Zhi isn't blind, she'll find out sooner or later... Wait, you're not trying to shift the blame onto me, are you?"
Jiang Lai chuckled. Luckily, it was just a phone call, so Nan Moxi didn't see her cheeky expression.
"Thank you so much, Sister Nan!"
Okay, fine, you're being coquettish again. There's nothing that coquettishness can't solve.
Poor You Yi had barely driven into Jiang Lai's car when she received a WeChat message from the owner, so she had no choice but to turn around and drive the car back to her.
He thought he would get an explanation from Jiang Lai, but the man didn't say a word and just drove off with a smile.
Standing in the wind, bewildered, her long hair whipping her face, she exclaimed, "Why do I feel like a simp?"
When Min Xuehua learned that Lin Zhi's father was in the hospital, she drove there and bought fruit downstairs. She had no experience visiting patients, but in TV dramas, people always bought fruit, so buying this should be fine.
She walked confidently into the hospital, asked the nurses for directions, and then entered the elevator. As she watched the numbers change, Jiang Lai's heart pounded.
Lin Zhi should be waiting outside the ward, and perhaps Lin Zhi's mother is also there.
She looked up at the person reflected in the elevator doors.
She is beautiful and well-dressed, which should leave a good impression on the elders.
bite--
The elevator doors opened, and a strong smell of disinfectant filled my nostrils; the smell was even stronger than licking a mouthful of wasabi.
Jiang Lai frowned, displeased, but pretended to be perfectly fine as she stepped out of the elevator.
She looked around but didn't see Lin Zhi. Instead, she saw a middle-aged woman who looked very much like Lin Zhi. She was hunched over and sitting on a bench with silver hair at her temples.
Jiang Lai carried the fruit over. She knew that the patients here were special patients, so she walked very carefully, afraid of making a sound, for fear of disturbing them.
"Hello, are you Lin Zhi's mother?"
The woman looked up, her eyes cloudy and lifeless: "Hello, I am... May I ask who you are...?"
She realized that she had forgotten how to smile, despite having practiced her smile many times. Was it inappropriate to smile at a woman whose husband was still in critical condition?
"Uh... I'm Lin Zhi's friend."
Upon hearing that it was her daughter's friend, Lin's mother forced a smile: "Ah...you, is there something you need? Xiaozhi isn't here, she went..."
Lin Zhi went to the police station, but her mother didn't want to talk about it. She knew that such a family was a burden to her daughter, and she had already been a huge drag on her daughter. As a mother, this was the only thing she could do to maintain her daughter's dignity outside the home.
The elevator doors opened, and Lin Zhi stepped out, her long hair tied low and draped behind her. She looked up, saw Jiang Lai, and froze in place.
"Xiao Zhi, your friend is here to see you."
Jiang Lai saw Lin Zhi and stood up straight: "Sister Lin."
Lin Zhi handed the food she brought from outside to her mother, then turned to look at Jiang Lai: "Hmm... what did you bring? Fruit... the one inside can't even open its mouth, you can take it back."
Jiang Lai wasn't embarrassed. She placed the fruit on the bench and said, "I bought it for your aunt."
After saying that, Jiang Lai mentally gave herself a thumbs up.
How clever! They skillfully turned danger into safety!
Lin's mother looked at her daughter, waiting for her to speak. Lin Zhi hesitated for a moment, then said to her mother, "Mom, it's a gift from someone, so please accept it."
Jiang Lai pursed her lips, waiting for Lin Zhi's next instructions.
"Mom, you go home and rest. I'll stay here today."
Just as Jiang Lai was about to suggest staying, Lin's mother politely declined, saying, "Xiao Zhi, go and meet up with your friends. You've had a hard time these past few days."
"mom..."
"Let's go, I'm sitting here, not standing."
--------------------
Author's Note:
Jiang Lai: If you had told me you were Dolphin Sister earlier, I would have pursued you long ago!
Chapter 23
Jiang Lai fastened her seatbelt, started the car, looked at the passenger in the front seat, and said, "What's your address? I'll take you home."
Lin Zhi shook her head, looking at the dark glass that reflected her haggard face: "But I don't want to go home today."
Lin Zhi felt nauseous whenever she returned to that house. She knew it might be an illness, but she didn't have time to see a psychologist. The only thing she could do was escape. However, after her father's accident, she didn't have the energy or the money to move. She could only suppress the nausea by taking sleeping pills every night.
Will Jiang Lai agree?
Lin Zhi wasn't sure, so she could only look at the expression of the person next to her through the car window.
A rustling sound came from the side. Lin Zhi turned her head and met Jiang Lai's eyes, which were so close that they could clearly hear each other's heartbeats.
Thump thump thump... It's a bit fast, this doesn't seem to be Jiang Lai's heartbeat.
Jiang Lai unbuckled her seatbelt and was about to move forward a little when she heard Lin Zhi murmur, "No."
Jiang Lai was taken aback, then reached out and pulled out the passenger seatbelt: "You have to wear your seatbelt even if you can't, or I'll lose points."
Lin Zhi said "Oh," leaned back, and thanked Jiang Lai after she buttoned up the buttons.
Jiang Lai sat up straight, fastened her seatbelt, and drove the car away from the parking lot. She breathed a sigh of relief; thank goodness, she almost kissed him.