CHAPTER 331: 317 VENTING

She shook her head and said with a resolute tone, "Yingzi, you’re overthinking it. Eating crabs occasionally is fine. Besides, that whole pregnancy thing—it’s not even a shadow of a possibility."

Chen Ying was puzzled. Not a shadow? If they’re having a married life, wouldn’t it happen quickly? Her brother and sister-in-law got married for two months and had been pregnant for the same two months, and the sister-in-law didn’t even realize it at first.

Tian Sangsang scrutinized the naïve rookie with the knowing gaze of a seasoned driver. Chen Ying was too innocent. Sangsang smiled faintly and changed the subject, "Alright, let’s not talk about him. You mentioned something in your letter but didn’t go into detail. Let’s discuss it carefully. What happened to you all after the earthquake?"

Chen Ying noticed the tone in her voice and sensitively picked up on something unusual, but she didn’t ask further. The two began chatting about the earthquake aftermath, and the atmosphere was harmonious.

Suddenly, Meng Shuyan’s excited voice came from outside the door: "Daddy!"

Chen Ying shivered, feeling an urge to run away.

It wasn’t long before someone stood at the doorway. When Chen Ying turned back to look, he seemed even colder than before, even harder to approach. His sharp and solemn face seemed to carry the chill of a dark night, his eyebrows more defined, firm, and unyielding. Sangsang, living with someone like this every day—wasn’t she freezing?

Chen Ying touched her nose awkwardly, "Jiang Jinghuai."

Jiang Jinghuai’s aloof gaze landed on her face. He spoke unhurriedly, "Chen Ying?"

Tian Sangsang glanced at Chen Ying, who looked frightened, and explained, "Yingzi is here to see me and will be staying here tonight."

What? Chen Ying froze. When did she say she was staying here? Wouldn’t this disturb Sangsang and her husband’s life?

Jiang Jinghuai responded with a soft "Mm" and turned to leave the kitchen.

Chen Ying finally took a few deep breaths.

"What’s wrong with you? Is he that scary?"

"He’s even harder to talk to than he used to be. Sangsang, do you deal with him like this every day?"

Tian Sangsang wanted to say, he wasn’t always like this; it was only recent. But she sighed and replied simply, "Don’t worry. I’ve got your back. Just treat him like a mobile ice block and wear an extra layer."

Once again, Chen Ying sensed something off about her.

In the Tian household, most of their water came from a special spring stored in a space, even for cooking. They’d grown accustomed to it and didn’t think much, but Chen Ying wasn’t the same. She suddenly remembered the days she and Tian Sangsang lived together in the town—it was pure bliss!

"Yingzi, eat more!" Tian Sangsang said warmly, giving her some food.

"Mm, mm! You all eat too!" She glanced around at the others. Unlike Tian Sangsang’s warm enthusiasm, Jiang Jinghuai only gave a slight nod. Chen Ying knew that he wasn’t being rude; that was just how he was.

"Yanyan, you eat too," Tian Sangsang said gently to her son. After speaking, she also began eating the fish, bite by bite, neither too much nor too little, chewing slowly and deliberately.

"What’s wrong with you?" Jiang Jinghuai suddenly asked.

"What?" Tian Sangsang asked in return.

"Eat more," he said in a low voice. "What you’re eating wouldn’t even fill the gap in my teeth. Lately, I’ve noticed you’ve gotten thinner, your face pale, like you’re as fragile as paper—about to collapse with a gust of wind, or snap with a slight pull."

Poof! Single-dog Chen Ying suffered ten thousand points of damage. Wow! He only has a few words to say to her, but to Sangsang, it’s a whole speech.

"Alright," Tian Sangsang forced a smile, mindful of her son and Chen Ying’s presence. She still needed to put on a show.

Meng Shuyan seemed satisfied.

But Chen Ying, being an adult, immediately sensed Tian Sangsang’s perfunctory tone.

As the night fell, Chen Ying felt uneasy. "Sangsang, really, it’s no big deal. My brother can drive the truck here to pick me up. I don’t have to stay here."

"It’s not safe this late. Don’t worry, just rest here. Besides, aren’t we discussing the flower field matter? I haven’t even drafted the contract yet. Leave tomorrow, and I’ll send you off."

After Tian Sangsang finished, she planned to find Jiang Jinghuai to discuss where Chen Ying would sleep that night. When she was near the study, he happened to come out of the bathroom. He was wearing a deep black, plush loungewear set and carried a faint fresh scent, clearly having just bathed.

"I’ll sleep in the study tonight," he said, glancing at her and taking the initiative.

"Oh, okay," she responded briskly.

His deep black eyes narrowed dangerously.

Tian Sangsang knew Jiang Jinghuai was someone with a slight cleanliness obsession. If he took the study, that meant the bedroom would be for her, Meng Shuyan, and Chen Ying. She planned to let Chen Ying sleep in her and Meng Shuyan’s bed while she and her son used Jiang Jinghuai’s bed. That way, there wouldn’t be any issues.

The bedroom’s lighting was a soft, yellowish hue. In the quiet of winter, the bedroom at night was nothing short of warm and inviting, making it hard to leave. Seeing two beds there, Chen Ying didn’t find it odd. She just assumed Meng Shuyan had his own bed.

"Sangsang, where’s Little Milk Tea? Went out to play and hasn’t come back yet?"

Tian Sangsang abruptly froze while making the bed. Her profile under the warm light was shrouded in shadow.

Chen Ying hurriedly bit her lip and nervously twisted her hands. "Did I ask something I shouldn’t have?"

"No," she shook her head slightly, speaking calmly. "It’s already gone."

It was truly a sad thing. Chen Ying stayed silent for a moment. She carefully observed her a few times before tentatively asking, "You and Jiang Jinghuai, did you have a fight?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"You might fool Yanyan, but not me." Chen Ying raised an assertive brow and grabbed a small stool from the floor to sit on. "If you don’t mind, you can talk to me about it."

"Not exactly a fight." Tian Sangsang turned and sat on the bed. This matter had been weighing on her heavily, and she really wanted someone to confide in. Chen Ying’s initiative gave her the urge to open up. "Do you still remember Yao Fangfang’s friend Shui Lian? This all starts with her. I didn’t mention her to you earlier."

Chen Ying thought for a moment and nodded.

Tian Sangsang recounted everything about Shui Lian and the events involving them, especially about Shui Lian’s death. She didn’t even need to recall; the memories flowed out effortlessly, one after another. Everything was etched in her mind so clearly.

Although Shui Lian was dead, her influence on Tian Sangsang never faded. Particularly, there was something she didn’t mention while recounting to Chen Ying—Shui Lian had whispered something in the forest akin to a curse. At the time, Sangsang dismissed it as superstition, but looking back now, it seemed Shui Lian really was destined to clash with her fate.

The more Chen Ying listened, the more she felt a chill down her spine. If it weren’t for Tian Sangsang’s firsthand account, she would never have known Shui Lian was so sinister, so malicious, so utterly deranged. Shui Lian had even tried to harm that little girl and Yanyan. After her alarm subsided, Chen Ying seriously analyzed the source of Tian Sangsang’s distress.

"So, you gave Jiang Jinghuai the cold shoulder for a month—all because of Shui Lian?" Chen Ying let out a deep sigh. "Sangsang, the way things are now, aren’t you giving Shui Lian exactly what she wanted? If she’s in hell right now, she must be laughing endlessly."

"I know. She won," Tian Sangsang said, pulling the corners of her lips into a faint, self-deprecating smile. "But if it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have understood Jiang Jinghuai better. I also wouldn’t have realized he’s a man who could even ignore his own son."