CHAPTER 286: CHAPTER 278: I TOLD HER I DON’T WANT THE MONEY

Jin Jumo didn’t speak, but gently stood on tiptoe, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed his lips.

"I’ll find a time to explain everything to Jingyao."

The color in Rong Mochen’s dark eyes deepened as he stared at Jin Jumo.

"He’s treated me well these past few years, and he’s been good to Xixi and Hanhan too. If I hadn’t met you again, if these things hadn’t happened, maybe I would have been with him. Although all I have for him is gratitude and guilt, at least he is truly a decent man. I believe he would have been good to Xixi and Hanhan, which is what’s most important."

She never considered whether she loved Ying Jingyao or whether Ying Jingyao would care... She selfishly chose not to think about any of it.

Looking at Jin Jumo’s apologetic eyes, Rong Mochen imagined if he hadn’t run into her in S City, she would end up spending her life with another man. His heart felt as if pierced by needles.

His long arms tightened around Jin Jumo’s waist, and with a mix of possessiveness and fierceness, Rong Mochen stared at Jin Jumo, "Now, you have no options other than me!"

Jin Jumo looked at him, a silent sigh crossing her heart. Perhaps before, she could still accept someone else, because in her heart, she always felt that love and marriage weren’t deeply connected, so who she’d spend her future with didn’t seem so important.

But now, her previous thoughts have become increasingly vague, replaced by a stronger desire to be with him.

She thought, if in the future they couldn’t be together for some reason, she probably couldn’t accept anyone else. At least, not in the short term!

Jin Jumo leaned against his chest, her heart a swirl of complex emotions—happiness, unease, and an inextinguishable melancholy and confusion.

The gap between them was ultimately too great; to be together, they must cut down all the brambles blocking their path, but there were too many.

Over the past few days, Jin Jumo received parcels from S City one after another, which she had asked Jian Liangtong to send over—Xixi and Hanhan’s toys, clothes, and some of her important documents, but she didn’t ask Jian Liangtong to undo the lease for the house in S City.

Jin Jumo spent a morning sorting and organizing things. At noon, Mu Yan invited her for lunch with Shi Yu.

They met at a small, stylish restaurant near A University, and since it was near the school, most diners were students from A University.

When Jin Jumo appeared in a red dress, she immediately drew a chorus of whistles.

Mu Yan smiled playfully and whistled at Jin Jumo in imitation.

Jin Jumo raised an eyebrow, but remained calm, and sat opposite Mu Yan and Shi Yu.

"Sister Jin, you’re still as beautiful as the first time I met you." Mu Yan’s little mouth was sweet as honey.

"You think I haven’t improved?" Jin Jumo said with a low hum.

"Slip of the tongue, slip of the tongue. You’ve only gotten more beautiful." Mu Yan stuck her tongue out at Jin Jumo.

Jin Jumo smiled and looked at Shi Yu.

Being young, Shi Yu showed no signs of his past injuries, looking dashing in his white clothes and trousers.

"Have you been feeling uncomfortable lately?" Jin Jumo asked, after all, some injuries are invisible to the eye.

"I’m completely fine. The school had a spring sports meeting, and I even ran four thousand meters yesterday." Shi Yu seemed always a bit shy around Jin Jumo.

"Four thousand meters?" Jin Jumo was surprised.

"Yeah, yeah! Yu is amazing! Not only did he take first place in the four thousand meters, but he also lapped the second place by three whole laps!" Mu Yan said excitedly.

Shi Yu looked at Mu Yan’s beaming face, her clean eyes showing satisfaction, and he reached out to gently pat Mu Yan’s head, "Am I really that amazing?"

"You are that amazing." Mu Yan wrinkled her nose at him, a hint of playfulness in her expression.

Shi Yu chuckled softly, "If you say so, then it must be true."

Jin Jumo watched Mu Yan and Shi Yu, Taohua eyes reflecting her feelings.

"By the way, Sister Jin, did you see today’s news?" Mu Yan suddenly asked.

"No, I didn’t." Jin Jumo shook her head.

Mu Yan pressed her lips together, her innocent eyes showing a bit of distress.

"What’s going on? Is there something new happening?" Jin Jumo asked, a bit puzzled.

"You could say it’s something new," Mu Yan pouted.

"What?"

Mu Yan looked seriously at Jin Jumo, "Tang Ruan’s father was released without charge. The police personally explained that his drug use and possession were a misunderstanding, a mistake. Now all the media are unanimously saying Tang Ruan’s father is innocent."

Jin Jumo lowered her lashes and stayed silent.

Mu Yan carefully observed Jin Jumo’s expression, seeing no surprise or confusion, she frowned, "Sister Jin, aren’t you curious how he got released?"

Jin Jumo glanced at her, "Why, do you know the reason?"

Mu Yan was taken aback, then shrugged sheepishly, "I have no idea."

Jin Jumo laughed, "If you don’t know, would my curiosity help?"

Mu Yan found herself speechless.

Before they finished the meal, Jin Jumo’s phone rang.

She took a look; it was an unfamiliar number.

Jin Jumo paused slightly before answering.

"Momo, it’s me, Sister Yi." The voice from the other end was as brisk and sharp as ever, with a smoky timbre typical of her voice.

"...Sister Yi?" Jin Jumo was surprised and delighted, "Weren’t you in Mexico?"

When she returned, she had asked Rong Mochen about Tang Yige’s situation, and Rong Mochen told her that after she "left" four years ago, Tang Yige also left Z City shortly after, traveling to various countries, becoming a backpacker.

Not long ago, she heard from Gu Yan that Tang Yige was in Mexico and that her next destination was Indonesia.

"I’m back," Yige said charmingly, "Want to meet?"

"Where are you?" Jin Jumo asked.

"At the studio. Bring me some food when you come, I’m starving," Yige said.

Jin Jumo smiled, "I’m just eating, I’ll pack up what’s left for you."

"How dare you!"

Jin Jumo curled her lips and hung up the phone.

"Who was that?" Mu Yan asked curiously, looking at Jin Jumo.

"A pretty sister," Jin Jumo said as she signaled for a waiter to pack some dishes.

"...Sister Jian?" Mu Yan thought for a moment, hopefully.

In Mu Yan’s heart, the most beautiful person was Jian Liangtong.

Mu Yan couldn’t forget Jian Liangtong’s beauty.

Jin Jumo shook her head, "I’ll introduce you another day."

"Okay, okay..." Mu Yan paused, blinked her grape-like eyes mischievously, her face blushing, "Actually, I don’t have classes this afternoon."

With such an obvious hint, how could Jin Jumo not catch on?

She glanced at her, feigning aloofness, "I could use a food carrier, you’re it."

"I’d do more than carry food, I’d even carry you if needed," Mu Yan said playfully, reaching out her little cat paw to scratch the back of Jin Jumo’s hand, blushing shyly.

At the studio, when Jin Jumo and Mu Yan went in, they only saw a disheveled woman with her back to them, rummaging through a large cardboard box.

Jin Jumo and Mu Yan stopped at the door, looking around to confirm that apart from them, there was no one else in the studio, and so they hesitantly stared at the figure from behind.

Mu Yan’s face was weird looking at Jin Jumo, not expecting to see a stunning beauty.

Jin Jumo composed herself slightly before tentatively calling out, "Sister Yi."

"Here," the woman turned around, glanced at Jin Jumo, and paused her charming gaze when she saw Mu Yan, "Brought a friend?"

"...Oh."

Jin Jumo was a bit overwhelmed by the impact.

Tang Yige’s absolutely beautiful face was adorned with oversized black-framed glasses. From the front, her hairstyle was the trending "dog hair curl." She wore a baggy hoodie loosely over her thin frame and equally loose pajama pants, with flip-flops on her feet...

In short, her overall image was worlds apart from the Tang Yige in Jin Jumo’s memory.

It wasn’t that she wasn’t beautiful; rather, her beauty had become unexpectedly relatable, leaving Jin Jumo struggling to process it.

Tang Yige looked at Jin Jumo and Mu Yan’s barely contained expressions and raised an eyebrow, leaning her soft waist against the table, curled her slender fingers through her hair, and smiled with a flirtatious, lazy arc, "Come in, sit down. I don’t need any doorstep guardians here."

Jin Jumo and Mu Yan, "..."

"I’m going to change clothes."

Jin Jumo and Mu Yan watched as Tang Yige moved upstairs like a lazy cat until her figure disappeared from view, and then they looked at each other.

Mu Yan took a deep breath, "So much personality."

Jin Jumo twitched her mouth—so "personality" is what little girls call untidy!

In less than ten minutes, Tang Yige came back downstairs.

Mu Yan watched Tang Yige, her eyes unable to move.

Tang Yige had changed into a dark green cheongsam, its pattern of retro geometric shapes. The slit in the cheongsam went high, almost to the thigh, revealing a pair of slender, straight legs as she slowly descended the stairs.

Mu Yan excitedly grabbed Jin Jumo’s hand and whispered, "So beautiful."

Jin Jumo nodded in agreement.

Yige swayed her hips gracefully toward them, signaling them to make room.

Mu Yan immediately let go of Jin Jumo’s hand and shuffled to the side, smiling fawningly at Yige.

Tang Yige patted Mu Yan’s head appreciatively, like petting a family pet.

But Mu Yan just enjoyed this treatment, smiling foolishly at Yige.

Yige sat down, habitually picking up a cigarette from the table.

Yige tilted her eyes at Mu Yan, seeing her fixated on the cigarette at her lips. She smiled charmingly, holding the cigarette out to her, "Want to try?"

"..." Mu Yan widened her eyes, shaking her head like a rattle drum.

Yige chuckled, took it back, and stared at Mu Yan, "Kid from the Xiao family, right?"

Xiao family?

Mu Yan was confused.

Jin Jumo raised an eyebrow, "Yes."

Yige narrowed her eyes and looked back at Mu Yan, "I saw her from afar once."

Mu Yan finally caught on, "Sister Yi, you’re not talking about Xiao Nanqing?"