Rebirth: He Decides to Lie Flat-Chapter 35 - 32 Drawing Boundaries
Chapter 35: Chapter 32: Drawing Boundaries
Chapter 35 -32: Drawing Boundaries
Zhou Youming walked with Song Jiawen towards a few comrade-in-arms near the car, who immediately tossed their cigarettes on the ground and stamped them out as soon as they saw the young girl approaching.
“Let’s go inside, the dishes should be about ready.”
They had ordered their meals and stepped out for a smoke.
Zhou Youming briefly introduced Song Jiawen to the group, and as soon as they heard she was his sister, each of them was quite warm.
Although looks mattered, a comrade’s sister was also their sister, no question about it.
Throughout the meal, Song Jiawen was looked after by them rather carefully, and after the meal, because Zhou Youming needed to drop Song Jiawen off, he drove off in a separate car, while the rest took the other one.
Yunzhou First Middle School wasn’t close by; it took Song Jiawen nearly an hour to get there by changing two buses on her way over.
Now, as Zhou Youming drove her back, the distance was the same, but the time would be halved. And she knew that Zhou Youming’s offer to drive her was mainly because he had something to ask her.
“Jiajia, has something happened at home recently?”
Zhou Youming knew Song Jiawen’s parents were cold towards her, even though she was beautiful and intelligent. For some reason, those old folks just turned a blind eye to such a wonderful daughter.
As a son-in-law, there were things he couldn’t inquire too much about.
But he really felt bad for his sister-in-law.
However, his wife truly adored her sister, and Song Jiawen relied on her as well. At least in his eyes, the two sisters seemed incredibly close.
That was why he was puzzled now; why didn’t Jiajia inform her sister about attending school in the city?
“Brother-in-law, you should ask my sister when you go back, she knows,” Song Jiawen said, not wanting to explain further, and added, “Tell my sister she doesn’t need to come to the school to find me. The boarding conditions here are quite good, she doesn’t need to worry. And with the college entrance exam just a few months away, I’m really busy and won’t have time to visit your place.”
Zhou Youming’s eyelids twitched. He sensed a hint of a desire to set boundaries in his sister-in-law’s words.
Otherwise, why would she not have time to visit their home, yet she could come to Shanshui Street today, a Friday, when she should be in school?
Zhou Youming didn’t question her about coming to Shanshui Street; he figured she was here to visit Shanshui Gallery.
Song Jiawen excelled in painting and sculpture, which Zhou Youming was aware of. In his living room hung two paintings she had done in the past, every bit as good as the ones sold outside for hundreds of yuan each.
Yet, he was somewhat uneasy; she had time to view paintings, but no time to visit her sister’s home?
The half-hour drive passed in the blink of an eye, and Zhou Youming hadn’t heard any useful information from Song Jiawen; he just vaguely felt that Jiajia seemed changed.
It was nearing seven in the evening, the sky had long darkened, and the street lamps lit up one after another, their dim yellow light casting a soft glow on the girl’s delicate features.
“Brother-in-law, I’m leaving,” said Song Jiawen as she got out of the car and waved goodbye, the oversized school uniform making her look even more slender and tall. However, her silhouette under the streetlight seemed lonely and solitary.
Zhou Youming didn’t drive away immediately; he got out of the car and lit a cigarette, watching as Song Jiawen walked through the gates of Yunzhou First Middle School, and only after she was out of sight did he drop his cigarette on the ground, stamp it out, and then get back into the car to leave.
He had been on intensive training recently and had just returned yesterday afternoon.
He had spent most of last night in tender embrace with his wife, so he hadn’t had the chance to ask her what was going on with her family. However, he was certain she didn’t know about Jiajia’s transfer to Yizhong.
So what exactly had happened at his in-laws’?
…
Zhou Youming returned home to find Song Xiwen playing with Haohao, helping him stack building blocks.
“Daddy…”
Seeing Zhou Youming enter, Haohao dropped the blocks and ran over to him.
Zhou Youming scooped up his son and lifted him high. The little guy let out excited screams of delight.
“Go play; let’s see how high you can stack them,” he encouraged.
Song Xiwen sat cross-legged on the mat. Zhou Youming sat down beside her and listened as she recounted the day’s amusing incidents involving their son. Then Zhou Youming finally spoke up, “I ran into Jiajia in the city today.”
Song Xiwen’s heart skipped a beat, and surprise showed on her face, “Ran into Jiajia? Where? Why didn’t you bring her back with you? …No, that’s not right. Why would she be in Yunzhou? Today isn’t the weekend.”
Her surprise was genuine. After all, neither Xie Jingying nor Song Laosan had informed her about Song Jiawen attending Yizhong, so hearing her husband mention seeing her truly startled her.
Zhou Youming did not answer her questions but instead looked at her and asked, “Did something happen at home recently? Something related to Jiajia?”
Song Xiwen furrowed her brows, “Did Jiajia say something to you? What did she tell you?”
“She didn’t say anything and even refused to come to our house. So I wanted to ask you, did something happen at home?”
Song Xiwen felt a relief wash over her, but she still maintained a distressed expression, “That girl. It seems she’s truly holding a grudge against even me this time.”
She then recounted the incident of her aunt bringing over the son of Dean Chen for an arranged date at her family home. At last, she added, “You know my grandmother and my aunt have never really liked my sister and me, especially my aunt, who is meddlesome and opportunistic. She would use Jiajia to curry favor with her uncle, so she definitely tried to push for the arrangement. And then, to make things worse, they would have my grandmother cause a scene at my parents’ place… Thankfully, my uncle and my maternal grandmother stepped in and the matter didn’t escalate. When I found out, I was so angry I nearly lost it, but my uncle thought I had agreed to it. Jiajia, taking his word, ended up being angry with me as well…”
Song Xiwen spoke with helplessness and heartache.
Zhou Youming’s frown deepened as he listened, “This is sheer nonsense. In today’s society, to still resort to arranged marriages. Your parents are really… What were they thinking? How could they agree to such a thing?”
Even if his grandmother-in-law had made a fuss, they shouldn’t have given in so easily—after all, this wasn’t just any matter, but one concerning their daughter’s lifelong future.
But since it pertained to his in-laws, Zhou Youming restrained from saying anything too harsh, and he finally understood why Jiajia seemed different this time.
She must have been hurt too deeply, causing her heart to gradually grow cold.
“Even though she told you not to look for her, she’s still in the city, so close to us. You should find time to see her and explain things, so she doesn’t continue to misunderstand you,” he said.
Zhou Youming wasn’t suspicious of Song Xiwen. He just felt very sorry for Jiajia, such a beautiful and intelligent child. What could his in-laws have been thinking to be so indifferent to their younger daughter?
While Zhou Youming went to shower, Song Xiwen hastily made a call home.
She needed to know why Jiajia had transferred to a Yinzhou school and whether something else had happened.
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Her heart pounded with anxiety. Yizhong, of all places, meant a limitless future. Its resources were several times better than in Jianghai, and with Jiajia’s intellect, even just four short months could be enough to propel her straight to the highest academic institution in Beijing.
She was like a phoenix that had mistakenly flown into a valley; one day, she was destined to soar high into the heavens, reaching the clouds!
