The moment Qiao Wan put on her clothes and walked out of Song Jinnan's house, her heart was filled with deep shame.
But this thought disappeared when she stood at the door of Jiuheyuan to catch a bus.
Everyone has their own agenda, so why should we be ashamed or not?
Returning to her rented apartment, she took a hot bath.
In the hot air, she saw hickeys of different sizes on her body.
There are depths and shallowness, reflecting the madness not long ago.
The first time she was still sober, but the second time she couldn't keep up with Song Jinnan's rhythm and could only let him do whatever he wanted.
Closing her eyes, her mind was filled with images of her private time with Song Jinnan, which she couldn't get rid of.
It wasn't until she opened the bathroom window and the cold wind of late autumn blew in that she gave up those things she shouldn't think about.
The next day was Saturday, and Qiao didn't have to go to work that night. Before she could wake up naturally, she was woken up by He Jiezhen's call.
She said "Hey" sleepily.
"Wan Wan, Mom has been feeling sick since morning. I want to see you and talk to you -" He Jiezhen was weak and her voice was drawn out for a long time, which made Qiao Wan feel like she was terminally ill.
Qiao Wan stood up in excitement, "Have you called the emergency number? Are you at Zhou's house or the hospital now?"
"I've had pain like this before. It doesn't matter. I'll be relieved in two hours at most. Mom, I haven't seen you for two months." He Jiezhen sighed in a tone of explaining the funeral.
While changing her clothes, Qiao Wan warned her urgently: "You must not do strenuous exercise. I will take you to the hospital right away."
"Hey, my biological children are my biological children. Even if we quarrel a hundred times, my daughter still loves me the most." He Jiezhen smiled dryly, "Wanwan, my mother is at Hualan Yipin."
Upon hearing Hua Lan Yipin, Qiao Wan's eyebrows twisted in disgust.
That was Zhou Shihong's house. When He Jiezhen married Zhou Shihong ten years ago, Qiao Wan, who was only thirteen years old, also moved to Hualan Yipin.
Zhou Shihong was the top leader of the Jiangcheng City government at the time. He was powerful and majestic. Although he never said anything harsh to her, she felt sick when she saw Zhou Shihong.
Less than three months after her father died of illness, He Jiezhen married her father's superior, Zhou Shihong.
He Jiezhen didn't want to lose face for the sake of being an official wife, she wanted it.
After living in Hualan Yipin for less than three months, she made a fuss and moved out to live in her aunt's house.
In the past ten years, there have been only Chinese New Years and holidays, and when she was in a good mood, she would only show up to Hualan Yipin, but the number of times she stayed to eat could be counted on one hand.
When He Jiezhen wanted to invite her to her house for a meal, she would find an excuse to stop him and ask her to chat and go shopping, but she always failed.
Twenty minutes later, Qiao Wan drove the white Polo she bought half a year ago to Hualan Yipin.
The Zhou family lived in a garden villa that symbolized identity and status. When Qiao Wan walked into the wrought iron gate at the nanny's greeting, she smelled a strong aroma of rice.
"How is my mother?" Qiao Wan couldn't help but worry about He Jiezhen and asked the nanny anxiously.
The nanny lowered her eyes and did not dare to look at Qiao Wan. "My wife is fine. She is waiting for Miss Wanwan in the living room."
Ever since her father passed away suddenly, she had never been so eager to see He Jiezhen as now.
Every time she thought of He Jiezhen's name, she felt funny.
Chastity, haha, neither pure nor chaste.
The Zhou family's living room and dining room are connected together. Qiao Wan walked into the living room and saw that the dining room table was filled with sumptuous meals.
The two cooks in aprons were so busy that their feet never touched the floor.
Only then did Qiao Wan realize that she had been deceived, and turned to leave. He Jiezhen was already holding the stairs and coming down from the second floor.
He Jiezhen's makeup was exquisite, her clothes were elegant and decent, and her face was so rosy that it didn't look like she was in pain.
"Wanwan, we, mother and daughter, haven't seen each other for two months. You're already here, and you'll leave after lunch. Xiao Wang will come over later. You two can meet and see if we can chat together."
He Jiezhen's tone was so gentle that it made Qiao Wan very uncomfortable.
Because the real state of affairs between the two of them when they were alone was full of excitement. She always disliked He Jiezhen, and He Jiezhen was always dissatisfied with her.
As long as He Jiezhen showed gentleness in front of her, it would definitely be for Zhou Shihong to see.
In the past ten years, He Jiezhen has been pretending to be a gentle and good wife and mother in front of Zhou Shihong. What Qiao Wan hates most is that she is doing one thing and another secretly.
As expected by Qiao Wan, Zhou Shihong walked from the study to the living room with a box of Go and glanced at her disdainfully, "Although Xiao Wang is twelve years older than you, he was promoted to deputy county level just last month. Xiao Wang's father and I are classmates, and Xiao Wang's character is trustworthy and is more than enough for you."
Haha, twelve years old!
At the age of twelve, there is a lot of room for imagination. Divorce, widowhood, and raising a child are the norm.
He Jiezhen's vision for selecting men has never changed. The words "profit-seeking" are the most appropriate!
Qiao Wan felt a chill and ignored Zhou Shihong. She glanced at He Jiezhen and said, "Since you're fine, I'll go back."
"Wanwan, mom misses you——"
Qiao Wan walked very quickly, leaving He Jiezhen's words behind.
When she walked out of Zhou's house, she saw Zhou Ting'an getting out of a black car.
Zhou Ting'an was Zhou Shihong's only son and Qiao Wan's stepbrother. He was six years older than Qiao Wan. Zhou Shihong had paved a smooth political path for him since he was a child. He was already serving as the deputy director of the Municipal Natural Resources Bureau before he was thirty.
Qiao Wan was only thirteen years old when she lived with He Jiezhen in the Zhou family, and she was hostile to Zhou Ting'an. Zhou Ting'an is young and mature, and is very tolerant of his stepsister.
Qiao Wan moved out after living in Zhou's house for less than three months, and the two of them didn't interact much.
The relationship between the two has been dull over the years. Zhou Ting'an focused on his official career and was restrained and low-key. The few times the two chatted on the phone, Zhou Ting'an took the initiative to call.
"Wanwan, are you in a hurry to leave before you have lunch?" Zhou Ting'an took the initiative to say hello.
Zhou Ting'an has handsome features, is nearly 1.8 meters tall, neither fat nor thin, and has a calm and measured demeanor. He is one of the few clean-minded public officials in Jiangcheng.
Although he had never offended Qiao Wan, and there was concern in his voice, Qiao Wan couldn't warm up to him as long as he thought that he was Zhou Shihong's son.
"I just received a notice to work overtime, so lunch has to be rescheduled."
Qiao Wan avoided Zhou Ting'an who was blocking the front and unlocked her car.
Zhou Ting'an followed, with a smile on his lips, "Have you been busy with work recently?"
"Well enough."
As soon as she opened the car door, Zhou Ting'an stopped her and said, "I heard a rumor that you have a boyfriend."
"No." She denied flatly, sat in the driver's seat and pulled on the seat belt.
"It's okay if you don't. I don't think your taste is that bad." There was a smile in Zhou Ting'an's eyebrows that he didn't even notice.
"If you have any difficulties at work, just tell me. I'm very familiar with you, Mr. Liu." Zhou Ting'an put his right arm on her car window and stared at her deeply.
She didn't even raise her eyelids and said perfunctorily, "Thank you, brother."
She had called "Brother" less than ten times. This time she called her "Brother" so hard that it made Zhou Ting'an's mouth very uncomfortable.
At this time, Qiao Wan saw He Jiezhen chasing after him, started the engine and stepped on the accelerator, and the car quickly drove out of Hualan Yipin.
