After the Breakup, the Possessive Heiress Regretted It - Chapter 38
Chapter 38: I Know.
In a blink of an eye, it was almost the end of December again.
Ji Wanmian spent her days either working late into the night or just slacking off, binge-watching shows and sleeping. Her family worried that she’d get bored staying home alone and asked if she wanted to travel, relax, and make new friends.
To be honest, she really wanted to go on a trip right now, to just let loose and preferably go to a place with heavy snowfall, find some new inspiration, and relax her back. But then she remembered she had to submit her manuscript before the deadline, and she didn’t have any good travel companions to go with. Her family had work, Wen Su had left Nancheng, and Lu Yu…
Sigh, forget it.
Ji Lan and Lao Wan exchanged glances as their daughter sighed. Ji Lan then handed her a bag of bread and said, “I heard this bakery makes really good bread, so I bought some for you. Eat something sweet, it might cheer you up.”
Ji Wanmian, slumped on the sofa, lifted her eyes and scanned the bread bag. It looked familiar, but after all the late nights recently, her memory had declined sharply, and she couldn’t recall where she had seen it.
“Okay, I’ll try one.” Ji Wanmian wasn’t in the mood to think too much. She tore open the packaging, picked one up to her mouth, and just before taking a bite, the aroma wafted into her nose, and she suddenly realized: isn’t this the bakery where Pei Jinyue used to work?
Ji Wanmian quickly put it down.
Seeing this, Ji Lan asked, “What’s wrong? Don’t want to eat it?”
Ji Wanmian wanted to explain directly, but she didn’t want Ji Lan to know about her love-hate relationship with Pei Jinyue. So, she subtly said, “Mom, don’t you think the cashier at this store looks a little familiar?”
Ji Lan’s mind raced, matching the cashier with all her relatives, friends, and even passing strangers, but finally shook her head and said, “No, I don’t think so. I haven’t seen any man who looks like that person.”
“Maybe she was wearing a mask…” Ji Wanmian, hearing Ji Lan’s denial, began to analyze to herself, but after hearing the second half of the sentence, she asked in surprise, “Wait, a man?”
Ji Lan nodded.
Ji Wanmian cautiously said, “You didn’t mistake him, did you?”
Ji Lan smiled and lightly patted Ji Wanmian’s head, saying, “You silly girl, can’t I even tell the difference between a man and a woman?”
Ji Wanmian clutched her head, finally believing her, and mumbled, “Okay, maybe they have rotating shifts, and it’s her turn to work at night.”
“What are you mumbling about? The last time I passed by, I saw that it was the same person at night too.” Although Ji Lan didn’t understand why her daughter was so interested in a particular employee at that bakery, she still seriously recounted what she had seen.
Ji Wanmian first said “Ah,” then remained silent for a long time, and finally just casually replied, “Okay.”
Ji Lan also remained silent.
Ji Wanmian curiously looked up and found that her mother couldn’t suppress the smile at the corners of her mouth, and even the look in her eyes was meaningful.
“My dear mother, what are you thinking now?” Ji Wanmian asked with a smile, probably already guessing what her mother was thinking.
Ji Lan coughed twice, trying to appear serious, but as soon as she spoke, all pretense crumbled, leaving only a curious heart: “Good girl, are you interested in the bakery employee? Maybe not this current one, but definitely someone who worked at this store before. It’s okay, I’m very open-minded. No matter who you like, as long as you like them, that’s what matters.”
Ji Wanmian was amused by Ji Lan’s string of words. As she had guessed, her good mother, like other mothers, was very concerned about her love life. Although it wasn’t explicitly stated, nor did she press her every few days, after all, she was twenty-seven, so her family would still bring it up occasionally.
“Since you say anyone is fine, what if the other person was originally very rich, but suddenly became not so rich?” Ji Wanmian had nothing else to do, so she decided to tease her mother.
Ji Lan thought for a moment. Although she didn’t fully understand Ji Wanmian’s logic, she still answered seriously: “No money is fine. Poverty isn’t a big problem. But if they become extreme and twisted because of poverty, and then make you suffer and feel wronged, we cannot accept that.”
Ji Wanmian nodded, surprised that Ji Lan was so insightful. Her eyes darted, and she thought of another one: “What if the other person has red hair?”
Ji Lan was speechless for two seconds, saying, “Can that be an obstacle? Would I be horrified because someone has red hair and then banish them from our Ji family?”
Ji Wanmian burst out laughing and asked, “What if the other person isn’t much taller than me and is half a year younger?”
Ji Lan clapped her hands and said, “That’s good too, they’d look well-matched. As for age, if they’re younger than you, you’re more mature, and you can even teach them a thing or two.”
Ji Wanmian blushed and asked, “Teach what?”
“Life skills! Cooking, stir-frying, changing lightbulbs,” Ji Lan blurted out, then stared at Ji Wanmian, puzzled, and asked, “What are you thinking?”
“Nothing.” Ji Wanmian casually picked up a piece of bread from the table to distract herself, her mind completely focused on how to change the subject. Finally, she managed to come up with something and blurted out, “Let me ask again, what if the other person is a woman?”
Ji Lan, who was drinking water, choked several times. Even Lao Wan, who hadn’t said a word, gasped in alarm.
Ji Wanmian swallowed the bite of bread, recalling the jumbled, inappropriate words she had just said. She quickly churned her rusty brain, stammering to explain, “I mean, what if the other person is a donkey breeder?”
Ji Lan and Lao Wan exchanged glances, then nodded, and Ji Lan turned back to her and said, “I know.”
“You… know what?” Ji Wanmian lowered her head, not daring to look at the two people in front of her, only able to stare intently at the bread in her hand.
Ji Lan gently placed her hand on her daughter’s shoulder and said with a smile, “I know the other person raises donkeys, which is very hard, so I feel a little sorry for you.”
Ji Wanmian thought, Finally, I got away with it, and breathed a sigh of relief, even her voice getting louder: “Alright, I’m not chatting with you anymore, I’m going to work.”
Ji Lan said from behind her, “Okay, don’t overwork yourself.”
Closing the room door, in just three short seconds, Ji Wanmian regretted and detested herself three hundred times over.
If Ji Lan didn’t think about it too much, it would be fine. But if she really thought more deeply…
Ji Wanmian was genuinely terrified.
She had originally thought that revealing this matter would be under immense pressure, forced to speak out, or a determined decision to stay with her beloved, and thus would be revealed when she brought that person to meet her parents. But now, none of that was necessary; it all came out effortlessly just from eating a piece of bread.
Ji Wanmian angrily grabbed a tissue, wiped the bread crumbs from the corner of her mouth, getting angrier as she wiped. She wasn’t just angry at her own quick mouth, but at herself for thinking of Pei Jinyue the moment her mother asked about her love life.
Even if her description didn’t have a clear image, combining every word she said today, it formed a complete Pei Jinyue. No matter how much she wanted to deny or avoid it, her mouth, quicker than her brain, would unconsciously reveal everything about Pei Jinyue.
Ji Wanmian propped her head with one hand, twirling her pen with the other, recalling Ji Lan’s words. She mused that Pei Jinyue had probably returned to the Pei family and, after such a significant event, definitely wouldn’t come to Nancheng again.
She wasn’t surprised, after all, she would never believe Pei Jinyue’s so-called sincerity again. Other people’s confessions might have some “truth” mixed in, but Pei Jinyue’s to her… Ji Wanmian shook her head, it was all fake.
If someone like Pei Jinyue truly harbored a bit of genuine emotion, it would be better for her to use it all on her family, and not seek others, speaking false promises that could never be fulfilled, enjoying the other person’s kindness, feeling their love, and then suddenly, unexpectedly, letting them know the truth, causing them immense heartache.
Suddenly, she remembered today’s date—exactly five days before New Year’s Eve.
In other words, it was the day three years ago when she completely learned the truth and broke up with Pei Jinyue.
Ji Wanmian shook her head again, not wanting to recall a single detail from that year. It wasn’t that she would still be sad, but rather that she felt embarrassed, having been so heartbroken over Pei Jinyue that day. Thinking about it now, it was completely not worth it; she might as well have saved those tears for watching a movie.
She stopped twirling her pen, sat up straight, opened her computer, and prepared to start working.
She had plenty of momentum, but her mind was God knows where.
From picking up the pen to putting it down, it only took ten seconds, but picking up her phone and then putting it down was much harder.
She opened the short video app, scrolled around, finding nothing particularly interesting. So, she went to check on the apology vlogger she followed.
It had been a long time since they last updated.
She sighed, her enjoyment for the day diminished. She could only leave a comment below the video: “Why no updates? I really like your videos.”
Soon, she received two messages.
First, the other party liked her comment. Second, the other party actually sent her a direct message: “Do you really like my videos?”
Ji Wanmian looked at the message,愣了一愣, surprised that her favorite vlogger would message her directly. So, being kind and enthusiastic, she chose to reply seriously: “Yes, I really like them. The drawings are very cute, and your videos are very funny. I’m happy every time I watch your videos.”
The other side replied: “I’m very satisfied to have your liking.”
Ji Wanmian’s mind flashed with countless question marks, but based on her years of experience, she already understood, and said: “I know!”
The other side read it, and slowly replied: “What?”
Ji Wanmian said, “You must say that to everyone. I understand you.”
The other side was silent for a long time, then replied: “You guessed it right.”
Ji Wanmian nodded, acknowledging her own intelligence.
Just as she thought the conversation was over, the other party suddenly sent a message: “Actually, I make these videos all to ask for one person’s forgiveness, but I don’t know if she will forgive me after seeing the videos.”
Why is she opening up now?
Ji Wanmian scratched her head, thought for a long time, but didn’t give a definite answer. Instead, she asked, “Did you hurt her deeply? I see you’ve been making your videos for several years now, and you still haven’t made up after so long. Either decisively give up, or continue to persevere.”
Ji Wanmian looked at her reply. It’s truly me; I said so much, but I didn’t give any clear advice. She figured that way, the other person wouldn’t ask her again.
But the other side still sent a message.
“Thank you for your words. I’ve decided now, I must continue to persevere.”