The 'Involution King' Second Female Lead Quits [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 26

Chapter 26: The Dust Settles

◎The Dust Settles◎

The fact that her mother didn’t flat-out refuse meant there was room for discussion. On the bright side, maybe her mother just needed a little time to process everything.

After comforting herself, Shu Heng regained her composure and tried to act as if nothing had happened while having lunch with Li Jianwei.

Even though Shu Heng tried her best to hide her emotions, how could she hide them from Li Jianwei, who had already seen through her?

“Did something happen during your driving practice?” Li Jianwei asked, her tone full of concern. “If it’s hard to get the hang of it, just take your time. There’s no need to rush.”

Shu Heng mumbled a response. After stuffing a mouthful of rice into her mouth, she still couldn’t help but reveal her thoughts. “Sister, I called my mom today and told her about our relationship.”

Li Jianwei’s hand, which was holding the chopsticks, paused. “Did Auntie say anything?”

“Mom said she needed some time to think. She probably needs a little time to prepare,” Shu Heng poked the rice with her chopsticks and couldn’t help but start to self-reflect. “Maybe I should have warned her beforehand. I didn’t need to tell her so quickly.”

Li Jianwei put down her chopsticks and took out her phone to check her recent schedule. “I can take a few days off in early April. How about we go back and visit Auntie together?”

Shu Heng pursed her lips, feeling a little guilty. “Won’t it affect your work, Sister? Why don’t I go back and explain the situation to Mom myself?”

“Our relationship is a matter for both of us. How can I let you go back alone? Besides, if we go back, I can also take care of some work,” Li Jianwei reminded her with a smile.

“Don’t forget our company’s partnership with the Quanyuan County government. It’s normal for a boss to inspect the branch company.”

“My personal visit will only make the county leaders feel that I take this matter very seriously, which will further deepen our cooperation. When we meet, just like last time, you’ll be in charge of giving a detailed introduction to the system.”

Li Jianwei’s explanation greatly reduced the guilt in Shu Heng’s heart. “Then I’ll hurry up and finish my exam. When the time comes, I’ll go back and explain it to Mom in person.”

“Mhm. Don’t worry too much. Auntie doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would break up a couple. As long as we let her know that our feelings for each other are genuine, she should understand.”

Shu Heng actually thought the same thing in her heart, but even so, she would still unconsciously reflect on whether her actions were inappropriate and if she could have done better.

If she had been calmer and had discussed it with her sister before making a decision, she might have been able to come up with gentler words to make her mom accept it.

When Li Jianwei noticed that Shu Heng was still a little distracted, she didn’t say anything more. Some things need to be cultivated slowly over time. As the older person, she just needed to be tolerant and give her a chance to grow.

Of course, not everyone could get this kind of tolerance. Shu Heng was the only little cabbage that Li Jianwei had in her heart.

…

Li Jianwei didn’t ask Shu Heng why she suddenly told her mother about their relationship, but she called Xiao Wu to her office afterward and asked him what had happened today.

Xiao Wu didn’t hide anything and described the whole story of Shu Heng’s encounter with the netizen from a very objective perspective.

After she found out that it was Shu Heng’s supposed cousin who made her unhappy, the expression on Li Jianwei’s face became even calmer. She hid all her emotions very well.

Li Jianwei: “For the time being, please help me look after Shu Heng more. If there’s anything wrong with her emotions, please let me know.”

Xiao Wu: “Okay, CEO Li. I’ll pay extra attention.”

After Xiao Wu left, Li Jianwei clicked on her contacts and scrolled up and down. Finally, she stopped on a number she had recently contacted.

The call was answered within ten seconds. “Help me handle something. Be discreet when you do it. Don’t let anyone see that it was my idea.”

“Do it quickly. Have it done by the end of the month.”

…

Shu Heng’s sense of direction was very good. Passing both subject two and subject three in ten days was not difficult for her at all. If the test time hadn’t already been set, she could have gotten her fresh driver’s license in less than fifteen days.

The time to fly home was set for April fifth, and the day before that, Li Jianwei took Shu Heng to the cemetery to visit her mother’s grave.

The two of them didn’t arrive too late, but the flowers in front of the tombstone were already overflowing.

“Mom really liked to do charity. She started donating to students very early on. Many of the professionals at the company now are people Mom once sponsored,” Li Jianwei explained, placing the flowers in front of the tombstone with Shu Heng.

“Mom, this is my girlfriend, Shu Heng. I brought her here to see you today,” Li Jianwei lowered her head, a hint of sadness in her eyes.

Counting the time, it had been more than six years and almost seven years since her mother passed away, but some sadness wouldn’t be forgotten with time. Instead, it was more like a rich wine.

The longer it was brewed, the richer the aroma would be when the lid was opened. Just smelling it at the mouth of the jar could make a person fall unconscious.

Shu Heng didn’t know how to comfort her. She could only hold her sister’s hand tightly and seriously introduce herself, as if the tombstone in front of her wasn’t a tombstone but an elder she respected very much.

Shu Heng had also experienced the departure of a family member, but she didn’t have many memories of her father. She only vaguely remembered some fragments.

When she was little, both her father and mother were very busy. The family usually only had time to talk about lighthearted topics during meals.

In Shu Heng’s not-so-many memories, her father was a silent and practical person.

He wouldn’t teach her how to study. He would only quietly stand to the side and watch her work on her homework. Occasionally, he would take the warmed-up milk from her mother’s hand and put it on the table, reminding her to drink it before bed.

Other than these extremely mundane memories, Shu Heng couldn’t recall anything else.

…

After her last hurried confession, Shu Heng had also contacted her mother and told her the good news that she had gotten her driver’s license.

Shu’s mother was very happy that her daughter had successfully gotten her driver’s license, but when she was asked if she could accept her being with Li Jianwei, she couldn’t help but fall silent again.

“I can’t bring myself to bless you two right now. We’ll see,” was the answer Shu’s mother gave after being silent. Her attitude was a little softer than last time.

Unlike last time when they had to drive by themselves, Li Jianwei and Shu Heng had a dedicated car waiting for them as soon as they got off the plane, which then took them to Quanyuan County.

With a hint of nervousness and anticipation, Shu Heng held her sister’s hand and came to the front door of her house.

After hesitating for three seconds, Shu Heng put away the key in her hand and chose to knock on the door. Shu Heng didn’t tell her mother the exact date she was coming home this time. It was a little surprise.

“I’m coming,” Shu’s mother’s voice came from inside the door. The solid wood door was quickly opened. After seeing Shu Heng and Li Jianwei through the security door, she couldn’t help but freeze.

After she reacted, Shu’s mother’s eyes fell on Li Jianwei. She instinctively smiled. “Xiao Heng brought CEO Li back. Come in, come in and sit.”

The security door was opened. Shu’s mother’s enthusiastic attitude was comparable to that of the new year. When she saw the gifts in Li Jianwei’s hand, she also tried to refuse them.

“Mom, these are supplements that Sister specially prepared for you based on your health. If you take them regularly, they’ll help you get better,” Shu Heng joined the conversation. “If you don’t take them, they’ll be useless if we take them back.”

“You child, how can you talk like that?” Shu’s mother complained in a low voice.

How did my daughter turn her elbow out after being in a relationship? Shouldn’t she be helping her own mother at a time like this? Where’s the logic in trying to convince me to accept a gift?

When Shu Heng saw her mother’s slightly resentful look, her heart felt more at ease. “Mom, we came by car as soon as we got off the plane. We haven’t even had lunch yet. Is there anything ready to eat at home? I’m hungry.”

“How can you not eat? It’s already almost one o’clock now,” Shu’s mother’s attention was successfully diverted. “Do you want noodle soup or fried noodles? I’ll make it for you right now. It’ll be ready in ten minutes.”

“Either is fine with me,” Li Jianwei said.

“Fried noodles! I want to eat the fried noodles you make, Mom!” Shu Heng grinned.

Although her mother didn’t say some things directly, she had already read enough information from some of her conscious actions.

If her mother was against it, this wouldn’t be her reaction. She would have directly expressed her disagreement by closing the door.

Once the door was opened, it meant that her mother’s resistance was not obvious.

From asking about noodle soup or fried noodles while she was cooking, she could also tell that her mother had already accepted that her sister was coming home as her girlfriend, not as a leader.

If her mother still treated her sister as a leader, she would definitely say that there was nothing good to eat at home and that she had to go buy some ingredients, or she would have taken them to a restaurant.

The arc of Shu Heng’s lips widened. She couldn’t help but hum a song while sitting on the sofa, waiting for the fried noodles.

“Why are you so happy all of a sudden?” Li Jianwei held Shu Heng’s wrist and played with the palm of her hand with her thumb.

“I think Mom has already tacitly agreed to us being together, but she’s a little awkward about it, so she can’t say it out loud,” Shu Heng couldn’t hold back the good news. After she said her guess, the arc of her lips became even more obvious.

Li Jianwei couldn’t help but pinch her little girlfriend’s face. “Can I take that as a mother and daughter understanding each other?”

“You can also see it that way. I still understand Mom very well, just like she understands me very well,” Shu Heng burrowed into Li Jianwei’s arms. “Sister is so outstanding. I’ve known all along that Mom would agree to us being together.”

Li Jianwei smiled, put her arms around her little girlfriend, and didn’t expose her nervousness that was about to overflow. Instead, she softly agreed. “You’re right. I think so too.”

While the young couple on the sofa were cuddling, Shu’s mother in the kitchen also turned off the gas, pushed open the glass door of the kitchen partition, and prepared to call them to eat.

But before she could say anything, the sight of the young couple cuddling entered her eyes, making her pause for a moment.

To be honest, CEO Li is indeed a very good person. I just don’t know how long my daughter can be with her. There’s no marriage certificate to protect them.

…

“Mom, have any of the relatives on my maternal grandmother’s side contacted you recently?” After eating half a bowl of fried noodles, Shu Heng started to ask about another thing she had been thinking about for a long time.

“No. They haven’t contacted me since the new year, and I haven’t contacted them either,” Shu’s mother said. “It should have been this way for a long time. It’s better for everyone to have a clean break. There’s no need to force a relationship.”

Shu Heng nodded. “If they contact you, don’t talk to them.”

“I have a little bit of popularity on the internet recently, and I also became a student of a very amazing professor. Many people are curious about my personal experience,” Shu Heng explained, giving her a heads-up in advance.

“Mom, if you see people talking about me while you’re out shopping, don’t pay too much attention to it. Don’t worry about what they say. Outstanding people are bound to be envied, and they might even be talked about behind their backs.”

“I know. When you got the county scholarship, many people were also jealous,” Shu’s mother said with a smile. She wasn’t as naive as her daughter thought.

An orphaned mother and daughter. No matter where they are, they’ll be treated as people who are easy to bully.

When Shu Heng was interviewed by a reporter with a camera for the first time, Shu’s mother had heard a lot of gossip. But they would only gossip behind her back. In front of her, they would at most say some sarcastic things, with envy in their eyes that they couldn’t hide.

Shu Heng tried to swallow the fried noodles and said vaguely, “That happened? Mom, didn’t you say that the neighbors were all praising you for being so good at raising a daughter?”

“The neighbors were praising me, but others were also jealous,” Shu’s mother said. When she saw her daughter frown as if she was choking, she got up to pour her some water.

Before Shu’s mother could tell her to eat slowly, she saw a glass of water appear next to her daughter’s hand. It was Li Jianwei who had moved it there first.

Their eyes met. Li Jianwei gave her a polite smile.

Shu’s mother couldn’t help but be dazed for a moment. After sighing in her heart, she sat back down in her chair.

My daughter’s girlfriend is truly outstanding. I can’t be against it, but I can’t help but worry. Will such a good person always like my daughter?

When Shu Heng rushed to wash the dishes, Shu’s mother moved her chair and sat across from Li Jianwei.

“CEO Li, you’re a very good person. You’re very outstanding in all aspects and you take great care of Xiao Heng. To be honest, if Xiao Heng can be with you for the rest of her life, I would be very relieved.”

“But if you’re in a relationship and can’t get married or have children in the future, how will you live your lives?” Shu’s mother started to talk about her worries.

“The more I think about it, the more I feel insecure. When I’m gone, Xiao Heng will be all alone. She doesn’t have any siblings, and she doesn’t have any elders who particularly care for her.”

Shu’s mother’s experiences and position meant that she couldn’t be as optimistic as Shu Heng. More than her daughter being with a woman, she was more worried that her daughter was trying to punch above her weight by being with Li Jianwei, who was worth hundreds of billions.

Li Jianwei was destined to not have a child with Shu Heng. There’s no way a company as big as hers would be given to someone else in the future, right?

If Li Jianwei wanted a child, what would happen to my daughter? Even if they’re good now, who knows what will happen in the future?

Shu’s mother hadn’t seen any high-tech things. She could only express what she was worried about based on her own understanding.

Just like an ordinary mother, she worried about her child’s future and that her child wouldn’t have anyone to rely on or anyone who would stand by her unconditionally after she was gone.

“Auntie, children are not a necessity for me. I don’t have any desire to have children myself. If Shu Heng really likes children, we might adopt one,” Li Jianwei patiently explained. Her attitude was very good.

“If Shu Heng doesn’t like them, then it will just be the two of us forever. You don’t have to worry that no one will take care of us.”

Shu’s mother: “But… but you have such a big company…”

“These are all external things. After I retire, I’ll only hold shares. If I leave, I might give some away to charity. If I can’t use them all, I’ll give them to the country.”

Li Jianwei’s thoughts were very open-minded, completely in line with her mother’s philosophy when she was alive. “If there are no accidents, we’ll be buried in the national cemetery. The kind of cemetery where schools organize students to lay flowers. If we’re buried in a place like that, we won’t have to worry about being forgotten.”

Shu’s mother didn’t expect to get an answer like this, a beautiful future that she was unwilling to believe was real.

If this were true, how much virtue would they have accumulated? My daughter might even leave a few words in a student’s textbook.

“What are you two talking about? Can I join?” Shu Heng, who had finished cleaning up the kitchen, came over. After hesitating for a second, she sat on the other side of the table, keeping the same distance from both of them.

“We were talking about who you would save first if Auntie and I both fell into the water,” Li Jianwei considerately changed the subject, not giving Shu’s mother a chance to feel awkward.

“Um, I think you two would swim back yourselves,” Shu Heng said honestly. “Because I don’t know how to swim, but both Mom and Sister do.”

“Then if you fall into the water, who do you think would come and save you?” Shu’s mother asked.

Shu Heng rubbed her nose. “My mind would be completely blank at that moment. I definitely wouldn’t be thinking about this.”

“To avoid this situation from happening, I’ve decided to learn how to swim whenever I have time so I can save myself if I fall into the water,” Shu Heng said seriously, trying to end this difficult dilemma.

“That’s avoiding the question,” Shu’s mother shook her head.

Li Jianwei smiled. “A very logical answer.”

Shu Heng gave a silly chuckle. “Mom, I’ve finished everything you had me take back last time. This time, please prepare more. We have two suitcases to pack things in.”

“Okay. What do you like more? Dried goods or braised meat?” Shu’s mother asked.

Shu Heng: “A little bit of both. I think they’re all delicious.”

…

Zhizhuo Technology and the Quanyuan County government had officially reached a partnership, so when Li Jianwei went to the corresponding location to inspect the work, she was warmly received by the county leaders.

Especially Secretary Lu. His attitude was even more approachable and easy-going than last time. He even pulled the two of them over to take a lot of photos.

County Chief Liu accompanied them from behind. After seeing the two extra assistants behind Li Jianwei, he took some time to mention it to Secretary Lu.

County Chief Liu had been a soldier in his early years. He could tell at a glance that these two assistants had been in the military, and not in an ordinary place.

After a brief surprise, Secretary Lu silently raised the importance of Shu Heng and decided to send someone to visit Shu’s mother regularly to help her fully recover from her illness.

After seeing off the important government partners, Secretary Lu called in the director of the office and closed the door to talk quietly.

Secretary Lu: “Has the person who had the accident and conflict with CEO Li been dealt with?”

Director Chen: “We ordered them to rectify their used car business a month ago. Recently, they caused a public brawl, which had a very bad social impact. If the procuratorate sues them, they could be sentenced to one to three years.”

“Sentence him to three years. That’ll make him behave,” Secretary Lu said.

For a person in Secretary Lu’s position, when it came to things that happened in Quanyuan County, it was only a matter of whether she wanted to investigate or not. It wasn’t a question of whether she could find out.

Li Jianwei could have a close relationship with Shu Heng while having those two assistants with her, which meant that Shu Heng also had a record on file with a powerful person.

Since they had already shown their goodwill, they might as well be more thorough and do some things more beautifully.

“Secretary, the relatives on Shu Heng’s mother’s side also got into a lawsuit recently,” Director Chen reported. “It involves some fraud and extortion. The public security department is investigating.”

Secretary Lu: “How’s Shu Heng’s relationship with them?”

“According to the current information, they’ve only been in contact during the new year for the past few years, and there was a small conflict earlier this year,” Director Chen spoke calmly, as if he was reporting on an important official document.

“The other party’s illegal actions seem to have a little bit of a connection with the local employees sent by Zhizhuo, but there is no substantive evidence.”

“At the end of last month, Shu Heng’s supposed uncle and cousin were both fired from their companies. They are currently unemployed, and there are a lot of internal family conflicts.”

After hearing this report, Secretary Lu understood why Li Jianwei had brought up a certain topic during their casual conversation.

“If they’re involved in the case, give them a suspended sentence. Just make sure the whole family behaves,” Secretary Lu picked up her teacup. In just a few words, she decided the fate of her cousin’s family for the next three years.

“I don’t want to hear any bad news related to Shu Heng during my time as the county party secretary. Deal with the unstable factors around Ms. Shu. Don’t let CEO Li have to worry too much.”

Director Chen nodded in agreement. He wasn’t surprised by the secretary’s emphasis on Shu Heng.

She had also liked and commented on Shu Heng’s social media posts, so she had seen through some things long ago.

“Secretary, the result of the second-round trial for Zhizhuo Technology and Rongguang Technology was announced today. The second-round trial upheld the first-round verdict, and the latter has to pay three times the amount of their profits as compensation.”

Director Chen said: “The 26th of this month just happens to be World Intellectual Property Day. Should we hold a lecture and use this case as a typical example?”

“Yes, that’s a very good suggestion,” Secretary Lu’s eyes became more and more satisfied as she looked at Director Chen. “This matter needs to be prepared in advance. I’ll leave it to you. You can also do some popular science in middle schools.”

“Protecting patents and copyrights should start with students. If they build a good mindset early on, they’ll suffer fewer losses in the future.”

Director Chen bowed and agreed. “Yes, Secretary. I’ll go arrange it now.”

…

“Sister, what are you looking at that’s making you so happy?” Shu Heng tackled Li Jianwei, who was looking at her phone, onto the sofa from the side.

“A task I assigned earlier yielded a very good result,” Li Jianwei was lying on the sofa. She skillfully exited the interface and locked the screen.

“Are you done packing?” Li Jianwei threw her phone to the side and freed up her hands to embrace her overly energetic little girlfriend.

“Mhm. I just saw our photo with the secretary and the county chief on the county government’s official account’s post,” Shu Heng gave a silly chuckle.

“A lot of my classmates privately asked me if I had a very good relationship with the secretary.”

“What did you say?” Li Jianwei asked with a smile.

“Of course, I said it was because of you, Sister, that I had a chance to see the world,” Shu Heng flashed a brilliant smile, her tone very proud. “They all envied me and said things like ‘don’t forget us when you’re rich and successful’ and ‘remember to help us out when you’ve made it big’.”

Li Jianwei smiled and didn’t say anything. There was no need to tell her pure little cabbage about some things. It was enough for her to be happy and stay by her side.