How much did she hear? How much did she hear?
Yang Bingqing cursed herself.
Have my skills gotten dusty? I didn’t even feel her coming!
She decided to completely ignore the topic and bead. "What are you doing outside here? I cannot believe that the party is over."
"Ah no. Just like that," she smiled. "But you..."
Yang Bingqing swallowed a gulp.
"Are you hurt sowhere? I saw you rubbing the back of your neck," she asked with concern.
Her brow slightly twitched. "Oh that," she quickly waved her hand in dismissal. "No, no, I am completely fine. It was just out of habit."
"Ah, okay," Jia felt relieved. "I was overthinking then."
She looked at her with teary eyes. She grabbed her hand and burst out with emotions. "You are the only one who cares about !"
"It’s not like that Aunt. Don’t Uncle Cheng love you so much?"
"But Mingshen doesn’t! I don’t even feel that I have a child! He only bullies this helpless, elderly woman..." she wiped the corner of her eye.
Jia’s own brow twitched.
How should I respond to that?
"Don’t mind it, Aunt. He is just fooling around. You know that too."
She sniffled. "He is never kind to ."
"I...well...I am sure karma will pay him back for sure one day."
She bobbed her head in all seriousness. "I would definitely like to see that!"
Yang Bingqing then wondered for a mont if she should pry in her investigation about Yong and Huayuan and get to know so answers. But she decided against it after so thought.
It was Jia’s birthday. She wanted it to be all about pampering herself, she nodded to herself again.
"Aunt?" Jia was confused with her gestures.
Yang Bingqing smiled. "Keeping aside my son’s craziness, did you sincerely enjoy your day today?"
Jia felt like she walked into a daze.
It was a crazy day without a doubt. The filthy rich grand welco still made her feel awestruck and dumbfounded.
The relaxing hot spring bath and massage was akin to an out of the world experience for her. She never knew that her body and muscles were that sore and tired.
She loved playing at the shooting range. The richoting sound of the bullets hitting their targets was like a breath of fresh air.
Then the ga of roulette. A completely new and thrilling experience. Though she wasn’t into gambling and casino gas, Jia had to admit that it was loads of fun. As long as luck was by your side. It was a whole rollercoaster of emotions.
Last but not the least - the helicopter ride. The scenic beauty of the city below and the setting sun was simply breathtaking beyond words.
"I really, really enjoyed it," Jia said earnestly.
For the most part, Jia had even forgotten about her birthday. But even if she had rembered it, she didn’t have any particular plans to celebrate it apart from having simple fun with Lihua and her family. It was just another day for her.
But there was just so much exposure today that she couldn’t help but feel overwheld.
"Mingshen really...livened up my birthday..." She had no other way to express her feelings.
Jia slowly breathed out and looked up at Yang Bingqing, only to find her eyes slightly gleaming with mistiness.
"Aunt..." she slightly panicked. "What’s wrong? Did I say sothing wrong?"
She let out a chuckle while rubbing a tear away from her eyelash. "No, dear. You didn’t say anything wrong. Just missing soone..."
She gently held her hand in hers and said, "Happy Birthday, Jia."
Jia trembled. Her fingers shook a little as the tiny warmth from her palm seeped into them. She felt Yang Bingqing squeeze her fingers.
"I know I act a little unreasonable, harping you to be with Mingshen. I would really, really love you to beco my daughter-in-law but of course, there is no pressure. It’s just that I really like being with you. Your spirit reminds of my younger days."
Smart, resourceful, confident, headstrong, not afraid to take on challenges and always surrounded by the scent of death and danger - that was how Yang Bingqing’s life was as an assassin. That was how she led She in her glory days.
That was Jia’s life as a police officer too. Though their responsibilities were starkly different, they had many commonalities in their personalities, which made Yang Bingqing connect to her in a very familiar way.
"Which is why I don’t want you to hesitate to ever co to for any help. Anything. Even if you want to just talk to . I will also help you bully Mingshen~ I just...want you to know that I am always there for you."
"...Th-Thank you, Aunt..."
Jia’s voice went slightly hoarse as many inexplicable emotions gushed within her. A surge of happiness flowed within her.
But she felt afraid to hold onto it
Because at the end of the day, no matter how much ti she spent with Yang Bingqing and Yang Cheng, the hard reality that an empty house always awaited her was never going to change.
An empty, lonely house without the welcoming hug from her parents.
A house devoid of their smiles and energy.
That was the house Jia returned to every single day.
So even if Jia truly wanted to bask in the happiness of Yang Bingqing’s motherly warmth, the nagging fear and the sense of an inevitable reality didn’t let her.
And Yang Bingqing could sense it. Jia was happy because she was there. But she was stopping it from becoming a permanent sense of longing.
They quietly returned to the party after that conversation and when it got over, Jia said, "I will take my leave."
Lihua sniffled. "Sis, why don’t you stay for the night here? Pretty please!"
Weiyun and Lii vehently agree. "Jiaaaa!"
Jia looked apologetic. "Thanks Lihua. But I will head back ho. Lots of work tomorrow."
She pouted. "I feel like sis distancing herself these days..."
"Of course not! How can I even dare to ignore my cute little sister?" She stuck out her tongue sheepishly. "Good night! I will definitely stay over the next ti! Promise!"
Jia turned and as soon as Lihua was out of her sight, she exhaled a shaky breath.
She noticed Yang Bingqing’s eager arm waving at her from afar. "Jia, Jia, hereeee! Co with us. We will drop you ho!"
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