Chapter 397 Old Master Qin's Show of Weakness

Chapter 397 Old Master Qin's Show of Weakness

After returning last time, she gave the box and the message that Mr. Qin had given her to her mother. At the time, her mother didn't pay much attention and just told her to put the things in her room and then left it alone.

So much so that she still doesn't know the answer.

"I disagree," Jiang An said calmly, seemingly without any lingering attachment to the past.

Jiang Ruan nodded and slid the answer button, turning on speakerphone as well.

As soon as the call connected, Grandpa Qin's voice came through the phone, filled with affection: "Ruanruan, I hope I didn't disturb you while you were busy."

Jiang Ruan replied calmly, "No."

"That's good." Old Master Qin breathed a sigh of relief, then cautiously asked, "Has there been any result regarding the matter I asked you to do last time?"

“The landscaping at the Qin family’s old residence is better than ours, so it would be more suitable for you to stay there,” Jiang Ruan said after a moment of silence, deliberately taking a roundabout approach to avoid being too direct.

Old Master Qin: "..."

The old butler coughed lightly.

Everyone understands what he means.

Thinking of Li Zhishen's shamelessness, Old Master Qin decided to follow suit: "Your mother refused?"

Jiang Ruan hummed in agreement.

Grandpa Qin asked again, "Are you with her now?"

Jiang Ruan looked at Jiang An, understood her mother's look, and replied, "Yes."

"Give her the phone," Old Master Qin said calmly, though his grip on the chair tightened unconsciously, his whole body radiating tension. "I want to say a few words to her."

Jiang Ruan placed the phone in front of her.

Jiang An's attitude towards him remained as cold as ever: "What is it?"

"Didn't you see the box I asked Ruan Ruan to give you?" Old Master Qin couldn't believe that his An'an would refuse so readily.

Jiang An was very honest: "I didn't see it."

Old Master Qin: "Take a look."

Jiang An: "Not interested."

Grandpa Qin knew his daughter was stubborn, but he was even more stubborn: "Just take one look. If she still doesn't agree to let me move in after that, I promise I won't say another word."

Jiang An appeared momentarily dazed.

When did this once stern and rigid old man become like this?

"Is it good or not?" The biggest change in Old Master Qin's mind came from the inspiration he got from Li Zhishen.

Jiang An didn't say anything more, and stood up to go to her room to get the box.

Old Master Qin felt uneasy not receiving a reply: "An'an?"

Old Master Qin: "Why aren't you saying anything?"

“Mom went to get the box,” Jiang Ruan explained.

Grandpa Qin immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

He was confident that An'an would soften her heart when she saw the things in the box, and even if she didn't want him to stay with her, she would see his attitude and sincerity.

Waiting.

Jiang An brought the box to Jiang Ruan.

The moment Jiang Ruan opened the box, she leaned closer and saw that it contained old items and gifts made by children. Suddenly, she understood.

"Is An'an back?" Old Master Qin asked cautiously upon hearing the noise.

"I've seen it." Jiang An's words were cold and distant, but her gaze remained fixed on the contents inside. "Still, I disagree."

"Did you see that postcard at the top?" Old Master Qin completely forgot that he had just said he wouldn't say another word. "That was given to me when you were three years old. You said it was a universal card, and when you grew up, I could use it to redeem anything from you."

Jiang An remembers.

Those were some of the few happy days they had.

But those days are gone ever since their mother passed away and the two older brothers learned the importance of self-interest.

"I want to use it to exchange for the right to live in your and Ruanruan's house." It was rare for Grandpa Qin to be so shameless as to do something like this; he would never have been able to bring himself to do it before. "Please agree, An'an."

"No." Jiang An's attitude remained unchanged.

Old Master Qin subconsciously glanced at Qin Luofeng and the old butler.

This is the first time in my life I've been rejected so thoroughly.

But he didn't feel embarrassed at all. Instead, he realized that it was because he had hurt his daughter so deeply that this was the result. If the hurt hadn't been so deep, An'an would have agreed long ago, given her personality.

"I want to live with you and Ruanruan," he continued shamelessly. "Name your terms."

Jiang An didn't intend to say more: "No conditions are possible, I'm hanging up."

She said she was dead, and that meant she was really dead.

With a beep.

The call was cut off.

Jiang Ruan did not interfere with her mother's decision. She was taking things out of the box one by one and looking at them. When she saw the items that carried the emotions of the past, she felt more heartbroken than ever: "You two must have had a very good relationship before."

Jiang An readily admitted, "Yes, he said I'm his little cotton-padded jacket."

Jiang Ruan: "When did it change?"

“The second year after your maternal grandmother passed away.” Jiang An remembered these things very clearly. “The words of others shook his mind. Every time he went out to show off me, those people would say, ‘What’s the use of having such a capable daughter? She’ll still get married in the future.’ As a result, he became more and more distorted and couldn’t listen to any advice.”

Jiang Ruan hugged her.

No wonder her mother told her most often from childhood to adulthood to study hard and cultivate her various survival skills.

Aside from not letting her study finance and management for fear of endangering her life, I fully support her in everything else.

Horse riding, archery, diving, and anything else she wanted to learn, they fulfilled her every wish.

"I'm fine." Jiang An didn't have much of an emotional reaction to this. She had already let go of many things. "It was really tough when I first left Haicheng, but after you were born, I didn't have time to think about those things anymore. You brought your mother a lot of joy and happiness."

Jiang Ruan hugged her and smiled: "You have also given me a lot of happiness and confidence."

The reason she dared to file for divorce after discovering Huo Zhizhou's affair with Su Anran was largely because she knew she could survive without Huo Zhizhou.

She has many survival skills, and she has a lot of love.

She has a mother.

...

The next morning.

Jiang Ruangang had just dropped Sui Sui off at school when she returned and saw Mr. Qin, the butler, and an unfamiliar middle-aged man getting out of the car: "Grandpa?"

"Ruan Ruan?" Old Master Qin looked in the direction of the voice, and when he saw it was her, a look of surprise flashed in his eyes. "What a coincidence."

Jiang Ruan glanced at his very formal attire and the several suitcases in the hands of the bodyguard beside him: "What are you doing here...?"

Grandpa Qin: "I spoke to my daughter with even greater sincerity."

A hint of surprise flashed in Jiang Ruan's eyes.

He used to talk about your mother and An'an the most, but this is the first time I've heard him say "my daughter".

"Is she at home?" Old Master Qin asked tentatively.

Jiang Ruan nodded.

Old Master Qin straightened his clothes, cleared his throat, and walked inside leaning on his cane. After taking a few steps, he seemed to remember something and turned to Jiang Ruan, saying, "If An'an still doesn't agree to let me stay later, please put in a good word for me."

“You know I’ve always sided with my mother,” Jiang Ruan said directly.

"I wish my daughter was this biased towards me too," Old Master Qin said seriously.

Jiang Ruan paused.

She really wanted to say that if you had loved your mother a little more more than 20 years ago, your mother would definitely have stood by your side without hesitation. In fact, if he had apologized to your mother and talked things out properly after that incident, things wouldn't have turned out this way.