CDJMM – Volume 2 – Chapter 21 The State Slaps and Teaches the Scum a Lesson (21)

Le Jing saw the female lead, Song Caiying, again in the hospital.

Li Yian had brought Song Caiying to visit Li Shuran.

Five years had passed, and Song Caiying had grown even more beautiful and charming. Standing next to Li Yian, they could only be described as a perfect match of talent and beauty.

Le Jing looked at Song Caiying, his heart calm as still water.

After Li Yian went abroad, Le Jing had stopped paying attention to the original story’s male and female leads. He was busy—he had all sorts of experiments to conduct, all kinds of ideas to test. Compared to these important matters, the male and female leads were nothing more than strangers passing by.

To him, Song Caiying had always been a stranger. If it weren’t for that ridiculous plot forcing him into it back then, Le Jing would never have harbored the thought of killing her.

If he hadn’t encountered Song Caiying at the hospital visiting Li Shuran this time, he wouldn’t have known that, after all the twists and turns, the male and female leads still ended up together.

Now that Le Jing had escaped the constraints of the story, even meeting Song Caiying again didn’t make his face flush or his heart race like before.

Yet it seemed that Song Caiying and Li Yian’s lives were still following the plot’s direction. Li Yian had gone to study in Singapore, and yet in the end, he still ended up with Song Caiying.

Could the power of the story really be that strong?

Le Jing raised an eyebrow; he didn’t think so.

Li Yian was the first to notice Chang Jingchen standing at the doorway. He froze for a moment and blurted out, “Why are you here again?”

He had only been abroad a few years—when did Chang Jingchen become so close to his grandmother?

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Li Shuran, lying on the hospital bed, gave his thigh a fierce pinch, causing him to tear up from the pain. “Grandma, why are you pinching me?”

Li Shuran sneered, “You’ve been studying abroad for a few years and come back, and you’ve forgotten how to greet people?”

Li Yian pouted, helplessly forcing a stiff smile at Le Jing. “Chang Jingchen, thank you for coming to visit my grandma.”

Then his thigh was pinched sharply again. This time, Li Yian really cried. Being highly sensitive to pain, he usually shouted for a long while even if he scraped his skin. Now, with his thigh pinched twice by his grandmother, there was no need to look—he must have bruises.

Frustrated, he shouted, “Grandma, why are you pinching me again?”

Li Shuran glared. “It’s because of your disrespect! How dare you call your grandfather by name?”

Li Yian was utterly confused, pointing at Le Jing in disbelief. “?? Grandfather??”

Grandma slapped his hand away. “After being abroad for so many years, how did you pick up so many bad habits?” Then, suddenly softening from her previous stern look, she smiled warmly at Chang Jingchen. “I got along with him from the first meeting and have already recognized him as a sworn younger brother. So, by seniority, you should be calling him grandfather.”

Li Yian: ?????

Le Jing smiled gently. “Hey, good grandson, call me grandpa.”

He was completely flustered, finding Mandarin suddenly so difficult to speak. “He-he-he, but he’s so young, I mean, Grandma, you’re already—”

Li Shuran cut him off with a cold laugh, “What’s wrong? Are you already complaining that I’m old and senile?”

Li Yian was so anxious that he was practically sweating. “I-I didn’t mean it like that. I just mean… how could you not even tell us before accepting someone as your younger brother?”

“I can choose whoever I want as my brother; that’s my freedom. It’s none of your business,” Li Shuran said, radiating the aura of a classic villainous mother-in-law, and pouted at Song Caiying. “And didn’t you also find a girlfriend without telling your family?”

Song Caiying was suddenly put on the spot and froze for a moment. Flustered, she instinctively shot a pleading look at Li Yian.

Li Yian’s face turned red as he defended her passionately. “Grandma, you’re just like my mom! Xiaoying is a really good person, and we truly love each other.”

Indeed, following the typical tropes of a period drama, Li Yian’s family would inevitably oppose their relationship and create numerous obstacles. In the original story, Song Caiying and Li Yian went through many breakups and reconciliations, enduring a decade-long romance before finally getting together.

Le Jing suddenly interjected, “Which university did you go to after high school, Song Caiying?”

Song Caiying hesitated for a moment. Though puzzled, she answered modestly, “I’m not as smart as you, so I only got into an ordinary university in Guangdong.” Despite her words, she felt a quiet pride—she was the first girl from their village to go to college! And she was a girl!

From the moment Li Yian mentioned the name “Chang Jingchen,” Song Caiying had been quietly observing him.

To be honest, until her second year of high school, Song Caiying didn’t even know someone named Chang Jingchen existed at her school, nor did she know what he looked like.

It wasn’t until the final exam scores of the second semester of sophomore year came out that all of Baicheng No.1 High School was in an uproar. A genius had appeared in Class 9 of Grade 10, nearly perfect in every subject, and only then did Song Caiying finally commit the name Chang Jingchen to memory.

By that time, Chang Jingchen had already transferred. The teachers said he had been admitted early to the University of Science and Technology of China’s gifted youth program and was now studying in Beijing.

Since then, the melodious name “Chang Jingchen” became synonymous with genius, becoming a legend at Baicheng No.1 High.

This was the first time Song Caiying saw Chang Jingchen in person.

Honestly, she was a bit disappointed. Perhaps because his name was so elegant, she had always imagined him as a handsome young man, and meeting the real person naturally didn’t meet her expectations. Chang Jingchen was not ugly, but the word “ordinary” was the best way to describe him.

Indeed, God is fair. Her boyfriend, though not the best student, was handsome, capable, caring, and would undoubtedly have a brighter future than Chang Jingchen, who had no background.

Le Jing asked again, “You should have graduated from university by now. Did you go on to grad school or start working?”

Song Caiying glanced at Li Yian somewhat embarrassed. Li Yian immediately spoke up to help her: “Because I’m currently doing my graduate studies in Singapore, Xiaoying was worried that I’d have it too hard abroad, so after graduation, she went to Singapore specifically to take care of me.” He pinched the flesh on his arm and said a little coquettishly to Li Shuran, “Grandma, look—ever since Xiaoying came, she’s already made me gain a few pounds.”

Le Jing and Li Shuran exchanged a knowing glance and both chuckled lightly.

Li Shuran looked at Song Caiying with calm, worldly wisdom in her eyes. “Girl, I know you’re a good person. I’ve wronged you for the sake of my grandson.”

Song Caiying was overwhelmed by the favor. “Where would that be, Grandma? Yian treats me very well. I’m just a country girl, and it’s thanks to Yian that he doesn’t look down on me.”

Li Shuran smiled and asked calmly, “And what’s wrong with being a country girl? Does being from the countryside make you inferior? So you feel you must travel all that way just to serve Li Yian, the young master?”

Song Caiying’s face turned pale in an instant. Her lips trembled, and she couldn’t speak. Li Yian immediately grew anxious. “Grandma, what are you saying?!”

Li Shuran barked sharply, “Shut your mouth! I’m talking to this young lady—what business is it of yours? You made mistakes yourself, and I haven’t even dealt with you yet!”

Although Li Shuran rarely spent time with her family, her authority at home was absolute—what she said went. Don’t be fooled by her current kind and gentle appearance; Li Yian had seen many times how she scolded the old man until he was thoroughly humiliated. In their family’s hierarchy, Li Shuran sat at the very top, while Li Yian was at the very bottom.

Li Yian clamped his mouth shut, too scared to speak.

Li Shuran’s gaze softened as she looked at the pale-faced Song Caiying. Her voice became gentler. “Don’t be afraid, young lady. I’m not despising you. I just want to tell you that you made a mistake.”

Song Caiying looked confused. “…I made a mistake?”

“Yes. You did.” Li Shuran’s eyes held a faint reproach mixed with disappointment. “You’ve gone to university and received a higher education, yet now, for the sake of so-called love, you’ve sacrificed your studies and career, left your hometown, and devoted your life entirely to my grandson? Does Li Yian lack arms or legs? Is he so poor he can’t feed himself that you had to come all this way to take care of him?”

Song Caiying’s face flushed bright red. She twisted at the edge of her clothes nervously and tried to defend herself. “I love him. I’m willing to sacrifice, to devote myself to him. Isn’t that what love is?”

The old woman shook her head and replied coldly, “No, this is not love. At least to me, it’s just one-sided devotion. In the end, you’re only moving yourself, not him.”

Song Caiying’s eyes reddened. She finally couldn’t hold back and spoke honestly. “But he’s so far away. If I don’t go see him, what if he changes? After all, he’s handsome, comes from a good family, treats me with respect, and is popular at school. I’m just a poor country girl, not very smart—just a face to look at.”

Li Yian looked at her in shock; he had never imagined she thought like this!

“Xiaoying, how could you think that? I…”

“I said shut up! Do you not understand human language?!” Li Shuran slammed the bed in anger. “If you speak again, get out!”

Li Yian swallowed the words choking in his throat. He dared not speak, only gazing at Song Caiying with deep affection, hoping his look would give her encouragement.

Bathed in her boyfriend’s loving gaze, Song Caiying straightened her back, no longer feeling so guilty or timid.

Li Shuran looked at the girl full of grievance and smiled with gentle understanding. “Child, if you don’t mind, listen to my story.”

“Please, go ahead.”

The old woman began recounting part of her life: “I am a scientist. I have long resolved to devote my entire life to science. I never imagined I could live like a normal woman—marry and have children—because a family would distract me from my career. So when my husband first confessed to me, I rejected him.”

“But eventually, I changed my mind, accepted his pursuit, married him, bore children, and built a family.”

“Do you know why I chose to marry him?”

Song Caiying shook her head.

Li Shuran closed her eyes slightly, lost in long-ago memories, smiling with happiness and contentment. “Because he told me, ‘You are not one to easily compromise with society. I hope to act as a screen between you and the world, to support and nurture a gifted woman for China.’”

“So I chose to marry him. We shared the same ideals, understood each other, walked life’s path together, and ultimately brought out the best in each other.”

Song Caiying lowered her eyes, thoughtful.

Li Shuran took a deep breath and spoke earnestly, “I don’t know if what I had with my husband counts as true love, but the one thing I am certain of is that love is not my entire life. I have ideals and a career to devote myself to. So even if I had never married, I would have had my own life, and I was capable enough to live it well.”

Li Shuran looked intently at Song Caiying, her eyes sharp and clear, as if piercing straight into her soul. “So, child, tell me: if one day my grandson doesn’t want you, what will you have left?”

Song Caiying’s face turned pale. She was speechless.

For the first time in her life, she began to doubt her own thoughts. Could it be that she really had made a mistake?

She had been reborn to change the tragic fate of her previous life. Last time, her husband was not only incapable, but abusive and a gambler—a scumbag who ruined her entire life!

So when she came back, she swore she would choose wisely. Li Yian was the best man she could find.

He was from a wealthy family, handsome, though a bit like a spoiled young master, but good-hearted and genuinely cared for her. If she married him, she would be happy.

She had always believed this.

Yet…

Grandma Li’s words hit her like a thunderclap. For the first time, she began to see clearly through the illusions of her past life, scrutinizing her relationship with Li Yian and considering her own future.

Yes. She was no longer the girl she had been in her previous life. Back then, she had dropped out of middle school, and at sixteen, her mother had promised her to the village chief’s son.

But this life was different. She was now a university student! Her life held infinite possibilities! She could fully support herself!

…Her life no longer depended entirely on Li Yian.