NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 39
Chapter 39: Psychological Shadow:
Seeing her daughter act so guilty, Zhang Ru became even angrier.
Her face was as cold as frost, and her voice was much colder than usual.
“You never use makeup, but this morning I noticed you secretly used mine. I suspected something was off then, but I didn’t expect you to be going on a date with a man.”
“Ji Yan, how has Mom always taught you? I never said you couldn’t date, but you’re still young and should focus on your studies. You rarely interact with boys, so how can you tell if someone truly cares for you or has ulterior motives?”
“Mom won’t say that all men outside are bad, but you’re a naive and innocent child. People can be deceptive, and when someone approaches you with an agenda, you can’t tell if they’re good or bad.”
“You used to be such an obedient child. What changed?”
The elegant and beautiful lady became increasingly agitated, raising her voice without realizing it. This made Ji Yan lower her head even more. But toward the end, Ji Yan couldn’t help but whisper, “I’m not stupid. I know who is good and who is bad. Qin Luo… he genuinely likes me.”
This statement seemed to infuriate Zhang Ru further, causing her eyes to widen. “Do you even know what you’re saying? How can you be sure he genuinely likes you? Just because he walked you home?”
Ji Yan shook her head and explained, “It’s not like that. At first, I didn’t intend to pay attention to him, but… but he kept pursuing me, confessing to me 99 times over more than three months. If he didn’t truly like me, why would he do that?”
Confessing 99 times over more than three months…
Zhang Ru instinctively found it hard to believe, thinking her daughter was lying. Such persistence seemed almost unbelievable in today’s society.
But knowing her daughter wasn’t lying, Zhang Ru’s hostility toward Qin Luo diminished a bit, though her expression remained stern. She said coldly, “Even if that’s the case, are you really planning to date him? Didn’t you promise Mom not to date before graduation?”
“I…” Ji Yan mumbled, unable to refute. She had indeed promised Zhang Ru not to date before graduating from college because she never expected this day to come. If it weren’t for Qin Luo, she couldn’t imagine someone being so persistent after so many rejections.
She couldn’t imagine herself caring so much about someone’s opinion, emotions, and preferences. Now experiencing it firsthand, she didn’t know how to answer her mother’s question. So she chose silence, like a silent protest.
Zhang Ru’s breathing became rapid, clearly agitated by her daughter’s attitude. But this time, she didn’t lose her temper. After a brief silence, Zhang Ru gently took Ji Yan’s hand, her voice melancholic and pained. “Ji Yan, it’s not that Mom doesn’t want you to date; I’m just too afraid of you getting hurt.”
“I raised you alone, never letting you get hurt even a little. But that incident when you were young left a huge shadow in my heart. I don’t want something like that to happen again. Do you understand?”
Ji Yan remained silent, but tears welled up in her eyes as memories of her childhood resurfaced. That incident was the shadow haunting her mother for years.
Ji Yan never met her father. She later learned that he had abandoned them. Her mother came from a wealthy family, while her father was a poor man. They eloped for love, and their life was initially happy. But when her mother got pregnant, her father left without a word.
This devastated her mother. Her grandparents eventually took her mother back in, encouraging her to live well and give birth to the baby. Ji Yan was born, and Zhang Ru made her the center of her life.
The incident that cast a shadow over Zhang Ru happened over a decade ago.
Ji Yan wasn’t yet three years old, still learning to speak and walk.
One day, Zhang Ru took Ji Yan out, and while withdrawing money from an ATM, Ji Yan disappeared.
Zhang Ru nearly lost her mind, crying and begging for help. The police eventually found Ji Yan that afternoon. Surveillance footage showed a masked woman luring Ji Yan with a lollipop. Being too young to understand danger, Ji Yan followed her and was quickly subdued.
The woman was a kidnapper, and the police used this incident to bust the entire ring. When they found Ji Yan, she was unconscious in a corner, with several other children her age nearby. Since then, Zhang Ru had been overprotective, never letting Ji Yan out of her sight.
From kindergarten to high school, Zhang Ru personally took Ji Yan to and from school, constantly warning her of the dangers outside. She painted anyone who approached Ji Yan as having ulterior motives, making Ji Yan wary of strangers and developing a cold demeanor.
Ji Yan’s father’s abandonment also left her with a deep-seated distrust of men.
Knowing her mother was deeply affected by that childhood incident, Ji Yan never blamed her and always obeyed her, striving to be a perfect daughter.
Seeing her mother cry while speaking, Ji Yan was moved and tearfully said, “Mom, don’t cry. I know you’re worried about me…”
“It’s good that you understand,” Zhang Ru sobbed, hugging Ji Yan and gently stroking her hair.