After Becoming a Spare Tire, I Got Together with My White Moonlight - Chapter 21

I didn’t know before, but now I do.

Why?

Because I have a woman I like, of course.

Mrs. Jiang’s expression darkened, as if a gloomy cloud had gathered over her face. She looked up at her daughter, hoping to detect a hint of jest in her expression, but there was none.

By the bedside, Qin Xiangxi’s parents were also taken aback, instinctively glancing at their daughter lying in the hospital bed.

Their thoughts were simpler, what other woman could possibly like Jiang Xuehe and be liked by her in return?

Yet their expressions showed no joy; instead, their brows furrowed tightly.

“Even if you change your mind now, we can’t possibly entrust Xixi to you anymore!” Mrs. Qin said. “You’ve already harmed her like this. No matter how much you pretend.”

“I don’t like Qin Xiangxi,” Jiang Xuehe interrupted her.

Mr. and Mrs. Qin froze, as if they couldn’t comprehend her meaning.

“I haven’t met Miss Qin many times,” Jiang Xuehe continued. “The last time I saw her before returning to the country was seven years ago. She wasn’t even an adult then. Since coming back, I’ve only seen her twice.”

With so few encounters, how could there be any talk of “deep affection”?

Jiang Xuehe paused before adding, “I don’t know what Miss Qin likes about me, but feelings aren’t a child’s game of make-believe. You can’t have it both ways just because one person wishes for it.”

Mrs. Qin seemed to miss the main point of her words, focusing only on what concerned her most. She asked bluntly, “So you like another woman?”

Jiang Xuehe replied, “Yes.”

Mr. and Mrs. Qin’s expressions soured.

Wasn’t Jiang Xuehe implying that even if she liked women, she’d rather fancy some unknown stranger than spare a glance at the girl who had adored her for years?

Wasn’t that tantamount to trampling their precious daughter underfoot?

Mrs. Jiang, who had remained silent with a grim expression, observed the Qins’ reactions and instantly guessed their thoughts, which only deepened her displeasure.

The Qin couple weren’t exactly lacking in business acumen; they had made a name for themselves in the commercial world. Yet, when it came to matters involving their daughter, it was as if they’d been cursed forgetting not only reason but even basic courtesy.

Was her daughter, a Jiang, inferior to the Qins’ little crybaby?

“Liking or not liking isn’t something we parents can dictate,” Mrs. Jiang interjected. “Instead of obsessing over feelings, why not advise your daughter not to casually go out with men who have designs on her in the middle of the night?”

Mrs. Qin grew furious. “What do you mean by that, Mrs. Jiang?! Are you saying our Xixi lacks self-respect?”

“Not at all, not at all,” Mrs. Jiang quickly denied, her face still wearing a concerned expression. “Mrs. Qin, I only mentioned it out of pity for your daughter’s innocence. This time, it’s fortunate that they were just students without much cunning. If something serious had happened, blaming an innocent person wouldn’t have fixed anything.”

The topic the Qins had deliberately avoided was brought up again Qin Xiangxi had indeed gone out fooling around with a boy who admired her late at night. Though, given her nature, the term “fooling around” might be too harsh, but to outsiders, that’s exactly how it would appear.

The Qin family clearly would not allow that male classmate to be with Qin Xiangxi, and Qin Xiangxi didn’t like him either. For now, they were only calling it “lacking self-respect,” but if rumors continued to spread, it might escalate to “promiscuity.”

That was why the Qin family was fixated on the incident where Qin Xiangxi confessed to Jiang Xuehe and was rejected.

In today’s world, where same-sex marriage is legal, confessing to someone of the same sex and being heartbroken to the point of emotional distress sounded more like unwavering devotion and passion than sneaking off to a bar in the middle of the night with a boy who had ill intentions. It even garnered sympathy.

Mrs. Jiang hadn’t understood at first. Due to her inherent bias against homosexuality, she didn’t think spreading such a reputation would be any better. But after observing the Qin couple’s behavior, she finally realized.

They were using Jiang Xuehe as a pawn.

They were simply relying on the rumor that Jiang Xuehe had a good temper, assuming she would be soft-hearted.

Once she grasped this, Mrs. Jiang no longer held back. She glanced at Mrs. Qin with a cold smile and spoke without giving her a chance to interject: “It’s understandable that young people don’t know any better, but as parents, you can’t just let your child run wild. As the saying goes, ‘If the father does not teach the son, it is the father’s fault.’ She’s an adult now, do you really need someone else to teach you how to raise your child? If she causes serious trouble or gets into a mess later on, you might not find others as easy to deal with as we are!”

With that, Mrs. Jiang turned to her daughter and asked, “Xuehe, what do you think?”

Compared to her somewhat agitated mother, Jiang Xuehe remained calm, but her words were far from “soft-hearted.”

“If you both insist that the car accident was caused by me, then we can schedule a time, bring in lawyers, and discuss compensation for emotional damages.”

Mrs. Jiang couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh.

If lawyers were really called in, it was unclear who would end up compensating whom.

Making a big fuss of this would do Qin Xiangxi no good it would essentially announce to the world that not only had she gone out at night to fool around with a male classmate, but she was also trying to extort money from an innocent bystander.

Mr. and Mrs. Qin weren’t so foolish as to miss this point. Their faces shifted through several expressions, but all they could mutter were complaints about Jiang Xuehe’s lack of consideration for past ties.

Jiang Xuehe pretended not to hear. She glanced at the person lying in the hospital bed and gave a slight nod. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave now.”

She took a few steps forward and placed the fruit basket she was holding on the bedside table.

It was the most expensive option she had picked up from the fruit shop downstairs visually appealing but clearly lacking any genuine thoughtfulness.

Jiang Xuehe turned and opened the door to the hospital room. Mrs. Jiang added a few more pointed remarks, both overt and subtle, effectively severing any pretense of cordiality. Only when she saw the speechless expressions on the couple’s faces did she feel a sense of vindication. With a toss of her head, she followed her daughter out of the room.

Outside the door, a few onlookers were lingering. Startled by their exit, they immediately turned to face the wall, pretending to study the spots on the floor.

Jiang Xuehe scanned the hallway but didn’t see any familiar faces.

Mrs. Jiang continued grumbling under her breath behind her: “Serves them right! They didn’t even bother to keep it discreet. Now they’ve become a complete laughingstock. Mrs. Gu was just telling me this morning that it’s all over her daughter’s social circle, how Miss Qin couldn’t stay put in the middle of the night?”

She still didn’t feel satisfied.

Everyone enjoys watching a spectacle and laughing at others’ misfortunes as long as the misfortune isn’t happening to them.

Although everyone felt Jiang Xuehe was quite innocent at the moment, no one could predict how the rumors might twist and turn as they spread.

Being entangled in a scandal with another woman, no matter how Jiang Xuehe’s mother thought about it, it made her deeply uncomfortable.

This was all about losing face for the Jiang family.

Jiang Xuehe had taken the emergency staircase down, and her mother, unnoticed, followed behind her.

The nearest door from the stairwell led to the small garden behind the inpatient building. Untended and somewhat desolate, it was devoid of any human presence.

Jiang Xuehe stopped and glanced back at her mother. “Mom, don’t go too far.”

Her mother’s expression had shifted from displeasure to resentment, but she paused at the words, reining it in slightly. Frowning, she muttered, “What could I possibly do? Fine, I know my limits.”

Jiang Xuehe said calmly, “She’s also pitiable. If you target her too much, others will say we’re being unreasonable and unforgiving.”

What’s so pitiable about her?

Her mother thought it but couldn’t voice it under Jiang Xuehe’s steady gaze.

In matters like this, Jiang Xuehe always had a clear mind.

After all, it was for the sake of the Jiang family’s reputation.

Reluctantly, her mother nodded, then recalled the words exchanged in the hospital room.

“Xuehe, there’s no one else here. Tell me the truth,” her mother said. “Were those words earlier just meant to provoke the Qins?”

Jiang Xuehe shook her head. “No.”

Her mother’s heart sank halfway. Unwilling to accept it, she pressed further, “Really?”

“Really,” Jiang Xuehe replied.

Her mother couldn’t hold back any longer, her voice rising slightly. “Do you even know what you’re doing? Being with a woman? What can a woman give you? No money, no influence, no children, no support, you’ll end up with nothing in your old age. How will you establish yourself in life? And people will point fingers and curse you behind your back! Do you realize I’ll be criticized for raising a psychologically deviant daughter? How will your younger sisters ever marry after this?”

Jiang Xuehe didn’t respond, simply watching her with that same calm expression.

No anger, no hurt, no sorrow not even a trace of disappointment.

Meeting those placid, unreadable dark eyes, Jiang Xuehe’s mother suddenly felt her mind go blank, the rest of her words stuck in her throat.

What had she just said?

Recalling the words she’d blurted out in her agitation, a cold sweat broke out on her forehead.

She could say such things to the other girls in the Jiang family, but never to Jiang Xuehe.

Not because Jiang Xuehe was her biological daughter, but because she had no right to her son, Jiang Xuehe’s older brother, Jiang Xueyang, owed his current position to Jiang Xuehe’s concession.

Jiang Xuehe was no delicate, powerless young lady confined to embroidery and leisure. To this day, she remained Jiang Xueyang’s greatest rival and threat.

“I…” Her mother averted her gaze, guilt-ridden, yet her parental pride wouldn’t allow her to back down easily.

“Isn’t this actually good news for all of you?” Jiang Xuehe’s lips curved into a faint smile, still devoid of any sharpness. “If Grandfather finds out about this, he’ll likely be very disappointed. By comparison, perhaps Brother will earn even more of his favor.”

Her mother froze. The words sounded like sarcasm, but she couldn’t help following Jiang Xuehe’s line of thought.

Then, she fell silent.

“Moreover, this is already the third year since same-sex marriage was legalized. As Mrs. Jiang, it wouldn’t be appropriate for you to publicly oppose something that the law has already recognized,” Jiang Xuehe continued. “If word gets out, it could harm the Jiang family’s reputation. Don’t you agree?”

Mrs. Jiang had nothing to say in response.

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave now.” Jiang Xuehe glanced up at the staircase, where someone quietly withdrew their head. She couldn’t help but smile slightly before turning back and saying, “I have guests coming to the shop soon.”

She didn’t invite her mother to visit her shop.

Mrs. Jiang knew she was angry and thought it best not to provoke her further at this moment.

If she pushed too hard, Jiang Xueyang might be in danger Jiang Xuehe knew all too well what her mother cared about most.

As Jiang Xuehe prepared to leave, Mrs. Jiang instinctively called out to her and asked, “Who is the person you like?”

Jiang Xuehe paused mid-step, turned back with a faint, indifferent smile, and said, “When it’s time to get married, I’ll send you an invitation.”

Now that same-sex marriage was not only legal but also allowed for public weddings, there was no reason to hide provided one was truly committed to spending a lifetime together.

Mrs. Jiang snapped back to reality, her face turning ashen.

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