After Mistaking My Stepsister’s First Love - Chapter 73

Yet, Ye Shuyao didn’t see it that way. Only she knew how unbearable it was under the crowd’s scrutinizing gazes. The reason she wanted to turn to Ye Wenjin for help was simply because she didn’t want to lose face here.

Moreover, by doing this, she could also show Yin Yu her stance, hoping he would treat her better after they returned.

However, Ye Wenjin had no intention of giving Ye Shuyao any more attention and calmly averted her eyes.

The onlookers breathed a sigh of relief—thankfully, Ye Wenjin wasn’t so easily swayed.

But as the situation dragged on, Chu Yunsheng began to regret it too. She lowered her voice and said, “Maybe we should just leave?”

If she hadn’t insisted on coming to watch the spectacle, perhaps Wenjin and the others wouldn’t have come out either. Now, they were stuck dealing with Ye Shuyao again.

Chu Yunsheng felt both annoyed and genuinely baffled by the three of them—Ye Shuyao and her companions seemed utterly irrational. Every time they saw Ye Wenjin, they latched onto her like leeches, desperate to extract something from her. It was unsettling.

After a brief moment of thought, Ye Wenjin shook her head. “Let’s not leave just yet. Walking away now would only make it easier for others to misinterpret things. Besides, I’ve done nothing wrong—we’re not the ones who should be leaving.”

Chu Yunsheng gave her a thumbs-up. “Wow, Wenjin, you’re finally standing your ground!”

Ye Wenjin smiled sheepishly and stole a glance at Jian Mo.

She knew full well that the reason for her newfound confidence was none other than Jian Mo.

Unbeknownst to her, Jian Mo had noticed her subtle glance, and the corners of her lips curled up slightly.

The three others had long grown accustomed to their silent exchanges, and the atmosphere quickly returned to normal.

But Ye Shuyao refused to be ignored. She took a step forward. “A-Jin…”

This time, Ye Wenjin didn’t give her a chance to speak. “Ms. Ye, I hope you understand one thing—we’ve already severed ties, which means we’re now strangers.

Do I need to remind you? Wasn’t it you who brought us to this point? Besides, I’ve already repaid you for all the years of food, clothing, and expenses. I owe you nothing.”

Ye Wenjin had never been one to speak so harshly. Because Ye Shuyao was her mother, she had always suppressed her own feelings.

But seeing how, even now, Ye Shuyao cared only about dragging her down without any regard for her feelings, Ye Wenjin’s initial hope of maintaining civility after their separation vanished.

The old her would never have said such things.

So when these words left her lips, not only was Ye Shuyao stunned, but even Rong Yunshu and the others stared at her in shock.

Jian Mo, however, smiled, her eyes filled with approval.

At first, Ye Wenjin felt uneasy about her own bluntness, but under Jian Mo’s gaze, she quickly steadied herself.

She looked back at Ye Shuyao’s visibly shaken expression and said softly, “Ms. Ye, I’m no longer the daughter who would stay silent just because you sweet-talked me. I used to respect you and didn’t want to disappoint you, so I kept compromising. But now, I refuse to compromise any longer for the sake of your fake maternal love.”

Having said that, Ye Wenjin didn’t give the other party any time to react. She turned her gaze to Li Man, who had been watching the drama unfold from the sidelines, and said, “Ms. Li, we have no intention of interfering in your dispute. Please proceed as you see fit.”

After delivering this statement, Ye Wenjin averted her eyes, not sparing Ye Shuyao another glance.

Li Man was undoubtedly a shrewd woman. Even though she didn’t know the identities of these individuals, she had noticed they had emerged from a private room—meaning they were people she couldn’t afford to provoke.

Moreover, their attitude was quite amicable. Naturally, Li Man had no intention of stirring up trouble for herself. Instead, she found it far more intriguing that Yin Yu and the other two clearly had some unresolved conflict with that young lady.

Since the other party had stated they wouldn’t interfere, what did she have to fear?

Previously, Yin Yu had leveraged her connection with the Lin family to abruptly terminate their collaboration, nearly driving Li Man to bankruptcy.

Now, with the Lin family’s influence visibly waning, Yin Yu had reverted to her old ways and severed ties with them once again, effectively alienating the Lin family as well.

Li Man never denied her petty nature, and this was the perfect opportunity for revenge.

However, witnessing this scene, Yin Yu’s heart sank heavily. She knew things were about to take a turn for the worse.

Inwardly, she cursed Ye Shuyao for being utterly useless—unable to even handle Ye Wenjin. What a disgrace.

After shooting Ye Shuyao a venomous glare, Yin Yu withdrew her gaze in disgust, ignoring the latter’s trembling form, and frantically racked her brain for a solution.

The smug look in Li Man’s eyes stoked an inexplicable fury within Yin Yu.

The scrutinizing gazes of the onlookers felt like needles pricking her skin, making it hard to breathe.

At one point, Yin Yu took a deep breath, picked up her phone, and dialed a number.

Whatever was said on the other end, Yin Yu visibly relaxed.

Ye Wenjin glanced over curiously and noticed that after the call, Yin Yu seemed completely at ease, ignoring Li Man’s provocations and sitting calmly as if she had nothing to worry about.

The surrounding crowd found the situation increasingly entertaining and thus were in no hurry to leave.

Only Li Man, noticing Yin Yu’s sudden shift in demeanor, frowned and decided to resolve the matter quickly.

Yet Yin Yu was no longer cooperating. No matter what Li Man said, Yin Yu acted as though she didn’t hear a word.

Then, the restaurant door swung open, and a figure slowly stepped inside.

Yin Yu’s eyes immediately lit up as she eagerly approached the newcomer. “President Tong, I’m so sorry to trouble you with this trip.”

The person who had arrived was none other than Tong Yan, whom Ye Wenjin had met at the charity gala.

Ye Wenjin was momentarily startled upon seeing her.

Observing the unfolding scene, Chu Yunsheng asked in confusion, “Wenjin, do you know that person?”

Ye Wenjin nodded and replied softly, “I met her at the charity gala.”

However, she didn’t mention the incidents that had occurred that night. Moreover, Ye Wenjin was puzzled—she had assumed Tong Yan and Jian Mo had some sort of collaboration, given that they had discussed matters together before.

But now, Tong Yan had clearly come here for Yin Yu, leaving Ye Wenjin unsure of what was happening.

Preoccupied with the situation, she failed to notice the fleeting shadow that crossed Jian Mo’s eyes when Tong Yan appeared.

“It’s time we left, A-Jin.”

Hearing Jian Mo say this, Ye Wenjin was momentarily stunned but obediently stood up.

Chu Yunsheng let out an “Ah,” “Leaving already? But it’s not over yet, is it?”

Jian Mo leisurely helped Ye Wenjin straighten her clothes. “There’s already a result. No need to keep watching.”

Chu Yunsheng was utterly confused.

Rong Yunshu, however, cast a thoughtful glance at the scene on the other side and quickly grasped the situation.

It seemed that woman had significant backing, so there really was no point in continuing this farce.

The group left their seats discreetly. As for the actual outcome, it didn’t seem all that important anymore.

Still, Ye Wenjin could roughly guess what had happened. Since Yin Yu had sought out Tong Yan, it meant the two must have reached some kind of agreement. Tong Yan would undoubtedly walk away unscathed, and Li Man might even end up apologizing.

But that Ms. Li seemed quite pragmatic—she probably wouldn’t cause any trouble.

Lost in thought, Ye Wenjin remained silent the entire way back.

So when they returned to the villa and Jian Mo suddenly took her hand to stop her, Ye Wenjin was a little dazed.

“Sister? What’s wrong?”

Jian Mo asked softly, “What are you thinking about?”

Ye Wenjin instinctively shook her head, then quickly corrected herself. “I was just wondering… Sister, didn’t you have a collaboration with Ms. Tong? Why did she come today to…”

She trailed off, hesitating whether to continue.

But Jian Mo encouraged her with a look. “Mm, and then?”

Taking a quiet breath, Ye Wenjin went on, “Did Yin Yu call Ms. Tong because the two of them secretly struck a deal? Is that why Ms. Tong came to help?”

Jian Mo chuckled. “Ah Jin, you’re so sharp.”

She gently stroked Ye Wenjin’s cheek, her tone almost teasing. “Aren’t you curious about what Tong Yan and I discussed that day?”

Ye Wenjin paused, biting her lip before asking, “Can I know?”

Then she quickly backtracked, “Actually, if it’s something I shouldn’t know, you don’t have to tell me. I understand.”

Jian Mo’s fingers trembled slightly. “Ah Jin, aren’t you curious at all?”

Ye Wenjin nodded honestly. “I am a little curious. But if you don’t want to say, you must have your reasons. So I won’t ask.”

“So well-behaved, Ah Jin.”

Jian Mo sighed with admiration.

Ye Wenjin smiled sheepishly. “I’m not that well-behaved. The current me… seems to have gotten a little bad.”

Jian Mo understood what she meant and couldn’t help laughing.

“You call this bad?”

Ye Wenjin truly felt she had been quite wicked—using that tone with her birth mother for the first time, standing her ground so firmly. Even now, her heart was still pounding wildly.

It felt like the thrill of doing something wrong for the first time.

Legally speaking, even if they severed their relationship, blood ties couldn’t be erased. If Ye Shuyao fell into hardship in her old age, Ye Wenjin would still be obligated to support her.

But this thought didn’t sit well with Ye Wenjin. In her mind, they were no longer mother and daughter, so she naturally wanted no further connection.

Yet they always seemed to cross paths in the most unexpected places. Sometimes, Ye Wenjin wondered what kind of luck she had.

Such thoughts felt dark to her, and she didn’t dare share them with Jian Mo, afraid the other might think her too heartless.

If it had been before, Ye Wenjin could have faced Jian Mo’s words with a clear conscience. But now, with these dark thoughts in her mind, she felt restless whenever Jian Mo spoke like this.

So when Jian Mo teased her this time, Ye Wenjin hesitated, unsure how to react.

Seeing this, Jian Mo sighed softly. “A-Jin, don’t burden yourself too much. Don’t set your standards too high—it’ll only make you tired.”

Ye Wenjin looked up, feeling as if the other woman somehow knew what she was thinking.

“Jiejie…”

Jian Mo stepped forward and embraced her, gently patting the back of her head in comfort.

But their moment of peace was short-lived—Jian Mo’s phone suddenly rang.

Knowing she had work to attend to, Ye Wenjin was the first to let go. “Jiejie, you should go handle your business.”

Jian Mo nodded, glanced at the caller ID, and subtly walked toward the office area as she answered.

Seeing her busy, Ye Wenjin decided to go practice. With Jian Mo in a relatively stable state, it was a good opportunity to think things through in a quieter environment.

She would soon have to report for duty, and Jian Mo’s condition couldn’t be delayed much longer.

The matter of a permanent mark—it really should be addressed as soon as possible.

Taking a deep breath, Ye Wenjin changed into practice clothes and headed to the dance studio. As she rehearsed, her thoughts swirled, but no matter how much she pondered, she couldn’t settle on a decision.

The days that followed passed slowly and uneventfully. During the day, Ye Wenjin accompanied Jian Mo to the company. After going often enough, she suddenly realized one day that there was now a dedicated spot for her in Jian Mo’s office.

She wasn’t sure if Jian Mo had arranged it, but from then on, she went to work with her every day.

While Jian Mo was occupied, Ye Wenjin quietly studied all of Mei Yan’s dance videos in the corner. She also familiarized herself with the current members of the dance troupe—preparation was always good.

Gradually, she grew accustomed to this routine of leaving and returning with Jian Mo, even finding it quite pleasant.

But a week later, Jian Mo’s symptoms flared up again.

Watching her suffer, Ye Wenjin felt her heart ache to the point of suffocation.

It was after that episode that she finally made up her mind.

She wanted to spend her life with Jian Mo—she was certain this was the person she wanted to grow old with.

Still, a permanent mark was no small matter. Ye Wenjin wanted to propose it to Jian Mo properly, so she decided to plan it carefully.

Life needed a sense of ceremony, after all.

But Ye Wenjin also knew she was a bit dull, lacking a romantic bone in her body.

Yet in this matter, it was as if she had suddenly gained insight.

While planning, though, she couldn’t shake the nervousness of proposing. Even though they were already married, this feeling strangely overlapped with that of a marriage proposal.

Wanting to keep it a secret from Jian Mo, Ye Wenjin’s behavior became somewhat furtive in the following days. Jian Mo noticed but held back from asking—until one day, she couldn’t resist.

Yet, for the first time, she received no answer.

Jian Mo found it odd, but it only confirmed one thing: Ye Wenjin was hiding something from her.

She hadn’t even mentioned it to Butler Wu. Everyone in the villa sensed she was up to something, but no one knew exactly what.

And that only made Jian Mo more curious.

At first, Ye Wenjin had considered telling Butler Wu about her plans. But then it occurred to her that if Butler Wu found out, there was a chance Jian Mo might catch wind of it through some careless slip and then the surprise would be ruined.

So, she restrained herself. She brainstormed alone and single-handedly arranged everything, her mysterious behavior piquing everyone’s curiosity.

People speculated endlessly about what she was up to, but no one could guess.

Then came Friday morning. When she got up, Ye Wenjin pretended to feel unwell, saying she wanted to sleep in a little longer and would go to the company to see Jian Mo in the afternoon.

This was her first time lying, and she was terribly unskilled at it.

Jian Mo saw through it almost immediately. Raising an eyebrow, she realized whatever Ye Wenjin had been plotting had finally come to fruition. She briefly considered teasing her, but when she saw how nervous Ye Wenjin looked, she kindly let it go. Instead, she agreed to let her rest and went to the office alone.

Ye Wenjin exhaled in relief. Once she confirmed Jian Mo had left, she immediately sprang out of bed and began frantically setting things up.

Only then did the rest of the household finally understand what she had been planning. They were both surprised and amused, but they enthusiastically pitched in to help.

Ye Wenjin was a little embarrassed but didn’t refuse their assistance—she had to finish the preparations quickly before Jian Mo grew suspicious.

Just thinking about what she was about to do made her heart pound like a drum. She couldn’t help but imagine what expression Jian Mo would wear when she saw it.

The more she thought about it, the harder it was to stay calm. Ye Wenjin had to take several deep breaths just to steady herself.

Meanwhile, Yin Feifei suddenly appeared at the entrance of Jian Mo’s company.

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