The Villainous Sister-in-law Mistakenly Marked as the Heroine (Transmigration) - Chapter 43.2

“That’s great! You’ve finally come around. Seems like this trip was worth it!”

At the mention of that, Lin Xinrou’s expression shifted. “Worth it? How could you hide this from me? The Lin family still owes so much money, and you sold your own car just to top up my card so I wouldn’t realize something was wrong at home. How could you do that?”

“How did you find out?”

Rong Jing wouldn’t have said anything.

“Your aunt helped me look into it.”

Lin Xinrou glanced at the person behind her, and only then did Lin Qile realize someone else had been sitting in the car the whole time. She turned her head and was met with the sight of a bona fide female powerhouse!

No exaggeration—her first thought was exactly that: female powerhouse!

Short, sleek hair, features even colder than Rong Jing’s, with narrow, fox-like eyes that seemed to pierce right through a person.

Dressed in a tailored suit and wearing a ruby ring on her ring finger.

Was this woman engaged?

“Hello,” the other woman spoke first.

“Aunt Wei, hello. I’m Lin Qile.”

She almost felt like bowing right there in the car. Wei Lan wasn’t even releasing any pheromones, yet the sheer presence alone had her tense.

Wei Lan turned to Lin Xinrou. “Shall I take you home?”

“No, no need! Just drop us by the roadside. Lele and I can take a taxi back.”

Lin Qile noticed her mother seemed unusually nervous.

Wei Lan: “Will a taxi have enough space for all the things you bought?”

Lin Xinrou stiffened.

A faint smile curled at Wei Lan’s lips as she turned toward the driver. “To the Lin residence.”

“Yes, CEO.”

The car drove all the way home, and Lin Qile noticed Aunt Wei’s gaze never left her mother, while her mother kept her head down the entire time. The atmosphere was… strange.

When they arrived at the Lin household, Lin Xinrou practically bolted out of the car.

The driver began unloading the luggage.

Lin Qile stared at the mountain of items piling up by the entrance, her eyelid twitching. Suddenly, she realized that her salary as a doctor alone might not be enough to sustain her pampered mother’s lifestyle.

By the time everything was unloaded, she was certain the limo had lightened by at least a third.

“We’ve got all our things. Thank you—you can head back now.”

Lin Xinrou forced a smile to shoo them away, then took her daughter’s hand. “Let’s go home.”

“Wait a minute.”

Wei Lan leaned against the car door, raising her hand. The ring on her middle finger sparkled brilliantly in the sunlight. “This ring is also yours. Do you want it back?”

Lin Xinrou froze.

“If you want it back, come find me.”

With that, Wei Lan got into the car.

Lin Qile watched the luxury car drive away, then glanced at the taillights before turning her gaze to her mother beside her, her eyes gleaming with curiosity!

There’s definitely something going on between these two!

“Mom, that ring is yours? Then how—”

“Ah! I’m so tired. Lele, I’m going to take a shower and rest for a bit to adjust to the time difference.”

Lin Xinrou finished speaking and hurried into the villa.

Lin Qile rubbed her chin. “Did I accidentally stumble into finding myself a wealthy stepmother?”

That evening.

Lin Xinrou woke up and came downstairs to find her daughter surrounded by a living room full of luggage.

Lin Qile spotted her too. “Mom, you’re awake. Did you sleep well?”

“Mhm.”

“Then can I ask who that Aunt Wei Lan is?”

“Well…” Lin Xinrou guiltily averted her eyes and walked over, casually opening a box. Inside was a beautiful wooden case containing a set of ruby jewelry.

She handed it to her daughter. “Lele, give this to Rong Jing.”

“Such beautiful rubies.”

Lin Xinrou smiled and nodded. “Right? Rong Jing has fair skin—this will suit her perfectly.”

“Okay, thanks, Mom.”

She put the box away, then narrowed her eyes. “Mom, you’ve dodged the topic twice now. Is there anything we can’t share between mother and daughter?”

Lin Xinrou timidly looked at her and, under her encouragement, finally spoke. “She’s the alpha I told you about—the one who competed with me in drinking when she came to the Lin family for business back then. I never expected to run into her while traveling. Abroad, we were just fellow countrymen, so we traveled together.”

“And then? And then?”

“She…”

Lin Xinrou grabbed a pillow and hugged it, looking at her daughter. Despite being nearly fifty, she suddenly wore a shy expression. “Lele, she said I was her first love.”

“Wow, she confessed to you?”

“No, no. She didn’t do anything. We just hung out with your two aunts. She seemed to know everything and would arrange things in advance. Later, your two aunts had to return home early, so we traveled together.”

“Did you enjoy being with her?”

Lin Xinrou looked at her daughter, momentarily stunned, then suppressed her smile. “Anyone would be happy traveling. I didn’t think about anything else.”

The more Lin Qile listened, the more she sensed potential. “Mom, do you know anything about Aunt Wei Lan’s situation?”

“She’s been single all this time.”

“That’s great.”

“Is it?” Lin Xinrou’s eyes filled with confusion. “Lele, she treated me really well, and I had fun traveling with her. But I don’t want to get involved in romance again.”

Lin Qile stood up and hugged her. “Mom, Qi Song is scum—she never deserved you. But not everyone in the world is like her.”

“It’s not that. I loved Qi Song for over twenty years. I feel like I don’t have the energy to love anyone else. Lele, can we drop this for now?”

“Okay, no more talk about it. Let’s just let things unfold naturally.”

Before dinner, she called Rong Jing to say she wouldn’t be coming home that night.

“Oh.”

After listening, Rong Jing hung up.

Lin Qile sighed. Couldn’t she have talked to her a little longer? They hadn’t seen each other all day—didn’t she miss her even a little?

“Lele, dinner’s ready.”

“Coming.”

Walking to the dining table, the mother and daughter sat down.

Lin Xinrou asked, “Lele, does Rong Jing go to Lin Corp every day now?”

“Yeah, she goes to Lin Corp first, then Rong Corp.”

“I’m sorry.”

Lin Xinrou apologized softly.

“Mom, why are you saying sorry?”

Lin Xinrou looked at her guiltily. “With such a big mess at home, I was out having fun. I only found out yesterday before boarding the plane that you suffered such humiliation at the Rong family. And Rong Jing too—you’re both juniors. I should have shielded you, but instead, I ran off abroad to enjoy myself while you two bore everything here.”

“We’re mother and daughter—no need for such words. I’ve been spoiled by you since I was little. Now it’s my turn to spoil you—nothing wrong with that.”

Lin Xinrou burst into laughter. “Who said my daughter was spoiled rotten? Clearly, she’s been spoiled into someone even better. Lele, Mom’s decided—I’m going back to work at the company!”

“Huh? But the company right now…”

“I know the company’s in a lot of trouble, deep in debt, and barely holding on thanks to your wife. But Mom doesn’t want to be useless anymore. I’ve decided to start fresh at the company. I know you love being a doctor, so go be a doctor. Leave the company to me and Rong Jing!”

“Okay! If you want to go into business, I’ll support you all the way!”

Mother and daughter exchanged a glance, both seeing each other’s growth.

Early morning.

Rong Jing was still asleep when she suddenly felt a cool sensation on her wrist. Opening her eyes, she saw Lin Qile holding her hand, a red bracelet now adorning her wrist.

“So pretty.”

“Weren’t you at home?”

Lin Qile grinned, playing with the bracelet. “Here to pick you up for work, Young Miss. Time to get up.”

She pulled Rong Jing up, then lifted the blanket and took out some medicine.

“Let me check the wound on your foot.”

Seeing that it had improved, she applied a special medicated patch for abrasions. “There. I bought a bunch and left them under the coffee table.”

Rong Jing glanced at her, then at her foot. “So ugly.”

“You still have to wear it, or it’ll hurt like hell.”

“Hmph.” Rong Jing lifted her wrist, the bracelet swaying with the movement. Her expression softened slightly. “This is quite nice, though.”

“Right? My mom asked me to bring it for you.”

She proudly held up a box containing a matching necklace and earrings.

“Your mom gave this to me?”

Lin Qile nodded with a smile. “Yeah.”

“Oh.”

Rong Jing pushed her away and got up to wash up.

“I made breakfast. I’ll drive you to the office later.”

Standing in front of the mirror, Rong Jing raised her hand, glanced at the bracelet, then casually took it off and tossed it onto the counter.

After freshening up, she changed and headed out.

Lin Qile was sitting at the dining table reading a book. When she looked up and saw Rong Jing’s bare wrist, her mood dimmed. “You don’t like the bracelet?”

“It’s inconvenient for work.”

She had driven back early in the morning, seen her sleeping face, thought she looked adorable, and wanted to surprise her—only for this…

Suddenly, she felt like a joke. The other person didn’t care at all.

Clutching at her crumbling self-esteem, she muttered, “Oh.”

Rong Jing set down her breakfast, stood up with a displeased expression, and said, “Let’s go to work.”

On the way to the office by car.

Lin Qile was driving while Rong Jing sat in the back seat, opening her laptop to work.

Several times, Lin wanted to say something, but each glance in the rearview mirror left her speechless.

They arrived at the company building.

Rong Jing was about to get out of the car when she finally couldn’t hold back and spoke up: “My mom wants to return to the company. Please take care of her a little more.”

“You came all the way back to find me, even brought gifts, just for this?”

“Actually, I—”

“I came to Lin Corp to turn things around and make money. As long as your mother doesn’t interfere with my plans, she can do as she pleases.”

With that, Rong Jing opened the car door and stepped out.

Watching Rong Jing enter the building, she banged her head against the steering wheel in frustration.

“Ahhh! She must think that not only did she have to clean up my mess, but now she has to deal with my mom too. She probably thinks I’m a useless waste who still dares to make demands—I’m such an ungrateful idiot!”

Driving home, she forced herself to stop overthinking. The most important thing now was to prepare for her graduation exams. Once she graduated and entered the hospital, she could prove to Rong Jing that she wasn’t completely worthless.

After a day of studying, Lin Xinrou called her in the evening.

“Sweetie, I’m exhausted after just one day here. Rong Jing has been running between two companies, and even though it’s already past quitting time, she’s back at Lin Corp working overtime. You really need to treat her well—she’s having such a hard time.”

“Ah, she went back to work overtime?”

“Mhm. Even though Mom doesn’t know how to do anything, I’ve decided to keep your wife company while she works late. Remember to make her some midnight snacks and bring them over.”

Lin Xinrou hung up after saying her piece.

Lin Qile put down her book, hesitated for a moment, then quickly headed to the kitchen.

Rong Jing couldn’t stomach outside food—she’d even thrown up violently before. If she poured her heart into this meal, maybe Rong Jing would notice.

No time to waste.

She pulled out all the stops and whipped up three dishes and a soup.

Of course, she made a portion for her mom too.

Grabbing two lunchboxes, she headed out straight for the company.

Arriving at Lin Corp, Lin Xinrou saw the lunchboxes and covered her face in admiration. “Oh, Lele, you’re so thoughtful—homemade meals! Even Mom doesn’t know how to make these.”

“You don’t need to know how to cook, just how to eat. Here, try it!”

“Yay, yay!”

Lin Xinrou opened the lunchbox, took a bite, and her eyes instantly lit up. “So delicious! Even better than restaurant food.”

“Take your time eating. I’ll go deliver dinner to Rong Jing.”

“Okay.”

She bid her mom goodbye and had only taken a few steps when she spotted Rong Jing walking out, holding a cup of hot water. She hurried over. “You haven’t eaten yet, right? I brought you dinner.”

Rong Jing glanced sideways just in time to see Lin Xinrou waving her chopsticks at her, the food in her hands suddenly feeling glaringly conspicuous.

“Rong Jing, Lele’s cooking is amazing! Eat up—no matter how busy work gets, you can’t skip meals.”

“Yeah.”

Lin Qile tugged Rong Jing toward the office. “Your stomach is sensitive, so I made sure to—”

“Let go.”

She froze.

Rong Jing shook off her hand. “I’m not hungry. Take it back. I have a meeting to attend.”

With that, she walked into the office alone, leaving Lin Qile rooted in place. She looked down at the lunchbox she’d prepared, her eager heart now completely chilled.

She knew Rong Jing didn’t like her—that their relationship was just a matter of convenience. But she’d thought that maybe, just maybe, Rong Jing had developed some affection for her during their time together. Even a little.

Now she knew. There wasn’t any at all.

Lin Xinrou walked over and said, “Lele, don’t be upset. Rong Jing is really busy. I saw it myself at the company today—she didn’t even have five minutes to rest. Every department needs her to make decisions.”

Because she was incompetent, Rong Jing had to shoulder her share of the work too, was that it?

She knew Lin Xinrou didn’t mean it that way, but at this moment, she was just unbearably frustrated—not because of Rong Jing, but more because of a deep sense of helplessness.

The two of them seemed separated by an insurmountable chasm. No matter how hard she tried, she could never catch up to Rong Jing’s pace.

“Lele?” Lin Xinrou looked at her with concern.

She lifted her head and forced a smile. “Mom, I’m fine.”

Glancing toward the office, she saw several people already entering with documents in hand.

Taking a deep breath, she said, “All of this should have been my responsibility. It’s because I couldn’t handle it that Rong Jing had to step in. How could I possibly have the right to be angry at someone who took on billions in debt for me?”

She was just a little disappointed, that’s all.

Rong Jing had no special feelings for her. The other night, when Rong Jing came looking for her, she had thought it was out of care—and it was, just not the kind she had hoped for.

Rong Jing simply couldn’t stand the thought of someone else touching what was hers. It was just her possessiveness, her fastidiousness.

She let out a self-deprecating laugh.

Walking up to Lin Xinrou, she said, “Mom, I’ll wait for you to finish work. Let’s go home together.”

“Aren’t you waiting for Rong Jing?”

“It’s fine. She’s busy. She told me to go home and keep you company.”

Lin Xinrou noticed her daughter’s troubled expression and glanced once more at the office before deciding not to press further.

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