I immediately rushed over, "Mom, are you okay?"
Even the scumbag and bitch Xu Lan had scalded looked at my mother. Jiang Qing's eyes were filled with concern, while Old White Lotus looked inexplicably uneasy.
My mother put down the bowl in her hand, pressed her chest, and after a moment's rest, she drank the warm water Shen Ji offered her.
She then spoke slowly, "I'm fine. I might be experiencing some discomfort with the climate here."
As for the climate, she'd been here for almost a month, so she should have been used to the jet lag and the living habits.
When I first entered Jiang Wanwan's body, I didn't know much about the Jiang family's situation and thought my mother was in her forties or fifties.
Later, when I learned more about the Jiang family, I realized my mother's life had been fraught with tragedy from the very beginning.
She was only a freshman at the time, and soon after she came of age, Xu's father forced her into a marriage.
At the time, Jiang Qing disapproved of arranged marriages, but Xu's father, fearing complications, drugged his daughter during a meal. The two of them had already gotten married. Jiang Qing, believing his mother to be a deliberate seducer, resented her from the start.
Little did he know that his mother already had a lover, but felt guilty about Xu's father's actions and cruelly broke up with him.
Not long after, she discovered she was pregnant. Overjoyed, Xu's father suspended her from school and forced his mother to marry into the Jiang family.
During their newlywed years, Jiang Qing, believing his mother to be too materialistic, deliberately stayed away from home every day and met Lao Bailian at a brothel.
At first, Jiang Qing was just trying to spite his mother, but Lao Bailian proved so cunning that he coaxed Jiang Qing into setting her up with a family outside.
Later, it was rumored that Lao Bailian had saved Jiang Qing's life and, as a result, lost her right to have children.
She relied on Jiang Qing's guilt and her mother's noncompetitiveness to achieve a strange balance between the three of them.
She didn't love Jiang Qing; she was solely focused on the Xu family, and she didn't want to please this man. So, for years, she allowed Lao Bailian to lord it over her, completely unconcerned. Mom is only thirty-nine this year.
She's taken excellent care of herself and looks much younger than her actual age. It's not an exaggeration to say she's in her early thirties.
Old White Lotus may have lost her fertility, but she hasn't!
You know, Fu Xici has been clinging to Jiang Zhi, simply because Jiang Qing doesn't have a son to inherit the Jiang family fortune.
Old White Lotus has been keeping a close eye on Jiang Qing these past few years. If my mom gets pregnant now, it would be a huge blow to her and Jiang Zhi.
But I'm also a little worried. If she gets pregnant, divorce won't be that easy.
Jiang Qing stared at Mom, making her a bit irritated.
"What are you looking at? Have you ever seen someone retching?"
"Wife, are you..."
"Yes, the sight of you and this Lotus Fairy makes me sick. And you came uninvited and insisted on hanging around right in front of me. It's absolutely disgusting! Get out!"
The two looked at my mom in surprise, probably frightened by her. After all, my mother had always been as calm as a chrysanthemum, never fighting with Old White Lotus over a rotten cucumber.
She even ignored her provocations.
Now, Jiang Wanwan's suicide had irritated her. Never underestimate a mother's love for her daughter.
She held the bowl of soup and said, "Get out of here! If you don't, I'll throw it in your face."
Old White Lotus was also startled. The soup was piping hot; a splash on her face would be a serious matter.
She stood up and walked towards the door, pulling Jiang Qing in her arms. "Husband, look at my sister! She's a complete shrew!"
My mother sneered, "Sister? My Xu family doesn't have a daughter of low birth like you. Based on age, I'm ten years younger than you, so calling you auntie wouldn't be wrong. How dare you call me sister?"
Yes, Old White Lotus was a few years older than Jiang Qing.
It's hard to tell one's age when they're young, but men tend to age slower than women. Old Bailian has been getting a lot of injections and tormenting herself over the years, but the results are definitely not as good as my mother's.
My mother hit a nerve.
"Honey, look at how she talks. She says it's her background, and she can't choose..."
I stood up and said, "Old sister-in-law, before you act like a spoiled brat, can you please consider your age?"
After saying that, I looked at Jiang Qing with a mocking expression. "You're giving up a gorgeous woman for a slipper stuck in your throat. Are you mentally ill? Or are you blind? I advise you to eat something good."
Jiang Qing used to fall for this when he was younger, but now he's in his forties.
While normally yelling in the bedroom was fun, he felt ashamed in public!
"How did you talk to Father?"
I looked indifferent. "Father? Did you raise me for even a single day? If it weren't for my mother's good temper, I would have beaten you, a bunch of scum, out with a big stick the moment you walked in."
Jiang Qing had lost face in front of Lu Yanchen. After all, they would still be collaborating, and he didn't want to anger Lu Yanchen.
He scowled at Bai Lian and her daughter, "Go home first, and don't come here again."
"Husband!"
"Go."
"Hmph, I don't care about you." Jiang Zhi stomped off angrily. If I'm not mistaken, she'd be rushing to Fu Xici for an explanation.
Su Ning'an, your threats are useless. If I don't touch you, I naturally have a more effective knife.
I didn't even need to provoke her; with just one word, she charged at me without a second thought. Jiang Qing chased the two away and looked at my mother with a look of despair. "Honey, I chased them away. They won't bother you anymore."
My mother's expression remained unchanged. "What do you think is the difference between you and them? To me, you're all the same trash. Get out!"
"Honey, I know there were some misunderstandings. Look, the kids are here. You..."
"Don't touch me. I find you disgusting. I... ugh..."
My mother's reaction was even more intense. She went straight to the bathroom, and Jiang Qing chased after her.
I glanced at Lu Yanchen nervously. If Mom was really pregnant, it would completely ruin my plan.
I hadn't even realized that I was subconsciously relying on Lu Yanchen.
"Yanchen, if Mom was really pregnant..."
"Don't dwell on something that hasn't happened. Let's go to the hospital first. Call your mom and go to Mingguang." I frowned. "The nearby tertiary hospital is very close."
Mingguang is Lu's private hospital, twice as far away as the tertiary hospitals.
For a pregnancy check, I think the nearest one will be enough." He held up his phone, which had a new message.
Fu Xici took Su Ning'an to the hospital!
No wonder Lu Yanchen suggested that; I immediately understood what he meant.
"Okay, let's go to Mingguang."
As we set out, we passed a street corner and spotted a white Panamera. It was Jiang Zhi's car.
As expected, Old White Lotus was worried, knowing we were taking Mom for a checkup.
Didn't she want to see it? Then let her see it to her heart's content!
This time, Jiang Qing seemed especially nervous and stayed with my Mom the entire way, who looked disgusted with him.
In fact, as a middle-aged man, Jiang Qing's features were naturally not bad, and his figure was still in good shape. At first glance, he looked like a handsome, elegant man.
If Old White Lotus hadn't been there for them, they would have been a striking match, a domineering CEO and his dainty wife.
But there are no ifs in life.
"I'll just accompany Mom for the checkup."
Jiang Qing didn't leave, but waited outside the monitoring room. After the HCG test, with the results still out, I asked my mom, "Mom, do you want to get pregnant?"
She shook her head calmly. "I don't want to be involved with that man anymore, but... if I'm pregnant, it's a life after all. I hope it's just a gastrointestinal problem."
We were about to head to the ultrasound room when we saw Su Ning'an emerge.
Fu Xici also met us at the door. Before he even saw us, he looked at Su Ning'an eagerly, "How's my son?"
He held Su Ning'an's waist. Although she wasn't pregnant yet, he looked deeply concerned.
Su Ning'an also smiled happily. "It's only been a few days, and you already know it's a son?"
"I don't care. You have to give me a son no matter what. This is my only chance in the Fu family..."
Before she finished her words, I heard Jiang Zhi's shrill, angry voice: "You bitch!"
Jiang Zhi appeared from nowhere and slapped Su Ning'an hard in the face.