Jiaochen

Ji Qingying took a deep breath before calmly stating, “You said it yourself that the organizer of the international competition had started to investigate all the registered participants. If so, the relationship between you and me might also be uncovered.”

Zhou Zhilan didn't make a sound.

Ji Qingying continued to look at her, “There’ll definitely be a backlash domestically due to public opinion, so I suggest you go back abroad before it is exposed.”

Zhou Zhilan looked at her calmly, “Do you really want me to leave that much?”

Hearing her say this, Ji Qingying suddenly smiled, “It’s not that I want it, but you inevitably always leave anyways.”

She continued, “I didn’t want you to leave when I was still a child, but didn’t you leave all the same?”

Zhou Zhilan was dumbfounded, and unable to speak.

She then averted her gaze, not allowing their eyes to meet again, “It’s only a matter of time then. If you manage to successfully move on to the international competition, I will recuse myself from being a judge to avoid all suspicion.

Ji Qingying didn’t respond.

Zhou Zhilan stopped beating around the bush, “That college friend of yours isn’t someone easy to deal with. I’m guessing she will expose your previous affairs before long.”

She added, “Not many Chinese designers were able to qualify for the international competition this time, so if she wants to stand out, she’ll definitely not allow you to easily get in.”

Zhou Zhilan didn’t actually like to play these little games. If it was anyone else, she wouldn’t even bother to listen to their explanation as she would have thought it as a waste of her time.

But this was Ji Qingying, the daughter she abandoned in the past.

She wouldn’t deny it if you call her a bad mother or something worse, because back then, she really had wanted to pursue her own career. It was only much later that regret started to seep in.

She, who was used to being high above everyone and speaking to others like a leader, realized who she was speaking to, so she softened her voice when she asked, “Then do you have any ideas?”

Ji Qingying looked at her because she felt the change in tone.

The two continued to silently look at each other before Ji Qingying replied, “Though I don’t have any ideas yet, Mrs Zhou no longer needs to worry about this matter.”

Zhou Zhilan frowned and was immediately irritated by her words, “What did you say?”

Ji Qingying looked at her, “I know what you want to do.”

She took a deep breath, “I’m grateful for what you did for me back then, but as for playing this mother-daughter game with you, no thank you.”

She looked straight at Zhou Zhilan and carefully enunciated every word, “You’re only like this now because you’re finally old enough to realize how much you owe me and have come to regret it.”

After she said this, Ji Qingying put on a smile.

“However, a debt is a debt. Even if I wanted a dress when I was a child and you bought it for me when I grew up, the dress I wanted won’t fit me anymore, right? Do you get what I’m saying?”

She continued while maintaining eye contact with Zhou Zhilan, “Besides, with our personalities, I don’t think we can get along harmoniously at all. When you look at things, you look at it as if you’re my supervisor, so you can only criticize things. Take my last design. In fact, you really liked it and think I did well, but you couldn’t bring yourself to even praise my work, but instead just pointed out my shortcomings.

“But what you don’t understand is, in my eyes, you have two identities. What I wanted from you wasn’t your designer’s point of view.

After saying that, Ji Qingying didn’t plan to stay any longer.

She stood up and looked at the person still sitting there, “I can’t write off the past I had with you, nor forget my hatred. The only thing I can say is: you live your own life, and I’ll live my own. If you ever grow sick, weary, and old and retire back here, I’ll be a dutiful daughter then and fulfill my obligations, but nothing more.

Ji Qingying wasn’t a particularly ruthless person, but she wasn’t a particularly soft-hearted one as well.

She thanked Zhou Zhilan for helping her, but she really couldn’t forgive and forget her childhood trauma.

In the first place, she didn’t have many blood relatives she kept in contact with, and when her paternal grandfather and grandmother passed away, she cut all ties with that side.

Now, she only had her maternal grandmother. As for Zhou Zhilan, she already stated her stand on her.

She acknowledged their blood relations and promised to take care of Zhou Zhilan when she gets old and is unable to walk, as a good daughter should. But anymore than that wasn’t possible.#PLEASETHISCHAPTERATFOXAHOLIC.COM

They could only ever be a mother and a daughter without the tender feelings attached.

After coming out of the hotel room, Ji Qingying didn’t let Zhou Zhilan’s assistant to escort her away as she got into the elevator.

As the elevator went down, it made a stop on the twelfth floor.

Ji Qingying didn’t even look at the person who came in. She looked down at her feet as her emotions were in chaos.

Suddenly, somebody laughed.

Ji Qingying was startled and subconsciously looked up.

Sun Yijia’s eyebrows raised as she looked at her, “Depressed after being scolded?”

Ji Qingying: “……”

She collected her thoughts before asking, “Why are you here?”

Sun Yijia lips curled, “I should ask you the same thing. Why are you here as well?”

Ji Qingying didn’t make a sound.

Sun Yijia looked at her and took the initiative to lean in and whisper, “I heard you’ve met Lin Xiaoshuang and He Yuan?”

Ji Qingying looked at her expressionlessly.

Sun Yijia was amused and smiled as she followed up, “So how do you feel?”

Ji Qingying continued to stare at her, “What exactly are you trying to say?”