Caught in a chaotic situation, she is doted on by six villainous sons.

Chapter 165 Belated Affection is Worth a Thousand Times More Than Grass

Min Baixuan broke up with Qiao Yiran. He only knew that the project that Qiao's father took over back then had problems and the company was investigated. Qiao Yiran became a bankrupt heiress and was controlled by Wei Xifeng, owing huge debts. However, she was strong and kind, as unyielding as weeds and as lovable as a little white flower. But now that he knows the whole truth, he finds that the beautiful facade is so dirty and rotten.

He couldn't accept it, especially since he didn't know if his hand could recover to the point where he could hold a scalpel properly. As a result, he quickly became despondent and needed a lot of time to heal.

Qiao's mother did not die at that time, but she lived in agony every day, lying in bed like a cripple, completely unable to move. Unfortunately, she was not in a vegetative state; she was conscious. This was a devastating blow to her mental health. Coupled with the torment of her illness, she now truly wished she could die every day.

Qiao's mother still died, but she died without any relief. Her appearance was like that of someone who had been buried alive and suffocated, a horrific and tragic death.

Her funeral was very hasty; she was burned in a boiler and her ashes were put into a porcelain jar. Because they couldn't afford a burial plot, she was never buried.

Qiao Yiran rented a cheap house, and in order to make a living, for some unknown reason, she became a barmaid again, just like three years ago.

However, her situation is more difficult than it was three years ago, and as a result, she has been constantly lowering her standards.

……

Jiang Liwu and Lin Qingwan met at a quiet, uncrowded coffee shop.

Upon meeting Jiang Liwu, Lin Qingwan was about to kneel down, but Jiang Liwu clearly didn't accept it. She simply stirred her coffee, drank her afternoon tea, and listened to piano music, without being forced to kneel. Seeing this, Lin Qingwan bit her lip and awkwardly sat back down in her seat, knowing that no amount of scheming or trickery would work against Jiang Liwu.

So she simply said, "Miss Jiang, please give Ah Cheng back to me."

"I don't understand. I've been by A-Cheng's side for so many years, so why can't I compete with you when you appear? A-Cheng belongs to me, so why does he side with you in everything when you come? He even drove me out of Lingshui Bay because of my serious injuries."

"I'm going crazy these days, I miss Ah Cheng so much..."

Lin Qingwan's eyes reddened, glistening with tears, and she looked humble.

The reality is that there's no way Si Mocheng would suddenly remember how good she was over time. Si Mocheng never even thought about her. His life continued as usual after she left, and he didn't feel any discomfort. His life didn't fall apart because of her. Her departure didn't affect him at all. It was like the loss of a skilled cook. Nothing special. There was always another cook who could easily take her place.

She is replaceable.

Now, Si Mocheng's stomach ailment has been cured. She no longer vomits after eating and has a great appetite. She often posts pictures of delicious food on her social media. Her self-created stomach-nourishing porridge, hangover soup, and medicinal cuisine, which she was so proud of, no longer hold any appeal for her.

“Miss Jiang, your temperament is really not suitable for A-Cheng, and you can’t take care of A-Cheng all the time. I’m different. I can give him all my time. He needs a virtuous and considerate person like me.”

“You don’t have to give him back to me, but can you let me go back to Lingshui Bay? Lingshui Bay has long been my home. I’ve lived there for so many years, and I know every blade of grass and every tree there so well.”

As a result, she felt uncomfortable, everything was wrong, and she desperately missed the person who was spying on Lingshui Bay and Si Mocheng's life every day.

It's not that Si Mocheng can't live without her, it's that she can't live without Si Mocheng.

Jiang Liwu scooped up some strawberry cake with a spoon. The strawberries were perfectly sweet and sour, the cake was incredibly soft, and there was also a cute, bouncy bunny pudding. It was milky sweet and smooth, and tasted wonderful.

She looked thoroughly enjoying herself, quickly finished her meal, and then took a satisfying sip of coffee – perfect.

Jiang Liwu put down her coffee cup. "I'm done. If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now." With that, she stood up.

Lin Qingwan was surprised that Jiang Liwu was leaving so soon, and she hurriedly asked anxiously, "So, did you agree?" Her eyes were full of eagerness.

"Do you know why I came to see you? It's because I really enjoy the afternoon tea at this shop, and because, putting aside other factors, you are genuinely sincere and devoted to Si Mocheng."

“However,” Jiang Liwu glanced at Lin Qingwan with a clear look in her eyes, “you’ve said something wrong. Si Mocheng doesn’t belong to you, nor to me, nor to anyone else. He only belongs to himself. He’s not an object, so there’s no question of whether he should return it or not.”

"As for my temperament, I don't need others to think it's suitable or not because I am who I am. I can't take care of Si Mocheng all the time because I only belong to myself. I have my own arrangements and time."

Lin Qingwan knew that Jiang Liwu had rejected her. Watching Jiang Liwu walk away without looking back, Lin Qingwan's mind echoed with Jiang Liwu's words to her at Lingshui Bay: "You will regret this." So she couldn't help but ask again, "Wait, Jiang Liwu, are you really Acheng's relative? Just a relative? You said that your relationship with Acheng won't affect Acheng's future wife, is that true?"

Of course, since mother and wife are completely different identities, there is no conflict between them, so how can there be any impact?

As for the controversial mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship, Jiang Liwu didn't think she would have one, because her mother-in-law was probably older than her daughter-in-law; they would just be friends.

Jiang Liwu simply replied with a single word, "Yes."

Lin Qingwan immediately broke down, covering her face and crying bitterly.

At this point, she believed Jiang Liwu, but it was too late. If she had gotten along well with Jiang Liwu when Jiang Liwu first appeared in Lingshui Bay and hadn't questioned Jiang Liwu's identity, perhaps Jiang Liwu could have been a helper in her liking Si Mocheng. After all, Jiang Liwu had made it clear that if she liked Si Mocheng, she could pursue him, and it had nothing to do with her.

But what did she do? She used clumsy means to frame Jiang Liwu and then reaped what she sowed. Not only did she fail to evoke any pity from Si Mocheng or bring her relationship with him closer, she also ruined her own path. She messed everything up.

Thinking of this, Lin Qingwan slid to the ground, this time truly kneeling.

……

Jiang Liwu saw Song Jinwei again at the gate of the Fu family. She was seven months pregnant and it just so happened that it was her turn to stay at her eldest son's place, so it was a coincidence that she ran into Song Jinwei.

She accompanied Fu Siyue to the cemetery to visit Fu's mother. This time, a handful of dew-covered lilies was placed in front of Fu's mother's grave as before.

Fu Siyue expressionlessly crushed the flower into the dust and mud; belated affection was worth a thousand times less than grass.