Chapter 27: With Him as My Safeguard
Jian Qing dared not speak; she waited for He Jiangyu to say something first so she could figure out how to respond.
But He Jiangyu, too, was at a loss for words. Just ten minutes before Jian Qing arrived at the restaurant, Li Jingche had sent him a barrage of messages:
“Ah Yu, stand up for your sister-in-law.”
“No matter what Jian Qing says, just go along with her.”
“By the way, keep an eye out for anyone who tries to chat up your sister-in-law and send me a list.”
“...”
Message after message had flooded in. He Jiangyu absently touched the phone buzzing in his pocket, unsure what to say.
“But it’s strange, little sister,” Ren Yishan said as she took Xiao Yunchen’s arm, looking as if she was settling in to watch a good show. “I remember the boyfriend you brought home before didn’t look much like Mr. He at all, did he?”
“My dear, I know you’ve never gotten over Yunchen since your breakup, and you want to ruin what we have. But you’re my sister—how could you go so far as to find someone to impersonate Mr. He?”
With that, Ren Yishan walked over to Jian Qing, who had kept her head bowed in silence, and patted her on the shoulder, speaking to the assembled guests with a look of pity.
“My foolish sister tried to steal her own brother-in-law, hired an actor to pose as Mr. He, and today the real and the fake have met face to face. Sister, you really should apologize to Mr. He.”
“Impersonate? Steal her brother-in-law?”
Du Yu glanced at the newly added WeChat contact, his eyes darkening. He looked to Xiao Yunchen, as if waiting for him to answer, but Xiao Yunchen only pressed his lips together and said nothing.
Ren Yishan then pulled Jian Qing’s hand onto her own belly.
“Sister, your elder sister is now expecting. You need to stop being so childish. I won’t hold past grievances against you, but if you still can’t let go of Yunchen and go so far as to find someone to impersonate Mr. He just to get his attention, I won’t go easy on you anymore.”
With those words, Ren Yishan nailed Jian Qing to the pillar of shame. Everyone present was a person of status, and in wealthy circles, tales of men straying were all too familiar, so there was a particular loathing for “mistress” behavior. Now that Ren Yishan was pregnant, Jian Qing could only appear even more in the wrong.
She looked at Ren Yishan in disbelief, her heavy breaths falling as her gaze landed helplessly on Xiao Yunchen.
“She’s pregnant?”
Just a week ago, Ren Tianchuan had forced her to give up Xiao Yunchen to Ren Yishan. How could she be pregnant so soon?
Xiao Yunchen avoided her gaze and said nothing.
Ren Yishan, meanwhile, held her head high with pride. “Yes, and it’s almost been a month.”
“Almost... a month?”
A month ago, Jian Qing and Xiao Yunchen were still planning a summer fishing trip together—but even then, he’d already started an affair with Ren Yishan?
Her eyes widened with disbelief. She was about to confront Xiao Yunchen when several other socialites blocked her path.
“Jian Qing, as the daughter of Madam Jian, how could you be so lacking in judgment?”
“Flirting with your own sister’s husband, hiring someone to impersonate He Jiangyu—Jian Qing, you’re utterly shameless!”
Every word spoken would soon be posted online by someone with an axe to grind. Jian Qing could well imagine the public storm she’d face tomorrow.
She slapped the table and said sternly, “Ren Yishan may have been taken in by my father and parades herself as the Jian family’s young lady, but the paternity test has yet to be acknowledged by my mother. How can she claim to be one of us? Furthermore, Xiao Yunchen was my fiancé. We only broke up a week ago. Are they so shameless as to parade their affair in broad daylight, yet already claim a month-old pregnancy?”
“So who betrayed whom here? Xiao Yunchen, are you the victim, or the willing father?”
She turned sharply, eyes fixed on Xiao Yunchen. “Well? You’re the one involved—speak up.”
Some in the circle knew of Jian Qing and Xiao Yunchen’s engagement, but with things in such chaos, no one spoke up for her.
Suddenly thrust into the center of attention, Xiao Yunchen covered his mouth and coughed, then scolded, “Jian Qing, don’t make a scene.”
“Making a scene? I’m just stating the facts,” Jian Qing retorted. She never imagined her old debating skills from university would be put to use at a dinner like this. Her gaze turned to Ren Yishan.
“So is your child really Xiao Yunchen’s? Or did you get involved with him before he broke up with me?”
Everything had devolved into chaos—so why not just plunge in headfirst?
Let everyone have a taste of their own medicine.
“Qingqing, calm down,” Xiao Yunchen finally began, but Ren Yishan immediately seized his arm.
“Jian Qing, what really matters now is why you had someone impersonate Mr. He. He’s right here—explain yourself! If something happens to the He family because of this, can you take responsibility?”
With that, every eye turned to He Jiangyu and Jian Qing.
He Jiangyu had been silent, head bowed. Now he suddenly looked up, stood beside Jian Qing, and, as if making a great decision, declared, “We’re in a relationship. Ms. Ren must have seen someone pretending to be me as part of a little game between us.”
Jian Qing clenched her teeth and lowered her head, barely keeping her eyes from bulging in shock.
Ren Yishan couldn’t believe what she was hearing and confirmed several times, “Mr... Mr. He, do you really know Jian Qing? Don’t be fooled by her looks—she’s not the good person she pretends to be.”
Xiao Yunchen grew anxious. “May I ask when you and Qingqing met, Mr. He?”
He Jiangyu gave Jian Qing a covert nudge behind her back—
I’ve risked everything for you and Brother Che. The rest of the lies are up to you!
“We?”
Standing side by side, Jian Qing placed her hands behind her back, and for a moment, they actually looked like a fitting pair. Someone silently snapped a photo.
“We are nothing like you two—jumping into bed before breaking up. I have principles and boundaries.”
He Jiangyu pressed his lips together, face pale. The phone in his pocket was still buzzing incessantly.