Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 457: A Crying Daughter Brings Out the Mother

Upon hearing the word "breakup," Jiang Xinyi's eyes instantly reddened. However, she had her own pride and stubbornly demanded, "Zhou Yuwen, what do you mean by this?"Zhou Yuwen did not even look at Jiang Xinyi. He restarted the car and simply said while driving, "Today's events have already frustrated me enough. If you really want to date, then let's do it properly. If not, breaking up is fine too."

"Su Qing and Yan Yan are indeed in the past, but they know my parents after all. It is rare for my mom and dad to visit. What is wrong with them coming over to see them and sharing a meal together?"

"If you hadn't gone behind my back to talk to Su Qing and Yan Yan today, would we even be in this situation?"

"Are you saying this is my fault!?"

At this moment, Jiang Xinyi was truly furious. She never expected Zhou Yuwen to say such things.

Zhou Yuwen replied, "I am not blaming you. I am just stating the facts."

"I have coaxed you enough, but what about you? You cling to trivial matters and refuse to let go. Who doesn't have a past? Didn't you date You Changjin? Did I ever say anything about that? Su Qing and I were in love. Us talking about getting married and divorced were all just jokes, so what did you mean by calling her my ex-wife? What, am I not allowed to have a little history?"

The incident with Su Qing today had indeed left Jiang Xinyi feeling upset and distracted. However, Zhou Yuwen's current words made her chest feel even more stifled.

"Stop the car," Jiang Xinyi said coldly.

Zhou Yuwen said nothing and continued driving.

"I told you to stop the car!" Jiang Xinyi repeated.

Zhou Yuwen pulled the car over to the side of the road. The expression on his face was not great either. He stated, "I told you long ago that I am not a good person. If you cannot accept that I have many women around me, I don't blame you. Fortunately, nothing has happened between us yet."

By this point, Jiang Xinyi's eyes had grown completely bloodshot without her realizing it, and her cheeks were covered in tears. Naturally, Zhou Yuwen did not even spare her a single glance.

Jiang Xinyi choked with sobs as she asked, "So you mean you want to break up with me now?"

Zhou Yuwen fell silent for a moment.

He finally spoke. "I never said I wanted to break up. I just hope you carefully consider our relationship. We rushed into things when we got together. I told you a long time ago that we needed to think this through carefully. Yet your mother suddenly announced at the banquet that we were a couple. I was genuinely stunned at the time."

"Weren't you shocked too?" Zhou Yuwen attempted to reason with Jiang Xinyi.

Instead, Jiang Xinyi turned the question back on him. "Are you saying this is my mother's fault?"

Zhou Yuwen was left speechless. 'I am trying to be reasonable, and this is what you focus on?' he thought.

Looking at Jiang Xinyi's tear-stained face, weeping so beautifully yet sorrowfully.

Zhou Yuwen seemed to make a decision. "If you insist on thinking that way, there is nothing I can do."

Those words practically suffocated Jiang Xinyi. Was this still the Zhou Yuwen she knew?

In truth, watching Jiang Xinyi cry like this made Zhou Yuwen feel quite terrible.

So Zhou Yuwen added, "Actually, you should have known all along."

"I can never be like Teacher You, devoting my whole heart and soul entirely to you."

"I have my own life and my career. Even though I broke up with Su Qing and Yan Yan, they are still a part of me. I think that by rejecting them today for your sake, I have already fulfilled my responsibility to you. If you say—"

"Stop talking," Jiang Xinyi interrupted.

Zhou Yuwen had wanted to explain further, but Jiang Xinyi shut him down with a single phrase.

Later, when Zhou Yuwen drove her back, Jiang Xinyi was already crying her heart out. Zhou Yuwen looked on helplessly and offered to walk her inside to explain everything clearly to Liu Jing.

Instead, Jiang Xinyi glared at him. Gritting her teeth, she declared, "I am not as fragile as you think!"

After saying that, she walked back to her house all by herself!

From that moment on, Zhou Yuwen felt that his affair with Jiang Xinyi had come to an end. Although his heart felt somewhat heavy, he also felt a sense of relief. To be completely honest, at this moment, his thoughts were definitely focused far more on Su Qing than on Jiang Xinyi.

No matter how excellent Jiang Xinyi's family background was, she was ultimately just a passing traveler in his life. He might have had some affection for her, but how could that possibly compare to the bond he shared with Su Qing across two lifetimes?

The resolute and determined expression Su Qing had worn before leaving was something he had never seen before.

Upon driving back home, he found his parents waiting in the living room.

A large residence like a villa was meant to be bustling with a crowd. When it was just an older couple like Yang Lijuan and her husband, it felt far too cold and deserted.

Especially after the earlier commotion, the current silence felt exceptionally stark.

Yang Lijuan had gone outside later and only caught fragments of the situation, but Zhou Guobin had been out there smoking the entire time, so he understood the entire cause and effect.

Yang Lijuan had never imagined that several excellent girls would end up tearing at each other to such an extent over her son.

Su Qing's frantic demeanor from earlier had left a deep impression on Yang Lijuan.

After sitting in the living room for a long while, Yang Lijuan couldn't help but remark, "Little Su is usually such a good kid, but why is she so emotionally unstable sometimes?"

"Children from a poor original family indeed have certain flaws in their personalities, sigh."

Zhou Guobin remained silent, leaving Yang Lijuan to mutter to herself. A moment later, she added, "That child Xiao Jiang won't do either."

"She is six years older than Yuwen, and her family is so domineering. If she gets married to him, I wouldn't even know if she was marrying into our family or if Yuwen was marrying into hers. I don't want our son to be bullied."

Yang Lijuan continued to chatter endlessly, spilling out a mountain of thoughts, but Zhou Guobin did not utter a single word.

Annoyed, Yang Lijuan insisted that Zhou Guobin say something. After a long pause, Zhou Guobin finally offered, "Well, isn't there still Little Zheng?"

Yang Lijuan thought it over and realized that out of all of them, Zheng Yanyan was indeed quite nice. First of all, she was from Jingcheng.

"Our Yuwen found a lass from Jingcheng, so when our grandson is born, he'll be a Jingcheng native. But then again, a girl like Yan Yan doesn't look like she knows how to manage a household. She will definitely spend a lot of money." Yang Lijuan pondered for a moment before saying thoughtfully, "Actually, that Little Tao and Little Lu aren't bad either."

"As for Little Tao, her looks are a bit too outstanding; I worry she might not be honest. Little Lu is fine though—obedient, honest, and she can cook. She just doesn't talk much."

Yang Lijuan listed out the strengths and weaknesses of all the girls before exclaiming, "Hey, tell me, if our daughter-in-law could have Xiao Jiang's family background, be as obedient as Little Lu, be as good with words as Yan Yan, be as attentive as Su Qing, and look like Little Tao, wouldn't that be perfect!"

Hearing this, Zhou Guobin couldn't help but purse his lips. "Yeah, all the good things in the world are occupied by you. Why not just take them all as your daughters-in-law and be done with it?"

Yang Lijuan rolled her eyes at this remark, scolding Zhou Guobin for talking nonsense.

"I only have one son. Where would I get so many daughters-in-law?"

"Wasn't that exactly what your words meant?"

Naturally, Yang Lijuan disagreed, but her face was beaming with a wide, happy smile.

At that moment, Zhou Yuwen walked in from outside.

The older couple immediately dropped the topic and looked at Zhou Yuwen. Seeing that their son was not in high spirits, Yang Lijuan opened her mouth to ask, "Did you take Xiao Jiang home?"

"Yeah. Mom, Dad, why are you still in the living room?" Zhou Yuwen asked.

Yang Lijuan replied, "Aren't we just worried about you?"

"Little Su was so concerning just now. Did you ask her how she is doing?" Worry still lingered on Yang Lijuan's face.

Zhou Yuwen said it was no big deal.

"She has always been like this. She'll be fine in a few days. It's getting late, you two should go to sleep."

Saying that, Zhou Yuwen ushered his parents upstairs to rest.

Yang Lijuan clearly harbored a stomach full of words she wanted to share with her son. As she was herded upstairs by Zhou Yuwen, she hesitated, caught between speaking and staying silent, before finally saying, "Yuwen, what Little Su said just now might have been a bit harsh, but I still feel her words weren't wrong."

"Your mom and dad know that you are successful and capable now. But when it comes to relationships, it is better to keep things clean. If you don't believe me, ask your dad. Out of all the cases your dad has handled, how many capable, important figures ended up behind bars because of women?" Yang Lijuan chattered incessantly without end, but Zhou Yuwen merely replied that he understood.

He then escorted Yang Lijuan and his father to the door of their room, offering a final smile as he spoke.

"It is rare for you to visit Jinling, yet I cannot even find a daughter-in-law to show you around. Let's do this: I will make some arrangements tomorrow, Mom and Dad, and see if I can properly accompany you to explore Jinling."

Hearing this, Yang Lijuan smiled and said, "There's no need for that. It's not the first time your dad and I have been here."

She said that, but Zhou Yuwen still intended to make the necessary arrangements.

After seeing his parents into their room to rest.

Zhou Yuwen also entered his own room.

He took a quick shower and then picked up his phone.

The first person he thought of wasn't Jiang Xinyi, but rather Su Qing. Normally, at this hour, Su Qing would have sent him a message. Surprisingly, however, no message from her had arrived this time.

Zhou Yuwen even opened Su Qing's chat window to take a look. He originally wanted to send her a text telling her to stop causing a fuss, but in the end, he deleted the drafted message.

At this moment, Zhou Yuwen's heart was in quite a state of turmoil.

After all, crossing two lifetimes, how could he just give up and let go so easily?

For once, he was genuinely troubled over Su Qing.

Meanwhile, Jiang Xinyi, this wealthy daughter, was also crying her heart out over a man for the very first time.

There was no way Liu Jing wouldn't notice her coming home so exhausted and hysterical.

Originally, Liu Jing had thought that since her daughter was meeting her future in-laws for the first time, she would undoubtedly return full of smiles and happy chatter.

After all, her daughter was so excellent, while Zhou Yuwen's parents were just ordinary people. Which family wouldn't be overjoyed to have such a golden phoenix land in their lap?

They would probably be tripping over themselves just trying to flatter her.

Yet, turning her head, she heard the sound of weeping. Upon seeing her daughter's tear-streaked face, Liu Jing's expression immediately turned stern.

"What happened?"

Jiang Xinyi didn't say a word. She simply ran straight into her room and buried her head, sobbing bitterly.

When Liu Jing hurried over to ask what was wrong, Jiang Xinyi just threw her arms around her mother's neck and continued to cry until her eyes were completely red.

The louder Jiang Xinyi cried, the more solemn Liu Jing's expression became.

Keeping a straight face, she asked, "Tell Mom, did Zhou Yuwen bully you?"

With red eyes, Jiang Xinyi gritted her teeth. It took her a long time before she finally answered, "It has nothing to do with him."

"Then why are you crying so loudly?"

Jiang Xinyi explained that Zhou Yuwen had an ex-girlfriend named Su Qing who kept pestering him, and that her words were exceptionally filthy.

Jiang Xinyi relayed everything Su Qing had said to her today back to Liu Jing.

Hearing this, Liu Jing's brows furrowed deeply. Baffled, she asked, "How could there be a girl with such a lack of class!?"

By this point, Jiang Xinyi's crying had stopped. She wiped away her tears and said, "That isn't what makes me feel so terrible."

"Then what is it?"

A trace of anguish appeared on Jiang Xinyi's face as she confessed, "I never expected Zhou Yuwen to yell at me because of her."

"He dared to yell at you?"

Liu Jing reacted as if she had just heard the biggest joke in the world. This was her beloved daughter.

Zhou Yuwen was indeed excellent, but his excellence depended on who he was being compared to. Did he have any idea of the power and resources their family possessed?

She had completely disregarded the need to be well-matched in social status, willingly entrusting her beloved daughter to Zhou Yuwen.

Yet Zhou Yuwen had the audacity to yell at her daughter.

Afraid that her mother would get angry, Jiang Xinyi tried to act coquettishly, claiming he didn't exactly yell at her.

"It's just... just that he said his ex-girlfriend is also a part of him. He also said something about how that Su Qing already knew his parents, and since it was rare for his parents to visit Jinling, meeting her was unobjectionable."

Jiang Xinyi didn't add fuel and vinegar to exaggerate the story, but even so, Liu Jing's face hardened.

Fearing that Liu Jing would seek out Zhou Yuwen to settle the score, Jiang Xinyi proactively hugged her mother and pleaded, "Mom, please don't go looking for Zhou Yuwen. This matter really has nothing to do with him."

"It's all because of that Su Qing. And what she said wasn't entirely wrong."

As Jiang Xinyi spoke, she wiped at her tears again. She recounted the insults Su Qing had hurled at her—things like how she was old, and how if it weren't for her family's wealth, Zhou Yuwen wouldn't even spare her a glance.

The more she spoke, the more wronged she felt.

Liu Jing couldn't bear to see her daughter feeling so wronged. Jiang Xinyi comforted her mother, insisting that it was fine.

Then, Jiang Xinyi asked her mother what she should do.

Squeezing out more tears, she told her mother that Zhou Yuwen had declared it was impossible for him to cut ties with Su Qing and that Zheng Yanyan just because of her.

"He said I either have to accept this about him, or break up with him."

As Jiang Xinyi said this, she truly felt incredibly wronged. It was obvious she didn't want to leave Zhou Yuwen.

Liu Jing simply hugged her daughter and gently consoled her, telling her everything would be fine.

"If he says he can't cut them off, then I will help him cut them off," Liu Jing stated, her expression growing increasingly frosty.

Jiang Xinyi pleaded, "Mom, please don't cause trouble for Zhou Yuwen. He doesn't want you getting involved in our affairs."

Liu Jing chuckled and replied, "Don't worry, of course I know that. Dating is between the two of you; it wouldn't be right for me to constantly interfere. Alright now, stop crying."

Saying that, she helped wipe away Jiang Xinyi's tears.

After being comforted by Liu Jing for a while, Jiang Xinyi's mood finally improved a little.

That night, she held tightly onto her phone, filled with expectation that Zhou Yuwen would send her a message.

However, she waited all night and not a single text arrived. She eventually fell into a deep sleep, still clutching her phone.

In truth, things were much the same on Zhou Yuwen's end. He hadn't slept well all night because of the incident with Su Qing, though he still hadn't taken the initiative to reach out to her.

And so, the night passed just like that.

Early the next morning, Zhou Yuwen canceled all of his social engagements, intending to take his parents for a tour around the Zhongshan Scenic Area. Since Zhou Yuwen wasn't the type who was good at catering to others, he called over Lu Wanting and Peng Xiaoyong.

Peng Xiaoyong still carried a bit of his shabby, pedantic pride, but it didn't matter. He was a cousin, after all, and could keep Zhou Yuwen's father company and chat with him.

Meanwhile, Lu Wanting's job was that of an assistant. She knew Zhou Yuwen's status and was more than willing to flatter him. With these two accompanying his parents, Zhou Yuwen felt relatively at ease.

It was on this very day, while Zhou Yuwen was out playing tourist with his parents...

That Liu Jing woke up early, applied an incredibly imposing makeup look, and headed straight for Zhou Yuwen's school.